Nikki Cross won, then promptly discarded, the WWE 24/7 Championship on Raw.
Cross defeated Dana Brooke on Monday’s show to win the championship for, according to Wikipedia, the eleventh time. Dana Brooke had been champion on television since July 18, however the championship had been changed frequently on house shows as recently as October 30 in Mexico City.
After Cross defeated Brooke, she and Damage CTRL appeared in a backstage segment. As Cross passed by a trashcan, Cross attempted to throw the championship in the trash. However, it fell by the trash can instead as the group walked away.
The 24/7 Championship was established on the May 20, 2019 edition of Raw when Titus OâNeil became the first champion. The rules were whoever was champion had to defend it at all times, even outside of the ring. R-Truth is the most prolific champion, having held the championship at least 53 times.
Just five days after winning the titles, Alexa Bliss & Asuka’s Women’s Tag Team Championship reign has come to an end.
Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai & IYO SKY) regained the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles by defeating Bliss & Asuka at Saturday’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view. Damage CTRL were able to get the victory after interference by Nikki Cross.
Bliss was about to hit Twisted Bliss on Kai near the end of the match, but Cross attacked Bliss and laid her out with a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker. The referee was distracted by Asuka and SKY fighting in the ring and didn’t see Cross interfere. Kai then pinned Bliss to get the victory.
Bliss & Asuka had defeated Kai & SKY in the main event of Raw this past Monday to win the Women’s Tag Team titles.
This is Kai & SKY’s second reign as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Nikki Cross reemerged on Raw last month, ditching her “Almost A Superhero” character for a return to her more chaotic and unhinged persona.
A new singles match has been added to Mondayâs Raw.
Bianca Belair will face Nikki Cross following the events that took place at the end of last weekâs show. Cross interfered in a match between Bayley and Belair, taking out members of Damage CTRL with a crossbody laying out Belair. She no longer was wearing her superhero outift and was refered to as Nikki Cross as opposed to Nikki A.S.H.. This allowed Bayley to score a pinfall over Belair, setting up a title match for Crown Jewel next Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
After the match ended, Cross also attacked Bayley. The show ended with Cross standing tall over both Bayley and Belair.
Cross had not been on television in the last month, last losing to Candice LeRae in a match that took place in September. After the match, she removed her superhero mask, upset about her loss.
Nikki Cross re-emerged on last night’s Raw, ditching her “Almost a Superhero” character for a return to her more aggressive persona.
Cross took out Damage CTRL with a crossbody from the top rope during last night’s Bianca Belair vs. Bayley main event. In the process, she also laid out the referee. That meant there was no official to count the pin when Belair hit the KOD on Bayley.
Cross then attacked Belair, laying her out with a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker. Bayley covered Belair, and another referee ran out to count the pin.
Bayley was able to get the victory, but Cross then attacked her as well. Raw went off the air with Corey Graves saying Cross was about to become a problem for the rest of the women’s division.
Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship wasn’t on the line in last night’s main event.
The end of tonightâs Raw featured Nikki Cross, referred to under that name, standing tall over the likes of Bianca Belair and Bayley.
The finish of the main event of Mondayâs Raw between Bayley and Belair had Cross come out and deliver a flying crossbody to a referee, IYO SKY, and Dakota Kai after the referee had thrown them out. After Belair hit the KOD, Cross came into the ring and laid out Belair, allowing Bayley to get the win. However, Cross attacked Bayley after the match, standing tall over both women to end the show.
Cross was last seen on the September 26 edition of Raw, losing to Candace LeRae. After the match, Cross took off her superhero mask, dejected by her loss.
Cross debuted a superhero-inspired gimmick last July, calling herself Nikki ASH, with ASH standing for Almost a Super Hero. She briefly won the Raw Womenâs Championship at that yearâs Money in the Bank before Charlotte Flair won it back at SummerSlam. After a run teaming with Rhea Ripley that saw them become WWE Womenâs Tag Team Champions, Nikki ASH turned heel early in 2022 and began a tag team with Doudrop during the summer.
Next Monday’s Raw will feature a rematch of this week’s main event.
A rematch between Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. and Charlotte Flair has been announced for next week’s episode of Raw. The match was made after Charlotte defeated Nikki in a non-title match on this week’s show.
It wasn’t stated that the Raw Women’s Championship will be on the line in next week’s Nikki A.S.H. vs. Charlotte match. Nikki is defending the title against Charlotte and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match at SummerSlam, which is taking place on Saturday, August 21.
The finish of tonight’s match saw Charlotte roll through and pin Nikki A.S.H. after Nikki hit a crossbody from the top rope.
After the match, Nikki A.S.H. cut a promo saying that she showed herself that she “almost could have won.” Nikki said she knows she can defeat Charlotte. After Nikki challenged her to a rematch next week, Charlotte accepted. Charlotte said she can beat Nikki whenever she wants.
Charlotte then extended a handshake to Nikki A.S.H. When Nikki accepted, Charlotte struck her in the face and beat her down.
Nikki A.S.H. cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Charlotte last Monday to win the Raw Women’s Championship. Charlotte’s reign with the title lasted just one day after winning it from Ripley at Money in the Bank.
Charlotte intentionally got herself disqualified in a rematch against Ripley last week. After Ripley hit Riptide on Charlotte on the floor after the match, Nikki A.S.H. cashed in her briefcase.
The Raw Women’s Championship will be on the line in a triple threat match at SummerSlam.
During the opening segment of tonight’s Raw, it was announced that Nikki A.S.H. will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match at SummerSlam. The pay-per-view is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, August 21.
Nikki A.S.H. became Raw Women’s Champion by cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Charlotte last Monday. Nikki A.S.H. had won the briefcase in the previous night’s women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Charlotte’s reign with the Raw Women’s Championship lasted just one day after winning the title from Ripley at Money in the Bank. They faced off in a rematch on last week’s Raw, but Charlotte intentionally got herself disqualified.
Ripley hit Riptide on Charlotte outside of the ring after last Monday’s title match. Nikki A.S.H. then cashed in her briefcase, hit a top rope crossbody on Charlotte, and pinned her to win the Raw Women’s Championship.
Nikki A.S.H. opened tonight’s Raw before being interrupted by Charlotte. Ripley then made her way out to the ring. The segment led to WWE authority figures Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville announcing the triple threat Raw Women’s Championship match for SummerSlam. It was also announced that Nikki A.S.H. will face Charlotte in a non-title match later tonight.
This is the first match that’s been officially announced for SummerSlam. Roman Reigns vs. John Cena for the Universal Championship, Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg for the WWE Championship, and Seth Rollins vs. Edge are also expected to take place at the PPV.
Updates on the WWE PPV shows heads up the new issue of the Observer, including proposed main events, ticket sales and the reason for the Hell in a Cell change.
Also in this issue:
Update on the health situation of Antonio Inoki.
Another Saudi Arabia lawsuit, the details in the suit and the two possible endings including comments from Jerry McDevitt.
Updated ticket sales for all the WWE shows through early September, demand and comparisons with AEW, plus why WWE books NBA buildings and blocks off most of the building while AEW runs smaller buildings.
Dwayne Johnson talking the presidency, Edge creative, Brock Lesnar in WWE, new WWE hires, house show changes, Ronda Rousey update, international AEW & WWE ratings, what WWE is looking for in tryout camps going forward, ESPY Award, Titus O’Neil, John Cena movie, vaccines in WWE, Andre the Giant history, WWE injuries, WWE new names, plus the most-watched videos of the past week and WWE market value.
The decision by New Japan Pro Wrestling to run three Domed stadium shows in the upcoming months and how the Saitama dates preclude them from their biggest named American stars, plus the attempt to run so many major shows on successive dates in July.
Full coverage of UFC 263, with poll results, match-by-match rundowns, and the future direction of the top fighters on the show.
Full coverage for NXT Takeover, including poll results, star ratings, direction after Takeover, the next two major dates for the promotion, as well as interest level in the show.
An update on Don West, the former TNA announcer, as he battles brain cancer.
The Federacion promotion, the latest company to try and make it as a major group in Mexico, what went wrong, and the history of new attempts to go national in that country.
Stardom Cinderella tournament finals and the main event that has gotten so much talk, Utami Hayashshita vs Syuri, with the background on the two, plus coverage of storylines and direction, match-by-match with star ratings.
More into detail on the ratings than any other source, how many different viewers the shows had, breakdown of who watches the shows and how they watch, DVR numbers and how long the average fan watches.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
A new tag team match has been added to tonight’s NXT, with Io Shirai and Zoey Stark teaming up to take on Aliyah and Jessi Kamea.
On Raw last night, Nikki Cross revealed new superhero-inspired gear when she teamed with Alexa Bliss to defeat Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match. On Raw Talk last night, Cross described the inspiration behind the new gear. âDo I have superpowers? I know I donât,â she said. âI know I canât fly or donât have super strength. But the thing is, when I put on this outfit, I feel like I can do anything. Iâm going to keep trying and keep getting back up. All anyone can ever do is believe in themselves, so, the last few weeks I have been working on this attire. Iâm so happy to finally share it with the WWE Universe.â
Cross further wrote on Twitter this afternoon: âBringing THIS to life has given me such joy. The [role] I have been on @wwe gave me the boost I needed to unveil this to the [world], that everyone has that spark and they can try anything they want to, just listen to your heart. I want to blossom like a butterfly. I want us all to.â
Franky Monet spoke to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, talking about her transition to WWE and her âencoreâ appearance tonight on NXT. âI’ve just been taking it in day by day and pinching myself every so often,” she said. “It’s been a crazy ride to get here, but I’m just enjoying every moment. Every time I get to be in the ring with this amazing talented roster, as well as learning from some of the greatest legends and producers and teachers that there are in the world of sports and entertainment, I’m honestly just enjoying myself. And I’m very excited for everyone to see the encore of my world premiere, which happens tomorrow night on the USA Network.â
PWInsider is reporting that a lawsuit against the WWE has been filed in Florida by Jackson Parsons, who says he was injured in a traffic incident by a vehicle owned by WWE.
It was reported earlier in the day that Aaron Frobel (Micheal Elgin) had gone missing and had left his phone at home after sending a âconcerning messageâ on Facebook. Impact referee Brandon Rolle later posted a message saying that he has since been found.
People Magazine has an article featuring the first photos of Brandi and Cody Rhodesâ first-child, Liberty Iris Runnels.
Andrade El Idolo filed a trademark for his new name on June 4.
AXS has announced that their Wrestle Week block of programming will return in the week of July 12. Monday will have The Good Brothers hosting a screening of the film Pulp Fiction. Thursday will have the go-home edition of Impact prior to Slammiversary. Following Impact at 10 pm ET will be âImpact Wrestling: This is Slammiversaryâ, a preview for the pay-per-view which takes place that Sunday. Saturday will have the broadcast premiere of the Rebellion pay-per-view event from April, which had Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega for the Impact World title.
Wesley Blake spoke to Sportskeeda, where he was open to the possibility of reuniting with former tag team partners Buddy Murphy and Steve Maclin.
On his AdFreeShows podcast, Kurt Angle talked about being in extreme pain due to all the damage from wrestling over the years.âIâm in extreme pain all day long,” he said. “I do maintenance on my body all day, I do my neck traction. I have a thing called the iron neck. I have anti-gravity machine rollers. I stretch, I do a lot of weight training, I work on my body 2-3 hours a day. I have to. Iâm so banged up now, I sacrificed a lot of my body in professional wrestling and amateur wrestling. I have to blame both sports, not just one. Iâm paying for it now, but Iâm managing it.â
Lita is a guest on this weekâs Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette.
The field for this year’s Money in the Bank ladder matches has started to take shape.
The first five Money in the Bank qualifying matches took place on tonight’s episode of Raw. Ricochet, John Morrison, and Riddle qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, while Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross qualified for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Ricochet defeated AJ Styles to qualify for Money in the Bank, Morrison defeated Randy Orton, and Riddle defeated Drew McIntyre.
Asuka, Naomi, Bliss, and Cross all qualified for Money in the Bank through winning tag team matches. Asuka & Naomi defeated Eva Marie & Doudrop (Piper Niven). Bliss & Cross defeated Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler.
The men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will each feature eight participants.
Styles, Orton, and McIntyre are set to face off in a triple threat last chance qualifying match on Raw next Monday. It will determine Raw’s final participant for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
As a stipulation of him unsuccessfully challenging for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell, McIntyre can’t challenge for the WWE Championship again while Lashley is still champion. It was said on Raw that, if McIntyre wins Money in the Bank, he would have to wait until Lashley loses the WWE Championship if he wants to cash in on that title. McIntyre could also cash in on the Universal Champion.
Money in the Bank is taking place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, July 18.
Former tag team partners will face off on tonight’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross will take place on tonight’s post-Survivor Series edition of Raw. On Raw two weeks ago, Cross gave Bliss an ultimatum by telling Bliss she had to choose between her or Bray Wyatt. Bliss chose Wyatt.
Cross did an interview on Raw last Monday and said she’s not going to give up on Bliss. Later in the show, Cross pleaded with Bliss and told Bliss that Wyatt is bad for her. Bliss slapped Cross and they brawled until being separated by officials. Bliss then helped Wyatt defeat The Miz by taking out John Morrison when he interfered.
WWE.com wrote about tonight’s match:
After failing to pry Alexa Bliss away from Bray Wyatt, Nikki Cross might not be able to salvage her friendship with WWEâs Wicked Witch, as they are scheduled to meet one on one tonight.
Cross has blamed herself for Bliss aligning with The Fiend and her ex-best friendâs ensuing descent into madness. The strange union originated this past summer after Cross refused Blissâ consolation following a loss, leaving her all alone for her first confrontation with The Fiend. Wyatt has seemingly captured Blissâ mind and soul ever since.
With her most recent plea for Bliss to leave Wyatt resulting in a thunderous slap last week on Raw, the former teammates pummeled each other until they were separated by officials.
Can Cross use force instead of reason to finally persuade Bliss? Or will the new, more sinister version of Five Feet of Fury prove indomitable?
This is the first match that’s been announced for tonight’s Raw. The episode will also feature Raw’s fallout from Survivor Series.
On the Clash of Champions pre-show, WWE announced how they’re handling the situation with two scheduled matches being off tonight’s card.
WWE announced on the pre-show that Nikki Cross, Shayna Baszler, and Nia Jax aren’t medically cleared to compete at Clash of Champions. Bayley was scheduled to defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Nikki Cross at tonight’s pay-per-view. Baszler & Jax were supposed to defend their Women’s Tag Team titles against Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan.
It was said that Bayley is in the building and will still appear at Clash of Champions. WWE.com wrote that Bayley will “address the SmackDown Women’s Championship situation tonight on WWE Clash of Champions with her opponent unable to compete.”
WWE also noted that the situation surrounding the Women’s Tag Team titles will be addressed on tomorrow night’s episode of Raw.
Asuka’s Raw Women’s Championship defense against Zelina Vega was originally supposed to be tonight’s pre-show match, but that’s been moved to the main card. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Lucha House Party for the SmackDown Tag Team titles is now taking place on the pre-show.
WWE announced on the Clash of Champions pre-show that Nikki Cross, Shayna Baszler, and Nia Jax aren’t medically cleared to compete at tonight’s PPV.
It was said that the status of the Women’s Tag Team title match will be addressed on tomorrow’s Raw. Bayley is in the building and will address the status of her match on tonight’s PPV.
**********
Two matches scheduled for tonight’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view won’t be taking place as originally planned.
Dave Meltzer has confirmed that Nikki Cross is off Clash of Champions. She was scheduled to challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship tonight. Additionally, Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax are off tonightâs pay-per-view. John Pollock of Post Wrestling first reported that the WWE Womenâs Tag Team title match between champions Jax & Baszler against Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan would not be taking place.
Meltzer mentioned that it is possible that Bayley may defend the SmackDown Women’s title tonight against someone else, but with both Jax and Baszler off, there wonât be a Womenâs Tag Team title match.
Cross did not appear on Fridayâs SmackDown show. She defeated Tamina, Lacey Evans, and Alexa Bliss in a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender on the September 11 edition of SmackDown.
The Riott Squad had defeated The IIconics to become the next challengers for the Women’s Tag Team titles. Due to the stipulations of that match, Peyton Royce & Billie Kay had to break up as a tag team.
A new match and segment have been added to the lineup for this week’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE has announced that AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn will take place on SmackDown this Friday. There will also be a Moment of Bliss segment on the episode with Nikki Cross appearing as Alexa Bliss’ guest.
Former champions Styles and Zayn are involved in a three-way feud with Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy. On SmackDown last week, Zayn interrupted an Intercontinental title match between Hardy and Styles and attacked both of them.
Nikki Cross won a fatal four-way number one contender’s match against Tamina, Lacey Evans, and Bliss on SmackDown last Friday and will challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Clash of Champions later this month. Bliss hit a Sister Abigail on Cross outside of the ring during the match and then walked out like she was in a trance. The storyline is that Bliss has been changed by her experiences with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
Roman Reigns & Jey Uso will team together against Baron Corbin & Sheamus in a Samoan street fight on this Friday’s SmackDown. After being attacked by Bayley two weeks ago, Sasha Banks will return on this week’s show and respond to Bayley.
A new title match has been made official for this month’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
WWE announced today that Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax will defend their titles against The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) at Clash of Champions. The Riott Squad became the number one contenders to Baszler & Jax’s titles by defeating The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay) on Raw two weeks ago. That number one contender’s match also had a stipulation where the losing team had to split up.
On Raw last week, Baszler and Jax faced Riott & Morgan in separate two-on-one handicap matches. Morgan rolled up Baszler to get the win in the first match after Baszler was distracted by Jax mocking her offense and telling her she’s seen Baszler do better. Jax laughed after her partner lost. Riott & Morgan vs. Jax then ended in a no contest when the match was interrupted by a message from RETRIBUTION.
Baszler & Jax won the Women’s Tag Team titles by defeating Sasha Banks & Bayley at Payback. They also defeated Banks & Bayley in a rematch on SmackDown earlier this month.
Clash of Champions is taking place on Sunday, September 27. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Randy Orton
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Jey Uso
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defends against Nikki Cross
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend against The Riott Squad
Nikki Cross is getting the next shot at Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship.
It was confirmed tonight that Bayley will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Cross at Clash of Champions. Cross won a fatal four-way number one contender’s match on SmackDown tonight to get the title shot.
Cross overcame a pre-match attack by Bayley to get the win. The match also included Alexa Bliss, Lacey Evans, and Tamina, but Bliss walked out of the match like she was in a trance after giving Cross a Sister Abigail on the floor. The storyline is that Bliss has been acting strange and has been changed by her encounters with The Fiend.
Cross got the win in tonight’s match by reversing a Samoan drop by Tamina, blocking a superkick, and then stacking up Tamina and pinning her.
After attacking Sasha Banks last week, Bayley appeared on SmackDown tonight and explained her actions. Bayley said she loved every single second of attacking Banks. She claimed that Banks was just waiting for the right time to strike against her. Bayley said Banks was using her — and she knows that because Bayley was using Banks too. Bayley said she never cared about Banks or their friendship. She said Banks is useless to her now.
Cross made her entrance as Bayley was walking up the ramp after her promo. Bayley then attacked Cross with the same steel chair she used to beat down Banks.
Bayley retained her title against Cross at Extreme Rules this July and then defeated her again in a rematch later that month.
Clash of Champions is taking place on Sunday, September 27. Here’s the updated card for the show:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Randy Orton
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Jey Uso
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defends against Nikki Cross
