Tag: wwe live results

WWE NXT live results: Great American Bash go-home show

Posted on by Chris Aiken

After airing a taped episode last Tuesday, WWE NXT is back live tonight ahead of a loaded weekend of pro wrestling ahead.

Tonight, NXT is a go-home show ahead of PLEs this weekend, which includes the Great American Bash on Saturday and WWE Evolution. Both shows feature wrestlers from the NXT roster.

General manager Ava is set tonight to announce the NXT wrestlers who will be competing in the Evolution Battle Royal.

Ricky Saints is looking for an NXT North American Championship rematch against Ethan Page. To get that opportunity, he needs to defeat The Vanity Project (Brad Baylor, Ricky Smokes & Jackson Drake) in a gauntlet match.

Gold will be up for grabs tonight with NXT Tag Team champs Hank Walker & Tank Ledger putting their tag titles on the line against Shawn Spears & Niko Vance of The Culling.

At Great American Bash, there will be a contract signing to make Trick Williams, Joe Hendry, and Mike Santana’s triple threat TNA World Championship match official for Slammiversary. Tonight, Hendry & Santana will have to get on the same page as they team up against Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe.

Plus, Charlie Dempsey and Tavion Heights meet in a high-stakes match where Heights will be allowed to leave No Quarter Catch Crew if he wins.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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The show is opening with a gauntlet match from the sound stage at the Performance Center in Orlando. The mastermind of this match is NXT North American Ethan Page, who enters the sound stage ahead of The Vanity Project. Page joins the announce team for guest commentary alongside regular commentators Vic Joseph, Booker T and Corey Graves.

Ricky Saints runs the Vanity Project Gauntlet

The first two matches feature the tag team of Swipe Right in singles matches.

Ricky Saint defeated Brad Baylor in a gauntlet match

Saints pinned Baylor after springing off the top rope into a tornado DDT.

Ricky Saints defeated Ricky Smokes in a gauntlet match

Smokes gets heat on Saints as the show cuts to a split-screen commercial break. Smokes works over Saints during the break, but Saints makes a comeback after the show returns from picture-in-picture.

Saints glares at Page at ringside, which almost costs Saints. Smokes rolls up Saints for a two count. Moments later, Saints uses an inverted atomic drop to set up a roll through that Saints used to cradle Smokes for a pinfall.

Ricky Saints defeated WWE Evolve Champion Jackson Drake in a non-title gauntlet match

Saints pinned Drake after a Roshambo. Drake got heat on Saints, and Drake got a near fall. Nonetheless, Saints makes a triumphant comeback to complete the gauntlet.

In winning, Saints gets to pick the stipulation for his title match on Saturday against Page. Saints vows to “dog walk” Page all over Atlanta, and Saints in a post-match promo informs Page their match for The Bash is falls count anywhere.

Match Result: Ricky Saints ran the Vanity Project Gauntlet

-NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca is chatting in a locker room with her pal Zaria. Lainey Reid eavesdrops on their conversations and takes exception. Up walks Kelani Jordan to cut a promo on Reid, which sets up a singles match later on with Reid against Jordan.

-Jordynne Grace reluctantly agrees to do a glamour workout with Blake Monroe. Grace rolls her eyes when she arrives at the spa for the “workout” with Monroe. The vignette continues later in the show.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Tavion Heights

They had a good long match that goes through a commercial break.

Wren Sinclair is ringside for this clash between No Quarter Catch Crew, and she threw in the towel to end the match. If Heights won, he could leave No Quarter Catch Crew. Instead, Dempsey wins after targeting the leg of his own stablemate.

Dempsey was cranking on the leg when Sinclair threw in the towel to stop the match. Heights never gave up. The finish teased further dissension within No Quarter Catch Crew.

Match Result: Charlie Dempsey defeated Tavion Heights

-The NXT Tag Team Champions — Hank & Tank — are backstage dancing with Je’Von Evans when Evans is ambushed by Jasper Troy. Evans is slammed against a roll-up door. The tag champs try to pull Troy off Evans as he smashes Evans again.

Joe Hendry & Mike Santana vs. Tyriek Igwe & Tyson Dupont (w/ Wes Lee)

Santana pinned Dupont to win the match, despite interference by TNA World Champion Trick Williams. After the match, Williams joins High Ryze in a beatdown on Hendry and Santana.

The tag bout goes through a commercial break. Santana and Hendry both do dives at one point. As they go home, Wes Lee gets on the ring apron to distract the referee. Meanwhile, Trick Williams runs down to ringside and sends Hendry crashing into the metal ring steps. After glaring at Tick, Santana rolls through a missed stomp to deck Lee with a right hand. Lee takes a Bobby Heenan bump off the apron. Soon thereafter, Santana delivers a spinning lariat on Dupont. Santana then covers him for the pinfall.

Trick joins with High Ryze in attacking Hendry and Santana after the match is over. The four heels leave the TNA babyfaces laying prone on the mat, and the NXT heels stand over the TNA faces.

Match Result: Joe Hendry & Mike Santana defeated Tyriek Igwe & Tyson Dupont (w/ Wes Lee)

-Yoshiki Inamura is the focus of a vignette, which features Keiji Mutoh, Naomichi Marufuji, Ulka Sasaki, IYO SKY, and Kaito Kiyomiya all wishing luck to Inamura in his title challenge against NXT Champion Oba Femi at The Bash this Saturday.

Inamura, dressed in a suit and flanked by Josh Briggs in a leather vest and t-shirt, heads to the ring for confrontation with Oba Femi. But first comes more commercials.

-After the commercial break is a pre-tape promo from Darkstate where they threaten to interfere in TNA matches along with NXT.

Oba Femi, Yoshiki Inamura & Josh Briggs in-ring promo

Inamura and Briggs enter the ring, followed by NXT Champion Oba Femi. Inamura cuts a promo on Femi, with Inamura calling Femi his greatest challenge. Inamura says he is supported by Briggs and his family, and he vows to fight with honor. Femi responds by asking if Inamura is ready to lose with honor.

Briggs says Inamura grabs the mic and cuts a promo on Femi on behalf of Inmaura. Briggs also vows to make sure Inmaura wins, because it’s their only chance. Femi tells Briggs this is not his fight, and they start brawling. Briggs is sent outside the ring by Femi, only for Inamura to bodyslam Femi. Referees and producers run in to break things up as Inamura honorably backs away.

-Blake Monroe tries getting Jordynne Grace to enjoy a spa day, much to Grace’s chagrin. Grace eventually enjoys the spa.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid

Jordan pinned Reid after springboarding into a split-legged moonsault. After the match, Thea Hail runs down to ringside to fight with Reid. They seem set for a singles match.

Match Result: Kelani Jordan defeated Lainey Reid

-Je’Von Evans is in the trainer’s room when he is again attacked by Jasper Troy.

The Family sitdown meeting

My local over-the-air channel is glitching as Adrianna Rizzo calls a sit-down meeting with Stacks, Luca Crusifino and Tony D’Angelo. After all that time she was missing, Rizzo shows up unexpectedly. Rizzo wants to bring The Family back together, but they are having none of it.

Rizzo does have one more item to discuss in the meeting. Rizzo then announces a triple threat match next Tuesday on NXT. She calls it the “final battle” in the family business.

-Jasper Troy rushes into the ring to issue a challenge to Je’Von Evans. Out comes Evans to fight with Troy, and they have a pull-apart brawl.

-Tatum Paxley joins The Culling in a vignette where they cut a promo on Hank & Tank ahead of the tag title match later on.

NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker & Tank Ledger defend against The Culling (Niko Vance & Shawn Spears) (w/ Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley)

Tank pinned Speaars to win the match. Paxley and Dame interference in the match, leading to Sol Ruca & Zaria to run down to ringside. They had a good tag bout. The title match goes through a commercial break. Just before cutting to commercials, Vance with a shoulder tackle sends Hank bumping over the announce desk.

Paxley joins in the fun by distracting the referee. That allows Dame to boot Tank in the head. Spears then gets a near fall on Tank.

Sol Ruca runs in to jump Dame. Zaria also appears and she carries Paxley away. That counteracts the interference as Hank & Tank run wild. For the finish, Spears takes a bullet for Vance, and Spears takes a finisher from Hank & Tank with a powerslam/spear combo. Tank then covers Spears for a three count. And still…

Match Result: NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker & Tank Ledger defeated The Culling to retain

NXT Women In-Ring Summit

NXT General Manager Ava is heading to the ring for a “summit” of sorts.

Ava first puts over the first Evolution. She was in high school at the time, but it inspired her. Ava goes on to put over the women on that show and what they have done since.

Ava also announces the six entrants from NXT in the battle royal at Evolution on Sunday. Those six are Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley.

Out comes the Fatal Influence trio to interrupt. NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne cuts a promo while flanked by Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyz. They are soon interrupted by Jordynne Grace.

Grace cuts a promo on Fatal Influence for trying to steal the spotlight. Yet another interruption as Lash Legend enters to cut a promo.

Stephanie Vaquer is out next to interfere, and she is super over with the live studio audience in attendance. Vaquero cuts a promo of her own.

In a surprise cameo, Natalya enters with Maxxine Dupri introducing her. Natalya also cuts a promo.

Jaida Parker is next to cut a promo. She then rushes into the ring and a huge brawl erupts. Hyping the battle royal on Sunday, the show goes off the air with the women brawling in the ring.

WWE Raw live results: Night of Champions fallout

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 30, 2025
Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA 

The Big Takeaway —

WWE began announcing matches for Evolution, but it wasn’t exactly a hard push, as they also plugged matches for Saturday Night’s Main Event, in addition to plugging event details for SummerSlam and Clash in Paris. 

At Evolution, Iyo Sky will defend her title against Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez will defend the tag titles against teams from Raw, SmackDown and NXT in a four-way, and there will be a battle royal to determine a new number one contender for either brand’s belt. Perez is officially one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions and officially a member of Judgment Day. 

Judgment Day is now also in possession of the World Tag Team titles after Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh beat New Day. 

CM Punk attacked Seth Rollins but will have to wait to get his hands on him in the ring, as Rollins will first fight LA Knight at SNME. 

Rusev beat Sheamus, and Ludwig Kaiser may be the new El Grande Americano. 

Read more below. 

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Show Recap — 

There was a recap of Night of Champions from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It began with them talking about how great the city and the country are. The recap included ‘headlines’ from various news/sports outlets, one of which claimed that Sam Zayn pulled off a “miracle win” over Karrion Kross. That was from CBS, where someone just repeated what Michael Cole said in the commentary. 

Sami Zayn (impressed by a picture of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hoisting the Stanley Cup), Penta, New Day, and Sheamus were shown arriving at the arena in Pittsburgh. 

Corey Graves is once again on commentary with Cole, in place of Pat McAfee. 

Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY segment 

Ripley entered to a big reaction and welcomed us to “Monday Night Mami.” (Must everyone do this?) Ripley said Judgment Day was finally behind her, and she wanted to get her priorities straight ahead of Evolution. 

Iyo Sky quickly interrupted. Sky said you could not have Evolution without her, but Ripley was wrong about one thing. Ripley was not on top—not without the title. Adam Pearce told Sky that she could defend her title against the opponent of her choice at Evolution. Sky wanted to defend against the best, and that meant defending against Ripley. 

Ripley said she had nothing but respect for Sky, but warned her that she would stop at nothing to get the title back. Ripley accepted the match at Evolution.

******** 

Backstage, Dominik Mysterio wished luck to Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh in their title match. After they left, Dom was confronted by AJ Styles. 

Dom presented a doctor’s note proving he was not medically cleared. Dom wondered if Styles needed glasses to read the note. Styles, in fact, put glasses on to read the note—and the note said Dom was a punk ass. That got a good laugh from the crowd. Styles warned Dom he would do a lot worse to him once he got his hands on him. 

******** 

This is only the second time Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have wrestled since winning the tag titles at WrestleMania over two months ago.

World Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh 

The match started with Kingston offering Bálor a piece of bread so he could have some carbs, but Bálor pushed it away. 

New Day worked over McDonagh throughout a commercial break. Bálor made a hot tag, which got a nice pop, and he ran wild on New Day. Bálor hit a slingblade and went for a dropkick, but Kingston cut him off with a leaping double foot stomp. 

They tagged out, and McDonagh hit Woods with an Asai moonsault, but Woods got his boots up on a moonsault in the ring. Bálor made a blind tag and went for a Coup de Grâce on Woods, but Woods moved, and Bálor hit McDonagh by mistake. 

Woods rolled up Bálor for a nearfall. New Day hit Bálor with Midnight Hour next for a close nearfall.  Each team took turns cheating behind the referee’s back, leading to Woods hitting Bálor with a title belt from behind, but Bálor kicked out yet again. McDonagh got back in and hit Woods with an avalanche Spanish Fly, but Kingston broke up the cover. 

Bálor gave Kingston a slingblade outside the ring, McDonagh hit Woods with a moonsault, and Bálor hit Woods with a Coup de Grâce for the pinfall win. Judgment Day are the new tag champs.

Dom joined Bálor and McDonagh in the aisle to celebrate as fireworks went off. 

The notoriously quiet Pittsburgh crowd was really into this, and they popped huge for Judgment Day winning.

Match result: Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh defeated The New Day to win the World Tag Team Championships (12:24)

This was really good on all fronts. The match was fun, and the crowd was into the heel team that happened to be playing babyfaces tonight. 

It may be premature to take the titles off New Day, but they’ve done next to nothing since turning heel, and even less since winning the titles. That’s not all their fault, but that’s where we are. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed Bayley. Bayley said she should be the current IC champion, but Lyra Valkyria got in her way. Bayley’s goal has not changed. 

Valkyria interrupted. Valkyria was offended because Bayley wouldn’t return her messages, but would talk about her behind her back. They had a heated argument, basically over who hated Becky Lynch more. 

They screamed at each other until Pearce interrupted and screamed even louder for them to stop. He made a match between the two tonight, and the winner would face Lynch for the title. 

********

Maxxine Dupri, Natalya, and Akira Tozawa greeted Sheamus as he warmed up backstage. 

There was a Grayson Waller interview during a break. He was inspired by New Day cutting the dead weight and turning on Big E, and thought he could learn something. (That was seven months ago.) 

There was a Goldberg video package set to “Dominate” by Three Days Grace. 

********

Chad Gable spoke to American Made backstage. Pearce joined to say he was sorry to hear about Gable’s injury and wished him luck. Gable said he made his own luck. Pearce figured we wouldn’t be seeing El Grande Americano for a while. Gable said he was a busy man, “but you never know.” 

After Pearce left, Gable gave his teammates their marching orders. Brutus Creed said they would be lost without him. Gable told them to listen to Ivy Nile. Gable left. (Ludwig Kaiser was eavesdropping in the background.) 

********

Bálor and McDonagh approached Pearce and Nick Aldis backstage. Bálor said Raquel Rodriguez has worked very hard to be the tag champ, and it would be mean to strip her of the titles (because of Liv Morgan’s injury). Bálor suggested they give her a new partner: Roxanne Perez. 

Pearce and Aldis huddled over the idea and agreed to it. However, they wanted Rodriguez and Perez to prove themselves as a team, so they would have to defend the belts at Evolution against a team from Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Bálor and McDonagh were initially caught off guard by this but agreed. 

******** 

Rusev entered and waited in the ring for almost ten minutes before the match began (thanks to a break and the above segment). 

Cole screeched, “It’s fight niiiight, baby!” as Sheamus entered. He should not do that again. 

Rusev vs. Sheamus 

They’ve been in multi-man matches since, but this was their first singles match since 2014. 

They clobbered each other until Sheamus brought Rusev off the apron with a powerslam to the outside. Rusev took over during a break after Sheamus went shoulder-first into the ring post. 

Sheamus began no-selling Rusev’s kicks and kept inviting him to do more. Sheamus got to his feet and fired up. He hit a backbreaker, followed by a diving knee drop, but Rusev kicked out at one. Rusev came back with a spinning heel kick for two, and a fallaway slam for two. Rusev hit a superplex ahead of another break. 

Rusev held control during the break, and not much happened until Sheamus hit a White Noise right on time for them to return from break. They took turns clobbering each other some more until Sheamus hit a powerslam. Sheamus hit ten fifteen beats of the Bodhrán and went for a Brogue, but Rusev ducked it (sort of). Sheamus fought him off again and hit consecutive running knee strikes for a nearfall. 

Rusev responded with a uranage and a jumping kick. He applied the Accolade, but Sheamus managed to get to his feet while hoisting Rusev on his back. They spilled out of the ring, and Sheamus hit Rusev with a Brogue Kick, and Rusev just barely avoided a count-out. 

They battled on the apron until Rusev thumbed Sheamus in the eye. He exposed the inanimate metal rod (off the top turnbuckle) and rammed Sheamus into it. Both of these things happened right in front of the referee. Rusev followed with a  Machka Kick for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Rusev defeated Sheamus (20:22)

This was pretty good until the finish. However, it did drag at times, particularly during the commercials, and the finish was stupid. Graves tried to claim that the referee didn’t see Rusev poke Sheamus in the eye, but you could hear the ref screaming at him for doing that. 

********

Pearce and Aldis announced a battle royal at Evolution, and the winner would earn a title match at Clash in Paris. (This was not the most inspiring announcement.) 

Redmond interviewed American Made. Nile spoke about the battle royal until El Grande Americano suddenly appeared. He nodded at them and left. (It was Ludwig Kaiser.) Redmond asked them for comment. An excited Brutus was about to say something, but Nile cut him off. They left. 

Redmond was about to interview Sami Zayn nearby, but he was attacked by Karrion Kross. Kross attacked Zayn with a pipe until officials broke it up.

********

Byron Saxton interviewed Stephanie Vaquer during a break. Vaquer was excited for the battle royal. (It sounds like whoever wins will get to pick which champion they face.) She didn’t come to Raw to be second place, and if she won the battle royal. She planned on facing the Raw champion. Vaquer has traveled the world and would not stop until she was the world champion. 

(Perhaps she’ll win, but a battle royal doesn’t seem to be the best use of Vaquer on an all-women PPV.) 

********

Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including Cam Heyward, were shown at ringside. 

Gunther segment (Seth Rollins, CM Punk, LA Knight get involved) 

Gunther spoke about the impressive Goldberg video package. Goldberg was violent, brutal and destructive. But just like his matches, all of his highlights were summed up in three minutes. 

Gunther was not afraid of what was left of Goldberg. He was a 58-year-old man, riding out his career at Gunther’s expense. That was not going to happen because Goldberg was not capable of taking the title from him. Gunther knew he could beat Goldberg in three minutes, but that was not his goal. 

Gunther would take his time, blow him up, and embarrass him in front of everyone who loved him. Goldberg said he didn’t like bullies, “but too bad you bumped into the biggest bully around here.” Gunther planned on bullying him and treating him like trash, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Goldberg wanted to prove he still had it, but Gunther would prove he never had it. Once it was over, it would be Gunther’s turn to ask, “Who’s next?” 

Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman entered. Gunther made fun of Rollins for travelling very far (NOC) to accomplish nothing. Rollins laughed at the statement. Rollins informed him they did not go to NOC to cash in on John Cena. 

Rollins made it clear that as long as he was alive, CM Punk would not be a champion in WWE. They flew across the world to stand on that business. (Fans chanted for Punk.) Rollins told Gunther that winning MITB meant an all-out assault on both championships. 

Punk’s music hit, and he sprinted to the ring to attack Rollins. Rollins bailed through the crowd as Punk called him a coward. (The crowd chanted for Punk again.) 

Punk was about to leave until Gunther grabbed him by the arm. Punk shoved Gunther, and Gunther actually fell to the mat. (Gunther looked nonplussed about being shoved down by Punk.) A pissed-off Punk marched to the back. 

Rollins was amused as he stood in the stands, but was attacked from behind by LA Knight. They fought into the concourse (which was conveniently blocked off from the fans). Rollins tossed a drink in Knight’s face and ran away. 

********

Judgment Day celebrated backstage. Perez happily held her new tag title belt. Rodriguez was upset that they were replacing Morgan so quickly and said she’s been rehabbing hard. Bálor knew from experience how hard it was to come back from a shoulder injury, and he just wanted to see Rodriguez stay champion. Rodriguez reluctantly agreed. 

Bálor called for a vote to declare Perez an official member of Judgment Day. They all voted ‘yes’ (Dom and Rodriguez were reluctant). Bálor was very happy. 

******** 

There was a Kairi Sane video package.

Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Bayley targeted Valkyria’s back and applied a Boston Crab until Valkyria got a rope break. They collided with a dueling crossbody attempts ahead of a break. Valkyria took over, but you would’ve missed all her offence because it happened entirely within a commercial break. 

Bayley fought back when they returned and hit a superplex. They tried dueling cradles, but both kicked out. Valkyria spilled out of the ring after a Bayley back suplex, and Bayley followed with a leaping elbow drop off the steps. Valkyria responded with a swinging neckbreaker, but Bayley hit a sunset flip powerbomb into the corner for two. Valkyria hit a gutwrench sit-out powerbomb for two. 

They traded cradles, which led to a double pinfall spot with both women’s shoulders down. The referee called the match a draw. 

You knew we would get a finish like this as soon as the match was announced. (Or a DQ.) The match itself was pretty good until the flat finish. 

— Bayley grabbed Valkyria, but Valkyria turned around and hit a clothesline. They wound up brawling into the crowd until officials broke it up. 

Match result: Bayley and Lyra Valkyria wrestled to a draw (10:19) 

********

Seth Rollins will face LA Knight at SNME. 

Redmond caught up to Punk backstage. Punk said he had receipts for Rollins, Heyman, Bron-Bron, Gunther and anyone else who got in his way. 

Punk confronted Knight nearby. He told Knight that Rollins belonged to him and to get to the back of the line. Knight said he has Rollins at SNME, so he was the line. Knight yelled, “Yeah!” in Punk’s face and left. 

********

Penta checked with Zayn to see if he still wanted to wrestle. Zayn, who was tapped up, was ready to go. 

******** 

Heyman was on the phone with Rollins, and Bronson Reed asked him, “Where’s the Visionary?” (A normal question.) Heyman said Rollins was already on a jet, perfecting plan B. Reed wanted to know what that was. Before Heyman could answer, Bron Breakker interrupted and said the plan was for him to smash whoever got in their way. Heyman wasn’t sure that was the plan, but Breakker didn’t care and told some guy to hit his music. (I liked this bit from Bron.) 

Sami Zayn & Penta vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman)

Penta and Zayn did Penta’s little walk before wiping out their opponents with dives. It didn’t matter because Reed caught Penta out of mid-air during a break and hit a World’s Strongest Slam. 

Penta made a comeback following the break and tagged in Zayn, who wiped out both guys with an Arabian Press. A battle in the corner led to Zayn hitting Reed with a sunset flip powerbomb for two. Reed came right back with a DVD for two. Bron knocked Zayn over the announce table with a leaping clothesline ahead of another break. The heels took over again. 

As you know, there’s a timer in the corner letting people know when the commercial break is over. Well, it’s also telling you when the babyface will make their comeback. Zayn fought back the moment they returned from break and made a hot tag to Penta. 

Penta hit Bron with a flying crossbody, kicked his leg out of his leg, and hit a slingblade. Penta hit a dropkick in the corner and snapped Bron’s arm. Arm snapping appears to do nothing, because Bron got him up next in a military press, but Penta countered into a DDT. 

Heyman distracted the ref, which allowed Reed to knock Penta down on the top rope. Bron followed with a Frankensteiner, and Reed hit a sit-out powerbomb, but Zayn broke up the cover. 

Penta avoided a Tsunami and tagged in Zayn, who hit Bron with an exploder in the corner. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but Bron clotheslined him. Bron went for a spear, but Zayn booted him (Cole completely undersold that spot), and Reed broke up the cover. 

Zayn tried a vertical suplex on Reed but couldn’t get him up. Penta attacked Reed from the apron, and Zayn managed to hit Reed with the suplex. The crowd popped, but it didn’t matter because Reed wasn’t the legal man. Bron speared Zayn for the pinfall win. 

— Penta checked on Zayn after the match, but Bron speared him. Reed went up for a Tsunami, but Jey Uso entered with a steel chair. Jey beat up Bron and Bronson with the chair and stood tall with Zayn and Penta. 

Match result: Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed defeated Sami Zayn & Penta (18:24)

WWE NXT live results: Evolution Eliminator fatal four-way

Posted on by Chris Aiken

Tonight, we’ll find out the challenger for the NXT Women’s Championship at WWE Evolution.

A fatal four-way match between Jordynne Grace, Jaida Parker, Lash Legend, and Izzi Dame is set to headline tonight’s NXT episode. Each competitor earned their way into the fatal four-way with victories last week — and now one of them will secure a title shot at Evolution with one more win. The all-women’s PLE is taking place in Atlanta on July 13.

Jacy Jayne is the current NXT Women’s Champion, but she has Blake Monroe (the former Mariah May) eyeing her title.

Two title matches are also part of tonight’s card. To open the show, Trick Williams puts his TNA World Championship on the line against Josh Briggs. There will then be a Tony D’Angelo vs. Channing Lorenzo match later in the night to determine a new Heritage Cup Champion after Noam Dar had to vacate the trophy due to injury.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

The show opens with short and direct promos from the four wrestlers looking to earn a title shot for the NXT Women’s Championship. Lash Legend, Izzi Dame, Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace all cut promos ahead of the fatal four-way later tonight.

Kicking off this WWE show is a TNA title match, which is still an odd sentence to type. Way less odd considering the TNA champion is WWE talent defending against someone else from WWE on their show.

TNA World Champion Trick Williams defeated Josh Briggs (with Yoshiki Inamura) to retain his title

For his entrance, Briggs wore a vest with a smoking skull resting on his shoulder. He and Trick have a really good opening bout, and Trick pinned Briggs to retain the TNA title. Joe Hendry returns to NXT television in a post-match angle.

The match goes through a slit-screen commercial break. Just before cutting to commercials, Trick gets in the face of Inamura and they jaw at each other at ringside. Trick goes to cheap shot Inamura, but he blocks Trick. Briggs then boots Trick with a big leg, and Briggs is fired up as the show heads into the break.

Trick cuts off Briggs during the break with a spin kick. Briggs with a comeback after the show returns to full screen. The action intensifies as they trade near falls. Trick counters a chokeslam, and they botch an attempted powerbomb. Briggs then completes the chokeslams for a close near fall, where Trick grabs the bottom rope to stop to break the count.

Slugfest as the trade punches and kicks. They fight on, and Briggs goes for a moonsault press. No water in the pool. Trick then hits Briggs with a running knee strike, and Trick hooks a leg while covering Briggs for a pinfall.

Trick gets the house microphone and cuts a promo in front of the live studio audience. Boasting about himself, Trick says he carried two brands. He proclaims himself as the greatest TNA champion. Suddenly, Joe Hendry’s theme song interrupts the post-match promo, along with an entrance video.

Trick squares up and looks toward the entrance ramp. Hendry sneaks into the ring behind Trick. The TNA champ turns around only to get clotheslined by Hendry. Trick bumps and feeds for Hendry, before Hendry clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor.

No Quarter Catch Crew are in a skit where Tavion Heights reveals a special protective mask he will wear in his match. Charlie Dempsey assumes Heights is out of the match due to injury, but Heights is cleared to wrestle with the protective mask.

In a separate skit, Myles Borne is talking with a couple collegiate football players. Lexis King tries to interrupts by yelling at Borne, who is partially deaf. King also insults the football players, but he soon backpedals. This skit seems to set up a singles bout with King against Borne.

Je’Von Evans vs. Tavion Heights (with Wren Sinclair & Charlie Dempsey)

Evans pinned Heights to win the match. The protective mask Heights wore looks like Hannibal Lecter. Heights looked strong at times despite cleanly dropping the fall. They had a good match with a lot of action. Evans flew with a dive before the show cuts to commercial.

Soon after returning from the commercial break, they go home. For the finish, Evans leaped to the ropes with a double springboard tornillo splash. Evans then scores a pinfall.

After the match, Jasper Troy runs in to attack Evans. Troy lays out Evans with a Black Hole slam. Troy then strolls out of the ring past the No Quarter Catch Crew. Troys’ beef is apparently only with Evans.

Noam Dar is out due to an apparent injury, and he relinquishes the NXT Heritage Cup Championship. Dar was set to defend against Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo. Instead, Lorenzo faces his arch-rival Tony D’Angelo for the vacant Heritage Cup. Winner takes the Cup in the latest in the saga of the D’Angelo Family.

Ricky Saints defeated Ashante “Thee” Adonis

Saint pinned Adonis after a Roshambo. In what was basically a showcase match to get Saints over, the bout goes through a commercial break and is rejoined in progress. Saints gets to pose before the show cuts to the break. Heat spot as the show returns, and Saints makes a comeback. Saints delivers his finisher and scores a decisive victory.

Ethan Page runs in after the match to ambush Saints. Page uses a voiceover to trick Page into falling prey to a sneak attack. Page then executes Saint’s own finisher as Page gives Saints a Roshambo. Those two seem headed for a blow off match.

Darkstate is the focus of a pre-taped promo sponsored by a corporate insurance company, which kind of kills their whole gimmick. Pays well though.

NXT Champion Oba Femi is headed to the ring for an in-ring monologue. Femi with a strong promo that leads to Inamura coming out to challenge Femi.

Femi first boasts in his monologue as he puts himself over as “The Ruler” of NXT. He defeats all comers and now sits atop his kingdom. Other nights coast, but not Femi. He craves the fight, and Femi says he’s grown restless for new challengers.

Yoshiki Inamura and his striking mohawk confront Femi. Inamura talks about coming to NXT looking to chase glory. He went home when glory did not come. Inamura went home to Japan and realized what he missed, like his tag partner Josh Briggs and NXT itself. Inamura pledges his love for NXT and its fans. He wants to pay back their passion by winning the NXT Championship.

Femi responds by saying they are both strangers in a strange land. Femi then says they differ because Femi stayed and thrived here, while Inamura went back. Femi talks about the fans still embracing Inamura when he came back. Femi says that does not fool him. Femi sees Inamura as a warrior looking for the spirit of the fight, but Femi cautions that fighting for the honor of the fans is a mistake. Femi warns that Inamura will fall to the “The Ruler” like everyone else. Inamura steps towards Femi, gets in his face, and Inamura says he is ready.

Inamura was looking good until he is blindsided by Jasper Troy. Heckuva of a way to put Inamura over as a challenger. Good segment except for the dumb run-in.

Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo defeated Tony D’Angelo to win the NXT Heritage Championship

Stacks won the Heritage Cup after Luca Crusifino inadvertently hits D’Angelo with the bucket.

No falls in the first round. They keep fighting after the bell sounds to end round one, and they are pulled apart by officials. Not long into the second round, D’Angelo scores a pinfall after a spear. Stacks takes a bump on the announce desk and sells his ribs before taking the spear.

Most of round three takes place during a commercial break. The show returns from the break with 20 seconds remaining in round two. Stacks with a knee drop for a near fall as the round ends. Between rounds, Stacks with a cheap shot by stomping on D’Angelo’s knee. That plays into the start of the next round.

D’Angelo buckles to the knee injured by Stacks stomping on it, and Stacks using a small package for a pinfall to end round three. That evens the score in the match a one fall apiece.d;

Luca Crusifino runs down to ringside to get in the corner of D’Angelo. The story going into the match is D’Angelo still mistrusts Crusifino, which also plays into the finish.

D’Angelo hip-tosses Stacks out of the ring, and Stacks is caught by his henchmen from his mafia crew. One of the henchmen tries to use a spit bucket as a weapon, but Crusifino blocks it. However, Crusifino inadvertently hits D’Angelo with the bucket. Stacks then delivers a shining wizard, and Stacks covers D’Aneglo to win the Cup in the fifth round.

Crusifino pleads his case to D’Angelo as Crusifino tries to help him up. An angry D’Angelo decks Crusifino, and Crusifino sells big.

The Fatal Influence trio is interviewed backstage by Sarach Schreiber. Falling Henley first cuts a promo on Blake Monroe, and then NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne cuts her own promo on Monroe. Jayne then comments on the fatal four-way later tonight. Jayne vows to retain the title at Evolution.

Jordynne Grace warms up in the locker room, as the main event is up next. Beforehand is a backstage skit that sets up a singles match between Thea Hail and Lainey Reid. Lash Legend interrupts them on her way to the main event.

NXT GM Ava and NXT North American Champion Ethan Page are in another skit, and she tells Page that he and Ricky Saints are required to be in her office next week. Suddenly, there is a commotion off camera. Ava runs to see NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank laid out.

Joe Hendry is interviewed backstage, and he vows to regain the TNA title at Slammiversary. Hendry also cuts a promo on Wes Lee, as the two are scheduled for a singles match on NXT television.

Chase U is the focus of a vignette.

Jordynne Grace defeated Jaida Parker, Lash Legend and Izzi Dame (with Tatum Paxley) in number one contender’s fatal four-way

Grace pinned Parker to win the match.

Paxley is in Dame’s corner after a skit earlier in the show where Dame invited Paxley to join her. Fatal Influence watches from a perch above the ring. NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca and her partner, Zaria, run to counteract outside interference from Paxley. Zaria carries Paxley away before the show cuts to its final commercial break.

Lots of action and high spots after the break, a lot of near falls in the closing minutes. All four were given time to shine. They did a Tower of Doom spot.

The closing moments were intense. Grace picks up Parker into a torture rack, and Grace then turns it into a sit-out powerbomb. Grace then covers Parker to win the match, and she becomes number one contender. Although the match was good, it was a very contrived way to make Grace the top contender instead of building her up as such a contender. But they had a tournament and this match because why not. Regardless, Grace goes on to challenge Jacy Jayne for the NXT women’s title.

WWE Raw live results: King & Queen of the Ring semifinals

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 23, 2025
Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio 

The Big Takeaway —

Cody Rhodes beat Jey Uso to advance in King of the Ring, while Jade Cargill beat Roxanne Perez to advance in Queen of the Ring. The finals will take place on Saturday at Night of Champions. Rhodes faces Randy Orton, and Cargill faces Asuka. 

As the show went on tonight, they repeatedly plugged Night of Champions (and SmackDown) as happening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (It seemed like they avoided mentioning the location when the show began, but it was business as usual as the show continued.) 

Next week’s Raw in Pittsburgh starts at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, Roxanne Perez and Finn Bálor, Jade Cargill, Becky Lynch, and Bayley were shown arriving as Michael Cole ran down tonight’s show. 

Corey Graves is filling in for Pat McAfee once again. 

They announced that LA Knight is out indefinitely due to a bruised sternum and separated rib cartilage, thanks to Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. 

Seth Rollins segment

Rollins entered with Reed, Breakker, and Paul Heyman. He waited as the crowd sang his song (not loudly) and did his usual spiel. He asked what the crowd wanted because he was receiving mixed messages. They chanted for CM Punk. 

Rollins said they chanted for Punk, for Roman Reigns, for him, and they barked for Breakker. They didn’t know what they wanted, so he didn’t care. They needed people like him to tell them what was good for them. 

Even the things they thought they wanted were because of him. Reigns existed because of him. Punk claimed he was back for the fans, but it was really because the company could cash in on how much he hated Punk. There was no second coming of Cody Rhodes without Rollins to put him back on the map. 

Rollins was the first world champion and NXT Champion, and he built those things in his image. He was the prime mover. He was the past, present, and future. He and Heyman knew a thing or two about revolutions. Every revolution had opposition, but he would deal with them. 

Reed dealt with LA Knight, and Breakker was about to deal with Penta. There were a lot of people who thought they could exist at the very top: John Cena, Gunther, Punk, Goldberg, Uso, Rhodes, Randy Orton. But they all failed to understand that they were running a race for second place. He was the end game and always would be. 

Rollins was finally done speaking, so Penta entered for his match. (Rollins and Reed went to the back.) 

Bron Breakker (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Penta

The match began during a break, but Breakker left the ring to stall so the action could start once they returned. 

Graves claimed that Breakker was still effectively a rookie, which isn’t even close to being true. 

Breakker was in control until Penta hit a dive ahead of a break. Breakker regained control after dropping Penta on top of the ring post and a flying clothesline off the apron over the announce table. They messed up a spot but recovered well enough, and Penta hit a vertical suplex into a pin for two. Breakker recovered and hit a Frankensteiner for two. Penta responded with a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. 

Penta went for a springboard move, but Breakker obliterated him with a mid-air spear for the pinfall win. The crowd popped big for that. 

Match result: Bron Breakker defeated Penta (15:00) 

This wasn’t exactly a smooth wrestling match, but the last few minutes were entertaining. 

— After the match, Rollins warned Penta to stay out of his way. 

********

There was a replay of Liv Morgan’s injury. Backstage, Adam Pearce informed AJ Styles that Dominik Mysterio was also injured. Styles didn’t believe it and asked if Dom strained his mustache. Pearce said it was legitimate, so their IC title match at Night of Champions was off. Pearce said Styles will get the match as soon as Dom is ready. 

New Day and Grayson Waller entered Pearce’s office after Styles left. Pearce put New Day in a tag title match against Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh next week. New Day were pissed. As they left, Kofi Kingston yelled, “You’re so bald!” at Pearce. Waller didn’t appreciate this treatment of his new friends. 

******** 

So far, they’re advertising Night of Champions as happening on Saturday, but they’re not mentioning the location. Last week, the graphics included the event’s location, but tonight, they don’t. 

Update: A few minutes later, Cole mentioned Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the special start time.

*******

Goldberg interview 

Cole sat down earlier today with Goldberg. He asked Goldberg why he targeted Gunther. Goldberg said nobody should be surprised. Gunther embarrassed him in front of his wife, his son, his fans, and in his adopted hometown of Atlanta. Goldberg didn’t know when, but knew he would go after Gunther. 

Goldberg was already thinking about his retirement match, so it was serendipitous that Gunther put himself in this position. As long as Goldberg was breathing, he was going to make Gunther pay. 

Goldberg ended with: “Michael, I am going to beat the f—k out of Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.” 

When they returned from break, Cole confirmed that this would be Goldberg’s final match. 

********

Judgment Day met in the back. They were not in a good mood (because of Morgan’s injury), so Bálor tried to fire everybody up. He gave them all encouraging words, but Raquel Rodriguez was still worried about the status of the tag titles. 

Bálor muttered something under his breath, which pissed off Rodriguez. Bálor was glad to see her pissed off. They wanted Rodriguez to be the enforcer, and she should make Rhea Ripley pay for what she did to her last week. Rodriguez agreed. 

Dom said he missed Morgan (so they don’t speak outside of Raw). Bálor reminded him that Perez had a match, so Dom dismissively wished her luck. 

********

Lyra Valkyria met with Bayley backstage. Valkyria was trying to be friendly, but Bayley seemed offended. Bayley realized she overreacted and settled down, explaining that she’s been focused only on Lynch and the title all week. Bayley told Valkyria she would be first in line if she won tonight. (Lynch could be seen lurking in the background.) 

Queen of the Ring semi-final match: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez 

Cargill was in control and showed off by doing push-ups. Perez managed to trap Cargill’s leg between the steel steps and the ring. Perez dropkicked the steps and worked over her leg during a break. 

Cargill tried fighting back after the break, but Perez chop-blocked her. The crowd was really quiet until Cargill effortlessly caught Perez out of mid-air as she attempted a crossbody. Cargill hit a spinebuster and chokeslam for two. Perez countered a Jaded and applied a cradle for two, followed by a double knee drop for two. 

Cargill avoided Pop Rox and hit (missed) a pump kick. Cargill hit a powerbomb and, I think, tried deadlifting her up. She couldn’t do it, so she just put Perez down before picking her back up to hit Jaded for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Jade Cargill defeated Roxanne Perez to advance in Queen of the Ring (11:47)

This wasn’t particularly good. Perez did her best, but Cargill was out of place a lot toward the end, and she didn’t come across like someone who should be winning this tournament. 

— After the match, Asuka entered to face off with Cargill on the stage. 

********

They announced that Raw in Pittsburgh next week starts at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT. 

There was a video package for Jey Uso/Cody Rhodes.

******** 

There was a clip of Goldberg’s debut on WCW Nitro (with Tony Schiavone on commentary). 

Cole reiterated that this would be Goldberg’s last match at SNME, but then added, “we’ll see” what happens if he were to win the world title. 

*******

Cole announced SmackDown’s start time in Riyadh on Friday, “the night before Night of Champions. Who knows what’s going to happen on that show?” 

Jackie Redmond tried interviewing Dom during a break, but the fans kept booing. Redmond cut him off because they ran out of time. 

******* 

Sheamus again told Natalya and Maxxine Dupri that they could be tag champs one day. (It’s like they’ve been standing backstage having this same conversation for a week.) Natalya and Dupri were upset he didn’t win last week. Sheamus said he at least put Rusev in his place for a moment. 

Rusev confronted Sheamus. He said this place was full of people like Sheamus: providing smiles to the face, and knives to the back. Sheamus called Rusev the most embarrassing and most egotistical member of the League of Nations. Sheamus was tired of talking and wanted to fight. Rusev smiled and said he would make Sheamus remember this. 

********

Gunther segment 

Gunther entered. He was pissed about Goldberg interrupting what should have been his championship celebration last week. He called Goldberg the most destructive man of his generation, but it wasn’t 1999 anymore. (Some fans cheered.) It was 2025, and Gunther was the guy. He was the best professional wrestler in the company, and the title around his waist proved it. 

Gunther heard Goldberg’s intense comments, but that wouldn’t change Gunther’s perception of him. Goldberg was a 58-year-old one-trick pony who couldn’t lace his boots. Gunther apologized to Goldberg’s wife and son for everything he’s about to do. Gunther would embarrass Goldberg at SNME. 

“It’s my personal responsibility to make sure that the legacy and the myth of Bill Goldberg forever dies.” 

This was a great promo. 

********

Redmond tried interviewing Lynch backstage, but she was flustered after having just seen Valkyria and Bayley conspiring against her. She left. 

Redmond saw Sami Zayn nearby and tried interviewing him, but they were interrupted by Karrion Kross and Scarlett. (Kross did get a good pop this week.) Kross enjoyed Zayn’s fiery speech last week, but he lost to Orton anyway. Kross said Zayn would never be champion. 

Zayn calmly stepped back before knocking him to the ground with a great-looking right hand. Zayn told Kross he already spoke to Pearce and their match was official. Zayn left. Scarlett and Kross laughed. 

********

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bayley for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship

Bayley was in control until Lynch yanked her by the arm over the top rope. Lynch targeted the arm through the break, but Bayley mounted her comeback following the break. Lynch cut her off with a back suplex, but Bayley responded with a Bayley-to-belly for a nearfall. Bayley slammed Lynch into the corner and hit a sunset flip powerbomb into the turnbuckles for two. 

Lynch hit a superplex, and they traded counters until Bayley applied a single-leg Boston crab, but Lynch got a rope break. Bayley blocked a Man-handle Slam and hit one of her own, but Lynch rolled out of the ring. 

Bayley went after Lynch, but Lynch chucked her over the announce table. Lynch buried Bayley under a bunch of chairs in an attempt to take a count-out win, but Valkyria showed up right on time to pull the chairs off. 

Lynch hit Valkyria and invited Valkyria to hit her back (to cause a DQ), but Valkyria wouldn’t do it. Lynch tried a baseball slide on Bayley, but nailed Valkyria by mistake. 

Bayley shoved Lynch into the ring post and the barricade. Bayley went to the top, but Valkyria attacked Lynch for the DQ. 

— Bayley argued with Valkyria, who somehow tried to defend herself. Lynch smirked as she backed away up the aisle with her belt. 

Match result: Becky Lynch defeated Bayley via disqualification (13:30)

This was a good match until the finish. It never felt like this would have a conclusive winner when they announced it, but the finishing sequence with Valkyria was still very annoying. She has to be turning heel at this point, because she’s becoming increasingly unlikable. 

*******

Chad Gable told Ivy Nile that she was her favourite student (and didn’t want her to tell that to the Creed Brothers). However, she should have won MITB and QOTR. Stephanie Vaquer got in her way, but she should wipe her out completely like he did to Alpha Academy and others. 

Gable saw Penta nearby and took great pleasure in seeing him lose to Bron. Penta tried being reasonable, but Gable kept yapping and threatened to take his mask off. Penta superkicked Gable and snapped his arm. Officials chased Penta away as the Creeds checked on Gable. 

(Ludwig Kaiser was randomly watching nearby.)

********

Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley segment 

A pissed-off Rodriguez was in the ring, and she called out Ripley. Ripley stormed out, and they brawled. Ripley was about to give Rodriguez a Rip-tide through a table, but Perez ran out to make the save. Ripley got rid of Perez, but Rodriguez laid out Ripley with a Tejana Bomb through the table. Rodriguez embraced Perez. 

This was a good little segment to get some heat behind Rodriguez (and align her with Perez). 

********

There were photos of the Florida Panthers celebrating with their custom WWE title belt. 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Asuka during a break. Iyo Sky joined and was excited for Asuka, because they may finally get to meet in the ring like they talked about in Damage CTRL. Asuka said they weren’t in Damage CTRL anymore, and she would see her at SummerSlam. Sky said she would be ready. 

Ripley barged into Pearce’s office. He offered a street fight against Rodriguez, and she accepted. (It was hard to hear, but it sounded like he said it would be at Night of Champions.) 

******** 

There was a big-time video package for John Cena vs. CM Punk. They’ve added the location of Night of Champions back on the graphics, and they showed exterior shots of the city as the announcers ran down the card for Saturday. 

********

King of the Ring semi-final match: Jey Uso vs. Cody Rhodes 

They both got big reactions and faced off for about 30 seconds before shaking hands. This was a first-ever singles match, and it felt like a big deal given the stakes. 

Jey blocked a Cross Rhodes just three minutes into the match and went for a superkick, but Rhodes avoided it. Jey missed a running hip attack during a break, and Rhodes applied a figure four until Jey got a rope break. They exchanged strikes until Jey hit a Samoan drop for two. 

Jey hit a running hip attack and went for an Uso Splash. Rhodes got his knees up and caught Jey in a version of the kimura lock. Jey slipped out and applied a sleeper. Rhodes began fading but got to his feet and dumped Jey over the top rope. Jey blocked Rhodes’ suicide dive and went to the top, but Rhodes scaled the ropes and hit a superplex. This led to a second commercial break. 

Jey tossed Rhodes shoulder-first into the ring post, and followed with a flying crossbody for two. They exchanged strikes as we returned from break. Rhodes hit jabs, but Jey avoided a bionic elbow. Rhodes fired up, but Jey hit a Randy Orton-esque powerslam. 

Jey set up for Cross Rhodes, but Rhodes blocked it and hit a Cody Cutter for two. Jey ducked a Disaster Kick and hit a spear for two. Rhodes hit a super Cody Cutter for two. 

Jey countered a Cross Rhodes and hit one of his own for a nearfall. People were on their feet for that. Jey superkicked Rhodes repeatedly, pulled him to his feet, and hit a spear. 

Instead of going for a cover, Jey went up for a splash. Rhodes scaled the ropes again and hit a super cutter/RKO. Rhodes followed with Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win. Rhodes advances to the KOTR finals against Orton. 

Rhodes and Jey embraced after the match. 

Match result: Cody Rhodes defeated Jey Uso to advance in King of the Ring (20:05) 

This was a very enjoyable Raw main event, and it helped that there were real stakes on the line.

WWE SmackDown live results: John Cena vs. Ron Killings, King & Queen of the Ring semifinals

Posted on by Marc Quill

John Cena’s appearance on SmackDown last week was not a happy one for the Undisputed WWE Champion as he was twice attacked by Ron Killings. Cena also had to contend with his Night of Champions opponent CM Punk having some harsh words for him.

Tonight on SmackDown, Killings gets his hands on Cena when they face off inside Van Andel Arena, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The first two King & Queen of the Ring tournament semifinal matches will go down tonight as Randy Orton faces Sami Zayn in the men’s match and Alexa Bliss takes on the returning Asuka in the women’s match.

United States Champion Jacob Fatu was given an ultimatum by Solo Sikoa last week: pledge his love to Solo or face the consequences. We’ll see how WWE follows up on that tonight.

Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega announced that she plans to call out Giulia after being attacked by the former NXT Women’s Champion several weeks ago.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– After a live shot of the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we were welcomed by shots of Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, plus Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo arriving to the arena. We then saw Ron “The Truth” Killings before we got LA Knight making his way down to the ring to open SmackDown proper. Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett talked about Knight’s involvement in the King of the Ring fatal-four way qualifier from Raw this past Monday.

LA Knight opens SmackDown

“Let me talk to ya,” Knight started off the proceedings in his usual manner. He circled back to Money in the Bank where Seth Rollins and his faction screwed him over, something he couldn’t let slide, so he decided to pay it back by screwing one of them (Bron Breakker) out of the King of the Ring. When Rollins’ faction took out Knight last week in his King of the Ring qualifier, Knight decided to screw over the other member of the group (Bronson Reed) in response. Knight then said that there was only one way this would end: with Seth Rollins himself facing off against him right here and now.

The voice of Paul Heyman signaled the arrival of Rollins’ Wise Man to the arena. Heyman admonished the crowd for booing Rollins’ name and “screwing up the cue”, so he did the introduction again. Knight told Heyman to shut up and get to the point by asking why he was here. Heyman entered the ring and siad that there was indeed a lot of bad blood between Knight and Rollins. However, with all due respect to the Grand Rapids crowd, Heyman said that he was the “biggest” LA Knight fan in all of WWE. As such, Seth Rollins, according to Heyman, has allowed him to say that Knight needs to get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan because something bad will happen to him before the end of the night.

Knight responded by saying that he’s heard Heyman make that threat before because he’s a swindler and someone who leeches on to someone “hot” to leech on their popularity. Knight said that if Heyman couldn’t bring Seth Rollins to him, then there was only one thing that they could do instead: LA Knight versus Paul Heyman right now. Knight said he was going to take his stuff off and turn his back on Heyman to give him the first shot, stating to make it count otherwise he’d make it hurt.

Heyman rolled out of the ring and said that his threat to Knight wasn’t a prediction, it was a spoiler. On cue, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed walked down the stage and made their way to go after Knight in a two-on-one assault. Rollins’ vanguard had their way with Knight as the announce table was ripped apart in the melee. Before the two could do any more damage, Knight emerged from the timekeeper area with a steel chair and used it wisely in warding off Breakker and Reed. Heyman returned to ringside and got the two to back off for now.

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

– Backstage, Heyman talked with Breakker and Reed, stating that they’d have everything in control. Byron Saxton showed up to inform the group that Nick Aldis has made Bronson Reed versus LA Knight official for later tonight.

Queen of the Ring Semifinal: Alexa Bliss versus Asuka

Asuka and Bliss circled the ring as the bell rang before they got into a lockup. Asuka blocked a Bliss shoulder blcok, but got felled by a dropkick instead. The recently-returned Empress answered with a shoulder block of her own as she then followed with a hip attack that sent Bliss out of the ring to take us into a break in the action.

We returned with Asuka having her way with Bliss by way of a submission hold. Bliss escaped and launched into Asuka with a flip neckbreaker, followed by a senton for the two-count. Asuka recovered and answered with a flurry of strikes, followed by a snap German suplex and a knee to the face of Bliss. One, two… not enough. Bliss dodged a big kick from Asuka for the roll-up, but found herself in a roll-up of her own after a failed Sister Abigal attempt.

With Bliss still recovering, Asuka headed up top for the missile dropkick, but Bliss blocked it as she hit her signature DDT for the close near fall. Bliss went up to the top rope and had Asuka in position for Twisted Bliss, but hesitated as she dropped down. Asuka took advantage and locked in her Asuka Lock armbar hold on Bliss, who escaped in desperation by rolling towards the rope. Hangman’s neckbreaker by Asuka kept Bliss grounded momentary. Bliss intercepted an attempted running attack from Asuka and placed her in a tree-of-woe position for the dropkick. She headed up top to look for the Twisted Bliss once more, but Asuka blocked it with her knees, which stunned Bliss long enough for Asuka’s Empress Impact knee for the one, two, three. Asuka wins to earn a berth in the Queen of the Ring finals.

Asuka def. Alexa Bliss via pinfall to advance to the Queen of the Ring Finals

Solid opening bout between two talented women wrestlers. It’s great to see Asuka back in the fold and looking as good as ever in the ring, and she and Bliss had themselves a great match right here..

**********

– Backstage, Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin were seen watching the previous match. B-Fab and Michin said that it was maybe time to make their own impact in the women’s tag division and headed off to talk to Nick Aldis about it. Byron Saxton then interviewed Cargill about facing Roxanne Perez on Raw next Monday and the possibility of facing Asuka in the Queen of the Ring Finals.

– Alexa Bliss was confronted by Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice, but then soon found themselves joined by Charlotte Flair. Which led to Charlotte challenging Green to a match later tonight. Green got upset Bliss stated that she didn’t need Flair’s help, to which Flair said that she wasn’t there to help Bliss at all.

Aleister Black versus Kit Wilson

Before the match could even get started, Kit Wilson was attacked by Ron Killings in the ring. Killings locked in the STF before he took the microphone. Killings angrily demanded that John Cena get out here now to face him right now.

The usual gaggle of security officials and road agents showed up to calm Killings down, as Jamie Noble in particular got Killings to leave the ring peacefully, and the scheduled Black vs. Wilson match apparently called off on the account of Killings’ pre-match attack.

Aleister Black versus Kit Wilson never took place

**********

– We got a Papa Johns’ sponsored recap of Goldberg’s return and subsequent challenge to Gunther for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

– Jamie Noble continued to talk to Ron Killings, who was angry about John Cena not showing up. Aleister Black then confronted Killings for interrupting his match, but Damian Priest appeared to to keep the peace. As Black left, Priest called out Killings for his anger and told him to focus that rage on John Cena later tonight instead. Priest promised that he and Killings would go out for a night downtown later once Cena was taken care of.

Cody Rhodes addresses King of the Ring

Before Rhodes could even utter a single word, the theme of his King of the Ring semifinals opponent, Jey Uso, interrupted. Out came the “Yeet Man” himself to a loud reaction from the Grand Rapids crowd. The crowd continued to do the Yeet dance and chants as Uso made his way down to the ring. Once everything calmed down somewhat, Uso called for another encore as his theme music played once more.

After that was done with, Uso started by telling Rhodes that he didn’t even have to say anything because they’ve both been in the trenches together. From fighting one another, to fighting together as tag champions, to finishing their respective stories at WrestleMania. However, on Monday, there’s only room for one of them. Uso said he knows that Rhodes is going to bring it, and that it’s nothing personal, but it’s only business. At the end of it all, though, Uso said that there’d be only four letters, one word, uh-uh… Yeet.

As Rhodes and Uso showed respect, Sami Zayn entered the ring and joined in. As he took the microphone, Zayn said that he got to share the ring with two great friends, who are also two of the greatest that the business has to offer. He said that between the three of them standing in the ring, there was only one who wasn’t a World Champion. Zayn said he was proud of Jey Uso for winning at WrestleMania, and that he was the first one to congratulate Cody Rhodes for finishing his story at WrestleMania. With that, Zayn said he hoped Rhodes and Uso understood that it was time to finish his own story.

“Voices” rang through the Van Andel Arena, which brought out Zayn’s King of the Ring semifinal foe, Randy Orton to the ring. Orton reiterated to Rhodes what he said last week about doing whatever it takes to get to John Cena and win his 15th World Championship. He turned his attention to Uso and said while he had respect for him, it’d be “three letters and one move” if he faced off with Jey in the King of the Ring Finals. Orton then said that he meant every word that one day, Sami Zayn will be a World Champion, but SummerSlam won’t be that day. That’s because of the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment: R-K-O. The segment ended with Cody Rhodes not even getting a chance to say a single word.

**********

King of the Ring Semifinals: Randy Orton versus Sami Zayn

The match started after the commercial break with Zayn having Orton caught in an arm submission that eventually got countered into a classic Orton resthold. After that submission exchange, Zayn cornered Orton with repeated chops that sent him out of the ring. Zayn looked like he was going for a dive to the outside, but Orton backed off, which caused Zayn to backtrack at the last second. Orton took his time to get himself back in the ring and trapped Zayn in the corner, which led to the referee breaking it up. Orton gave Zayn a poke in the eye in the scuffle.

The fight moved to the outside, with Orton nailing his trademark announce table back suplex on Zayn. Amidst the crowd’s chants of “one more time”, Orton obliged and hit another announce table back suplex on Zayn, which took us to a break mid-match.

SmackDown returned with Orton teeing off on Zayn with a punch to the head. Zayn did a springboard dodge to leap behind Orton as he then floored him with a clothesline. Zayn connected with a big elbow followed by the axe handle. Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb attempt was countered by Orton, who unloaded with his clotheslines, followed by a vintage scoop powerslam. Orton kept up momentum with the draped DDT on the ropes.

Orton had Zayn in his sights for an RKO, but Zayn rolled out of the ring to avoid calamity. Orton stepped out of the ring and slammed Zayn’s face against the announce table. Orton tried for yet another table back suplex, but Zayn countered and gave Orton a taste of his own medicine instead. In the ring, Zayn avoided a shoulder charge from Orton, which sent the Viper into the ringpost instead.

Zayn targeted Orton for a Helluva Kick, but got intercepted into a snap powerslam for his troubles. One, two… Zayn just barely kicked out! Orton dodged a Helluva Kick at the last second, as he looked to connect with the RKO. Zayn turned that around and turned it into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Orton just somehow kicked out at the last possible second. Zayn headed up top and missed on a dive. Orton’s first RKO was blocked, but one last attempt sealed the deal for the Viper as the pin and win put him in the King of the Ring finals.

Randy Orton def. Sami Zayn via pinfall to advance to the King of the Ring Finals

Some really good stuff from Orton and Zayn here, and there were a few moments throughout where I though Zayn would pull off the upset win. That said, while Orton’s win moves us to (likely) a showdown with Cody Rhodes at King of the Ring, what happens now with Zayn after this loss — and especially with Karrion Kross being a thorn in his side will be interesting to see. In any case, Orton vs. Zayn delivered a fantastic match.

**********

Nia Jax addresses her attack on Tiffany Stratton

Jax started by saying that Tiffany Stratton approached her to get some guidance, and that she repaid that help by supposedly betraying her. The WWE Women’s Champion herself interrupted and called Jax the “toxic ex she couldn’t get away from”, and told her to admit that she’s so jsut so much better than her. Jax said that Stratton should prove it by facing her again without a kicking a chair in her face. Stratton said that she agreed, and that next week… she will face Jax for the WWE Women’s Title in a Last Woman Standing match. Jax and Stratton brawled for a bit, with Jax getting the better of Stratton and flooring her with a series of leg drops.

Naomi ran down to the ring and tried to cash in Money in the Bank on the fallen Stratton, but Jax pulled her out of the ring repeatedly to prevent it. Stratton recovered and kicked Naomi off the apron, which sent her crashing onto Jax. Stratton took this time to make her escape while Naomi and Jax were left laying in front of the announce table.

**********

– A video package of CM Punk and John Cena’s rivalry was shown.

Charlotte Flair versus Chelsea Green (w/ Piper Niven & Alba Fyre)

Green wrestled with her face mask covering her broken nose.

The match started off with Green cheapshotting Flair and getting the advantage early on. Flair rolled over the turnbuckle and landed on her feet on the apron to create some separation between her and Green. Flair fended off Piper Niven and Alba Fyre at ringside before she headed up top with a diving fist strike on Green. With the referee distracted by Niven at ringside, this allowed Fyre to get on the apron to grab at Flair, which gave Green the opening to hit a neckbreaker on the former WWE Women’s Champion. That took us to a break in the action.

We returned with Flair attempting to mount a comeback as she fired away with chops on Green’s chest before she took her down with suplex. Flair gave Green a mocking salute before tried to set up for the Figure-Eight. Alba Fyre got on the apron to cross a distraction, as Green nailed a Rough Ryder.

Green took off her mask and looked to put Flair away with the Un-Pretty-Her, but couldn’t connect. Flair hit a Spear, but Green kicked out. In the ensuing chaos, Flair applied the Figure-Eight on Green, who tapped out.

Flair didn’t have time to celebrate as Piper Niven stormed the ring and delivered a Senton. Alba Fyre and Green joined in on the attack of Flair before Alexa Bliss made the save. Bliss hit the Sister Abigail on Green as the Secret Hervice were forced into a retreat. Bliss tried to offer a hand to Flair, but she got rebuked instead.

Charlotte Flair def. Chelsea Green via submission.

Not much to write home about in terms of this match, and its main purpose was to largely continue the weird sorta-alliance/frenemy situation that’s unfolding with Charlotte and Alexa Bliss.

**********

– JC Mateo was seen taping himself up as he asked Solo Sikoa what the plan would be for Jacob Fatu. Sikoa said that there wouldn’t be a need for anything physical as tonight would be the night Fatu “comes home”.

Will Jacob Fatu rejoin Solo Sikoa?

Solo Sikoa got into the ring and said that he was out here alone and ready to welcome Jacob Fatu with open arms, as he then called out the United States Champion so they could talk things over. Fatu entered the scene with his U.S. Title in tow and the crowd cheering him on.

Once Fatu entered the ring, he and Sikoa stared one another down. Sikoa said that he wasn’t here to fight Fatu, because he wanted it to be known that he always loved Fatu, no matter what. Sikoa said that one thing he learned about being Tribal Chief was learning to love family, even when they fight and argue. He pledged Fatu to move forward and do things together as one.

Sikoa insisted that nobody wanted Fatu here, except him. Which is why he brought him into WWE to help change his life and to put food on the table for his family. And he did all that because Sikoa claimed to love Fatu, and that he didn’t have anybody else to turn to. Sikoa said that Fatu was all he got and all he needed. Even if Fatu didn’t say those four words, Solo was willing to say those four words for everybody to hear. “I love you, Jacob,” said Sikoa.

Fatu got his chance to respond, asking if it comes down to “loving” him. Fatu said that Sikoa was using him to gain power, fight his battles, and to stay Tribal Chief. “Hell, you brought me in, so I could bring you fame? So I could bring you gold?” asked Fatu. The U.S. Champion said that Sikoa was the one who was acting different ever since Fatu won. Maybe, the problem, as Fatu said, was the U.S. Title itself. Fatu laid it down on the mat and asked Sikoa to fight him for the title.

Fatu then threatened Sikoa, stating that if he ever came his way, then he knows what’s coming. Sikoa tried to attack Fatu with the Samoan Spike, but he got caught instead. JC Mateo entered the ring and helped Sikoa take down Fatu. The two Neo-Bloodline members attacked Fatu in a two-on-one assault until Jimmy Uso attempted to make the save. Mateo and and Sikoa got the better of Jimmy until Fatu recovered and made short work of the two. Fatu and Jimmy shared a tense staredown as the former tried to hit his jumping moonsault on Sikoa, who rolled out of harm’s way.

**********

Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman & Bron Breakker) versus LA Knight

Knight snuck up on Breakker from the crowd to throw him into the ring post, which angered him greatly. Reed got Breakker to calm down as the match became officially underway.

Reed blocked an Irish whip attempt, but missed on a shoulder charge into the corner, which gave Knight the opening to stomp away on him. Reed recovered and wanted to slam Knight, but got countered into a kick to the face instead. On the apron, Knight tried to leap at Reed, but got caught. A jumping neckbreaker by Knight was subsequently countered by Reed through the use of his size.

Knight avoided a senton from Reed as he headed up top and caught him with a diving neckbreaker. Reed rolled out of the ring and blocked Knight’s baseball slide dropkick. Knight tried again for a high-risk move and connected with the dive onto Reed to the outside, which took us to a break.

We returned from break with Reed attempting a superplex on Knight from the top rope. Knight battled to break free and won out, as he shoved Reed down to the mat. Knight had him in position for his jumping leaping elbow. One, two… Reed kicked out! Knight’s BFT attempt was countered by Reed, who landed a Death Valley Driver for the near-fall.

Reed lifted Knight up and delivered a thumbs down as he looked for a powerbomb. Knight reversed that into a DDT. Breakker got on the apron but got smacked down by Knight for his troubles. Reed got sent to the outside as Knight looked for a dive… but Breakker hit a Spear on Knight to cause the DQ finish.

As Reed held Knight in position, Breakker hit his super Spear with brutal force. Reed then followed that up with consecutive Tsunamis. As referees got shooed away, Reed headed up top and hit a final devastating Tsunami on Knight. The vanguard of Seth Rollins’ faction stood tall as it appeared that Paul Heyman’s threat was quite accurate.

LA Knight def. Bron Breakker via DQ

Just a standard match, but the post-match angle does give the muscle of Seth Rollins’ as-of-yet nameless group some neeeded menace.

**********

Next Week on SmackDown

  • Women’s United States Championship Match: Zelina Vega (c) vs. Giulia
  • WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits (c) vs. The Wyatt Sicks’ Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis
  • WWE Women’s Championship Match (Last Woman Standing): Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Nia Jax

– We learned from Jacob Fatu that he will defend the United States Championship against Solo Sikoa next Saturday at Night of Champions.

Ron Killings versus John Cena

Killings started off hot by tackling Cena and forcing him to the outside as he aggressively went after the Undisputed WWE Champion at ringside. Back in the ring, Killings threw Cena into the corner with force as we headed to a picture-in-picture break. Killings performed Cena’s own shoulder tackles and then the spin-out powerbomb as seen in picture-in-picture.

SmackDown returned from picture-in-picture with Cena nailing the Five-Knuckle Shuffle on Killings. Attitude Adjustment attempted, but Killings escaped and hit a Lou Thesz Press in response. Cena rolled out of the ring and took his WWE Championship, seemingly walking out on the match. Killings tried to go after Cena, but got blasted with the WWE Title, causing a DQ.

Ron Killings def. John Cena via Disqualification

CM Punk ran down and started to scuffle with Cena. Punk attempted to hit Cena with the WWE Title, but got blasted with a kick to the groin. Cena answered with a belt shot of his own before he took the Slim Jim-branded table from underneath the ring.

Cena struck Punk with the WWE Title once more as he delivered an Attitude Adjustment through the Slim Jim table. Cena grabbed a microphone and started his own version of the Pipe Bomb promo.

Cena said that he hopes Punk can listen and digest, because before he can leave in six months with the WWE Title, there’s a lot of things he has to get off his chest. Cena said that he doesn’t hate Punk, but he hates the idea that Punk is the best in the world. Cena called himself as the Greatest of All Time, and that Punk is the “greatest bullshitter of all time”.

Cena said that he’s jealous of Punk because of how he’s conned everyone into believing in the myth that he’s the best in the world, but they don’t believe a goddamn thing he says, because Punk changes his values as much as Cena changes his shirts. Cena gave a Punk-like shoutout to Nick Nemeth, Matt Cardona, and Claudio Castagnoli. Cena accused Punk of regurgitating the same “five microphone moves of doom”, stating that Punk is no longer the “voice of the voiceless”, but a capitalist. Cena said that Punk isn’t against TKO, but he’s “Mr. TKO”.

Cena said that at Saudi Arabia, Punk is going to face some loud music in the form of the fact that it’s been Cena who’s been the greatest of all time for over 25 years. He said that Punk was “best in the world” for 7 minutes and 14 years ago. And after at Night of Champions, if Punk does prove he’s the best in the world, then it’s a small world after all. “You’re welcome, Grand Rapids,” said Cena.

Cena demanded that Punk better bring his A-Game to Night of Champions because if Grand Rapids is any indication, the mood is starting to change. Cena told Punk to rest up because at Night of Champions, it would be the Greatest of All Time versus Best in the World, and that it would The Champ would be here. “I just ripped off your own promo to make you look foolish,” Cena concluded his promo.

As iffy as the idea of using CM Punk’s history of refusing to work in Saudi Arabia as part of this build is, this Cena promo was at least a decent inversion of the Pipebomb. That said, the committment to this evil John Cena gimmick continues to face resistance from a crowd that just wants to cheer the guy regardless, so the moment he turns face is essentially just now on a ticking clock. I don’t begrudge Cena for having fun being the bad guy, but it’s quite clear that the crowd would just rather cheer him.

SmackDown this week was kind of middle of the road, with nothing really sticking out for me personally, other than the excellent Orton vs. Zayn and Asuka vs. Bliss matches, as well as Cena’s Pipebomb parody Everything else felt just kinda there, and I do wonder what the impending move to two hours in two week’s time will mean for the overall flow of the show.

WWE NXT live results: Blake Monroe contract signing

Posted on by Chris Aiken

Two weeks after her debut, the former Mariah May is set to officially join the WWE NXT roster tonight.

A contract signing for the newly named Blake Monroe will take place on tonight’s NXT episode. In her first appearance for the brand, Monroe declared that she wants to be the next NXT Women’s Champion. That title is currently held by Jacy Jayne after dethroning Stephanie Vaquer.

We know that the NXT Women’s Championship will be on the line at WWE’s Evolution PLE next month. Tonight, the road to deciding who will challenge for the belt begins with four Evolution eliminator matches. They are: Jordynne Grace vs. Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan vs. Lash Legend, Zaria vs. Izzi Dame, and Thea Hail vs. Jaida Parker.

TNA stars Elijah, AJ Francis, and KC Navarro will be on tonight’s show for a six-man tag match. TNA World Champion Trick Williams is teaming up with Francis & Navarro against Elijah, Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

Opening the show is the first of four Evolution eliminators.

Jaida Parker defeated Thea Hail in an Evolution eliminator match

Parker pinned Hail after a running hip attack. Parker had tapped out to a Kimura, but not in view of the referee. Hail thought the match ended because of the tap out, but the ref was oblivious. Parker then struck with the Hipnotic.

Heat on Hail during the body of the match, with Parker dominating on offense. Hail is a babyface in peril, but she fights back. Hope spot just before the show cuts its first commercial break. Hail sidesteps Parker, and Parker crashes into the metal ring steps.

While Hail looked to turn the tide, Parker cuts her off during the split-screen break. Parker tries her finisher as the show returns from the break, but Hail counters and applies a Kimura. Hail has Parker trapped in the submission hold. Parker struggles for the ropes, but Hail with a gator roll maintains control. Parker gets to her feet, but Hail still has the hold applied on her.

Parker maneuvers herself into a position where her left hand is hidden from the referee. Parker then taps out, but the referee does not see it. Hail releases the hold, and looks towards the referee. Parker strikes with a Hipnotic on an unsuspecting Hail, and Parker scores the pinfall.

Lash Legend defeated Kelani Jordan in an Evolution eliminator match

Legend pinned Jordan with a Lash Extension. They wrestled through a commercial break.

Asai moonsault by Jordan just before the show cuts to a traditional break. No split-screen. The match is rejoined in progress. Near fall for Legend after a pump kick. Argentine backbreaker by Legend, but Jordan counters into a codebreaker.

Cartwheel back elbow and Jordan is on a roll. Sliced bread by Jordan, and she leaps off the top rope with frog splash for a two count on Legend. Jordan goes for a split-legged moonsault, only for Legend to cut her off. Legend sets up for an avalanche back suplex, but Jordan turns that into a falling crossbody off the turnbuckles. Legend still powers out.

For the finish, Legend gets her knees up to block a 450 splash from Jordan. Legend executes her Lash Extension finisher, and Legend then covers Jordan for a pinfall.

Up next is the saga of melodrama with the Tony D’Angelo Family.

“The Don” is in the ring talking about being stabbed in the back by Stacks. D’Angelo does not know what is going on. Up is down. Down is up. D’Angelo says all he wanted from Luca Crusifino was his trust and loyalty, and D’Angelo claims he is not getting that from him.

D’Angelo calls out Crusifino and tells him to continue lying to him and the audience. Crusifino sticks to his story, but “The Don” is not sure to believe him. D’Angelo says the eyes never lie, so he asks Crusifino to look him in his eyes and tells him that Luca is not with Stacks.

Stacks interrupted before Luca can answer. Stacks is flanked by his new crew. Stacks tried to recruit Luca into his crew. Stacks says Luca knows what to do next. D’Angelo takes down a henchman from the new crew and a brawl erupts. Luca fights off the Stack’s crew while Stacks and D’Angelo have a hockey fight. Luca goes to presumably hit Stacks. Instead, Luca inadvertently hits D’Angelo.

Je’Von Evans is making the rounds around the locker room in a backstage skit. He briefly chats with a mean Jasper Troy. A moment later, a match is set up with Evans against Tavion Heights. If Heights wins, he can leave No Quarter Catch Crew. Charlie Dempsey agrees to the stipulation, and Wren Sinclair hugs Dempsey in a comedy spot.

Eijah gets to do his troubadour gimmick before a commercial break. When the show returns, Elijah is in action for a six-man tag team match

Josh Briggs, Yoshiki Inamura & Elijah defeated TNA World Champion Trick Williams, AJ Francis & Wes Lee (with High Ryze)

Inamura pinned Williams to win the match. Inamura scoring a pin on the TNA World champ would seem to set up a TNA title match.

The trios bout goes through a commercial break. Elijah with a Randy Savage flying elbow drop just before the split-screen break. Inamura is being worked over when the show returns from the break. Hot tag to Briggs and he cleans house. Elijah tags in and further cleans house.

Everybody joins in and the match breaks down. After a shoves by Briggs, Lee inadvertently wipes out Trick on a corkscrew senton. Elijah then tosses Lee over the top rope into the arms of High Ryze at ringside. Meanwhile, Inamura is tagged in. Inamura leaps off the top rope with a flying body pres, and Inamura covers Trick Williams for a pinfall.

Izzi Dame (with The Culling) defeated Zaria (with Sol Ruca) in an Evolution eliminator match

Dame pinned Zaria, after a sudden appearance of Tatum Paxley. That was set up in a skit before this match.

The match goes through a split-screen commercial break. Tatum Paxley hops the barricade at ringside just before the finish. NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca is in Zaria’s corner, and she is distracted by the sudden appearance of Paxley. Apparently, so was Zaria. A distracted Zaria takes a pop-up sit-out powerbomb from Dame, and Dame scores a three count.

Inamura gifts Briggs his TNA title shot in a skit that made little sense except Inamura envisions a world where Briggs is TNA champion and Inamura is NXT champion.

Jordynne Grace defeated Lola Vice in an Evolution eliminator match

Grace pinned Vice after Beast Mode. Vice drops the fall, but she looked strong in the match. It was also a good match.

The match goes through a commercial break. No split screen, and the bout is rejoined in progress. Great closing moments.

NXT GM Ava introduces Blake Monroe for her contract signing.

Monroe began by putting over NXT as having the best women’s division. That seriousness was met with sexual innuendo, as Monroe says she cannot wait to jump into bed with the talent in NXT. WWE has always been her dream and now she is here.

She claims to raise the bar, turn heads and redefine what being a star means. The spotlight is now on her, and Monroe signs the contract with a custom pink pen that compliments her character.

Out comes the heel trio of Fatal Influence. NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne is joined by Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyz. Jayne cuts a promo on Monroe, leading to Monroe decking Jayne with a right hand. Henley then brawls with Monroe. Jayne recovers and the Fatal Influence trio jumps Monroe. They pose over a fallen Monroe.

The heels leave the ring with Monroe still selling the attack, and Jayne poses with her title belt as the show fades to black.

WWE Raw live results: King & Queen of the Ring first round concludes

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 16, 2025
Location: Resch Center in Green Bay, WI 

The Big Takeaway —

Liv Morgan injured her shoulder just moments into her match, and the match was stopped. Hopefully, it’s not a serious injury. It’s particularly poor timing with Morgan being set up for multiple programs. 

Jey Uso and Asuka advanced in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. On next week’s Raw, Jey Uso faces Cody Rhodes, while Jade Cargill faces Roxanne Perez. On Friday’s SmackDown, Asuka faces Alexa Bliss, while Sami Zayn faces Randy Orton. 

Next week’s Raw will also see Becky Lynch defending her Intercontinental Championship against Bayley. 

Goldberg returned as expected to set up a World Championship match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Atlanta. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Gunther (holding the world title belt and wearing a smile), Bayley, Stephanie Vaquer, and Jey Uso were shown arriving earlier today. 

Corey Graves is filling in for Pat McAfee alongside Michael Cole on commentary. Graves said he couldn’t be more excited to be on Raw.

Liv Morgan and Iyo Sky segment 

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio entered holding their respective belts. Liv welcomed us to Monday Night Morgan and wanted to hear some noise for the most gorgeous man in WWE, Dominik Mysterio. The fans booed, but they didn’t boo over his promo like they used to. Dom said tonight wasn’t about him and turned things back over to Morgan. 

Morgan said Nikki Bella learned the hard way that this division was about her, and now Nikki was sitting hurt at home. Morgan mocked Iyo Sky’s comment that Bella paved the way for them. Morgan said nobody paved the way for her. She was a four-time tag team champion and the greatest women’s tag champion ever. Now, she demanded the rematch she never got for the world title. 

Just as Morgan was about to call her out, Sky interrupted. The crowd chanted for Iyo. She told Morgan to do everyone a favour and shut her mouth. She said Morgan disrespected her and disrespected Nikki. Sky was ready to fight her, but Morgan only wanted to do it for the title. 

Morgan accused Sky of being scared and invited her to just hand over the belt. Sky told Morgan she had to earn a shot. Morgan couldn’t just steal it the way she stole Dirty Dom. Dom said Sky should give Morgan whatever she wanted, just like he did. 

They again suggested that Sky hand over the belt, so she did, but then dropkicked Morgan out of the ring. She also kicked Dom, and he left with Morgan. 

******** 

Stephanie Vaquer entered ahead of a commercial break. Chad Gable cut a promo on Ivy Nile’s behalf during a break (while also taking a shot at the Green Bay Packers). He returned to the back for the match. 

Backstage, Morgan told Rodriguez to win her match, then they would take care of Sky and Kairi Sane. (It was difficult to hear Morgan, but the closed caption helped.)

Queen of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Asuka vs. Ivy Nile vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez

Asuka entered to her singles theme. She had full face paint and wore mostly black gear along with a knee brace. The crowd chanted, “Welcome back.” 

Asuka and Vaquer had a very brief exchange that was interrupted by the heels. Rodriguez powerbombed Asuka into Vaquer and Nile, which led to break 80 seconds into the match. (Nothing else has happened since the previous commercial break.) 

The crowd was quiet through the break until they returned and Vaquer did Devil’s Kiss to Nile. Rodriguez blocked a Devil’s Kiss, but Vaquer managed to do it to her on the apron. (The crowd counted along instead of yelling like Booker T.) 

Vaquer blocked an Asuka lock, and Nile kicked her in the face. Nile gave Asuka a German suplex for two. This led to the match’s second commercial break—just eight minutes into it. 

As they returned from break, Rodriguez hoisted both Nile and Vaquer on her shoulders, which was impressive, and Asuka knocked everyone down with a flying dropkick. Asuka handed out kicks, but her pinfall attempt on Nile was interrupted by Vaquer. 

Vaquer invited Asuka to her feet so they could go at it again. Asuka no-sold Vaquer’s strikes, so Vaquer responded with repeated headbutts and a vertical suplex. Vaquer hit a facebuster, but Nile broke up the cover. Nile gave Asuka a uranage, but Vaquer broke up her cover. 

Rodriguez booted Vaquer and gave her a Tejana Bomb. You could tell she was about to get yanked out of the ring because of how she made the cover. Rhea Ripley pulled Rodriguez out and gave her a Rip-tide on the floor. 

Asuka followed with a running hip attack on Rodriguez for the pinfall win. 

Asuka faces Alexa Bliss on SmackDown in the semi-finals. (Cole reminded us that Asuka and Bliss were once tag champions.) The crowd was up and down during the match, but popped big for the closing sequence. 

(I thought Vaquer might’ve won this one, but they probably don’t want to pin her in the tournament, so Asuka advances. Also, Asuka pinning Rodriguez can set up a future tag title match with Sane.) 

— After the match, Asuka told Cathy Kelley that she would become Queen of the Ring. 

Match result: Asuka defeated Raquel Rodriguez, Ivy Nile and Stephanie Vaquer to advance in Queen of the Ring (15:49)

******** 

There was a Gunther/Jey Uso video package. Gunther is up next. 

New Day cut a normal heel promo during the break.

******** 

Morgan approached Rodriguez in the Judgment Day locker room and wanted them to go somewhere. I’m not sure what she actually said, but Rodriguez wasn’t up for whatever it was because she wasn’t cleared by medical after just wrestling. Morgan left to deal with it alone. 

There was another disagreement between Dom and Finn Bálor, where Bálor brushed it off. The crowd repeatedly yelled, “What?” throughout the segment because it was hard to hear. Bálor told Rodriguez not to worry about Morgan, and he left with Roxanne Perez. 

******** 

Gunther and Goldberg segment 

Gunther entered and received a big fireworks display as he held up the World title. 

Gunther said he was man enough to admit that Jey Uso was the better man at WrestleMania. Jey was better than him—for one night. But on every other night, Gunther was untouchable. (The crowd booed as he spoke.) 

Gunther heard the rumours about what was next for him. Some fans chanted for Goldberg. Gunther said it wasn’t Goldberg, because he already cussed out Goldberg in front of his family. 

Gunther spoke about Seth Rollins. He heard Rollins say the champion would be a target, so he told Rollins he was right there. 

Goldberg entered. He wore a “Goldberg’s Last Ride” t-shirt. The fans chanted for him, and he thanked them. 

Goldberg told Gunther not to worry because tonight was his night. Goldberg congratulated him on winning the title. 

Goldberg got in his face and recalled what happened between them last time. Gunther started something with him and his family in Atlanta, so Goldberg wanted to end it in Atlanta. At Saturday Night’s Main event on July 12th, “You’re mine because you’re next!” 

Gunther was perturbed and left the ring.

(Goldberg was good enough here, but this title match isn’t the most exciting direction.) 

This title match was made official after a break. 

********

AJ Styles vs. JD McDonagh (w/ Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio) 

This match was sponsored by an app. 

Dom helped McDonagh get a rope break as Styles held a calf crusher, so Styles chased Dom around the ring. When Styles got to the timekeeper’s area, McDonagh flew over the barricade to wipe him out. It was a cool-looking spot and got a good reaction. 

Styles fought back after a break, but McDonagh cut him off with a headbutt and brainbuster for two. Styles knocked McDonagh off the ropes but was distracted by Dom, who hopped onto the apron in front of the referee. 

McDonagh tried to use the distraction, but Styles hit him with a Styles Clash anyway for the pinfall win. 

— Dom tried attacking Styles after the match, but Styles fought him off until Bálor pulled him to safety. Styles held up Dom’s IC title belt. Judgment Day tried swarming Styles, but Styles bailed with the belt. 

Match result: AJ Styles defeated JD McDonagh (10:34)

******** 

Maxxine Dupri and Natalya gave Sheamus words of encouragement backstage. They want him to take care of Rusev. Akira Tozawa fired up and told Sheamus to kick his ass. 

Bayley walked through the back. She’s up next. (Grayson Waller and Austin Theory argued as they hung out with New Day nearby.) 

Packers player Evan Williams was at ringside. 

******** 

Bayley and Becky Lynch segment 

Bayley entered. She missed the fans and was happy to be back. She waited as she heard some fans trying to sing, but it didn’t pick up. The fans instead chanted, “Let’s go, Bayley.” 

Bayley revelled in every opportunity she had to perform for the fans because it’s what she was born for. She put her heart and soul into it every single night. Two months ago, she was stripped and robbed of a WrestleMania match and an opportunity to go after the tag titles. That division was near and dear to her heart. 

She didn’t just perform for WrestleMania, though. She would do it any night and would do it on nights like this one. If Becky Lynch thought she broke her by costing her WrestleMania, she was wrong. It healed her and made her stronger. 

Bayley said Lynch was always two steps ahead of her on the ladder, and she admitted that it did eat at her. But Bayley planned on climbing the ladder, knocking Lynch down and taking everything from her. 

Lynch entered wearing Chicago Bears gear. (A rival team of the Packers, and Seth Rollins’ favourite team.) The fans chanted, “Bears still suck.” 

Lynch said she and Bayley were the same. They were never meant to be on top of the division. But Bayley accepted playing second fiddle, while Lynch didn’t. Bayley would much rather have friends over her legacy. Lynch would rather have her legacy over some fake-ass friends. 

Bayley said she’s built her own legacy and is a future Hall of Famer, that’s why she didn’t mind bringing others in the locker room along with her. Lynch said she used to fight for the people, but they stopped fighting for her, so she stopped fighting for them. 

Lynch said the fans also stopped fighting for Bayley. Nobody gave a damn about Bayley when Lynch repaced her at Mania. 

Bayley called her an insecure idiot. Lynch was so worried about how the fans would react to her return that she took out Bayley so her return could be a big surprise. She followed that by taking out Lyra Valkyria as well. (Lynch noted the fans cheered that, too.) 

Bayley wondered if Lynch forgot what it was like to fight for opportunities, or if her head was too far up her ass. Lynch smiled and said she didn’t remember what that was like. She wondered if Bayley remembered what gold felt like. 

Bayley challenged her to a match. Lynch was ok with that—but not in Green Bay and not for the title. Lynch said, “See you in Columbus.” Lynch tried a cheap shot, but Bayley avoided it and knocked Lynch down. Lynch bailed with her title. 

********

Kelley interviewed Jey Uso backstage. Jey had his eyes set on a rematch with Gunther, and he was fine going through King of the Ring to get it. Yeet. 

********

Styles returned the Intercontinental title to Nick Aldis. (Aldis was filling in for the vacationing Adam Pearce, which they did not explain.) Aldis informed Styles he was getting an IC title match against Dom at Night of Champions. 

Bayley approached Aldis next, and he put her in an IC title match against Lynch next week. Bayley was happy. (I guess Aldis has full control.) 

Valkyria approached Bayley. Bayley apologized for not returning her texts and calls over the past few months. Valkyria was annoyed but understood that Bayley was simply doing what was best for her. Valkyria said she would do what was best for her, too. 

********

Kairi Sane vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan 

The match was stopped due to an injury. The first spot of the match was Sane going for a takedown, and Morgan came up injured. She rolled out of the ring, and officials checked on her as she grabbed her arm/shoulder. 

They showed a bunch of replays, and it wouldn’t have looked like much if you didn’t know Morgan was hurt. She appeared to land hard on her right arm/elbow, and the reaction on her face said it all. 

During a break, they announced Morgan couldn’t continue, and Sane was declared the winner. Sane celebrated. 

Match result: Kairi Sane defeated Liv Morgan via injury stoppage 

Cole announced that Morgan suffered a dislocated shoulder.

********

There was a John Cena/CM Punk video package. They didn’t shy away from Cena’s hypocrite line. 

********

Sami Zayn did an interview backstage until he was interrupted by Karrion Kross. Kross thought Zayn was insane for doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. (That’s not the definition of insanity.) Kross said Randy Orton would beat Zayn, go on to win his 15th title, and Zayn would stay at zero. 

Zayn called Kross a coward for lurking in the shadows. Zayn wondered if Kross had the courage to back up his words. Zayn has talked a big game, lost and had the courage to pick himself up and go back out there again. Kross couldn’t say the same. 

Zayn was tired of hearing from Kross. Zayn’s focus was KOTR, but the second that was done, he would get Pearce to put them in a match. Kross said it was about time. 

********

Next week on Raw in Columbus, OH: 

  • Becky Lynch vs. Bayley for the Women’s Intercontinental title 
  • Queen of the Ring semi-final match: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez 
  • King of the Ring semi-final match: Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso  

********

King of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Jey Uso vs. Rusev vs. Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman) 

They went to break 90 seconds in after Jey hit Rusev with a suicide dive. Jey’s ribs were taped, and Reed targeted his midsection during the break. Jey handed out superkicks to everyone after the break. Rusev didn’t go down, so Jey tried another, but Rusev clotheslined him. 

Reed tossed Sheamus over the barricade, but Sheamus emerged to give him ten (or twenty) beats of the Bodhrán. Jey superkicked Sheamus and went for a running hip attack on Reed, but Rusev knocked down Jey again. 

Rusev and Sheamus finally went at it in the ring. They each hit big moves before exchanging right hands until Reed squished them in the corner. Reed also gave Jey a world’s strongest slam ahead of another break. 

Jey and Sheamus went back and forth until Sheamus hit a backbreaker. The crowd cheered as Sheamus got big Bronson on his shoulders to hit a White Noise, but Rusev broke up the cover. Rusev slammed Sheamus onto Reed. 

Jey handed out superkicks again, but Rusev blocked a superkick and applied the Accolade. Sheamus flew in with a knee strike, but Reed broke up the cover with a senton. Reed followed with a Tsunami on Sheamus, but Jey broke up the cover. 

Jey speared Reed, but surprise, surprise: there was interference. Bron Breakker shoved Jey off the top rope, so Sami Zayn ran in and posted Breakker. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but Breakker grabbed him by the throat and tossed him over the announce table. Penta flew in and wiped out Breakker with a dive. 

Reed hit Jey with a DVD, but there was more interference. This time, LA Knight shoved Reed off the top. Jey speared Reed again and consecutive Uso splashes for the pinfall win. 

Jey Uso advances to face Cody Rhodes on Raw next week. 

— Seth Rollins marched down to go after Jey, but he stopped as Cody Rhodes’ music hit. Rhodes entered to a huge reaction to face off with Rollins. They stared each other down until Rollins left the ring. 

Rhodes and Jey faced off before shaking hands. 

Match result: Jey Uso defeated Bronson Reed, Sheamus and Rusev to advance in King of the Ring (17:24)

(This was a fun match, but with tons of interference. You’ll often wonder where the hell all the good guys are when the heel group is running roughshod, so at least we got a satisfying ending here.) 

WWE Raw live results: Jey Uso vs. Gunther for World title

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 9, 2025
Location: PHX Arena in Phoenix, AZ 

The Big Takeaway —

Jey Uso’s reign as World Champion is over. 

CM Punk will challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. 

Roxanne Perez advanced in the Queen of the Ring tournament, and Sami Zayn advanced in the King of the Ring tournament. The tournament will continue on SmackDown and Raw, and the finals will happen at Night of Champions. The winners earn title matches at SummerSlam. 

Bayley is back, and Nikki Bella returned to announce Evolution. Asuka returns next week.

Plus, R-Truth is officially back as Ron Killings. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Gunther, and Jey Uso (and son) were shown arriving. 

There were highlights from Worlds Collide and Money in the Bank. As usual, these packages are meant to recap what happened—and tell you how big the events were. Among the clips they made sure to include was a shot of Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian in the crowd at MITB. 

John Cena and CM Punk segment

Cena entered. He was introduced as the greatest of all time and the last real champion. Cena wore purple and orange to match the Phoenix Suns. (He still has Rise Above Hate and Never Give Up on his merch.) The show was ten minutes old by the time he spoke. 

Cena said “truth” was a lie. The fans wasted their energy on a sideshow comedian whose greatest achievement was pretending to be him. (The crowd chanted, “We want Truth.”) 

Cena asked if they thought those chants actually accomplished anything. The fans were all keyboard warriors and armchair activists who did not have the power to change anything. R-Truth was a gimmick they would not care about in a year. 

Cena had limited time on his farewell tour. Nineteen dates remain. They were halfway done, and the fans shouldn’t waste their voice sending him the class clown. They should spend their energy sending him real competition. He’s already beaten their best by beating Truth, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. 

CM Punk interrupted. Punk had a lot to get off his chest. He called it ironic that Cena, the boy scout, wanted to ruin wrestling and ruin the establishment that made him, while the punk-rock kid from Chicago was seemingly defending the establishment. Punk wanted to make it clear: he wasn’t defending the establishment. 

Punk wasn’t defending TKO or the billionaires—he was defending the people. Maybe Cena was mad that the establishment picked him while the people didn’t. The people picked Punk in 2011 to be the voice of the voiceless. 

Punk said Cena was wrong, claiming he hadn’t faced the best. Rhodes was the best they got, but Cena only won because he took cheap shots. Punk wasn’t about to kiss the ass of his “final boss,” because the people were Punk’s boss. 

It was Punk’s job to give the people what they wanted, and if they wanted the truth, they would get Ron Killings. 

It was time for Punk to teach Cena that he was only a spoke on the wheel, too. Punk recalled Cena saying he was sorry after pinning Punk at Elimination Chamber, after Seth Rollins stomped him. Cena knew what he did was wrong. He knew what he was doing was wrong. (The fans chanted, “You sold out.”) 

Punk said Cena would spend the rest of his dates apologizing to the people for his actions. The title corrupted him. Punk knew it because it did the same to him in 2012. Punk had a list of goals when he returned, but winning the title wasn’t one of them because he was afraid of what he’d become if he did. 

Everybody should want to be the champion, and only a few can accomplish it. Punk could now see he had to become a monster to defeat the monster. To people like Cena and Rollins, the belt meant power and control, but Punk thought it belonged to the people. 

Punk said Cena had 18 dates left after today, and he would leave it up to Cena to pick the date that Punk takes the belt from him. Punk challenged him to do it tonight. 

Cena said no, of course. Cena said Punk could follow him to Saudi Arabia so they could do it at Night of Champions. Punk said, “You’re on,” off-mic. 

Seth Rollins entered (with his crew) to show off his MITB briefcase, and the segment ended. 

(Punk claiming that it wasn’t his goal to win the championship until now feels like a total lie. It’s also kind of funny that he’s the one who now wants to save the title from someone else.) 

******** 

Wade Barrett is on commentary tonight instead of Pat McAfee, who has the night off. 

There was a graphic for the Queen of the Ring and King of the Ring tournaments. Cody Rhodes is among those on the men’s side, and Asuka is among those on the women’s side. There’s also a mystery person on the men’s side. The tournament finals will occur at Night of Champions. The winners earn a title match against their respective brand’s champion at SummerSlam.

********

Chad Gable cut a promo during the commercial break. He was pissed that neither he or El Grande Americano were in KOTR. 

AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable (w/The Creed Brothers)  

The opening match kicked off 31 minutes into the show, and they went to commercial 90 seconds into it. Styles overcame interference by the Creeds and multiple Gable ankle locks to hit a Styles Clash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: AJ Styles defeated Chad Gable (7:57) 

********

Backstage, Roxanne Perez suggested to Liv Morgan that they work together to ensure one of them wins. Morgan was not on board. 

Queen of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Rhea Ripley vs. Kairi Sane vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan reluctantly worked together with Perez. However, as they set up for a double superplex on Sane, Ripley got underneath and hit them with a double powerbomb. Sane followed with a flying forearm on Ripley for two. 

Morgan and Perez worked together again to regain control. Morgan hit Sane with a backstabber, a move she does all the time, and Cole said it was an homage to Carlito. Ripley fired up and laid out everyone. Morgan tried to catch her off guard with an Oblivion, but Ripley caught her and hit a Rip-tide. 

Ripley had it won, but Raquel Rodriguez appeared out of nowhere to pull Ripley out of the ring and break up the cover. As Ripley and Rodriguez “brawled,” Sane wiped them out with a dive. 

Sane followed with an Insane Elbow on Morgan and seemingly had it won, but Perez caught Sane in a jackknife cover for the pinfall win. Roxanne Perez advances in the tournament. 

There are a lot of big names in this tournament, and like with Ripley here, I think we can expect to see a lot of finishes like this one to save prevent them from advancing. 

Match result: Roxanne Perez defeated Kairi Sane, Liv Morgan, and Rhea Ripley to advance in the Queen of the Ring tournament (12:52) 

********

Lynch walked through the back ahead of a break and passed by Austin Theory and Grayson Waller as they argued. 

There were more highlights from Worlds Collide, and a video package for tonight’s title main event. 

********

There was a Nikki Bella video package. 

Nikki met with Natalya and Maxxine Dupri backstage before speaking with Iyo Sky. Nikki put over Sky and how she carried herself as the champion. Sky thanked Nikki and said, “You paved the way for us.” (Another blatant lie.) 

********

Becky Lynch segment, Bayley returns

Lynch entered with her new IC title belt. She wondered where her “You deserve it” chants were. She didn’t need to hear it because she knew she deserved it. She should be out there celebrating, especially since there are so few opportunities for her to celebrate something new. She’s already won everything and is a best-selling author. Now, she is the Women’s Intercontinental Champion. 

This should be an opportunity to celebrate because this title was about opportunities. But the biggest opportunity this title ever got was Lynch winning it. She welcomed the belt to the big time and said it was now the biggest prize in the business. 

She should have been celebrating with her hot husband and beautiful child, but she wasn’t because the disingenuous bird lady Lyra Valkyria ruined everything. Valkyria raised her hand so aggressively that Lynch thought she dislocated her shoulder. Lynch claimed Valkyria tried to kill her when she attacked her after putting the belt around her waist. Lynch called out Valkyria to do it properly this time. 

Valkyria entered and walked out like an angry cartoon character. Bayley suddenly attacked Lynch from behind, and Valkyria was surprised to see her. 

Lynch bailed but bumped into Valkyria. Valkyria shoved Lynch back into the ring, but she escaped before Bayley could hit her finisher. 

********

Ron Killings / R-Truth segment 

Killings entered in the same outfit he wore at MITB. He entered through the crowd and stood on the announce table. 

Killings said: “Don’t let nobody tell you that you don’t matter. Don’t let nobody tell you that your voice doesn’t matter. They heard, they listened, they felt, and they understood. I am back—because of y’all.” 

Killings reiterated that he was back because of them and was back for them. But he was back for himself, too. “Not only did you bring Truth back, you got me.” 

They all loved R-Truth, but Truth could be too funny and forgiving. But he wasn’t. He felt different. He felt alive. He wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t a sideshow act. He wasn’t a gimmick. 

He pulled out a pair of scissors (as the announcers backed away) and cut his hair completely off. The crowd chanted, “Holy shit.” 

“The truth has set me free. I am Ron Killings. I am the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Now put some respect on my name.” 

The fans cheered as Killings walked away through the crowd. 

********

The male members of Judgment Day met backstage. Finn Bálor thought it was strange that Dom was the only member in KOTR. Dom figured Bálor had a shot at MITB, but that didn’t work out, so he thought Bálor would be ok with him being in KOTR. JD McDonagh said Dom could win KOTR, while they could win back the tag titles. Bálor was all smiles and acted like he was happy with this. 

Perez entered, and they congratulated her on the win. Morgan entered and was not in a good mood. Perez tried to claim she helped Morgan in the match by breaking up Sane’s pin. Morgan bluntly congratulated her and left. 

Bálor told Dom he should speak to Morgan. Dom clearly didn’t want any part of this and scampered off for his match. Bálor was amused. 

********

King of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio 

It’s been a full 30 minutes since the previous match ended. After all the talking and backstage segments, they went to commercial one minute into this match.

Zayn wiped out Breakker with a dive, Penta wiped out Zayn with a dive, Dom wiped out Penta with a dive, and Breakker nailed Dom with a leaping clothesline off the apron and over the announce table. This led to a second commercial break, just 9 minutes into the match. 

Zayn hit Penta with a sunset flip powerbomb during the break for two. After the break, Penta powerbombed Dom, and Breakker hit Zayn with a Frankensteiner. (Cole continues to attribute the name of that move to McAfee.) Penta hit Breakker with a DDT, and Dom tried to steal the pin, but Breakker kicked out. 

Dom blocked Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb and went for three amigos, but Zayn blocked the final suplex and hit Blue Thunder for a nearfall. Penta hit Zayn with a Penta Driver, but Dom caught Penta in a schoolboy. The referee didn’t count the fall because Penta’s shoulders weren’t down (which you couldn’t really see), which sorta ruined the spot. Penta followed with a Canadian Destroyer on Dom for a nearfall. 

Breakker sprinted around the ring and cut down Penta with a spear. LA Knight suddenly appeared and hit Breakker with BFT. (Remember what I said earlier?) 

Back in the ring, Zayn gave Dom an exploder and Helluva Kick for the pinfall win. Sami Zayn advances. 

This was fun. The crowd was hot and went nuts for the closing sequence and Zayn’s win. It felt like he needed a win like this, even if this is just the first round of a tournament. The crowd was into all four guys and really into Breakker’s offence.

Match result: Sami Zayn defeated Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker, and Penta to advance in the King of the Ring tournament (17:05)

********

Cathy Kelley interviewed Styles. He was pissed about losing last week and didn’t appreciate being disrespected by Paul Heyman. He didn’t like how Judgment Day or Dom conducted business, either. He left to deal with them. 

Kelley approached New Day for an interview as they spoke to Waller. New Day cut their usual heel promo and didn’t have much to say. 

********

Zayn bumped into Karrion Kross during a break. Kross was happy that Zayn won on his own while taking his message to heart. Zayn had no idea what he was talking about. Kross said he used Knight’s interference to get ahead. He did what it took to win. The real Sami Zayn was a manipulator. 

Zayn said he won because he was good enough, just like he was good enough to win the world championship.  Zayn warned him to stop bothering him, because he was also good enough to handle him. 

********

There was an Asuka return video package. 

Next week on Raw: 

  • Queen of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Asuka vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ivy Nile 
  • King of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Sheamus vs. Rusev vs. Bronson Reed vs. a mystery opponent 

********

Nikki Bella segment 

Nikki was happy to be back and thanked her fans. She was here to talk about something special next month. She announced an all-woman PLE: WWE Evolution. 

She main-evented the first one, and seeing how far the division has come was incredible. She put over Ripley, Sky, Bianca Belair, Stephanie Vaquer, and Giulia. She completely butchered Vaquer’s name. 

Liv Morgan stormed out. She said if Nikki was talking about the best women in the division, she should talk about her. Morgan was the most talented woman in the division, proving it again and again. Nikki was jealous of her because she had everything Nikki didn’t. Morgan had respect, a championship, and a man. 

Nikki wondered if Dom belonged to Morgan or Perez. Nikki wanted Morgan to congratulate Perez on taking her title shot and her man. Nikki left the ring. 

Morgan said at least she was a champion, while Nikki was merely a reality show diva. 

Nikki went under the rope to return to the ring, but Morgan laid her out with an Oblivion.

(Nikki didn’t come across well here, and a lot of fans seemed to like Morgan better.) 

******** 

Cena vs. Punk was made official for the title at Night of Champions.

******** 

Jey entered along with his son, and he got his usual big reaction.  

Jey Uso (c) vs. Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship 

They went to break 75 seconds into this world championship match that’s been scheduled for a month. 

Jey went for the sleeper a couple of times in the first two minutes. Gunther escaped it, but Jey remained in control through the break. Jey hit a flying crossbody after the break for two. Jey came up nursing his midsection, selling the damage taken over the past week or so. 

Gunther booted Jey in the midsection repeatedly and ripped off his shirt to expose that his ribs were taped up. Gunther ripped up the tape while continuing to target Jey’s midsection. Jey fought back momentarily until Gunther hit him with a German suplex outside the ring. This led to a second break, 9 minutes into the match. 

After the break, Jey countered a vertical suplex with one of his own. The fans Yeeted as Jey fought back with strikes. Jey went for a running hip attack, but Gunther ducked. Gunther applied a sleeper while in the ropes, but Jey slipped out and hit a suicide dive. 

Jey couldn’t follow up, so Gunther gave him a back drop onto the barricade. Gunther tried a splash, but Jey got his knees up and followed with a spear. Jey hit an Uso splash for a nearfall. 

Jey went for a spear, but Gunther clobbered him with a clothesline. Jey reversed a powerbomb into a hurricanrana for two. Gunther hit a powerbomb for two, and a spear for two. 

Jey failed again to apply the sleeper, but countered a Gunther sleeper and hit a spear. Jey missed an Uso splash and sold his ribs before Gunther caught him in a sleeper. 

Jey fought toward the ropes, but Gunther repeatedly pulled him to the middle of the ring. It seemed like Jey was on the verge of going out, but Gunther let go and hammered away with elbows. Jey slipped out and applied the sleeper, but this time Gunther reversed into a sleeper again—right in the middle of the ring. 

Jey couldn’t fight any longer, and he went out. Some fans began screaming at the visual of Jey going out. The referee called for the bell. Gunther wins. Jey Uso’s world title reign is over. 

— Jey’s son checked on him at ringside. Gunther posed with the belt as fireworks went off. 

Match result: Gunther defeated Jey Uso to win the World Heavyweight Championship (22:06)

WWE SmackDown live results: Money in the Bank go-home show

Posted on by Colin McGuire

One night before Money in the Bank takes place, all of the MITB participants — as well as the four wrestlers competing in the PLE’s star-studded tag team main event — will be in the building for WWE SmackDown.

Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena, World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, and Logan Paul are all set to make an appearance on tonight’s show. Cena will team with Paul to face Rhodes & Uso at Money in the Bank on Saturday night.

Additionally, the men and women competing in the respective MITB ladder matches will be on the show. On the men’s side, that includes Solo Sikoa, Seth Rollins, El Grande Americano, LA Knight, Penta, and Andrade.

On the women’s side, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Alexa Bliss, and Naomi will appear ahead of their ladder match.

Ripley, Bliss & Vaquer are teaming up tonight to face Naomi, Perez & Giulia in a six-woman tag. Plus, Knight will go one-on-one with Aleister Black.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Joe Tessitore welcomed everyone into the show as shots of outside the Intuit Dome aired. The scene then transferred to Bakersfield, where SmackDown was happening.

– Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss, Stephanie Vaquer, Naomi, Giulia, Roxanne Perez and all four members of the new Paul Heyman group were shown walking backstage, outside and everywhere in between. The Heyman group, led by Seth Rollins, made their way to the ring for the first segment.

The Paul Heyman group segment

Rollins soaked in the fans singing his song briefly after the four of them entered the ring. The crowd turning to barking in the key of Bron Breakker. “CM Punk!” chants then broke out. These people just could not make up their minds. Anyway, Rollins eventually just said “Bakersfield,” and ran through his introduction. Rollins said he will take everything at Money In The Bank and then have control over the entire industry. “OTC!” chants began. Rollins said Roman could hear them because he’s off on the island of irrelevancy.

Rollins said they were there to deliver a message – anyone who stands in their way will suffer the same fate as anyone who has already stood in their way. Rollins referenced Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and CM Punk as people who stood in their way and noted how they are all out of commission. Rollins said Reigns has never cared about the fans while Rollins, indeed, has cared about the fans. Rollins said there is nobody who can stop him. On cue, Solo Sikoa’s music hit and Sikoa walked out with Jacob Fatu and JC Mateo.

Sikoa and his group took their time entering the ring. Sikoa asked Rollins about what he previously said and Rollins reiterated everything. Sikoa said if nobody was going to stop Rollins … well, Sikoa and his group were standing there and they could, in theory, stop them. Sikoa said Rollins had his own Bloodline going on. Sikoa asked if Bron was supposed to be Jey Uso and if Bronson Reed was Sami Zayn. Sikoa looked at Heyman and said, “Long time, no see.” Rollins stepped in and told Sikoa to choose his words carefully. Sikoa said he would win the MITB contract and all the power will be Sikoa’s.

Rollins called Breakker the future of the industry while Sikoa was not. Rollins said Reed could snap Sikoa with his fingers. Rollins said Sikoa’s family would rather stab him in the back than have his back and turned his attention to Fatu. Rollins said it looked like Fatu wanted to say something and Sikoa told Rollins to shut his mouth. Rollins then called Fatu “Solo’s bitch.” Rollins said it took a lot of guts for Sikoa to come out and talk to them. Rollins said he felt a little threatened by one Fatu in the ring, but it wasn’t Sikoa. Sikoa took off his suit jacket and Breakker stepped up. Fatu then stepped up to Breakker. Rollins then stepped to Fatu. The Heyman group left the ring and that ended the segment.

As Rollins and his group left, Jimmy Uso ran in and took out Sikoa and his group. Uso will face Mateo in the first match of the night.

This was fun. I was a little surprised the crowd didn’t side a little more with Sikoa and his boys because there really were a lot of layers attached to the fact that Sikoa led his people out there to confront a group put together by Paul Heyman. They only touched on it briefly, but it was enough to remind some of us that there are a lot of different ways a story like that could go. In the meantime, the Fatu/Breakker stare down was really well done and boy, it was kind of a trip to see Jonah and Jeff Cobb face off on the far side of the ring. We aren’t in New Japan anymore, Dorothy. Good stuff all around and a hot start to a go-home show that appears to have a hot crowd behind it. You can’t ask for much more than that.

**********

Jimmy Uso vs. JC Mateo

The match was joined in progress and Uso had the upper hand. Uso came off the top and hit a cross-body for a one-count. Uso came off the ropes and Mateo suplexed Uso before going to Uso’s chin and mouth. Sikoa told Uso it wasn’t too late for him to come back to Sikoa’s group. Mateo kicked Uso and slowed things down. Uso fired up, but eventually ran into a back elbow from Mateo. Mateo chopped Uso repeatedly before he ran at Uso and Uso moved, sending Mateo to the outside. Uso hit Mateo with a shoulder block through the ropes and onto the floor. Uso went to the top, but Mateo dropkicked Uso off the top and to the outside of the ring. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Uso was rallying until Mateo clotheslined Uso and landed a standing moonsault on Uso. Mateo hit a running elbow in a corner, but Uso came back with a Samoan Drop to reset the match. Uso hit a fury of strikes on Mateo, including a step-up enziguri. Uso came off the top with an Uso In The Wind, and got a two-count out of it. Uso ran at Mateo, but Mateo caught him and hit a spinning back suplex for a nice near-fall. Mateo ran at Uso, but Uso got an elbow up and followed that with a pair of super-kicks and a spear. Uso went to the top, but Sikoa hopped up on the apron. Uso and Fatu then engaged in a stare down, btu Fatu on the apron. Mateo leapt at Uso and Uso moved, so Mateo hit Fatu off the apron. Uso rolled Mateo up for the win. After the match, Fatu left on his own while Mateo yelled at Fatu.

Match result: JImmy Uso defeated JC Mateo (11:23 of TV time)

An OK television match (and that might even be sort of kind). Like it or don’t like it, it’s hard to deny that there was no real reason it should dragged on as long as it did – and through two commercial breaks, to boot. The long walk towards Fatu breaking out on his own continues, but this felt like a significant development because it was Mateo who was fired up after the match and it was the first real time we saw him show any type of emotion since showing up in WWE. Back to the match: Jimmy needed that win, so I’m glad he got it. On the other end of things, we can probably all agree that Mateo will survive even though he now has a loss on his WWE record. The showdown between Mateo and Fatu can’t come soon enough, though, because these Bloodline angles have no problem dragging out much longer than they actually should.

**********

– Zelina (no Vega, according to the graphic listed on the television screen) ran into Giulia backstage and told Giulia would have to pry the U.S. title from her lifeless body. Giulia said Zelina was confident and Zelina walked away while Giulia looked on.

– Fatu ran into Damian Priest backstage. Priest told Fatu he’s been where Fatu currently is and he doesn’t envy that. Priest said at some point, he’ll be coming for the U.S. title. Fatu said if Priest doesn’t take care of business, Priest will be at the back of the line like everyone else.

Zelina Vega vs. Piper Niven in a Bakersfield Brawl

Good news. Vega got her last name back in the graphic that popped up on her way to the ring. Niven threw Vega to the mat repeatedly to begin the match. Eventually, Vega grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring and worked Niven over with it. For reasons impossible to explain, Vega threw the stick to the outside of the ring and went for a pin, but Niven kicked out right away. “We want tables!” chants inevitably began. The action spilled outside and Niven caught Vega before slamming Vega’s head down on the ede of the apron. Niven followed up with a basement cross-body against the LED screen on the side of the ring. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and a chain had been introduced during the break. Niven choked Vega with it before kneeing Vega into the bottom turnbuckle. Niven set up a chair and attempted to slam Vega, but Vega turned it into a DDT on the chair. Niven sold it by rolling outside, where Vega hit a moonsault on everyone, including Fyre, Green and Niven. Vega went to the top, but Niven cut her off. Vega fought back and landed a Super Code Red from the top, but Fyre pulled Vega off Niven. Green then beat down Vega as Niven came to. Niven yelled for Fyre to get a table and Green and Fyre did just that.

Niven slammed Vega on the floor as her crew set up the table inside the ring. With Vega on the table, Niven went to the second rope, but Giulia appeared and attacked Green and Fyre. Giulia hit Niven with the kendo stick and Vega powerbombed Niven through the table. That was enough to get Vega the win.

Match result: Zelina Vega defeated Piper Niven (10:44)

After the match, Giulia entered the ring and raised Vega’s hand before, wouldn’t you know it, attacking Vega. Giulia then picked up the U.S. title and stood tall over Vega.

Vega receives slightly better responses from the live crowd each week and this was no exception. Good for her on that. This was a fairly PG brawl, as one would expect, but the final sequence with Niven going through the table looked like it might leave Niven with an ache or two tomorrow morning. I like the insertion of Giulia into the Vega/Green program and we have to think this leads to Giulia eventually holding that U.S. title, which will instantly give it some much-needed credibility. My only request? Can we get to that point sooner than later? My impatience, these days, knows no bounds.

**********

– Jey Uso was shown in the locker room and Cody Rhodes came up to talk to him. Jimmy Uso walked into the frame. Jey said they’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow, after Cody and Jimmy asked Jey if he was OK.

– An Aleister Black vignette aired. Black recalled how LA Knight stole his victory in the MITB qualifying match. Black said he wants to take away Knight’s security and he wants things to be Knight and Black to see what’s left of Knight. Black said if Knight beats him, he will shake Knight’s hand and admit defeat.

LA Knight vs. Aleister Black

Before the match, Knight obtained a microphone and held it out as the crowd chanted his name. Knight said it was that time of the year (yeah!) and it’s Money In The Bank season (yeah!). Knight said if you do a little bit of math, this is his third year in a row being in MITB. Knight asked the crowd if they thought the third time will be a charm. Knight said he’s not satisfied with that. He ran down the other participants in the ladder match, including Seth Rollins, with whom Knight noted he hasn’t had a lot of interaction. Knight said Rollins isn’t going to burn anything down because instead, Rollins will get burned by Knight. Before long, Knight capped his minutes off with the catchphrase. Mercifully, the lights went out and Black’s music hit in an attempt to move things towards actually starting the match. Before that could happen, though, the show went to a commercial break.

The two locked up when the show returned, so maybe they just stood there and looked at each other during that two-and-a-half minute commercial break? Some mysteries might never be solved. More locking-up continued all around the ring continuously until the crowd … well, the crowd never really responded to it. Black took Knight down and worked a side head-lock. Knight came back with an elbow and a vertical suplex for a one-count. Knight went for a DDT but Black didn’t comply and instead kicked Knight in the head. Knight came back with a tough clothesline that was good enough for a two-count.

Black landed a jaw-breaker and a step-up knee for a two-count. Black followed up with a snap-suplex, which was good enough for a two-count. Black landed a series of strikes, complete with a leg-sweep. Black went for a springboard move, but Knight charged Black and both wrestlers went over the top and to the outside. The show went to another commercial break as Black and Knight sold the spill.

Back to the action and Black successfully executed the springboard moonsault on Knight inside the ring. “This is awesome!” chants broke out. Black went for Black Mass, but Knight ducked it and Knight hit his jumping neck-breaker into his modified powerslam. From there, it was the top-rope elbow attempt, but Black got a boot up. The two went back and forth with punches and kicks. Black went for the moonsault again, but Knight caught Black and hit a Burning Hammer. Black then rolled to the outside. Seth Rollins ran in and gave Knight the Stomp, which was enough to end the match.

Rollins set up for another Stomp, but Black stepped into the ring to stop Rollins. Breakker then showed up and speared the hell out of Black. Reed landed a Senton on Knight and then Breakker speared Knight.

Match result: LA Knight defeated Aleister Black via DQ (10:20)

I’m not a fan of the finish, but this was a good match while it lasted. In fact, it was one of Knight’s better television matches in recent memory and you have to think that as a thing or three to do with Black. Knight seemed fired up and Black got the best out of him because of it. I was wondering how they’d get out of the match because I couldn’t imagine Knight losing going into MITB, but it also seems too soon for Black to lie down. Insert Seth Rollins, and the result writes itself. The way the Rollins group is bulldozing everyone, it kind of feels like an NWO-lite feel and I like that. Oddly enough, that idea feels kind of/sort of fresh these days when it’s done right. And right now, Heyman and Rollins and their guys are doing it right.

**********

– Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce announced that next week, the King and Queen Of The Ring tournaments will begin. The winners of the tournaments will receive world title shots later at Summer Slam.

– Byron Saxton interviewed Jade Cargill backstage and Saxton asked Cargill about competing in the Queen Of The Ring tournament. Cargill noted how she is the storm and she can’t wait to tear through the Queen Of The Ring tournament. Saxton asked about Bianca Belair and Cargill was going to respond, but Charlotte walked into the frame. Charlotte told Cargill there is only one queen in WWE. Tiffany Stratton then walked in and started her march to the ring for the next segment.

– A Legado Del Fantasma vignette aired. They talked about competing at Worlds Collide. They put over their opponents in the six-man tag at Saturday’s event.

– American Made were interviewed backstage. Chad Gable said his confident was high going into his match with Vikingo at Worlds Collide. Gable said the AAA Mega Championship will come home with him. Andrade walked into the frame and spoke to Gable in Spanish. Penta then pulled up and made fun of Gable in Spanish. Gable got angry and said El Grande will put them both through a ladder tomorrow night. Aldis showed up and made a match pitting Penta & Andrade against the Creeds for later tonight.

The Tiffy Time segment

Tiffy said everyone on Saturday is going to try and pull a Tiffy from last year and reach for the stars. Stratton said everyone in the match is championship match is great, but after the match, whomever wins will have their world revolve around Tiffy. Tiffy asked everyone what time it was and the crowd shouted “Tiffy Time!” Rhea Ripley’s music hit and Ripley walked out. Ripley grabbed a mic once inside the ring and recalled how she’s never had to be in a MITB match before. Ripley said she knows what it feels like to be a champion and she misses that feeling. Stephanie Vaquer’s music hit and out, she came. As Vaquer made her entrance, introductions for the upcoming match was made. As such, Alexa Bliss’s music hit and Bliss made her entrance for the match as well. The show then went to a commercial break.

**********

Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer & Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi, Giulia & Roxanne Perez

Vaquer and Giulia started the match and the pace was fast. They traded a bunch of pin attempts and Vaquer set up for the face-planting viral move (Devil’s Kiss), but Giulia countered and planted Vaquer. Naomi tagged in and went for Devil’s Kiss on Vaquer, but Vaquer worked out of it. Things broke down and all six women brawled, highlighted by Vaquer executing the Devil’s Kiss on Naomi. After the things settled down, Naomi and Vaquer were battling in the ring with Naomi getting the best of it, complete with the other heels interfering. Perez tagged in and worked over Vaquer until Giulia tagged in a short time later. Naomi quickly tagged in, too, and lifted Vaquer, but Vaquer worked out of it and tagged in Bliss.

Bliss whipped Naomi into a corner and then pulled her down by her hair. Bliss hit a basement dropkick on Naomi and a dive on Giulia and Naomi on the outside. Perez reinserted herself and threw Bliss into the ring steps. The show then went to a commercial break. The show returned and Naomi was working over Bliss. Naomi ran at Bliss, but went face-first into a buckle. Still, Naomi lifted Bliss to stop a tag, until Bliss DDT’d Naomi and got the hot tag to Ripley. Perez also tagged in.

Ripley hit a fallaway slam on Perez and took out the rest of the wrestlers as the crowd chanted “Mami!” Ripley landed a Razor’s Edge on Perez. She followed up with a boot to the face, but Naomi broke up a pin attempt. The match broke down and Bliss hit Sister Abigail DDT on Giulia. Ripley then tried a RipTide on Perez, but Perez countered into a spike DDT and everyone was down. There was a chant from the crowd that forced the audio to be spotty. Perez tried to tag Naomi into the match, but Naomi left the match after hopping off the apron. The three babyfaces ganged up on Perez and Ripley hit RipTide on Perez for the win.

Match result: Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Stephanie Vaquer defeated Naomi, Roxanne Perez & Giulia (12:01)

The match of the night so far. Perez, especially, as acclimated really well to the main roster, despite the footsie that the bookers have played with her between NXT and the main roster. Vaquer looked good, too, and better yet, it really finally feels like Giulia has arrived in WWE. Her NXT run felt a tiny bit off in a handful of ways, but something clicked in the last couple months and this feels like The Real Giulia – or at least the one we’ve come to love from her work in Japan. The Naomi wrinkle was a fun way to get to the finish and I suspect she wins the ladder match Saturday night. In the meantime, this was a very good preview for what’s on tap for this year’s women’s MITB festivities.

**********

– Sikoa was shown talking to Mateo backstage. Mateo asked Sikoa if he trusted Fatu and Sikoa said as long Fatu follows Sikoa’s lead, everything will be OK. Sikoa said Fatu loves him and Fatu isn’t “all that smart in the head.” Sikoa said all Fatu thinks about is himself and he’s “all gas and no brains.” Sikoa said he has it all under control. As Sikoa and Mateo walked away, it was revealed that Fatu was standing right around the corner, listening to all of it.

– While the Sign Of The Night stuff unfolded, a Bo Dallas/Wyatt Sicks VHS vignette cut in and aired in lieu of it. Dallas/Howdy said he’s watched the tag division and he said they returned not for nostalgia or closure, but to rip open the wound of apathy and take what they are owed. He said the time for repentance has passed and everyone needs to accept their condemnation and they will not be forgotten. The entire SmackDown tag division was shown watching the video backstage together. Montez Ford spoke up and said he knows they are all afraid and they need for forget about the tag title for one moment and instead, need to focus on the Wyatts. Fraxiom said they need to teach the Wyatts a lesson. MCMG told #DIY they want to get their hands on the Wyatts, too. Each team left the scene on their own and left Aldis alone in the room.

Penta & Andrade vs. American Made (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed)

Penta and Andrade jumpstarted the match, landing dives on both Creeds on the outside. Andrade and Brutus started the match, but Julius ran in and Andrade took care of him, too. Andrade hit double-knees on both brothers in separate corners. Penta tagged in and took care of both Creed brothers, too. Penta did the Penta Walk, but the brothers attacked him while doing so and briefly, they took control. Penta quickly recovered and Andrade tagged in, but Julius took out Andrade’s knee. Brutus tagged in and hit a standing moonsault for a one-count. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Andrade was getting worked over by the brothers until he hit an enziguri on Julius and tagged in Penta, who who unleashed a fury of moves on Julius. With the ref distracted, Gable hopped onto the apron and tried to take Penta’s mask off until Vikingo ran in and took care of Gable. There was some chaos, but Penta hit the Mexican Destroyer on Brutus and got the win.

Match result: Andrade & Penta defeated The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) (7:57)

After the match, Seth Rollins’s music hit and the Heyman group came back down to ringside to face Penta and Andrade. Heyman’s group surrounded the ring and a brawl broke out between Breakker, Rollins, Reed, Penta and Andrade. The crowd booed as the heels got the best of it. Breakker landed a spear on Andrade while Reed hit a Senton on Penta. Rollins then stomped both Penta and Andrade. Reed went to the top and connected with a Tsunami on Penta. Officials ran out to help and the show went to a commercial break.

Again, I really, really, really like this Heyman group takeover stuff. That was a really nice touch to the aftermath of this match. I suspect it won’t continue without the MITB thread after this weekend, but we can appreciate it while it happens. As for the match itself, it was pretty good. I maintain that the women had the match of the night, but this had great action and the crowd was super up for Andrade and Penta, which added to the proceedings. It’s wild to me, watching Vikingo run through GCW talent only a handful of years ago, doing that 720 splash through tables near and far, grabbing a cup of coffee in AEW, and now playing a run-in role in the last match of the night on a SmackDown. This business, man. There’s nothing like it.

**********

– The show returned and Paul Heyman had a microphone and called everyone “Bakers Bitches.” Heyman said his group doesn’t fear the future because they are the future. Heyman said he didn’t understand why anyone would boo that. Heyman said Rollins already told everyone everything that would happen and all the things he said did, in fact, happen. Heyman asked if the crowd understands that Rollins and the group are “the vanguards of the destiny of WWE.” Heyman said everyone can boo all they want, but at MITB, Rollins will become Mr. Money In The Bank. Heyman said after that, whenever Rollins damn well feels like it, will propel the entire industry into a vision all of his own. Heyman said the greatest honor of his professional life will be calling Rollins the reigning, defending … and then Cody Rhodes’s music hit to cut the whole thing off.

The Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso/John Cena/Logan Paul segment

Cody stood in front of the entire Heyman group to start the segment. Rollins stepped forward. Cody stepped forward as well. Jey Uso’s music hit and Uso made his entrance through the crowd. The show went to a commercial break and when it came back, the Heyman group was out of the ring. Cody asked everyone what they wanted to talk about. Cody mentioned John Cena and the crowd launched into “Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks!” chants. Cody mentioned how seeing Cena stand next to Paul is like seeing “Michael Hayes standing next to the Hardy Boyz.” The problem with the line was that nobody reacted. At all.

Jey took the microphone and everyone yeet’d, but quickly, John Cena’s music hit and Cena made his entrance to the “John Cena sucks” singalong. Cena cut his music and soaked in the chants coming from the crowd. Cody took off his suit jacket. Cena motioned for the ring announcer to reintroduce him as the greatest of all time, as he’s done in past weeks, and Mr. Nash obliged. Out of nowhere Logan Paul showed up and attacked Cdoy and Uso. Cena hit an AA on Uso. Paul landed a Paul-verizor on Cody. Paul went to the top and hit a frog splash on Cody. Paul followed up with a frog splash on Uso.

Cena grabbed a microphone and said nobody will come to save the fans or wrestling. Cena said he’s been telling everyone for half of a year – “your dream of what WWE is will be ruined. This is your future. I take this home. He takes that to the top.” Cena was talking about the championship belts. Cena said the last real champion and the moment maker, the last future face of WWE, Logan Paul … Cena didn’t add anything to that sentence and Paul and Cena held up the respective world titles. Cena rolled Cody into the ring and hit an AA on Cody. Paul rolled Uso into the ring and Paul hit Uso with his right hand.

Cena yelled “You can’t handle the truth!” It was a play on R-Truth (let’s hope, at least). Cena noted how everyone was hypocrites for chanting for “Truth.” “We want Truth” chants kept going. Cena called everyone losers and said it was his last time in Bakersfield. Cena finished by saying winners write the history books. Again, Cena and Paul held up the respective world titles. The show ended with Uso and Cody selling pain.

Good heat for the heels going into what most of us think is a throwaway tag match Saturday night at MITB. If anything, it will probably be designed to make Jey Uso take some damage going into his world title match against Gunther on Monday, but the way this episode ended, it’s hard not to imagine Cody and Jey going over. We’ll see, I suppose. The only real disappointment of the segment was the fact that it started with Cody staring down the entire Heyman group by himself, only to have the show go to a commercial break and come back without any of the Heyman group in the ring. As Keenan Thompson would say, “What up with that?” All told, it was a fine go-home show. People who expect this to be the typical SmackDown should tune in on a random Friday in July because this usually ain’t it (as the kids would say). Tonight was chaos and fun and build and heat and action. If only they could keep that up … .

WWE Raw live results: Money in the Bank go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 2, 2025
Location: BOK Center in Tulsa, OK 

The Big Takeaway —

Stephanie Vaquer and Chad Gable will work double duty on Saturday. Both wrestlers will compete at Worlds Collide, and both qualified for Money in the Bank with wins tonight. Vaquer beat Ivy Nile and Liv Morgan, while El Grande Americano/Gable beat AJ Styles and CM Punk. Vaquer’s first official night as a member of Raw was a successful one, as she came across like an emerging star. 

There were chants for R-Truth throughout the night. I wouldn’t say the fans hijacked the show, because they were very much into the product being presented—they were just also upset about Truth. 

**********

Show Recap — 

After a replay of last week’s main event, Sami Zayn (still being called the ‘underdog from the underground’), Jey Uso, Seth Rollins and his crew were shown arriving. 

They showed a replay of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee making a bet over the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers series. The Pacers won, so Cole lost the bet, which meant he had to wear a tank top while calling Raw. The top he wore was a Pacers jersey. The Oklahoma crowd booed because, by pure happenstance, the Pacers will be playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. 

CM Punk and Sami Zayn segment

Punk entered and made a few references to the NBA Finals. He appreciated everyone’s basketball fandom, but asked the fans to watch Raw or SmackDown if it fell on the same day as the game. 

Punk moved on to his Money in the Bank qualifier. He looked forward to winning MITB for the third time. It was the Summer of Punk, and it was time for him to be wearing gold again. 

Two people were on top of the mountain, and one was his friend, Jey Uso. Punk wanted Jey to know that if they did fight for the title, it was not personal, only business. 

Punk spoke next about John Cena. The tables have turned since Punk first got to WWE—Cena is now public enemy number one because he sold his soul to a “bald fraud goof.” (For a moment, I thought that meant Triple H, but he obviously meant The Rock.) Punk has always had Cena’s number. He called Cena a bitch and said it was time for him to become champion again. 

Punk was done, but Sami Zayn entered. The crowd chanted for Zayn, and he appreciated it. Zayn was glad to hear Punk speak clearly about his goal of becoming world champion. Zayn had his own ambitions to become champion, but MITB was no longer his path thanks to Rollins’ crew. 

Zayn wanted to emphasize the importance of this match and told Punk that tonight was a must-win. Zayn knew that Punk was probably thinking about Rollins’ crew, but he couldn’t be distracted by them. Zayn and Jey would take care of Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker tonight. 

Zayn warned that if Rollins won the title, it would be all over because this place would turn into something they didn’t like. We needed Punk to win tonight. (The crowd chanted for Punk.) 

Zayn wanted Punk to win, but also wanted him to know that if he did win the world title, they would be face-to-face in this ring again, and their conversation would be much different. Punk said he looked forward to it. They shook hands. 

********

Roxanne Perez offered to help Liv Morgan tonight, but Morgan told her to stay out of her business. Morgan bumped into Iyo Sky and, just like last week, warned Sky that she was coming for her title. Sky said that was not going to happen. 

There was a Stephanie Vaquer video package where she spoke Spanish (with English subtitles) about her dream to be in WWE since she was ten years old. The package included pictures of her wrestling in Mexico. It made her look like a big star outside of anything she’s done in WWE. 

They plugged Vaquer’s match at Worlds Collide this weekend as she entered. 

Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Ivy Nile vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan

Vaquer didn’t waste any time doing her devil’s kiss move, first doing it to Morgan. Vaquer did it next to Nile, but Morgan broke it up with a dropkick. Morgan hit Vaquer with three amigos—hitting the final suplex on top of Nile. Some counters led to Nile hitting both women with a double German suplex. 

There were multiple “We want Truth” chants during a break. (The crowd was into the match, but there were a few signs for R-Truth, which may have prompted the chants.)

After the break, Nile hit a tower of doom powerbomb for a two count. Morgan followed with a Codebreaker on both women off the ropes for a double two count. Morgan hit Vaquer with Oblivion, and Nile tried to steal the pin, but Morgan got back in and broke it up. 

Nile shoved Morgan into the steel steps, and Vaquer hit Nile with SVB for the pinfall win. 

This was good for the time they had, and the crowd was into it despite the chants for Truth (which happened to occur during the commercial break). 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Ivy Nile and Liv Morgan to qualify for Money in the Bank (10:18) 

********

Paul Heyman approached AJ Styles backstage and wished him a happy birthday. (Today is Styles’ 48th birthday.) Heyman spoke for a while, trying to convince Styles to focus on Dominik Mysterio and the Intercontinental Championship and leave MITB to Rollins. 

Styles asked Heyman if he wasn’t exhausted, constantly chasing his next meal ticket. Styles did plan on going after Dom and the IC title (as well as MITB), but he didn’t respond well to threats, and knew that Heyman was threatening him. If they tried to push him out, he would push back. Styles knew Rollins’ plan, but everyone had a plan until they got punched in the mouth. 

********

Chad Gable cut a promo during the break. He said the Pacers would beat the Thunder, El Grande Americano would win tonight, and he (Gable) would beat Vikingo on Saturday. 

******** 

There was a Rusev video package. He didn’t appreciate that Sheamus was disappointed with him last week. Sheamus ran out to help a stranger, but they were friends, and Sheamus didn’t help him from falling into the abyss. Sheamus had a body of granite but a neck of sand, and Rusev had the one move (the Accolade) that could end him. Rusev warned Sheamus to stay out of his way or he would snap his neck. 

Sheamus met with Akira Tozawa, Maxxine Dupri, and Natayla. He wanted them to keep their heads up because they heart, which not many people had in WWE. He thought Natalya and Dupri could win the tag titles. Natalya appreciated the words and put over Dupri. 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Sheamus. He said he went way back with Rusev, who was a groomsman at his wedding. Rusev’s WWE career imploded because of his own bad decisions, and his career outside the company lasted about as long as Rusev Day. Sheamus called Rusev a bully, and Sheamus bullied bullies. 

********

They went to break again after the previous segment, so there was only one match in the first 54 minutes of the show. And this match went to break after a couple of minutes. 

The War Raiders vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh (without Carlito) 

There were more chants for R-Truth as the match began.

The New Day joined commentary for this match, but they were quickly tossed to the back by the referee because she caught them about to interfere. 

They had a normal match, and Judgment Day won thanks to Roxanne Perez. Ivar set up for a moonsault, but Perez distracted the referee. McDonagh yanked Ivar by his beard into the ring post, knocking him down. Bálor followed with a Coup de Grâce for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh defeated The War Raiders (11:08) 

********

Becky Lynch promo 

There was a Becky Lynch video promo. She said she’s only been back for six months, and Lyra Valkyria has cost her the tag titles and her chance at MITB. And yet, Valkyria accused her of taking away opportunities. Valkyria was an echo chamber for the ignorant who did not understand what greatness was and would never achieve it. 

Valkyria has forgotten everything Lynch did for her. Valkyria was in a lose-lose situation at MITB. Even if Valkyria won, Lynch couldn’t face her again, but Lynch was the best thing to ever happen to her. Lynch would win, and Valkyria would raise her hand—the same hand that would hold her down. 

********

During a break, New Day advised Grayson Waller to drop Austin Theory, just like they dropped Big E, because he was deadweight holding him down. 

American Made confronted New Day. They were pissed about New Day turning on them in their match last week. The Creeds thought New Day said that brothers stick together. Kofi Kingston said they misheard them, because he said ‘brothas’ stick together. Xavier Woods suggested American Made help them, but Julius said they were coming after the titles. 

********

Kelley interviewed Vaquer backstage. Vaquer said she felt great and continued to respond in Spanish, but was quickly interrupted by Rhea Ripley. They were cordial and shook hands. Ripley said she would see her on Saturday. (Both women got big crowd reactions when they appeared.) 

********

Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch segment 

Valkyria called Lynch a coward for talking big backstage. Valkyria called her out to the ring, so Lynch entered. Lynch was about to speak, but Valkyria told her to shut up. 

Valkyria called Lynch delusional and said her downfall needed to be studied. Lynch worked hard to get to the top, but only stayed there because she gave up being a good person. Valkyria realized she needed to get angry, and now she was. No one has hurt her the way Lynch has, and now Lynch has given her what she needed to beat her. 

Valkyria planned on beating the crap out of Lynch to make sure she could never poison what it meant to be IC champion. (Valkyria got loud ‘What’ chants as she spoke.) 

Lynch said Valkyria’s perspective was poisoned. Lynch knew Valkyria just wanted a reason to hate her. Valkyria wanted to replace Lynch, but nobody could do that. Lynch did not want to hurt Valkyria—she wanted to make her better. But that’s changed now, and Valkyria would have to raise her hand on Saturday. 

Lynch stormed out of the ring, so Valkyria called her into the ring to have their match now. Lynch said she didn’t fight in Tulsa, so she would see her at MITB. Valkyria ran after Lynch and attacked her until officials stepped in. 

Whatever they’re trying with Valkyria isn’t working. 

******** 

They announced a Tyrese Haliburton-WWE shirt available on Fanatics. The shirt features an animated Haliburton doing the choking gesture at MSG. 

There was a Penta video package. Winning MITB was his destiny. 

********

Sami Zayn entered with Jey Uso, and the entrance got a typically big reaction. Zayn danced to Jey’s music when they hit the ring, which the crowd got a kick out of. (This was during a break, but it was nice seeing Zayn having fun because he’s been way too serious lately.) 

Sami Zayn & World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman)

They went to break 75 seconds in the match. The heels worked over Zayn until he hit Reed with a tornado DDT. Jey made the hot tag and ran wild on Bron until Bron hit him with a gutbuster. Bron went for a super spear, but Jey caught him with a superkick for a close nearfall. 

Jey put Bron in a sleeper, but Reed broke it up with a senton. Zayn went after Reed and tried hitting both men with a dive, but they caught him. Jey then wiped everyone out with a suicide dive. 

Seth Rollins then ran down and gave Jey a curb-stomp for the DQ. 

— Bron placed Zayn on the announce table as Reed set up for a Tsunami off the top, but Punk attacked Bron from behind with a chair and chucked it in Reed’s face. Punk went after Rollins, but Rollins bailed. Bron was fuming over Punk, but Rollins settled him down and said they knew exactly where Punk would be later tonight. 

Punk, Zayn and Jey stood tall in the ring as Punk’s music played. 

The crowd was hot for all of this, despite the non-finish. 

Match result: World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso & Sami Zayn defeated Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed via disqualification (9:01) 

********

Morgan joined Judgment Day in the back. She told Bálor she knew what he was trying to do by bringing in Perez. Bálor played innocent and reminded her that she helped him and JD win tonight. Bálor knew Perez was coming on strong by giving Dom chicken nuggets, but said Morgan could trust Dom. Morgan said it wasn’t Dom she was worried about trusting. 

Bálor said trust in Perez would come with time. He suggested Perez join them at ringside for Raquel Rodriguez’s match. Morgan said Bálor could babysit Perez and wanted her to stay out of it. Morgan left with Rodriguez. 

Dom (wearing a Carlito t-shirt) apologized to Bálor for costing him the match last week, but Bálor smiled and said it was water under the bridge. 

********

Kairi Sane vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez (w/Liv Morgan) 

The crowd chanted for Truth again during this match. 

About five minutes in, Sane went to the top, but Morgan jumped on the apron to distract her. Iyo Sky ran out to her music to take out Morgan. Sane drove Rodriguez into the ring post and followed with an Insane Elbow for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Kairi Sane defeated Raquel Rodriguez (6:01) 

********

Karrion Kross approached Zayn as a trainer was checking on him. Zayn wanted to know what his problem was. 

Kross said Zayn was a liar. That was the problem. He lied to the fans and lied to himself. He could have been a world champion ten times over by now. Kross knew Zayn was capable of doing bad things because he was a bad guy, just like the rest of us. Zayn said he was wrong. Kross said he might be wrong, but he might be right, too. 

(You may have read that Kross gets a big reaction every week when he appears. He does get a decent reaction, but it was only the night after WrestleMania that he got a significant one.) 

********

There was a Giulia video package during a break. 

Kelley interviewed Perez during the break. Perez said Bálor knew she was already one of the most dangerous competitors on the roster at just 23 years old. She wasn’t just there to assist Judgment Day—she was there to take over the division, and she would start by winning MITB. 

********

They ran down the cards for Worlds Collide and Money in the Bank. 

There was a video package for Jey Uso vs. Gunther for the world title on Raw next week. 

Gunther sat down next to Jey in the locker room. Gunther said the world title was personal to him, so he appreciated the effort Jey put in to being a great champion. But because he refused to think with his head instead of his heart, Gunther would take it back. Jey was too selfless. He helped his friend Zayn tonight, but now he was less than 100%. He might help Punk tonight, too, if he needed it, and he was helping out Cody Rhodes on Saturday. None of that was the business of the world champion. 

Gunther thanked him because he knew the moment he lost at Mania, he would avenge it. In one week, the party was over. Jey responded: “Three letters, one word: tap. See you next week, G.” 

********

Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles vs. El Grande Americano 

Punk wore pink and black gear. (He wore Bret Hart’s merchandise earlier.) 

Punk and Styles told the referee to check El Grande Americano’s mask for a metal plate. As McAfee noted, he should be checking all three men. 

Punk and Styles teamed up on Americano and tossed him from the ring. Styles dropped Punk with a dropkick, but Americano got right back in and dropped Styles with a running headbutt. Americano posed for the crowd, so Punk hit him with a running knee. The crowd cheered as Punk tried removing Americano’s mask, but Americano fought him off and hit a dive. 

They went to break a couple of minutes into the match, and Americano held control throughout, mostly working over Punk’s leg. 

Back from break, Styles gave Americano a back drop off the middle rope, and Punk followed with a diving elbow drop on Styles. Americano gave Punk a running headbutt before turning Styles around with a release German suplex. The crowd chanted, “He’s Chad Gable,” and “No, he’s not.” 

Americano tried a flying crossbody, but Punk tried rolling through like John Cena, but Punk isn’t as strong as Cena and was also selling his leg, so it wasn’t exactly smooth. Punk did get him up on his shoulders, but Styles dropped both guys with a combo DDT/inverted DDT. 

Americano put Punk in an ankle lock, but Punk rolled through, and Americano’s momentum sent him with a Styles’ Clash by AJ, but Punk broke up the cover. Chants for R-Truth were replaced by chants of “This is awesome.” Punk got Styles in a jackknife cover, but as Styles bridged out of it, Americano hit them both with a moonsault. 

Punk hit Americano with a GTS, but Breakker pulled him out of the ring. (You could see it coming because of where Punk was positioned, and because the crowd was barking.) 

Reed and Breakker beat up Punk until Jey and Zayn ran out to make the save. As everyone brawled, Styles wiped out everyone with a springboard dive. The crowd chanted “Holy sh*t,” which they tried desperately to censor. 

Styles went for a Phenomenal forearm, but Americano caught him with a mid-air headbutt for the pinfall win. (Americano presumably loaded his mask during the earlier commotion, but the announcers called it like it was a normal headbutt. There was also no evidence that he loaded it.) 

With the win, Gable will wrestle at Worlds Collide, and his alter ego will wrestle at MITB. Stephanie Vaquer will do the same. 

— Rollins ran down to attack Punk. They brawled until Breakker speared Punk. Zayn attacked Breakker, but the heels swarmed him, and Rollins put him down with a stomp. Rollins stomped Punk, too. Jey superkicked Reed, but Breakker speared him and Rollins stomped him, too. Reed flattened Jey with consecutive Tsunamis. 

Rollins’ heel group stood tall as the show ended. 

The crowd was into all of this and was really into Punk all night. 

Match result: El Grande Americano defeated AJ Styles and CM Punk to qualify for Money in the Bank (11:50)

WWE SmackDown live results: John Cena & Cody Rhodes appear

Posted on by Colin McGuire

Cody Rhodes made his return to WWE television last weekend when he attacked John Cena on Saturday Night’s Main Event. It was the first time Rhodes had appeared since losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cena at WrestleMania 41.

Tonight, Cena and Rhodes will both be in the building for the first time on SmackDown since before WrestleMania. Cena is set to team with Logan Paul at Money in the Bank next weekend against Rhodes & Jey Uso.

After missing a handful of weeks due to injury, Bianca Belair is set to return to SmackDown this evening as well. It will be a homecoming for Belair as the show will take place in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Two Money in the Bank qualifiers are set for tonight. On the men’s side, it will be Jacob Fatu vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade. The winner will join Solo Sikoa, Penta, LA Knight, and Seth Rollins in the men’s ladder match.

As for the women, it will be Jade Cargill vs. Naomi vs. Nia Jax tonight. The winner joins Alexa Bliss, Roxanne Perez, Rhea Ripley, and Giulia in the women’s ladder match.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– A video recap of Saturday Night’s Main Event aired to open the show.

– Joe Tessitore welcomed everyone into the show. Cody and Bianca Belair were shown walking backstage. The camera followed Belair from the back, through the entranceway and into the ring.

The Bianca Belair/Naomi segment

The crowd chanted “EST!” as Belair stood in the middle of the ring. Belair said she had to sing “Rocky Top” and called for the music to be hit. The music was, indeed, hit. The crowd sang along and … wait … is this a pro wrestling show or College Gameday? I was convinced someone would interrupt it, but as it turned out, the crowd got through the whole thing. Anyway, Belair shouted out her mom and dad in the crowd and those in Knoxville who show up and show out for her. She called this her “safe space” and said she had to come back to Knoxville to heal. Belair said she is the EST of WWE and the crowd showered her with another chant. Belair shouted “Welcome to Friday Night SmackDown,” and Naomi’s music hit. Naomi walked to the ring.

Naomi said she was glad Belair was back on SmackDown and Belair told Naomi it wasn’t the time for this. The crowd booed the hell out of Naomi. Naomi said she thinks about what happened between them every day. Belair asked Naomi what she wanted from Belair. “You suck!” chants began. Naomi looked emotional and begged for Belair’s forgiveness. Naomi said she’s been trying to communicate with Belair for months and she wants them to move forward. Naomi said she went by Belair’s parents’ house to try and get a hold of her earlier in the day, but no one was there, so Naomi broke into the house. Naomi talked about seeing some photos of Belair being happy and it reminded Naomi of how happy they were as tag champs.

Belair said Naomi betrayed her trust and recalled what Naomi did with Jade Cargill. Belair said if Naomi ever goes to her family again, she will do more to Naomi than what Naomi did to Cargill. Naomi started the cry real tears. “EST!” chants began. Naomi gathered herself and said it wouldn’t be good for both Belair and her mom to be in a wheelchair. Naomi said she would hate for something bad to happen to Belair “right here and right now.” Cargill’s music then hit and Cargill walked to the ring with purpose.

Cargill kicked Naomi to the mat and stared at Belair. Cargill tossed Naomi out of the ring and Belair and Cargill stared at each other. Cargill went to leave the ring, but Nia Jax’s music hit and out came Jax to set up the first match of the night.

It was nice to see Belair back and even nicer to see that this story really is picking up where it left off. Things don’t seem to be great between Cargill and Belair, but nobody is saying anything, which only adds to the tension. Naomi, meanwhile, is a professional cryer, which has added an entirely new dimension to her character that comes in super handy these days, considering the story they are telling. I still can’t get over them actually carving out a minute for everyone to sing along to “Rocky Top,” but perhaps I’m just grumpy. OK. Yeah. I’m just grumpy. Anyway, this was a strong opening segment with good emotion from everyone involved.

**********

Jade Cargill vs. Naomi vs. Nia Jax in a Money In The Bank Qualifier Match

The match was joined in progress and Naomi was pounding on Cargill in the middle of the ring. Naomi appeared to bite Cargill’s hands/fingers and stomped on her. Naomi hit a dropkick on Cargill, who was down in a corner. Naomi slapped Cargill and landed a split splash from the second rope. Cargill broke a pin attempt up by grabbing onto the bottom rope. Jax reinserted herself into the match and hit a hip attack on Cargill. Naomi took Jax out after that by slamming Jax on the apron.

Naomi came off the second rope but Cargill caught her and hit a fallaway slam on Naomi. Cargill followed up with clotheslines, but Jax broke up a pin attempt. Jax Samoan Dropped Cargill and headbutted Naomi before posing. Jax hit a leg drop on both of her opponents and then threw Cargill to the outside. Jax went to the second rope and hit a leg drop on Naomi from said second rope, but Naomi kicked out at 2.9. Jax went for a Samoan Drop, but Naomi rolled through and pinned Jax for a two-count. The show then went to a commercial break.

Back to the show, Naomi and Jax were teaming up on Cargill until Naomi tried to pin Cargill and Jax had to pull Naomi off Cargill. Naomi rolled up Jax to no avail and Jax hit a running Senton on Naomi. Cargill returned to the match and fired up, landing a series of splashes on her opponents. Cargill managed a spinebuster on Jax, but Naomi followed that up quickly with a Meteora on Cargill. Cargill came back with Jaded on Naomi, but Jax broke up the pin attempt. All three women were down to reset the match.

Jax went to the second rope, but Cargill cut Jax off. Jax eventually came off the second rope to hit a double cross-body on Naomi and Cargill. Still, Jax couldn’t get a pin on either wrestler. Cargill hit a Samoan Drop on Naomi from the middle rope, but Cargill flew in from the top to hit a frog splash on Jax for a nice near-fall. The three traded blows and Naomi went to the top rope, but Cargill cut Naomi off. Jax stumbled over and powerbombed Cargill while Cargill super-plexed Naomi. Jax went for her finisher on a stacked Cargill and Naomi, but Naomi moved and Jax hit it on only Cargill. Naomi then rolled up Jax for the win.

Match result: Naomi defeated Nia Jax & Jade Cargill to earn a spot in the Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match (12:19 of TV time)

Jade Cargill looked pretty good here. She’s clearly putting in work to be better in the ring and it’s paying off. I also think I find myself saying some version of this about her each week she wrestles, so I apologize for being redundant, but she really does deserve some credit. Plus, she took a tough-looking finisher from Jax. Umpf. Naomi going over is a fun development. It also suggests that she will be somewhat of a non-factor in the MITB ladder match because someone is probably going to play a role in taking her out (cough, Cargill, cough). Even so, Naomi’s character work is so good these days that it’s nice to see her rewarded with a spot in one of WWE’s marquee matches of the year.

**********

– Solo Sikoa was walking backstage and ran into R-Truth. Sikoa made fun of Truth for “talking to ghosts.” Truth looked at JC Mateo and said he had never seen him before. Truth asked Sikoa if Mateo was Solo’s son, which was funny. Truth said he was going to ask Nick Aldis for a match with Mateo later. Jacob Fatu chimed in and said he needed to go take care of business for himself tonight and left the group backstage.

– Nick Aldis ran into Chelsea Green backstage and Green wore a mask because of what happened to her nose last week. Green said it was a deliberate action via Zelina Vega. Green said Aldis needed to strip Vega of the Women’s U.S. Championship. Aldis denied that request. Green advocated for Alba Fyre vs. Vega for later in the show. Aldis made it official.

– Byron Saxton interviewed Tiffany Stratton backstage. Saxton asked Tiffy how she was handling the pressure of being the champion. Tiffy said she’s prepared because she’s always been a girl everyone has been obsessed with. Tiffy said whoever cashes in on her will make a big mistake. Naomi walked into the frame and told Tiffy that she would win the ladder match and cash in whenever and wherever she wants. Tiffy rolled her eyes as Naomi walked away. Alexa Bliss showed up and told Tiffy she shouldn’t worry about Naomi and instead, Tiffy should worry about Bliss. Bliss walked away to end the quick segment.

– A vignette looking at the NXT North American Championship match for Worlds Collide aired.

R-Truth vs. JC Mateo

Mateo ran Truth into a corner. Mateo then threw Truth in a corner. Mateo did it again. Mateo went for a splash, but Truth moved and followed up with a series of shoulder-blocks, the final one of which took Mateo down. Truth lifted Mateo, but Mateo landed on Truth and followed up with a standing moonsault. Mateo went for a Senton, but Truth moved and called for a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Truth actually hit it. Truth lifted Mateo, but collapsed and as a result, Mateo landed Tour Of The Islands for the win.

Match result: JC Mateo defeated R-Truth (2:20)

After the match, Mateo roughed up Truth until Jimmy Uso ran out with a chair for the save. With Jimmy’s attention turned to Sikoa, Mateo attacked Jimmy until Sikoa stopped Mateo from going in on Jimmy presumably because Sikoa is trying to get Jimmy back.

As close to a squash as you get on WWE TV these days. Mateo is off to a strong start with these wins; I just wonder if it’s translating into actually getting over to the WWE audience. I understand Truth’s appeal, but man. Can we at least try another bit at some point? It was mildly surprising to see him do the Cena stuff here after Cena just disposed of him on SNME. I kind of/sort of thought/hoped that would mean the bit was officially over. I was wrong.

**********

The tag division segment

Ford spoke first and said the SmackDown tag division is the greatest tag division of any brand in any company and the Profits are leading the charge. Dawkins chimed in and listed the teams coming after them. Dawkins brought up the Wyatts and Ford said they’d happily defend their tag titles against anybody. On cue, Fraxiom’s music hit and out, they came.

Nathan Frazer spoke first and talked about how they didn’t get a fair shake last week. Ford congratulated Fraxiom and noted how they had Fraxiom beat until the Sicks got involved last week. Axiom said they’ll never know for sure. Frazer interjected and said they should run things back. Motor City Machine Guns’ music hit and out, they came. Alex Shelley noted how the Profits never beat MCMG just like they’ve never beat Fraxiom. #DIY’s music hit and out, they came.

Candice LeRae did the talking and called MCMG nerds. Chris Sabin told LeRae to shut up and Gargano responded with anger and said they brought LeRae in to even the odds because there is a conspiracy going on against #DIY. Gargano brought up the Sicks and Ciampa told Gargano they don’t talk about them. Ciampa said they killed the tag division they built and Ciampa called for a moment of silence for the tag division. The lights went out, of course, and wouldn’t you know it, the Wyatt Sicks showed up.

The Sicks took out everyone in front of them. Howdy gave Frazer a Sister Abigail to end things and the Sicks posed in the ring as their music played.

I was kind of hoping for more in terms of a follow up to the Sicks’ return last week, but this was a sort of nothing-happening segment. Does this lead to a five-way for the tag titles? More so, does this lead to the Sicks winning the aforementioned tag titles? I’m not so sure that’d be the best booking move – that tag division is finally rolling with teams that have identities and matches that continuously deliver. Would a move like putting the tag titles on some version of the Sicks stagnate the progress? Perhaps time will tell. For now, this segment wasn’t much of much.

**********

Los Garza (Berto & Angel) vs. Je’Von Evans & Rey Fenix

Ethan Page sat in on commentary. Fenix and Angel started the match. Fenix leapt at Angel, but Angel caught him and it ultimately ended up dual headbutts. Berto and Evans tagged in and Berto landed a springboard moonsault from the second rope for a two-count. Evans came back with a wild dropkick and a cutter on Angel. With the heels on the outside, Fenix tagged in and they hit a stereo super-kick on Berto, who came off the top and into the middle of the ring. Fenix went for a pin, but Berto kicked out and the show went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Angel draped Evans in between the ropes in a corner before running a knee into Evans. Berto tagged in and planted Evans with a Gaza Special, but Evans kicked out of a pin attempt. Berto worked a headlock. Evans leapt across the ring for a hot tag, but came up just short. Evans had to kick Berto in the head in order to ultimately get the hot tag to Fenix. Angel tagged in as well. Fenix took the heels out, complete with a double springboard moonsault on Angel. Evans tagged in and hit a springboard clothesline on Angel. Berto then kicked Evans and all four men were down to reset the match.

“This is awesome!” chants broke out. Evans and Angel traded chops while on their knees. The two got to their feet and traded punches until Angel landed a springboard powerbomb on Evans for a near-fall. Loz Garza lined up their finisher on Evans, but Fenix broke it up. Fenix walked the ropes and stomped on Angel. Evans then came off the top to take out Los Garza on the outside of the ring. Page stood up and got in Evans and Fenix’s faces. With the referee turned around, Page threw Fenix into the commentary desk. Evans took Page out and then inside the ring, Evans went to the top, but Escobar distracted the referee and Page pushed Evans off the top. Los Garza hit their finisher on Evans for the win.

Match result: Los Garza (Berto & Angel) defeated Je’Von Evans & Rey Fenix (12:16)

A good showing for Evans on the Big Stage and even Fenix took another step forward in his WWE development, as he’s been doing the last week or two. Garza was in desperate – and I mean desperate – need of a win, so I’m fine with them getting one here with the help of Ethan Page (also, by the way, it was nice seeing Ethan Page on the Big Stage as well). All four guys came to work and while the spots were many (by WWE standards), they didn’t over-do them and the result was an entertaining match with the highlight being the flashiness of the Evans/Fenix team. It only makes me wonder: Exactly how far away are we from a Lucha Bros reunion?

**********

– An Uncle Howdy quick vignette aired.

Zelina Vega vs. Alba Fyre

Vega’s entrance was not televised, but Fyre’s was. So much for being a champion these days. Fyre attacked Vega to start things out. Vega came back briefly, but Fyre took Vega down with a shoulder-block. Before long, Fyre ran Vega into a corner, but Vega came back and Fyre rolled to the outside. Fyre pulled Vega down and hit a pendulum bullhammer (Wade Barrett’s words), which was an elbow to the face. Vega put Fyre in position for a 619, but Green distracted the referee. Fyre took advantage of that and kicked Vega. Fyre saluted … the hard cam? … and the show went to a commercial break.

Back from break, Fyre continued to have control until Vega hit a knee to Fyre’s head and both women were down. Vega inevitably fired up and landed a Meteora in a corner. Vega came off the middle rope with a double-knees and got a two-count out of it. Fyre lifted Vega, but Vega countered with a neck-breaker, but then missed a moonsault from the top. Fyre went to the top and hit a Swanton Bomb for a nice near-fall to which nobody in the crowd reacted.

Vega found herself on the outside of the ring and Green tried to hit Vega with her mask, but Green instead hit Niven. Back inside the ring, Vega landed a Code Red on Fyre and got the victory because of it.

Match result: Zelina Vega defeated Alba Fyre (11:04)

Here’s the thing I can’t wrap my head around. Lyra Valkyria is involved with Becky Lynch – a first-ballot WWE hall-of-famer who is as popular as anyone in the company – for the women’s IC belt. The other secondary title? That’s on SmackDown where, each week, the crowds somehow get quieter and quieter for these women’s U.S. title matches. I can try to get a kick out of the idea that Green and her crew just can’t beat Vega. That’s fine. But these live crowds are killing any momentum this program might ever have – and this program needs it far more than the women’s IC title program because, as I stated … well … Becky Lynch. Green and Vega are good performers – and this match was all right, I guess? – but the women’s U.S. title picture needs a kick in the face to get off the ground. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get it anytime soon.

**********

– Miz and Melo were talking in a locker room and Miz reminded Melo that he gave up his chance to be in the match for Melo. Miz said if Melo wins, he will make sure “they” are Mr. Money In The Bank. Melo stopped Miz and Miz asked Melo who he thinks got him in his position and Melo said it was Melo who got himself there. Melo said he goes out there and does it better than anyone else. Melo told Miz he needed to let Melo be Him. Melo tried to set up the catchphrase, but Miz didn’t complete it, so maybe that thing is on the road to the end?

– A Giulia vignette aired.

– Vega was walking backstage and ran into Giulia, who told Vega that she sees Vega’s title. Vega just walked away.

The Damian Priest segment

Priest said he’s breathing fresh air since beating Drew McIntyre at SNME. Priest talked about how their beef lasted for over a year, but they took it into a cage. Priest said they went to war and he put Drew’s “ass in the past.” Priest said he had one thing he wanted to say to Drew – he still can’t stand Drew’s ass, but he can appreciate the fact that Drew was a warrior in the cage. Priest talked about how he has his eyes on a championship and that championship is held by Jacob Fatu.

Priest said he respects the hell out of Fatu. Priest said, “real talk, I’m proud of you, congratulations, that’s real,” to Fatu. Priest said he doesn’t respect Fatu’s crew and at some point Fatu and Priest will handle business inside the ring. Priest said if Fatu’s family wants to get involved, they’ll get some, too. Priest landed his catchphrase, threw the microphone down and left the ring. On his way to the back. Jacob Fatu made his entrance for the next match. Priest and Fatu slowly walked past each other and engaged in a mini stare down.

Yeah, I’m all right with a Priest/Fatu program for the U.S. title. I still don’t quite think Priest should come out on top, but that’s just because I’m hopelessly in love with Jacob Fatu. Even Priest said he likes the guy; he just doesn’t like the people with whom Fatu surrounds himself. That’s curious because it sure does feel like Fatu is about to not be associated with those people, but we’ll see. In the meantime, Fatu and Priest should have some really good matches.

**********

Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes in a Money In The Bank Qualifier Match

Fatu and Andrade went to work on Melo to start the match. Melo rolled to the outside and Andrade and Fatu went at it. Andrade went to the top and landed a cross-body from the top, but Melo threw Andrade to the outside and attacked Fatu. Melo tried to throw Fatu into the ropes, but Fatu blocked it and punched Melo in the face. Fatu ran the ropes but Miz grabbed Fatu’s foot. As a result, Melo went for a roll-up, but Fatu blocked it, only to be kicked to the outside. Melo went for a dive, but Andrade cut off Melo and Fatu was left alone with Miz. Fatu super-kicked Miz and sent Miz into the barricade. Fatu followed up with a hip attack on Miz against the barricade. Fatu stood there and the show went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Fatu went for a hip attack on Andrade, but Andrade moved. Melo and Andrade were left and Andrade got the best of it. With both opponents in respective corners, Andrade hit a double-knees on Fatu, but then ran into being planted by Melo. Fatu woke up and took a super-kick from Andrade. Melo went to the second rope, but that resulted in a Spanish Fly from Andrade. Fatu reinserted himself and hit some Swantons on Melo and Andrade. Fatu teased a moonsault, but Andrade pulled Fatu’s leg. Andrade went to the top and hit the double-moonsault attempt on Fatu, but Melo broke up a pin attempt.

“This is awesome!” chants broke out. The three men traded blows on their knees. Melo hit a DDT on both guys after a springboard from the second rope. Andrade hit a Poison-Rana on Fatu and that left Melo and Andrade in the ring. Andrade pulled Melo to the outside, where the exchanged blows. Fatu super-kicked Melo and went for a hip attack on Melo and Andrade into the barricade, but both Melo and Andrade moved, so Fatu went flying. An expletive chant broke out in the crowd, which was muted, and the show went to another commercial break.

Back from the break and Fatu was still out. Andrade and Melo traded strikes in the middle of the ring. Melo went to the top, but Andrade cut Melo off. Fatu reappeared and threw both guys, which resulted in a weird assisted Spanish Fly from Andrade to Melo. Fatu landed a Swanton on Melo from the top, but Andrade broke up the pin attempt. Fatu ran at Melo, but Melo got a boot up. In a fun spot, Andrade hit a back elbow on Fatu, who had Melo on his shoulders, but Fatu kicked out when both guys tried to pin Fatu.

Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo made their ways to ringside. Fatu perched Melo on the top rope. Fatu had both Melo and Andrade on his shoulders and hit a Samoan Drop on Andrade but not Melo. Fatu missed a moonsault on Andrade, but Melo hit Nothing But Net on Fatu. Andrade and Melo traded a bunch of pin attempts. Before long, all three guys were down on the mat at about the 19-minute mark.

Fatu hit a spike DDT on Andrade. Fatu ran Melo into a corner and followed up with a hip attack. Fatu landed another spike DDT on Andrade and followed that up with a double-jump moonsault, but Sikoa hopped on the apron and told Fatu to do it again. Mateo started yelling at Fatu to do it and Jimmy Uso showed up to take care of Mateo and Sikoa. With all the confusion, Andrade hit The Message on Melo and got the win.

Match result: Andrade defeated Carmelo Hayes & Jacob Fatu to qualify for the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match (20:28)

I love it. I loved all of it – the match, the booking decision – all of it. Andrade going over was a mild surprise (there was no way Fatu was winning, the way this was all set up), but I’m happy he gets a spot in, as I said earlier in this review, one of WWE’s most marquee matches of the year. He’ll have a lot to add to it, too, as you know that guy can impress when it comes to high spots and ladders. Back to this match – it was one of the best SmackDown matches I’ve seen in at least a year? Maybe longer? They gave them time to cook and those three fellas delivered a fantastic meal.

**********

– Byron Saxton interviewed LA Knight backstage. Knight talked about how he punched his ticket to MITB. Knight said if it was a one-on-one match, he’d call his shot, but he understands now because this will be his third MITB match. Knight said it’s anybody’s game, but … Knight stopped talking as Aleister Black walked into the frame. Black spoke in a riddle and walked away. Cody was shown walking backstage and the crowd erupted.

– Fatu was shown wrecking the backstage area, yelling at Solo that he was tired of everything. Solo appeared and said he was just trying to help. Fatu said for the last time, he’s saying he does not need Sikoa’s help. Fatu stormed off.

– A Worlds Collide card rundown happened and the graphic for Gable vs. Vikingo did not include the AAA Mega Title Match descriptor, unlike what happened on Raw this week. WWE, get your stuff together.

The Cody Rhodes/John Cena segment

Cody stood in the ring with a microphone and soaked in some chants. He stalled for a bit to grandstand for the crowd. The European “Cody Rhodes” song broke out in the crowd. Who knew Knoxville, Tennessee, was this close to London? Cody asked the crowd what they wanted to talk about and was cheered in a loud way. Cody said they could talk about Mania 41. Cody said he went home and drowned his sorrows with the “Tennessee Cough Syrup.”

Cody said he had a doubtful moment and he reached out to a friend. Cody said he asked his friend if he was a good champion. Cody said the friend’s answer was, “With everything that you faced in the ring and with everything that you faced behind the scenes, you were a good champion.” Cody said that made him feel good. Cody said that made him think about his whole year, including AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, HHH and The Final Boss. Cody said the scary part about The Rock asking for his soul was that Rock was serious and that Rock’s offer still stands (hey-yo!).

Cody brought up John Cena and rabid “Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks!” chants began. Cody said Cena did exactly what he said he’d do. Cody said he hesitated when Cena gave him a choice and that if Cena ruins pro wrestling, Cody is partly to blame. Cody spoke to the camera and said he will never hesitate with Cena again. Cody said he needs Cena to knows that Cody will “burn his ass up” in reference to Cena. Cody said it was his first night back on SmackDown and he was getting a little worked up. Cody wondered what he could do for the WWE Universe and as such, Cody said he had a surprise. The crowd Yeet’d accordingly. Cody’s surprise, it turned out, was the arrival of Jey Uso, who came in through the crowd and holy hell, that crowd went nuts.

After Jey finally made it to the ring, Jey called for a repeat of the entrance and the Yeet-ing and all of that. His second celebration was cut off by John Cena’s music. Cena walked out to his black-and-white gimmick. “John Cena sucks!” chants were shouted in step with Cena’s music. Cena walked to ringside and grabbed a microphone. Cena found the ring steps and used them to get into the ring. Cena said he was upset because Cody and Jey were “professional wrestling’s biggest wannabes.” Cena told Cody and Jey to their faces they were Cena wannabes. The crowd kind of/sort of cheered Cena.

Cena called Cody too desperate and Uso too lazy. Cena said there is only one other person in WWE who embodies hustle, loyalty and respect and that’s his partner for MITB. Logan Paul’s music hit and Paul made his entrance. Paul garnered a lot of boos, so at least that worked out. Cena said the crowd was mad because Logan Paul “does WWE better than professional wrestler.” Cena said Paul is paying everyone’s mortgage. Cena said everyone in the building came to see Cena and Paul. Cena got a lot of cheers; Paul did not.

Paul said he could walk on water and everyone would find a way to tell him it’s because he can’t swim. Paul said he speaks the truth and Cena does as well. Paul called the Tennessee people “stupid” and “stupid.” Paul said everyone wil live long, pathetic, miserable lives, but at least they will be able to say they saw Paul and Cena stand together. A “Shut the f— up” chant started and you can imagine what that did to the censors. Paul said he should be standing next to Cena as a champion because he should have been the one to leave SNME as the World Heavyweight Champion. Paul called Uso lucky.

Paul said Uso or Cody can’t do anything in the business without having things handed to them. Paul called Cody and Uso nepo-babies. Paul said Cena and Paul were self-made men. Paul said five years ago, nobody would have believed that Logan Paul would be a WWE superstar. Paul noted how nobody would believe that he would be tagging with the GOAT. Paul said his time is now while Cena is the last real champion. Paul said at MITB, they can come get some. Uso said they didn’t have to wait, Cody talked about “polishing his Peacemaker” in reference to Cena, and the four brawled. Cody and Jey stood tall as Cody’s music played and Cody held up Cena’s title and the show ended.

This is smart. They anticipated Cena getting the babyface reactions and threw Paul into the mix as a means to mitigate the impact of the Cena not-so-heel-turn. It was on display here as Paul took the bulk of the promo, which wasn’t all that great (but also not that bad, to be fair), and Cena just stood in the background. Each time Cena’s name was brought up, the crowd cheered heavily. But hearing that name come out of Paul’s mouth made the crowd boo just a little harder. It’s clever. The last thing they wanted to do with this program was kill Cody’s momentum as a babyface and if nothing else, it’s clear that they are at least trying to compromise that potential damage. Even so, Cody had the off-handed comment about The Rock’s offer still being on the table and I’m sure the IWC sleuths will have a field day with that. In the meantime, this was a strong return (to SmackDown) for Cody and a heat-generating segment for their tag match at Money In The Bank.

WWE NXT live results: The fallout from Battleground

Posted on by Chris Aiken

New TNA World Champion Trick Williams is set to appear as the fallout from Battleground takes place on WWE NXT tonight.

Williams made history on Sunday, becoming the first WWE-contracted wrestler to win the TNA World Championship. With help from a well-placed belt shot, he defeated Joe Hendry to become champion. We’ll hear from Williams tonight for the first time since his victory.

Mike Santana has declared that he wants to be the savior of TNA and is coming after Williams’ title. Tonight, Santana makes his WWE debut against Tavion Heights. The match was set up at Battleground in a confrontation between Santana and No Quarter Catch Crew.

A couple of title matches are also part of tonight’s lineup. After successfully defending against Jordynne Grace at Battleground, Stephanie Vaquer already has her next challenger. She’s putting the title on the line against Jacy Jayne after Jayne slapped her in the face on Sunday.

Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page for the North American Championship is kicking off the episode. The winner will defend the title at Worlds Collide against a yet-to-be-announced opponent.

Plus, WWE LFG winner Jasper Troy will be in action, Tatum Paxley faces Jaida Parker, and more.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

Opening the show is a title match and horde of security at ringside. NXT North American Champ Ricky Saints enters the sound stage at the Performance Center in Orlando. After him is his challenger, Ethan Page. They brawl before Mike Rowe can finish the ring introductions, and the security team rushes into the ring to break them up.

With a pull-apart brawl ongoing in the ring, Rowe does an abbreviated introduction before the bell sounds to officially start the title bout. The winner defends the title at When World Collide.

Ethan Page defeated NXT North American Champion Ricky Saints to win the title

Page pinned Saints to win the championship in a really good opener. Since neither of these wrestlers had a match on the PLE last weekend, this was essentially their PLE match in they had plenty of time and high drama. They wrestled through a picture-in-picture commercial break.

The fight spilled onto ringside, where Page went to grab a metal folding chair. Members of the security team spots him from using the chair. The horde of security then holds back back Saints and Page from brawling at ringside. Is brawling at ringside suddenly banned?

Out comes NXT General Manager Ava to sort out this mess. Instead, she gives a message to the announce team. Ava then leaves ringside, and the announcers are even more confused than before. The referee does his best Big John McCarthy, and the fight resumes at ringside as security steps aside.

When the show returns from the commercial break, the fighting at ringside continues with Saints and Page brawling over the announce desk. Security breaks them apart and the ref yells at them to get back into the ring. With some separation between them, Page strikes with a Diamond Cutter on the floor. In taking the move, Saints comes crashing down on a folding chair. Saints sells big while clutching his throat, but he manages to crawl back into the ring and take a Razor’s Edge. Saints still somehow kicks out.

Still selling his throat, Saints valiantly fights back as the babyface in peril. Saints gets a near fall on Page, while still selling his throat. The live studio audience begins a “Ricky” chant when Saints eats a boot from Page. The match rolls on and Page counters Saint’s finisher. In doing so, Page maneuvers over to the ropes , where Page snaps Saints injured throat on the top rope. Page follows up with a Diamond Cutter. Page the hooks a leg and covers Saints for a three count. And new…

Referees and officials check on an injured Saints in the ring, while Page poses with the North American title belt on the ramp.

Sarah Schreiber interviews Fatal Influence, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Jacy Jayne cuts a promo on Fallon Henley. Jazmyn Nyx looks on behind Jayne.

Mike Santana is the focus of a personality profile introducing him to the NXT audience ahead of his upcoming match.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura are back together again, and Briggs returns Inamura’s leather vest to him. Briggs suggest they set their sights on the NXT tag team titles, or Inamura suggest something “even bigger” for them.

Mike Santana defeated Tavion Heights (with No Quarter Catch Crew)

Santana pinned Heights after a roaring lariat. The bout itself goes through a commercial break, and they had a pretty good match. In Height’s corner was Charlie Dempsey, Wren Sinclair and Myles Born, but they played little into the match. Dempsey looked strong in winning, and he shakes hands with Heights after the match. Dempsey was disgusted by the display of sportsmanship from Heights.

The trio now known as High Ryze is the focus of a video package. That trio includes Wes Lee, Tyson Dupont, and Tyriek Igwe.

Up next is the aftermath from the fallout between Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo. For that we get some bad acting when Luca Crusifino sits down with D’Angelo. Crusifino professes his innocence to “The Don”, but D’Angelo says he cannot trust anyone. Crusifino insists D’Angelo can trust him.

New TNA Champion Trick Williams is heading to the ring for a celebratory monologue. Trick is victorious and boastful, but he heels on the studio audience when they try cheering for him. Tricks mocks them by asking if they feel stupid for singing along with “Average Joe” on the previous episode of NXT.

Trick boasts about himself and the title win, and Trick lists luminaries that were champions of TNA. Trick then says he is better than all of them. Trick heels on the crowd from turning their back on him, so he is going to TNA. Trick wants to change the name of TNA to “Trick-N-A”.

Santana interrupts Trick and confronts him in the ring. Santana is there to take up for TNA, and Santana takes exception to Trick trying to tear it down. Trick yells at Santana in response, basically telling Santana to know his place. Santana proceeds to cut a promo on Trick, and Santana calls Trick a “pretender” as a wrestler, a rapper and a champion.

Santana vows to take the TNA title from Trick. They are interrupted by TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella, who appears on a video screen. Marella informs Trick that he will indeed be a fighting champion. Trick is booked to defend the TNA title next Tuesday on NXT against Santana.

Santana rocks Trick with punches, and Santana sends Trick packing. Santana then poses with the TNA title belt.

In a locker room skit, Ava informs NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer that she is booked in a tag match at When Worlds Collide, and Ava instructs Vaquer to find a tag partner. Vaquer agrees, but first she has a title match tonight. Lola Vice enters the scene offering to team with Vaquer.

Jaida Parker defeated Tatum Paxley

Parker pinned Paxley after a hip attack. This match was set up with a skit last week that also involved Thea Hail, who runs in after this match to attack Parker.

Setting up the finish, Parker threw on of Paxley’s dolls into the ring. Paxley brought the dolls to ringside before the match. Parker threw the red haired doll (probably symbolizing Gigi Dolan) into the ring. Paxley retrieves the doll. Parker then ambushes Paxley with the Hip-notic finisher, and Parker covers Paxley for a three count. Hail jumps Parker after the match, so they are clearing headed for a singles match between them.

Featured in a hype video is Jasper Troy, whose debut match on NXT television is up next..

Jasper Troy defeated Dante Chen

Troy pinned Chen in a glorified enhancement match. Chen did get a burst of offense just before the end, but Troy wiped out Chen. Tory then delivers a Black Hole Slam, and Troy scores a pinfall.

NXT Champion Oba Femi then gets Troy’s attention, with Femi perched on a stand overlooking the ring. Femi says he could have jumped Troy like Troy did to Femi last week, but Femi does tell Troy to enjoy his five seconds of fame because those five seconds are over now that Troy is in Femi’s sights.

Charlie Dempsey wants Myles Borne and Tavion Heights to pull back and focus on the group. Borne takes exception and says he is not going back. They agree to match with Borne against Dempsey. If Borne wins he can leave No Quarter Catch Crew. Why not just leave the group? He is an independent contractor after all. Oh wait… never mind. Must not be that kind of independent contractor.

New NXT North American Champion Ethan Page is the ring to celebrate his title win earlier in the show. After a hard fought win, Page appears with a scratch on him. He was not even selling the match at all.

Out comes Je’Von Evans to interrupt Page, because almost no monologue in NXT can go uninterrupted. Anyway, Evans announces that Page will defend the North American title against Evans at When World Collide, but that is not all.

Evans then introduces Laredo Kid, and he enters through the crowd. Laredo Kid says he is the most complete luchadore you will ever see. Kid is apparently added to the title match, but that is not all.

Out comes Rey Fenix, who cuts a promo on Page as he announces a fatal four-way match for the title at When Worlds Collide. It is Page defending against Evans, Laredo Kid and Femix. The winner then on a later date faces Sean Legacy, who won a number one contenders match last Tuesday.

NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca and her pal Zaria offers some kind words to Tatum Paxley in a backstage skit. Meanwhile, looking on is The Culling faction.

Jacy Jayne (with Fatal Influence) defeated NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer to win the title

Jayne pinned Vaquer thanks in part in outside interference from Fallon Henley. They teased more dissension within Fatal Influence, but ultimately it was Henley that helps Jayne win the title. The title change was quite a surprise.

Let in the match, Henley jumps on the apron to cause a distraction. This was similar to a spot Jayne did in Henley’s loss last week on the previous episode. Much like last Tuesday, it backfires on Fatal Influence. Jayne collides with Henley, and Jayne is then superkicked out of the ring. At ringside, Henley and Jayne argue. Jazmyn Nyz tries to keep the peace, but to no avail. Both Henley and Jayne shove Nyz aside as Vaquer leaps off the top rope with a high cross.

Back in the ring, Vaquer counters Jayne. Vaquer then does her signature head scissors spot much to admiration of Booker T on commentary. Vaquer then catches Jayne in a tarantula armbar. Henley swings around the ring post with Tiger Feint Kick to break up the armbar. Jayne then hits Vaquer with a roaring elbow, and Jayne covers the champion for a three count. Disbelief abounds on the title change. Even Mike Rome is in shock as he announces the winner. And new…

WWE Raw live results: Money in the Bank qualifying continues

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 26, 2025
Location: Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL 

The Big Takeaway —

Seth Rollins and Penta qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

**********

Show Recap — 

There was a recap of the Raw matches and angles from Saturday Night’s Main Event. 

Jey Uso, Lyra Valkyria, Sami Zayn (signing autographs), and Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh were shown arriving. 

They’ve killed the stage to allow for more fans, so there’s just a small entryway, a small video board, and a narrow aisle. 

Opening segment

Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed entered to start the show. Breakker and Reed were dressed the same—in all-black suits with black shirts and shoes. 

Heyman called Breakker an attack dog and the badass in a bloodline of badasses. If Skynet could predict who would main event WrestleMania 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50, it would tell you Bron Breakker. He called that a spoiler, not a prediction. 

The crowd chanted for CM Punk, so Heyman told them he wasn’t there tonight. The timing was perfect because it allowed Heyman to move on to Reed. He said it was because of Reed that Punk wasn’t there. He claimed WWE wouldn’t allow Reed around the top guys because they were too afraid. Reed was reckless and violent and would put everyone down. 

Heyman noted that Reed went after Rollins months ago because he was the top guy. Reed gave Rollins a bigger beating than Roman Reigns or CM Punk ever did. 

Heyman told the fans to acknowledge Rollins, so they chanted, “OTC” and “We want Roman” instead. Rollins said this was the way forward for the industry’s future—through total control, domination, and power. 

There was a “You sold out” and light “F*ck you, Rollins” chant, and they had to censor it (and Pat McAfee tried talking over it). Rollins reminded them they had just sung his song a few minutes ago, but now they questioned his integrity and chanted profanities. 

Rollins held the power and would be the champion right now if not for Zayn and Punk. However, even more powerful than being the champion was holding MITB and controlling the fate of the championships. He would win MITB and cash in whenever and wherever he wanted. Nobody could stop him, and that was true power.

(Rollins’ promo felt like retread, so his part wasn’t terribly exciting. I like Reed’s addition to this group, but I don’t like that he and Bron are dressed identically and generically like Rollins’ personal security. ) 

******** 

El Hijo del Vikingo was shown ringside. 

Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: Chad Gable vs. Penta vs. Dragon Lee

There was an ugly and almost lethal spot early in the match. Penta tried some move that would simultaneously drop Dragon Lee backwards with a Gory Bomb, perhaps, and drop Gable forward with a facebuster, but Gable wound up landing right on his head. I mean, he really landed on his head. The referee immediately checked on Gable, who grabbed his face, but he seemed ok, and continued the match as if nothing happened. 

After a break, Dragon Lee flew out of nowhere while going for a suicide dive on Gable, but Gable dodged it, and Lee knocked Penta over the announce table. As the ref checked on them, Gable gave Vikingo a cheap shot. 

All three men traded moves, which included Dragon Lee hitting a poisonrana. Gable hit both men with a double German suplex and Penta with a moonsault for two. Gable gave Dragon Lee an overhead suplex into the turnbuckle and set up another moonsault, but Vikingo kicked him in the face. 

Dragon Lee gave Gable a double foot stomp, and Penta gave Dragon Lee a Canadian Destroyer. Penta followed with a Penta Driver on Gable for the pinfall win. (Gable was busted open by the end, perhaps because of Vikingo’s kick to the face.) 

This was a hell of a ten-minute TV match. The crowd loved it. 

Match result: Penta defeated Chad Gable and Dragon Lee to qualify for Money in the Bank (10:03) 

********

Roxanne Perez joined Judgment Day backstage and handed Dom a big platter of chicken nuggets. Perez was about to massage Dom’s sore shoulder, but they were joined by the returning Liv Morgan, who got a huge pop.

Dom tried to explain why she hadn’t really heard from him, but she cut him off. She said Raquel Rodriguez has been keeping her updated, and she was off to talk to Adam Pearce about getting a MITB qualifier. Bálor was very amused by all of this.

******** 

There was a Memorial Day video, narrated by Cody Rhodes. 

Rusev vs. Akira Tozawa (w/Maxxine Dupri) 

Rusev won in a minute via submission with the Accolade. 

— He wouldn’t let go of the hold after the bell, so Sheamus ran out. Sheamus’ new music is a big downgrade, and you couldn’t tell who was coming out when his music hit until he was shown on screen. (Rusev’s music isn’t any better.) 

Sheamus and Rusev faced off until Rusev left the ring. McAfee referenced Jim Ross by saying a potential match between these two would be a slobber knocker. McAfee shouted out JR without mentioning his name. (Michael Cole didn’t say anything.)  

The crowd was quiet for Rusev. 

Match result: Rusev defeated Akira Tozawa (0:55) 

******** 

Cathy Kelley interviewed comedians Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura about their Netflix special. Kelley referenced some negative comments Segura made about WWE in the past and admitted he was wrong. (Funny, they basically had him publicly apologize.) Kreischer got distracted because he was excited to see the War Raiders nearby. He removed his shirt and posed with them. 

******** 

Sami Zayn met with Jey Uso backstage. Zayn was tired of hearing all the talk from Rollins and co. Zayn regretted not going out to the ring to confront them. Jey told him that wouldn’t have been a good idea. Jey advised him to win the MITB briefcase, and if there was any trouble tonight, he had his back. 

******** 

Triple threat tag team match for the World Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. The War Raiders vs. The Creed Brothers

If you aren’t already tired of multi-person matches, they gave you plenty of three-way spots. The New Day won, so the other two teams had a lot of high spots. 

New Day formed an alliance with the Creeds, which led to the finish. Ivar squished Kofi Kingston into the video ring board. Ivar went to the top, but Julius Creed flew in and knocked him off with a leaping kick, and Xavier Woods suddenly rolled up the unsuspecting Julius for the pinfall win. (Julius kicked out at three.) Julius and Brutus were upset with themselves post-match. 

Match result: The New Day defeated The Creed Brothers and The War Raiders to retain the World Tag Team Championships (9:13) 

********

Morgan and Rodriguez bumped into Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane backstage. Morgan was surprised to see them because she thought Damage CTRL was dead. Sky told them to keep walking. Morgan said she would win MITB and cash in on her. Sane cut a promo on her in Japanese and challenged her to a match tonight. Morgan accepted. 

Jey Uso and Gunther segment

Jey entered, but his promo was quickly interrupted by Gunther. Gunther congratulated him on his 15-year anniversary in WWE and winning his first title defence over Logan Paul. Gunther said Jey has already held the belt longer than he expected. 

Gunther could see that Jey wanted to be captain of the ship. There was a lot going on, and when Jey’s friends needed him, he was there, no questions asked. Those were great qualities for a human being, but terrible qualities for a champion. Gunther said he was the champion for almost a year because the only person he cared about was himself. 

Gunther didn’t think Jey had the intellect to understand how to carry himself as a great champion. When they wrestled in two weeks, Gunther would make things right. He would relieve Jey of his position, choke him out, and put the title back around his waist where it belonged. 

Jey said he was done with people saying his days as champion were numbered. Jey had friends and family. He fought for them, and they fought for him. Jey was fighting for more than what Gunther was fighting for. Jey fought for the fans’ support, and he would make Gunther tap out again in Phoenix. 

(Jey seemed flustered, so this wasn’t a good promo, but he got the crowd behind him with the last line.) 

********

There was a video clip of Cody Rhodes’ podcast with guest Brandi Rhodes. There were (sponsored) vodka products all over Rhodes’ tour bus. 

Patrick Maroon (hockey player), Waka Flocka Flame (rapper), and Titus O’Neil were shown in the crowd. 

Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan (w/Tag Champion Raquel Rodriguez) vs. Kairi Sane

A battle on the apron led to Morgan hitting a sunset flip powerbomb outside the ring. Sane fought back after a break and hit a spear. Sane continued on offence and hit a flying forearm off the top for two. 

Morgan followed with a flying Codebreaker for a nearfall. This was one of those spots that looked like a three count, so the crowd told the referee that she sucked. They traded a few moves until they clumsily fell into a cradle for a two count. 

As Rodriguez distracted the referee, Perez appeared and knocked Sane off the top. Rodriguez was upset even though Perez was just trying to help. (Also, it was impeccable timing by Perez to show up at the exact moment Raquel distracted the referee, even though it wasn’t their plan.) The referee looked around dumbly as Sane was suddenly down, and Perez was suddenly at ringside. 

Morgan looked over as Rodriguez argued with Perez. Morgan went for Oblivion, but Sane countered into a schoolboy for the pinfall win.  

This was not good, and the finish didn’t work, either. 

Match result: Kairi Sane defeated Liv Morgan (10:51)

******** 

There was a Rhea Ripley video promo about MITB. 

During a break, Vic Joseph told us that Trick Williams was the new TNA Champion and he would be on tomorrow’s NXT.  

During the break, an upset Gable told Ivy Nile to start training the Creeds again in case they get another title shot. Gable bumped into Vikingo and told him he would beat him at Worlds Collide. Vikingo was not worried. After Vikingo left, Gable turned around into a right hand by AJ Styles. Styles stood over Gable and told him that if he, or that “coffee bean,” interfered in his match again, he would put Gable through the ground.

******** 

Judgment Day met backstage. Rodriguez said Morgan would have won if not for Perez. However, Morgan was actually upset with Rodriguez. Morgan said Rodriguez was the veteran and should have known better. Morgan stormed off. (Bálor was so happy.) 

Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch segment  

Valkyria entered. She said she looked forward to facing someone new, but Becky Lynch grovelled and begged until she convinced those in the back to get a title rematch at MITB. Valkyria wouldn’t say no, because she’s already beaten her twice. Valkyria has never cared in the past what her opponents said about her, because once she beat them in the ring, she was the ultimate winner. 

However, she felt no satisfaction beating Lynch (at Backlash). Lynch’s ego was still through the roof, despite being outwrestled and beaten. Lynch talked like she had won the match. Now she was trying to steal an opportunity from the next person. Lynch made it personal by getting in her fiancé’s face and trying to break her arm. Valkyria would bash Lynch’s head in if she had to. 

Lynch interrupted. She said Valkyria was the one who made this personal by costing her the opportunity to qualify for MITB. Valkyria might’ve won their match, but Lynch won the night. Lynch went home with her hot husband, while Valkyria went to the hospital with her weird fiancé. Valkyria said Lynch’s husband was the only talented thing about her. (This was meant to get a pop, but it didn’t. It’s a cheap line they could do without.) 

Lynch said Valkyria was making it personal again. Lynch was the best thing to happen to Valkyria and the IC title. Valkyria said people were talking about her because she beat her. 

Lynch had an offer: if Valkyria beat her at MITB, she would never challenge her for the title again. Valkyria was fine with that because she’s beaten her twice already—and did it with her eyes closed. 

Lynch said she graciously raised Valkyria’s hand in NXT following their match after Valkyria won. Lynch wanted Valkyria to return the favour at MITB when Lynch beat her. Valkyria accepted because she had no trouble raising the hand of the winner—it’s just never been Lynch. 

******* 

Karrion Kross (and Scarlett) approached Sami Zayn. He didn’t like that Zayn was trying to earn a title match “the right way.” Zayn brushed him off. Before Zayn could leave, Kross bluntly told him, “You know you’re never going to win the title, right?” Zayn said he would deal with Kross later. Kross smirked. 

******** 

The announcers plugged two matches for Worlds Collide, and they included clips of the AAA wrestlers involved. They also ran down the MITB card.

Money in the Bank triple threat qualifier: Seth Rollins (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Finn Bálor 

Bálor shined first ahead of a break, and it was Zayn’s turn after the break. Zayn wiped out both guys with a Sabu-inspired springboard moonsault. He pointed to the sky, and McAfee mentioned Sabu. Zayn hit Bálor with a superplex, and Rollins followed with a frog splash on Zayn. (This led to a break for the second time in 10 minutes.) 

Rollins and Bálor formed an alliance, but Zayn fought them off. Zayn chucked Rollins out of the ring and went for an exploder on Bálor, but Bálor countered into a rollup for two. Rollins hit Bálor with a Pedigree, but Zayn caught Rollins in a crucifix cover for two. Rollins gave Zayn a Pedigree for two. Zayn and Rollins traded reversals until Zayn hit Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. 

Rollins was frustrated and began slapping Zayn in the corner. Zayn gave him an exploder in the corner, but Bálor cut off Zayn with a slingblade. Bálor dropkicked both men into the corner and went for the Coup de Grâce, but they both dodged it. Rollins stomped Bálor, and Zayn hit Rollins with a Helluva Kick. 

It seemed like Zayn had it won, but Bron Breakker pulled him out of the ring to break up the cover. Bron and Reed attacked Zayn until Jey Uso wiped out Reed with a dive off the barricade. Jey handed out superkicks, but after Rollins grabbed Jey, Bron speared him. Reed also crushed Zayn into the ring post. 

Dom ran in through the crowd and slid a chair into the ring. It was supposed to go to Bálor, but it just went into the middle of the ring. As Bálor reached for the chair, Rollins stomped Bálor’s head into it for the pinfall win. (Not sure why Dom was trying to be sneaky, given there are no DQs in a triple threat.) 

— After the match, Rollins called for Reed and Bron to continue their attack. However, CM Punk’s music hit, so they went up the aisle instead. Punk slipped into the ring from behind and laid out Rollins with a GTS. Punk bailed and posed in the crowd as the show ended. 

(Just like Dom could have just interfered in front of the referee, Punk didn’t have to wait until after the match to attack Rollins.) 

Match result: Seth Rollins defeated Finn Bálor and Sami Zayn to qualify for Money in the Bank (19:37)

WWE NXT live results: Battleground go-home show

Posted on by Chris Aiken

On the last WWE NXT episode before Battleground, Joe Hendry and Trick Williams will both give musical performances.

The TNA World Championship will be on the line when Hendry defends against Williams at Sunday’s NXT Battleground PLE. We’ll hear from both of them tonight as Hendry performs a live concert and Williams delivers a rap aimed at Hendry.

Two titles have also been confirmed for Battleground, with Oba Femi vs. Myles Borne for the NXT Championship and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jordynne Grace for the NXT Women’s Championship. Those are not the only title bouts scheduled for Battleground.

Looking to earn a shot at NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca, Kelani Jordan will go one-on-one with Zaria on tonight’s show. The winner tonight challenges Ruca for the title this weekend.

Also tonight is the ongoing dramatic storyline between Tony D’Angelo and Channing Lorenzo, as the future of The Family lies in the balance.

A triple threat match between Je’Von Evans, Ashante Adonis, and WWE ID wrestler Sean Legacy is also part of tonight’s lineup. Shawn Spears will face off against Josh Briggs in singles action, and there is also a tag match between Chase U’s Kale Dixon & Uriah Connors and OTM (Bronco Nima & Lucien Price).

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

Among those arriving to the sound stage at the Performance Center in Orlando is NXT North American Champ Ricky Saints. He saunters into the sound stage down the aisle. Saints is there for guest commentary, alongside the regular commentators Vic Joseph, Booker T, and Corey Graves.

Ring announcer Mike Rome introduces the three wrestlers in the opening match.

Sean Legacy defeated Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Je’Von Evans in a triple threat match

In an upset, Legacy won a thrilling opener. Adonis dropped the fall. Evans was able to save face after an Ethan Page run in at ringside. Page attacked Saints, and a bunch of security tried to pull them apart. Evans sailed over the top rope to dive on the group at ringside.

Meanwhile, Adonis missed a splash off the top. Legacy capitalizes and executes his “Shambles” finisher on Adonis. One. Two. Three. Legacy wins. The match was good, and it includes some great near falls.

Page and Adonis continue to brawl at ringside after the match is over.

NXT General Manager Ava is in her office with Stevie Turner and Robert Stone. Ava sends the two to find Page, as Ava is apparently upset about the brawl at ringside.

Ava then turns to WWE LFG winners Jasper Troy and Tyra Mae Steele, as they have signed their NXT contracts. Troy vows to make an impact.

Jordynne Grace is a subject of a video package hyping her match against NXT Women’s Champ Stephanie Vaquer this weekend.

Meanwhile, Vaquer is backstage talking with Lola Vice. Vaquer leaves and in walks Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley & Jacy Jayne) to insult Vice. Clearly tension within Fatal Influence, as Jayne dares Henley to have a match with Vice after Henley snipes at Jayne.

Out comes Trick Williams for a live performance, but first he insults Joe Hendry’s mother. That is definitely a heel move. William raps about “never backing down to an average Joe.”

After the rap song is over, Hendry is seen strumming his guitar backstage.

Josh Briggs is interviewed by Kelly Kincaid. Briggs says things are not as fun without his friend Yoshiki Inamura. Briggs dedicates the next match to him.

The entrance of The Culling takes the show into a commercial break. The next match begins during picture-in-picture. The bout was joined in progress when it returns from the break.

Shawn Spears (with The Culling) defeated Josh Briggs

Spears pinned Briggs after outside interference from The Culling. The referee is distracted by Brooks Jensen, who is Briggs former tag team partner. Niko Vance tries to attack Briggs, but Vance is thwarted and send crashing into the ring steps. Izzi Dame then kicks Briggs in the head, and Spears uses a small package to score a pinfall.

Jensen and Vance jump Briggs after the match in a post-match attack. NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank run down for a save when they rescue Briggs. This would seem to set up a six-man tag team match.

Kelani Jordan has word backstage with Zaria and Sol Ruca.

Andre Chase is joined backstage by Uriah Conner and Kale Dixon. The new Chase U then heads towards gorilla.

Thea Hail, with a bandage over her eye, confronts Tatum Paxley in a backstage skit. Hail is trying to empathize with Paxley when Jaida Parker ambushes Hail. Parker taunts Paxley and calls her stupid.

OTM (Bronco Nima & Lucien Price) defeated Chase U (Uriah Connors & Kale Dixon with Andre Chase)

While Chase U was able to shine at a times, OTM won in dominant fashion. OTM execute their finisher and Price scores the pinfall.

Up next is a face-to-face between NXT Champion Oba Femi and his challenger at Battleground, Myles Borne.

Borne is well dressed in a nice suit, and Femi is also dressed nicely in business casual with his title belt over his shoulder.

Femi ponders if Borne is brave or stupid, or possibly both. Borne is now number one contender and that is admirable, but Femi says it is also misleading. This is a cruel world, but good things do not always happen to good people. Femi knows in his heart that Borne is a good person, but this is not a Disney movie. Borne does not get a happy ending or a dream come dream.

Femi says Borne’s dream will die this Sunday. The dream was his big wins the last two weeks, but the dream is over. Soon Borne will understand he is “standing in the ring with the ruler, destroyer, the bringer of war.” Femi vows to me merciless and relentless. Borne’s fate will end in destruction at the hands of Femi.

Borne calmly responds to Femi with a helluva promo. Borne might be in the ring by himself, but he is not alone. Borne says he was No Quarter Catch Crew to help him train night and day. They are not the only one that have his back, as Borne insists he is carrying with him an entire community.

Borne says every kid who fills different, or every parent who worries their child will not fit in. Borne is going to make a statement, so he dares Femi to underestimate him. Doctors and nurses underestimated him. His opponents in amateur wrestling underestimated him. Borne says even “some coaches in my NXT tryout underestimated me.” But he proved them all wrong.

Borne says Battleground will be the toughest match of his career, but his whole life has been a battle. Borne agrees this is not a Disney movie, but “every ruler falls.” Borne might be hard of hearing, but “they are all going to hear the one-two-three loud and clear.”

After such a great promo by Borne, there is suddenly a run-in by Jasper Troy. Femi is attacked and slammed by Troy, but Borne runs down to make a save as Troy flees. Femi then have a standoff. Great segment aside from the errant run-in.

North American Champ Ricky Saints and Ethan Page are shouting at each other in Ava’s office. Ava also yells at them between all of the other yelling. Saints wants a match but Page will not grant him one, until Saints offers a title match. Then Page is interested. More yelling and Ava finally lays down the law. She books a title match between the two for next Tuesday.

Tony D’Angelo is focus of a video package, where he tells his perspective on his feud with Stacks.

Lola Vice defeated Fallon Henley (with Jacy Jayne)

Vice pinned Henley after Henley collided with Jayne. The match goes through a commercial break. Jayne was coaching Henley from ringside during the match. Jayne jumps on the apron at one point to argue with Vice, and Henley collides into Jayne. Vice then deliver her signature backhand elbow, and Vice scores a pinfall. Henley and Jayne argue after the match.

NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer is the focus of video package. Vaquer sits down with Kelly Kincaid for an interview that is mixed with photos and clips. Vaquer tells her story in both English and Spanish. That leads into hype for her title match on Sunday against challenger Jordynne Grace.

DarkState is the focus of a vignette where they introduce each other, and each one cuts a promo.

Kelani Jordan defeated Zaria (with NXT North American Champion Zaria)

Jordan pinned Zaria after “miscommunication” between Zaria and Ruca. In winning, Jordan earns a title shot against Ruca.

The match goes through a commercial break, and it was pretty good as they return from the break. Ruca catches Zaria in a trust fall of sorts, and they are talking at ringside when Jordan does a baseball slide to dropkick Ruca into Zaria. Moments later with Ruca on the apron, Zaria inadvertently spears Ruca. Jordan then rolls up Zaria with a schoolboy for the pinfall.

TNA Champion Joe Hendry is headed to the ring with his guitar for a live concert in the main event slot.

After the final commercial break of the show, Hendry is seated in the ring. The mat is covered in a red carpet. Hendry has some snide remarks about Trick Williams’ musical performance earlier tonight. Hendry then dedicates the next song to his challenger at Battleground — Trick Williams.

Hendry then sings a song about Trick while playing a guitar. In the song, Hendry references old footage of Trick in a haunted house with Carmelo Hayes, and the footage is spliced into the musical performance.

Henry sings and repeats a chorus:

“Whoop that Trick
Whoop that trick
Everybody else said ‘Melo’s bitch‘”

Out comes Trick to interrupt the song. Some chants of “whoop that trick” from the live studio audience were drowned out by louder chants of “Mel’os bitch” from the crowd towards Trick. That hook on the song worked like a charm.

Trick says chant if you want to, but he heard someone say “Average Joe” to Hendry. Trick hits Hendry with a cheap shot, and Trick boots Hendry with a high kick. Hendry measures for his running knee strike, but Hendry grabs a gimmicked guitar that just happens to be in the ring (not Hendry’s good guitar he played during the concert).

Hendry then hits Trick in the knee with the gimmicked guitar. Hendry then choke slams Trick with a “standing ovation” and sings one last refrain. Hendry then poses with the TNA title over a fallen Trick.

WWE Raw live results: Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker

Posted on by Colin McGuire

One week after Bron Breakker left WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso lying, Breakker will receive a non-title match against the champion tonight on Raw.

Uso is five days away from defending his title against Logan Paul on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Paul, for his part, is also slated to make an appearance tonight.

Two women’s Money In The Bank qualifying matches will take place tonight as well. In one bout, it will be Rhea Ripley vs. Kairi Sane vs. Zoey Stark for a spot in the MITB Ladder match next month. In the other, it will be Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Roxanne Perez.

Also on tap, Grayson Waller will take on Sheamus, who returned last week to defeat Waller’s running mate, Austin Theory.

Plus, in tag action, AJ Styles will team with Penta to face The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh).

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Michael Cole welcomed everyone into the show as an exterior shot of Greenville, South Carolina, was shown.

– A video recap of last week’s Sami Zayn/Jey Uso/CM Punk/Paul Heyman Group developments aired.

– Rollins, Breakker, Heyman, Uso, Styles, Penta and The Judgment Day members were all shown walking in various parts of the venue and outside of it.

The Logan Paul/Gunther segment

Paul entered the ring, was given a microphone and said, “Welcome to Monday Night Raw.” Paul said it is a fact that he will beat Jey Uso on Saturday. Paul said he will be the new World Heavyweight Champion by the time next week’s Raw rolls around. Paul listed a bunch of facts – Jey Uso tapped out Gunther was one. Jey Uso is the World Heavyweight Champion was another. The crowd erupted with Yeets. Paul said Jey Uso has eyes on everyone in the company except Paul. Paul noted how he has knocked out Jey Uso three times and he will do it again on Saturday. Paul reminded everyone he will become the new Heavyweight Champion and in the middle of that, Gunther’s music hit and Gunther walked to the ring.

The crowd chanted “You tapped out!” at Gunther. Paul smiled and kind of joined in the chanting. Gunther said he assumes Paul believes he’s better than Gunther because Paul was saying he was going to beat a guy who beat Gunther. The dialogue turned to confidence and Gunther said the fans should show Paul more respect than they do. Gunther said Paul is a self-made social media megastar. The crowd booed. Gunther said if he’s honest, there are things he could learn from Paul. Gunther said he needs help with social media and marketing and the more he thinks about it, the more he believes Logan Paul as world champion would be best for business.

Paul smiled and kept repeating, “This guy knows business.” Gunther responded by saying to Paul, it’s business, but to Gunther, it’s personal. Beating Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship is personal for Gunther, Gunther said, and if Paul takes that away from Gunther then Gunther will feel disrespected. Gunther said he doesn’t see heart in Paul. Gunther told Paul if Paul squares off with Gunther, all of Paul’s accolades mean nothing and Gunther will eat Paul alive. Gunther slammed down the microphone and left the ring.

As Gunther walked away, Jey Uso appeared out of nowhere and super-kicked Paul inside the ring. Uso picked up the microphone and said he’d see Paul on Saturday. Uso then said he’d see Gunther in Phoenix. Uso’s music hit to end the segment.

Paul is such a caricature these days that his promos have become less and less interesting the more he leans into being that caricature. That said, thank God for Gunther, who carried the segment, even if he gave Paul a few too many flowers for my taste – but that’s just me. The former world champ had to stick the landing because his message was running of steam, but he got there and showed really good fire to wrap things up. The notion that winning the title back from Uso because it’s personal to Gunther is a nice touch and one that makes me mildly more interested in a potential Uso/Gunther rematch and I can’t say I was all that interested in it to begin with. But Gunther kind of/sort of sold me on it here. The surprise Uso appearance leaves me thinking Paul will be involved in Uso business later in the show. Time will tell.

**********

– A recap of last week’s women’s tag team main event aired. Footage of Roxanne Perez signing her Raw contract earlier in the day followed that.

– Jey Uso was walking backstage and he ran into Paul Heyman, who told Uso that to betray someone, you have to stab them in the back, and as such, Heyman wanted to make sure he can’t be portrayed as betraying Uso. That in mind, Heyman told Jey Bron Breakker wasn’t looking for Jey’s title, and instead, he was looking to slow down Uso’s momentum. Heyman said if it’s Uso, Gunther or Paul, it doesn’t matter because they are all short-term. Instead, the long-term plan for a champion, Heyman said, is Seth Rollins.

The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh) vs. Penta & AJ Styles

Styles and McDonagh started the match. Styles got the best of McDonagh early until McDonagh worked his way back and thwarted an attempted dropkick. Styles connected with a dropkick after that and tagged Penta into the match. Penta gave McDonagh a backbreaker. Ditto for Balor. Styles and Penta through Balor and McDonagh to the outside and connected with stereo splashes. The show then went to a commercial break for those of us who have Netflix commercials.

The show returned and McDonagh was working over Penta, complete with a snapmare and the obligatory attempt to rip the mask off Penta. Balor tagged in and went for the mask as well. McDonagh tagged back in, but Penta suplexed him. Balor cut Penta off when it initially came to a hot tag. Balor followed that up with a suplex on Penta. Ultimately, Penta got a knee to Balor’s face and hit a Slingblade before tagging in Styles as the crowd erupted.

Styles lifted Balor, but Balor raked Styles’s eyes and McDonagh tagged in. McDonagh went for a splash on Styles, but Styles moved and McDonagh hit Balor instead. Styles took advantage and slammed McDonagh for a nice near-fall. “This is awesome!” chants broke out. With McDonagh on the outside, Styles hit a reverse DDT on McDonagh and rolled McDonagh back into the ring, but Carlito interfered and ran Styles into the ring post as the referee checked on McDonagh. From there, the show went to a commercial break again.

Back to the action, Balor worked over Styles in the ring. The two clotheslined each other at the same time and the match reset. McDonagh and Penta tagged in and Penta landed a cross-body from the top on McDonagh. With McDonagh in a headstand position, Penta kicked McDonagh in the head. Penta ran at McDonagh and McDonagh hit a standing Spanish Fly. Balor tagged in and went to the top, but missed the Coup De Gras. Penta capitalized on that and hit the Sacrifice on Balor. Balor rolled up Penta for a two-count and followed that up with a Slingblade. Balor ran into a kick from Penta and Penta went to the top. McDonagh distracted the referee and Carlito cut Penta off, so things broke down between everyone at ringside.

Penta hit a Destroyer on McDonagh on the outside of the ring. Penta was leaning on the crowd barricade and El Grande Americano appeared in the crowd to headbutt Penta in the back of the head. Balor too advantage of that, rolled Penta back into the ring and hit the Coup De Gras on Penta for the win.

Match result: The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh) defeated Penta & AJ Styles (17:05)

This was really pretty good. Plus, it was a pleasant surprise to see it go through two commercial breaks. For a makeshift tag match that only really existed to further the story between Penta and Americano, these four brought a lot of heart to what could have been a throwaway bout (covering SmackDown really acclimates you to “a throwaway bout” after so long these days). I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Penta taking these losses these days because he really came in on fire and still kind of/sort of remains on fire, but that fire can flame out easier and quicker than it should in WWE Land (with the exception of LA Knight), so it’d be nice to give him a win or two, even if this is all just building to him eventually unmasking Americano. Either way, this was a quality television tag team match.

**********

– Cathy Kelley interviewed IYO SKY in the backstage area. Kelley asked SKY about how she might be targeted for her title. SKY said she’d be ready for anyone and Becky Lynch walked into the frame. Lynch said SKY hadn’t been in there with Lynch yet and Lynch said she was going to put SKY down. Lynch’s music hit and Lynch made her way to the ring for the next match.

– Logan Paul was shown talking on his phone backstage and Seth Rollins walked up. Rollins told Paul that Jey Uso will get hurt tonight because Uso stuck his nose in Seth’s business. Seth said come Saturday, Uso won’t be 100% so the odds will be in Paul’s favor. Seth said if Paul can get past Jey Uso and Gunther, Seth will be waiting on the other side for Paul. Seth said Paul will know who to thank if he wins this weekend. Seth said they could run it back from WrestleMania a couple years ago, but this time, with the world title on the line.

Natalya vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Becky Lynch in a Money In The Bank qualifier match

Lynch convinced Perez to attack Natalya, but Lynch quickly turned on Perez, who threw Lynch to the outside. Lynch pulled Natalya out of the ring and a Lynch vs. Perez singles match broke out. Lynch attempted a Dis-Arm-Her, but Perez worked out of it and the two traded pin attempts. Perez had the upper hand and Natalya dropkicked Perez out of the ring before going to work on Lynch with a series of suplexes.

Natayla worked a Surfboard on Lynch. Natalya half-went for a Sharpshooter, but Lynch turned that into a Dis-Arm-Her. Perez reappeared and all three women exchanged offense. Natalya kicked Perez to the outside and before long all three wound up on the outside. This happened after some apparent miscommunication between Lynch and Perez and Lynch waited for Perez to get into place. Regardless. Perez stood tall as the show went to a commercial break.

Back from break, Perez had control back inside the ring, hitting a series of running elbows on both opponents. Natalya landed a discuss clothesline on both women and stacked them up for a double Sharpshooter, but Perez and Lynch kicked out of it. Perez came back with a moonsault on both Lynch and Natalya for a two-count on Natalya. Perez set up for PopRox, but Lynch countered into a Manhandle Slam. Natalya reappeared and took out Lynch and al three women were down.

Perez rolled to the outside and Lynch and Natalya traded blows inside the ring. Lynch and Natalya were struggling in a corner and Perez went to the top to German Suplex (PopRox?) both women at once. Perez covered Natalya but Lynch broke it up with a knee to Perez’s head. On their feet, Perez and Lynch traded slaps and elbows. Perez threw Lynch and went to the top, but Lynch cut off Perez. The two battled on the second rope until Natalya ran in and hit Perez with Lynch. Natalya powerbombed Lynch for a two-count. Natalya super-plexed Perez for a two-count.

Natalya locked in a Sharpshooter until Lynch bulldogged Natalya. Natalya clotheslined Lynch and went back to Perez. Natalya then worked a double Sharpshooter on Lynch and Perez at the same time. Lynch got out of it and rolled to the outside. Lynch came back and hit a Manhandle Slam on Natalya and it looked like Lynch would win, but Lyra Valkyria appeared and attacked Lynch. Perez took advantage and gave Natalya a PopRox to win the match as Becky and Lyra continued to brawl in the entranceway.

Match result: Roxanne Perez defeated Becky Lynch & Natalya to qualify for the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match (14:35)

A very good MITB qualifier match. All women worked really hard and while we don’t see Natalya on TV that much these days, she made the best of her time here. Lynch and Perez were very giving to her, too, which was a nice touch and one that reiterates how liked Natalya seems to be by all her colleagues. I like Perez going over here, even if Becky is leaning into all of the Internet Chatter about her sharing some traits with the Hulkster, among other things. Roxanne was the right choice. A new face to some viewers. She’s finally out of NXT/Main Roster purgatory. Let’s see what she can do with some proper booking attention on Monday nights. I also like the continuation of Becky and Lyra and they had a pretty nice brawl that led to the end of the match. Good stuff all around.

**********

– Jey Uso was shown in the locker room and Sami Zayn showed up. Zayn told Uso that he didn’t need to deal with Heyman and his group because Zayn would take care of it this weekend. Zayn and Uso shared in their secret handshake.

– Adam Pearce was talking to Alpha Academy backstage and asked Tazawa if he really wanted what he asked for. Tozawa said yes and Pearce made the match for next week – Tozawa vs. Rusev. Chad Gable walked into the frame and argued for MITB qualifying matches for himself and Ivy Nile. The New Day showed up and talked about how next week, American Made will be involved in a tag title shot. It will be a triple threat, including the War Raiders.

Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller

Waller had control early. The crowd chanted “Let’s go Sheamus!” The two grappled a bit until Waller kicked Sheamus in the leg. Sheamus blocked a hip-toss and slapped Waller to the ground. Sheamus followed up with a back-breaker and threw Waller across the ring repeatedly. Sheamus clotheslined Waller over the top rope and played to the crowd. Sheamus stepped outside and Austin Theory distracted Sheamus. Waller made the best of it and threw Sheamus into the commentary table before clotheslining Sheamus to the ground. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and the crowd offered loud “Austin Theory!” chants. Inside the ring, Waller slapped, punched and chopped Sheamus, who fired up and returned all of the favors. Waller took back control with a stomp on Shaemus’s back and a rolling Flatliner for a two-count. Waller went to the second rope and jumped into a tough knee from Sheamus. That was followed up weird tilt-a-whirl half-slam? Something happened. Sheamus ran into a spinning elbow from Waller and with Sheamus on the arpon, Waller went for 10 Beats, but Sheamus wasn’t having that. Instead, Sheamus lifted Waller and dropped him from the apron on down. That, of course, led to Sheamus setting up for 10 Beats, but Waller snuck away.

Waller went to walk to the back, but Theory stopped him. As a result, Sheamus actually did execute the 10 Beats. Theory laughed and Sheamus played to the crowd. Sheamus, from there, hit the Brogue Kick and got the win. Theory, meanwhile, kept laughing outside the ring.

Match result: Sheamus defeated Grayson Waller (11:48)

The long, slow, unreasonably stretched out breakup of Grayson Waller and Austin Theory continues. Who knows if the development during this match will actually lead to anything regarding the saga between the two, but time will tell. Meanwhile, Sheamus looked great here, even if there were a couple odd, not-Sheamus-match-like moments. Sheamus has settled into this really good gatekeeper roll – a roll in which he seems both happy and comfortable, which is nice to see. Give him the Grand Slam, WWE Writers. He’s earned it. Company man. Quality matches. Happy to work, no matter the job. Give Sheamus his flowers before he decides to call it a day.

**********

– Michael Cole and Pat McAfee interviewed Tyrese Haliburton and it turns out, Hali is going to be a character in the WWE 2K video game. Cole and McAfee have a bet riding on the upcoming Knicks/Pacers series. Haliburton also has his own WWE merch. So, there’s that. Cole asked Hali for a prediction for Paul vs. Uso on Saturday. He said he’d love to say Paul, but his heart lies with Jey Uso.

– Kelley interviewed Gunther backstage. She asked Gunther if his gameplan was different heading into June 9. Before Gunther could answer, Seth Rollins walked in and said he was there to let Gunther know that the work Gunther did with Seth’s World Heavyweight Championship was “pretty good stuff, man.” Gunther said he heard about the “long-term plan” and said Seth was short-sighted for a visionary, which was funny. Gunther said he was the future. Rollins was annoyed and said he was there as a courtesy. Rollins said if Gunther finds that title around his waist again, he will be treated no different than anyone else and Gunther will be a target. Gunther said he couldn’t wait and in fact, he was eagerly awaiting for all of this to happen.

Rhea Ripley vs. Kairi Sane vs. Zoey Stark in a Money In The Bank Qualifier Match

Sane’s entrance now features her throwing coins into the crowd, which was kind of fun. Sane’ presentation felt far less Damage CTRL and far more NXT Kairi Sane. Either way, things got off to a hot start as the women traded a handful of moves. The opening sequence had Stark stand tall over Ripley briefly. Ripley came back and took Stark out. Sane returned to the action and went for a dropkick, but Stark cut off Sane and hurt herself. Stark was yelling in agony, holding her knee as WWE doctors checked on Stark. The show cut to a commercial while it looked as though the match might be stopped due to Stark’s injury.

The show returned and Stark was gone. Cole announced it as a one-on-one match between Ripley and Sane. Ripley slammed Sane and covered her for a two-count. Ripley stretched Sane until Sane worked out and went to the top rope. Sane leapt at Ripley, but Ripley dropkicked Sane out of midair. That was good enough to earn Ripley a two-count. Ripley set up for RipTide, but Sane worked out of it and gave Ripley a back elbow. Sane went to the top and went for the InSane Elbow, but Ripley got a boot up to counter everything.

The two reset the match and battled while on their knees. Ripley and Sane traded elbows and forearms. Sane went for a spinning elbow, but Ripley avoided it and got Sane up for the RipTide. Ripley connected with it and got the win.

Match result: Rhea Ripley defeated Kairi Sane and Zoey Stark to qualify for the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match (9:53)

How sad can it get for Zoey Stark? Her faction dissolves in front of her because her stablemates were let go. She gets a chance to at least perform in a high stakes match like this and no less than two minutes into the thing, she suffers another knee injury that looks like it’ll take her out for a significant amount of time. Here’s hoping it’s not as serious as it looked and here’s hoping for a quick recovery. As for the match itself, it was fine, though I’ll say what I said about the other MITB qualifier: I would have preferred Sane winning, if only for the freshness of it. This does make me wonder if Ripley will win the ladder match (because why put her in there if she’s not?), but there is always something to be said for star power and Ripley certainly brings star power to whatever she does. Outside of that … what’s next for Sane?

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– On next week’s Raw, Tozawa will face Rusev. Cole made the official announcement and then a Rusev vignette aired.

– The Judgment Day were shown celebrating backstage. Balor walked into the picture and introduced Roxanne Perez to the group. Balor noted how Dom said they needed more numbers a few weeks ago. Dom said they needed to talk to Liv before any decisions were made. Balor said Perez wasn’t a member, but she could provide help if they need it. Perez said she got them presents and gave Dom a box of chicken nuggets (I thought he was into tendies? Come on, Rok-C. Be better). Carlito received an apple. Raquel told Perez to leave and sternly told Balor that Liv will hear about what happened. Balor said, “I can’t wait,” while flashing that Finn Balor smile of his.

– Next week, men’s MITB qualifying matches will go down. There’s the aforementioned Tozawa vs. Rusev match. And then War Raiders vs. New Day vs. American Made for the World Tag Team Championship will also happen.

– Jey Uso’s entrance through the crowd began for the main event and when you have a match presumably cut short due to injury, boy, you better be thankful for the Jey Uso gimmick these days, WWE, because you can fill at least 10 minutes with his entrance alone if need be.

Bron Breakker vs. Jey Uso in a non-title match

Breakker had the upper hand to begin things. It was brief because Uso battled back and clotheslined Breakker over the top and to the floor. Uso followed that up with a suicide dive through the ropes. The show then went to a commercial break. The show returned and Breakker had the advantage inside the ring. Breakker ran a million miles an hour and clotheslined Uso. In a brief hope spot, Uso went to the middle rope for a splash, but Breakker caught him and slammed him for a two-count. Breakker went for a belly-to-belly suplex and Uso landed awkwardly.

Breakker pulled Uso up by his goatee. Breakker yelled at the crowd and tried to hit Uso, but Uso blocked it and landed a series of strikes on Breakker. Uso followed that up with a hip attack for a two-count. Uso knocked Breakker to the outside and went for a suicide dive, but Breakker caught Uso and ragdolled Uso into everything. Breaker then jumped from the apron and hit somewhat of a flying bulldog onto Uso onto the commentary table. The show then went to its final commercial break.

The show returned and the two were back inside the ring. Uso slapped Breakker and they traded blows. The sequence ended with a wildly high pop-up Samoan Drop from Uso onto Breaker for a nice near-fall. “This is awesome!” chants broke out. Uso went to the top but Breakker cut him off. The two battled on the second rope and ultimately, Breakker hit is jump-up Breakker-Steiner from the top. That was good enough to earn Breakker a two-count.

Breakker ran the ropes and, well, ran into a super-kick from Uso. The crowd collectively turned to somewhere as Uso struggled to get to his feet. Paul Heyman hopped onto the apron as Breakker obtained a chair from outside the ring. Uso kicked the chair out of Breakker’s hand and ran the ropes, but Heyman grabbed Uso’s foot. Uso left the ring and confronted Heyman, but wouldn’t you know it, Seth Rollins appeared and attacked Uso to end the match.

Match result: Jey Uso defeated Bron Breakker via DQ (15:56)

After the match was officially over, Rollins and Breakker put the boots to Uso inside the ring until Sami Zayn’s music hit. Zayn confronted Rollins and Breakker from the apron as the crowd chanted “CM Punk!” Punk’s music then hit and out walked Punk to join Zayn on the apron. All four wrestlers brawled inside the ring. Punk and Zayn got the better of it at first, but the heels didn’t give up. Breakker and Rollins battled Zayn in the crowd until Punk leapt off the crowd barrier and the four wrestlers brawled into the crowd. As all this was happening, Uso had his hand raised in the ring and Logan Paul appeared out of nowhere to punch Uso out. Paul, for some reason, was bleeding from the mouth. Paul smiled as the show went off the air.

This was a nice way to end what ostensibly could be considered “The SNME Go-Home Show,” with the way they went off the air. And good on WWE for that. The difference between Mondays and Fridays is so pronounced, it’s borderline shocking at this point. Raw has such an energy to it and it’s a pro wrestling show. Yeah, you’ll get a 10-15 minute promo segment, but the spotlight is so clearly on the wrestling while SmackDown feels far too much like Vince McMahon is booking it seven years ago and AEW needs to happen to course correct the state of pro wrestling. I digress. The main event was good. Breakker is settling into his top-of-the-card role nicely and Heyman is doing him all the favors he can do for a young up-and-comer. The show-closing brawl was well done and we all knew Paul would have to get his revenge on Jey to send this thing to Saturday. Overall, this was a solid episode of Raw and a good use of the two-and-a-half-hour time slot. If you didn’t like this, you don’t like the best of current WWE. When it’s good, it’s very good. When it’s not, it’s very not. On to Friday.