Raw
Raw Results
- Damian Priest def Sheamus – **¾
- AJ Styles & Omos © def The Viking Raiders (Raw Tag Team Championship) – **½
- Veer w/ Jinder Mahal def Drew McIntyre via DQ – **
- Natalya & Tamina def Eva Marie & Doudrop – *½
- Karrion Kross def Keith Lee – **¾
- Mansoor & Mustafa Ali def Mace & T-Bar – **¼
- Bobby Lashley w/ MVP def Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander – **
- John Morrison w/ The Miz def Riddle – **¾
- Reginald © def R-Truth (WWE 24/7 Championship) ½*
- Charlotte Flair def Nikki A.S.H. – **½
Our new Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H comes out to start the show and she can’t believe she is champion which brings on a “You deserve it” chant from the crowd. Nikki talks about the confidence she has gained since becoming A.S.H. and if we believe in ourselves like she now does then we can be an A.S.H. as well. This would bring out Charlotte who of course is whining and complaining about how Nikki didn’t win the title fairly and is also talking about how she is not worthy of representing the company as its champion. Charlotte then blames us for the injustice against her as we cheer anytime she is the victim of injustice. Charlotte claims she will get her rematch at SummerSlam and win back her title.
Rhea comes out next and mocks Charlotte for only holding the title for one day and then says she will be the one challenging Nikki at SummerSlam and this leads to an argument between Charlotte and Rhea, but Nikki stops both of them by saying that neither can beat her. Nikki says the division is ready for metamorphosis and she will be the one to bring about that change. This brings out Pearce and Deville to settle this once and for all and they take the cheap way out by making it a triple threat match at SummerSlam, but as for tonight, we will see Charlotte in a one-on-one rematch with Nikki A.S.H. in a non-title match. We get some physicality in the ring which ends with Nikki standing tall.
Damian Priest and Sheamus kick off the action in one of the better matches of the night and one we will definitely see again as I believe this was one of a few championship contender matches. The finish comes when Priest knocks the face mask off of Sheamus and after a chokeslam off the top and the Reckoning a few minutes later we see Priest pick up the win and earn a title shot against Sheamus at SummerSlam most likely. Sheamus screams about his nose being rebroken after the match. This is one feud that really feels fresh and I think we are in store for some bangers between these two hosses.
The championship contender matches seem to be WWE’s thing right now where they have the person they want to challenge for a championship go against the champion in order to earn the opportunity to face the champion for the second time in the title match, not only does this make matches predictable but it makes it to where the champion has no choice but to get pinned and thus makes his reign as champion look less impressive. I hope Vince gets tired of this concept very quickly as it is up there with the wildcard rule for dumb ideas WWE has had in the last few years.
It’s rematch time as AJ Styles and Omos put their titles on the line once again against The Viking Raiders. The Raiders try to finish things early on Styles but he eventually gets away and tags in the big man who turns the tide of the match back into the favor of the champions, but as soon as he tags in Styles the Raiders regain control even hitting the Viking Experience, but Omos breaks up the pin. The finish comes when Omos throws Ivar to the floor and then hits Erik with the two-handed chokebomb and Styles picks up the win after hitting a springboard 450 splash. Omos confidence continues to grow week by week as you see him being more expressive and talking trash more every week.
Drew McIntyre is out next as he is scheduled to take on Veer, but before we get that we get a promo from Jinder where he shames the crowd for cheering when Shanky was beaten by McIntyre last week with a chair and he wants McIntyre to apologize. Mahal warns if McIntyre doesn’t apologize then he will sue him and take everything he has and to prove he isn’t joking Mahal introduces his lawyer who is standing alongside himself and Veer. McIntyre of course refuses to apologize and instead gets the crowd to chant “Drew is gonna kill you” which was surprising as this is the first time the wrestler has actually gotten that chant started as it usually comes organically from the fans. We then get McIntyre vs Veer which wasn’t much of a match as McIntyre takes control early until he is distracted by Mahal and then Veer gets in some boring offense until McIntyre makes a comeback and as that happens Mahal throws a chair in for Veer to use, but McIntyre sees it coming and hits Veer with a Claymore sending the chair into his face causing a DQ. Now given how the match ended this should’ve been a win for Veer as he was technically the one hit with a chair but McIntyre is announced as the winner because Veer brought the chair in the ring which makes no sense. After, the match McIntyre hits Claymore on the lawyer. What sense does it make that champions can get pinned throughout this show, but they have to protect Mahal’s henchman and not let him get beat cleanly, this company’s booking is something else that’s for sure.
We get some women’s tag action as Eva Marie and Doudrop take on Natalya and Tamina in a championship contender match. Eva tries to act tough but when Nattie attacks her she runs over to make the tag to Doudrop and we get some actual wrestling between Doudrop and Nattie. Nattie tags out to Tamina and Doudrop takes control and hits Tamina with the basement crossbody, but instead of going for the pin she tags in Eva who looks to steal the glory, but Tamina kicks out. We then see a video start playing on the video screen of Lilly mocking Eva Marie and the whole Eva-Lution with Alexa doing the voiceover work and this distracts Eva long enough for Tamina to get back to her feet and hit a Superkick to pick up the win. I know it’s corny as hell but I have to admit I laughed at the Lilly-Lution video especially the way Alexa was doing the voiceover work. After the match, we see Nattie being helped to the back by Tamina and a trainer as she seemed to have been injured during the match. This was a dumb but harmless segment and I had no problem with it except for the fact that we didn’t see Alexa in person.
Up next we have a hoss battle between Keith Lee and NXT Champion Karrion Kross because we of course have to have the two guys who need a win face each other despite the fact that there are at least 10 guys who do nothing each week but chase the 24/7 Champion who could’ve been squashed to get both Lee and Kross a win. The match was pretty good but in the end, Lee was locked in the Kross Jacket and was forced to submit. At this point just send Lee back down to NXT as it’s clear that Vince either doesn’t know what to do with him or is pissed at him for something that is probably stupid and that is why he continues to lose upon his return. Keith Lee posted on Twitter yesterday that he is going to have to tell the story of why he mysteriously vanished for 6 months himself but we are going to have to give him a week or two before he tells us, I think that will reveal a lot as to why he continues to lose and hasn’t risen to the heights he should have on the main roster.
We get an interview with Nikki A.S.H. where she gives some more inspirational words of advice and then says that no matter what happens tonight she will be defending her title at SummerSlam. Rhea Ripley walks up and tells Nikki she respects her belief in herself but she is walking out with the title at Summerslam, but as for tonight she hopes Nikki gives Charlotte hell.
We then go to a match I really thought they would’ve forgotten about but thankfully they didn’t as Mustafa Ali and Mansoor teamed up against Mace & T-Bar. Both teams get inset promos, Mace & T-Bar talked about how the small were placed on this earth for the large. Mansoor and Ali had a much more fun inset as Mansoor wants matching gear but Ali tells them they have to win tonight as it’s clear that Ali is hesitant about teaming with Mansoor. This was a short match but was fun for what it was as Ali and Mansoor bumped their asses off for their much larger opponent while also showing they gel pretty good as a team. The finish comes when Mansoor goes for a springboard but gets caught only to counter into a victory roll for the win. After the match, Mansoor is super happy about their first win as a team and even hugs Ali, but Ali still doesn’t seem to be fully invested in the time but I am and hope we see lots more from these two, in fact, I would love a tag match between them and Lucha House Party.
Bobby Lashley and MVP come to the ring to answer Goldberg’s challenge. MVP says he gets why everyone is excited about this potential match between Lashley and Goldberg, but only Lashley can say whether or not he accepts the challenge. MVP asks Lashley if Goldberg is next and Lashley is not even going to dignify Goldberg’s challenge with a response, but he will say this is his ring and he will not be disrespected. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin come down to the ring separately and they both want a shot at Lashley’s title but they begin to argue with each other until MVP shuts them up as he tells them they look dumb and furthermore Lashley doesn’t have time for either of them. Lashley grabs the mic from MVP and says he will take them both on at the same time. The match consists of Benjamin and Alexander getting some shots in here and there but Lashley kicks both of their asses and hits Alexander with a Spear and a Jackhammer on Benjamin. Lashley hits a Dominator on Alexander slamming him on top of a laid-out Benjamin and then he stacks them to pick up the win just like we have seen from Roman Reigns in the past. If it wasn’t a sure thing before, the fact that Lashley used the Jackhammer makes it pretty obvious that he is facing Goldberg at SummerSlam. I am loving this new and improved badass Lashley and the fact that he doesn’t turn down challenges even if MVP doesn’t think it’s in his best interests.
It’s time for another really good match as John Morrison takes on Riddle, during the match, AJ Styles and Omos come to ringside as they had talked to Miz and Morrison before the break and must have come up with a plan. The finish sees Riddle go up top but as he does Omos break Riddle’s scooter which distracts him long enough for Morrison to get to his feet and hit Riddle with a spin-out version of a crucifix bomb and then he hits Starship Pain to pick up the win. After the match, AJ Styles gets in the ring and puts the boots to Riddle, and then hits him with a Styles Clash. This is one match I would definitely recommend checking out from this episode of Raw. It looks like we are headed into a Riddle vs Styles feud or perhaps it’s setting up a Randy Orton return and we get RK-Bro vs Styles & Omos at SummerSlam for the Raw Tag Team Championship.
We then get something that is rare, an actual match for the 24/7 Championship as the new champion Reginald takes on R-Truth. Reginald gets a new entrance where he does a crazy flip over the top rope which surprised me when I saw it. They are trying something new with R-Truth as he is mic’d up for the entire match which isn’t long but is a fun bit of comedy while it lasts. R-Truth spent the whole time trying to catch Reginald but he kept flipping and flopping out of the way and at one point R-Truth grabs Reginald by the coat, but he flips out of it so R-Truth throws the jacket over his head and Reginald has quite a time trying to get out of it, but as R-Truth charges, Reginald dodges and hits his flippy move into a pin for the win. The 24/7 geeks run out and Reginald dives over the top rope to get away from them.
It’s main event time as Charlotte takes on Nikki A.S.H. and for some reason, its championship contenders match even though Charlotte is already in the championship match at SummerSlam. This was a fine match but not quite to the level I was expecting the finish comes when Nikki hits the crossbody but Charlotte rolls through and picks up the win because we can’t even have the champion getting a win one week after winning the fucking title despite the fact that Charlotte is already in the damn title match at SummerSlam. After the match, Charlotte gets on the mic and she asks us what we expected to happen and says that putting on a mask and a cape doesn’t make you a superhero and then says that nobody else is in her league and after saying that I really was expecting Becky to come out (or at least Rhea) to prove her wrong. Nikki takes the mic and says she can admit she lost but she showed herself she could’ve won and she has confidence that next time she will win and then she proceeds to challenge Nikki to a rematch next week. Charlotte accepts the challenge as she says she can beat Nikki any time.
Charlotte offers a handshake but uses it to pull Nikki in so she can attack her with a forearm and a boot. Charlotte drags Nikki to the floor and beats her down in front of a young fan with a Nikki sign. Flair rolls Nikki back in and hits her with another boot which has Nikki knocked out. Charlotte stands tall as the show comes to a close. What a shitty anti-climactic way to end this show as we don’t want to see a rematch one week after we just saw this match and furthermore this ending segment didn’t give us a reason to want to watch next week. Why didn’t Rhea involve herself in everything that happened after the match as it makes her feel like an afterthought that she didn’t come to help Nikki and let Charlotte stand tall to end the show? I’m guessing we are not getting Becky until after SummerSlam as it felt like tonight would’ve been a perfect opportunity to bring her back.
I thought this was a decent show but what they did with the main event just drug it down quite a lot for me and I’m also tired of these championship contender matches where it makes it to where the champions have to lose, why should we care about the champions if they lose the matches they are in while being a champion. Some of the highlights for the show were Sheamus vs Priest, Morrison vs Riddle, Reginald vs R-Truth, the team of Mustafa Ali & Mansoor, the Lilly-Lution video mocking Eva Marie, and Lashley’s continued dominance over everyone who gets in his way.
NXT
NXT Results
- Pete Dunne & Oney Lorcan def Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher – ***½
- Carmelo Hayes def Josh Briggs (NXT Breakout Tournament Quarterfinal Match) – **½
- Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter def Franky Monet & Jessi Kamea w/ Robert Stone – **
- Imperium def Ashante the Adonis & Top Dolla w/ Hit Row – **¾
- Adam Cole def Bronson Reed – ***
After an opening video showing what happened between Samoa Joe and Karrion Kross last week, we go into the CWC where we kick things off with tag team action as Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher take on Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan in what would be the longest and best match of the night.
Dunne and Thatcher start out the match and try to apply submissions on their opponent, but because each is so versed in submission they are able to escape and we eventually get a standoff before we get a tag by both teams. The heavy hitters come in as they trade chops and then Ciampa hits Lorcan with a running knee sending him out to the floor only for Ciampa to roll him back in and make a tag to Thatcher. Thatcher goes to work on the arm of Lorcan for a moment before tagging Ciampa back in who stomps on the hand of Lorcan and then he allows Lorcan to tag out to Dunne. Dunne and Ciampa do a drop-down and leapfrog spot that ends with Dunne hitting a clothesline. Ciampa takes Dunne down and when Lorcan comes in to help he is met by Thatcher and both Thatcher and Ciampa hit repeated blows to the chest of their opponents until Dunne catches the arm of Ciampa and we see Lorcan and Thatcher brawl out to the floor. Ciampa blocks a finger snap by Dunne and sends him out to the floor where Ciampa and Thatcher throw their opponents into the plexiglass as we go to a commercial.
Dunne locks in a Mexican surfboard on Thatcher while Lorcan delivers chops to his chest and then we get Thatcher and Lorcan exchanging chops and slaps in the middle of the ring. Lorcan goes for a half nelson suplex, but Thatcher counters and hits an enziguri which leads to a tag on both sides. Ciampa comes in a house of fire as he goes clothesline crazy on Dunne and Lorcan before taking them both down with a double clothesline. Thatcher gets back in the ring and after firing each other up they hit clotheslines and uppercuts in the corner, but when Thatcher runs to the ropes for a second time Lorcan follows him in and takes him down with a running uppercut. Ciampa hits Lorcan with a clothesline and then we get a forearm exchange between Dunne and Ciampa and then Dunne passes Ciampa into the ropes and hits him with a German suplex followed by a kick to the head. Dunne goes for the Bitter End but Ciampa counters it into an armbar but as Dunne tries to crawl over to Lorcan who is on the outside we see Thatcher put Lorcan in an ankle lock and that ends up getting broken up by a returning Ridge Holland. In the ring, Lorcan breaks up the armbar, and moments later Dunne hits the Bitter End to pick up the win. After the match, Ridge Holland enters the ring and along with Dunne and Lorcan, he beats down Ciampa and Thatcher as he slams Lorcan into the ropes repeatedly and then gives Ciampa a headbutt.
This match was as good and hard-hitting as I expected it to be and it was nice to see Ridge Holland make his return. I guess Dunne and Lorcan decided to align with Holland once they realized Pat McAfee wasn’t coming back down to NXT, so instead, they got a jacked-up British version of Pat McAfee seeing as McAfee and Holland look a lot alike.
Samoa Joe comes out and is pissed off about what Karrion Kross did last week, but he knows that Kross isn’t going to show his face so he decided to be proactive and then he asks Mr. Regal to come to the ring. Regal comes down and is pissed just as much as Joe was and he knows that Regal wants to fire Kross but he wants to handle it in a different way that will make Regal and himself very happy and that way is a simple three-step process. Joe has a folder and he pulls out a piece of paper and says the first step is that he resigns from being a member of NXT management. Joe pulls out a second piece of paper and says that with this paper and with Regal’s signature he is resigned as an active member of the roster and after Joe hands him a pen Regal signs it. Joe pulls out a third sheet of paper and then says the final step is Regal making Joe vs Kross for the NXT Championship official for Takeover: 36 and after a moment of hesitation Regal signs the contract and then the two shake hands to bring the segment to a close. This was a really good segment and although it was obvious we were getting Joe vs Kross, I was wondering how we would get there and how Joe would eventually get back to being an active wrestler and I think they did this very well as everything made perfect sense and we aren’t left asking questions about Joe’s kayfabe status on the show.
We then go to our first Cameron Grimes and LA Knight segment for the evening as this week they are at a golf course. We start out with Grimes making a choking the chicken motion only to find out he is washing Knight’s golf balls and he asks Knight how long does he want his balls washed. Knight wants a driver to hit his ball with and Grimes questions him saying he is Knight’s driver and then Knight asks for a sand wedge and Grimes thinks he said sandwich. As Knight tees up to hit the ball he keeps getting interrupted by Grimes who wants to bet Knight he will hit the ball into the trees but Knight refuses the offer. Knight ends up hitting the ball in the trees and Grimes says he owes him $5,000 but Knight says he owes him nothing and tells Grimes to go get the ball.
We go next to our breakout tournament match for the week as Carmelo Hayes takes on the much larger Josh Briggs. We get Duke Hudson on commentary during the match as he will be facing the winner of this match in the semi-finals.
Briggs tries to overpower Hayes early on, but Hayes uses his quickness to outsmart the much larger opponent, and even when Briggs catches him off a springboard attempt Hayes elbows free and then staggers the giant with a bicycle kick and punches in the corner. Briggs shoves Hayes away and charges toward him but gets hit with a dropkick to the knee only for Briggs to recover and backdrop a charging Hayes to the floor and then he rolls him right back into the ring, but when Briggs attempts to get in the ring Hayes grabs his arm and fires away with kicks to the head followed by a springboard where he falls back into a leg drop for a 2 count. Hayes locks in a guillotine choke, but Briggs uses his power to escape and then he shoves Hayes into the ropes and when he comes back Briggs hits him with a big back elbow and that sends us to a commercial break. As the show comes back from the commercial Briggs has Hayes grounded in a rest hold until he starts to fight back but Briggs takes him back down with a side slam and then follows up with a big splash for a 2 count.
Briggs gets Hayes up for a powerbomb, but Hayes counters with a hurricanrana sending Briggs into the corner and then he hits Briggs with two enziguris and a springboard crossbody which takes Briggs off his feet momentarily, but he comes back with a chokeslam attempt only for Hayes to flip out of it and hit Briggs with a lungblower for a very close 2 count. Briggs counters a suplex attempt and staggers back to the corner, but Hayes charges at him and connects with a boot in the corner, but this barely affects Briggs as he explodes out of the corner with a running boot of his own which turns Hayes inside out. Briggs hits a big chokeslam which looks to be enough, but Hayes kicks out at the very last second. Hayes sidesteps a big boot only to be hit with one in the corner moments later and then Briggs goes for a side slam but Hayes counters and takes Briggs down to the mat. Hayes goes up top and hits a bent-over Briggs with a leg drop and that is enough to pick up the win and advance to the semi-finals.
Hayes was impressive as he always is in this match, but I didn’t really care for Briggs as he felt like a bland big man who was put into this tournament because of his size and not because he brought anything special personality or character-wise.
We get a video from last week after the show where Franky Monet is interviewed about what her situation with The Robert Stone Brand is and she says she isn’t sure yet as she could merge with the Robert Stone Brand, she could rebuild it from the ground up, or she could tag with Jessi and the two of them could go for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships. We then see Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter show up and tell them they need to get to the back of the line as they have been a team for a while and they have worked hard to get to where they are and then they walk off. Franky says they are annoying and Jessi tells her they have always been annoying. We get a tag match later in the night with Franky & Jessi teaming up against Kacy & Kayden, there wasn’t much to this match until the finish where Robert Stone gets on the apron and tells Franky to finish Kayden off, but when Franky ignores him he throws his murse in the ring which distracts her and this leads to Kacy & Kayden hitting Franky with their neckbreaker and 450 finisher to pick up the win. Franky is furious with Robert Stone after the match for costing her the match leading to her first loss.
We go back to the golf course where Grimes is acting as a golf commentator which annoys Knight and makes him hit his ball into the water and of course Knight tells Grimes to go get the ball out of the water. As Grimes is fishing out the ball we see Ted Dibiase show up and he gives Grimes some words of wisdom and asks Knight why he has lowered himself to doing this for Knight and Grimes says he is a man of his word. Dibiase tells Grimes he wasn’t born to be a butler he was born to be a champion and after leaving Grimes with something to think about as he drives off.
Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai come to the ring and cut a promo on how dominant Raquel has been as NXT Women’s Champion and want to know who is next in line to face Big Mami Cool. Dakota gets hyped up while talking up her best friend and then she tells Raquel that as long as she has her back Raquel will always be champion. Dakota and Raquel pose and celebrate in the ring but after Raquel climbs up the corner to taunt the fans she turns around and Dakota hits her with a running kick in the corner and then grabs the title to wave in Raquel’s face before dropping it onto Raquel. As Raquel regains her bearings she looks confused and upset that her friend just turned on her. This was really no surprise as there really weren’t any top-tier babyfaces for Raquel to face and given how great Dakota has been as a heel it makes perfect sense for Raquel to be the one to turn into a babyface. Raquel can now have a new list of challengers for her title, although I would not be surprised if Dakota takes the title from her as she has really earned it over the past year as she was one of the MVPs for NXT over the past year.
Adam Cole cuts a promo on Bronson Reed as he didn’t appreciate Reed referring to him as his rebound as he is nobody’s rebound is the top of the mountain. Cole says he doesn’t care about Reed’s 14-year journey and tonight will be a sad chapter in that journey courtesy of Adam Cole Bay Bay.
Io Shirai is training at the PC when Zoey Stark walks up and tells her they should be training together since they are partners, but Io is fine on her own as she doesn’t like Zoey. Zoey then suggests Io and her should go hang out and get to know each other and at first Io declines but after further nudging by Zoey she finally agrees and Zoey tells her she won’t regret it. Is it bad that I totally forgot they were the women’s tag champions as I thought The Way still had them despite me watching every week, that shows you why titles shouldn’t be tossed around like a hot potato which is what NXT has done with their women’s tag titles as there have been four sets of champions within a span of four months.
We go backstage and see Mandy Rose talking to Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne but we can’t hear what they are saying and Mandy catches the camera and makes them go away.
Wade Barrett has a sitdown interview with Roderick Strong and Malcolm Bivens of the Diamond Mine and Strong talks about how the game of wrestling is 90% mental and 10% physical, but his 10% is better than everyone else’s 100%. Strong says he couldn’t get past all the drama happening with the Undisputed Era until he got a call from Malcolm Bivens and right away he knew that Bivens was the man for him. Malcolm Bivens talks up Strong as he calls him a leader and says that William Regal couldn’t get Strong to come back, but he did. Barrett asks them if Bobby Fish is next for them and Bivens asks Barrett if he likes money which he does and Bivens says that whoever said money can’t buy happiness was a liar and was broke, Strong vs Fish is a big-money match and they want the money. Strong says that after he beats Fish next week this thing between the two of them is over. I thought this was a pretty good interview as this was the most we have gotten to hear from Malcolm Bivens and was much needed in order for Strong to go on his own as he needs a mouthpiece. I’m sure that Fish vs Strong will tear the house down next week.
We get a replay of the announcement of Walter vs Dragunov II happening at Takeover: 36.
We get some more tag action up next as Imperium takes on Hit Row’s Top Dolla and Ashante the Adonis.
Adonis hits Barthel with a dropkick early on but Barthel makes a comeback and slams Adonis on the mat face-first before tagging in Aichner who tries for a fireman’s carry but Adonis escapes and hits Aichner with a neckbreaker. Adonis and Aichner battle for control of the match and in the end, Aichner takes Adonis down with a clothesline. Adonis catches Aichner with a jawbreaker and finally makes the tag to Top Dolla who drops Aichner with a jumping knee as he comes off the ropes. Top Dolla picks up Aichner over his shoulder and tags Adonis back in so they can hit a dropkick and back suplex combo which gets a 2 count. Aichner counters a neckbreaker with a back suplex and then makes the tag to Barthel who hangs Adonis up in the corner as he and Aichner look for their double team dropkicks, but they get cut off by B-Fab and Swerve on the outside. Adonis hits Barthel with a spinebuster and then poses in the ring as the show goes to a commercial.
As we come back from the commercial break we see Imperium hitting the double dropkick they were looking for earlier which gets a 2 count. Aichner tags Barthel in and then hits Adonis with a spinebuster which is followed by a PK from Barthel and then Imperium set Adonis up for the European Bomb, but Adonis counters by taking Aichner down with a hurricanrana and then catches Barthel coming off the middle rope with a punch to the gut. Adonis tries to crawl over to make the tag, but Barthel grabs him and locks in an ankle lock, and when Adonis goes for an enziguri he ducks and drags Adonis over to the heel corner where he tags Aichner back into the match. Imperium has a heat segment on Adonis until he throws both of them out of the ring and makes the hot tag to Top Dolla and Barthel tags in Aichner.
Top Dolla fires away with forearms and catches Barthel with a running knee and then he passes Aichner into the corner where he hits him with an avalanche and then hits him with a sideslam. Top Dolla rolls backward from his back to his feet in an impressive feat of athleticism for a guy his size and then he hits a big jumping elbow to Aichner for a 2 count. Top Dolla throws Aichner in the corner and tags in Adonis who hits Aichner with a flapjack. Legado del Fantasma run down and attack Swerve which catches the attention of Top Dolla who takes them both down with a shoulder block and then he stalks Escobar who is at the top of the ramp and is backing away. In the ring, Imperium hits Adonis with the European Bomb to pick up the win. After the match, Legado del Fantasma triple-team Top Dolla but Swerve slides into the ring and chases them off with a chair in hand.
This was a good match and it was nice to see Imperium back in action as they have been gone for a while, but I expect to see more of them between now and the next Takeover seeing as Walter is coming over for Takeover in August. I am liking this feud between Hit Row and Legado del Fantasma as I am a fan of both factions.
We go to the back with The Way where Candice is blaming Johnny for Austin Theory running away and then there is a knock on the door and in comes a woman with a gift for Indi and when she opens it up it’s a cartoon drawing of The Way with Dexter Lumis as one of the members. Indi’s heart melts as she tells the Garganos that Lumis wants to join them, but they are vehemently against this, so Indi suggests a match between Gargano and Lumis where if Lumis wins then she gets to date him, but if Gargano wins they will never hear another word from Indi about Lumis. Gargano accepts the challenge laid out and the match is on for next week. Indi walks off as she wants to go talk to Regal and as she leaves mom and dad tell her she better not put that drawing on the refrigerator.
I think it’s pretty obvious that Lumis wins as that would add a new twist to the family dynamic of The Way as the parents would have to try and get along with the daughter’s boyfriend that they don’t like. One thing I find interesting is how both Indi and Austin have had positive experiences with Lumis and it’s only Candice and Johnny who don’t like him. I would love to see Lumis become part of the family and then have it play out where Lumis turns out to be the fun guy who Indi and Theory love to be around while Candice and Johnny are the boring strict parents and we see the kids rebel against their parents for a while only for it to lead to them eventually getting back together way down the road once they realize that while Lumis is the fun guy he also gets them into trouble and eventually they realize that Johnny and Candice had their best interests in mind the entire time and they were right about Lumis. I really wish I could pitch this idea to someone in NXT as it’s one of the more thought-out storylines I have ever come up with and the thing about it is I came up with it off the top of my head as I was writing it.
We go back to the golf course with Grimes and Knight and this time we get an appearance from the Grizzled Young Veterans who just happen to be playing on the same course. GYV complains about Knight playing too slow. They offer a bet of $20,000 to whoever can hit the ball into the hole first. Grimes takes a turn first but as he pulls back to swing he hits Knight in the nuts and in the head and then once he hits the ball he gets a hole in one. Grimes helps Knight to his feet and tells him that it was the fault of the GYV and he goes after them with a club in hand but they drive off with Knight chasing after them as the day at the golf course comes to an end. These were really fun segments and now I look forward to seeing what situations Grimes and Knight get into every week.
It’s finally main event time as Adam Cole takes on Bronson Reed.
Cole goes for a waistlock but Reed easily throws him off, Cole then goes for a headlock but he is sent into the ropes and knocked down with a shoulder block. Cole escapes a slam attempt and then hits Reed with a chop block which is the start of Cole targeting the leg of Reed as he wraps it in the ropes and kicks away at it. Reed pushes Cole away and then hits him with a press slam and an elbow drop. Reed sends Cole into the ropes and ducks his head allowing Cole to try for a sunset flip, but Reed sits down squashing Cole. Cole rolls out to the apron and Reed climbs up the turnbuckle and uses his power to pull Cole up to the top with him as he looks for a superplex, but Cole fights him off and tries for another sunset flip, but once he sees that Reed isn’t moving he hits a superkick to the leg of Reed causing him to fall back down to the mat and this would lead to a commercial break.
We come back to Cole in control as he has Reed on the mat working on the leg, Reed uses the ropes to get to his feet but once he does Cole takes him back down with a dragon screw and continues to work over the leg. Cole starts getting cocky as he toys around with Reed and this is when Reed starts to fight back as he backs Cole into the corner with forearms and chops. Reed hits Cole with an avalanche in the corner and follows that up with a body attack and a senton for a 2 count. Cole blocks a suplex attempt and hits Reed with an enziguri, but Reed ends up getting Cole up for the suplex and slams him with a modified DVD for a 2 count. Reed goes for a powerbomb but Cole fights out and slides out the back only for Reed to hit him with a big right hand. Reed charges toward Cole and gets hit with a flying kick for a 2 count.
Cole hits Reed with a couple of basement bicycle kicks and then goes for a basement superkick, but Reed catches his leg and fires away with chops, but when the referee forces him to back up Cole takes advantage with a kick to the leg and then he hits Reed with the Panama Sunrise for a very close 2 count. Cole lowers his knee pad and looks to hit the Last Shot, but Reed hits him with a big clothesline followed by a powerbomb. Reed goes up top and looks to hit the Tsunami, but Cole rolls out of the way sending Reed crashing to the mat. Cole hits Reed with a basement superkick and finally hits the Last Shot which is enough to get the win.
After the match, Cole is celebrating on the ramp when Kyle O’Reilly runs out and attacks him from behind with a chair and then he digs the chair into the back of Cole’s neck. O’Reilly takes apart the steps and hits Cole with a brainbuster onto them and the show ends with O’Reilly standing tall over a laid-out Adam Cole.
This was a good main event but nothing too spectacular by NXT standards. It looks like we are going to get Cole vs O’Reilly III at Takeover: 36 but the question is what kind of stipulation match will they be facing each other in?
I thought this episode of NXT did a lot to set up the card for Takeover: 36 as we know four of the five matches for the show as it will have Kross vs Joe, Walter vs Dragunov, Dakota vs Raquel, & Fish vs O’Reilly that is three big main event matches on one show, it looks like the next Takeover is going to be stacked indeed.
NXT UK
NXT UK Results
- Jordan Devlin def Tristan Archer – *½
- Jinny w/ Joseph Conners def Aoife Valkyrie – **¼
- Stevie Turner def Aleah James – *¾
- Moustache Mountain def Symbiosis w/ Eddie Dennis – **¾
After the opening video, we got right to our first match of the night as Jordan Devlin takes on Tristan Archer in his second NXT UK appearance. Devlin takes Archer down with a wristlock which he uses to work over the arm, Archer tries to escape a couple of times but Devlin hangs on until Archer grabs control of his wrist but Devlin breaks the grip and takes Archer down with a dropkick. Devlin chokes Archer across the middle rope but Archer comes back moments later with forearms only to be hit with a boot and is then sent into the ropes where he gets hit with a back elbow from Devlin. Devlin lifts up Archer in a back suplex but drops down to his knees sending Archer back-first into Devlin’s shoulder. Archer tries to fight back once again, but when he sends Devlin into the corner Devlin jumps up and over him and nails him with an uppercut in the corner. Devlin grounds Archer with a neck crank which Archer eventually fights out of and makes a bit of a fiery comeback, but when he goes for a senton Devlin gets his knees up. Devlin charges at Archer but gets backdropped to the apron and when Devlin tries to hit him with a shoulder he hits him with a knee to the head and a lungblower for a 2 count. Archer sets Devlin up for the GTS, but Devlin catches the leg and hits Archer with a headbutt and he follows up with the Devilinside to pick up the win.
After the match, Devlin gets on the mic and talks about how the Ironman match he requested against A-Kid has been sanctioned by Johnny Saint. Devlin starts running down A-Kid which brings him out and he is on a crutch which Devlin of course kicks out from under him, but A-Kid doesn’t really need the crutches as he nails Devlin with forearms, a dropkick, and then clotheslines him out of the ring. A-Kid grabs the mic and says their Ironman match is scheduled for next week. This was a glorified squash as Archer didn’t even get in as much offense here as he did in his first match. I am looking forward to the Ironman match as that should be a lot of fun to watch.
We get a recap of the Jinny vs Aoife Valkyrie feud as that match is coming up in a bit, but first, we get some hype for Walter vs Dragunov II where Walter tells us he will walk out of Takeover: 36 as NXT UK Champion.
We see a video from earlier in the week where Meiko Satomura is in the women’s locker room and she wants all of them to challenge her just like Amale did. Blair starts to speak up but gets told by someone to shut up and then all the girls start arguing and Meiko just smiles. It looks like from all of that we are getting Aleah James vs Stevie Turner tonight.
It’s now time for the Jinny vs Aoife Valkyrie match which has been built up over the past few weeks.
The match starts with Aoife trying to keep control of Jinny’s arm despite Jinny trying her best to counter out of her grasp and once her counters fail she finally has to resort to kicking Aoife in the head. Aoife dodges a charging Jinny and then catches her in a sunset flip for a 2 count. Aoife counters a whip into the ropes and looks for a spinning kick, but Jinny is able to stop just short of being hit with it and then Joseph Conners jumps up on the apron to serve as a distraction and Jinny takes advantage by hitting Aoife from behind and grounding her with a headlock. Aoife fights to her feet and sends Jinny into the ropes, but Jinny comes back with a shoulderblock and we then get a drop-down and leapfrog spot which leads to Aoife dropping down and tripping Jinny. Aoife looks to hit a springboard, but as she steps up on the rope Conners grabs her foot causing her to fall to the mat.
Jinny is in full control as she goes to work on the arm of Aoife and then tries to apply a surfboard but Aoife quickly escapes as she flips over the arms of Jinny and kicks her away and then she catches Jinny coming off the ropes with a hip toss. Aoife looks to put Jinny in a rolling clutch pin, but Jinny grabs her hair to block it and then locks in a seated surfboard, Aoife rolls Jinny over and looks to lock in one of her own but Jinny gets to the ropes. Jinny and Aoife exchange strikes until Aoife gets on a roll with kicks to Jinny’s legs, a few clotheslines, and a big boot to the face. Aoife slides out of a fireman’s carry and reverses a whip into the ropes where she connects with the spin kick she was looking for earlier, but that only gets a 2 count. Aoife hits Jinny with a running enziguri sending her back into the corner and then Aoife goes up top looking for Peripetaia but Conners serves as a distraction once again causing Aoife to jump down and roll through and then she catches Jinny with a Pele kick. We get another distraction by Conners and then Jinny hits the ripcord Koppo kick to pick up the win. This was a good match, but I could’ve done without the multiple distraction spots from Conners as it stopped the momentum of the match a couple of times. Somewhat surprised to see Jinny get the win, but I guess they want to wait a while before Aoife gets back in the title picture.
We get a Joe Coffey highlight video to hype up his rubber match against Rampage Brown which is happening sometime in the future. We get an interview with A-Kid who says he is confident he will win next week as he is in the best shape of his life. A-Kid says he will make history next week by winning the first-ever Ironman match in NXT UK history.
We get our second women’s match on the show (which is a rarity in NXT UK) as Stevie Turner faces Aleah James.
Stevie goes to work on the arm to start the match (it seems like every match has to start that way) but Aleah cartwheels out of the hold and takes control of Stevie’s arm. Stevie tries to break the grasp and take Aleah down with a snapmare and lock in a chinlock, but Aleah keeps sliding out and goes right back to the wristlock until Stevie backs her into the ropes and she is forced to break the hold. Aleah does a handstand to escape a side headlock and then she dodges a clothesline with a Matrix move and rolls Stevie up for a 2 count. Aleah hits a dropkick and goes back to the arm but Stevie slams her to the mat by her hair and then puts the boots to her. Stevie scrubs her face across the middle rope and then hits her with some face washes, but when she looks to hit a running kick Aleah moves and tries to roll Stevie up, but only gets a 1 count. Stevie connects with a bicycle kick for a 2 count. Stevie tries to pick Aleah up but Aleah keeps fighting the entire time and she hits Stevie with a jawbreaker and another dropkick. Stevie dodges a charging Aleah, but Aleah runs up the rope and comes off with a crossbody for a 2 count. Stevie kicks Aleah away from her and then passes her into the corner where she hits her with a final cut out of the corner and as Aleah gets to her feet next to the ropes Stevie hits her with a flatliner for the win. This was a fun little match but I could do without having an arm worked over in what feels like the exact same way in every match. I thought Aleah stood out more in this match as we saw some stuff we had never seen from her before.
We go to the UK PC where Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff are training as they have a tag match coming up and Starz shows Mastiff just how fast he can but, but as he runs the ropes Mastiff hits him with a shoulderblock and he tells Starz he in unmovable and that is what will make them successful as a team.
It’s time for the main event as Moustache Mountain faces Symbiosis along with Eddie Dennis.
Symbiosis attacks Moustache Mountain as they roll into the ring but Moustache Mountain ducks a clothesline and fakes that they are going to hit Symbiosis and Bate even pulls out his nunchucks and this sends them bailing out to the floor. Trent Seven and T-Bone start out the match and T-Bone catches Seven with a boot to the gut and beats him down a bit before Seven takes him down with a running crossbody followed by a big leg drop. Tyler Bate is tagged in and Bate rolls off the shoulders of Seven with a senton splash for a 2 count. Bate grabs a side headlock and lifts his leg to kick T-Bone in the head. Seven is tagged back in and after a minor distraction from Eddie Dennis, we see T-Bone tag in Primate. T-Bone drops Seven throat-first across the top rope and then pulls the legs of Seven stretching him out so that T-Bone can come off the top with an axhandle to the back. Symbiosis work over Seven in their corner and he tries to fight back but T-Bone catapults him into a right hand from Primate and as he falls back he is laying on the knees of T-Bone and Primate springboards into the ring with an ax handle to the gut of Seven which gets a 2 count. Symbiosis continues to work over Seven in their corner, but he won’t stay down. Seven eventually hits T-Bone with a kick and just when it looks like Seven is going to make the tag we see Eddie Dennis pull Bate off the apron, but he ends up paying for it as Bate hits him with Bop and Bang. Seven ducks a clothesline and hits T-Bone with a DDT and this would be his opening to finally make the hot tag to Bate.
Bate fires away with rapid-fire punches to Primate and then he comes off the middle rope with an uppercut. Bate runs to the corner and Primate follows him in but Bate catches him with an exploder. Both Bate and Primate kip-up only for Bate to drop Primate with Bop and Bang and he follows that up with a running shooting star press for a 2 count. Bate puts Primate in the airplane spin and then throws him toward T-Bone who catches him and thanks to a dropkick from Bate we see T-Bone hit an accidental fallaway slam on Primate. Seven hits Primate with the Tyler Driver ‘97 for a 2 count when T-Bone breaks up the pin and then he knocks Seven off the apron. T-Bone is tagged in but he gets booted in the face and Bate tries for the uppercut off the middle rope for a second time, but T-Bone catches him and hits him with a release German suplex. T-Bone hits Bate with a powerslam and then tags in Primate who comes off the top with a swan dive headbutt for another 2 count.
Primate screams at the referee before going back over to Bate who he backdrops to the apron and Bate looks for an exploder from the apron, but Primate grabs the ropes to block that from happening. The referee is distracted by Seven and T-Bone brawling in the ring and while this is happening Dennis hits Bate with the Severn Bridge onto the barricade and then throws Bate back in the ring. Primate tags in and Symbiosis hits Bate with a sitout powerbomb and top rope splash combo, but for yet another 2 count when Seven breaks up the pin. Primate sends Seven out to the floor and then Symbiosis tries for a double team move, but Bate jumps over them and hits them with a rebound double clothesline. Bate runs to the ropes and as he does Seven makes a blind tag, Bate dives out onto T-Bone and Dennis. Seven hits the Seven Star Lariat for a very close 2 count. Moustache Mountain hit Primate with a Burminghammer and top rope knee drop combo to finally pick up the win. After the match as Moustache Mountain is celebrating we see Pretty Deadly come out and we get a staredown for what will become a future tag title match.
I thought this was a good match but I think Symbiosis needed the win to establish themselves as a credible team. I’m not sure why we need Mountain as a team right now when we already have Bate defending his Heritage Cup I think it is time for other teams to step up as we have pretty much seen all that Mountain can do as a team.
I thought this was a pretty underwhelming episode of NXT UK although I did appreciate that we had two women’s matches. I’m sure next week will be a better show with both an Ironman match and Blair Davenport in action.
SmackDown
SmackDown Results
- Rey Mysterio w/ Dominik Mysterio def Jimmy Uso w/ Jey Uso – **½
- Reginald © def Chad Gable w/ Otis vis DQ – *½
- King Nakamura, Cesaro, & Big E w/ Rick Boogs def Apollo Crews & The Dirty Dawgz w/ Commander Azeez – **¼
- Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair def Carmella & Zelina Vega – **½
John Cena opens the show once again as you can’t find a better way to hype up a crowd at the start of any show. Cena addresses the fact that Balor and Reigns are supposed to be in a contract signing tonight for the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam as he calls Reigns a scared little kid for accepting Balor’s challenge but refusing his challenge. Cena points out what Reigns said last week about him not changing or evolving upon his return, but he says him not doing the things and acting the way he always has would be just as strange as if Steve Austin or The Rock came back with entirely different characters and catchphrases. Cena says that Reigns has to change things up every two years because the fans get bored with him because they don’t believe in him and that is because he doesn’t believe in himself. I question whether Cena has watched the product in the last 5 years because Reigns didn’t change anything about himself until last year. Cena calls Reigns a bloodsucking product of the machine which is WWE who is so afraid to fail. Cena says that Reigns knew he would kick his ass at SummerSlam and he knew that Cena would make him look bad.
Baron Corbin comes out and asks for Cena’s help. Corbin runs down the list of everything that has happened and this week he informs everyone that after being hit in the balls last week by the Shotzi tank missile he can no longer perform and because of this his wife has left him and took the kids with her. Cena asks the crowd whether he should help Corbin or not and after getting a mixed reaction he decides to give Corbin the money he has in his pocket, but Corbin says he doesn’t want a handout he wants to earn it and wants Cena to get him in the Suicide Squad, but Cena lets him know that movie has already been filmed and will be coming out in theaters on August 6. Corbin then suggests being a stunt double for Cena but Cena isn’t down with that idea and this gets Corbin pissy as he starts berating Cena calling him a Hollywood sellout. Cena says this is a teachable moment and he wants to help Corbin by giving him something he desperately needs and that is an Attitude Adjustment.
Later in the night, it’s time for the contract signing between Roman Reigns and Finn Balor, and of course, Heyman has to put a chair at the head of the table for Reigns to sit at. Reigns tries to use Cena’s words from earlier in the night against him as he accuses Cena of acting like Balor is below him, but Reigns thinks Balor is a worthy challenger for his Universal Championship at SummerSlam but also worthy of getting a beatdown. Reigns says Balor is nothing like Cena as he is original and it is clear he is hungry to become champion again and he likes that, but he tells Balor if he signs that contract he is going to smash him and send him right back down to NXT. and then Reigns then signs the contract. Balor grabs the contract and says that Reigns thinks highly of himself and rightfully so, but it will be his privilege to return to NXT as Universal Champion. Balor gets ready to sign the contract, but Corbin attacks him from behind and throws him into the timekeeper area and then he picks up the contract and pulls out a pen looking to sign it, but before he can Cena runs down and lays him out and then Cena signs the contract and to make sure everyone knows he did he puts CENA right below his signature. We are now officially getting Reigns vs Cena at SummerSlam 2021.
I thought both of these segments were really great and I enjoy how they swerved us as I actually thought for a minute they had changed their mind and were going with Reigns vs Balor at SummerSlam so the way they had Cena work his way into the match was very well done. The longer this Corbin story goes on the more I think this may be the best work he has ever done and his back and forth with Cena in the opening segment was great and the fact that he was the one Cena attacked before signing the contract was the cherry on the sundae to that opening segment. While he wasn’t used as much as usual on this show Reigns was great with his promo during the contract signing. I hope we get some interaction between Balor and Cena as he should be upset at both Corbin and Cena for stealing his opportunity and I like how because of this segment it set up a Reigns vs Balor title feud post SummerSlam once Cena goes back to Hollywood.
We are set to have Rey Mysterio vs Jimmy Uso, but before the match, Rey tells Dominik to make sure and watch him closely tonight as he has been making some rookie mistakes lately and needs to step his game up if he wants to win the tag titles back. Rey and Jimmy have a fun little match which sees Mysterio pick up the win when Dominik gives The Usos a taste of their own medicine as he helps his dad win in the exact same manner as The Usos won their matches as of late.
We get a rare defense of the 24/7 Championship on SmacDown as Reginald defends against Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable. Gable dominates for the majority of this very short match, but when Gable goes for a German suplex off the top Reginald lands on his feet and then he sidesteps Gable and hits him with the flipping senton and this brings in Otis for a DQ. After the match, Otis looks to throw Reginald to the floor, but he lands on his feet. I was surprised when the match ended in DQ considering this is a title that is defended anywhere and everywhere. We would get a wwe.com exclusive interview with Reginald where he reveals that he isn’t French and is actually from St. Louis he just did the whole French thing so he could get his foot in the door as Carmella’s sommelier, it would be nice if this kind of storytelling was on the show rather than an exclusive on their website.
We get the 6-man tag that was set up last week as Big E, Cesaro, and King Nakamura would face Apollo Crews & The Dirty Dawgz. This match never slowed down as they were hitting big move after big move for the entire match and in the end, we got a nice quick exchange between Nakamura and Crews where Nakamura hits the Kinshasa to pick up the win. It looks like we are headed to a Nakamura vs Crews feud which could be good as Crews needs to move on from Big E and vice versa. I do wonder if Cesaro and Big E will have a match at SummerSlam as I currently don’t see a role for either of them which is a shame as they both deserve a spot on the card and would make the SummerSlam card even better than it is.
Edge makes his way to the ring as we go to a commercial break, but when it comes back Seth Rollins is in the ring as during the commercial Rollins takes Edge out on the ramp and hits him with one of the cameras. Rollins gets on the mic and says that all Edge has done is take from him and then he throws to a video package highlighting how Edge stole his opportunity to challenge for the Universal Championship. Rollins says that he was the rightful heir to the Universal Championship and if he can’t be champion then neither can Edge. This was a much shorter segment than we got last week for this match but still enjoyed it as I thought the attack during the commercial was something different which is always nice.
Bianca Belair comes out to celebrate being champion for over 100 days and mentions all of the great things she has gotten to be a part of since winning the title. Carmella comes out and wants another title match as she gives excuses for why she lost last week. Zelina Vega comes out after Carmella telling her to check herself because she is too pretty to be a three-time loser, Zelina makes her case for why she should be the next challenger for the title and then challenges Bianca to a title match which she accepts. Carmella attacks Bianca and Zelina joins her, they beatdown Bianca for a couple of minutes until Sasha makes her big return to a very loud pop. Sasha clears the ring and then picks Bianca up on the mat and hugs her. This would set up the main event for this episode as Sasha & Bianca team up to take on Carmella & Zelina. The women’s tag match was fine as Sasha made Carmella tap out to the Bank Statement to pick up the win, but the bigger story is what happens after the match as while they are celebrating their win Sasha turns on Bianca as she puts her in the Bank Statement and won’t let go and after raising the title in the air she reapplies the Bank Statement and that is how SmackDown goes off the air.
I look forward to Belair vs Banks II as they tore the house down at WrestleMania and I have no doubt they will do the same at SummerSlam, however, I highly doubt they will main event the show seeing as SummerSlam is only one day and it’s more than likely going to be Cena vs Reigns that main events the show.
I thought this was a very good episode of SmackDown this week and was hands down the WWE show of the week as I thought everything setting up Reigns vs Cena was very well done as was the Sasha turn on Bianca.
In the News
On Saturday afternoon it was announced by WWE that they have released Bray Wyatt and wish him the best in his future endeavors. This was an absolute shock to me as I woke up to this news and it hit me in the gut as Bray has been one of my favorites since he debuted alongside Harper and Rowan. Wyatt’s release is a case of WWE not knowing what to do with someone who has a more creative mind than they do as a lot of the stuff he did throughout his run he came up with the most noticeable being the Mr. Rogers and Fiend characters. While I’m upset that he is gone from WWE seeing as that is the show I watch the most I have no doubt that every company will be wanting to have his creative mind and talent on their roster. I do hope we get to see more of the Fiend and Mr. Rogers characters (including the funhouse with the puppets) as there was so much you could do with that dual-personality character and if he brings this to a company like AEW where he would have full control of his creative I have no doubt he will be a huge success wherever he goes, also with both Rowan and Strowman out there we could see a reformation of the Wyatt family or perhaps he could form a new family with all new members. I do hate that we will never get any kind of follow-up to Alexa turning on Bray, but Alexa did send out a tweet about her shock of Wyatt’s release. Follow the Buzzards
In an update to reports on WWE planning a Queen of the Ring tournament for this year, it is now being reported by Andrew Zarian that the likely dates for the tournament are 10/8-10/11 and is likely to air over the week on Peacock. This tournament is likely to feature only the women on the main roster and not include NXT or NXT UK. Unfortunately, it has been rumored that the finals would take place on the next Saudi Arabia show which is such a bad idea to have one of your women crowd a “queen” in a country that treats women like garbage.
In another update to a report this time regarding WWE going back to Saudi Arabia it is being reported by Andrew Zarian that the likely date for this event will be 10/21 barring any kind of restrictions on traveling at the time. I would like to note that I will not be covering the Saudi shows in this article (I may list the results and my star ratings but no in-depth review) as on top of the shows being negative from an ethical viewpoint they are also bad from an in-ring standpoint as well, so the least these shows are talked about the better.
Andrew Zarian reports that the original plan for Karrion Kross on Raw was to have him continue to lose until Scarlett shows up which I guess would change his attitude and be the reason he would start to pick up wins.
WWE is looking at six or seven arenas they can go to in the future just in case future Covid restrictions interrupt their touring schedule, however, it is not being reported whether this would be for a return to Thunderdome or if they will bounce around these arenas that would still allow them to have fans in attendance.
After being injured this week on Raw it looks like Natalya may miss some time as she had to have surgery on her leg. WWE is saying that they will have an update on the future of the women’s tag team championship this Monday on Raw.
WWE had their Q2 earnings calls this past week which you can check out at the following links as I’m not about to go over all of that here because it can get very wordy. WWE Q2 Financial Call WWE Q2 Analysis
Coming up this Week
Raw:
- Goldberg appearance
- Nikki A.S.H. vs Charlotte Flair – No Holds Barred Match
- Update on the Women’s Tag Titles after Natalya’s injury
NXT:
- Roderick Strong vs Bobby Fish
- Johnny Gargano vs Dexter Lumis (Love Her or Lose Her Match)
- Hit Row (Ashante & Top Dolla) vs Legado del Fantasma (Wilde & Mendoza)
- Trey Baxter vs Joe Gacy (NXT Breakout Tournament Quarterfinal Match)
NXT UK
- Jordan Devlin vs A-Kid (30 Minute Ironman Match)
- Blair Davenport in action
SmackDown:
- Finn Balor vs Baron Corbin
As always if you have any feedback to give whether it be positive or negative please feel free to contact me on Twitter @MTW3589.
