Tag: rhea ripley

‘Female Gunther’ weighs in on nickname, names WWE dream opponent

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

A WWE prospect recently revealed her reaction to being labeled the “female Gunther” by fans after an awkward encounter last year. 

Just over a year ago, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther visited the trainees during the WWE LFG show. An interaction with Zena Sterling (real name Olena Sadovska) in particular stuck out as he blatantly mocked her mannerisms and added that “no one wants to see Barbie.”

Speaking with TMZ’s Inside the Ring, Sterling was asked about the “female Gunther reference” by WWE fans on social media and she said it doesn’t bother her and considers it a compliment, admitting that she reads them and jokingly pats herself on the back when she does.

The 23-year-old has been competing on WWE NXT live events and was last seen losing to Tyra Mae Steele on a late-January episode of Evolve.

When asked about her dream opponent in WWE, Sterling instantly named Rhea Ripley. She distinctly pointed out the similarities between them, especially with Ripley’s shy and quiet demeanor when she first joined the WWE PC. 

“She’s always been an inspiration of mine because she got to the Performance Center when she was 19, just like me and she was once shy as well. I feel like we just connect on so many levels and I see myself in her. So, it’s her development and where she is now. Over time as I develop that same way and get better, I feel like that could be a cool, little match.”

Sterling was a runner-up on LFG Season 1, mentored by Bubba Ray Dudley. And is now an active competitor on WWE Evolve. 

Meanwhile, Gunther and Rhea Ripley are cited as credible talents to emerge from WWE NXT and the Performance Center. Gunther was primarily recognized for his work in NXT UK before being absorbed with the central brand in 2022.

This year, Ripley walks into her seventh WrestleMania match as she aims to dethrone Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship. 

WWE’s WrestleMania 42 plans for IYO Sky could involve another Raw star

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE’s WrestleMania 42 plans for IYO Sky could also involve another star from Raw.

According to Bodyslam+, there have been internal discussions within WWE about Sky facing Asuka at WrestleMania 42. The report also notes there has been some support for potentially adding Kairi Sane to the match, making it a triple threat.

The growing friction between the two did not evolve overnight. It stemmed from the time they betrayed IYO Sky who was also a former member of Damage CTRL. The Kabuki Warrior’s relationship has been strained with Asuka’s continued taunts and insults. In most scenarios, Sane has showcased empathy for whoever gets the unfortunate hate from Asuka. 

Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley’s Elimination Chamber win forced a change in the creative direction for the duo. As The Eradicator heads off to SmackDown to compete against Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Title at WrestleMania 42, it seems Sky will also have her time in the spotlight at The Grandest Stage of Them All.  

WWE SmackDown live results: Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes undisputed title match

Posted on by Marc Quill

On tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Cody Rhodes finally gets his shot at Drew McIntyre and the undisputed WWE Championship, two months after he lost the title in the Three Stages of Hell match.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis put this into motion after McIntyre once again got involved in Rhodes’ business inside last weekend’s men’s Elimination Chamber match. McIntyre’s interference allowed Randy Orton to pin Rhodes to earn a shot at the undisputed WWE Title at WrestleMania 42. The winner of tonight’s title match will face Orton in Las Vegas.

After Rhea Ripley won the women’s Elimination Chamber, she will challenge Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s title at WrestleMania 42. After a notable war of words on social media, Ripley will appear on tonight’s show.

WWE United States Champion Carmelo Hayes will host another open challenge in hopes of yet another successful title defense.

Our live coverage begins at 8 pm Eastern.

********************

– Our night kicked off with a recap of everything that went down in Chicago last Saturday at Elimination Chamber, from Rhea Ripley’s victory, to Danhausen’s debut, Randy Orton’s victory, and finally Nick Aldis’s decision to put Drew McIntyre in a big title match tonight.

– After the recap, the voice of Joe Tessitore set the stage for tonight’s show, which will be main evented by Rhodes vs. McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Randy Orton opens SmackDown

The winner of the men’s Elimination Chamber match, and the man who will face either McIntyre or Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 made his way to the ring to a huge ovation from the Portland crowd. Once Orton was done taking in the cheers of the crowd, he took a mic.

Orton welcomed the Portland crowd to the show before he talked about how he got to the venue early in the morning and he saw that the WrestleMania sign was already up in the arena. Orton said that he started thinking about each individual WrestleMania he had performed in — about twenty of them. He said that he realized that he only main evented two of those Mania shows. It doesn’t matter how many records set or titles won, as there was no guarantee anyone was going to WrestleMania, let alone main event one. But now, here we are and Orton can officially say that he’s going back to the main event of WrestleMania.

Orton said that he’s not the kind of guy who stands in the ring and tells everyone he’s the best. He does let his peers do the talking and they say that he’s the best. Orton called out The Undertaker, Ric Flair, JBL as individuals who put him over, as he then turned his attention to the locker room filled of the amazing talent that he shared it with. He said he’s proud that he’s still in the spot that he’s in to this day. Orton tallked about how he earned his spot, nobody handed it to him.

As for who Orton will face at WrestleMania, he said that we’ll know in a couple of hours. If it’s either Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre, Orton said that he wouldn’t be leaving Vegas without the Undisputed WWE Championship around his waist. Orton said that he planned on accomplishing that in one way, with the most dangerous letters in sports entertainment.

However, before Orton could finish that statement, he was interrupted by the music of Trick Williams. The man himself emerged from the back amidst the loud “WHOOP THAT TRICK!” chants before he spoke. Williams introduced himself as the “sexiest and most entertaining superstar alive”, as he talked about the voices in his head, which told him that he had a bone to pick with Orton. Williams said that we all know he should be in the main event of WrestleMania getting that title shot. However, there was a bigger problem than that. Williams said that on Saturday, Orton came to his Chamber pod and said he wasn’t 6’5″. As Williams entered the ring to talk smack to Orton, he got hit with an RKO out of nowhere.

Standard opening segment with Orton outlining his Mania plans, and Williams managing to be entertaining as ever, even if he was just there to eat an RKO. I imagine things will shift towards something for the WrestleMania title match once we get our winner in the McIntyre/Rhodes main event.

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– Earlier today, Carmelo Hayes met with Nick Aldis in his office. Aldis said that the U.S. Title Open Challenge has been catching the eyes of everyone across the world, including one person in particular. Hayes said that he’d see this person out in the ring, setting the stage for our opener.

U.S. Title Open Challenge: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr.

The AAA Latin American Champion was revealed to be Hayes’ opponent for this Open Challenge. A short primer on Dr. Wagner Jr. was shown prior to this match.

Wagner immediately hit Hayes with a shotgun dropkick, followed by a cannonball into the corner. As Hayes went on the apron, Wagner hit him with a kick, as he then leapt at him to take the U.S. Champion down at ringside. Back in the ring, Hayes was still on the backfoot as Wagner hit a missile dropkick from the top rope for an early pin attempt.

Hayes recovered with a rolling dodge over Wagner, followed by a dropkick of his own. As Hayes tried to go for a suplex, Wagner used his size to block it, but got rolled up for a pin attempt for a count of two. Hayes targeted Wagner’s leg as he then hit his backward springboard leg drop on the challenger, which took us to commercial.

When we returned from commercial, Wagner had just hit a superplex on Hayes for a near-fall. As both men recovered to their feet, they exchanged strikes and chops. Hayes hit an enzuigiri on Wagner, who immediately responded with a hard clothesline. One, two… NO! Wagner Jr. remained on the offensive, but Hayes stopped that with his trademark springboard clothesline. Hayes kipped up and chopped at Wagner’s chest, followed by La Mistica (referred to by Tessitore as a “Dirty Diana”).

Wagner countered Hayes’ First 48 attempt with a deadlift powerbomb for a close near-fall. Wagner exposed his right arm, as he hit a discus elbow strike. Hayes escaped a Wagner Driver attempt, as he then intercepted a middle turnbuckle dive with a First 48, One, two… 2.99999999!!!!!! Hayes headed to the top and missed with Nothin’ But Net. Wagner got ahead of this and put Hayes on his shoulders before he hit yet another powerbomb. Again, Hayes refused to lose.

Hayes dodged a Wagner piledriver and made no mistake with Nothin’ But Net this time for the pin and win in this Open Challenge match.

After the match, Hayes and Wagner showed respect to one another for a heck of a match.

Carmelo Hayes def. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. via pinfall to retain the U.S. Championship

Probably not one of the stronger Open Challenge matches, but still a solid little match to kick off SmackDown’s in-ring action. Wagner Jr. had a good showing in this one and kept up well with Hayes in this contest. I enjoyed it.

********************

– Ilja Dragunov was interviewed about his refusal to answer Carmelo Hayes’ offer to face him for the U.S. Title. He said that he learned this warrior mindset from his mother, stating that he was fighting like how she would. The Miz interrupted to talk some trash to Dragunov, before Kit Wilson showed up to call him “toxic”. Dragunov said that maybe fighting was the answer to get it all out of his system as he left.

– Balloons were being set up around the ring for The Irresistable Forces’ WWE Women’s Tag Title celebration which was coming up next.

– Damian Priest was talking with Nick Aldis about a match he had tonight, as R-Truth joined in on the conversation. Aldis decided to put Truth and Priest as a team for Tag Team Turmoil later tonight as the two left. Drew McIntyre confronted Aldis, and stated that he had time to calm down after Elimination Chamber. McIntyre said that Cody Rhodes didn’t earn tonight’s title shot, but Aldis saw it differently. Aldis said that McIntyre went back on his word and told him it was put up or shut up time. Put the title on the line or forfeit it. McIntyre concluded that the only way taht Rhodes would get the Undisputed WWE Title was from his cold, dead hands.

The Irresistable Forces’ Championship Celebration

Nia Jax and Lash Legend, our new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, made their way down to the ring, which was suitably decorated for their big celebration. As Jax and Legend entered the ring, the two told the Portland crowd to soak it all in, as they were getting a good look at two six-foot-two thoroughbred stallions. Jax said that with the Women’s Tag Titles, they had the entire women’s tag division on lock as the two most dominant women in WWE.

Jax said that any and all challengers were welcome, but it wouldn’t make any difference. Legend added that if anyone was brave enough to challenge them, that if they ran up, they’d get done up. Legend declared that the Irresistable Forces were here and they were not going anywhere. Legend talked about how it was fitting to have a toast to the most grand and dominant WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Jax and Legend toasted as pyro went off on the stage. They were interrupted by the music of Charlotte Flair, who was accompanied by partner Alexa Bliss.

With mics of their own in hand, Bliss said that she was really happy for Nia Jax that she finally found a coattail to ride off her back. She pointed out how they only lost the Women’s Tag Titles to the Kabuki Warriors due to Jax and Legend’s cheating ways. Flair said the two were looking at the next challengers for the Women’s Tag Titles. That was when Giulia and Kiana James made their way.

James pointed out how she won the in a match against Lash Legend and Charlotte Flair, and how she pinned Bliss in the Elimination Chamber. James talked about how she and Giulia would get themselves to WrestleMania one way or another. With the two teams in the ring talking trash to one another, NIck Aldis interjected and said that Portland deserved a little action, as we’d get Giulia and James vs. Bliss and Charlotte, and we’d have that match right now… or at least after this commercial break.

Pretty much a standard segment to set up challengers for the Womens’ Tag Titles. Not really much else to point out here. I will say that Jax and Legend are pretty entertaining now at the moment.

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Giulia & Kiana James

This match was joined in progress after the break as Bliss and Giulia were fighting it out in the ring. Bliss tagged in Flair as the two did an unconventional double team move with Bliss being lifted by Flair to kick Giulia to her corner. James tagged in and seemed to hold her own against James and Giulia. On the apron, Flair barreled into both of them with a senton to the two of them. James recovered and threw Flair into the ringpost to regain momentum for her team.

James punched at Flair before she dropped an elbow right across the chest. Giulia re-entered the match and hit a jumping dropkick to the back of a seated Flair for a two-count. James once again joined the match and drove her shoulders to Flair’s midsection in the corner. As James went for a standing moonsault, Flair used her knees to block it as both women were down in out in the middle of the ring. Bliss and Giulia entered the match for their teams after tag as the latter showed a furious offense against the former. Giulia tried to recover, but Bliss countered it with a basement dropkick after an attempted roll-up.

Bliss kicked Giulia to the outside and leapt from the apron. James caught Bliss and dropped her across the apron as Giulia then hit her with a big boot, which took us to a break.

Once we returned from commercial, Bliss fought hard as she tagged in Flair for the hot tag. Flair took Giulia and James out with a double cross body before lighting the two up with chops. She had things in full control with a fallaway slam on Giulia after catching her. Flair went to the top rope and hit the moonsault on both Giulia and James, the latter of whom managed to kick out at two. James hit Flair with a boot as Giulia blind tagged herself in. Back suplex by Giulia on Flair kept the advantage for her team, but she couldn’t get the three. Giulia willed herself back up and grabbed at Flair’s hair to try for a slam. Flair countered that into a German suplex as Bliss hit James with a DDT. Flair connected with Natural Selection on Giulia for the victory.

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss def. Giulia and Kiana James via pinfall

A fun sprint in this tag match. I enjoy all four competitors in this match and it was a treat seeing these teams.

********************

– We got remarks from Jelly Roll, who congratulated Randy Orton on his Elimination Chamber win as he teased showing up next week.

– Cody Rhodes was interviewed as he got a mixed reaction from the crowd. Rhodes said that one obstacle after another, the one that remained constant was Drew McIntyre. Sami Zayn interrupted things as Rhodes seemed annoyed. Zayn said that he let Rhodes beating him go to qualify for the Elimination Chamber, as he talked about how Rhodes lost at Elimination Chamber, but he still got a chance.

Rhodes saw it differently and thought Zayn was trying to politic his way to a WWE Title match, even though he hadn’t won a damn thing just yet. Zayn backed off again and said that he was actually out here to wish Rhodes luck for his title match later. “Go become WWE Champion, again” Zayn said sarcastically as Rhodes walked off. Zayn once again flipped out afterwards.

– Trick Williams appeared on The Breakfast Club to talk about his recent successes.

Tag Team Turmoil (Winners Become No. 1 Contenders for WWE Tag Team Championships): Motor City Machine Guns vs. Fraxiom vs. The Wyatt Sicks vs. Damian Priest & R-Truth vs. Los Garza

Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley entered first for this match, as they got set to face Fraxiom.

Shelley and Nathan Frazer squared off to start with a bit of chain wrestling. Shelley chopped at Frazer’s chest, but got hit with a jumping kick. Frazer went flying with a forearm strike on Shelley as Axiom entered with a tag. Some fast back and forth action between Sabin and Axiom saw the masked man gain the upper hand with a snap dragon suplex. Frazer and Shelley entered the match as things quickened with Fraxiom showing some nice chemistry against the MCMGs. Frazer and Axiom shelled Shelley and Sabin with repeated suicide dives as we took a break here.

We returned from commercial as Axiom avoided the Machine Guns’ offense to tag in Frazer, who leapt at Sabin and Shelley with springboard double dropkick, followed by a dive through the ropes. Showing great agility, Frazer had the match in hand until a blind tag allowed the Machine Guns’ to respond with their tandem offense. Skull and Bones attempt was stopped by Axiom, as he then tagged in and hit a dropkick on Sabin before he got a pinfall. Shelley put Sabin’s foot on the rope, but that eliminated the Machine Guns from Tag Team Turmoil.

Motor City Machine Guns have been eliminated

Los Garza stormed into the ring and went right on the offensive against Frazier with a double team assaut. Angel hit a a knee to the face of Frazer, who kicked out at two. Frazer recovered and hit a superplex on Angel, as Axiom then hit a kick on him as well. Berto broke up the pinfall as he attacked Axiom. Angel found himself stunned in the corner, while Berto pushed Frazer from the other corner. This left Fraxiom alone to fall victim to the MTY and the pin.

Fraxiom has been eliminated

The Wyatt Sicks were the next to enter the Tag Team Turmoil fray, with Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis representing the team as usual. The Wyatts’ stinger took us into commercial on the USA Network, while the action kept going on the Netflix feed.

Once the match returned from commercial, Lumis was sent barrelling out of the ring after Angel pulled down the middle rope. Berto tagged in and hit Lumis with a dropkick, but couldn’t get the pin. Berto then had Lumis in a single-leg crab submission, but he couldn’t keep the hold. Gacy was knocked out of the apron as Los Garza kept Lumis isolated with a Doomsday Device. As Angel made the pin, Gacy stepped in to break the count. Lumis kicked Angel away, which gave him an opening to tag Gacy in.

Gacy hit Angel with a pump kick as he then powered into a back suplex on Berto. Lumis tagged in and as Tonga Loa pulled out Gacy, followed by Tama Tonga causing a distraction. This led to Berto rolling up Lumis for the shock pin thanks to the M.F.T.s’ involvement.

The Wyatt Sicks have been eliminated

Damian Priest and R-Truth entered the ring as the final competitors of Tag Team Turmoil while Gacy and Lumis brawled with the M.F.T.s up the ramp. We got another break in the action following this.

As we returned from commercial, Priest was on fire and taking it to both Angel and Berto quite easily. Berto rolled out of the ring just as Priest was going to hit his rolling elbow. Outside the ring, Priest sent Angel flying over the announce table, as Berto took advantage with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Berto countered South of Heaven and hit a springboard enzuigiri. Berto headed up top and hit an amazing moonsault for the near-fall. Truth entered the match and then went into John Cena’s Five Moves of Doom against Berto. Five-Knuckle Shuffle hit its mark, as he then locked in the STF after an unsuccessful AA attempt. Angel broke up the submission, as Priest blind tagged into the match. All four men were in the ring as Priest hit South of Heaven while Truth hit the AA for the victory.

R-Truth & Damian Priest def. Los Garza, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, & The Wyatt Sicks to win Tag Team Turmoil

This was a decent match for the most part, but the fact that a lot of it was interrupted by commercials and a thrown-together tag team got the win in this match really does put a damper on things, I’m sorry to say. The SmackDown tag division is already facing an uphill battle in terms of getting TV time, so them essentially playing second fiddle to this Priest and Truth odd couple just won’t cut it.

********************

– Randy Orton was confronted by Sami Zayn, who again was apoplectic about how Orton took advantage of Cody Rhodes getting distracted at Elimination Chamber, wondering how he did it. Orton said that sometimes, you had to be selfish, as it made me a 14-time world champion. Orton told Zayn that he believed in his ability of becoming a world champion, stating that he maybe needed to listen the voices in his head.

As Orton left, Aleister Black told Zayn to not worry about it, as it was just the “nature of the beast.”

Rhea Ripley & Jade Cargill face off

The winner of the women’s Elimination Chamber match walked to the ring as the crowd cheered loudly for Rhea Ripley.

Ripley said she was going to come to SmackDown, and here she was. She then told Jade Cargill to come face her at this moment, since she clearly had a lot to say. This prompted the WWE Women’s Champion to make her way down to the ring, as confident as ever.

Once Cargill got into the ring, she sized up Ripley before offering a handshake. Ripley reluctantly accepted as Cargill said that she gave the handshake because she respected Ripley. Cargill respected all of Ripley’s accomplishments and how the people loved her. She respected how Ripley how hard she worked to earn the opportunities… but Cargill was not impressed. Cargill then boasted about her physical beauty as being more powerful than Ripley’s own physique. Cargill declared that she was going to beat the hell out of Ripley at WrestleMania and that there was nothing she could do about it, because she was “that bitch”.

Ripley responded with another handshake as she then had her turn on the mic. Ripley said that she respected the honesty Cargill was showing and what she really thinks about her. Ripley told Cargill that she respected her physically. Ripley said that even if Cargill gave her best shot at her, she would not stay down. But, if Ripley delivered a shot of her own, there was no way Cargill would get back up. Ripley declared that Cargill’s body was built for show, while her own body was built for fighting. When that bell rings, Cargill could flex all she wants, but Ripley was going to fight and take the WWE Women’s Title from her with force, and there was nothing Cargill could do about it. Ripley then threw Cargill’s own catchphrase back at her before doing a mic drop.

Well, if you were wondering if they were going to lean in on Cargill’s apparent shoot comments about Ripley that got the SmackDown women’s locker room all upset, they didn’t seem to go that route. Meanwhile the route they chose instead was a bit baffling, and it led to kind of a disappointing promo segment between Cargill and Ripley as a result. Not really a promising start to the build for their WrestleMania 42 showdown. Hopefully they can get it together as the feud progresses.

********************

– Backstage, Johnny Gargano was still lying down on a crate, as Alex Shelley was showing sympathy to his plight. Chris Sabin seemed upset at Shelley showing more care for Gargano’s situation as the two argued. When the Motor City Machine Guns left, Candice LeRae wanted for Gargano to show that old “Johnny Wrestling” fire, which seemed to get through to Gargano.

– We got a video from the Wyatt Sicks that once again addressed the M.F.T.s. Uncle Howdy said that Solo Sikoa would have no choice but to run when all was said and done.

– Inside the ring, Gargano said that he was one of the best professional wrestlers in the world, and that he needed to be Johnny Wrestling once again, and it starts tonight. He issued an open challenge for anyone to face him right here, right now. On cue, Oba Femi made his way down to the ring.

Oba Femi vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano went after Femi right away as he tried to go for a strike. A chop from Femi sent Gargano for a loop as he then unleashed his barrage of running forearms to the corner. Femi then tossed Gargano across the ring before he put an end to him with a Fall From Grace and the three. That’s all she wrote.

Oba Femi def. Johnny Gargano via pinfall

I dunno how to feel about Gargano, who used to feel like a big deal in his NXT days, being used as essentially enhancement talent, but I will say I do enjoy Oba Femi hitting his high-octane offense like he did here. Letting Oba be Oba is doing him a world of wonders, and it’s getting him over quite well with the fans.

********************

– Jade Cargill was once again confronted by Michin and B-Fab. We found out that Cargill would defend her WWE Women’s Title against Michin next week.

– Nick Aldis was walking backstage and met by Danhausen, who had a list of demands, which included giving him a mentor. As Aldis walked forward, Danhausen was seen stalking behind him while The Miz was talking on his phone. Aldis said that Miz was in need of someone to mentor, and he found that someone in the form of Danhausen. Miz didn’t want to listen, as Danhausen warned that if he didn’t listen to his demands, he would be cursed. “Remember what happened to Dom on Monday,” threatened Danhausen before he left Miz alone.

Next Week on SmackDown

  • WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Michin
  • We’ll Hear from Jelly Roll
  • WrestleMania Contract Signing: Randy Orton and Winner of Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes

Undisputed WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

This match got underway with McIntyre trying to make a quick exit, but Rhodes ran after him and threw him into the video board. McIntyre was pummeled by Rhodes outside the ring, as he then was thrown over the crowd barricade at ringside. Rhodes took a cup of water from a fan and hit McIntyre across the face with it. As the action got back into the ring, McIntyre got the momentary advantage before he got hit with the drop-down uppercut from Rhodes, followed by a Disaster Kick.

In the corner, Rhodes teed off on McIntyre with bunches of punches. McIntyre found a way to gain momentum by kicking at Rhodes’ chest, as he then connected with an overhead suplex, followed by one more. As Rhodes headed out of the ring, he planted McIntyre into the steel steps and looked like he was going to hit a suicide dive. McIntyre rocked him with an elbow as he then pushed him into the ringpost. McIntyre had Rhodes in position for a drop onto the hardest part of the ring.

McIntyre re-entered the ring as he hit Rhodes with a back elbow for a near-fall. The Undisputed WWE Champion hit a suplex on Rhodes to keep his control of this match. McIntyre’s arm hold was broken up by Rhodes, who began to fight back with strikes to the face. The pace quickened as Rhodes connected with a Randy Orton-style snap powerslam. This was the opening for Rhodes to connect with a Cody Cutter on McIntyre. Rhodes stalked his foe and looked like he was going to hit Cross Rhodes, but McIntyre rolled out of the ring. McIntyre drove Rhodes’ shoulder into the ring post outside the ring as he then targeted that damaged left arm with ruthless intent.

Rhodes tried to fight back, but McIntyre again went for the hurt arm with knees across it, followed by a stomp. McIntyre pointed at the WrestleMania time as he headed for the top rope. Unfortunately for the champ, this gave Rhodes time to recover to intercept him at the pass. McIntyre and Rhodes duked it out on the top rope, as the latter won out and connected with a massive superplex. Both men struggled to their feet and traded strikes until Rhodes locked in the figure-four leg lock on McIntyre. The champion escaped the hold by going after Rhodes’ hurt arm as he rolled out of the ring. Rhodes recovered and hit a suicide dive to knock McIntyre down.

Rhodes took a look at the commentary table and cleared it aside, as he looked for a big risk maneuver. Rhodes took McIntyre on top of the table and was about to hit Cross Rhodes. McIntyre broke out of it as the table collapsed under the sheer weight of both men. Rhodes got up and pulled a table from underneath the ring. McIntyre attacked from behind and set up the table. He put Rhodes trhrough the table with a powerbomb, somehow not being disqualified for it.

In the ring, McIntyre put Rhodes in position to be hit with a Cross Rhodes of his own. One, two…. NOT YET! McIntyre set Rhodes up for a Claymore, but was blocked at the last second. Rhodes decided to pull a page from McIntyre’s playbook and hit the Claymore kick for a very close near-fall. The referee twice avoided calamity, but couldn’t avoid it a third time as McIntyre pulled him in the way of Rhodes’ Disaster Kick. With the ref down and out, the fight still continued as McIntyre avoided a running splash and chopped at Rhodes’ chest. The challenger pulled an amazing counter of McIntyre’s attempted slam for Cross Rhodes. But, the referee was out cold. As a second referee was coming down, McIntyre hit the Claymore on Rhodes in the process. One, two…. 2.999999999!!!!!

McIntyre threw Rhodes shoulder-first into the ring post twice as he then turned his attention to the referee and hit him with a headbutt out of frustration. McIntyre went out of the ring to grab a chair and looked like he had evil intentions for Rhodes. However, before he could do anything, Jacob Fatu appeared out of nowhere and ripped the chair away from him. Rhodes rolled up McIntyre, but there was a kickout at two. McIntyre hit the Future Shock DDT and had Rhodes in position for the Claymore. Rhodes moved out of the away and hit a super Cody Cutter before one final Cross Rhodes and that’s it, over. Cody Rhodes is your Undisputed WWE Champion once again and will face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42.

Cody Rhodes def. Drew McIntyre to win the Undisputed WWE Championship

********************

I’d assume that this sudden title change was likely to set up a more tantalizing (in WWE’s eyes) Orton vs. Rhodes title match, as well as McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu for WrestleMania 42. I’m just going to get out and front and say that I’m kind of not of a fan of this title change. The whole story of McIntyre “fooling around and finding out” by antagonizing everyone leading to a potential multi-man title match seemed like the better play for WrestleMania.

As for this match itself, it was a decent TV main event and both men looked pretty good in the process, so I can’t complain about the actual match, even if the finish was a bit off for me.

This week’s SmackDown was again a decent show, with the main event, Giulia/James vs. Bliss/Flair, and Hayes vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. being my favorites of the night. I wasn’t a fan of Tag Team Turmoil at all and the main event finish did leave me a bit cold as it seemed to throw away the possibilities teased in prior weeks.

All in all, we’re set up for what seems to be a “safe” Road to WrestleMania, and I don’t know if the safe, predictable route will be one that gets fans flocking to Vegas next month.

New details on Jade Cargill, Rhea Ripley social media confrontation

Posted on by Ian Carey

Dave Meltzer addressed the social media confrontation between Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

During the exchange, comments by Ripley, Chelsea Green, and Piper Niven were critical of Cargill, with Ripley taking specific aim at her in-ring work. Reports over the past few days have suggested the exchange was either a work, a shoot, a work that turned into a shoot, or some combination of the two.

“Not having fun. Not friends. Learn to work and never lie to defame someone’s real human character by ‘breaking the 4th wall” Ripley wrote during the exchange.

Meltzer wrote in Friday’s newsletter that the exchange was not a shoot, but that much of the criticism directed at Cargill, particularly regarding her in-ring work, reflects concerns that have been expressed about her by others.

Meltzer wrote:

“While this was not a shoot, no matter what people tell you, because WWE forbids that type of thing from its talent on social media platforms, the reality is what was said about Cargill was almost identical to what several other women talent have told me over the past year, really starting after the Shayna Baszler and Cargill confrontation went public.”

Meltzer was referencing a report from March 2025 regarding a backstage interaction between Cargill and Shayna Baszler. Cargill was said to have confronted Baszler while pointing to a bruise on her arm and telling her she needed to learn how to work. Baszler reportedly responded, “If I was shooting, you and I would both know.”

Meltzer continued regarding Cargill:

“It’s natural with the resentment of her being pushed while not being good in the ring or anything special on promos, but completely due to her unique look. There was a feeling that look or not, she didn’t get over to the level others have, didn’t improve in the ring and in the case starting in the wake of the Baszler situation, would blame her partners when matches had issues. Most of the women believe they are better and didn’t get the same chances, which leads to resentment,” Meltzer added.

The full edition of today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here for subscribers.

Report: Details on Jade Cargill & Rhea Ripley’s social media confrontation

Posted on by Bryan Rose

What started as banter between Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley over the weekend quickly turned into something darker.

Fightful Select reported on Tuesday that their exchange seemed to start off as a “playful work” but took a turn once Cargill started to talk about Ripley going to creative. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven also had exchanges with Cargill at one point, with Niven saying maybe she’ll be recovered by the time Cargill is back from her “many vacations.”

Despite this, Fighful reports that WWE is said to be “generally happy” about the buzz following the exchange, with the idea that people will believe Cargill and Ripley genuinely dislike one another regardless of if its true or not. Fightful also said that there is no concern from WWE sources that the two wouldn’t be able to work together.

PWInsider reported that the situation was not something devised by WWE creative, with sources pinning the blame on Cargill. According to PWInsider, sources said this was not the first time Cargill has upset others with how she has conducted herself and while there were reports of Cargill being hurt last year, the real reason she vanished and was seen training at the Performance Center was to let personal issues subside.

Another source told PWInsider that while talent is happy to do what is needed to Cargill over, they feel that the respect they show isn’t paid back, describing it as Cargill being ‘insecure’ when she doesn’t have a reason to feel that way. An additional source said that Cargill is a ‘type A’ personality, and this is something that happens in competition.

On Wrestling Observer Radio on Tuesday morning, Dave Meltzer said while it was a work, the comments that were aimed at Cargill are identical to the thoughts of some backstage.

The exchange over the weekend led to Ripley posting on social media: “Not having fun. Not friends. Learn to work and never lie to defame someone’s real human character by ‘breaking the 4th wall’.”

Rhea Ripley addresses future of RHIYO after WWE Elimination Chamber win

Posted on by Ian Carey

Rhea Ripley says her tag team with IYO SKY will need to be put on hold.

Ripley won the women’s Elimination Chamber match to kick off Saturday’s Premium Live Event in Chicago. Her victory inside the Chamber came just one day after she and IYO SKY, collectively known as RHIYO, dropped the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to The Irresistible Forces, Lash Legend and Nia Jax.

Ripley addressed the future of her team with SKY on the post-Elimination Chamber episode of WWE NOW.

“Obviously, the tag team stuff might have to be put on hold for a little bit, but whatever she’s doing, I’m still going to be there for her and vice versa,” Ripley said.

“It’s kind of sad to think about because I feel like IYO has kind of been in my life here in the WWE over the past, like what, year and a half? We’ve been pretty much inseparable, whether we’ve been facing each other or we’ve been tagging together, just growing that bond.”

Ripley’s win in the Elimination Chamber on Saturday means she will challenge Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42. It is coming up on one year since Ripley last held a world title in WWE. She dropped the WWE Women’s World Championship to SKY on the March 3, 2025 edition of WWE Raw.

Ripley’s full appearance on WWE NOW is available below. The video is queued to her comments about the future of her team with IYO SKY.

Rhea Ripley wins Elimination Chamber, earns WWE WrestleMania 42 title shot

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Rhea Ripley is heading to WrestleMania.

Ripley emerged victorious at Elimination Chamber on Saturday, pinning Tiffany Stratton to win the match. The two had a competitive back-and-forth match after everyone else had been eliminated, but Ripley won after hitting the riptide.

Following her victory, Ripley pointed at the WrestleMania sign as pyro went off. She will now challenge Jade Cargill, who was in the crowd watching the match. Cargill responded to Ripley’s win by clapping and holding her WWE Women’s Championship that Ripley will now challenge for.

Kiana James scored an upset once again during the match by pinning Alexa Bliss after she was misted by Asuka. But her luck ran out when she was laid out by Raquel Rodriguez, who then followed that up by hitting the Tejana Bomb on Asuka who landed on James then stacked them up to eliminate them both. Stratton then eventually pinned Rodriguez with the PME, leaving her and Ripley as the final two participants.

The men’s Elimination Chamber later on Saturday between Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Logan Paul, Randy Orton, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans will determine Drew McIntyre’s opponent for WrestleMania 42.

Rhea Ripley shows off black eye following WWE SmackDown match

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

A recent WWE SmackDown match against Giulia left Rhea Ripley with a brutal mark on her face.

On Friday, during the February 20 episode of SmackDown, Rhea Ripley faced off against Giulia in a nine-minute match. Despite both wrestlers proving almost equal for each other, Ripley won the match via disqualification. However, it also left her with a black eye.

Shortly after, on Instagram, Ripley uploaded a story showing off her black eye, while also sarcastically wishing Giulia a “happy birthday.”

However, the exact moment when Ripley suffered the black eye is not confirmed; it is expected that the spot took place when Giulia kicked hard on Ripley’s skull, drilling her head into the mat.

This was not the first time Ripley suffered a facial injury. Previously, she also suffered an Orbital socket/broken nose injury in 2024, requiring her to wear a mask. One year later, in 2025, she again suffered a broken nose injury, requiring her to wear her mask again.

The WWE Women’s tag team champions, Ripley and IYO Sky, are currently in a feud against Giulia and Kiana James, while Ripley is also a part of the Women’s Elimination Chamber match.

Women’s Tag Team title match part of next week’s WWE SmackDown lineup

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A rematch for the Women’s Tag Team titles is part of next week’s SmackDown in Louisville, Kentucky.

This week’s show saw Nia Jax and Lash Legend reveal their new team name, the Irresistible Forces. It was also announced that the two will challenge for the Women’s Tag Team titles on next week’s show. They came up short in defeating Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY on last week’s show.

A singles match between Uncle Howdy and Solo Sikoa will also take place. After Tama Tonga defeated Ilja Dragunov on Friday, the MFTs continued to attack Dragunov and also took care of Matt Cardona and Apollo Crews, who attempted to make the save. Uncle Howdy appeared on the screen and challenged Sikoa to appear by himself next week, noting that he would do the same.

Other matches will see Jordynne Grace take on Candace LeRae after a backstage confrontation and Oba Femi meeting The Miz after they too had an encounter backstage.

WWE SmackDown (February 27)

  • WWE Women’s Tag Team titles: Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax & Lash Legend) 
  • Jordynne Grace vs. Candace LeRae
  • Oba Femi vs. The Miz
  • Uncle Howdy vs. Solo Sikoa

WWE announces change to SmackDown lineup

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A change has been made to the scheduled lineup for WWE SmackDown tonight.

Just a few hours before the show was set to begin, WWE announced that Rhea Ripley would be replacing her tag team partner IYO SKY in her match against Giulia. A reason for the change was not given.

This is a non-title match between two champions. Giulia currently holds the Women’s United States title, while Ripley & SKY are the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They successfully defended those belts against Giulia & Kiana James on SmackDown two weeks ago.

SKY vs. Giulia was set to be a first-time-ever singles match between the two Japanese stars. The Ripley vs. Giulia bout is also a first-time singles meeting.

Amerant Bank Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is the venue for SmackDown tonight. The show is airing on Syfy due to USA Network’s coverage of the Winter Olympics. WWE has announced that an appearance by Cody Rhodes will be kicking off the episode at 8 p.m. Eastern.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, February 20) —

  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest
  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax vs. Kiana James
  • Oba Femi vs. Kit Wilson
  • Giulia vs. Rhea Ripley
  • Ilja Dragunov vs. Tama Tonga
  • Cody Rhodes kicks off the show

Two more wrestlers qualify for WWE Elimination Chamber

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two more wrestlers are set to enter the Elimination Chamber.

Rhea Ripley and LA Knight both qualified for the chamber on Monday night. Ripley was the first to qualify, with the finish having Lyra Valkyria hitting Ivy Nile with the nightwing. But before Valkyria could cover, Ripley arrived and took her out with a knee strike. The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion then won following the riptide.

In the main event of Monday’s show, the rest of the Vision interfered on behalf of Austin Theory, who was wrestling LA Knight and Penta in a men’s qualifying match. Bronson Reed took out Knight and gave him the tsunami, seemingly paving the way for Theory’s victory. However as Theory went for the cover, Penta dragged him out of the ring. Theory took care of Penta but ran into the same hooded figure who attacked Bron Breakker at the Royal Rumble. The mystery man gave Theory the stomp and made his exit through the crowd as the rest of the Vision chased him away. 

Theory managed to make his way back to the ring as both he and LA Knight recovered. Knight recovered first and scored the win with the BFT.

The next series of qualifying matches will take place on SmackDown with Cody Rhodes facing Jacob Fatu & Sami Zayn while Alexa Bliss will face Giulia and Zelina. Next week’s Raw will see Gunther facing Jevon Evans & Dominik Mysterio while Bayley will take on Nattie & Asuka.

WWE Elimination Chamber (February 28)

  • World Heavyweight title: CM Punk defends against Finn Balor
  • Women’s Intercontinental title: Becky Lynch defends against AJ Lee
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber: Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber: Tiffany Stratton vs. Rhea Ripley vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA

WWE SmackDown live results: Elimination Chamber qualifiers begin

Posted on by Marc Quill

The stars of WWE SmackDown begin their road to WrestleMania 42 tonight from Charlotte, NC, with the Undisputed WWE Championship title picture now even more volatile following last Saturday’s Royal Rumble.

That picture, and the WWE Women’s title picture, will become a bit more clear with the kickoff of Elimination Chamber three-way qualifying matches. One will feature Randy Orton vs. Aleister Black vs. Solo Sikoa while the other will see former Women’s World Champion Tiffany Stratton vs. Lash Legend vs. Chelsea Green.

Women’s Rumble winner Liv Morgan will also make an appearance as she has yet to decide who she will face at WrestleMania 42.

The WWE Women’s Tag Team titles will be on the line as Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Women’s United States Champion Giulia & Kiana James.

WWE men’s United States Champion Carmelo Hayes will continue with his title defense open challenge seres.

Shinsuke Nakamura will take on Tama Tonga to round out the show that kicks off at 8 pm Eastern.

**********

– Over a shot of Charlotte’s skyline, Joe Tessitore introduced us to tonight’s show as he tossed to a recap of last Saturday’s Royal Rumble event.

Drew McIntyre opens SmackDown

The Undisputed WWE Champion arrrived to the arena with a smile on his face, but before he can even be properly introduced, Drew McIntyre was attacked from behind by a vengeful Cody Rhodes. McIntyre’s hated foe wanted to get revenge for the champion’s involvement in the Royal Rumble that got him eliminated. As a gaggle of officials came out to separate the bitter rivals, McIntyre was forced to retreat as Rhodes stood tall inside the ring.

Rhodes took the mic and said that things would never be the same, despite McIntyre’s best efforts. He said that for the first time, he can’t in good conscience point at the WrestleMania thanks to McIntyre’s interference. Rhodes discussed CM Punk and Roman Reigns making their WrestleMania main event official this past Monday, stating that the two of them were both glad that he wasn’t in their “you-know-what measuring contest”, because he didn’t get the nickname of “Raheem” for no reason. He talked about how much WrestleMania meant to him, and how he was born in Charlotte. “Imagine my discomfort returning here without the championship,” said the hometown boy. Rhodes said that McIntyre wasn’t mad that he wasn’t champion, but rather because Rhodes was the champ. He concluded by promising that his shame and discomfort would be McIntyre’s downfall, and that the Undisputed WWE Champ wouldn’t make it to WrestleMania.

I quite liked that Rhodes was understandably fired up after getting screwed out of the Royal Rumble by McIntyre and responded in kind with the attack. I am curious if this means we’ll see some kind of ultimate blowoff to this at Elimination Chamber instead of WrestleMania. What I didn’t like, however, was the “Raheem” meme being acknowledged, and the context it was mentioned in. To put it simply, it doesn’t take much to put two and two together to know that having the top babyface imply what he said, even in a joking manner, is a huge no-no. And that’s especially given the implications (the “you-know-what measuring contest”) coming from what was said by Rhodes and the timing of when it was said — this being Black History Month. Really, just a bad call all around.

**********

– Backstage, Giulia and Kiana James were interviewed ahead of their Women’s Tag Title Match against RHIYO coming up next. James again made it clear that winning the tag titles was part of the plan of making Giulia a triple champion.

– Elsewhere, Nick Aldis was admonishing Cody Rhodes for his attack on McIntyre, as he told him to control his emotions because he was set for an Elimination Chamber qualifier match for next week. Rhodes promised to control his emotions before leaving for the night, led by a group of referees.

WWE Womens’ Tag Team Championships: RHIYO (IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley) (c) vs. Giulia & Kiana James

Ripley and James started off this match with a test of strength, as the challenger flinched when Ripley was about to punch her. Giulia stepped up to Ripley as the legal woman, but wanted to face IYO SKY. Ripley obliged that request and tagged SKY in as we got some joshi action here early.

Giulia stomped at SKY’s head and mocked her taunt as she grabbed at her hair. SKY dodged an attempt at a throw by Giulia and hit her with an impressive shotgun dropkick. SKY got slammed down by Giulia, but couldn’t capitalize, so Kiana James involved herself by dropping SKY’s throat across the top rope. James tagged in and took over against SKY on the outside. James held SKY in position outside as Giulia hit her with a dropkick from the apron, which sent us to a break in the action.

This Papa Johns-sponsored match returned from commercial as SKY got blasted with a missile dropkick from Giulia for a near-fall. James tagged in as she and Giulia failed to hit a double team move on SKY. James tried to get the sneaky entry back into the ring to stop SKY from tagging Ripley, but couldn’t get it done. SKY tagged Ripley in, who was a house of fire as she cleared house on Giulia and James. SKY dove to the outside to take Giulia out right in front of the annunce tables.

Back in the ring, Ripley slammed James face-first like a pancake, but that wasn’t enough. James escaped a Riptide attempt and powerbombed SKY right on Ripley. Giulia and James hit a combination of their signature moves — the Arrivederci Knee and 401K — on SKY, but couldn’t capitalize. Giulia attempted a Northern Lights Bomb, but SKY reversed it. Ripley with the blind tag as she headbutted Giulia, followed by the Riptide. SKY finished this match off with the Over The Moonsault to pick up the win and retain the Women’s Tag Titles.

RHIYO def. Giulia & Kiana James via pinfall

This was a fun opening contest from start to finish. The brief glimpses we got of IYO SKY and Giulia facing off was a good appetizer for when we do get these two in one-on-one action down the line. There’s just something about the SKY/Ripley pairing that works so well, and it translates to their tag matches being really entertaining.

**********

– Ilja Dragunov was interrupted by the Miz, who claimed that he went to Nick Aldis and got a U.S. Title Open Challenge match. Carmelo Hayes then appeared, and stated that Miz didn’t deserve a shot at the U.S. Title, as he then offered to face him in a non-title match coming up next.

Carmelo Hayes vs. The Miz

Hayes started off hot as he hit his springboard clothesline on Miz. However, the former WWE Champion got the advantage as he flattened Hayes with an elbow afterwards. Miz worked over Hayes in the corners, but got hit with a kick to the back of the head, followed by a springboard leg drop. Hayes battered Miz with a chop in the corner, as he then stomped away on him for a bit before the referee backed Hayes off. Miz clipped at Hayes’ legs as another springboard clothesline attempt, before he hit him with a running clothesline, which took us to an awkwardly-placed ad break.

We returned from commercial as Hayes attempted to fight back against Miz with a series of furious strikes that forced his foe into the corner. Hayes connected with La Mistica on Miz, which sent him out of the ring. Hayes hit a dive from the ring to the outside on Miz, as he then attempted a frog splash. Miz got his knees up to block Hayes’ splash and nearly got the win on the pin, but only got two instead.

Miz teed off with his kicks, but failed to hit the last one as Hayes dodged it. The U.S. Champion countered a Skull-Crushing Finale attempt and cracked him right in the jaw with a superkick for the near-fall. Hayes pulled himself back up and headed to the top, as Miz turned that around and hit a slingshot sitdown powerbomb. One, two…. NO! Miz sized Hayes up, but couldn’t connect with the Skull-Crushing Finale. Hayes tried for First 48, but got countered into another Skull-Crushing Finale attempt. Somehow, Hayes avoided the impact at the last second and finally hit FIrst 48 to pick up the victory.

Carmelo Hayes def. The Miz via pinfall

That was a great match, yes, but that ending sequence where Hayes reversed the Skull-Crushing Finale into a First 48 was silky smooth and highlights why I enjoy watching Hayes in action every week. He just doesn’t miss.

**********

– Tiffany Stratton was interviewed about nearly winning the Royal Rumble, as she promised to get herself back on the winning track by way of qualifying for the Elimination Chamber. Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre showed up and taunted Stratton, but were told off as the former WWE Women’s Champion got ready for her Chamber qualifier coming up next.

– The Wyatt Sicks interruption played as Bo Dallas talked about Solo Sikoa’s theft of the lantern. Dallas said Sikoa was scared of being left in the dark all by himself, which is why he stole the lantern. Dallas mentioned that fear doesn’t show up when everyone’s together, it shows up when you’re all alone. He chuckled as the video ended.

Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Chelsea Green (w/ Alba Fyre) vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Lash Legend (w/ Nia Jax)

Green slapped Stratton and Legend to start this match off, which led to her getting bashed around by both the women she slapped. Stratton and Legend stood face-to-face and got ready for their own battle. Stratton leaped at Legend but was grabbed and used as a battering ram of sorts to take Alba Fyre out of the apron. Stratton recovered and forced Legend to the outside, as she then dove onto both Legend and Nia Jax.

Back in the ring, Green tried to steal Stratton’s pin and yelled at her. Legend tried to get involved, which forced a temporary alliance between Green and Stratton to clothesline her out of the ring. That alliance ended as it began as she headed to the top and took out Stratton and Jax with a dive to the outside. Green did her salute, but got rocked by a big boot from Legend, which took us into the break.

We returned from commercial as Legend lifted Stratton over her head and slammed her onto a prone Green before she splashed onto both women, but couldn’t get the win off of this. Stratton recovered and used Green as an impromptu stepping stone to kick Legend in the corner. Stratton caught Legend with a rough dropkick as she reversed an Un-Pretty-Her attempt from Green. On the top rope, Stratton hit Green with a superplex, as she rolled through with the uranage. Legend broke up the pin and tried for the Lash Extension, but couldn’t capitalize.

Legend caught Stratton and hit a buckle bomb, followed by the chokeslam for the near-fall. Meanwhile, Green leapt from the top rope and hit a Coast-to-Coast dropkick on both Stratton and Legend. Nia Jax pulled Green out as she made the pin, which led to a scuffle between her and Fyre at ringside. Things broke down as Green and Stratton heaved Legend over the timekeeper’s area with a toss. In the ring, Green attempted an Un-Pretty-Her, but was reversed by Stratton, who finished this match off with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.

Tiffany Stratton def. Chelsea Green & Lash Legend via pinfall to qualify for Elimination Chamber

That was a bit of a rough match to watch. Moves looked rough and it seemed like nobody really clicked with anyone in this contest.

**********

– As Randy Orton was being interviewed about his Elimination Chamber qualifier, Aleister Black interrupted and talked about how we’ve said goodbye to two great wrestlers in John Cena and AJ Styles, and it was fortunate that Orton was still around.

– A video package highlighting the stars of NXT and their performance in the men’s and women’s Royal Rumbles was shown.

Kit Wilson’s Lesson in Toxic Masculinity

Kit Wilson made his way to the ring and got ready to teach us all a lesson in toxic masculinity. He talked about being in the Royal Rumble last week, and it disgusted him. He called everyone in the Rumble “toxic”, and stated that “they” didn’t want him in the Royal Rumble because of what he represents. Wilson called himself a man who moisturizes and a man who listens, as well as a man who moves his hips in a particular way. Wilson called the Charlotte crowd toxic as he then challenge anyone who was in the Rumble to face him right now to prove themselves.

Oba Femi made his way to answer Wilson’s challenge, garnering a great reaction from this crowd.

Oba Femi vs. Kit Wilson

Wilson yelled at Femi, and got met with a hard strike from the former NXT Champion. Femi repeatedly hit Wilson in the corner with running elbows a-plenty before he put an end to this match with a Fall From Grace.

Oba Femi def. Kit Wilson via pinfall

Not much to say here other than if Femi is booked as strong as he’s been booked, then he’ll be a cornerstone of WWE’s main event scene for years to come.

**********

– Damian Priest and R-Truth were seen watching Femi’s match as Drew McIntyre rudely bumped into Truth. Priest said that McIntyre have had their problems, but it seems like the champ has his own problems to deal with, so he wasn’t going to add to that.

Drew McIntyre, Interrupted

The Undisputed WWE Champion made his way down to the ring and got ready to speak his mind, at least until Jacob Fatu attacked him in the ring. Fatu flattened McIntyre with a running hip attack as he then clotheslined him out of the ring. Fatu hit a suicide dive on McIntyre and battered him at ringside. Officials tried to stop Fatu, but found themselves in the path of his destructive force. Fatu struck at McIntyre, and forced him to run away through the crowd. Fatu stood on the announce table and taunted his foe in victory.

After the break, Nick Aldis told Fatu that he’d be in an Elimination Chamber qualifier match next week if he desperately wanted to get a shot at Drew McIntyre.

McIntyre getting attacked by both Fatu and Rhodes tonight seems to make it clear that their business with the champion is far from done, so I do wonder how that will play into Elimination Chamber, assuming both men qualify.

**********

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tama Tonga (w/ J.C. Mateo & Tanga Loa)

Tama hit Nakamura in the ribs and got the early advantage with strikes to the head of his opponent. Tama missed with a running strike into the corner, which allowed Nakamura to hit him with a knee to the ribs while Tama was prone on the top turnbuckle. On the opposite corner, Nakamura did his signature “stomp” on Tama, but he got hit with a modifed Flatliner afterwards. Outside the ring, Tama slammed Nakamura across the announce table and draped him on top of it. Tama got on the timekeeper’s area barricade and hit Nakamura with an elbow drop, which took us to a break in the action.

This match returned from break as Nakamura hit Tama with a sliding dropkick, followed by a set of strong-style kicks that rocked his foe. Nakamura then hit a nice enzuigiri to Tama, before he connected with the sliding German suplex in the corner. Nakamura continued momentum with the diving knee strike, but couldn’t get the win just yet. Tama found momentum with a reverse DDT, as he then hit the running splash into the corner. Tama hit a double underhook facebuster on Nakamura for the near-fall as he then had him in position for a move of some sort.

Nakamura reversed that attempt into a suplex, that sent Tama scurrying out of the ring. Nakamura took J.C. Mateo out with a baseball slide, but fell victim to a jumping DDT from Tama back in the ring. Tama lifted Nakamura on his shoulders, but got countered into a side suplex from the King of Strong Style. Both men struggled to their feet and went back and forth with clubbing blows. Nakamura got the best of Tama with his trademark spinning wheel kick, and delivered a Michinoku Driver for the near-fall. As Nakamura had Tama in sight for Kinshasa, J.C. Mateo distracted the referee long enough for Tanga Loa to grab at his legs. Tama recovered and hit an unelevated Cutthroat, followed by one last one for the victory.

Tama Tonga def. Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall

That was an alright match, but the inevitable M.F.T. interference put a damper on things.

**********

– Fraxiom and the Motor City Machine Guns were walking backstage, as Candice LeRae approached the four and told them to look at what happened to Johnny Gargano lying on a box marked “NXT”. LeRae talked about what Axiom did to Gargano after he beat him last week, but didn’t get any sort of sympathy from Fraxiom and the MCMGs.

– As RHIYO talked about their victory earlier tonight, they were interrupted by Nia Jax and Lash Legend, who appeared to call their shot for the Women’s Tag Titles.

– A defeated Kit Wilson sauntered about backstage and noticed Matt Cardona, as he blamed him for his shortcomings. Cardona, who was chatting with Apollo Crews, told Wilson that he was always ready for a challenge.

Liv Morgan makes her presence known

The 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble winner was introduced by Nick Aldis in the ring, as she made her way alongside fellow Judgment Day cohort Raquel Rodriguez.

Morgan said that we were now in the presence of the “greatest Royal Rumble winner of all time”. She said she wasn’t just the greatest, as she called herself the hottest, funniest, smartest, and most iconic woman in the history of WWE. Morgan said that all of that came with a lot of power, but she didn’t have a lot of time to make a certain decision. Morgan said she could choose Stephanie Vaquer or face Jade Cargill. Morgan said that WrestleMania wasn’t the only thing on her mind, but that there was a huge elephant in the room. Before she could say what that was, Rodriguez took her mic and said that she had something to say instead. However, they were both interrupted by the arrival of WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill.

Cargill said that she didn’t care if Morgan won the Royal Rumble, and that she didn’t care if she was on SmackDown. Cargill said that if Morgan chose her, she’d beat her ass at WrestleMania before she turned her attention to Rodriguez. Morgan interrupted and talked about how she could pick Stephanie Vaquer and ensure Raquel Rodriguez would beat Cargill instead. This led to Jordynne Grace interrupting proceedings.

Grace said that Morgan did what she had to do to win the Rumble, but if she could get Cargill to defend her title, maybe it’ll be Grace who Morgan might end up facing at WrestleMania. Morgan interrupted and got told to shut up by both Cargill and Grace. Mr. Aldis talked about how if Morgan was available to talk, she was available to fight, which led to a tag match between Cargill and Grace versus Morgan and Rodriguez to be booked.

Not really my cup of tea, with this style of segment, mainly because of how Morgan’s style of promos isn’t really for me.

**********

Jade Cargill & Jordynne Grace vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

This match started in progress after the commercial break, as Rodriguez was battering Grasce with elbows to the chest. Grace got lifted by a back suplex from Rodriguez, but she avoided a diving bomb. However, Morgan tagged in and tried for the Three Amigos. Grace countered on the third of the Amigos and delivered a suplex of her own. Grace flattened Morgan with a series of lariats, followed by repeated scoop slams. The cover by Grace, but Rodriguez interrupted the count. As Grace sent Rodriguez out of the ring, Morgan attempted ObLIVion, but was blocked by the strength fo Grace.

Cargill “accidentally” hit Grace with a superkick after Rodriguez got out of the way. Meanwhile, Rodriguez had an accident of her own as she hit Morgan with a kick as Cargill got out of the way. As Cargill and Rodriguez were staring down, Grace pushed the latter onto the former and pulled off the roll-up for the win.

Jordynne Grace & Jade Cargill def. Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan via pinfall

This match was a bit on the short side, but the friendly fire finish playing into Grace and Cargill’s feud, as well as a potential Judgment Day rift worked well.

**********

– Sami Zayn was met by Rey Fenix, who consoled him after his Royal Rumble loss, but both were interrupted by Trick Williams, who called himself the Michael Jordan to Zayn’s Charles Barkley. Williams talked about how he was the guy who gets things done around here. Fenix told Williams that he had a big mouth and he’d shut him up if he kept it up. Williams responded to Fenix, saying he’d do it “any time, any place.”

– Elsewhere, Jade Cargill and Jordynne Grace were at each other’s throats following their tag match, as Nick Aldis told the two there’d be a WWE Women’s Title match next week on SmackDown, with Cargill set to defend against Grace.

– A recap of Roman Reigns & CM Punk’s fiery confrontation on Raw was shown, as we got official confirmation of Punk defending the World Title against Reigns at WrestleMania in ten weeks time.

Drew McIntyre has something to say

Now with seemingly no interruptions to hamper him, Drew McIntyre talked about how both Jacob Fatu & Cody Rhodes should be banned from the Elimination Chamber qualifiers for what they did to him earlier. He also took credit for dashing Sami Zayn’s dreams at the Royal Rumble before he finally turned his attention to Reigns and Punk’s promo from Monday night.

McIntyre talked about how he was been through hell to get the Undisputed World Title and that he’d never go part time. He put over the heritage of his Undisputed WWE Title, and that he didn’t blame Reigns for choosing Punk. McIntyre said that while Reigns and Punk were busy aura farming, he has the entire roster climbing the Elimination Chamber for the right to be the Undisputed WWE Champion.

As McIntyre was making his exit, Trick Williams interrupted to a huge ovation of “Whoop That Trick” chants. Williams said maybe he was just here to watch the main events and kicking up his lemon pepper steppers. Willams said that maybe McIntyre was worried about the wrong people, when he should be worried about him, the man who will take the WWE Title at WrestleMania.

McIntyre warned Willaims to walk before running, because if he interrupted him again, McIntyre promised he’d stick Williams’ “lemon pepper steppers” where the sun didn’t shine.

So, how was McIntyre’s response to essentially being treated as a third wheel on Monday by Reigns and Punk? He tried his best, yes, but it’s still an uphill battle to get ahead of it given how big the Punk vs. Reigns match is being sold as. Meanwhile, it’s nice seeing Trick Williams get into these big main event situations, as it’s clear as day that he’s being viewed as a big star.

**********

Next Week on SmackDown

  • WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Jordynne Grace
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: RHIYO (IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley) vs. Lash Legend & Nia Jax
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Alexa Bliss vs. Giulia vs. Zelina
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Trick Williams vs. Rey Fenix

Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Solo Sikoa vs. Randy Orton vs. Aleister Black

Prior to the match, Sikoa was seen wondering where his M.F.T.s allies were, but they were nowhere to be found, as he made his way down to the ring alone.

Sikoa tried to get Black to team up on Orton, but it was a double-cross. Orton went for the RKO early, but couldn’t connect. Sikoa pulled Orton out of the ring and threw him into the ring post. Black hit his moonsault from the apron on Sikoa, as he then countered an attempted back suplex to the announce table and instead took Orton out with a clubbing blow. This took us into the break.

We returned from break as Orton stomped on Black while he had Sikoa trapped in an ankle submission. This opened both men up to Orton’s Garvin-style stomps, as Sikoa found himself in the corner being battered by punches. Black stopped Orton from attacking further, but got himself in the crosshairs of Orton’s punches in the corners instead. Black escaped his predicament and hit Orton with kicks across the chests, followed by punches to the ribs.

Black pulled Orton to the middle of the ring and worked him over until he was pulled out of the ring and thrown into the barrricade by Sikoa, who briefly stared Trick Williams down before he entered the ring. Sikoa kept Orton grounded with chops and punches as he pointed at the WrestleMania sign. Orton recovered and hit Sikoa with a series of clotheslines, but couldn’t hit the scoop powerslam, as Sikoa dodged it. Black entered the fray and got dropped with a pop-up Samoan Drop by Sikoa for the near-fall, as we took one more break in the action.

We returned to our main event as Orton hit a superplex on Black, but it put him in prime position for Sikoa to drop down on him with a splash for the near-fall. Black and Sikoa got themselves on their feet and traded strikes, but it was the Samoan who got the upper hand. Sikoa missed with the running hip attack, as Black hit him with the top rope Meteora. Orton got back in the ring and hit Black with clotheslines. Sikoa avoided the draping DDT from Orton, but he couldn’t avoid being dropped across the commentary table by Orton. Black also got dropped with the back suplex for his troubles.

Back in the ring, Sikoa was left stunned long enough to fall victim to Orton’s draping DDT. Orton had Sikoa in sights for the RKO, but Black kicked him hard. Sikoa recovered and caught Black with the Spinning Solo. One, two… NO! Sikoa attempted a Samoan Spike, but Black avoided it and got Sikoa with a big knee, followed by a bridging suplex for the two. Black hit Sikoa with a running knee, and almost got caught with the RKO. Black reversed it and attempted Black Mass. Orton dodged and got Black with the RKO, but the momentum sent him rolling out of the ring.

Sikoa snuck up on Orton and looked like he was going to get him with the Samoan Spike, but he got hit with an RKO instead. One, two, three. This one’s done.

Tonight’s show ended with Orton celebrating his win.

Randy Orton def. Solo Sikoa & Aleister Black via pinfall to qualify for Elimination Chamber

**********

Weird opening promo from Cody Rhodes aside (and I’ve said my piece on it above), this was an entertaining SmackDown, and a hot Charlotte crowd really added to it. The matches tonight were all at least decent and the Elimination Chamber build is taking shape well, even though it’s early on.

The Women’s Tag Title Match was my pick for top match of the evening. There’s just something really enjoyable about the Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY tag team and it brings out the best in both women, as well as the people they face in the ring. Lots of exciting action to be had there. The other matches were good and nothing really dragged.

Title match, Elimination Chamber qualifiers set for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The road to Elimination Chamber officially kicks off on tonight’s post-Royal Rumble edition of WWE SmackDown.

WWE has announced that the first Elimination Chamber qualifying matches in both the men’s and women’s divisions will take place on SmackDown tonight. Both are triple threat matches. The women’s bout features Lash Legend, Tiffany Stratton, and Chelsea Green, while Randy Orton, Aleister Black, and Solo Sikoa will face off on the men’s side.

Elimination Chamber is being held in Chicago on February 28 and will decide WrestleMania opponents for the remaining World Champions that are not challenged by the Royal Rumble winners. With World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns already locked in for WrestleMania, the men’s Chamber winner will be challenging WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

Women’s Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan has yet to reveal whether she’ll be challenging Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer or WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill at Mania. Tonight, Morgan appears on SmackDown as she contemplates her decision.

Along with these matches, WWE has announced that Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY will defend their Women’s Tag Team titles against Giulia & Kiana James tonight. The show is taking place from in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Spectrum Center.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, February 6) —

  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Lash Legend vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green
  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Randy Orton vs. Aleister Black vs. Solo Sikoa
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Giulia & Kiana James
  • Women’s Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan appears
  • Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tama Tonga

Rhea Ripley shares inspiration behind WWE Royal Rumble attire

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Entering numbers 20 and 22 in the WWE Royal Rumble, IYO Sky and Rhea Ripley enjoyed their moment of togetherness at the PLE in a unique way.

While Ripley sported an all-black gear at the Rumble, her tag team partner, IYO Sky, was in a more cheerful, bright yellow attire. While contrasting, they shared a bond that was later revealed by Ripley on social media.

On her Instagram stories, Ripley shared that the idea behind their gear was inspired by iconic cartoon characters, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird. Ripley sported an uncanny similarity with Sylvester the Cat, where she even had her nose tip painted red.

While Sky was able to eliminate only one participant, she was thrown out of the match by Lash Legend. Ripley later avenged Sky by eliminating Legend. Ripley spent a significant amount of time in this year’s Rumble and earned three eliminations to her name before getting thrown over the top rope by Raquel Rodriguez.

Title match announced for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez are getting a Women’s Tag Team title shot at WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event special.

The January 24 edition of SNME will see Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend their newly won belts against Judgment Day’s Morgan & Perez. That was made official on Raw today with Morgan & Perez winning a triple threat match to become the new number one contenders.

The Kabuki Warriors and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria were the two other teams in the number one contender’s match. Asuka & Kairi Sane were looking to get another shot at the belts after dropping them to Ripley & SKY last week, but Morgan ended up pinning Sane for the victory. Sane did not notice that Morgan had tagged in — and Morgan capitalized on that by hitting Oblivion while Sane was focused on Perez.

Montreal’s Bell Centre is hosting the January 24 SNME special just one week before the Royal Rumble takes place in Saudi Arabia. Airing live on Peacock, this is the first SNME since John Cena retired on the show in December.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (January 24) —

  • Fatal four-way number one contender’s match for WWE Championship shot at Royal Rumble (competitors to be determined by qualifying matches)
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Judgment Day (Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez)