Bianca Belair made her return to WWE at WrestleMania, only to reveal that she would be out of action for a little while longer due to pregnancy. Now she’s explaining how the big announcement came together.
Belair and her husband, Montez Ford, talked about the event on the latest episode of their vlog. Initially, they had planned to announce the pregnancy on Belair’s birthday, April 9.
“We planned to go to Miami from April 8 to April 12 and we were going to announce it on her birthday,” Ford said. “Once we got to WrestleMania, everybody already knows, so it’s cool. Now that this is happening, it completely changes everything. Now, we have to keep hiding her for another four weeks.”
“Originally, I texted Hunter, and I told him I was pregnant,” Belair said. “He was super excited and was like, ‘How are you gonna announce it? What about WrestleMania?’ I was like, ‘Well, like me talk to [Montez] about it. That would be cool. At least I could still be part of WrestleMania. Let me think about it.’”
Belair said she was hesitant to make a private announcement in such a public setting.
“I was enjoying this bubble and was in a space where I didn’t want to announce it,” she said. “I honestly just wanted to tell my family and friends and hard launch a baby. ‘This is mine. I don’t want to announce it.’ I said, ‘Let me think about it.’ Finally, we were talking and I said, ‘Let’s do WrestleMania. What about me coming out first thing, with my bump, and opening WrestleMania.’”
But then, due to communication issues, it almost didn’t happen.
“It’s Mania season, so I didn’t get a text back for a while,” Belair said “They are busy, of course. I thought, ‘Maybe it’s a no. F*ck it, I’ll just announce it on my birthday.’ We got dead set on that. ‘Let’s announce it on my birthday, and I go to Mania, I can go around and party in Vegas.’ Then, Hunter texted me back, ‘Sorry for the delay. Yes and yes.’”
Belair’s last match was a loss to Iyo Sky in a three-way with Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 41. She suffered a finger injury in that match that sidelined her for the rest of 2025.
Ford had mentioned previously on Instagram that they had kept the pregnancy secret for six months. That would put Belair’s likely due date sometime around July or August.
Bianca Belair at WWE WrestleMania 42 (Image credit: WWE)
WWE
Brock Lesnar has been moved back to the active roster page on WWE’s website following his short-lived retirement.
People Magazine covered Bianca Belair and Montez Ford’s baby shower, which took place this past Saturday. “We wanted it to be more of a party/celebration than a traditional baby shower because traditional baby showers can be a little low-key and monotonous,” Belair explained. “We wanted all of our friends to just have fun, let loose and celebrate with us!”
Scott Garland (Scotty 2 Hotty) joined CBS 13 News in Maine to discuss this coming Wednesday’s Dynamite & Collision special, which will be the state’s first televised pro wrestling show in 30 years.
CMLL has posted a new video from Friday showing singer Natalia Jimenez performing the song ‘Me Muero’ live in Arena Mexico as Mistico made his entrance.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider posted the following on superfan Vladimir: “As we have previously noted, Vlad has been battling Parkinson’s Disease over the last several years. One of the by-products of the disease is terrible balance issues. This past week, Vlad was walking with his sister when he suddenly fell, striking his head on the concrete. He suffered a major concussion and there was concern about bleeding on the brain, but we are told that he is believed to be out of imminent danger when it came to the bleeding.
Vlad will, however, remain hospitalized in NYC for some time to come. There is no timetable for his release as I write this.
Vlad’s sister gave me permission to pass along the word so that she can ask everyone to please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers.
Vladimir has been one of my dearest, closest friends for decades. I ask that everyone please send him the best wishes you can.“
Montez Ford shared a detailed list on what occupied him during his time away from WWE, also revealing that he and Bianca Belair kept the pregnancy a secret for six months.
In February while competing at an NXT live show, Ford was spotted with a somewhat healthy physique as compared to his usual self. It sparked concern among fans. Later, Belair jokingly posted that she keeps him well fed. Ford’s latest Instagram post showcased the varied projects during his time away from WWE TV.
“GAINED SOME WEIGHT. MADE A BABY. KEPT IT A SECRET FOR 6 MONTHS. TRAINED 8 WEEKS. LOST THE WEIGHT. FINISHED THE ALBUM. COMPLETED 8 MILLION “HONEY-DOs” RETURNED THE MONDAY NIGHT AFTER MANIA. KINGS BACK.”
The Street Profits (Ford and Angelo Dawkins) made a surprise return to WWE Raw after Mania and targeted The Vision during Seth Rollins’ attack on Bron Breakker. Their last main roster appearance was on the October 10 edition of SmackDown for a Tag Team Title match against then champions, Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis.
Meanwhile, Belair had been away from in-ring competition since last year’s WrestleMania. She suffered a finger injury during the triple threat match with Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. Towards the end of the year, there was anticipation on her potential comeback for the Premium Live Event this year.
Bianca Belair delivered some great news at WWE WrestleMania 42 — though it wasn’t the announcement people were expecting.
Out of action for a year now, Belair made a surprise appearance at night one of WrestleMania, coming down to the ring after host John Cena had announced the attendance. She revealed that Cena would need to add one more to that number, because she and husband Montez Ford are expecting a child.
“Thank you so much for all the love and all the support,” Belair told the crowd. “Whether it’s me at home or me in this ring, thank you so much. Now you know you can’t have WrestleMania without a few surprises now, right? So, John, I think we need to add one more to the attendance list, because the E-S-T is having a baby.”
Cena then thanked Belair for allowing the WWE family to share this moment with her family.
At WrestleMania 41 last year, Belair helped steal the show in a triple threat match against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. But Belair suffered a hand injury that night that proved to be significantly more complicated than originally expected. This February, she underwent surgery in hopes of finally fixing the injury. She had been doing post-surgery rehab in recent weeks as fans hoped she would return soon.
The attendance number announced by Cena, before Belair’s addition, was 50,816.
This is Belair and Ford’s first child together, with Ford also having two children from a previous relationship.
Rumors linking former WWE Tag Team Champion Montez Ford as this week’s mystery attacker on Raw have been debunked, according to Bryan Alvarez on Thursday’s Wrestling Observer Live.
Speculations intensified after the mystery man resurfaced on this past Monday’s Raw, but Alvarez confirmed that Ford was not the man behind the appearance, although Austin Theory’s identity as the attacker still looms.
Alvarez explained that social media users attempted to determine the attacker’s identity based on his physique with many concluding it was Ford.
“So, Monday, another mystery man showed up, and it was not Austin Theory,” he continued. “Now, if you go on social media, I swear to God, everybody was trying to figure out who the new mystery man was based on his butt. And, everyone concluded that it was Montez Ford,” Alvarez noted.
Alvarez added that while he does not know who the masked wrestler was, he was “told specifically it was not Montez Ford.”
Theory has long been rumored to join The Vision and was widely reported to be under the mask at Survivor Series when the mystery man laid out CM Punk, leading to The Vision’s win in the men’s WarGames match.
It was a homecoming for many NXT stars of the past.
During Tuesday’s show at Full Sail University, multiple former NXT stars made an appearance. The first surprise was after the WWE Women’s Tag Team title match. Zol Ruca and Zaria were arguing about the finish of last week’s number one contender’s match when Laney Reid and Candace LeRae interrupted. Shayna Baszler then showed up and said she made history in NXT by being the longest-reigning champion. She told Sol and Zaria to fix it and apologize as they’ll get everything they want if they do.
Later, The Miz made a surprise appearance. He attacked Johnny Gargano on the outside giving him the skull crashing finale. He then threw him into the ring and helped Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams score the victory over DIY, continuing his SmackDown storyline with Hayes.
Other NXT stars from the past including Damien Priest, Sami Zayn, Montez Ford, Bobby Roode, and Finn Balor all made appearances. Priest and Zayn gave pep talks to Tavion Heights and Je’Von Evans respectively, while Montez Ford met with Darkstate. Bobby Roode meanwhile had an encounter with Joe Hendry.
Damian Priest just gave an all-time pump-up speech to @TavionHeights and let him know he's got a North American Title Match at No Mercy!! pic.twitter.com/dGLNmJFte7
After Lexis King gave a speech running down the old era of NXT and Myles Borne, he was met by a returning Finn Balor, who came out to his old theme and entrance. Borne entered the ring and took out King while Balor delivered the coup de gras.
It’s Saturday and time for Wrestling Observer Live.
Friday saw an awesome TLC match on WWE SmackDown, some awesomely bad punches by Naomi to Jade Cargill, and John Cena going from disgruntled wrestler to the anti-Heath Slater. He’s tired of raising your kids.
TNA World Champion Joe Hendry may have disappointed some of his fans by losing to Randy Orton at WrestleMania, but It probably won’t matter as long as he impressed the right audience.
Plus, thoughts on WrestleMania 41, WWE seemingly leaning into bro culture with The Roast of WrestleMania featuring some of the hackiest, most obvious statements that are supposed to pass for jokes. Don’t be offended by the content. Be offended because they weren’t funny. No wonder WWE is trying to hide it.
The Street Profits don’t sound too upset about being left off the WrestleMania 41 card.
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are set to defend their WWE Tag Team Championships this Friday on WrestleMania SmackDown against the Motor City Machine Guns but do not have a match scheduled at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on either Saturday or Sunday.
During an appearance on the It Is What It Is show, the champions were asked about not competing at the two-night event this year.
“I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to ride the pine,” Dawkins said. “But hey, sometimes you got to play your role. You got to ride the bench sometimes. But hey, you know what? We on SmackDown. We defending the titles. We going to do work against Motor City Machine Guns. We gonna beat them boys down.”
“We’re going to go out there and put on a show,” Dawkins added.
Cam’ron asks the Street Profits why they are the tag team champions if they are only wrestling on Wrestlemania Smackdown and not Wrestlemania.
“Why are you the champions and on the undercard?”
Dawkins replied “I would be lying if I said ‘I wanna ride the pine’ but sometimes… pic.twitter.com/F7cTKgtpac
Several wrestlers left off the WrestleMania card will be in action Friday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green does not have a WrestleMania match this year and will team with Alba Fyre and Piper Niven against Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, and Zelina Vega on SmackDown. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will also take place on the show.
The full episode of The It Is What It Is show is available below:
Montez Ford believes he may need to make some changes in order to accomplish his goal of becoming WWE Champion.
Ford recently spoke to The Daily Mail about how his “dream job” in WWE can be frustrating. As he has also mentioned in previous interviews, Ford is growing impatient with The Street Profits’ lack of success of late.
“For me to sit here and go like, how’s it going, that it’s good, that’d be a lie,” Ford said. “There’s always pleasure in doing what you love, what you admire, what you have dreamt of, what you have goals in and passion for, but it does get to that sense of frustration where anything you try to accomplish in life, where you may feel like it’s either taking too long, or it’s been too long, or nothing’s happening.”
“I’m not going to lie and say I don’t sit here and watch all the comments and everything. I watch everything. We’re not in conversations when it comes to top tag teams. We’re not in conversations when it comes to anything wrestling-related besides the fact of getting handled by The Bloodline, and that doesn’t sit well with me. So as well as is it is going in terms of being my dream job, it is enjoying as it is frustrating.”
The Street Profits were paired with B-Fab and Bobby Lashley as The Pride in 2023. The group was quietly disbanded when Lashley left the company earlier this year. Ford says the experience taught him that anything can happen; anyone can leave, and you have to pick up the pieces afterward.
“I’m glad with what we had for the short period of time, B-Fab and the All Mighty when he was here. But what I took from that lesson is anything can happen, anything can transition, anybody can leave, anybody can just depart at any time. And you kind of just have to pick up whatever’s left and just run with it. And that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.”
“When all of those things were happening, we were very, very excited, because he (Lashley) was somebody we looked up to, somebody I watched as a kid, and now I’m being paired with him, and he’s being my mentor, and he’s ushering us in this new chapter of The Street Profits.”
“All these things are running, we have a WrestleMania win, and then boom, it just stops. And it’s been this constant stop and go and stop and go and stop and go with the Profits where we’ll get momentum and then the momentum will stop, then momentum will start again, and the momentum will stop. And for us, that’s frustrating, because it’s hard to get behind a team whose momentum starts and then it shifts again.”
It has been almost four years since The Street Profits have held tag team gold. They haven’t been tag champions since dropping the SmackDown Tag Team titles to Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode on January 8, 2021, inside WWE’s Thunderdome.
“This is the crossroads that I’m at right now in life. Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be WWE Champion. Now I’ve got the dream job I wanted, been with this tag team, and it’s been fantastic, but I’ve also made a lot of changes and adjustments to try to be successful within this tag team, and I’m now at the point where I’ve done everything to be successful, I’ve tried to do something for a long time, and there’s still no success.”
“I’m looking at the universe, I’m looking at the signs. Is it time to adjust to a new era, a new mode, a new mindset, or do I need to start getting rid of people?”
A new trailer has been released for an upcoming WWE reality series.
All eight episodes of “Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez” with Bianca Belair will premiere on Hulu beginning February 2. The series follows married couple Bianca Belair and Montez Ford in the run-up to WrestleMania 39.
According to TheWrap, topics covered in the series will include Ford being frustrated at not being given more time in the Royal Rumble, and Belair learning to be a stepmother to Ford’s two children from a previous relationship.
“We’re so excited for the world to finally get a glimpse into our life outside of the WWE ring,” Belair and Ford said to TheWrap.
Bianca Belair and Montez Ford’s road to WrestleMania; as Montez continues his ascent, Bianca fights to hold on to her title; with the support of their tight-knit group of friends, family and fellow superstars, the duo pulls off the impossible.
The series was first announced on a WWE earnings call in November 2022, with “The Crawfords” being considered for the title.
Belair spoke to Metro about filming the series last September.
I was always somebody that was like, ‘I will never do reality TV, I have no desire to do it.’ And I learned to never say never very quickly.
It was different for me because everybody sees my husband – who everybody in the ring is who he is at home, he’s high energy, he’s full of life, full of joy, yelling, screaming, singing.
I’m a little bit more low-key and more reserved, I just chill at home and do my DIY projects. I’m used to having the cameras in my face at work and now they’re in my home. How do I just be normal now? I don’t need to turn it on to be Bianca Belair. It’s a different dynamic!
WWE has announced a partnership with American Corporate Partners.
The national non-profit organization assists veterans and active-duty spouses develop new careers through mentoring, networking, and career advice.
In a video posted to social media on Monday, Montez Ford revealed he will serve as a military mentor for WWE’s new partnership with the organization.
Ford says in the video:
What is happening WWE Universe? This is WWE Superstar, Montez Ford and I am very, very excited to announce that I will be the military mentor for the new partnership that WWE has with ACP. And this new partnership supports veterans in finding their new career. I’m very excited to announce this. I’m very, very happy to work with all the veterans and their families.
.@WWE is proud to support @acpvets in their efforts to help veterans start new career paths. This National Mentoring Month, I'm proud to announce I am teaming up with ACP as a Military Mentor! Visit https://t.co/3EgV02vhns for more info. pic.twitter.com/mrSgQCHP5L
WWE sent out the following press release announcing the partnership earlier today:
STAMFORD, Conn., January 17, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced a new partnership with American Corporate Partners (ACP), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering returning veterans and active-duty spouses through one-on-one professional development mentorship programs. As part of the partnership, WWE Superstar and former United States Marine Montez Ford will become the first professional athlete to serve as a registered mentor for ACP.
“WWE has a long-standing history of supporting our nation’s active service members, veterans and their families,” said WWE Superstar Montez Ford, who served in the U.S. Marines from 2008 until 2012. “It is an honor to represent WWE as part of this partnership with ACP and its outstanding mentorship program.”
Launched in 2008, ACP personally pairs applicants with a hand-picked mentor based on career compatibility, experience level, location and personal interests. Today, more than 30,000 veterans and spouses have completed their ACP mentorship, which includes access to résumé building and interview preparation, career exploration, networking opportunities, small business development and leadership and professional communication resources.
“All of us at ACP are excited to begin our partnership with WWE,” said Sidney E. Goodfriend, Chairman of ACP. “Frequently our post 9/11 veteran proteges seek career guidance in the field of entertainment and we are delighted to be able to provide them with mentors from a top leader in the industry.”
Hulu has revealed when its upcoming WWE-focused reality series will be premiering.
It was announced today that “Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez” will premiere on Hulu on Friday, February 2, 2024. The series follows real-life married couple Bianca Belair (Bianca Blair Crawford) and Montez Ford (Kenneth Crawford) and their lives both inside and outside of the ring.
I was always somebody that was like, ‘I will never do reality TV, I have no desire to do it.’ And I learned to never say never very quickly.
It was different for me because everybody sees my husband – who everybody in the ring is who he is at home, he’s high energy, he’s full of life, full of joy, yelling, screaming, singing.
I’m a little bit more low-key and more reserved, I just chill at home and do my DIY projects. I’m used to having the cameras in my face at work and now they’re in my home. How do I just be normal now? I don’t need to turn it on to be Bianca Belair. It’s a different dynamic!
Belair told People that it will be a “fun-filled” reality show. Her parents and Ford’s mother will play a prominent role in the series.
Belair recently returned to WWE television after a two-month hiatus. At Crown Jewel this Saturday, she’s challenging IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship.
Ford is currently part of a faction with Bobby Lashley & Angelo Dawkins in WWE. The Street Profits turned heel when aligning with Lashley.
Roman Reigns will celebrate 1000 days as WWE Universal Champion on tonight’s SmackDown from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
While Reigns said during last week’s episode that he hoped his entire family would be included in the celebration, that wish might be complicated by the fact that his cousin, Jimmy Uso, superkicked him at last weekend’s Night of Champions.
Reigns, along with fellow Bloodline member Solo Sikoa, came up short in their bid for the undisputed WWE Tag Team titles last Saturday in Saudi Arabia against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
Two Money in the Bank qualifying matches are also set for tonight. In a men’s qualifier, Montez Ford takes on LA Knight while Zelina Vega and Lacey Evans will face off to determine the first confirmed participant for the women’s MITB ladder match.
Ricochet and Shinsuke Nakamura have already qualified for the men’s ladder match.
Our live coverage starts at 8 PM Eastern.
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– Michael Cole welcomed everyone in and started the show off with a standup alongside Wade Barrett, the latter of whom threw to a Roman Reigns video package narrated by Paul Heyman. When we got back to the arena, Austin Theory was in the ring with a microphone
The Austin Theory segment
Theory welcomed everyone into “Austin Theory Live.” Theory reminded everyone that tonight is about celebrating the Tribal Chief’s title reign. Theory called himself the greatest United States Champion of all time and said if he combined his reign with Roman’s, it would be 1,209 days. Theory said that would be as inspiring as being the guy who beat John Cena at WrestleMania. Theory said he’ll one-day have a 1,000 day, or 2,000 day, or 3,000 day, or 4,000 day celebration. Theory said he’s 25 years old and the greatest to ever do it. Theory then introduced Pretty Deadly.
Kit Wilson talked first, but Elton Prince chimed in quickly, saying they wanted to celebrate Theory as best they knew how. Pretty Deadly did their catchphrase and was almost instantly cut off by the Brawling Brutes’ theme song.
Austin Theory & Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) defeated The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch & Ridge Holland [17:45]
Holy Moses, this was the never-ending opening match. Nothing against the six men involved – and they certainly all worked hard as the pace picked up during the latter third of the bout – but this overstayed its welcome for me. While I’m happy to see Pretty Deadly be involved in some significant victories since being called up, the Brutes could stand a winning streak sooner than later. With Theory being on the victorious side against Sheamus more than once now, I wonder if we’re leading up to Sheamus being the one who dethrones Theory. Time will tell.
Elton Prince and Ridge Holland began the match with Holland getting the best of it. Butch tagged in and dropkicked Prince, who backed Butch into the heel corner. Wilson tagged in and kept control in the heels’ favor. Eventually, Butch landed a clothesline. Wilson retreated and tagged in Theory. In response, Butch tagged in Sheamus. The show cut to commercial before the two even locked up.
Back from break, Prince was working over Butch until Prince tagged in Theory. Theory stomped on Butch and posed. Wilson tagged in and stomped on Butch. Prince tagged in and kicked Butch while Theory held him. Butch fired up and hit a Tornado DDT from the second rope. As a result, Butch got the hot tag to Sheamus. Theory tagged in, too, and Sheamus landed a series of clotheslines on Theory. Sheamus hit backbreakers on all the heels before the Brutes landed a Triple White Noise on all the heels.
Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Theory, but Pretty Deadly pulled Theory outside the ring before Sheamus could go for a pin. Sheamus and Butch hit a pair of top and middle rope moves on the heels on the outside of the ring before we went to yet another commercial break.
Back from that break, Butch was running kicks on Pretty Deadly inside the ring. Holland tagged in and took down Prince. Sheamus went to the top and hit a knee on Prince for a two-count. Sheamus lifted Prince, but Prince worked his way out and tagged in Wilson, who hit Pretty Deadly’s signature move. Theory tagged in and slammed Sheamus for a good near-fall. Sheamus got to his feet and clotheslined Theory before things broke down. Theory rolled into a knee from Sheamus and Sheamus got another good near-fall out of it.
Prince and Holland were the legal men and Holland lifted both Pretty Deadly members for an impressive slam. The Brutes hit a triple 10 Bells on Pretty Deadly and Theory. Holland slammed Wilson, but Theory broke up a pin attempt. From there, Theory kneed Butch in the face as Sheamus took Theory to the outside. Meanwhile, Prince and Wilson had some shenanigans, ultimately ending up with Wilson chop-blocked Holland. Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Holland and tagged in Theory, who pinned Holland for the win.
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– Paul Heyman was shown backstage talking to Solo Sikoa. Heyman said the night has to be special for Roman Reigns. Sikoa, naturally, sold nothing. Heyman said he was going to talk to Adam Pearce to make sure The Usos won’t be around during the 1,000 day celebration.
– An O.C. segment aired and they talked about how it was AJ Styles’ birthday. Styles asked Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to take out Hit Row after Hit Row released a diss track toward them on social media earlier in the day.
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The O.C. (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) defeated Hit Row (Top Dolla & Ashante Thee Adonis) [2:57]
Man, I know it’s an old observation, but Anderson and Gallows sure figured out how to live that good wrestling life. Show up once a month. Get in the ring for three minutes. Get that money. The match was standard and predictable, though it was nice to see the Hit Row crew get as much shine as they got – as in, they dominated the match until Gallows got the tag and things ended a handful of seconds later. My biggest question? Where does AJ Styles go now that he didn’t win the new Heavyweight title? Don’t tell me he’s going to work a program with Hit Row until MITB … please?
Ashante got the better of Anderson to start the match. Top Dolla tagged in and kept the energy up against Anderson. Ashante tagged back in and choked Anderson over the middle rope via his leg. B-Fab hit Anderson and that inspired Michin to jaw at B-Fab. Inside the ring, Anderson broke through with a spinebuster. Gallows received the hot tag and took everyone in sight out. Anderson tagged in an they hit the Magic Killer on Ashante for the win.
After the match, Top Dolla attacked Gallows and Anderson, but Styles put an end to that quickly with a Phenomenal Forearm. Michael Cole tried to rap and that’s a hell of a sentence to type.
– Adam Pearce was shown backstage telling Paul Heyman, telling Heyman that the Usos will not be allowed in the building, even if they show up. Heyman went to call Roman Reigns on his cell phone.
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The Grayson Waller Effect w/ Asuka
Waller welcomed Asuka to the ring. Asuka came to the ring and Waller threw to a video package recalling the women’s title match from Night of Champions. Asuka announced herself as the Raw Women’s Champion and danced a little. Grayson pointed to the MITB briefcases and said there are women in the locker room who think they’re ready for Asuka. The camera caught Asuka putting the blue stuff in her mouth in an unfortunate event.
Iyo Sky’s music hit and Sky walked to the ring, speaking in a foreign language. Asuka responded in kind. Waller broke up the verbal exchange and Bayley’s music hit. Bayley walked to the ring and said either Bayley or Sky will win the women’s MITB. Bayley was cut off by Shotzi, who came to the ring with a microphone and said she wanted to crush Bayley’s dreams. Shotzi was cut off by Lacey Evans’ music and Lacey walked to the ring with a microphone, wearing a Sgt. Slaughter hat. Evans said the MITB contract is going to be hers. Evans referenced a Cobra Clutch and … ha. Zelina Vega’s music hit and Vega walked to the ring, saying everyone is underestimating her. Vega said Evans isn’t half the woman she is. The women yelled and talked over each other until Asuka cut them off by saying nobody is ready for Asuka … until Bianca Belair attacked Asuka from behind. The two brawled until officials separated them.
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– Cameron Grimes and Adam Pearce were shown talking backstage. Cameron said if Baron Corbin shows up on SmackDown again, after seeing what Corbin did on NXT, Grimes will take care of it.
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Zelina Vega defeated Lacey Evans in a Money In The Bank qualifying match [2:49]
Evans completely dominated the match until Vega hit a Code Red and that was about it. I like the story they’re telling with Vega being the ultimate underdog, especially after her showing at BackLash, but it’s hard to think she’ll ultimately win the MITB contract. Still, it’s nice to see Vega get some booking love after being underused for so long.The finish here ostensibly came out of nowhere. Evans, meanwhile, has no direction other than Sgt. Slaughter cosplay.
During the commercial break, Evans hit Vega with the Woman’s Right and Vega was selling it up until the bell rang. Because of as much, Evans had the edge to start the match. That momentum kept up through the first 90 seconds of the match, including Evans slamming Vega’s head into the canvas. Evans worked a chin-lock until Vega kicked her way out of it. Seemingly out of nowhere, Vega hit a Code Red for the win.
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– Santos Escobar was shown talking to the LWO backstage, saying he can’t wait to win the MITB contract himself. Rey Mysterio appeared said it’s only a matter of time until Escobar and Vega are Mr. and Mrs. Money In The Bank. Turns out, next week, Escobar will face off against Mustafa Ali in a qualifying match.
LA Knight defeated Montez Ford in a Money In The Bank qualifying match [9:12]
This was the match of the night (I write with still about 25 minutes left in the program, so grain, salt, etc.). The crowd sounded super behind Knight and I’m interested to see his role in the MITB match. The outcome wasn’t necessarily predictable, which made the match a lot of fun and it even had me bite on a few of the false finishes toward the end. This was very good stuff from very good wrestlers. Here’s hoping they pull the trigger on a Montez Ford heel turn soon because man, it looked here like he could pull that off awfully well if he’s asked to do so.
Knight got a hell of a pop once his music hit and I have no idea why WWE keeps insisting on ignoring it. The match began as the two locked up and the crowd was chanting Knight’s name vociferously. The two traded some standard standing holds. When Ford took Knight down, the crowd booed and Ford smiled. It was like Hogan vs. Rock at Mania 18 with the turned around heel vs. face dynamic (but less people and more Michael Cole). Ford went to the outside via Knight and a commercial break commenced.
Back from break, the two were trading blows. Ford had control with a series of clotheslines. Ford played to the crowd a split second and Knight picked up Ford for a slam and a two-count. Knight elbowed Ford to the ground. Knight went for a springboard moonsault, but Ford moved. Ford hit a Rock Bottom for a great near-fall. The crowd chanted “LA Knight!” We got a double clothesline to slow things down. Both guys were on their knees and traded blows. Knight put Ford on the apron, but Ford responded with a kick to the face. Ford went to the top, but Knight cut him off. Ford pushed him away and went for the frog-splash, but Knight moved. The two traded roll-ups and Knight got the win while holding onto the ropes. After the match, Knight grabbed a ladder and climbed to the top while the crowd sounded happy.
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The Roman Reigns 1,000 Day Celebration
– Triple H made his entrance and it appeared his presence will be felt during the Roman Reigns 1,000 day celebration. His entrance led to a commercial break. Back from that break, Triple H spoke about how some people are talked about for generations to come. Triple H said people will talk about this for generations and he welcomed to the ring Roman Reigns. Reigns was accompanied to the ring by Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa.
Triple H said on behalf of everyone, he wanted to congratulate him on passing 1,000 days as champion. Triple H said it hadn’t been accomplished in WWE in almost 40 years. Triple H introduced an Undisputed Universal WWE Championship as one belt and presented it to Reigns. Reigns held it and smiled. The belt didn’t really look all that different from previous belts. The crowd cheered as Reigns held it. Triple H put the belt around Reigns’ waist and Reigns took a microphone. Reigns yelled at everyone to acknowledge him and the crowd went wild. But wouldn’t you know it, the Usos’ music hit and the Usos appeared before the final commercial break of the night began.
The show returned and Jimmy was engaged in a stare down with Roman. Roman demanded Jay kick Jimmy in the face and Jay didn’t do it. Roman said he didn’t stutter. Roman said Jimmy kicked Roman in the face so Jey needed to fix it by kicking his brother in the face. Jimmy chimed in and said the only one who needs fixin is Roman. Jimmy said Jey can’t fix it because Jimmy was the one who kicked Roman. Jimmy said he did what he did because he was being a brother. Jimmy said lately, Roman hasn’t been a good brother. Jimmy asked what kind of brother beats down his own family. Jimmy followed that up by saying Roman has gone crazy. Jimmy said he’s going to protect Solo and Roman is only going to eventually kick Solo to the side.
The crowd chanted “Uso!” Roman said the only reason the crowd is chanting that is because of Roman. Roman reasserted that he’s the Tribal Chief. Roman said he wanted to hear from Solo and gave Solo the microphone. Solo looked conflicted. Solo said he acknowledges Roman, but Jimmy and Jey are his brothers. The crowd cheered as Solo gave Roman back the microphone. Solo then walked to the side of the ring where the Usos were. Jimmy asked if Roman was going to wind up on the Island of Relevancy all by himself. Jimmy face-palmed Roman as Roman started to yell. The crowd chanted “Holy s—.” Jey stepped in and said it can’t go down like this and Jey said he needed both Roman and Jimmy.
Jimmy said Jey is right and they’re stronger together. Jimmy said they’re all brothers and they should all do it together and “run the damn place.” Jimmy kept asking if they’re still family and if they’re still the ones. Roman looked aggravated. Roman and Jimmy embraced and it looked like Roman was crying … until he put the microphone to his mouth and said … “No.” From there, Solo gave Jimmy the Samoan Spike. Roman walked out of the ring and Solo looked over his brothers before walking out with Roman. Jimmy sold the Spike in the ring. Off mic, Heyman asked Roman about Jey and Roman said Jey will do what he always does, which is fall in line. And there, friends, is how the show ended.
Montez Ford, Damian Priest, and Carmella are all set to enter the Elimination Chamber later this month.
The final three spots in the men’s and women’s matches were filled during Monday’s Raw. Priest pinned Angelo Dawkins to advance, while Montez Ford pinned Elias. Both now advance to the February 18 event, where they will meet Seth Rollins, Bronson Reed, Johnny Gargno, and Austin Theory in a match for the WWE United States Championship.
Carmella pinned Candice LeRae in a match that also featured Michin and Piper Niven. With the win, Carmella will now face Asuka, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nikki Cross, and Natalya. The winner of the women’s Elimination Chamber match will meet Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39 in April.
Here is the updated lineup for Elimination Chamber:
WWE Elimination Chamber, Saturday, February 18, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley
Elimination Chamber match for the United States Championship: Austin Theory (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest vs. Montez Ford
Elimination Chamber match, winner challenges Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania: Asuka vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Cross vs. Natalya vs. Carmella
