Tag: Logan Paul

Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul title match official for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has set a date for Jey Uso and Logan Paul’s World Heavyweight Championship match.

During the broadcast for Backlash tonight, it was confirmed that Uso will defend his World Heavyweight title against Paul on the next edition of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. The episode is being held in Tampa, Florida on May 24 and will air live on NBC and Peacock.

Dave Meltzer first reported that the Uso vs. Paul match was expected to take place on SNME. It will be Uso’s second title defense since winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Gunther at WrestleMania 41. His first defense was a match against Seth Rollins on Raw last Monday that ended in a DQ.

Paul defeated AJ Styles at WrestleMania and has now set his sights on winning the first World Championship of his wrestling career. After Raw last Monday, an off-air angle took place where Paul dropped Uso with a punch and then bragged that he’s now knocked him out three times. He promised to take Uso’s title.

WWE has also confirmed that John Cena will appear on the May 24 Saturday Night’s Main Event episode, but his plans for the show have not been announced yet. Tampa’s Yeungling Center is hosting the event on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Update on WWE’s plans for Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul title match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It’s not part of the card for Backlash this weekend, but Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul will still be happening soon.

Dave Meltzer reported in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that, as of right now, Uso vs. Paul for the World Heavyweight Championship is planned for the next episode of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. The show is taking place at the Yeungling Center in Tampa, Florida during Memorial Day weekend (Saturday, May 24).

The Jey Uso title match with Logan Paul is right now scheduled to be taking place on the Saturday Night’s Main Event show, which has 9,224 tickets out in Tampa and has an $83 get in price. The television set up for the building is 9,762 so it’s a lock to sell out. The advertising of the show is based around Cena, so one would think he’d wrestle, but having both Cena and Uso defend the titles seems like a lot for a television show. Especially when you don’t even do that for the PLE shows.

The build for Uso vs. Paul began last week with Paul saying his next goal in WWE is to become a World Champion. After being superkicked by Uso, Paul blindsided the champion later in the night with a knockout punch backstage. WWE then shot a post-show angle after Raw this Monday where Paul again attacked Uso.

Uso defeated Gunther at WrestleMania 41 to win the first singles World Championship of his career.

Saturday Night’s Main Event airs live on both NBC and Peacock. John Cena appearing is the only announcement that’s been made for the May 24 episode so far.

Logan Paul attacks Jey Uso in WWE Raw post-show angle

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Logan Paul attacked World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso in an angle shot after Monday’s WWE Raw went off the air.

After the Netflix portion of Monday’s Raw ended, Uso was greeting fans around ringside when Paul attacked from the audience.

Paul landed a right hand that Uso sold as a one-punch knockout, with Paul hastily retreating from the arena as Sami Zayn and CM Punk came to Uso’s aid. WWE’s chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque reposted the video of the angle with the caption: “The show never ends…”

Uso defended the World Heavyweight title in the main event of Monday’s Raw against Seth Rollins in a contest that ended without a finish after Bron Breakker, Zayn, and Punk all interfered in the match.

Punk hit Rollins and Breakker with a steel chair and aligned himself with Zayn, as both have an ax to grind against the new Raw group featuring Rollins, Breakker, and Paul Heyman.

Our full report from Monday’s Raw is available here.

The post-show angle with Paul and Uso is embedded below.

Women’s IC title match official for WWE Backlash, Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul teased

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Women’s Intercontinental title will be on the line at WWE Backlash, and the World Heavyweight title appears likely to be as well.

In a match made official during Monday’s WWE Raw, Becky Lynch will challenge Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at Backlash in St. Louis on Saturday, May 10.

Lynch made her return to WWE at WrestleMania 41 after a hiatus of nearly a year to win the Women’s Tag Team titles with Valkyria. Valkyria had been scheduled to team with Bayley at the show, but Bayley was taken out of the match with a mystery attacker angle on the SmackDown prior.

The next night on Raw, Lynch and Valkyria lost the titles back to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in a WrestleMania rematch, then Lynch turned on Valkyria. On this week’s Raw, Lynch stated that there would be no drawn out whodunit, and that she had attacked Bayley.

Valkyria entered on Monday’s Raw and challenged Lynch to a fight, but Lynch begged off. Valkyria then challenged Lynch for Backlash with the title on the line, and Lynch accepted. As Valkyria exited, Lynch sneak attacked her.

Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul teased–

Another title bout may take place in St. Louis as well, with Jey Uso apparently set to defend against Logan Paul.

Paul appeared for an in-ring promo on Monday’s Raw and boasted about beating AJ Styles at WrestleMania, and said that the only thing that had eluded him in WWE was a World title. Uso entered and after a back-and-forth on the mic, laid out Paul with a superkick.

Later on Raw in a backstage segment, Paul hit Uso with a knockout punch and stood tall over the World Heavyweight Champion. The title match has yet to be made official for the May 10 show.

The updated WWE Backlash lineup following Monday’s Raw episode is below. This week’s Raw report is available here.

WWE Backlash, Saturday, May 10 —

  • Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against Randy Orton
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defends against Becky Lynch
  • Pat McAfee vs. Gunther

WWE WrestleMania 41 night two live results: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: April 20, 2025
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV 

**********

Show Recap — 

COUNTDOWN SHOW 

The 3-hour pre-show began with a lengthy video recap of night one. Cody Rhodes and his glasses, Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley arrived.

The panel began once again with Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Big E, and Wade Barrett. They spoke about Jey Uso’s win and Paul Heyman aligning with Seth Rollins. Cole and McAfee admitted they should have seen the latter coming. 

John Cena will be on McAfee’s show tomorrow. That sort of feels like a spoiler. 

The Women’s World title triple threat match will open tonight’s show.

There was a feature on the Razor Ramon/Shawn Michaels ladder match from WrestleMania 10, and they showed the final few minutes of Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair from last night. 

There was a video package for Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena. Six different talking heads spoke about tonight’s main event. Cole promised us that he would call it down the middle. That seems unlikely. 

There was a Randy Orton video package. 

Belair did a sit-down interview with Byron Saxton. They’re putting a bit more emphasis on Belair being undefeated (minus a battle royal) at Mania.

Jackie Redmond ran down tonight’s card, and there was a Hall of Fame video. 

Two hours to go.

They aired more of Triple H’s interview with Peter Rosenberg. 

The panel is now Redmond, Big E, and Rosenberg. More wrestlers arrived, and Penta was shown taking a ride on the Goodyear blimp. 

Travis Scott, Jey Uso, and Tyler Breeze were nearby opening cards and signing them for fans. Jey had his newly won World title belt with updated side plates. The announcers wondered if he’d slept yet.

Video packages played for Rhodes and for Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest. 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Morgan went on a rant because she was upset that Kelly would think they took out Bayley. Kelley wasn’t accusing them of that — she just wanted to know their thoughts on Lyra Valkyria and her mystery partner. Morgan and Rodriguez weren’t too worried about it. Morgan called Kelley a dummy, and Rodriguez tussled her hair. The panellists talked about the match, and Big E not-so-subtly hinted at Becky Lynch.

We’re at the point in the pre-show where delirious fans in the heat chanted for Byron Saxton. 87 minutes to go. 

They aired the final few moments of last night’s main event. They focused next on AJ Styles and Logan Paul. 

One hour to go. 

There was a video for the IC title four-way. 

Tony Hinchcliffe spoke to Tessitore and Roberts. He was booed.

Kelley had a sit-down interview with Rhea Ripley. She tried to tell a sob story about how she can no longer trust anyone. That makes sense as it pertains to Judgment Day, but she also felt betrayed by Belair and Sky, and I have no idea why. They didn’t really do anything to her. Sky beat her clean for the title, and Belair won the Chamber. 

They aired the final moments of Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight. 

Thirty-four minutes before WrestleMania, we watched Big E and Rosenberg play the Fatal Fury video game.

Cole sat down with Rhodes. Among the things he said, Rhodes said Cena is struggling with the fact that WWE has moved on without him while he’s kissing James Gunn’s ass. 

There was a video of Rosenberg playing poker with Big E, Jey Uso, and Killer Mike.

They aired Jey beating Gunther for the title. 

The panellists gave their final thoughts on tonight’s card, and they aired the Las Vegas video from last night, narrated by Dana White.

Ava Max sang the American national anthem. They made sure to let us know that she has over “50 billion streams worldwide.” 

WRESTLEMANIA 41 – NIGHT TWO

Cody Rhodes and his glasses, Judgment Day, Penta, Bron Breakker, and Randy Orton, accompanied by his wife, were shown arriving. This portion of the show was brought to us by a sponsor. Rhodes seemed to get a mixed reaction. 

Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Bianca Belair were shown getting ready. Belair was definitely booed. 

After the intro, Stephanie McMahon was in the ring. She said she was 16 years old the last time WrestleMania was in Las Vegas, and now her middle daughter was 16. WWE was a family, and she welcomed us home and to WrestleMania. Fireworks went off. 

Michael Cole, Wade Barrett, and Pat McAfee are tonight’s announcers again. 

******** 

Iyo Sky, the champion, entered first. (Yesterday, Tiffany Stratton was the only champion to enter first.) She received a good ovation during in-ring introductions. 

Belair entered second, and her entrance included a few young girls skipping with long braids. Among them was her step-daughter. Belair was booed when her music hit, and Cole tried to get ahead of it by saying it was due to her involvement as referee in the title match between Ripley and Sky. 

Ripley entered last to a big reaction.

Triple Threat Match: IYO SKY defeated Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley to retain the Women’s World Championship (14:28)

Sky took the fight to her opponents but was dropkicked out of the ring by Ripley. That led to an exchange between Ripley and Belair, which Belair got the better of. Sky got back in and knocked down both opponents with some sort of move off the top and a double dropkick. 

Belair gave Sky three consecutive vertical suplexes, including a delayed suplex at the end. The fans couldn’t help but applaud that. Ripley gave Sky a Razor’s Edge right into Belair, which looked awesome, for a two count. 

As Ripley put Sky in a Prism lock, Belair tried to catch Ripley in a KOD, but they wound up planting each other down with facebusters. All three women brought each other down with a triple suplex off the ropes moments later. 

Ripley booted Belair, and Sky hit Ripley with a springboard dropkick. As Sky posed for the fans, Belair pounced her (which drew more boos). Belair gave Sky a 450 splash before Ripley hit Belair with a Rip-tide for a nearfall. 

Sky went for a Meteora, but Ripley kicked her in the head. Sky countered an avalanche Rip-tide and went for a moonsault, but Ripley got her feet up. Sky stumbled into a Belair KOD, but Ripley broke up the cover. The crowd was going nuts. 

Belair started shoving Ripley’s face while taunting her. Ripley shoved her off the top rope moments later. Sky tried an avalanche poison-rana, but Ripely yanked her around and posted her. 

Belair and Ripley had an exchange until Belair slipped out of a Rip-tide and smacked Ripley with her braid. Belair had Ripley pinned, but Sky hit a moonsault to break up the pin and covered Belair for the win. 

The crowd was super into this, and they popped big for Sky’s win. This was a fun, fast-paced, chaotic match that was probably better than anything on yesterday’s show. 

Match result: IYO SKY defeated Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley 

******** 

Flava Flav, Merab Dvalishvili, and Rich the Kid were in the crowd.  

McIntyre had a Doom-inspired entrance. Kerry King of Slayer played Priest to the ring. 

Sin City Street Fight: Drew McIntyre defeated Damian Priest (13:56) 

They fought around ringside, and McItnyre got the better of it after repeatedly hitting Priest with the steel steps. Someone (McIntyre’s brother, apparently) handed McIntyre a cellphone, and he took a selfie over Priest’s prone body. 

McIntyre cut off Priest’s comeback attempt and hit a flip dive. McIntyre went for a Claymore, but Priest chucked a chair at his face. It didn’t hit him with much force, so McIntyre came back anyway with a standing Claymore (instead of a running one) for two. 

McIntyre wrapped a chair around Priest’s head and went for a Claymore, but Priest managed to grab him with one arm, and he hit a chokeslam (with the chair still around his head). Priest hit McIntyre with a chair until McIntyre hit a spinebuster. 

Priest avoided an avalanche White Noise, and hit McIntyre with a Razor’s Edge through a table for a nearfall. McIntyre followed with a Future Shock DDT on the steel steps for two. Priest got the better of a strike exchange after dropping McIntyre with a clothesline. 

Priest tried the Undertaker’s rope walk spot, but McIntyre shoved him off the ropes and to the outside, through tables that were set up earlier. 

McIntyre placed Priest’s head against a chair that was wedged between the ropes. McIntyre Claymore’d Priest’s face into the chair for the pinfall win. 

This was pretty good. Priest got plenty of offence, but in the end, it felt like a decisive win for McIntyre. 

Match result: Drew McIntyre defeated Damian Priest

******** 

Jahmyr Gibbs, Daniel Cormier, and Tony Hinchcliffe were in the crowd.  

Like the previous matches, this one also had a sponsor. (On my Netflix feed in Canada, they mute the announcers when they read the ad. This happens on Raw, as well.) 

In years past, on packed shows, they would sometimes cut entrances short to make sure they got everything else in. They’re doing the opposite on this two-night Mania show. The entrances feel longer than usual, and not just because the ramp is longer.

Fatal 4-Way Match: Dominik Mysterio defeated Finn Bálor, Penta and Bron Breakker to win the Intercontinental Championship (10:31) 

Dom and Bálor chucked Bron out of the ring early on, before Penta wiped them out with a dive. Bron knocked over Penta with a leaping tackle. Bron slammed Penta, gave Bálor a military press slam, and speared Dom, but Bálor broke up the cover. 

Bálor gave Bron a slingblade before Penta gave Bálor a slingblade. Penta used a drop toe hold to drop Bálor face-first into Dom’s crotch. Penta snapped Bálor’s arm and set up for his finisher, but Bron hit them with a double German suplex. 

Penta avoided a spear and went shoulder-first into the ring post. Dom hit Penta with a slingshot senton before kicking Bron out of the ring. Dom hit Penta with consecutive suplexes. Penta avoided a third, but Bálor joined in to help Dom hit another. 

They tried to give Bron a double suplex, but he gave them a double suplex instead. (Carlito has appeared at ringside.) Bron handed out overhead suplexes and gave Bálor a Frankensteiner for two. 

Everyone traded moves until Dom noticed Bálor was near the ropes. Dom dropkicked Bálor into the middle rope and went for the 619 as the crowd popped. However, Bálor blocked Dom’s 619 attempt and stomped away at him as the crowd booed. 

Penta hit Bálor with a Penta driver, but Bron broke up the cover. Bron and Penta had an exchange that seemed to be leading to a super spear, but Carlito dropped the rope, and Bron fell out of the ring. Dom tried a schoolboy on Penta for two. Penta came back with a Canadian Destroyer and seemed to have it won, but Carlito yanked him out of the ring. 

Carlito set up Penta on the announce table, but Bron ran off the other table and speared Carlito through the table. Bron speared Penta, but Dom hit Bron with a 619. Dom went for a frog splash, but Bálor crotched him, and the crowd booed again. 

Bálor hit Bron with a slingblade, a dropkick, and a Coup de Grâce, but Dom broke up the cover with a frog splash on Bálor. Dom then pinned Bálor for the pinfall win. The crowd popped huge for Dom. 

Dom celebrated on the ramp with the IC title belt, but after they showed replays, he ran back down and posed in the ring as the crowd cheered. 

This was another good match, and the finish was clever—except that it was identical to the finish in the opening match. 

Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Finn Bálor, Penta and Bron Breakker

******** 

Colby Covington (who was booed), Metro Boomin, and Dean Norris were in the crowd. 

Randy Orton wore blue and yellow trunks, a nod to his original attire from 2002. 

Orton said this was his 20th WrestleMania. Whoever his opponent was, they would get their WrestleMania courtesy an RKO. 

Randy Orton defeated TNA World Champion Joe Hendry in a non-title match (3:09)  

Hendy entered wearing his TNA World Title to a pretty big pop. Fans waved their arms in the air as his music played. The announcers acknowledged him as the TNA champion. (McAfee thought the title would be in the line until Cole wised him up.) 

Orton went for an RKO right away, but Hendry fought him off and hit a neckbreaker. Hendry stomped the mat and grabbed Orton by the neck, but Orton just looked confused before poking him in the eye. Orton hit a draping DDT and set up for an RKO, but Hendry blocked it again and hit a fallaway slam. 

Hendry turned and did his pose, but Orton flew in with an RKO for the quick pinfall win. 

— Orton helped Hendry to his feet and raised his arm to the crowd before dropping him with another RKO. Orton mockingly turned to do Hendry’s pose, but did his own pose instead.

This felt like a total waste of time, but also funny if you only care about WWE. I think it took Orton longer to walk to the ring than it did to beat Hendry. 

Match result: Randy Orton defeated Joe Hendry 

******** 

Every time they talk about Penta, they call him the man who has taken WWE by storm. That line is so ingrained in Cole’s brain that he said the same thing about Paul here. 

Logan Paul defeated AJ Styles (17:44) 

Paul tried a slingshot dive with Styles at ringside, but Styles caught him in the ring skirt and hammered away at him. Styles also drove him into the barricade, right by Nick Khan. 

Paul gained the advantage by shoving Styles into the ring post and hitting a slingshot dive. Paul sent a drone into the air to film him as he choked Styles with the ring skirt. They kept the drone shot on Paul as he hit Styles with a frog splash for two. Paul hit an overbomb, but Styles got a rope break. Paul hit a moonsault onto a standing Styles for two. 

Styles was pissed and he hit Paul with a clothesline, strikes, a fireman’s carry neckbreaker, a sliding forearm, and a brainbuster for two. Styles set up for the Phenomenal forearm, but Paul grabbed him off the ropes, hit a rolling fireman’s carry and Lionsault for two. 

Paul avoided a Styles Clash and hit a Buckshot lariat for two. (McAfee called it a Buckshot lariat, too.) Styles ducked a right hand and hit a rack bomb for two. Styles went for a springboard 450, but Paul got his knees up and hit a Styles Clash. Styles rolled through and hit a Styles Clash. 

Paul’s crony, “Jeff,” tried getting brass knuckles for Paul, but Karrion Kross appeared and took them away. Styles chucked the guy aside. Kross pleaded with Styles to use the knux, but Styles threw them aside and punched Kross. 

Paul ducked the Phenomenal forearm and hit a big punch. Paul followed with Paulverizer for the pinfall win. 

This was a very normal match that was somehow longer than every match so far on both nights, aside from the night one main event. 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated AJ Styles

******** 

Vanessa Hudgens, Rana Daggubati, Terrence Crawford, and Quavo were in the crowd. 

Becky Lynch entered last as the big surprise partner for Valkyria. Morgan and Rodriguez played this up like she was the last person they wanted to see. 

Becky Lynch & Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria  defeated Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships (8:43) 

The heels quickly took control when Morgan shoved Valkyria off the top into a big boot by Rodriguez. Valkyria almost made a hot tag, but Morgan yanked Lynch off the apron. Lynch ran after Morgan, but ran right into a boot by Rodriguez. 

Lynch did make a hot tag moments later, and she hit Morgan with clotheslines before hitting both opponents with running forearms. Lynch gave Rodriguez a Molly-go-round before hitting Morgan with a fallaway slam. Lynch put Morgan in a Disarmer, but Rodriguez broke it up. Morgan hit Lynch with Oblivion, but Valkyria broke up the cover.  

After Valkyria took out Rodrigeuz outside the ring with a tornado DDT, Lynch hit Morgan with a Man-handle Slam for the pinfall win. 

Valkyria and Lynch celebrated together, and now Valkyria is a double champion. 

The match itself was just ok, but it was good to see Becky Lynch again. The crowd was less enthused for all of this than you’d expect, but perhaps they’re just ready for the main event. 

Match result: Lyra Valkyria & Becky Lynch defeated Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez 

********

Stone Cold Steve Austin entered. 

He drove out around ringside in his ATV. He crashed into the barricade by mistake, and he laughed it off — but a woman in the front row was not happy at all. (She fell back into her seat when he collided with the barricade.) He checked on her, but she still did not look happy. 

Austin announced a sold-out crowd of 63,226. He wasn’t sure that number was right, so he started counting out individual fans but gave up around 18. He also announced a two-night attendance of 124,693. 

As Austin drank some beers, Nick Khan could be seen checking on the fan in the front row. Austin left the ring, checked on the fan again, and left. 

********

The main event is up next. The crowd popped big for the graphic. 

John Cena entered to his usual music wearing jorts. However, the screen and ramp were all black with his name in a simple, white font. His t-shirt, shoes, and accessories were all black as well, although his actual logo is colourful. 

Some people on dirt bikes rode onto the stage as part of Rhodes’ entrance. I’m not really sure what the connection is. Rhodes also wore his skull mask, which had some sort of mechanism that lifted automatically to reveal his face. 

They cut to another sponsor’s mascot before showing Rhodes embracing his family at ringside. 

(Compared to previous years, the entrances were nothing special this year.)

John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship (25:05) 

They stalled a lot for the first few minutes, with Rhodes getting the upper hand each time they did go at it. Rhodes hit a suicide dive, but when they hit the ring, Cena just punched him. 

Cena stomped away at Rhodes as some people cheered. (There’s a portion of the audience definitely here to boo Rhodes, but it’s not the majority.) Heel Cena stomping a downed opponent looked super weird. 

Cena hit a clothesline and made the match’s first cover for just a one count. Cena followed with a side slam for one, and consecutive axe handles. Cena went for another one, but Rhodes kicked him. Rhodes fired up until Cena poked him in the eye. Cena hit a tornado DDT for two. 

Cena hit consecutive shoulder tackles, but did it at a much slower and deliberate pace than when he usually does it. Cena slammed Rhodes and went to do the five knuckle shuffle, but Rhodes punched him, hit a powerslam and a Disaster kick. (The boos are louder now for Rhodes’ offence.) Rhodes hit a Cody cutter for two. 

They traded counters until Cena hit an AA for a nearfall. Cena chuckled. Cena hit the five knuckle shuffle, but Rhodes applied a cradle for two. 

Cena hit a super AA off the middle rope for another nearfall. Cena tried a diving leg drop, but Rhodes countered into a powerbomb for two. Rhodes came off the top with a super Cody cutter for two. 

Cena hit a third AA and applied an STF. Rhodes got close to the ropes, but Cena pulled him back to the middle. Rhodes did fight out of it and kicked Cena away, but Cena knocked down the referee. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes, but the ref was dead. 

Cena exposed the turnbuckle and sent Rhodes into it repeatedly. Cena hit a fourth AA for a nearfall. (Cole exclaimed, “What a match!”) 

Travis Scott entered (to his music), and Cena laughed. Scott took his time getting to the ring, and he embraced Cena. They tried to double-team Rhodes, but Rhodes chased Scott off the apron, and he hit Cena with a Cross Rhodes. Scott yanked the referee out of the ring before he could count the fall. 

Rhodes called Scott into the ring, so he obliged. Scott leaped over the top rope and faced off with Rhodes. Scott tried to slap Rhodes, but Rhodes ducked and gave him a Cross Rhodes. 

Cena tried using the title belt as a weapon, but Rhodes yanked it away from him. Rhodes threatened to use it as Cena begged off. Rhodes fell for it because Cena kicked him in the balls. 

Cena clocked Rhodes with the title belt. The ref rolled back in the ring and Cena pinned Rhodes for the win. That was it. Cena is a 17-time world champion. 

Cole tried to tell us that Cena was the greatest of all time and there was no debate. Barrett, normally the heel, called Cena a piece of garbage. 

— Fireworks went off as Cena posed, and they posted a big number 17 on the screen. Rhodes stumbled on the ramp and watched. Cena posed with Scott as the show ended.

This was a massive letdown. A match laid out for children. 

Match result: John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes 

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul official for WWE WrestleMania 41

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With WrestleMania fast approaching, WWE has made a new match official for the show.

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul is now confirmed for the WrestleMania 41 card. WWE posted a video with general manager Adam Pearce announcing the match after a confrontation between Styles and Paul took place on Monday’s episode of Raw in London.

The feud between Styles and Paul has been progressing since Paul eliminated Styles from the 2025 Royal Rumble. Styles challenged Paul to face him in London during their confrontation today, but Paul said he does not fight for free and suggested WrestleMania as the right venue for their match. Things turned physical when Paul went for a cheap shot. Styles was initially able to fight him off until Paul used a low blow and laid Styles out with the Paulverizer.

This will be Styles’ ninth time competing at WrestleMania. For Paul, it’s his fourth WrestleMania match.

We are now less than three weeks away from WrestleMania, which will be held in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20. Here is everything that has been confirmed for the show so far:

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against John Cena
  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Jey Uso
  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Charlotte Flair
  • Women’s World Champion IYO SKY defends against Bianca Belair
  • Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins (will main event night one)
  • Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
  • AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

WWE Raw live results: CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins cage match at MSG

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: March 10, 2025
Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City 

The Big Takeaway —

Roman Reigns returned to attack Seth Rollins in the main event. Reigns also laid out CM Punk after seeing him being consoled by Paul Heyman. 

Cody Rhodes and John Cena will both be on Raw in Brussels, Belgium, next week. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Michael Cole announced a sell-out crowd of over 19,000 at Madison Square Garden, which is hosting Raw for a 15th time. There’s a small video screen in lieu of a stage. 

Cody Rhodes, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins, and CM Punk were shown arriving. 

Jey Uso entered to kick off Raw. As he did, Cole let us know that “many, many celebrities” were here and they showed someone named Andrew Schulz in the crowd. 

Grayson Waller ripped up a kid’s “Yeet” sign on the way down. 

Jey Uso defeated Grayson Waller (w/Austin Theory) (9:10) 

This was a rare instance of a match kicking off Raw, but they still went to break just three minutes into it. 

This was not a squash match for Jey Uso, which you could argue it should have been. Instead, it was your usual patterned WWE TV match. 

Waller used a Theory distraction to take advantage ahead of the break and held control until Jey fought back with strikes and a Samoan drop. Jey fended off another distraction and hit a superkick but Waller blocked his dive attempt and hit a rolling flatliner for two. 

Jey fought back with another superkick before superkicking Theory off the apron. Jey speared Waller for the pinfall win. 

— Theory and Waller attacked Jey after the match, but he dumped Waller from the ring and speared Theory. Jey splashed Theory but Gunther grabbed Jey in a sleeper and put him down.

(This was an ordinary match to say the least. I have no issue with Jey Uso’s position on the card, but this match didn’t help his case with anyone who has doubts. The crowd was into him, though, and the Gunther attack got a decent amount of heat.) 

********

There was a video package for CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. 

During a break, there was a video package for Penta/Ludwig Kaiser. 

After the break, Alpha Academy approached Jey in the trainer’s room. Otis said they’d have his back, and he said he’d be alright. (It’s a little weird they’re associating some of the biggest losers on the show with Main Event Jey Uso.) 

********

Logan Paul and AJ Styles segment 

Logan Paul entered. He ripped off the t-shirt of some fan plant which read “I hate Logan Paul.” 

Paul got an absolute ton of heat. He said his name was associated with people like The Rock and John Cena, who transcended the business and would do anything to reach the top. That’s why he was shocked when Cody Rhodes turned down The Rock. It took Cena 20 years to realize that nice guys finish last. Paul wanted Rock to know that his soul was for sale. 

Paul called out Andrew Schulz (the comedian shown earlier). Paul wanted to know who he was there to see. Schulz was there to see the cage match between Punk and Rollins. He said no one in New York was there to see Paul. They were a real city, unlike Cleveland, who wanted to see real wrestlers. Schulz also wanted to see AJ Styles. 

Paul didn’t like that, so he yanked Schulz over the barricade. Paul was about to suplex Schulz, but Styles ran out. 

The crowd was pumped for Styles who laid out Paul with a Phenomenal forearm. (Styles, off mic, yelled, “F*ck yeah!” and he slapped hands with Schulz.) 

Paul walked toward the stage as Styles told him to get back in the ring. Styles kept telling him this was New York City, but Paul kept walking to the back. Styles held up Schulz’ hand and repeated that this was New York City and they played Styles’ music to conclude the segment. 

The crowd was super into this, but the segment just petered out at the end. This was one of those segments that was probably better for the live crowd.

******** 

There was a video recap of Iyo Sky beating Rhea Ripley for the world title last week. 

New Day cut a promo during a break. Kofi Kingston buried the Jets and Giants, and Xavier Woods buried the Knicks. (They were going for cheap heat but the crowd didn’t bite.) New Day’s new thing lately is to tell the audience to thank God for them. Although, I think their promos only happen during commercials, so the audience may not be aware of that. 

They showed Dana White’s TKO Boxing announcement. Boxer Callum Walsh and trainer Freddie Roach were shown in the crowd. 

Oba Femi was also shown in the crowd. 

******** 

Tornado Tag Team Match: Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee (11:08) 

The crowd chanted for tables, so LWO gave them what they wanted. However, New Day attacked them and put the table away. LWO got the advantage again, so the crowd chanted for tables again. LWO pulled out a table again, but New Day attacked them before they could use it, again. 

New Day had control through a break. Rey brought Woods off the top rope with a springboard hurricanrana, and Dragon Lee hit a double foot stomp off the top. Dragon Lee hit a running hurricanrana off the apron to put Woods through the table. It didn’t land perfectly but the crowd popped because the table technically broke. 

Rey ran wild on Kingston and hit a 619. Kingston got his knees up on a frog splash and applied a cradle but Dragon Lee broke up the cover. Dragon Lee wiped out Kingston with a dive. 

An unidentified masked man in a black hoodie suddenly appeared and wiped out Dragon Lee with a hurricanrana attempt. It was Chad Gable in a USA-themed mask. Gable also laid out Rey with a German suplex. He yelled, “Gracias!” before being grabbed by security. Gable escaped security and ran away through the crowd. 

Thanks to the interference, New Day hit Rey with UpUpDownDown for the pinfall win. 

*******

Judgment Day segment 

Finn Bálor told Carlito that he was sick of Bron Breakker. Carlito wasn’t listening. He was thinking about John Cena being a bad guy. He thought Cena would be a good guy forever, like him. 

Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Dominik Mysterio joined them. Morgan said they were off getting Rodriguez a match against Bayley, with the winner getting a shot at the Women’s IC title. Dom also got Bálor an Men’s IC title match against Breakker next week. Bálor hugged Dom and thanked him sincerely. Bálor left to make it official with Adam Pearce. 

After Bálor left, Morgan asked Dom why he didn’t get himself a title match. Dom believed in Bálor. 

********

Peter Rosenberg, Fabolous, and Macaulay Culkin were shown in the crowd. 

******** 

Cody Rhodes promo 

Rhodes entered, still sporting a black eye, and cut a passionate promo on John Cena. 

Rhodes said he was there because the Garden was the cathedral and WWE’s home base. His WrestleMania opponent John Cena was not there tonight. The mere mention of Cena’s name was booed, as well as mentions of Travis Scott and The Rock. 

Rhodes noted that Cena would be in Brussels, Belgium, next week instead. This was the same Cena who first won the US title in MSG and returned to the Royal Rumble from injury in MSG. It was apparently an easy decision for Cena not to appear in MSG. However, Rhodes did not begrudge Cena for having a part-time schedule. 

(Dueling, “Let’s go, Cena” and “Cena sucks” chants broke out. Rhodes paused his promo and told the crowd to let Cena hear it.) 

Rhodes did begrudge Cena for something. He mentioned Cena’s social media post stating that you must have the discipline to do what needs to be done even if you don’t feel like it. Rhodes compared Cena to the overzealous teacher or coach who kept giving advice but it was time for Cena to sit down, “you Goddamn moron.” 

Nobody defined best for business quite like Cena. But there were 17,000 in attendance who knew what was best. (The announcers frantically made sure to mention it was closer to 20,000.) 

The key number to remember was 17 (the record Cena was chasing). It would be Rhodes’ heart-breaking privilege to beat his hero in his last chance, while Cena found out what the fans already knew: “I’m the captain now.” 

(They announced that Cena and Rhoeds will both be on Raw next week.) 

********

Jackie Redmond had a quick interview with Lyra Valkyria during a break. 

Ali Ahn, Rich the Kid, Amanda Serrano, and cast members from ‘Selling The City’, were shown in the crowd. 

They showed a clip of Jimmy Snuka hitting Don Muraco with a splash off the cage at MSG in 1983. 

******* 

Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez (w/Dominik Mysterio & Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan) defeated Bayley (11:06) 

Bayley fought back after a break and hit a flying elbow drop for two. She missed a baseball slide by a mile but managed to shove Rodriguez into the post before Rodriguez could do it to her. 

Dom distracted the referee while Morgan tried to interfere, but Bayley knocked her off the apron. She also knocked Dom off the apron and went for a dive, but Rodriguez caught her and slammed her onto the announce table. 

Bayley barely avoided a count-out but Rodriguez booted her as she entered the ring. Rodriguez followed with the Tejana Bomb for the pinfall win. Rodriguez is next in line for Valkyria’s title with this win. 

The crowd has been hot so far, but they were mostly pretty quiet for this. 

********

Cathy Kelley interviewed Chad Gable. He played dumb and said it wasn’t him who attacked LWO. He called security pathetic for not getting to that fan before he could get involved. As Kelley argued with Gable, a man in a black hoodie and USA-themed mask could be seen being taken out by security. Kelley was confused. 

During a break, there was a Bron Breakker video promo on Bálor. 

There was a clip of Randy Savage defending the WWF Championship in a cage match against Ted DiBiase at MSG in 1988. 

Celebrities William Jackson Harper, Kris Diaz, Josh Segarra, and Nardo Wick were shown in the crowd. 

******** 

IYO SKY, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley segment 

Michael Cole interviewed Iyo Sky in the ring. He congratulated her on heading to WrestleMania and the crowd cheered. She called it a dream to be standing in MSG as the champion and she was over the moon knowing she was headed to WrestleMania. 

Belair entered. She congratulated Sky and said she was excited for them to be headed to Mania. Cole asked Belair if Rhea Ripley would still be champion of Belair was not sitting at ringside last week. Belair said she has had enough drama lately and was only out there to watch the match. If Ripley thought she would put her hands on her and get away with it, she didn’t know her at all. 

Ripley interrupted to a big reaction. She was skeptical of Belair’s explanation. She said Belair should have left her to handle her business with Sky while Belair handled her business with Naomi and Jade Cargill. Belair said Ripley was mad because she knew she couldn’t beat Sky. 

They got in each other’s faces as Sky tried to interject. Ripley and Belair each shoved her aside, so Sky smacked them both in the face (Ripley stumbled back, while Belair fell to the mat). The crowd chanted for Sky. She was livid and left the ring. 

********

Next week on Raw in Brussels, Belgium (start time 3 pm ET/12 pm PT): 

  • Cody Rhodes and John Cena in the same building 
  • Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser 
  • Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory 
  • Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile 
  • Bron Breakker vs. Finn Bálor for the Intercontinental Championship 

******** 

Steel Cage Match: Seth Rollins defeated CM Punk (22:26) 

Rollins chucked his jacket Punk as he entered the ring and attacked him in the ropes as the bell rang to start the match. The crowd booed him for that. Punk fought back before they wildly slapped and punched each other (and missed each other a bunch). 

Rollins powerbombed Punk into the side of the cage, leading to a break three minutes in, and hit another one during the break. Rollins repeatedly drove Punk into the cage during the break. 

After the break, Rollins opened the door and invited Punk to leave. Punk flipped off Rollins (and the screen went black to censor it). Punk used a hurricanrana to drive Rollins into the cage and he followed with a GTS. Punk did not go for a cover. 

Punk drove Rollins’ face into the cage and hit a running knee to the back of his head, causing Rollins’ face to bounce off the cage. Punk invited Rollins to leave, so Rollins flipped him off, too (this was also blacked out). 

Punk hit repeated elbow drops and consecutive flying elbow drops. As Cole noted, neither man had gone for a cover yet. Punk hit a third flying elbow drop and finally did go for a cover for a two count. 

Punk climbed to the top of the cage, so Rollins met him up there. (They used a drone shot to circle them as they exchanged strikes.) Rollins yanked Punk down from the top of the cage and hit a superplex (off the top rope) for two. The crowd reacted like this was a superplex off the cage, but it was basically a normal superplex. 

Rollins went for a Pedigree, but Punk countered into a GTS for a nearfall. Punk went for another GTS, but Rollins countered into an STF (Cena’s move). Punk reversed that into an Anaconda Vice, but Rollins raked his eyes to get out of it. Rollins followed with a curb stomp for a nearfall. 

Rollins set up for a super stomp, but Punk yanked him off the ropes and hit a third GTS for a nearfall. A frustrated Punk hit a curb stomp for another nearfall. 

Punk saw the open door but turned around to see Rollins screaming at him, “If you want my house, take it from me, you asshole. You want this from me? Take it from me. Earn it, you asshole!” 

Punk hit him with a running knee and set up for another GTS, but Rollins popped out and hit a GTS of his own. Rollins followed with a curb stomp for a close nearfall. The crowd went nuts for that. 

Rollins hit a super stomp off the middle rope. Rollins seemingly had it won, finally, but didn’t make a cover or go for the door just yet. 

The door was open and the crowd began screaming. Roman Reigns suddenly grabbed Rollins and yanked him out of the ring. Rollins was announced the winner because he technically escaped the cage. Rollins was shocked to see Reigns. 

— Reigns hit Rollins with a Superman punch, spear and a curb stomp. 

Reigns placed Rollins over the steel steps and set up for another stomp, but officials ran down to stop him. 

Reigns’ attention suddenly turned to the ring upon seeing Paul Heyman comforting Punk. 

Reigns laughed and entered the ring. He drove Punk into the cage and speared him. Heyman backed into the corner as Reigns stood tall. The crowd chanted “OTC,” and he posed as the show ended.

(This was a hot conclusion to a pretty good main event. The rest of the show felt like an average Raw, but all anyone will remember is this finish. Hopefully Punk does not complain about Reigns getting involved, because Rollins had it won regardless. He just hit a super stomp and was sitting right by the open door. ) 

WWE Raw live results: Elimination Chamber go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: February 24, 2025
Location: Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH 

********** 

The Big Takeaway —

Cody Rhodes appeared on Raw to address The Rock’s offer but was interrupted by Seth Rollins, who issued a warning to Rhodes. (See more below.) 

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez won the Women’s Tag Team titles in a fun main event after Morgan pinned Naomi—thanks to plenty of interference by Dom. 

Penta suffered his first loss in WWE in a triple threat match where he was not pinned.

**********

Show Recap — 

Michael Cole announced a crowd of 12,259. The Women’s tag title match will be tonight’s main event. 

Cody Rhodes was among those shown arriving at the arena. 

Opening segment

Logan Paul entered to kick off Raw. He was booed by the crowd despite announcing he was also from Ohio. He said he was just like them, just better. He saw dreary, grey Cincinnati when he was landing on his jet and told his pilot to turn around, but he decided to go to Cincinnati after all to perform for the peasants because he was just that humble. 

The crowd booed, so he told them that they didn’t appreciate good talent. Just look at what they did to Joe Burrow. Paul beat Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio to qualify for the Chamber, and he will beat three doorknobs and John Cena before going on to WrestleMania to become the face of this company. 

CM Punk interrupted to a big reaction. Paul wondered what Punk’s problem was with him. He saw Punk’s subtweets and thought Punk was jealous because Paul was successful at everything he did, while Punk was a series of failures. 

Punk said he didn’t have a problem with Paul. But Paul was a dime a dozen. A loud-mouth kid who did stupid and ignorant things for the shock of it. Paul thought that made him a generational talent but he had no character or substance, and the fans deserved better. 

Paul said Punk’s return was one of the biggest ever, but he immediately crumbled under the pressure and got hurt. Paul said the fans were familiar with Stone Cold, Cena, and Punk, but that name (of the top guy) changed over time. It was just a matter of time before they were chanting Paul’s name. (The fans chanted for Punk.) 

Punk said Paul was wrong about a lot, but he was right that the names do change. All the names he mentioned were legends, including Punk. Punk made history when under pressure, but Paul never made history and was barely a flash in the pan. Paul wouldn’t be here long enough to be remembered. 

Punk planned on eliminating Paul from the Chamber. Punk would face Cody Rhodes and leave Las Vegas with the title. Punk would make history—and Paul would be history. Punk didn’t care if Rhodes thought he had to sell his soul to beat him because he would find out that Punk was Satan himself—and Paul was nobody. 

They got face-to-face until Paul slapped Punk. Paul immediately left the ring before Punk could retaliate. (And Punk couldn’t leave the ring, I guess.) Punk told him to run while he could because he’d be locked in a cage on Saturday. Punk would get his hands on him, and he would understand why the fans chanted his name.

******** 

Triple threat match: Ludwig Kaiser defeated Pete Dunne and Penta (9:20) 

He didn’t get pinned, but Penta suffered his first loss in WWE. Cole kept calling this a first time ever triple threat match. That is true, but Penta also hasn’t wrestled anyone besides these two men in six weeks (aside from the Royal Rumble match). 

Kaiser and Dunne set something up in the corner, but Penta got underneath and brought them both down with a powerbomb. (The timing was unfortunate because the setup happened during a commercial, but the actual move happened during the split-second where the screen goes black before they come back. They did show a replay later.) 

Penta used a hurricanrana (sort of) to launch Dunne into Kaiser before wiping out both men with separate flip dives. (Kaiser had to stand around too long waiting for his.) Just about 6-7 minutes into the match, they got their third “This is awesome” chant.  Dunne managed to hit Penta with Bitter End, but Kaiser broke up the cover. 

Penta stepped off of a haunched over Kaiser and hit Dunne with a Canadian Destroyer. Penta superkicked Kaiser and set up Dunne for his finisher, but Kaiser chucked Penta out of the ring and hit Dunne with his finisher instead for the surprise pinfall win. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed Rhea Ripley in the crowd. Ripley said she has never beaten Iyo Sky, but it’s been five years since they’ve wrestled. Since then, Ripley has become the most dominant woman in WWE. She’s beaten everyone from Becky Lynch to Charlotte Flair, and we can add Sky’s name to that list after next week. 

Sky joined to tell Ripley she would beat her again and go into WrestleMania as the Women’s World Champion. They got face-to-face. 

********

New Day cut a promo during the break where they didn’t say anything new. They also waited around for boos and “New Day sucks” chants, but the crowd only barely played along. 

During this match, Cole plugged Matt & Jeff Hardy wrestling on tomorrow’s NXT. 

Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde (5:27) 

LWO set up for a double-team move, but Kingston raked Del Toro’s eyes as Woods distracted the referee. Kingston tossed Wilde from the ring, and New Day gave Del Toro the UpUpDownDown (backbreaker/diving foot stomp combo) for the pinfall win. 

— Dragon Lee ran out to make the save, but New Day beat him up too. 

You can skip this. 

********

Finn Bálor told Dominik Mysterio that last week was the most embarrassing day in the history of Judgment Day, and it was all Dom’s fault. Dom said Bálor only had a qualifying match because of him, but Bálor lost it. Dom said they needed a new member. 

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez interrupted. Morgan couldn’t believe they were still fighting. She said they had a big week coming up, including their tag title match tonight. Morgan said they would bring gold to Judgment Day, and that’s all that mattered. 

Bálor said they should be worried after what they did to Jade Cargill. Morgan said they were not involved, but they would still handle Bianca Belair and Naomi. Morgan told Bálor to get on the same page with Dom and help him against Bron Breakker. Bálor said they would handle their business, and Morgan said they would handle theirs. 

********

Cathy Kelley interviewed AJ Styles during a break. Styles said he always had a target on his back, but that meant he was doing something right. Paul interrupted. Paul thought Styles was going to retire after getting hurt or after getting embarrassed by him in the Rumble. Styles said Paul did eliminate him, but that’s how the Rumble works. Styles invited him to try it again. Paul said he was too busy, but he admired Styles for not giving up, even though he probably should. 

*******

Members of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats football team were shown in the crowd. Adam “Pacman” Jones was shown, too, and he got a good reaction. 

Gunther promo 

Gunther entered. He said he would embarrass Jey Uso at WrestleMania and end the Yeet Circus once and for all. In the spirit of WrestleMania, Gunther told Adam Pearce that he would wrestle tonight against his own hand-picked opponent—Akira Tozawa. (When Gunther was shown entering the building earlier, he walked by Alpha Academy dancing for TikTok.) 

Gunther saw Tozawa dancing with the other two clowns, and that bothered him because they had things in common. They both uprooted their lives to make a career in WWE. They both got into the shape of their lives to prove they belonged. But Tozawa was wasted dancing like a goof for the degenerate fans. He made the wrong choice, just like Jey, and Jey’s choice would cost him his career. 

Gunther recalled what McAfee said last week, that anything could happen on any given night. Tozawa had a chance to earn his respect tonight. Gunther told Tozawa to earn his respect and started shoving him. The ref chose this moment to ring the bell. 

World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defeated Akira Tozawa via ref stoppage in a non-title match (2:50) 

Tozawa attacked Gunther as soon as the bell rang in retaliation. He had Gunther off-guard for a moment until Gunther booted him and killed him with a chop. Gunther tried a powerbomb but Tozawa countered into a victory roll for a nearfall. Tozawa came off the top but Gunther caught him and applied a Boston Crab until Tozawa got a rope break. 

Tozawa tried to fight back with chops, but Gunther planted him with a powerbomb. He had it won but lifted Tozawa off the mat at the two count. Gunther put Tozawa in a sleeper—and had Tozawa off his feet. Tozawa passed out, and the referee called for the bell. 

— Gunther went after Tozawa after the match, so Otis jumped in to make the save. Gunther shoved Otis, who began gyrating, so Gunther left the ring. As Otis checked on Tozawa, Gunther slipped back in and put him in a sleeper until Jey Uso ran out (to his music) to chase away Gunther.

******** 

There was a video package for the Women’s Chamber match, highlighting each wrestler. 

Lyra Valkyria defeated Dakota Kai to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (7:40) 

Valkyria hit a delayed superplex (off the middle rope) following a break. The previously quiet crowd chanted, “Holy sh*t,” and they were into the match from here. Kai came back with a scorpion kick, and they traded cradles for a series of two counts until Valkyria bridged out of a jackknife cover and hit a powerbomb for two. 

Valkyria came off the top, but Kai caught her with a superkick. Kai followed with a running boot and a Kai-ropractor for two. They fought for position on the ropes until Valkyria slipped out and gave Kai a Nightwing for the pinfall win. 

(This was short but good for the time they had.) 

— Valkyria embraced a disappointed Kai after the match. 

As Kai was leaving, Ivy Nile attacked her from behind and tossed her into the barricade. Nile laid out Valkyria in the ring and posed with the IC title belt. 

*******

There was a video package for Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens. 

Sami Zayn sit-down interview 

Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn (earlier today). She mentioned Owens’ video that he recorded from outside Zayn’s house. Redmond said something else happened this past week, and she asked if Zayn would share what it was. 

Zayn said he went to Owens’ house. Owens wasn’t home, but his mother was. She invited him in, and they caught up. It was great to see her, and she was in good spirits. 

Zayn got home that night and was ashamed of himself. He couldn’t look himself in the mirror because he didn’t recognize the man who went to Owens’ house. He didn’t know what his intentions were, but they weren’t good. 

Zayn and Owens have gone through a lot over the years, but family has never been involved. Zayn didn’t recognize himself, and he didn’t recognize Owens. That’s why this one was different. They were in a different headspace now. 

He understood why WWE wouldn’t sanction the match. He admitted his neck wasn’t where he wanted to be right now, but they should be worried about what he does to Owens. This match would be worse than anything they’ve done to each other in the past. Owens better be ready because it was going to be a bad time. 

This was great. 

******* 

Bayley was interviewed during a break until she was interrupted by Roxanne Perez. Bayley told Perez she could envision seeing her at WrestleMania—just not this year. 

Belair and Naomi cut a pre-taped promo on Morgan and Rodriguez. 

******** 

Non-title match: Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker defeated Dominik Mysterio (w/Finn Bálor & Carlito) via disqualification (3:16) 

Bron was firmly in control until one distraction too many allowed Dom to hit a springboard senton. Another distraction allowed Dom to hit a 619. Dom set up for a frog splash, but Bron hit a Frankensteiner (and the crowd barked for Bron). 

Bron set up for a spear but was yanked out of the ring by Bálor and Carlito for the DQ. 

— Judgment Day put the boots to Bron after the match. Bálor went looking for a chair, so Bron tossed Dom from the ring and speared Carlito. Bálor tried to attack from behind, but Bron caught him and got in his face. Bálor slunk out of the ring. 

********

There was a video recap of the Cody Rhodes/Rock segment from Smackdown. 

They showed the logo for WrestleMania 42 next year in New Orleans, and the logo actually has the number in it. Hopefully, that stays. 

There was a New Day promo during commercials. They were already in their street clothes because they couldn’t wait to leave Cincinnati. They announced they were going on vacation next week in Costa Rica and told everyone to thank God for The New Day. 

The Creed Brothers hyped up Ivy Nile backstage. Kelley asked if Nile was trying to angle herself back into the IC title picture. That’s obviously what she was doing, and Nile responded, “Of course.” Nile said the Creeds were going after the tag belts next week, and she would beat up Valkyria every week until she got a title match. The War Raiders attacked the Creeds and officials frantically tried separating them. 

******** 

Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins segment 

Rhodes entered to a strong reaction. He didn’t ask what they wanted to talk about because he knew what he was supposed to talk about. 

He pondered what it meant to ask for another man’s soul. That might seem abstract, but having grown up in this business, he understood the offer The Rock was making. It was Good Guy 101, not to lie to the fans. He had never lied to them before and wasn’t starting now. 

He was an incredibly blessed man. He was not a team of one, and this decision would not affect him alone. He had his lovely wife, Brandi, his daughter, his sister and her family, little Brodie and the Nightmare Factory, two nephews breaking into the industry with the last name Rhodes, his mother, and the memory of his father. The crowd chanted for Dusty. 

Dusty worked into his 60s in the independent wrestling circuit, breaking his body to make ends meet, and he did not want that memory to mirror his future. The Rock was saying he could have everything without having to scratch, fight and claw. 

Seth Rollins interrupted. He said this was the first time they were in the ring together in nearly a year—since WrestleMania 40. He would love for this to be a moment of celebration. Rollins wanted to congratulate him and tell him he couldn’t wait to face him at WrestleMania after he won the Chamber. But that’s not why he’s here. 

Rollins asked Rhodes what the hell he was thinking. They stood side-by-side a year ago, going against The Bloodline. Against The Rock. And now Rock was back asking to be his champion. The fact that Rhodes didn’t slap Rock in the face was a slap in Rollins’ face. Rollins told him not to make him regret what he sacrificed to help Rhodes win the title. Rollins wondered if being champion was becoming too much of a burden for Rhodes. 

Rhodes said he wished this conversation was going differently. He wanted to show gratitude, but Rollins was being awfully judgmental. Rock showed up to ask Rhodes for his soul, but Rock wouldn’t ask Rollins for his because it may already be compromised. Rhodes knew who Rollins was. Rollins hit Rhodes in the back with a sledgehammer. He turned on the Shield and saddled up with the Authority, running people like Rhodes out of WWE. 

Rhodes also knew that Rollins was his shield at WrestleMania 40. Rollins was his partner and his brother. With one leg and a scrambled back, Rollins helped him gain his family’s biggest dream and was the MVP of WrestleMania 40. 

Rollins said he wasn’t there to judge Rhodes. He wanted to protect Rhodes from making the same mistakes he did. Rollins has been filled with hate. That hate was pointed in the direction of Roman Reigns and CM Punk. Rollins didn’t want to hate Rhodes, too, but Rhodes was a grown man and could do whatever he wanted. 

Rollins planned on winning the Chamber and did not want to face a soulless shell of Cody Rhodes. He wanted to face the man who returned to WWE and beat him at WrestleMania. The man who beat him with one arm. 

Rollins wasn’t coming for Rhodes’ soul, but he was coming for the title. 

********

Next week on Raw in Buffalo: 

  • Rhea Ripley vs. IYO SKY for the Women’s World Championship 
  • The War Raiders vs. The Creed Brothers for the World Tag Team Championships

******** 

Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Bianca Belair & Naomi to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships (12:12) 

Belair and Naomi attacked Morgan and Rodriguez before the match, immediately following the in-ring introductions. They beat up Morgan around ringside, and the ref decided to start the match once they were back in the ring, with Morgan down on her hands and knees and both babyfaces in the ring at once. Belair beat up Morgan until Rodriguez managed to save her. 

Rodriguez held control during a break, but Belair hit a 450 splash after the break for a nearfall (one of her knees seemed to catch Raquel right on the chin). Belair set up for KOD, but Rodriguez raked her eyes. Morgan tagged in, and they hit a double-team elevated Codebreaker for a nearfall. 

Morgan went for Oblivion, but Belair caught her. Belair and Naomi set up for a double KOD, but Dom ran down to ringside to distract the referee. Rodriguez broke up the double-team, and Morgan hit Naomi with an Oblivion for a nearfall. Belair speared Rodriguez. 

Naomi gave Morgan a jawbreaker, and Belair hit Morgan with KOD moments later, but Rodriguez broke up the cover. Belair and Naomi gave Morgan a double KOD, but Dom put Morgan’s leg on the rope to break up the cover. The ref had to pretend he didn’t see this. 

Belair went after Dom, but Rodriguez slammed her on the announce table. Naomi used a slingshot dive to wipe out Rodriguez. Morgan caught Naomi in a rollup for a nearfall back in the ring. (The crowd was really into all of these nearfalls.) 

Naomi hit a Rear View, but Dom got on the apron, so Naomi knocked him down into the ring. As the ref got rid of Dom, Naomi set up for a moonsault, but Rodriguez blocked it and smashed Naomi’s face against the ring post, and she collapsed in the ring. Morgan crawled into a cover for the pinfall win. 

Fireworks went off as the champs celebrated with Dom and their titles. Morgan and Rodriguez are now the first three-time Women’s tag team champions. Cole really put over the year Morgan was having, which could get even bigger with a Chamber win on Saturday. 

(There was probably too much interference from Dom, especially since some of it seemed unnecessary, but this was still a fun and chaotic match, and the fans were super into it.)

Michael Cole says new WWE deal will take him to retirement age

Posted on by Ian Carey

Michael Cole says his new WWE contract will last until he is “retirement age.”

The 58-year-old revealed the news on Monday during an episode of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive, stating that WWE made him feel important to the company for the first time.

“Just signed a brand new contract with the company. So I’m going to be here for a number of years,” Cole said on the show. He would later reveal that he has eight years left on the deal.

“The company really made me feel, you know, really for the first time that I was really important to this place.”

He was asked what about the deal made him feel that way and he responded:

“The paycheck is part of it but the new regime had a lot to do with it. When I went to sign the new deal, I sat down with my wife and I’m 58 years old now and I’m like, ‘They want to get me to retirement age.’ And this is because we had talked about me getting out of this for a long while now just because of the travel and everything else. And and she was like, ‘You got to do it. This is your legacy. Like, you’re going to be miserable if you don’t finish this up the way you want to finish it up.’ And she was great about it. So, she was one hundred percent on board with it and so I’m here for a while.”

Cole re-signed with WWE last spring, but the length of the deal was not disclosed. It was only stated that it would keep him with the company for “the foreseeable future.” He’s been in WWE for nearly 30 years, having first signed with the company in 1997.

Cole also addressed Corey Graves’ situation, noting that Graves took a brief sabbatical after a late-night social media post implying frustration over being moved from the Raw broadcast team to NXT.

Cole said:

“I still don’t understand all the dynamics of it. I know that he sent something out on social media that was pretty critical of the company. He tried to explain to everyone that he was trying to generate some interest in maybe a type of a storyline. I don’t think the company saw it that way.”

“I think he and the company are working that out. I love Corey to death—he’s an unbelievable commentator. Beside McAfee, he’s probably the best partner I’ve ever had.”

Cole also spent some time during the interview discussing the changes he’s seen in the company since the departure of Vince McMahon.

“Listen, I will never ever disparage Vince McMahon,” Cole said. “He’s got his personal issues and whatnot but from a professional standpoint, I’ll never disparage the man. I would not be here today without Vince. He gave me everything.”

He continued:

“I’ll never disparage the man but Vince was very heavy-handed. It was his company, his sandbox, whatever he wanted. So, I was never really able to break out and be myself, with the exception of a little bit of a heel run I had over a decade ago. But when Vince left and Paul came and was in charge, Triple H, he really changed things. Then we brought in Lee Fitting, who came from ESPN. Lee coming from ESPN, where the talent is the announcer, he came here and said, ‘I don’t understand why our guys at the desk aren’t bigger and have bigger personas and aren’t as respected as the people in the ring.'”

“What Lee and Paul have allowed us to do is bring our personalities out and you’re seeing the real Michael Cole now.”

The full interview is available below:

Logan Paul & Bayley qualify for WWE Elimination Chamber

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two more wrestlers have qualified for the Elimination Chamber.

Bayley and Logan Paul advanced to their respective Elimination Chamber matches that will take place in Toronto, Canada on March 3. Bayley was the first to qualify on Raw, defeating Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria after reversing a cradle into one of her own. 

In the main event of Monday’s show, Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio after hitting a new finishing move, which saw Paul turn an x-plex into a DDT, pinning Rey Mysterio to advance. It has now been set that the winner of the men’s Elimination Chamber match will face Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania after events from Raw saw Jey Uso pick Gunther for his WrestleMania match.

Next week’s Raw will see Seth Rollins take on Finn Balor and Roxanne Perez face Raquel Rodriguez in qualifying matches. This coming Friday’s SmackDown qualfiying matches will have Jacob Fatu taking on Damian Priest and Braun Strowman while Chelsea Green will square off against Naomi.

The updated card for the Elimination Chamber:

  • Men’s Elimination Chamber: John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Logan Paul vs. 2 TBD
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber: Liv Morgan vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Bianca Belair vs. Bayley vs. 2 TBD

WWE Raw live results: Elimination Chamber qualifiers

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: February 10, 2025
Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN 

********** 

The Big Takeaway —

Jey Uso will wrestle Gunther at WrestleMania 41 for the World Heavyweight Championship, meaning the winner of the Men’s Elimination Chamber will face Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. Logan Paul beat Rey Mysterio to qualify for the match, joining John Cena, Drew McIntyre and CM Punk. 

Bayley beat Lyra Valkyria to qualify for the Women’s Chamber, joining Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss.  

Rhea Ripley will defend her Women’s World title against IYO SKY on the Raw after Elimination Chamber. SKY pinned Morgan in a tag match tonight. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Rey Mysterio, Logan Paul (and his cronies), Lyra Valkyria, Bayley, and AJ Styles were shown arriving. 

Jey Uso/Gunther segment 

Jey entered to his usual big reaction as Michael Cole told erectile dysfunction jokes. As with last week’s shows, the crowd chanted “One more time” after his music cut, so they played the music again, and he Yeeted along with the crowd. (Cole looks like such a goof doing it along with everyone else.) 

As Jey posed on top of the announce desk, Cole suddenly warned him because he was about to be attacked by Gunther. Gunther tossed Jey around ringside and laid him out with a powerbomb in the ring. He urged Jey not to choose him for WrestleMania. He shoved aside some security and hit another powerbomb. 

As Gunther left, Jey grabbed a mic and slowly got to his feet while announcing, “Me and you at WrestleMania.” Gunther was pissed, so he marched back down to ringside. Jey knocked him off the ring and wiped out Gunther and security with a dive. 

This was a good, simple setup. Having Gunther cut off Jey’s long entrance was clever. 

********

Cathy Kelley interviewed Rhea Ripley backstage. She thought Charlotte Flair was wasting everyone’s time by not making her Mania selection. Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai interrupted. Sky told Ripley that she cost her a spot at WrestleMania and stated, “I’m coming for you.” Ripley looked forward to it. 

********

Morgan cut a promo during a break, stating her intention to win the Elimination Chamber. 

A video package aired plugging The War Raiders vs. The Creed Brothers for the tag titles, happening later tonight. 

IYO SKY & Dakota Kai defeated Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (14:57) 

Cole mentioned that Kai was returning from injury, but he didn’t say what the injury was. 

Rodriguez dropped Sky and Kai awkwardly in separate spots early in the match. The heels worked over Sky until Kai made a tag. Kai hit Morgan with a PK but missed a running boot on Rodriguez, which led to Rodriguez posting her. They worked over Kai during a break, and Morgan hit her with three amigos. 

Sky made a hot tag after the break and wiped out both opponents with a suicide dive. Sky hit Morgan with a great missile dropkick and a Meteora in the corner for two. Sky went for a Meteora again, but Rodriguez pulled Morgan to safety. 

Rodriguez and Morgan hit a combo elevated Codebreaker for a nearfall. (Morgan’s knees must’ve nailed Sky right in the face because she kept grabbing at her face/nose. Hopefully, she’s ok. The ref quickly checked on her, and the match continued.) 

Kai tagged in and hit Morgan with a Kai-ropractor for two. Morgan hit Kai with an Oblivion, but Sky broke up the cover with a running knee. Morgan was busted open. Kai hit Rodriguez with a running boot, and Morgan took out Kai with a Codebreaker. Sky rolled up Morgan, and Morgan kicked out at two. (It was supposed to be a nearfall, but Morgan kicked out early.) 

Morgan and Sky had an exchange, which led to Sky hitting a double foot stomp, kick to the head, and moonsault for the pinfall win. 

This was pretty good. The crowd was quiet when it started but they got really into it and popped big for Sky getting the win. 

******* 

Cole announced that Sami Zayn suffered spinal compression and extreme nerve damage thanks to Kevin Owens’ attack. 

New Day cut a promo in the crowd during a break. Kofi Kingston didn’t understand why Rey Mysterio was in the Elimination Chamber over either of them, and he reminded us of this performance in the 2019 Chamber. The crowd booed, and they were eventually cut off by Bayley’s entrance for the next segment. 

********* 

They mentioned that Bayley would be playing in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game. 

Roxanne Perez and George Kittle were shown in the crowd. 

Elimination Chamber qualifier: Bayley defeated Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria (12:16) 

This was a first-time-ever match. There were duelling chants early on. 

Bayley hit a sunset flip bomb into the bottom turnbuckle, but Valkyria got her knees up on a flying elbow attempt. Valkyria went for a tornado DDT, but Bayley hit a Bayley-to-belly for a nearfall. Bayley hit a running knee strike and a suplex of some sort that didn’t look good for a two-count. 

They fought to the apron, and Valkyria hit a tornado DDT and fisherman’s suplex on the outside. Valkyria hit another fisherman’s suplex in the ring for two. Valkyria headbutted Bayley off the top and followed with a leg drop as Bayley was draped over the middle rope. 

Valkyria went for a cradle, but Bayley drove her into the bottom rope. Valkyria tried another cradle, but Bayley caught her in a cradle of her own for the pinfall win. 

— Bayley helped Valkyria to her feet after the match, and they posed together as the crowd applauded. 

(They played this up as the veteran Bayley against Valkyria, who grew up idolizing her. They put over Valkyria’s performance despite the loss and spoke about her strong year on Raw. They didn’t really address the fact that Bayley just pinned the IC champion.) 

********

There was a Penta video package where he spoke about Pete Dunne and Ludwig Kaiser. 

Jackie Redmond interviewed Kaiser, but they were interrupted by Dunne. He was pissed at Kaiser for getting involved last week. Dunne said he would destroy Penta next week and told Kaiser to stay out of his business. Dunne left. 

AJ Styles walked past Kaiser as they went to break. 

********

During a break, McAfee kept the crowd warm, then had them all wish Michael Cole a happy birthday. Cole sheepishly hid his face when McAfee mentioned his birthday. (Odd, because Wikipedia says his birthday is December 8th.) 

Hardy (musician) was shown in the crowd. 

Alpha Academy consoled Valkyria backstage when they were interrupted by American Made. Ivy Nile mocked Valkyria for losing and being coached by losers. Valkyria told her to back off or else. Nile said they would do it on her time, but first, the Creed Brothers would win the tag titles. 

******** 

AJ Styles segment 

Styles entered, and the crowd chanted his name. He spoke about returning in Nashville four months ago, but he suffered what should have been a career-threatening injury (against Carmelo Hayes). But he woke up the next day and knew he still had gas in the tank and still had something to prove. 

It was hard coming back, but anything worth doing was difficult. He announced that he was back and had a long to-do list. He also wanted to remind the locker room that he was still the Phenomenal AJ Styles. 

Dominik Mysterio and Carlito interrupted. They got a lot of heat. Dom wanted to inform Styles that Judgment Day still ran Raw. Styles said a lot had changed while he was gone. He wondered where Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley and Finn Bálor were. Styles said no matter how much has changed, Dom would always be Rey’s punk-ass kid. 

Dom tried a cheap shot, but Styles blocked it. Styles fought off Carlito, which allowed Dom to drop Styles on the middle rope. Dom went for a 619, but Styles chased him out of the ring. Styles gave Carlito a Phenomenal Forearm. 

********

Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the world title was made official for WrestleMania. 

Redmond interviewed Seth Rollins in the crowd. Rollins said Jey made his choice for Mania, which meant all eyes were on Cody Rhodes, the WWE Championship, and on the Chamber. All eyes were also on the winner of the Chamber—Seth freakin’ Rollins. 

Bálor interrupted. He said all eyes were on Rollins, but all they were seeing was his downfall. We all saw the cracks. We all saw Rollins lose to CM Punk. We all saw Rollins lose his mind at the Royal Rumble. The only thing standing in Bálor’s way from a title shot at Mania was a guy who was falling apart. 

Rollins said they had a long history, and any time they stepped in the ring, they put on a show. But Rollins had unfinished business with Punk and Rhodes. Bálor was standing in his way, but after next week, he wouldn’t be standing at all. Bálor smiled and left. 

******** 

Kelley interviewed Austin Theory and Grayson Waller during a break. They plugged NXT and said there would be a new NXT Champion soon. They mocked Sami Zayn by confusing him for an unhoused man and mocked Sheamus for losing his shot at the IC title again. Kelley was unamused and cut them off. 

Adam Pearce granted Styles his wish and gave him a match against Dom next week. Bron Breakker (in a cowboy hat) got in Styles’ face and said, “See you around.” 

Golden Tate and Bailey Zimmerman were shown in the crowd. 

******** 

Tag Team Championships: The War Raiders defeated The Creed Brothers (w/Ivy Nile) via disqualification (12:22) 

Erik slammed Ivar on top of Julius before Ivar smushed Brutus into the side of the ring with a crossbody. Erik hit Julius with a sit-out powerbomb and running knee ahead of a break. The Creeds used a simple distraction to take control of Erik during the break, which led to a somewhat boring heat segment. 

Ivar made a hot tag after the break. He beat up both opponents before the Raiders gave Brutus a combo powerslam for two. Julius yanked Erik off the apron while Brutus gave Ivar an Angle Slam. (Kurt Angle was mentioned a bunch during this match.) Ivar knocked down the Creeds with a double handspring elbow. 

Ivar went to the top but stopped what he was doing because of a distraction by Nile. Julius popped up to the top rope and hit a superplex. Brutus followed with a moonsault, but Erik broke up the cover. 

The Raiders set up for their finisher, but Julius hit Erik with a title belt for the DQ. Brutus hit Ivar with a belt as well. They held the belts up as the crowd booed. 

********

Bálor joined the Judgment Day in their clubhouse. They were all beat up, except for Dom (who ran away from Styles earlier). Morgan had a huge gash above her eye. 

Dom told Bálor that things were going to turn around for them soon. Bálor said Styles made Dom look like a fool. Dom said they could’ve used his help, but he would take care of Styles next week. Dom suggested they find a new member. They’ve been shorthanded, especially with JD McDonagh out. Morgan seconded the idea. 

Bálor refused. He did not want a new member. He would fix things by beating Rollins, winning the Chamber and becoming champion at Mania. 

******** 

Ripley approached Sky and Kai as they were leaving. Ripley said she didn’t owe Sky anything. She wasn’t giving Sky a match because she felt she needed to but because she wanted to. She spoke to Pearce and had a title match made official for the Raw after Chamber. Sky was pleased. 

******** 

Next week on Raw: 

  • Men’s Elimination Chamber qualifier: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor 
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber qualifier: Roxanne Perez vs. Raquel Rodriguez 
  • Penta vs. Pete Dunne 
  • AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio 

******** 

CM Punk segment 

Punk said he was confident he was going to win the Rumble. He talked a lot, and maybe sometimes he talked too much because he didn’t win the Rumble. He wasn’t mad at Jey Uso. He liked watching his peers accomplish their goals. Punk’s goals were still there. He issued a warning to Rhodes. 

Punk noted that one guy in the Chamber didn’t even qualify—he just declared himself. Punk took a shot at John Cena but did say he was a legend who deserved to call his shot. The bad news for Cena was that he would see Punk in the Chamber. Punk planned on beating the living crap out of Cena to win the match. 

The only other person who has qualified so far was that piece of crap Drew McIntyre. McIntyre wasn’t on Raw anymore because he ran away so fast to the other show. Punk destroyed McIntyre inside Hell in a Cell and would do the same in the Chamber. (Punk also mentioned the possibility of Rollins or Bálor qualifying.) 

Punk has never been more confident in his life, and WrestleMania 41 belonged to him. 

Logan Paul interrupted. Paul understood why they called him “Punk.” He had a lot of names for Punk, but none you could say on TV. Paul wondered why the fans would boo him but cheer Punk. Paul said he eliminated Punk from the Rumble, and that was the best 15 minutes of fame in Punk’s career. Paul had his number in the Rumble and would have it again in the Chamber. Paul would give Rey his 15 minutes of fame tonight. 

Punk congratulated Paul on eliminating him from the Rumble. Punk would’ve mentioned him earlier, but he forgot Paul even had a match tonight. Paul may have had his number at the Rumble, but the number he pulled tonight was 619. Punk advised him to worry about the legend Rey Mysterio. If he was lucky enough to get past Rey, Punk would see him in Toronto and put him to sleep. 

******** 

Cole announced a crowd of 13,009. He did not call it a sell-out. 

Elimination Chamber qualifier: Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio (17:15) 

They got off to a rough start, but the match got much better as it went. Paul hit a nice fallaway slam moonsault ahead of a break and an impressive-looking press slam to the smaller man during the break. 

Paul slid Rey out of the ring, but Rey rolled through and popped to his feet. He hammered away at Paul and drove him into the barricade, but Paul responded by dropping him onto the top of the barricade. Paul was going to drive him into the ring post, but Rey countered and drove him into the steel steps. Rey followed with a sliding splash to the outside. 

Rey hit a seated senton and springboard moonsault for two. Paul responded with a Finlay roll and a springboard moonsault of his own for two. Rey came back with a tornado DDT for two. Rey went for a 619, but Paul booted him. Paul was standing on the middle rope, so Rey got under him and actually hit a sit-out powerbomb for two. 

Rey hit a 619, but Paul got his knees up on a frog splash. Paul followed with a right hand and a cool new finisher (a lifting DDT variation) for the clean pinfall win. (McAfee called it the Paulverizer.) 

Paul joins Cena, Punk, and McIntyre in the Chamber.  

— As the show was ending, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods attacked Rey from behind. Their attack lasted about two seconds before the show went off the air.

Logan & Jake Paul to star in reality show on Max

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

Despite a social media tease earlier this week, the Paul brothers won’t be fighting in a ring anytime soon.

Instead, Jake and Logan Paul announced Thursday that they will start in a new reality show about their lives called Paul American that will debut on the Max streaming service on Thursday, March 27th.

The hype clip seen below shows the two talking about how they understand how to create viral media by being villains and bad guys. Their mother, girlfriends, and other relatives are also shown in the promo. Logan is shown competing in WWE while Jake is shown boxing, indicating there will be some behind-the-scenes footage of both industries.

The 29-year-old Logan will be part of this Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble, competing in the men’s Rumble match. He hasn’t wrestled since losing the United States Championship to LA Knight at last August’s SummerSlam.

He and his fiancee, Nina Agdal, welcomed their first child in September.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn0y1yzUSWw&ab_channel=Max

Daily Update: WWE NXT, Logan Paul, Chris Jericho

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • What are the issues with AEW and what can be done to fix some of them easily
  • A look at Wednesday’s show and the different issues regarding the big picture
  • Why WWE doesn’t get hurt when it does the same things listed as mistakes when AEW does them
  • Where AEW actually stands in television
  • Preview of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Royal Rumble and business notes
  • UFC 311 coverage of the show changed at the last minute
  • A look at TNA’s Genesis PPV, its relationship with WWE and its first live TV shoot
  • Game Changer Wrestling returns to the Hammerstein
  • What happened with PCO and why
  • 2024 Awards ballot
  • The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week including Raw on Netflix
  • New CMLL marketing gimmick
  • Stardom comes up with new booking concept and debuts it this past week
  • Dragon Gate comes to the U.S.
  • Japanese promotions try to present united front
  • Notes on first live TNA TV show in eight years
  • Britt Baker update
  • Ricky Starks update
  • Grand Slam Australia update
  • Notes on new AEW dates
  • Major issue long-term for AEW younger talents
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • More on Dana White and boxing
  • Chris Weidman retires
  • Craig Piligian announced for UFC Hall of Fame
  • One of the most popular fighters from 15 year ago cut by UFC
  • Lots more on WrestleMania
  • Corey Graves update

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Wednesday Update

WWE

  • The full main event from last night’s NXT can be watched here. It saw Bianca Belair & Naomi defend their Women’s Tag Team titles against Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson.
  • Rapper Killer Mike was in attendance last night with NXT taking place from his hometown of Atlanta.
  • PWInsider reports that WWE is seeking to hold an NXT episode at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, which is a smaller venue located inside MSG. The theater has a capacity of 5,570 (not factoring in production configuration). The proposed date for the show is Tuesday, March 11 – one day after Raw is being held at MSG itself.
  • Logan Paul and his brother Jake both posted teasers yesterday hinting that they would be boxing each other on Max on Thursday, March 27. But the teasers reportedly are not for a boxing match. Instead, they are for a reality series that will air on Max. Details regarding the premise of the series are not known yet. The Paul brothers will be doing a press conference on Instagram Live tomorrow (January 30) at 4 p.m. Eastern.
  • Logan Paul responded to Bad Bunny’s comments where Bad Bunny called himself the greatest celebrity wrestler ever:
    • Yo, I seen online something crazy. I seen Bad Bunny saying it’s a fact – fact is the word he used – that he’s the greatest celebrity wrestler there is. And people commenting, you know, ‘Logan Paul this, Logan Paul that.’ Here’s my take on that – I actually think he’s right. Bad Bunny is a fantastic celebrity wrestler. Keyword, celebrity. I am a wrestler – born, raised, and bred. Do not compare me to him, y’all. There is a difference between a popstar named after a rabbit and a superstar they call The Maverick. Levels to this sh*t. And if he ever wants to run it, Ok, Mr. Bunny. Mavericks like me eat bunnies like you for breakfast.
  • In a tweet that may or may not be related to her WWE status, Alexa Bliss posted a photo holding her daughter today and included the following caption: “If you need me. I’ll be here. For a while”
  • Bleacher Report has an interview with Solo Sikoa.
  • Nikki Bella is featured on the cover of a new edition of Us Weekly.
  • D-Von Dudley was a guest on Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • While being interviewed by the Toronto Sun, Chris Jericho was asked if he would appear for a WWE Hall of Fame induction one day if WWE wanted to induct him:
    • I mean, I’m not one of those guys who cares about the Hall of Fame, because I don’t think it’s really real anyways. So in some ways, it’s like, ‘Eh, whatever.’ In other ways, I want to pull a Sex Pistols and just refuse to show up. Send a letter saying, ‘Do not mention my name,’ like Axl Rose did. What a great wrestling thing to do. It doesn’t matter to me. It really doesn’t. It’s great that guys go in there, and I’m glad they get a chance to. But I’m already in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is up here [points to his head].
    • It’s more for the fans. But, you know, at this point in time I could get put in the Hall of Fame and maybe get booed out of the building. So who knows? We’ll see what happens. But for right here, right now, I’m enjoying what I’m still doing. I definitely wouldn’t go in the Hall of Fame if I’m still actively performing in the ring. So we’ll see. We’ll see where it goes. And for right now, I feel good and I’m doing great work. And when I feel it’s time to hang up the boots, I will do so. Until then, I’m just enjoying being part of the business, as I always have for the last 34 years.
  • Renee Paquette spoke with Jon Moxley and the Death Riders on a new episode of AEW Close-Up.
  • MuscleManMalcolm interviewed Deonna Purrazzo.
  • MLW announced Janai Kai vs. Mila Moore for the promotion’s SuperFight event in Atlanta on Saturday, February 8. The match is Moore’s MLW debut.
  • Gabe Kidd will face Mance Warner in a non-tournament match at night two of the GCW & JCW Jersey J-Cup 2025 on Sunday, February 16. The show is being held at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey.
  • Going Ringside interviewed Scott Steiner and AJ Francis.

WWE Raw live results: Royal Rumble go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: January 27, 2025
Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA 

********** 

The Big Takeaway —

Lots of seeds were planted on the final Raw before the Royal Rumble. Sami Zayn lost again to Drew McIntyre and mistakenly knocked out Cody Rhodes with a Helluva Kick. The show ended with CM Punk addressing Rhodes and calling his shot for WrestleMania. See more below. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes and their daughter were shown arriving at the arena. Naomi and Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, Sami Zayn, and Drew McIntyre were also shown. A dizzying drone shot showed us the packed State Farm Arena in Atlanta before Pat McAfee quickly ran down the SNME results. 

Seth Rollins kicks off Raw, Gunther and Logan Paul interrupt 

Rollins entered to a good reaction. It was his favourite time of year—WrestleMania season, which kicked off on Saturday when he won the Royal Rumble. He admitted that 2025 got off to a bad start. He suffered the worst loss of his career on the first Raw of the year and suffered a black eye. (The crowd chanted for CM Punk, so he remarked that Punk looked no better off than he did when the match was over.) 

After he lost, Rollins wondered who he was and who he wanted to be. But he knew who he was, he was Seth freakin’ Rollins. When he was the most focused version of himself, there was no one on the planet better than him. He started his path to redemption when he beat McIntyre last week, and it would continue on Saturday. 

He had no problem tossing out John Cena, Jey Uso, McIntyre, Sami Zayn or Roman Reigns. He especially hoped to toss out Reigns. He dreamt of CM Punk being the final person in the ring with him so he could crush his Mania dream to dust. 

The real question was which title he would go after when he won. We all knew Gunther was just holding the world title until he decided to go after it. But it would be poetic if he took the same title from Rhodes that he helped Rhodes win last year. 

Gunther interrupted. He informed Rollins that he wasn’t keeping the belt warm for him. He wondered where Rollins has been while he has been defending the title. He beat that clown Jey Uso on Saturday. The crowd Yeeted, so Gunther reiterated that he beat Jey’s ass. Gunther advised Rollins to ignore the drama and focus on the Rumble, but he wondered if Rollins still had it in him. 

Rollins said the World Heavyweight title that he held only existed because of him. Rollins wasn’t Jey Uso or Damian Priest or Finn Bálor. 

Gunther knew that and called Rollins one of the best wrestlers to ever step foot in this company. But it was 2025, and he was no longer the best in the company—Gunther was. Gunther wanted Rollins to face him at Mania so he could feel the same way as everyone else when they faced him. 

Logan Paul interrupted. He was booed a decent amount when he entered, but it got exponentially louder the more he spoke. He said the Netflix era needed a new face, one that oozed with charisma. He said Gunther and Rollins were both great in the ring but they reached their peak. (It was hard to hear what he said next because the crowd loudly chanted, “You suck.”)  

Paul announced he was entering the Rumble. He had no plans to eliminate 29 other men because that was grunt work. He would be smarter than that. He would win the Rumble and main event Mania. The crowd gave him the “What” treatment. Rollins was amused. 

Gunther changed his mind and said he wanted Paul to win the Rumble so he could knock the smirk off his face. The crowd cheered. Rollins got the last word and said he would be getting his title back—if he chose to. 

********

Cathy Kelley interviewed CM Punk backstage. Punk didn’t care about Paul and planned on winning the Rumble. He’d throw out Kelley if he had to. 

Zayn interrupted to ask about Punk’s comment last week about them not being on the same level. Zayn said that was true because only one of them was a WrestleMania main-eventer. They said they’d see each other at the Rumble. 

Karrion Kross approached Zayn after he walked away. Kross basically advised him to listen to Kevin Owens because there was a world of opportunity at his feet. After Kross left, Rhodes suddenly appeared and patted Zayn on the back. Zayn acted surprised to see him. Zayn quickly patted him on the chest and left. 

********

There was an interview during commercials with Austin Theory and Grayson Waller in the crowd. 

After the break, Noah Centineo, Lil Yachty, 2 Chainz, Quavo, Theory and Waller, and The Creed Brothers were shown in the crowd. 

******** 

The War Raiders defeated Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh to retain the World Tag Team Championships (11:54) 

There was a scary spot early in the match where McDonagh hit a springboard moonsault to the outside (on Ivar), but his head bounced right off the announce table. Michael Cole freaked out and repeatedly asked that somebody check on him. They showed a replay, and it looked brutal. McDonagh got to his feet and to the apron and actually got a nice applause from the crowd. 

During a break, the doctor checked on McDonagh, and he waved her off. 

Erik and Ivar went for their finisher, but McDonagh ducked it and headbutted Erik. Ivar went to the top, but McDonagh brought him down with a suplex. Cole said McDonagh must be the toughest man in the WWE the way he’s still going. 

Dom tagged in, but Ivar hit him with a spinning kick. As McDonagh distracted the referee, Carlito spat an apple in Ivar’s face. This allowed Dom to hit a 619, and McDonagh followed with a moonsault. Dom hit a frog splash for a nearfall after Erik shoved McDonagh into Dom to break up the cover. (Cole suggested the ref look at all the apple bits in the ring.) 

Dom went for another 619, but Erik tagged himself in, and they hit Dom with War Machine for the pinfall win. This turned into a pretty good match. 

********

Ludwig Kaiser approached Pete Dunne backstage. It seemed like Kaiser wanted to form an alliance, but before they could say much, they were approached by New Day. Even these heels wanted nothing to do with New Day, so they walked away. Kelley approached New Day for an interview. 

Kofi Kingston said Atlanta’s favourite son was home. Kelley thought they meant Bron Breakker. They said no. She also guessed Austin Theory and Cody Rhodes. Woods said he was Atlanta’s favourite son, and he would beat the brakes off Rey Mysterio in front of his town and his mother, father and sister. His family wasn’t there yet, but Woods knew they would show up because he spent a lot of money on their front-row seats. 

********

New Day entered during commercials. They were booed. Woods wanted the crowd to show respect, and Kingston said he would bring Atlanta something that Kirk Cousins and the Falcons never could—a win. (Because they were still in a break, Cole remarked that they were really bad guys now because they ran down the local sports team.)  

Lil Baby and Miller Mike were shown in the crowd. Also shown were the empty reserved seats that Woods paid for. 

Cole announced that this was Zelina Vega’s final night on Raw because she was being sent to Smackdown as part of the transfer portal. 

Cole also announced a sold-out crowd of 12,432. 

Rey Mysterio (w/LWO) defeated Xavier Woods (w/Kofi Kingston) (10:56) 

Woods wrestled in black jeans (and black knee pads), as Kingston did in his recent match. Woods cut off Rey’s comeback attempt after a break, but Rey hit a sunset flip powerbomb off the ropes, followed by a Code Red for two. However, Woods shoved Rey into the announce desk moments later. 

Woods noticed that his parents and sister finally arrived, sitting next to Lil Yachty in the front row. Woods approached them only for his parents to reveal they were wearing “New Day Sucks” t-shirts. Lil Yachty was wearing one, too, which was funny. Woods’ sister tossed a shirt at his face. 

Woods was pissed, so he went back into the ring, where Rey gave him a 619 and springboard splash for the pinfall win. Woods’ family cheered. 

Rey put on a “New Day Sucks” shirt and posed with Woods’ family. 

*******

Rollins approached Zayn backstage. Zayn wanted him to know the Helluva Kick last week was a mistake. Rollins knew that but said you could understand why he may have thought otherwise. If it happened again, Rollins would not think of it as a mistake. They shook hands. Rollins told him to get his win over McIntyre tonight. 

********

Jey entered through the crowd alongside Quavo. He got a huge reaction. Jey told the crowd he needed that, and he thanked them. He lost on Saturday, but he knew he could beat Gunther. Now Rollins had his name in his mouth, too. Jey knew what he had to do. He would toss all their assess out in the Rumble, and he would become the world champion at WrestleMania.

******** 

Pat McAfee kept the crowd warm during commercials. He interviewed Woods’ family and Lil Yachty. McAfee asked Lil Yachty if he’d ever get into the ring. Lil Yachty said he’d only be interested if it involved Rhea Ripley. The crowd was amused by that. (He held up a Ripley shirt earlier in the show.) 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed Lyra Valkyria. Valkyria was ready to defend her Intercontinental Championship, but she also announced that she was entering the Rumble. 

American Made interrupted. Chad Gable told Valkyria that Ivy Nile would be winning the belt for him… and for them. Valkyria said this was as close as any of them were getting to the IC title. Nile got in her face, but Valkyria brushed it off. 

American Made bumped into Otis and Akira Tozawa, who were dancing nearby for Maxxine Dupri’s cameraphone. Gable called them pathetic for doing TikTok dances. 

(It makes sense that Valkyria would enter the Rumble, but this segment also made it pretty clear they don’t have much of a plan for her first IC title challenger.) 

********

Cole plugged Belair and Naomi defending their tag titles against Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson on tomorrow’s NXT.

Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Naomi in a non-title match (12:33) 

Belair made a hot tag shortly after a break and ran wild on Morgan. Rodriguez tagged in and gave Belair a spinebuster. She also powerbombed her partner onto Belair for a two count. Naomi tagged in and hit an X-Factor for two. Rodriguez followed with a fallaway slam. Morgan tagged in and hit Belair with a Codebreaker. 

Morgan went for Oblivion, but Belair caught her and hit a KOD. However, Dom distracted the referee from making a cover. Belair wiped him out with a slingshot dive. 

Naomi hit Morgan with a split-legged moonsault, but Rodriguez pulled Naomi out of the ring to break up the cover. This happened right in front of the referee, who, instead of admonishing Rodriguez, played dumb and checked on Morgan instead. This allowed Rodriguez to slam Naomi onto the apron. Morgan crawled into a cover for the pinfall win. 

This was a weak finish. It’s also odd that Belair completely disappeared after hitting a simple dive. The crowd was quiet for the match, but they were into Belair when she was doing stuff. 

********

Kelley interviewed Ripley. She said it didn’t matter who won the Rumble because she would brutalize them if they faced her. Bayley appeared and issued a warning. Ripley chuckled and wished her luck. She left. Iyo Sky approached Bayley and sternly told her, “See you Saturday.” 

********

There was a Penta video package. He thanked the fans for their reaction, but this was only the beginning. He wanted to be the best in the world, but the only way to do that was to face the best. He was entering the Rumble, and he would get his WrestleMania moment. This was good. 

The announcers ran down the Royal Rumble card, which begins at 6pm ET (3pm PT). 

  • 30-man Royal Rumble match 
  • 30-woman Royal Rumble match 
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens in a ladder match for the WWE Championship 
  • DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the WWE Tag Titles 

********

Paul Heyman/Drew McIntyre segment 

Paul Heyman sauntered out to the ring to announce that Roman Reigns is the cover man for WWE 2K25. A banner dropped from the ceiling showing the cover. The crowd chanted, “OTC.” 

Heyman said Reigns was coming back for his championship. He said it would be 29 vs. 1 at the Rumble because he knew that all 29 other men were coming for Reigns. Reigns was the biggest star in WWE, on Netflix, on this planet and would be the biggest star on Mars when Elon Musk colonized it. He called the rest of the locker room Reigns-wannabes. 

Drew McIntyre entered before Heyman could leave. Heyman was nervous, but McIntyre told him to relax because the only person who should be nervous around here was Zayn. McIntyre just wanted to talk. The crowd chanted, “We want Roman.” McIntyre said he was responsible for all the success Heyman was having. The crowd chanted, “We don’t care.” 

McIntyre said they will care. He called himself the daddy of the Bloodline and said, “I hate it, but I’m the catalyst of it all.” McIntyre said he eliminated Reigns to win the Rumble (in 2020) and slayed the beast at WrestleMania. That beast was Heyman’s client. (He never said Brock Lesnar’s name.) 

After that, McIntyre said, Heyman found Reigns at a low time and harnessed his talent for evil. Heyman went on to make more money than ever. Heyman was even on the video game cover. (McIntyre pointed to Heyman bowing to Reigns on the very bottom-right of the cover.) McIntyre just wanted a ‘thank you’ from Heyman. 

Heyman thanked him but said, “You’re crowding me right now.” McIntyre backed off but asked Heyman for a favour: tell your boy that I will target him and toss his carcass over the top. Heyman sarcastically agreed to deliver the message to Reigns. McIntyre said he wasn’t talking about Reigns—he was talking about Punk. Heyman left looking distressed. 

*******

Redmond interviewed Bron Breakker. He called half the other Rumble entrants senior citizens. They’d realize they were no match for the badass because it wasn’t 2014 anymore. He declared himself for the Rumble. He was interrupted by Penta (wearing a suit). He made the “cero miedo” gesture without saying a word, and the crowd chanted along. 

******** 

Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn (14:27) 

Zayn came up bleeding from the tip of his nose early in the match. (I’m not sure where it happened but he did get booted in the face a couple of times.) McIntyre went for a Claymore outside the ring, but Zayn ducked, and McIntyre landed on the announce table. 

During a break, McIntyre chucked Zayn into the barricade. Zayn and his bloody face managed to crawl back into the ring. However, after a break, McIntyre hit a spinebuster for two and a sit-out powerbomb for two. Zayn came back with a sunset flip powerbomb out of the corner for two. McIntyre suplexed Zayn and kipped up to his feet, but Zayn nailed a boot and Blue Thunder Bomb for two.  

Zayn went to the top, but McIntyre brought him down with a suplex. He tried a Claymore, but Zayn countered into a cradle for two. McIntyre ran shoulder-first into the ring post, and Zayn hit an exploder into the turnbuckles. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but McIntyre dodged it and covered Zayn with his feet on the ropes for the pinfall win. 

That’s 11 straight losses for Zayn against McIntyre. 

— As Zayn pleaded with the referee, McIntyre attacked him from behind. Cody Rhodes ran out to make the save, but Kevin Owens ran out next to attack Rhodes. Rhodes fought him off, but McIntyre attacked Rhodes from behind. Zayn tried to make the save, but he hit Rhodes with a Helluva Kick by mistake. 

Owens stood next to Zayn and smiled. He patted Zayn on the chest and left the ring. 

Zayn was distressed as he looked down at Rhodes. Cole wondered if he would choose a title opportunity over his friends. 

— The camera followed Zayn during a commercial break. Zayn was upset as he walked toward the back. He even got some boos. He looked back toward Rhodes and repeatedly said, “I’m sorry.” Zayn left. 

(For a moment, I thought the show was over when they faded to black on a shot of a sullen Sami Zayn. But it continued.) 

******** 

Cody Rhodes/CM Punk segment

Rhodes got to his feet to address his hometown fans. He looked up at the two WWE Championship belts hanging above the ring. He said he’s learned that being champion was not about the physical belt despite what Owens has convinced himself of. It was a mindset. It was about the work. Nobody in WWE worked more matches than him. He showed up first and left last. He was so looking forward to Saturday when he could finally move past Owens. 

CM Punk interrupted. Punk asked if Rhodes was feeling alright. Rhodes was his friend, and Punk was worried about him. It seemed like everything was finally getting to him. Punk knew what the title could do to a man. 

Punk was champion for a historic 434 days. Somewhere around the 300-day mark, it started to weigh on him. He was burned out, and it turned him into somebody he didn’t enjoy being most days. He lost friends, and it’s happening to Rhodes now. He understood Rhodes wanted to be Bruno Sammartino and John Cena, but none of them could be Superman. 

Rhodes said he didn’t have a lot of friends, but “CM Punk, you’re my friend, right?” Punk said Yes, that’s why he was out there. Unlike everyone else, Punk would always be his friend. Not just because of a promise he made to Dusty but because he loved him. But not even Dusty could’ve prepared Cody for this. When you were on top, there were no friends because you had a target. 

Rhodes asked Punk what was next for him. Punk said he knew Rhodes wasn’t going to get much sleep because he either had an early call time or he’d be thinking about the biggest match of his career against Owens—one of the toughest SOBs in the locker room. If he got past that, there would be more waiting for him after that. That’s what’s next for Rhodes. Less time with his family, feeling alone ironically in front of sold-out crowds. Meanwhile, somebody in the best shape of their life would win the Rumble and take advantage of Rhodes and take his belt. And that was the good news. 

Rhodes wanted to hear the bad news. Punk responded, “The bad news is that somebody is me.” Unlike everyone else who stabbed Rhodes in the back, Punk would win the Rumble and stab him in the front. 

Rhodes had a story. When he showed up in OVW, he met Punk, and they were the only ones who wanted to learn arm drags from Greg Gagne. Everyone there wanted to be Punk. They chased him. Punk got called up, and Rhodes followed later. Rhodes chased Punk. Everyone chased Punk. But that dynamic changed because Punk was now chasing him. 

Rhodes wanted Punk to win the Rumble “because I want you to catch up.” Rhodes wanted to see the look on Punk’s face when he realized the “best in the world” wasn’t the best in the world anymore. Rhodes’ music played, and the show ended. 

(This was a strange segment. Mostly because of Rhodes’ behaviour. He sounded upset in the first part of his promo, where he spoke about doing the work. Instead of sounding like a proud champion, he sounded annoyed and even whiny. He was also oddly confrontational to Punk from the get-go and a bit overdramatic—even for him. Perhaps we’re to feel like he’s losing it a bit, but that also came out of nowhere. This was also very long. It didn’t help that the show felt like it ended 15 minutes ago.)

Daily Update: Conor McGregor-Logan Paul, AEW Dynamite rating, Renato Moicano

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Friday Update

– Garrett and I will be doing our weekly news review show and discussing the stories in the current issue of the Observer later today. Our weekend show will be Sunday night this week.

– The new issue of the Observer is up today:

  • What are the issues with AEW and what can be done to fix some of them easily
  • A look at Wednesday’s show and the different issues regarding the big picture
  • Why WWE doesn’t get hurt when it does the same things listed as mistakes when AEW does them
  • Where AEW actually stands in television
  • Preview of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Royal Rumble and business notes
  • UFC 311 coverage of the show changed at the last minute
  • A look at TNA’s Genesis PPV, its relationship with WWE and its first live TV shoot
  • Game Changer Wrestling returns to the Hammerstein
  • What happened with PCO and why
  • 2024 Awards ballot
  • The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week including Raw on Netflix
  • New CMLL marketing gimmick
  • Stardom comes up with new booking concept and debuts it this past week
  • Dragon Gate comes to the U.S.
  • Japanese promotions try to present united front
  • Notes on first live TNA TV show in eight years
  • Britt Baker update
  • Ricky Starks update
  • Grand Slam Australia update
  • Notes on new AEW dates
  • Major issue long-term for AEW younger talents
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • More on Dana White and boxing
  • Chris Weidman retires
  • Craig Piligian announced for UFC Hall of Fame
  • One of the most popular fighters from 15 year ago cut by UFC
  • Lots more on WrestleMania
  • Corey Graves update

We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback already on the lead story.

– SmackDown is tonight in Austin, TX. The only stuff announced is LA Knight vs. Tama Tonga, Motor City Machine Guns vs. Pretty Deadly, and a Cody Rhodes interview. They were 2,500 shy of capacity with 9,700 tickets out as of last night.

– El Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, which is CMLL’s traditional second biggest show of the year, was announced for 3/21 at Arena Mexico. The finals of the tournament for the vacant CMLL women’s tag team championship (the one Tessa Blanchard held with Lluvia) will be on that show.

– Nikki Garcia (Bella) is in talks with WWE about wrestling again.

– Conor McGregor in an interview with The Schmo said that the fight with Logan Paul fell through due to UFC not approving of the fight. McGregor is still under a UFC contract. He had talked about the fight for weeks but nobody took it seriously because UFC would have to approve it and Dana White continually said that it’s not happening.

– AEW’s show on Wednesday night, not factoring in the MAX numbers, was the highest rated show on TBS as best we can tell over the prior 17 days. We don’t get every rating but for prime time it was. As far as prime time goes, it would have been the second highest rated show of the year on the station at 0.19.

– TNA is taping television in San Antonio tonight.

– We’re looking for reports this weekend on both SmackDown tonight (stuff off the air like dark matches or Speed matches) and from the TNA tapings with results, finishes and highlights to [email protected].

– Renato Moicano was on the Show Me The Money podcast and said he got paid an extra more than $950,000 to take the fight with Islam Makhachev on short notice last weekend. Moicano was listed as making $250,000 for the match, but that would not include bonuses.

– There is no UFC show this weekend with the next show on 2/1. The biggest MMA event this weekend is PFL in Dubai  UAE, with the main card on MAX airing at 11 a.m. Eastern

  • Renat Khavalov (136) vs. Cleiver Fernandes (135.9)
  • Ibragim Ibragimov (146) vs. Kenny Mokhonoana (147) – Mokhonoana missed weight by one point
  • Akhmed Magomedov (145.7) vs. Nathan Kelly (145.6)
  • Vadim Nemkov (242.4) vs. Tim Johnson (264.2)
  • Usman Nurmagomedov (154.9) vs. Paul Hughes (155) for the Bellator lightweight title

– The GFL is doing its draft tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch and DAZN. It’s a team format with six coaches and managers picking fighters over 20 rounds.

– Dominick Reyes vs. Nikita Krylov in a light heavyweight bout takes place on the 4/12 UFC PPV show that is believed to be taking place in Miami.

– The former Titan Towers, that WWE was no longer using, was sold to MB Financial Group for $3.75 million with the idea of turning it into apartment buildings.

– Leon Slater has been announced for the wXw 16 Carat Gold tournament in March.

– The Scioto Valley Guardian has a story on Dillon Hines, the son of Bobby Fulton, and issues a lot of talent have had with him in shows he’s helped put together in Chillicothe, OH. Rob Van Dam in particular has talked about issues on his podcast. Hines has said he will be getting out of wrestling in March.

– Former WWE performer/wrestler Danille Moinet (Summer Rae) is doing media at Super Bowl week in New Orleans. She’s working as a broadcaster for the BYB Extreme promotion which does Bare Knuckle fighting which airs on FUSE TV, Fight Network in Canada and Bein Sports.

– Penta was officially announced for the 3/10 Raw in Madison Square Garden.