This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Another all-women’s edition of the show made for nice viewing, but nothing really dazzled. Everyone worked hard but, all told, this was a missable show.
Indi Hartwell defeated Kayden Carter (w/Katana Chance) (6:06)
Neither Hartwell nor Carter did anything wrong here, they just didn’t really use the time they were given and so the match felt like it was just there.
This was just the second singles match these two have had but they’ve certainly been on opposing teams in NXT tag matches several times in recent years.
This was Carter’s second appearance on Main Event and she remains winless. Hartwell has been booked evenly on the show, having traded wins recently with Dana Brooke before she was released.
Chance was on the outside cheerleading but didn’t really add much. Hartwell hit a spinebuster in the last few minutes which looked cool, and they both took time to gather themselves.
Carter then dodged a stomp and swept Hartwell off her feet. She did a neat springboard leg drop but only got a near fall from it.
In the end, Hartwell got the win with a modified full nelson she transitions into a flapjack. Carter and Chance were left to lick their wounds.
Nikki Cross defeated Xia Li (6:26)
This was the better of the two matches, but much like the opener, it dragged a little and would have been better if they had shaved off a couple of minutes.
It’s rare that they give the two matches on Main Event a similar amount of time. This one was longer because they shoved a commercial break in part way through, but was otherwise a similar length to the opener.
Cross is a new regular on this show and generally gets her hand raised. They seem to trust her to take the lead against greener talent and you wonder whether she may take on a trainer-type role in her later years.
Li was sporting new red and black ring gear which looks very cool. She also has face paint to match, so her overall presentation is way better. I’m still not convinced by her overall, but Cross gave her loads here to show off what she can do.
Li had Cross draped over the apron at one point and used a leg drop before going outside and banging the dasher boards to try to rally the crowd.
There were times when Li was getting frustrated by not being able to get it done and with her new face paint the way she screamed into the mat gave her a renewed intensity that looked a lot more believable.
Cross took a beating, but it was a tilt-a-whirl DDT and her finisher, a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker I believe she calls The Purge, that earned her the victory.
WWE Main Event was taped at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, before Monday’s Raw.
In an all-women’s edition of the show, there was some decent wrestling offered with Tegan Nox vs. Xia Li offering the most engaging action on this week’s show.
Nikki Cross defeated Indi Hartwell (5:28)
This was fine for what it was and it was good to see Hartwell going up against another experienced hand even if it didn’t go her way in the end.
It will be interesting to see how this show changes over the coming weeks, given the releases that have taken place in the company. Regulars over the last few years such as Mustafa Ali, Dana Brooke, Shelton Benjamin, Emma, and Riddick Moss all being gone means the landscape of this show will look very different.
Cross and Hartwell worked well together with Cross leading the action. They did a chinlock spot which is always a frustration in these short matches, especially with a crowd that is eager for the Raw episode that is to come.
After Hartwell got a two count from a spinebuster, Cross regained the advantage and they went to the finish. Cross used a DDT to plant Hartwell and then came off the top rope with a crossbody to get the win.
That isn’t much of a finisher, but it got the job done for Cross, who has only lost once in 11 matches on Main Event this year.
Tegan Nox defeated Xi Li (7:04)
They told a story here with Li working over Nox’s knee. The crowd was certainly behind Nox, who is easy to like.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio this past week that it had been the plan for Nox to take on Becky Lynch for the NXT Women’s Title on Raw, but for whatever reason, that plan was changed and Natalya took her place. Instead, Nox found herself back on Main Event this week where she has been a semi-regular since May.
Before the break, they were very much equal with some intricate pinning combinations. Li changed things up when she went after Nox’s left knee and they went to the break with her lying on the outside of the ring in pain.
After the ads, it was very much Li focusing on Nox’s knee, but Nox did a tremendous job of selling the pain. Li used a half-crab, which was built up on commentary. When Nox did eventually get to her feet, she was unsteady and sold it as if she couldn’t bear weight on her left leg.
Nox was just about able to rally and muster a Stinger splash before kicking out of a suplex. She then ducked an enzuigiri from Li, which enabled her to hit the Shining Wizard for the pin and win.
This was a neat little match with a neat little story — made all the better for the reaction that Nox got from the crowd.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Another good couple of matches on Main Event made this a watchable show yet again this week. Canadian crowds do seem to make this show better.
Ricochet defeated Riddick Moss (5:43)
This was all the better for the crowd liking the match and, particularly, Ricochet who continues to be wasted on Main Event.
Another week, another Ricochet match and another time where you can’t help but feel that he’s being a) wasted and b) that people in the company must be deaf when they hear the reaction he gets.
Moss was back on the show here for the first time in a few weeks, no longer flanked by Emma and looking as jacked as ever. It’s crazy to think that he was Madcap Moss back in April because this version suits him way more.
Moss pretty much took Ricochet out from the bell, using lots of big power moves and allowing Ricochet to look plucky and seem like he was fighting his way out of a corner all the time.
Moss hit his SOS slam for a near fall and a fallaway slam before trying for a suplex. Ricochet fought out of it, hitting the Recoil.
His standing shooting star press, followed by an enzuigiri and Sliced Bread, got it done in the end to leave the fans happy in a solid curtain jerker.
Natayla defeated Nikki Cross (7:36)
This was a good match here, but nothing too remarkable. The crowd loved Natalya which made it have a way bigger feel that it would have had otherwise.
Two matches in two weeks on Main Event for Natalya and with the kinds of reaction she gets in front of home crowds, you would have thought they would have at least put her on the dark match after Raw went off air.
Regardless, she and Cross worked well together here, but as I said last week, Natalya’s matches have largely just become about her trying to find a way to win with the Sharpshooter…and I’m fine with that.
Cross has been used as a safe pair of hands on Main Event this year, up against the likes of Tegan Nox, Cora Jade and Kayden Carter, so it was interesting to see her up against a grizzled vet this week.
They did a bit of comedy and then ended up on the outside with Cross nailing Natalya with a shoulder barge tackle to head into the commercial break.
We then had a couple of chin locks from Cross after the break, but the crowd was into supporting Natalya trying to fight her away out. She did just that and fired up with her familiar moveset before using a stiff looking clothesline to try to get Cross in position for the Sharpshooter.
Cross got out of the hold quickly and threw Natalya into the corner. She used a neckbreaker for two and then took forever to go up to the top rope — so much so that she missed the splash. Natalya was then able to lock in her finisher to get the submission win.
To celebrate my surgery going well, the show began with a five-minute video package recapping last weekend’s SummerSlam.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped last Monday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with Byron Saxton and Wade Barrett on the call. Barrett threatened to quit after Saxton did a bad “Bad News Barrett” impression.
As mentioned last week, if you are a Crews fan, Main Event is the show for you as he has now appeared on eight of the last ten episodes. Tozawa is coming off a loss two weeks ago to Sanga. Saxton made sure to call Mahal a former WWE Champion which is somehow even more preposterous in 2023 than it was in 2017.
Sanga was tired of beating up Tozawa, so he encouraged Crews to tag in. Crews got a brief flurry of offense in before tagging out and then Tozawa had no chance. Tozawa didn’t fare any better against Mahaan, but was able to fend him off long enough to tag out to Crews.
Crews ran wild for 30 seconds and, again, tagged out to Tozawa. Well, the third time was the charm as Tozawa finally got in some offense, at least until Mahaan hit a full body block. Finally, Sanga pinned Tozawa after a double team move where Sanga held Tozawa and Mahaan came off the middle rope with an elbow drop.
A bunch of stuff happened on Raw and SummerSlam that got replayed for the next 22 minutes (minus commercial breaks). If you care, you already know what happened. If you don’t know what happened and care to find out, you are definitely reading the wrong report.
Nikki Cross defeated Tegan Nox (7:40)
Did you remember Nox was drafted to Raw? Neither did I.
Cross got a large reaction by shoulder blocking Nox to the mat and then doing a wacky dance. The fans were less excited when Nox then used an STO into the middle turnbuckle and then were even less excited when Nox mocked Cross’ dance. Apparently, this is a rematch from two months ago on Main Event which was won by Cross.
Cross ran down the apron with a crossbody to Nox while Nox was outside the ring. Returning from commercial, we were back in the ring and Cross hit the ten punches of doom.
Cross is horribly miscast as a heel as in my three weeks of doing Main Event reports. She is the only person the crowd is into. Nox used a series of kicks to get the advantage and then used a face-first suplex for a 2 count.
The fans broke into a “Let’s go Nikki” chant as I started to wonder if she is still a heel.
Cross fired up and hit a bulldog before going to the top rope. Nox knocked her off and Cross fell on her face. Nox went for the cover and put her feet on the ropes, but the referee caught her and stopped the count. Cross then won with a swinging neckbreaker.
That does it for Main Event this week. Some people won, some people lost. What’s most important is we spent almost 12 minutes watching wrestling and there isn’t anything wrong with that.
This is also my last scheduled Main Event report. There are three guarantees in life: Death, taxes and someone will be back next weekend reporting on this show.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, before last Monday’s Raw with Byron Saxton and Kevin Patrick on the call.
Akira Tozawa defeated Sanga (w/ Veer and Jinder Mahal) (3:38)
Before the match, Mahal announced this was the most destructive tag team on Raw and tonight, Sanga would be unleashed on the carcass of Tozawa.
Tozawa tried jumping on Sanga’s back, but was promptly thrown off. He came off the top rope with a crossbody but got caught and slammed by Sanga.
Sanga hit a really nice clothesline and a spinning cobra clutch slam. He almost had the submission with an over-the-shoulder backbreaker, but Tozawa managed to escape.
Tozawa made a comeback and hit a missile dropkick, but it didn’t drop Sanga. Finally, Sanga hit a giant boot to the face and a chokeslam for the pin.
Nikki Cross defeated Kayden Carter (w/ Katana Chance) (8:13)
This was Carter’s first main roster singles match since an April 2020 loss to Charlotte Flair on Raw.
Before the match began, Cross crouched behind Chance, grabbed her hair, and held it to her upper lip as if it were a mustache. She dropped Carter and began dancing while moving her hands in a claw-like fashion as if she wanted to grab something.
After a brief game of running around the ring, Carter hit a low dropkick. However, her advantage didn’t last long. Cross trapped her in the ring apron (similar to Fit Finlay) and beat on her foe. Hey, if you’re gonna steal spots, steal them from the best.
Back from the commercial break, Cross hit a sit-out death valley driver for a near fall. Cross locked on a straight jacket hold that Carter eventually got out of, but Cross then applied a sleeper. The story of this match was Carter not being used to singles competition as a few times it looked as though she was reaching for a tag.
Carter got out of the sleeper and began a comeback, hitting a running punch to the face, a kick, and a springboard leg drop off the bottom rope. Cross got the near fall with a bulldog and Carter got one off an STO. Cross eventually won with a flying crossbody which was little surprising if you ask me.
Final Thoughts:
In case you’re wondering how this show lasted an hour, we got some lengthy recaps of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. If you want to know more about those shows, go read the remarkable recaps written by Steve Khan (Raw), Chris Aiken (NXT), and Colin McGuire (SmackDown). I approve of anything The Judgment Day does, but do you really need to know that?
WWE wrestler Nikki Cross has officially obtained her master’s degree.
In a tweet on Monday, Cross shared photos of her graduation ceremony at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Cross thanked her mother and husband (wrestler Big Damo) for attending the ceremony with her.
Cross attended the master’s program remotely while wrestling for WWE. Her degree is in history, and she wrote her dissertation on women’s wrestling. She submitted the dissertation this May and received an A for it.
How I sleep at night knowing I got an A in my history dissertation and set to graduate in July with a Masters in Science with Merit.
Cross has indicated that she’ll be continuing her education and going for her doctorate. Cross tweeted in March that she wouldn’t be taking any time off from WWE if she chooses to pursue her PHD.
On Raw last week, Cross was part of a tag team turmoil match to decide the next challengers for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles. Cross wanted to team with Candice LeRae in the match, but LeRae had already promised to team with Indi Hartwell. Cross instead teamed with Emma. Cross was too focused on LeRae during the match and left Emma on her own, which caused them to be eliminated by Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green.
Deville & Green won the turmoil match and will be challenging Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan for the Women’s Tag Team titles.
This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, before Monday’s Raw.
Tegan Nox defeated Dana Brooke (5:19)
Hershey did not care about this one bit. A disinterested crowd made for a really underwhelming match.
Nox appeared on Main Event last week in a losing effort to Nikki Cross. Here, she worked well with Brooke who is pretty much on this show every week holding the hand of a newcomer to the main roster.
They were fairly even until Nox laid on the apron, grabbed Brooke’s hair, and choked her using the top rope. She then started to dominate. The crowd liked Nox’s cannonball to the corner where she pretty much hit Brooke butt-first to the chest which got an audible ‘ooh.’
Brooke rallied with a flapjack and bulldog before launching Nox onto her shoulders. Nox worked her way out and then very obviously used the ropes to help her roll Brooke up and snatch the win.
The camera angle made it look pretty terrible as the ref should clearly have seen the infraction, but it was good for Nox to get a win rather than Brooke going over every week.
Nikki Cross defeated Emma (8:07)
This was OK but went far too long. With a crowd that sat on their hands like this, they should have shaved a couple of minutes off the time and got through their stuff much more quickly.
There’s something about the way that Emma throws clotheslines and strikes that just doesn’t look good. It’s like she isn’t really committed and thus, her offense just looks a bit fake. There were quite a few here in this one, but the crowd did at least rally behind Cross in the end to bring the match to life.
The finish ought to have been when Cross came off the top rope to hit a crossbody, but Emma ducked it and hit her with a superkick. Cross kicking out made her look strong, but didn’t do anything for Emma who has had only one TV win since she returned to the company.
The actual finish was one they do far too often: someone misses a charge to the corner and gets rolled up or hit with a finisher for the win. Cross dodged out the way of Emma, nailed her with the swinging neckbreaker, and Hershey got to their feet to applaud her. Well, some of them did.
Final Thoughts:
A dead crowd made this a tough watch this week. They need to bring back some quick tag matches or Akira Tozawa and Mustafa Ali if they want to warm up a Raw crowd on a Monday night, because with the greatest respect to the matches this week, that’s not going to get it done.
This past week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina, before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Dana Brooke defeated Emma (5:40)
This was a good 50/50 contest in which both worked well. Emma could certainly be working on much higher profile matches, because her in-ring work is strong.
They replayed Brooke being beaten by Rhea Ripley on Raw and suggested that it would be hard for her to come back from such an ugly defeat.
Emma had an inset promo where she wanted to remind us that she is the “real pioneer of the WWE women’s division” and that before there were the Four Horsewomen, the history books say “Emma.”
Early on, this featured lots of back and forth as they traded side headlock takedowns and quick pinfall attempts. After what had looked like it would be babyface vs. babyface, Emma turned on Brooke and claimed that she was being disrespected.
There was really no separating the two and in the end, Emma just got caught up in complaining which led to an opportunity for Brooke to steal one.
Emma had nailed Brooke with a basement crossbody in the corner and was moaning to the referee when Brooke jumped up and pinned her with a small package to get the win.
Nikki Cross defeated Tegan Nox (5:27)
This was ok. The crowd was a little dead, but there was solid work on display here with Nox looking more than comfortable working with main roster talent.
The match marked the Welsh-born Nox’s Main Event debut. She has worked a few SmackDown tapings, as well as the 2020 and 2023 Royal Rumble matches on the main roster, but is otherwise no doubt a new face to many.
She got an inset promo here, which was good to see. She said that now that she was on the red brand, she would beat people up and enjoy doing it.
The crowd was quite quiet during this one, but did seem to be behind Cross. There were a few tepid “Let’s go Nikki” chants toward the end that never quite took hold.
Cross gave Nox a lot here as she worked her over methodically without relying on rest holds so the match felt a lot more fluid. She used a flapjack and a ton of strikes and kicks to beat her down. With the crowd fairly quiet, you could hear that Nox enjoys a thigh slap when she’s on the attack.
Cross fired up in the last minutes, using a tornado DDT off the second rope for two before countering a comeback to hit Nox with a spinning neckbreaker for the win.
Final Thoughts:
It was good for the women’s division to be so well represented on the show this week. Everyone was good here, but WWE is missing something by not building any momentum or storylines like they used to. It was at its strongest last year when they played out angles so that the show didn’t exist in a vacuum and had some semblance of continuity.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including A WHOLE SEGMENT FILLED WITH GOOD NEWS, a look at the Britt Baker shirt and the WWE draft, and then, something happens and Bryan gets a special delivery. A fun show as always so check it out~!
WWE wrestler Nikki Cross has accomplished a significant educational milestone.
Cross (real name Nicola Glencross) announced on Monday that she’s submitted the dissertation for her master’s degree. Cross is getting her master’s degree in history and wrote her dissertation on women’s wrestling.
Guys. I did it. Dissertation for masters has been handed in. To all the fans who tweeted me, to all the wonderful people who let me interview them (you know who you are ) Thank you ❤️ I’m so proud What y’all think? PHD next ? 😝 Mama imma write a book After some 😴☀️☕️ tho! pic.twitter.com/5M4vGZ6PUE
“Guys. I did it. Dissertation for masters has been handed in,” Cross wrote. “To all the fans who tweeted me, to all the wonderful people who let me interview them (you know who you are ) Thank you. I’m so proud. What y’all think? PHD next ? Mama imma write a book After some [sleep emoji] [sun emoji] [coffee emoji]”
Cross studied remotely at the University of Edinburgh in her master’s program.
Last week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, before Raw. It featured NXT’s Cora Jade, the return of Joe Gacy, and wasn’t a standout show.
Dexter Lumis defeated Joe Gacy (5:11)
This was fine, but the crowd wasn’t much into it and thus it felt quite tepid.
Gacy worked Main Event last November against Cedric Alexander and looks fine with main roster company. His match last year was much stronger than this, but it doesn’t help that Lumis doesn’t sell very much as part of his gimmick when you’re trying to give fresh faces a chance.
Gacy’s gimmick is a little odd for my taste and, although Lumis does seem to be getting over to some extent, he doesn’t really do much for me either. Lumis seems to be channeling the Undertaker at times, no-selling certain things and turning around to glare at his opponent with wide eyes.
They worked a pretty standard match, but Gacy does move well for a bigger athlete. His handspring into a clothesline that he used here is a testament to that.
At one point, Gacy appeared to try to recruit Lumis by saying that he could have given him a chance, but Lumis was having none of it and nailed him with a few strikes to the gut.
After Gacy locked in a couple of rest holds, he went once more for his clothesline, but Lumis caught him and finished him with his as-yet-unnamed side slam that looks suspiciously like a Rock Bottom.
Nikki Cross defeated Cora Jade (7:14)
It was good to see Jade make her main roster debut in front of her home crowd, but their match wasn’t much to write home about.
At only 23, Jade is still relatively new to this, and she and Cross had a few difficulties towards the end. Having worked a few 205 Live tapings and the odd dark match on SmackDown, this was probably her most notable main roster outing to date.
They gave Jade an inset promo as she made her way to the ring carrying a kendo stick. She said she had been running NXT for a long time and that she was about to become the number one woman in all of WWE. The crowd popped for her as she was introduced as hailing from Chicago.
After some neat early mat work, Cross was slamming Jade’s head into the turnbuckle when she stopped her and hit her with a high knee that sent her to the floor outside. Jade postured to the crowd and we went to a commercial break.
Jade was in control after the break, but this is where they really lost the crowd. After the heat segment, they didn’t really come to life for Cross’ comeback either.
There was a neat spot where Jade reversed a bulldog into a pin attempt, but they lost their way after Cross came off the second rope with a tornado DDT. Jade had Cross in a full nelson and then just dropped on to her back. They conversed on the mat together and then went to the finish.
It looked like Jade was bleeding from the mouth as they teased a superplex. Cross fought her off and came off the top rope with a crossbody to get the win.
Final Thoughts:
It was a nice moment for Jade to get to work in front of a packed Allstate Arena, but she will be disappointed that the match didn’t quite work out as planned. These things happen and she certainly has time on her side.
Last week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas, before Raw.
Nikki Cross defeated Isla Dawn (4:59)
This was good, but putting a match with this kind of natural storyline on a show like Main Event is a waste.
In the real world, Dawn and Cross grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, about a mile away from each other. Despite the five year age gap, it was Cross who gave Dawn her first ever wrestling match ten years ago. This was all glossed over on commentary, but seems like an angle that they could have done way more with.
Currently one half of the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, Dawn made a good debut here. Cross gave her plenty of shine, but beat her clean in the end.
They gave Dawn an inset promo on her way to the ring where she alluded to the fact that she and Cross had worked together in a previous life and was looking forward to their encounter tonight.
Dawn used a cobra clutch several times to try to wear Cross down. She worked her way out of it twice and they exchanged clubbing blows.
Dawn didn’t get to show off much of her moveset as they kept this one fairly basic. After a couple of dropkicks, Cross came off the second rope with a tornado DDT and then finished Dawn with a whiplash.
Dexter Lumis defeated Eddy Thorpe (8:02)
This was again very basic. Neither looked bad and Thorpe had plenty of offense, but neither dazzled and the more experienced man went over.
They gave Lumis an inset promo where he basically stared at the camera. It would have been better to give Thorpe, the former Karl Fredericks, the air time so that new viewers could have seen a little of what he was about. If you aren’t catching NXT Level Up when he works matches there, you have likely never heard of him.
Lumis has generally had a winning record since he started to make Main Event appearances, but a losing effort to Bronson Reed two weeks back marred his run on this show.
Thorpe worked over Lumis’ left arm in various ways throughout the match. He tried for a quasi kimura and used an abdominal stretch. It didn’t play into the finish, but Thorpe is certainly slick in his transitions and knows his way around the ring.
After the commercials, Thorpe used a lep whip and went back to the abdominal stretch but Lumis worked his way out and nailed him with a suplex.
The finish was Lumis’ kip-up leg drop, followed by a side slam. The crowd seem to be warming to Lumis and he seems to be gradually getting over.
Final Thoughts:
After the two strong matches last week, this show wasn’t as good. The fresh faces always make it an intriguing show, and credit to Dawn and Thorpe who did well, but two rather rudimentary bouts meant it was one to miss.
With the WWE Draft one week away, tonight’s SmackDown takes place at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends his title against Xavier Woods tonight. After Woods defeated LA Knight last week, he interrupted Gunther’s meeting with Imperium. Woods demanded a title shot since it could be his last chance because of the Draft.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team titles will also be on the line as Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan defend against Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green. Deville and Green interrupted Rodriguez and Morgan’s celebration last week, leading to tonight’s contest.
Ricochet and Braun Strowman are out for revenge when they take on The Viking Raiders. Last week, The Viking Raiders attacked Ricochet and Strowman backstage.
A no DQ match between Matt Riddle and Solo Sikoa will headline tonight’s show. The feud between the LWO and Judgment Day will also continue as Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar take on Finn Balor & Damian Priest.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Michael Cole and Wade Barrett ran down the lineup for tonight.
– They recapped Damien Priest attacking his former friend Bad Bunny.
Judgment Day (Damien Priest & Finn Balor) defeated LWO (Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar) (11:29)
Priest and Balor defeated Mysterio and Escobar in a fun opener. The focus was on Bad Bunny’s appearance this Monday on Raw.
Mysterio was in control until Priest blocked a moonsault. Judgement Day took over, isolating Mysterio on their side of the ring. Balor slowed the pace down with a chin lock. Mysterio fought back with a bulldog, tagging in Escobar. Escobar was firmly in control, sending Priest into Balor. Escobar and Mysterio worked together to clear the ring.
Mysterio missed a splash to the floor. Escobar set up for a dive, but Balor wiped him out with a clothesline as they went to a break.
Escobar and Priest traded stiff shots. Priest took over with a kick to the head. He slowed the pace with a chin lock. Escobar tried to fight back, but Priest recovered. Escobar rocked Priest with a dropkick, and Mysterio got the hot tag. Mysterio ran wild on Balor with a senton and middle rope crossbody for a near fall. Mysterio sent the legal man Priest to the floor. Instead, Mysterio caught Balor with the 619, allowing Escobar to hit a splash. Priest sent Mysterio into the ring post and hit South of Heaven on Escobar for the win.
After the match, Priest addressed Bad Bunny appearing on Raw this Monday. He hopes it goes better for Bad Bunny this time.
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– Cole and Barrett recapped Solo Sikoa beating Matt Riddle and hitting the spinning Solo onto the announce table last week.
– Zelina Vega approched Adam Pearce. Like everyone else, she doesn’t know where she will end up after the draft. Vega demanded a title shot against Rhea Ripley at Backlash. As a Puerto Rican, she deserves the chance to beat Ripley in Puerto Rico.
– An excellent video package looked at Shinsuke Nakamura.
Karrion Kross addressed Nakamura backstage. He noted it wasn’t his fault he hurt people; it was the cards. He discussed everything he took away from Drew McIntyre, Madcap Moss, and Rey Mysterio. Next, he’s going to take away Nakamura’s honor.
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Ricochet & Braun Strowman defeated The Viking Raiders (w/Valhalla) (10:14)
These two teams never disappoint when they face off. Everyone worked hard and had the fans on their feet by the end of the match.
Strowman and Ricochet had the early advantage. The Raiders made a blind tag, isolating Strowman in their corner. Strowman fought back and tagged in Ricochet. He threw Ricochet at the Raiders, but it looked like it hurt Ricochet more. Ricochet cleared the ring and wiped out the Raiders with dive.
During the break, Valhalla caused a distraction, allowing the Raiders to take over. Ricochet broke free, tagging in Strowman. Strowman took out Ivar with a shotgun dropkick. The Strowman express ran over Ivar and Erik at ringside. Valhalla caused another distraction, giving the Raiders the advantage. Ivar hit a huge splash for a close near fall.
Ricochet tagged in and rocked Ivar with a kick to the head and a jumping knee. Strowman threw Ricochet into Ivar and sent Erik to ringside. Ricochet then hit a Swanton bomb off Strowman’s shoulders for the win.
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WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan defeated Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green to retain the titles (6:08)
The champions retained the titles in a solid match. Deville and Green weren’t credible challengers, but they’re entertaining. They managed to tell a pretty good story about water.
They recapped Chelsea Green throwing water on Liv Morgan on Monday’s Raw.
Deville and Green cut a promo on the way to the ring. Green pretended to throw water at Morgan as she did on Raw. Rodriguez had to hold back a furious Morgan.
Morgan caught Green with a dropkick at the bell. The champions were firmly in control as they beat down Deville. Deville briefly fought back. Rodriguez tossed Green around the ring. Green sent Rodriguez to ringside and went for a suicide dive. Rodriguez caught Green, but Deville took her out with a knee.
Morgan took out the heels with a dive. The heels quickly took over, cutting Morgan off from her corner. The heels kept trying to win with their feet on the ropes, but the referee caught them each time.
Morgan escaped, and Rodriguez got the hot tag. Rodriguez hit the Vader bomb-twisting elbow, but Deville broke up the pin attempt. Morgan caught Green with a backstabber, but Deville took her out with a boot to the face. The finish came when Morgan threw water in Green’s face, allowing Rodriguez to roll her up for the win.
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– Kayla Braxton spoke with Matt Riddle. She wonders if facing Solo Sikoa a few weeks before Backlash is a good idea. He knows Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens aren’t there, but he’s not worried. He promised to beat Sikoa later.
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Intercontinental Champion Gunther defeated Xavier Woods to retain the title (10:36)
Gunther beat Woods in an excellent, hard-hitting match with a hot crowd. Gunther was awesome, like always, but Woods was impressive too.
They started slow trading moves back and forth. Woods had a brief advantage until Gunther took over with a chop. Woods tried fighting back, but Gunther destroyed him with more chops. Gunther slowed the pace with a sleeper. Woods tried to escape, but Gunther rocked him with another chop.
Woods fought back with forearm shots. He avoided Gunther, slid through his legs, and hit an elbow. Gunther rolled to ringside to get away. Woods wasted no time, hitting a dive to the floor. Gunther tried to slow Woods’s momentum with a chop. Woods recovered, pushed Gunther down, and hit a giant leg drop off the top rope for a close near fall. The fans broke into a “New Day Rocks” chant.
Woods escaped a powerbomb and went for a series of pin attempts. Gunther kicked out of an O’Connor roll into the sleeper for the win.
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– A video package recapped Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beating The Usos for the titles at WrestleMania 39.
The Usos Segment
The Usos entered the ring. They talked about losing the titles at WrestleMania. People kept asking them how they felt. Before Backlash, they have a rematch with Zayn and Owens next week. They promised to win the titles and bring them to the Bloodline and Roman Reigns. They introduced Solo Sikoa.
No Disqualification Match: Solo Sikoa defeated Matt Riddle (14:04)
Sikoa defeated Riddle in a fantastic main event. They beat the hell out of each other with kendo sticks and chairs. There was even an exploder suplex on four upright chairs. The fans were going crazy by the end of the match.
Riddle jumped Sikoa from behind during his entrance. Sikoa quickly took over and pulled out kendo sticks and chairs from under the ring. Riddle tried to use them first, but Sikoa cut him off. Sikoa beat Riddle with the kendo stick. The fans broke into a “We want tables” chant.
Riddle recovered and destroyed Sikoa with the Kendo stick. Riddle teased pulling out a table to a giant pop. Sikoa cut him off to loud boos. Riddle recovered and hit the bro-ton off the steps.
Back from the break, Sikoa hit a Samoan drop for a near fall. Sikoa put Riddle in the corner with the chair on his face. He went for the splash, but Riddle threw the chair in his face instead. Riddle sent Sikoa into another chair. He then kneed the chair into Sikoa’s face. Riddle followed with an exploder onto four upright chairs. Sikoa rolled to the floor to recover. Riddle tried going after him, but Sikoa grabbed his leg, slamming him on the apron.
Sikoa tossed Riddle over the announce table and tried to flip it over like last week. Instead, Riddle used his leg strength to block Sikoa. Riddle regained control and turned the table onto Sikoa. That’s when The Usos ran out, attacking Riddle. He fought them off, wiping them out with the floating bro.
Sikoa emerged from under the table. Riddle tried to cut him off with a flash knee. Riddle hit the ropes, but Sikoa hit a flying Samoan Spike for the win.
After the match, The Usos gave Riddle the 1 D through a table to end SmackDown.
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Next Week: The WWE Draft begins on next week’s episode. In a WrestleMania main event rematch, Undisputed Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens defend their titles against The Usos.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, before Monday’s Raw. It featured two really good matches that made for a very watchable show.
Nikki Cross defeated Zoey Stark (6:27)
This was good, but probably went much longer than it needed to. The crowd was into Cross as Stark played the heel here.
Although a rest hold is the one thing I detest more than anything in these short Main Event matches, Stark at least used a cravat which played into the story of the match. Stark seems to have a good ring IQ as she and Cross worked well together.
Cross trapped Stark between the ring and the apron and smashed her which the crowd seemed to love. They also cheered when she dodged a third consecutive charge to the corner. Cross used a dropkick to the knee followed by a bulldog to get some separation.
Cross went up top, but Stark had it scouted. She hit Cross with a high kick to bring her down off the top rope and then used a baseball slide for a near fall.
Cross reversed Stark’s attack and came off the second turnbuckle with a tornado DDT. She held on and picked Stark back up to plant her with a neckbreaker to get the win.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Tyler Bate (9:28)
This was very strong, particularly in the last few minutes. Ziggler can work with anyone and Bate has very much become the same. It was a class act all round that marked Bate’s Main Event debut.
This was Ziggler’s first Main Event outing in over a year, but his first singles match on this show since 2020. It was February 2022 when he was last here with Robert Roode. With Roode having gone under the knife at the end of last year for spinal surgery, Ziggler has had to work solo of late.
The crowd was very much into this as you would hope. They did some mat work early on and did the cool spot that Curt Hennig used to do where he would get slapped and sell it by spitting out his gum so it looked like he’d lost a tooth. Ziggler has it down to a tee.
After the commercials, Ziggler was in full flow, posturing for the crowd. He covered Bate with an arm flex and then did a handstand during a rear chin lock.
Bate got the hope when he kicked out of the Famouser and caught the superkick that Ziggler went for. They got a ‘this is awesome’ chant going after Bate used an airplane spin for a near fall. Getting that chant is almost entirely unique — no one ever gets that kind of reaction on this show.
The finish was Bate going for the Tyler Driver ‘97, but Ziggler flipped him over his back and nailed him with a superkick for the win. Bate sold the kick so well here and Ziggler celebrated like he had won an absolute epic.
The work that Bate and Ziggler did buried on a show with such limited viewership is a disgrace, but goes to underline two things: Ziggler is criminally underutilized these days and Bate has a massive future ahead of him.
WWE has revealed how the next challenger for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship will be decided.
It was announced this afternoon that two triple threat matches will take place on tonight’s episode of Raw. The winners of those matches will advance to face each other next week, with the winner of that match getting a future shot at Belair’s title.
Bayley vs. Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley and Nikki Cross vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch are the two triple threat bouts set for tonight.
All six competitors in the triple threats were involved in the women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series. Belair, Lynch, Asuka, Bliss & Mia Yim defeated Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Cross & Ripley in WarGames.
Belair has been Raw Women’s Champion since winning the title from Lynch at WrestleMania 38 this April. She recently retained against Bayley at both Extreme Rules and Crown Jewel.
The Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. is hosting tonight’s Raw. Here’s what’s been announced for the show:
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against Matt Riddle & Elias
