“Not only have I told him, I had Rey Mysterio tell him,” Konnan said. “He already needs a knee operation and Rey has had 14, so I told him to talk to Rey and Rey’s giving him very good advice because I want that guy to last. He’s talented and he’s a good kid.”
Mysterio confirmed to ESPN that the conversation with Vikingo happened. Mysterio said he hopes Vikingo takes the advice and is able to avoid suffering from injuries in the way that Mysterio did.
Mysterio told Vikingo that he can still be incredible if he picks his spots and slows things down a couple of beats:
He’s actually very, very good. I believe he was going through an injury at the time, and I kind of connected him with people to see if he can get his knee taken care of. But overall, I said, ‘It happened to me. A lot of people would tell me to slow down. And I, with all due respect, I would always say thank you, yes, I will. And it would almost come in through one ear and out the other and I wouldn’t pay attention. Obviously until you start going through injuries and surgeries — you’re not slowing down because they’re telling you, you’re slowing down because now you need to because you can’t risk your body anymore as you did.’
I pretty much gave him that advice and told him that he can still be incredible if he just toned it down two beats more, sometimes three beats more. Pick the moments on where you want to do your things to impact. You don’t have to do it every night because they already know who you are. And I hope that he takes the advice and not have to suffer what I did, which learned the hard way.
Vikingo is the current Lucha Libre AAA Mega Champion. He’s also wrestled several matches for AEW, including a bout against Kenny Omega on Dynamite this March. Vikingo lost that match but later defeated Omega when they faced off in AAA.
A United States Championship match with Mysterio defending against Logan Paul looks to be in the works for WWE Crown Jewel. Mysterio and Paul will both be on SmackDown this Friday night for a face-to-face segment.
ESPN’s full interview with Mysterio can be watched below:
Following his boxing victory against Dillon Danis, Logan Paul is ready to return to WWE.
Paul will be appearing on this Friday’s SmackDown for a face-to-face segment with United States Champion Rey Mysterio. Mysterio announced the news while appearing as a guest on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
Paul dominated Danis in their fight on Saturday until winning by disqualification. After the fight, Paul called out Mysterio for a United States title match.
Helwani asked Mysterio if a match between him and Paul is a done deal.
“I’m gonna see what he has to say on Friday,” Mysterio responded. “We’re gonna have to tune in this Friday night on SmackDown. Because he called me out and I responded, but now we’re going to face each other and I have to hear what he has to say.”
Helwani then asked if both Mysterio and Paul will be on SmackDown this Friday.
“Yes we will,” Mysterio said.
WWE hasn’t officially confirmed when the Mysterio vs. Paul match will be happening, but the company’s next premium live event is Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 4.
At WrestleMania 38 in 2022, Mysterio was part of Paul’s first-ever pro wrestling match. Paul & The Miz defeated Rey & Dominik Mysterio that night. Paul mentioned in his callout that he’s already defeated Mysterio once. Mysterio corrected Paul on the MMA Hour, noting that it was Miz who pinned him.
Mysterio told Helwani that Paul has shown great improvement in the ring since making his debut.
Rey Mysterio talks about Logan Paul's "shocking" growth as a wrestler 😯 #TheMMAHour
"He can adapt to any style, which is crazy. Not a lot of guys can come into our world and perform the way [he] performs."
“Look at the performance he put against Ricochet. You know, incredible. I had to tip my mask off to that match. It was really good. And the one prior to that against Roman [Reigns]. So I think he now wants to make a statement in WWE and he wants to carry gold,” Mysterio said.
“I see his growth and his improvement. Especially after having the match against Roman and then this last match. He can adapt to any style, which is crazy. Not a lot of guys can come into our world and perform the way they perform — like Logan and like Bad Bunny in a way. They pick up the beat right away. So, it’s shocking but not scary.”
SmackDown is taking place from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio this Friday. Here’s what’s been announced for the show so far:
WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY defends against Charlotte Flair
Following his disqualification victory in a boxing match over Dillion Danis on Saturday, Paul brought up Mysterio’s name in the post-fight interview, saying he beat him once and can do it again. He specifically said that he was coming for Mysterio’s WWE United States title.
Shortly after the callout, Mysterio responded on X: “Did @loganpaul just call me out? I’m not hard to find homie. Every Friday Night on SmackDown.”
In the sixth round of their boxing match, Danis attempted to take down Paul with a guillotine choke, causing security to enter the ring and end the match, giving Paul the disqualification win.
Paul’s first pro wrestling match was at WrestleMania 38, where he and The Miz defeated Rey & Dominik Mysterio in a tag team match. Paul has since wrestled in multiple matches for WWE, most recently at SummerSlam where he defeated Ricochet.
Mysterio defeated Austin Theory for the United States title back on the August 11 edition of SmackDown. He recently defeated Santos Escobar to retain the championship, but was jumped by Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits after the match. Mysterio, Escobar, and the returning Carlito then defeated Lashley and The Street Profits at Fastlane last weekend.
Paul recently told Sports Illustrated that he has his sights set on winning WWE championships.
Two LWO members are set to clash for the United States Championship on tonight’s SmackDown from Sacramento, California.
Santos Escobar is challenging Rey Mysterio for the US championship. Last month, Escobar was supposed to get a title shot against Austin Theory but was taken out by Theory before the match. Mysterio took Escobar’s place and defeated Theory to become United States Champion. Mysterio recently agreed to give his friend Escobar a title shot when Escobar asked for it.
Bayley and Charlotte Flair will meet in their first televised singles match since 2020. Last week, Charlotte stopped Bayley from interfering in IYO SKY’s title defense against Asuka. But Asuka was distracted by Charlotte and wasn’t able to defeat SKY for the title.
Bobby Lashley appears on The Grayson Waller Effect tonight and will discuss his recent unhappiness with The Street Profits.
We’ll also see if John Cena is able to find a tag team partner for Fastlane. Cena is currently slated to face Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso in a handicap match at the October 7 PPV.
SmackDown opened with Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman of The Bloodline heading to the ring. Heyman introduced himself on the mic to a chorus of boos by the crowd and after Heyman responded by telling the Sacramento crowd he was in a hell hole tonight, he acknowledged Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief.
Heyman followed up by stating that the second greatest of all-time, John Cena, took a beating last week, a beating that he hadn’t taken in a very long time before calling for footage from last week’s assault on not only Cena, but AJ Styles as well.
After the footage aired, Heyman stated that he heard that Cena was having transportation issues tonight and wasn’t at the building. Heyman followed up by stating that Styles also wasn’t in the building tonight due to being in the hospital with medical issues before Jimmy grabbed the mic.
Jimmy started bragging about the chaos that’s been caused by messing with the Bloodline but as he was talking smack, Karl Anderson hit the ring and attacked Jimmy. Anderson sent the Bloodline to the outside and stated that because Styles was in the hospital, it was now O.C. business.
Jimmy stalled at responding and Sikoa looked at Jimmy and stated that he better do something before he does as we headed to commercial.
Jimmy Uso (w/Paul Heyman & Solo Sikoa) defeated Karl Anderson
We’re back from commercial and a match is officially underway between Anderson and Uso.
Anderson was hitting a lot of offense but because he was flying solo, Sikoa became a distraction on the outside. After a rake of the eyes, Jimmy soon found himself on the top rope and nailed a huge splash for the easy victory.
After the match, Anderson attempted to attack Uso but Sikoa made the save and laid him out with the Samoan Spike. As the Bloodline headed up the entrance ramp, Mia Yim headed to the ring and nailed Uso hard on the way by causing Jimmy to be almost somewhat amused.
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley was with Santos Escobar of the LWO. Escobar stated that while he was focused, he had butterflies. He stated that it was his dream to challenge Rey Mysterio in a championship match and that Rey was in for the fight of his life tonight.
Back to ringside and the ring crew was setting up for The Grayson Waller Effect as we headed to commercial.
– We’re back from commercial and the Bloodline was heading through the hallways as a very frustrated Jimmy Uso was attacking anyone that got in his way. Paul Heyman then decided to call Roman Reigns.
The Grayson Waller Effect with Bobby Lashley
Lashley stated that he made a mistake when it came to aligning with The Street Profits. Lashley stated that the Profits just didn’t have what it took to be successful before Waller stated that himself and Austin Theory could be that tag team he was looking for.
Lashley stated that he knew all about Theory and what he stood for and as Waller attempted to defend Theory, The Street Profits music hit and Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford headed to the ring.
Dawkins and Ford stepped up to Lashley but Bobby stated he didn’t want to hear it and that the Profits needed to prove it to him before leaving the ring. Dawkins and Ford caught up with him but Lashley reiterated that they needed to prove it to him as the Profits looked confused.
Waller got back on the mic and said that he needed to liven things up again before introducing Austin Theory to the Sacramento crowd for his upcoming match against Cameron Grimes as we headed to commercial.
We’re back from commercial and a video promo aired for Dragon Lee and some of his highlights in WWE NXT before he was shown in attendance live at SmackDown tonight.
Austin Theory (w/Grayson Waller) defeated Cameron Grimes
Waller was apparently upset that the Dragon Lee promo aired as it should have spotlighted Theory.
Grimes managed to control the majority of the match but with Waller ringside, Theory capitalized when Waller distracted Grimes allowing him to shove Cameron flying into the post on the outside of the ring.
Back inside the ring and Theory sent Grimes packing after nailing his A-Town Down.
After the match, Theory got in the face of Dragon Lee and a scuffle broke out before Theory headed to the back.
– Backstage, Kayla Braxton was with Rey Mysterio. Mysterio stated that the LWO was all about family. Mysterio stated that when he’s in the ring, he expected the best out of his opponent and that he would give the fight of his life tonight before heading to the ring.
As we headed to commercial, a video promo aired featuring an upcoming special on FOX titled the Top 25 SmackDown Moments in History airing on October 8th.
We’re back from commercial and Jimmy Uso was attacking Ashante “Thee” Adonis backstage as B-Fab looked on helplessly. As Uso looked to be leaving the scene, Solo Sikoa attacked Adonis as well, sending him through a table.
Rey Mysterio defeated Santos Escobar (w/Zelina Vega) to retain the United States Championship
The match began with both men feeling one another out, attempting to gain a technical advantage. As Vega looked on, Mysterio was sent to the outside followed by a diving crossbody by Escobar as we headed to a commercial break.
We’re back from commercial and Escobar has Mysterio trapped in an abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring. Mysterio escaped and as Rey was bouncing off of the ropes, Escobar nailed a huge dropkick sending the champion down.
Mysterio mounted a comeback and after Escobar was sent to the outside, Mysterio hit the second rope and nailed Escobar with a crossbody of his own to the outside. After the match was back in the ring and Mysterio nailed an awkward crossbody, Jimmy Uso was shown attacking people once again backstage in a split screen.
Mysterio attempted to nail the 619 but Escobar dodged it and after Rey soon found himself on the outside again, Santos nailed him with a dive through the ropes knocking Mysterio down hard. Escobar followed up with a moonsault off of the barricade before sending the match back to the inside.
Escobar feeling the momentum going his way, battled Mysterio on the top rope and after gaining the upperhand, he sent Rey crashing to the mat with a hurricanrana but could only follow up with a two count as we headed to commercial.
We’re back from commercial and Escobar was still on the attack but Mysterio was holding his own but you could tell the damage had been done as Santos locked Rey in a Gory Special.
Escobar attempted to follow up with a diving crossbody from the top rope but missed and then Mysterio missed with a flying crossbody of his own. Escobar then nailed a huge tilt-a-whirl backbreaker followed by a modified torture rack but again could only get a two count on his mentor.
Escobar attempted a power bomb but Mysterio countered and managed a close two count of his own. Mysterio attempted a top rope hurricanrana but Escobar blocked it, attempted to nail his Phantom Driver but Mysterio blocked it and finally nailed a top rope hurricanrana.
Mysterio attempted to hit the 619 but Escobar caught him. Mysterio escaped and sent Escobar back into the ropes and successfully managed to hit the 619 but as he headed to the top rope to hit his Drop the Dime, he missed. Escobar attempted to pin Mysterio with a cocky cover and he paid the price as Mysterio almost gained the victory with a backslide.
A frustrated Escobar picked Mysterio up and attempted to again nail Rey with his Phantom Driver but Mysterio was too quick and rolled him up with a quick modified small package to get the 1-2-3 and retain the United States Championship.
After the match, a frustrated Escobar and a concerned Vega were collecting their thoughts as Mysterio celebrated his victory with the championship. Before Mysterio and Escobar could pay respect to one another however, The Street Profits hit the ring and attacked but Rey and Santos.
Bobby Lashley’s music hit and as he was heading down to the ring, the other members of the LWO attempted to make the save for Mysterio and Escobar but were laid out as well. Lashley smiled and celebrated the work of The Street Profits as we headed to a commercial break.
– Backstage, Kayla Braxton was with a beaten down LWO. Mysterio told Braxton that he was challenging Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits to a match at WWE Fastlane.
Michael Cole referenced this week’s huge WWE signing of Jade Cargill and what her potential and future could look like in the WWE.
Charlotte Flair made her way to the ring with her upcoming match with Bayley before we headed to commercial. Before the break took place, John Cena finally arrived to the arena in a sports car. Cena got out of the car with his WWE Fastlane contract in his hand and headed towards to backstage area as we headed to break.
We’re back from commercial and a video promo aired on the massive injury Elton Prince had suffered back in July and his road to recovery since. The conclusion of the video showed Prince hopping up from his wheelchair in celebration of a full recovery.
– Backstage, Butch and Ridge Holland of The Brawling Brutes shared their thoughts on what they just saw and stated that they should have done more damage back in July.
Charlotte Flair defeated Bayley (w/Damage CTRL)
Before the match began, Flair asked Bayley what happened to her as she was one of the four horsewomen. Flair then stated that after she beat her tonight, she was challenging IYO SKY to a WWE Women’s Championship match at WWE Fastlane.
After the bell rang, both women looked to gain the upperhand but after Flair was sent to the outside, Bayley flew off of the ring apron with a diving elbow drop sending Flair down hard as we headed to a quick commercial break.
We’re back from commercial and Flair was on the top rope and managed to land a massive crossbody on Bayley to gain control of the match. Flair followed up with a fallaway slam but as she was looking to weaken the legs of Bayley to set up for the Figure 8, Bayley made a comeback.
The comeback wouldn’t last long however. Bayley was fired up but wasn’t as focused as she could have been and because of it, Flair managed to nail a spear out of nowhere and score the victory.
After the match, Bayley grabbed the mic and stated that it was her goal tonight to destroy Flair. As Damage CTRL looked like they were about to fulfill Bayley’s promise, Asuka’s music hit and she headed to the ring.
Asuka cut a promo in Japanese and Bayley attempting to translate, stated that SKY would defend the title in a Triple Threat match against Flair and Asuka at WWE Fastlane. As you could imagine, SKY wasn’t happy.
– Backstage, John Cena with his WWE Fastlane contract in hand was on his way to the ring as we headed to commercial.
– We’re back from commercial and it was announced that The Judgment Day would return to SmackDown next week. On top of the Judgment Day’s appearance, it was also announced that Dragon Lee would face Austin Theory on next week’s episode as well.
John Cena promo
Cena made his way to the ring with his WWE Fastlane contract in hand. Cena stated that he didn’t have a partner to face Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa and that he could simply rip up the contract and move on or he could step up and fight them both in a handicap match. Cena followed up by stating that he would take them on by himself if he couldn’t find a partner before Jimmy Uso’s music hit.
Uso and Sikoa came down to the ring and Jimmy stated that Cena wasn’t going to make it to Fastlane before the attack on Cena ensued. Cena attempted to fight them off but the numbers game was just too much and Cena found himself down and out.
Jimmy attempted to setup Cena on the announce table to land his splash but Sikoa stopped him, wanting to end Cena on his own. As it looked like Cena was all but done for, the music of the one and only LA Knight hit… Yeah!
Knight rushed down to the ring and after nailing Sikoa with Blunt Force Trauma, he landed a powerslam on Uso before hitting his Yeah Elbow in the middle of the ring. As Cena reentered the ring, Knight picked up the Fastlane contract and signed it as a surprised Cena and a packed arena cheered as the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts:
The return of LA Knight officially alongside John Cena for WWE Fastlane should be a great main event against The Bloodline next weekend.
You’ve got the LWO challenging a unified Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits for the PLE as well as what looks to be a Triple Threat match between IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair and Asuka with the continuous dissension of Damage CTRL with regards to Bayley and her blinded jealousy of SKY’s success.
Speaking of sky, I think the sky is the limit for Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Their chemistry with regards to their young arrogant attitudes and these two could be one of the greatest tag teams we’ve seen in a while.
Rey Mysterio accepted a United States title challenge from Santos Escobar on Friday’s SmackDown.
The two were in the ring with the rest of the LWO when Escobar started to talk about how it was a dream of his to face Mysterio for a championship title and requested a United States title match from Mysterio. After appearing surprised by Escobar’s request, Mysterio quickly accepted the request, setting up a future title match.
Mysterio won the United States title back on the August 11 edition of SmackDown. The storyline had been that then-champion Austin Theory attacked Escobar before the match, injuring his knee. It was eventually determined that Escobar could not wrestle, but WWE official Adam Pearce instead accepted Mysterio’s offer to wrestle in Escobar’s place. Mysterio then went on to defeat Theory.
After the two agreed to a match, Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits came out. After some back and forth, it turned into a match where The Street Profits defeated LWO members Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro in a tag team match that ended under a minute.
Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair are set to team up on SmackDown tonight.
WWE has announced that tonight’s SmackDown will feature a tag team match with Belair & Charlotte taking on Damage CTRL (IYO SKY & Bayley). The episode is taking place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
On last week’s SmackDown, Damage CTRL interrupted a match between Charlotte and Asuka. SKY and Bayley attacked both Charlotte and Asuka and caused the match to end in a no contest.
SKY became WWE Women’s Champion by cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Belair at SummerSlam earlier this month. Belair had just become champion by defeating Asuka and Charlotte in a triple threat match.
WWE has also confirmed that Santos Escobar will be joining Rey Mysterio on The Grayson Waller Effect tonight. Last Friday, Mysterio subbed in for Escobar and defeated Austin Theory to become United States Champion. Escobar wasn’t able to compete following an angle where he was attacked by Theory.
Here’s the updated lineup for tonight’s show:
Edge vs. Sheamus (Edge’s 25th anniversary celebration)
Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair vs. Damage CTRL (IYO SKY & Bayley)
The Grayson Waller Effect with guests Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar
Mysterio ended Austin Theory’s long run with the title on Friday’s SmackDown after hitting a 619 to the back of Theory, then connected with a second 619 for the win. This ends Theory’s run with the title after 258 days, having defeated Seth Rollins in a match that also featured Bobby Lashley at last year’s Survivor Series. After the match, Mysterio celebrated with the rest of the LWO as pyro went off.
Santos Escobar had won the United States Title Invitational tournament two weeks ago, defeating Mysterio in the finals to set up a match between himself and Theory for this week’s show. In a show-long storyline, Theory attacked Escobar’s leg as Escobar was being interviewed. Although doctors cleared Escobar, another attack by Theory as Escobar was making his way to the ring prevented him from wrestling. WWE official Adam Pearce told Theory he would still defend the title tonight, but it would be against Mysterio.
This is Rey Mysterio’s third run with the United States championship, having last won it in 2019.
With his father in the corner of his challenger, Dominik Mysterio defends the NXT North American Championship tonight.
Rey Mysterio will be in Dragon Lee’s corner as Lee challenges Dominik for the North American title on tonight’s NXT episode. Dominik will have Rhea Ripley at ringside to help counter Rey.
Dominik is making his fourth title defense since winning the NXT North American Championship from Wes Lee last month.
Mustafa Ali and Axiom both want to be next in line for a shot at Dominik or Lee. A singles match between Ali and Axiom is taking place on tonight’s show.
Still claiming to be the Heritage Cup Champion despite the title belonging to Nathan Frazer, Noam Dar will defend his trophy against Tyler Bate tonight. Bron Breakker vs. Von Wagner, Blair Davenport vs. Kelani Jordan, and Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James are among the other matches set for the episode.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
The show opens with a pre-taped promo, where NXT North American Champion Dominik and WWE World Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley are backstage at Raw last night. They cut a short promo on Dragon Lee, who is challenging Dominik for the North American title tonight..
Cut to the parking lot at the Performance Center, where Dragon Lee is arriving with Rey Mysterio. Rey tells Dragon Lee to show Dom was humility in their title match later on.
“Limited commercial interruption” on the show tonight, so there is that.
Mustafa Ali defeated Axiom
Ali pinned Axiom after a subtle heel tactic. In winning, Ali now looks to be the next challenger for the North American Championship. Excellent opener, and a hot way to kick off the show.
A lot of great sequences throughout the match. Clever counters and reversals to go along with stellar high spots, as well as some scary spots. Ali has been playing subtle heel for a few weeks, and he turned it up a notch in this match.
Just before the finish, Ali and Axiom are fighting on the turnbuckles, when Ali grabs a handful of Axiom’s mask. Ali plays it off like he inadvertently grabbed the mask. Inadvertent or not, Ali then shoves Axiom off the turnbuckles as Axiom.
After shoving Axiom off the turnbuckles, Ali rolls him back into the ring. Ali executes a 450 om Axiom, and he covers him for the pinfall.
Ali looked into a camera, and he cut a promo declaring himself the next challenger for the North American title.
The Schism were creeping around backstage looking for the Creed Brothers, and they apparently attacked several wrestler. Joe Gacy vows Schism will find the Creeds tonight or they turn NXT “upside down.”
Blair Davenport defeated Kelani Jordan
Davenport pinned Jordan after delivering the Bea-trigger. This match was set up after Jordan cut a promo on social media calling out Davenport. This was somewhat at the behest of Dana Brooke, who told Jordan to challenge someone in order for Jordan to find her killer instinct.
Dana Brooke ran in after the match swinging a leather belt, and she chased Davenport around and through the ring. Davenport fled the whipping. Brooke then almost struck Jordan with the belt, but stopped short.
If this was a Southern wrestling promotion, Brooke trying to whip Davenport with a belt would set up a country whipping match. Not sure what it means in NXT, but I guess a strap match is possible. All speculation of course.
Tyler Bate defeated Noam Dar (with Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend) to win Dar’s “Heritage Cup” trophy
Nathan Frazier is the rightful holder of Heritage Cup, but Dar has been parading around with his own replica version of the trophy. The replica of the cup was the one up for grabs in this match.
Round one of this bout was a stalemate, as neither won a fall. After going the distance in the first fall, Bate goes up by a fall. Bate scored a pinfall after delivering a Tyler Driver ’97.
The third fall was joined in progress after a split-screen commercial break. Under 30 seconds when the show returns from the break. Double down and a near fall at the bell to end the third round. Both were down selling when Bate draped an arm on Dar for a count as time expired. Like famed wrestler AC Slater, Dar was saved by the bell.
Dar targets a leg in the fourth round. Bate tries to ride the clock and keep from tapping out, but Dar had him trapped in a knee bar. Bate taps out with about 40 seconds remaining on the time clock. Dar then refused to break the hold, and the referee had to step in to separate them. Nonetheless, Dar won round four by submission, so the bout is tied 1-1 going into the fifth and final round.
Mensah interfered a few times, including late in the fifth round. Bate and Dar trade near falls in the closing moments. Dar countered an attempted Tyler Driver ’97, and Dar cradled Bate. Reversing the cradle, Bate then pinned Dar’s shoulders to the mat for a three count.
There is a lot of wrestling so far, but fear not. That changes with a bunch of talking segments.
Tank Ledger and Hank Walker are backstage when they confronted by The Dyad and Schism. Ledger and Walker are them jumped by Schism for not knowing the location of the Creeds.
Ilja Dragunov is interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell. Dragunov says he is heading to the ring, hopeful that Trick Williams will confront him in the ring.
A skit in the locker room set up a match between Wes Lee and Dijak. They both want to challenge Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Championship. Dijak jumped Lee, which clearly sets up a grudge match.
Ilja Dragunov calls out Trick Williams, and Williams confronts Dragunov in the ring. They banter with each other, and they took a long time to set up a match between them. Looks like Dragunov against Williams at the Heat Wave special in two weeks time.
Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak are being interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell. Dempsey and Gulk were supposed to face Walker and Ledger in a match tonight, but they were beaten down by Schism. In comes Damon Kemp wanting to challenge Dempsey and Gulak to a match. He is scoffed out as he does not have a partner. In walks Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, setting up a match with Dempsey and Gulak.
A nervous Thea Hail meets Rey Mysterio in a backstage skit. Hail is then met by Andre Chase and Duke Hudson. Hail insults Chase and walks away.
Bron Breakker defeated Von Wagner (with Mr. Stone)
Breakker pinned Wagner after a spear, but Wagner powerbombed Breakker on the announce desk after the match. Gorilla Monsoon would have likely called this the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. It was definitely a hoss fight.
Wagner’s new gimmick he puts people through tables, as he was put others through the announce desk in recent weeks. Wagner even wore a t-shirt promoting the new gimmick.
Breakker went to press slam Mr. Stone after the bell. Wagner made a save, and Wagner then powerbombed Breakker on the announce desk, and it collapsed in a heap.
Eddy Thorpe was the focus of a great vignette, highlighting Thorpe’s Native American heritage in his ongoing feud with Dijak.
Charlie Dempsey & Drew Gulak (with Myles Borne) defeated Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen (with Fallon Henley)
Dempsey pinned Jensen after outside interference by Damon Kemp.
Myles Borne was in Dempsey & Gulak’s corner acting as their second. Gulak at one point asked Borne for water, and Borne said he did not bring any water. So, Gulak kicked Borne out of ringside, and Gulak ordered Borne to leave.
Damon Kemp ran down to ringside just before the finish. Kemp suplexed Jensen on the floor, and Kemp rolled Jensen back into the ring. Dempsey executed a Dragon suplex to score the deciding pinfall.
Dana Brooke and Kelani Jordan are in a locker room skit that sets up Brooke against Blair Davenport in a match next week.
Kiana James defeated Ivy Nile
James pinned Nile to win the match. Nile is distracted by Ava, allowing James to deliver a finisher.
The match goes through a split-screen commercial break. Upon returning from the break, masked members of Schism surround the ring like this is an impromptu lumberjack match.
The Schism, led by Joe Gacy, Ava and The Dyad, accosted Nile. She is violently grabbed and questioned about the whereabouts of the Creeds. In runs NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Tatum. They are swinging crowbars as the clear the ring. Them saving Nile was set up in an angle earlier in the show where Schism confronted the new tag champs.
Los Lotharios are texting each other trying to patch things up. They both are thinking about what their grandfather, Mario Segura (El Ninja), would think.
Noam Dar is with Meta-Four are in a backstage skit with Nathan Frazier and Tyler Bate. A deal is made for Bate to relinquish his replica cup he won tonight. Bate gives in back to Dar, long as Dar proclaimed it a fake cup. Dar sort of did that, but not really. This somehow sets up a match at Heat Wave between Frazier and Dar for the real cup. So, that match between Bate and Dar from earlier tonight is rendered useless. Thanks for that.
NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell. Stratton’s return to television was wasted on this goofy segment.
NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio (with WWE World Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley) defeated Dragon Lee (with Rey Mysterio) to retain his title
Dominik pinned Dragon Lee to win the match, after a belt shot from Rhea Ripley. Dom tried to cheat by using the North American belt as a weapon, but Rey took that belt from him. Instead, Ripley used her belt to hit Dragon Lee, which costs Lee the match. An angle after the match closed the show.
Rey Mysterio came to the ring first before the match, and he introduced Dragon Lee. That helped make Dragon Lee seem special. Yet Dragon Lee lost in the end, but it was at least due to outside interference. The match itself goes through a split-screen commercial break.
Dom teased unmasking Dragon Lee, as Dom unlaced the mask. That fired up Dragon Lee, and he made a comeback on Dom. That led to a few near fall for Dragon Lee.
They trade strikes in the closing moments. Dom does a 619 and go for a frog splash. Dragon Lee gets his knees up to block the splash. Lee with another near fall after a Liger bomb.
Ripley slid Dom his title belt, and Dom picks up the belt to seemingly use as a weapon. Rey Mysyerio takes the North American belt from Dom. The referee is distracted by the commotion with Dom and Rey, and the ref does not see Ripley smack Lee with her title belt. Dom then executed a Michinoku Driver, and Dom covered Dragon Lee for the deciding pinfall.
Rey and Dom are face-to-face after the match, and Ripley steps in between them to get in Rey’s face. Ripley starts poking at Rey, which brings out Lyra Valkyria to jump Ripley. Valkyria had confronted Ripley in a skit earlier in the show. She brawls with Ripley while Dragon Lee superkicks Dom. The heels flee as Dragon Lee and Valkyria stand tall in the ring. Is this leading to a mixed tag?
WWE gave an update on Rey Mysterio’s status on SmackDown.
During Friday’s show, announcer Michael Cole said that Mysterio had suffered from “severe whiplash” during last Friday’s show, where a match between Mysterio and Santos Escobar had to be stopped due to Mysterio getting injured during the course of the match. Cole additionally mentioned that Mysterio’s status currently remains “day-to-day”.
Mysterio and Santos had a match on last week’s show that was the finals of the United States title Invitational tournament. WWE had shown footage of Escobar hitting a suicide dive to Mysterio on the outside as the source of the injury. However, according to this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the injury went down after a cross body block earlier in the match. The match was ended after the dive spot, with Escboar being awarded the victory. As a result, he will face Austin Theory for the United States title on next week’s SmackDown.
On Friday’s show, Theory said he would dedicate next week’s match against Escobar to Mysterio. Escobar is also set to take part in the SummerSlam Battle Royal that will take place on Saturday.
Mysterio will be in the corner of Dragon Lee, who challenged Dominik Mysterio for the North American title on Tuesday’s show. Rhea Ripley agreed to the match, saying she will be in Dominik’s corner. Lee replied by saying he wouldn’t be coming alone either, showing a video of Mysterio saying he’ll be in Lee’s corner.
Ilja Dragunov will take on Trick Williams. Tuesday’s show had Williams telling Carmelo Hayes that he needed to challenge Dragunov on his own. The show on Tuesday ended with a Dragunov vignette saying he wasn’t done with Williams either, and they would meet next week.
Other matches set for next week include Bron Breakker taking on Von Wagner after Breakker speared Wagner on last week’s show, Noam Dar vs. Tyler Bate for Dar’s imposter Heritage Cup trophy, and Mustafa Ali vs. Axiom after the two argued with one another as they attempted to confront Dominik Mysterio as he was leaving.
Tiffany Stratton also announced she would be returning next week, one week after retaining the NXT Women’s Championship against Thea Hail at the Great American Bash.
Here’s the lineup for next week’s NXT:
NXT North American title: Dominik Mysterio (with Rhea Ripley) defends against Dragon Lee (with Rey Mysterio)
Noam Dar’s “Heritage Cup” trophy: Noam Dar “defends” against Tyler Bate
Rey Mysterio is doing fine after suffering an injury on Friday night.
His match against Santos Escobar on SmackDown was stopped early when Mysterio was unable to continue. The situation was addressed by our own Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, who noted there was concern Mysterio may have suffered a concussion.
Meltzer said:
“He’s fine. He did the match with Santos Escobar last night and apparently, something happened, and I have to rewatch the tape, but I was told it was a move by Santos Escobar that knocked Rey silly but he continued to wrestle.”
It is not clear what move led to Mysterio being “knocked silly.” However, Meltzer continued to say it was not Escobar’s suicide dive that caused the injury.
“The dive was the excuse to call the match off. Like, when he took the dive and they were attending to him and everything like that, they had already planned to stop the match. They stopped the match before the commercial break.”
“He was selling a way to stop the match, he was not actually knocked out there, but he was dizzy before that. So, that’s what I was told about how it went down. I don’t think he had a concussion. If you watch it on TV, it looked like he did but it was a precautionary measure. They didn’t know.”
“I’m told he’s fine. That’s good, it looked like it could have been scary when he was laying there.”
As a result of his victory over Mysterio, Escobar earned a United States title shot against Austin Theory on the August 11 edition of SmackDown.
Mysterio came into the match against Escobar after two big house shows in Mexico last weekend. He lost a Universal title match to Roman Reigns on a July 22 show from Mexico City and then teamed with Cruz del Toro & Joaquin Wilde to defeat Imperium on July 23 in Monterrey,
Rey Mysterio reportedly was legit injured during a match on SmackDown Friday.
Fightful Select reported Friday night that Santos Escobar was originally set to win the United States Title Invitational finals on SmackDown against Rey Mysterio clean. However, an audible was called with the match ending and Escobar being declared the winner. A follow-up backstage segment had to be scrapped as a result of the injury.
During a commercial break on Friday’s show, Escobar landed a suicide dive to the floor, with Mysterio’s head bouncing against the floor on impact. When SmackDown returned from commercial, WWE medical personnel were seen talking to Mysterio, who was laying on the apron. It was then announced that Mysterio was unable to continue, and Escobar was declared the winner. After the match, Mysterio managed to get back up on his feet and hug Escobar, congratulating him on the win.
As a result of the tournament win, Escobar has earned a United States title match against champion Austin Theory. They will meet on the August 11 edition of SmackDown at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Two LWO members will face off tonight with a United States title shot up for grabs.
Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar will meet in the United States Championship Invitational Finals on tonight’s SmackDown from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The winner becomes the number one contender to United States Champion Austin Theory.
Mysterio earned his way into the finals by defeating LA Knight, Cameron Grimes, and Sheamus in a fatal four-way match on last week’s SmackDown, while Escobar beat Grayson Waller, AJ Styles, and Butch on the July 14 edition to land his spot in the finals.
With SummerSlam now eight days away, the build to the pay-per-view will continue tonight. Roman Reigns and Jey Uso are set to appear in advance of their Tribal Combat match at the Saturday, August 5 pay-per-view. Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and his title of Tribal Chief will both be on the line at the PPV.
A match between Karl Anderson and Karrion Kross has also been announced for tonight. Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Michael Cole welcomed everyone in to the show. Jey Uso was standing in the ring with a microphone.
The Jey Uso/Roman Reigns segment
Jey said he’s in New Orleans and Roman Reigns’s music hit. Reigns walked out with Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. It was seven minutes between when Roman’s music hit and he told the crowd to acknowledge him. Reigns told Jey when the Tribal Chief appears, the Tribal Chief opens the show. Reigns told Jey he made Jey the right hand man. Reigns also took credit for Jey having the Main Event Jey Uso name. Reigns asked Uso if he thought he was the Tribal Chief now. Jey said he never wanted any of that (even though he was wearing a shirt that read “The Real Chief). Jey said all he did was watch Roman’s back. Jey said he believed in Roman. Jey said he believed Roman could lead the family, but Roman broke the family and because of that Jey is going to do what he has to do.
Jey said everything was all Roman’s fault. Roman said Jey’s jealously was what made everything turn south. Roman called Jey selfish. Roman said Jey doesn’t get it and that Jey is going to be all alone. Roman said Jey screwed Jimmy and Solo loves and respects Roman more than he does Jey. Roman said, hypothetically speaking, what if Jey beats Roman. In that case, Jey would take the title, the lei and everything from Roman. At that point, Roman said he would not longer the Tribal Chief. Even so, Roman said he’ll always be Roman Reigns. Roman kept saying Jey can’t beat him. The two engaged in a stare down while the crowd chanted “Uso.”
Jey said he’s the only one who has beaten Roman because he’s already pinned him. Jey grabbed the back of Roman’s neck and said at SummerSlam, he’ll beat Roman again. Jey’s music hit and Jey left the ring to end the segment.
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– Backstage, Jey Uso ran into Grayson Waller, who asked Jey to come on the Grayson Waller Effect. Jey responded in kind my smacking Waller across the face.
Santos Escobar defeated Rey Mysterio [14:15]
Well, the match was pretty OK for what it was. The two worked hard and Escobar came away looking much more like a contender to beat Theory, if only because Escobar was given the bulk of the offense. At the end of the day, though, it felt like the match was just kind of there and the program between Escobar and Theory has little to no heat.
Escobar had control early, working Mysterio’s leg. Austin Theory was shown in the upper bowl watching the match with popcorn. Escobar turned his attention to Mysterio’s arm. Escobar kicked Mysterio’s leg and Mysterio slapped the hell out of Escobar. Escobar returned the favor. Mysterio set Escobar up for a 619, but Escobar rolled to the outside. From there, Mysterio hit a Senton onto Escobar before the show went to break.
When the show returned, Mysterio landed an arm-drag back inside the ring. Mysterio went to the top and landed a Senton. Mysterio went for a cover and got a two count out of it. Escobar responded with a series of leaping elbows before hitting an enzigouri. Escobar hit a leg-drop for a two-count. Mysterio rolled up Escobar for a two-count. Mysterio ran at Escobar, who caught him with a tilt-a-whirl back-breaker. Mysterio was on Escobar’s shoulders and the two made their way outside in the same position. Ultimately, Mysterio went for a baseball slide and Escobar moved. Escobar followed that up with a tope suicida as the show went to another commercial break.
Back from break, a doctor was working on Mysterio. The commentary team sold the idea that Mysterio hit his head on the ground after Escobar hit that suicida. As a result, the referee called the match off, saying Mysterio could no longer compete. Because of that, Escobar was named the winner of the match.
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– Backstage, Bianca Belair was being interviewed, but she was interrupted by Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. The two mocked Belair for not being a champion. Green mocked Charlotte. Belair told Green to not be disrespectful. Charlotte showed up and called Green and Deville bullies. From there, Charlotte suggested a match featuring Charlotte/Bianca vs. Green/Deville.
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– Hit Row was in the ring and almost instantly, LA Knight interrupted them. Knight called Top Dolla Uncle Phil. Knight recalled Dolla saying NOLA is corny. Knight called B-Fab corny. Knight led the crowd in his catchphrase.
LA Knight defeated Ashante Thee Adonis [1:30]
Pretty basic stuff here. The only disappointment was that I thought we’d get a hint for what Knight might do at SummerSlam, but it was not to be.
Ashante took control early, but the crowd went nuts for Knight. Dolla landed a cheap shot on Knight. Before long, Knight hit a neck-breaker and a power-slam before playing to the crowd. Knight landed his elbow and Blunt Force Trauma for the win.
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– Jey Uso was backstage and Adam Pearce talked to him. Pearce made a match between Waller and Uso for later.
– Backstage, the Street Profits were hanging out with Bobby Lashley, who told the Profits they had to lose the sweats. Lashley brought in a new wardrobe for the team to pick from. We went back to the ring, where Charlotte stood.
Charlotte Flair & Bianca Belair defeated Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville in a non-title match [10:27]
That went about as expected as it could go. They could have figured out a way to turn up the heat a little more on Charlotte and Belair, but it was what it was. I’m not a fan of having the new tag champs take a loss this early in their reign – you’re telling me that as long as a couple top-tier stars decide to team up for a night, they can beat the supposed best team in the company on a whim? – but the point here was to further the tension between the two babyfaces in the SummerSlam match. Mission accomplished.
Belair and Green started the match. Belair worked a side head-lock and then landed a shoulder-block to take Green down. Charlotte got a blind tag, which annoyed Belair. Charlotte slammed Green’s head into the mat repeatedly. Belair tagged in and slammed Green, who crawled over to tag Deville … who was then slammed by Belair. Soon thereafter, Belair landed a dropkick on Deville. Deville came back with a boot to the face of Belair and got a two-count out of it. From there, the show went to a commercial break.
As the show returned, Green and Deville had control. That changed when Belair landed a double suplex on both Green and Deville. Charlotte received the hot tag and came off the top for a double cross-body. Charlotte hit a series of chops on Green. Charlotte landed a fallaway slam on Green, which was followed up with a clothesline and a two-count. Green tagged in Deville, who was rolled up by Charlotte for a two-count. Charlotte hit a fallaway slam on Deville and went for the Figure Eight, but Deville worked out of it.
Belair tagged herself in and landed a bunch of dropkicks on Deville. Green got in a blind tag and cut Belair off and went for the Un-Pretty-Her, but Charlotte got in the way. Charlotte tagged herself in while Belair was going for the KOD. Charlotte hit a boot to Green’s head and pinned Green for the win – only after Charlotte and Belair argued.
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– The show cut backstage, where Bayley and IYO SKY were talking. Bayley had a message from Shotzi in her backpack and the two were going to leave until Asuka showed up and stopped them. Asuka said she’s going to wrestle two of the best ever at SummerSlam in Charlotte and Belair. Asuka mocked SKY for potentially cashing in her MITB briefcase. SKY said she will leave SummerSlam as the WWE women’s champ.
– Adam Pearce was backstage talking on the phone when he was interrupted by LA Knight, who talked about a Battle Royal at SummerSlam. Sheamus cut Knight off and Sheamus was surrounded by the Brutes. Sheamus did the “Banger after banger …” catchphrase. Pearce put Sheamus and Knight in the battle royal and said on next week’s SmackDown, Sheamus and Knight will have a one on one match.
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Karrion Kross defeated Karl Anderson [2:08]
Quick and painless (unless if you’re Anderson, perhaps). Kudos to Kross for giving Anderson so much offense for the first 90 seconds of the match until Scarlett interfered. In a lot of ways, it feels like a nothing-happening program, but I’m intrigued to see how they blow it off. A mixed tag feels like it’ll be somewhere on the way to it.
Anderson attacked Kross to start the match. Anderson landed a leaping neck-breaker for a two-count. Scarlett distracted Anderson and Kross took advantage of that by hitting a series of elbows. Kross hit a Saito Suplex. Kross hit his new finisher for the win.
After the match, Kross choked Anderson out until AJ Styles and Michin ran down for the save. The show went to a back room, where Heyman, Reigns and Sikoa sat as they watched Jey Uso make his entrance.
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Jey Uso defeated Grayson Waller [11:12]
Boy, the powers that be in WWE sure do love themselves some Grayson Waller. No shade or hate; just an observation. Waller looked good in defeat and this was a convenient way to further the Bloodline saga. Roman standing tall at the end of the show was a nice touch. The actual show-closing match was pretty good, considering how long Waller’s been out with an injury. Jey brought the best out of him and Waller responded in kind. In all, it was television main event worthy.
Waller had control early until Uso fought back with a leaping elbow. Waller regained the edge with a boot to the face, but Uso slammed Waller before landing a kick to Waller’s throat. Waller fired up and raked Uso’s face. Uso stood up and hit an enzigouri. As Uso was playing to the crowd, Roman Reigns’s music hit and Reigns came to ringside flanked by Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. Waller took advantage of it with a knee to Uso’s head as the show went to its final commercial break.
The show returned and Waller was working a side head-lock on Uso. Jey fought his way out of it and the two battled on the second rope. Waller dropped Uso with a right hand and followed that up with an elbow for a two-count. Waller went for a kick, but Jey ducked and lifted Waller, but Waller worked out of it and hit a spine-buster. Waller mocked the Rock’s People’s Elbow and put his own spin on it … but Uso moved and fired up.
Uso went for a hip attack, but Waller moved. From there, Waller ran into a super-kick from Uso. Jey stared Roman down and landed a spear on Waller. Uso went to the top rope hit an Uso Splash on Waller for the win.
After the match, Sikoa attacked Uso from behind. Sikoa lifted Uso and went for the Spike, but Jey ducked it and hit a super-kick. Roman ran into the ring and Jey landed a spear on Roman. Jey went to the top, but Sikoa pushed Jey off. Sikoa planted Uso and grabbed a hold of Jey. Roman speared Jey. Roman did it again. Roman went to the second rope and posed to end the show.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will make his return to SmackDown in Knoxville, Tennessee, in his first appearance since the night after WrestleMania edition of Raw.
Tonight’s show will feature two triple threat matches in the WWE World Heavyweight title tournament.
In one, it will be Edge vs. AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio. This will be Styles’ first match since breaking his ankle at a late-December house show. In the other, WWE United States Champion Austin Theory will face Sheamus and Bobby Lashley.
The winners of each match will square off later in the night to determine who faces Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia later this month to crown the new champion.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez will defend their gold against Bayley & Dakota Kai of Damage CTRL following the challengers’ non-title win over the champions last week.
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– Michael Cole welcomed everyone in, saying we are on the road to crowning the World Heavyweight Champion. Cole and Wade Barrett mentioned that Roman Reigns was going to appear later and Edge’s music hit. We went right into the first match because the Styles and Mysterio entrances were not televised.
AJ Styles defeated Edge and Rey Mysterio Jr. [16:13]
Styles got the win in one of the better opening matches on WWE television in recent memory. I was surprised to see how long this went, but the guys worked really hard despite a few clunky moments. With Edge cutting that social media promo earlier in the week, they had me wondering who might come out on top, which is a rarity in WWE. The match held its own in that it followed up said promo with a worthy pay-off. Add in a few interesting, creative double-team moves and you had a very good first half-hour of wrestling TV.
Mysterio and Styles tried to team up on Edge to begin the match, but Edge came right back with some stiff shots to both opponents. There were a series of three-person team moves that didn’t work great before Edge landed a reverse DDT on Styles for a two-count. Styles eventually regained control with a forearm to Edge and a tilt-a-whirl back-breaker to Mysterio.
Mysterio got his turn to take control and went for a splash on Edge, who caught Mysterio for a fallaway slam. Edge went for a spear, but Styles and Mysterio caught Edge with a double boot. Mysterio landed a Canadian Destroyer on Edge for a nice early match near-fall. With Edge and Mysterio on the outside, Styles took both out and we went to our first break.
When we returned, Styles had Mysterio lifted on the apron, but Mysterio fought out of it. Edge came through the middle rope and speared them both to the floor, inspiring the crowd to chant “Holy s—.” Mysterio and Edge rolled into the ring and Mysterio got a two-count. Edge got up and stomped on Mysterio before Styles threw Edge to the outside. Inside, Styles worked a calf-crusher on Mysterio, but Edge added a cross-face on Mysterio as well. The spot ended with a series of headbutts between Styles and Edge.
Styles and Edge traded blows until Mysterio set both guys up for a 619, but Mysterio ran into a double-dropkick from Styles and Edge, who then double-clotheslined each other. Edge ran Styles into the middle turnbuckle and went to the top, but Mysterio cut Edge off. Styles broke it up via a powerbomb on Mysterio for a two-count. Styles went for Edge and Styles was joined by Mysterio, who landed a sunset flip on Styles, who super-plexed Edge, for a good two-count.
Mysterio set up Edge for a 619, but Styles cut Mysterio off. From there, Mysterio went for another 619, but Edge countered into Edge-ucator on Mysterio. Edge did the same to Styles, but Styles made it to the ropes for a break. Mysterio then came back for another 619 attempt on Edge. Mysterio went for something on Edge, but something was miscommunicated and nothing quite happened. From there, Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Edge and got the pin.
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– Michael Cole recapped The Usos/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens storyline and Sheamus made his entrance for the second WWE World Heavyweight title tournament match.
Bobby Lashley defeated Austin Theory and Sheamus [13:00]
It felt like a surprising win for Lashley because Theory was the only traditional heel in the match and a babyface won the other tournament match of the night, but so it goes. Lashley was bleeding pretty heavily, and it made me wonder if they went home early because of it, but kudos to Lashley for working through it. That’s two matches in the first 45 minutes of SmackDown, which is/was always welcome. All three involved worked hard here as well, but the first match packed more of a punch for reasons I can’t quite articulate. It was nice to see a couple surprise winners for these matches, though.
Austin Theory went to the outside after the bell rang, but Lashley and Sheamus chased him, pounded on him and threw him back inside the ring. Lashley clotheslined Theory to the outside and worked over Sheamus until Sheamus landed a slam on Lashley for a one-count. Sheamus set up Lashley for 10 Beats, but Theory broke it up, only to then be the victim himself of 10 Beats. From there, we went to break.
Back from commercial, Lashley was beating up Theory on the outside. Lashley ran Theory into a ring post and returned to the ring to stare down Sheamus. Lashley and Sheamus brawled. With Sheamus went to the top and went for an elbow, but Lashley caught him and threw him before going for the Hurt Lock until Theory broke up the attempt with a dropkick. Theory hit a Blockbuster on Lashley for a two-count.
Theory stomped a mud hole in Sheamus and clotheslined Lashley over the top rope. Theory ran Lashley into the ring steps. Theory went for a rolling DDT, but Sheamus countered with the Irish Curse. Sheamus hit a series of clotheslines on Theory and hit a middle-rope White Noise for a two-count on Theory. Sheamus lifted Theory, but Theory rolled through for a two-count. Sheamus came right back with a knee to Theory’s head.
Sheamus riled up the crowd, but ran into a spear from Lashley. Theory threw Lashley into the ring post and tried a cover on Sheamus for a two-count. Theory went for A-Town Down, but Lashley, who was bleeding heavily from his head, went for the hurt lock. Sheamus broke up with with a Brogue Kick and Lashley threw Sheamus out of the ring and covered Theory himself for the win.
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– Adam Pearce was shown on the phone backstage, but he was interrupted by Grayson Waller, who said the winner of Styles/Lashley should appear on the Grayson Waller Effect next week. Pearce obliged. We went back to the ring and Baron Corbin was already in the ring as Cameron Grimes made his entrance.
Cameron Grimes defeated Baron Corbin [0:06]
There wasn’t much to this, but I’m happy to see Grimes not get buried right away. We didn’t see too much from him during his last months on NXT, so here’s hoping he gets some love on the main roster. Poor Corbin. At least he still has Paris.
Before the bell rang, Corbin introduced Grimes as the last pick in the draft. Corbin said Grimes had guts and in two minutes, Grimes would be on his way back to NXT. Grimes hit the Cave-In as soon as the bell rang for the win.
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– We received a video package recapping the Cody Rhodes/Brock Lesnar feud.
– Roman Reigns’s music hit and Knoxville loved them some Roman Reigns. Reigns was accompanied by the entire Bloodline. Reigns stood in the ring and soaked in a crowd that didn’t not like him. When Reigns asked Knoxville to acknowledge him, the crowd so. Reigns said greatness garners respect. Reigns said there’s only one royal family in the wrestling business and it’s the family in the ring. The crowd gave Reigns the “What?” treatment.
Reigns said Solo Sikoa stepped up at Backlash. Reigns said there was initial concern with taking Sikoa on the road because it was sink or swim for Sikoa, but Sikoa proved he swims like a shark. The crowd broke into a “Sami!” chant. Reigns said Sami and Kevin Owens aren’t the problem, but there is a problem. Roman said the problem was Sikoa’s brothers. Sikoa nodded.
Reigns confronted the Usos, asking them if they thought they weren’t going to talk about them losing at WrestleMania. Reigns called the Usos out for dedicating a tag-team match to Reigns and then losing. Reigns said they disrespected the family bloodline. Reigns said the Usos embarrassed him. Reigns demanded an apology from the Usos. The crowd chanted “No!” Daniel Bryan style. Reigns palm-faced Jimmy Uso. Jey got in the way of a confrontation and apologized. He said if they get one more shot, they’ll bring the titles back to the Bloodline.
Reigns called on Paul Heyman to make an announcement. Heyman said there will be a tag title match at Night Of Champions when Owens and Zayn face Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns. Reigns said he will dedicated the match to Afa and Sika, the greatest tag-team of all time. Reigns and Sikoa left the ring as the Usos stood in the ring, looking concerned.
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– Kayla Braxton welcomed in Damage CTRL for an interview backstage. Bayley said she and Roman have so much in common, being Grand Slam champions and exceptional leaders. Bayley told Iyo not to worry about her loss at Backlash because maybe Iyo wasn’t ready yet. Bayley told Kayla to tell Roman that SmackDown belongs to Damage CTRL. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez’s music hit and we went back to the ring for the women’s tag title match. Before the match began, we got a Backlash recap video. From there, the Usos confronted the LWO backstage. The Usos mean-mugged them and walked away.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez defeated Bayley and Dakota Kai [8:09]
Liv and Raquel won in a match longer than expected, but a fine match nonetheless. The miscommunication between Damage CTRL continues, but for me, it’s veering on the verge of overstaying its welcome. Maybe I’m wrong, but Bayley felt like a top-tier star in WWE not all that long ago, but since she came back, this faction hasn’t worked as well as anyone thought it would. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just time for all three to move on. As for Liv and Raquel … it’s hard to buy into them being long-term champs, but perhaps that’s part of the charm. Let’s hope they’re in line for a meaningful program.
Rodriguez worked over Dakota Kai to begin the match. Morgan tagged in and threw Rodriguez into Kai. Morgan covered Kai for a two-count. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn were shown watching the match on a TV backstage. Kai came back with a punch to Morgan and tagged in Bayley. Morgan rolled up Bayley for a two-count. Bayley eventually pinned Morgan for a two-count after her and Kai worked Morgan over. Then, we got a break.
We returned to action and Rodriguez received the hot tag from Morgan. Rodriguez hit a fallaway slam on Kai. Rodriguez took out both Kai and Bayley. Morgan tagged in and was promptly thrown into the challengers multiple times. The ring cleared out for Bayley and Morgan. Kai got a blind tag in and kicked Morgan in the head. Bayley held Morgan and Kai landed a double-knees to Morgan. Kai went for the pin, but Rodriguez broke it up at the last second. Bayley tagged in and told Sky to give Bayley one of the titles. Rodriguez stopped the exchange and as a result, Morgan rolled up Bayley for the win.
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– Backstage, the Brawling Brutes were talking and then interrupted by Pretty Deadly. The Brutes didn’t take kindly to it. Sheamus then went out for a pint. The crew was shown setting up the ring for Bianca Belair’s championship celebration.
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– Bianca Belair made her entrance to a nice hometown pop. Her family was in the front row. Before the celebration could really kick off, Asuka’s music hit and Asuka hurriedly got to the ring. Asuka extended a hand and the two shook hands until Asuka spit mist into Belair’s face. Belair sold the hell out of it. We went backstage to see AJ Styles warming up for the main event.
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– Belair was flipping out backstage in the trainer’s room as the show returned from commercial.
– Next week, Owens and Zayn will meet Reigns and Sikoa face to face. Mysterio and Santos Escobar will go up against the Usos. Also up for next week is the Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly. This is on top of the Grayson Waller Effect, which will feature the winner of Lashley vs. Styles.
AJ Styles defeated Bobby Lashley [12:03]
Styles won in a match where both guys slowed down considerably from their first match of the night. That’s not shade. That’s just that. You have to feel for Lashley, who had his head busted open twice in one night to ultimately not even get to the finals of this tournament. Styles vs. Rollins should be very good-to-great when it comes to in-ring work. Here’s hoping they get the time to do it. This match, meanwhile, wasn’t ever in doubt much because Styles vs. Rollins was always going to be the best match WWE could get out of the finals of this tournament. Maybe? Hopefully?
The two locked up to begin the best match TNA never saw in 2009 (or maybe it did?). They felt each other out as Barrett played up the fact that Lashley lost a bunch of blood in his first match of the night. Styles went for a chop, but Lashley stopped him with some elbows and a boot to the face. Lashley threw Styles over the top rope as the action spilled outside. Lashley ran Styles into the apron before running Styles into a ring post. We got a commercial break after that.
Returning from break, Lashley had control, but Styles quickly came back with a handful of kicks to Lashley’s legs. Lashley immediately got back the upper hand until Styles rolled Lashley into a calf crusher. Lashley worked out of it, but Styles kept control with some right hands and a DDT for a two-count. Lashley’s head was busted open again. Styles responded with punches to Lashley’s head. Styles lifted Lashley, but Lashley countered into a suplex for a two-count.
Styles came back with a sliding punch, but Lashley went for the Hurt Lock and locked it in (pun intended) until Styles got to the ropes for a break. The action spilled outside, where Lashley went to run Styles into a ring post, but Styles countered and ran Lashley into a ring post before rolling Lashley back into the ring. Styles teased the Phenomenal Forearm, but Lashley cut him off and lifted Styles for a suplex, but Styles fought out of it. It worked until Lashley caught Styles for a running powerslam and a two-count.
Lashley went for a spear, but instead hit the ring post as Styles moved. Styles then landed a knee to Lashley’s head. Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the win. The broadcast team ran down the Night of Champions card. Styles and The OC celebrated by the World Heavyweight title to close the show.
Rey Mysterio will face Damian Priest on the April 24 WWE Raw.
Mysterio vs. Priest was added to Monday’s lineup in an announcement during Friday’s WWE SmackDown episode. In the SmackDown opener, Mysterio and Santos Escobar dropped a tag team bout to Priest and Finn Balor of The Judgment Day.
After the contest, Priest cut a promo on Backlash host Bad Bunny, whose return is the only other item advertised for Monday’s Raw.
In Bad Bunny’s most recent WWE appearance on the Raw after WrestleMania, Priest put Bunny through a table at ringside.
Bunny has not been advertised as wrestling at the May 6 Backlash event in Puerto Rico, but his in-ring involvement has been heavily teased.
Mysterio and Priest last squared off in a singles match on the March 27 Raw, a bout that Mysterio won by disqualification.
After defeating his son Dominik at WrestleMania 39, Mysterio has dropped his last five matches, including singles losses to Austin Theory, Finn Balor, and Solo Sikoa.
