Raw
Raw Results
- AJ Styles w/ Omos def Riddle – **¾
- Rhea Ripley def Nikki A.S.H. – **½
- Drew McIntyre def Veer & Shanky w/ Jinder Mahal – **
- Damian Priest def The Miz w/ John Morrison – **
- Mansoor w/ Mustafa Ali def Mace w/ T-Bar – *½
- Randy Orton def Omos w/ AJ Styles via DQ – **
- Karrion Kross def Jeff Hardy – ½*
- Charlotte & Nia Jax def Rhea Ripley & Nikki A.S.H. – **¼
The show kicks off with Randy Orton coming out to explain why he hit Riddle with the RKO last week saying he doesn’t need friends nor did he need help to beat AJ Styles. Orton says he is going to put Omos down tonight with the RKO. Riddle then comes out and says Orton doesn’t need to explain anything as he knows why he hit him with the RKO it was because he was trying to teach him a lesson on how to properly execute the RKO and now that he has learned that lesson he wants to give RK-Bro another chance. AJ Styles comes out and he doesn’t care why Orton hit Riddle with an RKO and he’s sick of hearing everyone say Bro and he wants to break RIddle’s jaw so they have to wire it shut. Riddle accepts the match and says that with Orton in his corner he is unstoppable.
Before the match between Styles and Riddle starts we see Orton walk to the back as he doesn’t want to be in Riddle’s corner. Riddle and Styles have a really good match that ends with Styles picking up the win after a Styles Clash. Later in the night, Orton would beat Omos by DQ when Styles attacked Orton on the floor. The attack continues after the match until Riddle makes the save and sends the tag champs retreating up the ramp. Orton grabs a mic and says that respect is not just given it is earned, and after everything he has done to Riddle over the past couple of weeks he is surprised to see Riddle still has his back and for that, he earned Orton’s respect. Orton and Riddle shake hands and then hug as RK-Bro has reunited. Riddle gets on the mic and makes the official challenge to Styles and Omos for SummerSlam.
This was once again the best thing done on Raw as this story between Orton and Riddle is pretty much the only story I am interested in right now for Raw (other than the Alexa vs Eva one but that is because I am a fan of both women, not the story they are involved in). RK-Bro vs Styles & Omos should be a fun match at SummerSlam.
We get a match between Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley with Charlotte on commentary and after a competitive match, Nikki gets beat when Rhea hits her with the Rip Tide. After the match, Nikki beats down Charlotte at the commentary table and then throws her into the ring where Rhea hits her with a big boot and then they throw her out of the ring. Later in the night, Charlotte doesn’t want to wait to get her hands on Nikki and Rhea so Pearce tells her to find a tag partner and they will face Nikki and Rhea later tonight. Charlotte would tag with Nia Jax against Nikki and Rhea. Charlotte would pick up the win for her team after hitting Rhea with the Natural Selection.
I am so ready for this feud to be over and get someone new into the title picture which is bad considering Nikki has only been in the title picture for a month and I am already tired of her, as I said last week this superhero gimmick just doesn’t feel right in the main title picture and would be better as something for the mid-card. I really hope that either the rumors aren’t true or they change their mind about Becky not returning until October as she is desperately needed on Raw immediately after SummerSlam.
We get a rematch of the handicap match we saw a couple of weeks ago as Drew McIntyre is going to face Veer & Shanky, but this time if McIntyre wins then Veer & Shanky are banned from ringside at SummerSlam but if Veer & Shanky win then McIntyre can’t bring his sword to SummerSlam. Outside of an impressive Michinoku driver on Shanky, this match was nothing special and McIntyre ends up getting the win after a Claymore on Shanky. After the match, McIntyre cuts a promo on Mahal saying he knows where to hurt him and on Sunday he is going to humiliate and embarrass him in a moment that will last forever.
I don’t have much to say about this as it was what it was and the McIntyre vs Mahal match is the match I am least looking forward to this Saturday.
John Morrison comes out for the debut episode of Moist TV with his special guest The Miz. Morrison asks The Miz if he was faking his injury and after Miz repeatedly denies faking the injury or lying to Morrison we get the entrance of Damian Priest because God forbid he be involved in something not involving Miz and Morrison. Damian Priest and The Miz argue about whether Miz has been faking his injury and he eventually admits he has been clear for a couple of weeks which doesn’t sit well with Morrison. Morrison then suggests Priest face The Miz which Priest is perfectly fine with and then he shoves Miz into a kiddy pool. Sheamus is on commentary during the Priest vs Miz match which ends very quickly as Priest gets the win after using a Brogue Kick, during the match, Miz asked Morrison for a drip stick but he refuses and walks off. Sheamus gets on the mic and calls Priest disrespectful for stealing his move and that this will be Priest’s last moment in the spotlight and he will keep the US Championship at SummerSlam.
Later on, MIz would confront Morrison backstage and Morrison tells Miz he just wanted him to feel what it’s like when somebody turns on him and then they make up before Miz asks what they could do for SummerSlam.
If I never see Damian Priest face either The Miz or John Morrison it will be too soon. If I didn’t know better I would think Priest was facing Miz or Morrison at SummerSlam as he has interacted with them more in the past month than he has Sheamus who is his actual opponent at SummerSlam. I am looking forward to the Miz vs Morrison feud if it means that we go back to a more serious Morrison who drops all of the water references and sets his sights on winning some gold.
We go backstage where Eva Marie is not happy about Doudrop losing last week and when she tries to explain what happened with Lily she is cut off by Eva. Eva tells her the Eva-lution is all about second chances, so she wants Doudrop to go to Alexa’s playground and take care of the doll problem. We go to the playground where Alexa tells Lily she is excited for SummerSlam so they can put an end to Eva Marie and her Eva-Lution. Doudrop enters and grabs Lily despite a warning from Alexa, but as she looks at the doll she sees something and hands her back to Alexa before walking away. Later in the night, Doudrop catches up with Eva who is not happy to see that Lily isn’t with her and says it is like a slap in the face, and then she slaps Doudrop in the face a few times before walking off.
I know I am probably one of very few but I am looking forward to this match just to see what kind of goofy nonsense happens and whether Eva will actually participate in the match or will she get Doudrop to do her dirty work and after being slapped this week perhaps she finally turns on Eva. Also, this match features two of the women who I have been a fan of for a while so either way I’m going to be happy.
It’s time for the Mace & T-Bar vs Mustafa Ali & Mansoor segment of the week and this week it’s Mansoor vs Mace. Mansoor ends up getting the win in a very quick match as Mace counters a sunset flip from Mansoor but a dropkick from Mustafa Ali changes things up to where Mansoor is covering Mace for the 3 count.
We then get our third Jeff Hardy vs Karrion Kross match, this week Kross attacks Hardy in Gorilla as he is being interviewed and once the match gets started, Kross counters a Twist of Fate into the Krossjacket for the win in less than a minute.
Reggie is at a park and of course, R-Truth (disguised as a swamp monster) and Akira Tozawa (disguised as a trash can) try to catch him but fail as Reggie flips over to his car and drives away.
We get a new Elias video where he is carrying a tombstone while talking about how his music career didn’t fail him, it just wasn’t enough. Elias places the tombstone down and it reads Elias 2017-2021 and once again he tells us Elias is dead.
In the main event segment, Goldberg comes to the ring and talks about how MVP and Bobby Lashley brought his son into this once again last week so this week he is going to formally introduce Gage Goldberg to the crowd. Goldberg then talks about how Gage is the reason he came out of retirement because it wasn’t good enough for Gage to see what his dad used to be, he wants him to experience who Goldberg is.
MVP & Bobby Lashley come out and MVP says Goldberg is talking more than usual and that is not like him as he usually lets his actions do the talking, it’s as if he is overcompensating for the fact that he is outmatched by Lashley. MVP says that Goldberg has realized that Lashley is more explosive and more powerful than he is and can run him down. Lashley tells Goldberg he gave him plenty of chances to back out gracefully, but he refused so now he has to play by the house rules and on Raw, the house always wins. Lashley tells Goldberg he is going to give him a SummerSlam moment so that when it’s over he can go home and tell everyone he had the privilege of having his career ended by the All Mighty WWE Champion. Goldberg tells Lashley that is bullshit and this sets off Lashley who tries to attack, but Goldberg ducks a clothesline and hits a Spear. Goldberg goes over to grab Gage and then warns Lashley to never touch his son as the show comes to an end.
I thought this was a decent go-home segment for the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, but I do wish the focus of Goldberg was more on winning the title rather than putting his son in the spotlight, but given all the talk about Gage over the past few weeks I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get involved on Saturday.
NXT
NXT Results
- Ilja Dragunov def Roderick Strong w/ The Diamond Mine – ****
- Cameron Grimes def Josh Briggs – **
- Dexter Lumis & Indi Hartwell def Robert Stone & Jessi Kamea w/ Franky Monet – **½
- Carmelo Hayes def Duke Hudson (NXT Breakout Tournament Semi-Final Match) – **1/2
- MSK © def Imperium w/ Walter (NXT Tag Team Championship) – ***1/4
After a video hyping up the card for Sunday as well as for tonight, we go into the CWC where the Diamond Mine are waiting in the ring. Malcolm Bivens calls Kushida a liar about being unable to compete but he can’t blame him because he wouldn’t want to defend the NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Roderick Strong either. Bivens says that Strong still wants to compete and he wants his payday so it’s open challenge season. The challenge would be answered by Ilja Dragunov.
Strong and Dragunov jockey for control early in the match until Strong lands a knee to the gut which leads to an exchange of chops, and just when it seems like Dragunov has won the exchange Strong pulls him into the rope throat-first. Strong puts the boots to Dragunov and then looks for the half-nelson backbreaker, but Dragunov blocks and tries for a waistlock takedown only for Strong to pick the leg and Dragunov kicks him off once again. Strong lands a few knees to the gut and then Dragunov counters a forearm attempt and lands a discus chop to the chest followed by a senton splash. Dragunov grabs a headlock which he uses to take Strong to the mat but Strong escapes and lights Dragunov up with chops in the corner. Dragunov counters a whip into the corner sending Strong sternum first into the corner and then Dragunov lands a running knee to the chest followed by a suplex.
Dragunov goes up top but Strong moves and Dragunov rolls through and when Strong charges towards him he lands a jumping knee strike. Dragunov grabs a rear waistlock but Strong gets to the ropes and then nails Dragunov with a couple of forearms until Dragunov blocks one and hits a discus chop to the legs. Dragunov lands some knee strikes and then Strong reverses a whip into the ropes but when Dragunov tries to spin through Strong dropkicks him to the floor as we see that Dragunov’s chest is cut up from all the chops. Strong and Dragunov trade strikes on the floor, but just like earlier when Dragunov looks to be in control Strong pulls him face-first into the steps and then hits him with the half nelson backbreaker onto the apron.
We come back from a commercial to see Strong covering Dragunov for a 2 count and then he applies a grounded abdominal stretch which Dragunov fights out of and then Dragunov rolls him to the mat where he drives elbows into the side of Strong’s head and when he tries to fight out Dragunov lands one last driving elbow to the head. Dragunov pulls Strong up from the mat with a waistlock and lands a couple of rolling German suplexes and as he goes for a third we see that he has been busted open and his blood is pouring all over the back of Strong. Strong finally breaks the grip of Dragunov and lands a series of strikes, but when he goes for a running knee Dragunov bridges to evade it and then hits Strong with a bridging cradle German suplex for a 2 count. Dragunov calls for Torpedo Moscow but when he charges in Strong lands a big jumping knee, but Dragunov gets right back to his feet and lands the Torpedo Moscow to pick up the win. After the match, Dragunov gets on the mic and calls out Walter but he doesn’t come out.
At this point, I don’t think it’s possible for Dragunov to have a bad match as he delivers every time he steps inside the ring and this was another great match, and the crimson mask he was sporting made him look even more badass than usual. This is going to be a good week for Mr. Dragunov as he had a banger of a match here and I have no doubt that his match against Walter on Sunday will be even better. It’s a shame that we didn’t get the Strong vs Kushida match as that would’ve also been one hell of a match, but hopefully, that match will happen sooner than later.
We then go to a Prime Target video package that highlights everything that has happened between Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly ahead of their Undisputed Finale match coming up this Sunday at Takeover: 36.
Once we head back into the CWC it’s time for Hit Row to come to the ring and they are not happy about Santos Escobar ripping out Swerve’s grill. Escobar shows up on the screen and says that he realizes that what he did was disrespectful of Swerve’s culture and he understands why they burnt the lucha mask last week. Escobar says he wants Swerve to have his grill back but he doesn’t trust the rest of Hit Row so he is out in the parking lot without Wilde and Mendoza and if Swerve comes alone he can have his grill back and they can settle things like gentlemen. Swerve goes out to the parking lot where he gets jumped just like you would expect and while Legado holds Swerve we see Escobar trying to remove the grill of Swerve once again. Hit Row finally gets to the parking lot and we get a brawl as Wilde and Mendoza send Top Dolla into the garage door but B-Fab has a pipe in her hand and is helping out her boys and eventually Hit Row take care of Wilde and Mendoza. Top Dolla grabs Escobar and Swerve grabs his grill out of Escobar’s pocket and they send him into the garage door before walking off.
We get a backstage promo from Imperium where Walter states tonight isn’t about him and Ilja it’s about Barthel and Aichner. Barthel talks about how MSK doesn’t belong in the ring with Imperium and how we need Imperium to lead us to a brighter future for NXT. Aichner says their future has no space for people like MSK and tonight they will make an example out of them. Walter says what separates them from everyone else is they are in this to restore honor to this great sport.
We get a video from earlier in the day of LA Knight working out and he brags about how Dibiase is going to be his butler and then he orders Grimes to go get him a bottle of water. Knight goes up to Josh Briggs and offers him $10,000 to injure Cameron Grimes tonight and Briggs accepts and that match is up next. Ted Dibiase and LA Knight are on commentary for the match.
Grimes goes for a single leg but then shifts to a wristlock only to be hit with a knee to the gut and then Briggs comes off the ropes with a big boot turning Grimes inside out. Briggs clubs Grimes down in the corner and then sends him hard into the opposite corner, Briggs slams Grimes down and hits a standing splash for a 2 count. Grimes moves out of the way of an elbow drop and then dives off the middle rope with a crossbody but Briggs catches him only for Grimes to slide out the back and land a series of punches. Briggs reverses a whip into the ropes but Grimes comes back with a couple of running forearms and then blocks an attempted chokeslam by running Briggs into the ropes for an attempted O’Connor roll, but Briggs hangs onto the ropes to block it, Grimes ducks a clothesline and then hits the crossbody powerslam and moments later he hits the Cave In to win the match. After the match, LA Knight punches Ted Dibiase and then hits Grimes with the snapmare driver on the floor.
Later in the night, we see Cameron Grimes in the trainer’s room when Ted Dibiase walks in and apologizes for getting Grimes into all of this, but Grimes said he got himself into all of this and all Dibiase did was give him an opportunity to win the Million Dollar Championship. Grimes says that when he repeatedly dropped the ball and stopped believing in himself Dibiase was there believing in him, Grimes rips off his shirt and says he isn’t a butler he is a champion just like Dibiase is a champion and after Takeover, they will be Million Dollar Champions going To The Moon!!
This was an ok match to get Grimes a win before his match on Sunday. If I’m being honest after what we saw tonight I think I would much rather see the Hit Row vs Legado del Fantasma match happen on Takeover and the Grimes vs Knight match on next week’s NXT show, I think the former is a much more heated feud than the latter and we have already seen Grimes vs Knight have a match on Takeover. I really liked the segment between Grimes and Dibiase in the trainer’s room as it was nice to see Grimes thank Dibiase for all he has done for him and then instantly go back to his old self feeling confident that he can beat Knight at Takeover.
We go to the back where Indi Hartwell is getting ready for her match coming up next and she starts telling the Garganos about what she and Lumis have been up to on their dates which disgusts them and then Indi brings up that they are thinking about getting matching tattoos but Candice will not let that happen as long as Indi lives under their roof. When Indi brings up the fact that she wants to take things to the next level Johnny tells her the true test of whether to take it to the next level or not is how well they do as a team tonight and then Lumis walks up which gets Johnny off track. Gargano asks Lumis how that cake tasted and Indi tells Johnny that he loved it and he even had room for pie.
We get an interview with the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Zoey Stark and Io Shirai where Zoey talks about how she and Io come from completely different backgrounds and speak different languages so their friendship won’t happen overnight just like Roma wasn’t built in a day, Io cuts her off and says they are not friends and she doesn’t like Zoey but it isn’t about whether she likes Zoey or not it’s about defending their titles.
We go to the ring where Jessi Kamea, Robert Stone, and Franky Monet are in the ring and after Franky shines in the spotlight she starts berating Stone and doesn’t want a loss for their team like last time. We also see that Robert Stone now has a fake ponytail for some unknown reason and is also wrestling without shoes with his feet taped up and is wearing some gaudy-looking outfit with tigers all over it. InDex then comes to the ring and Indi does the same mannerisms and he actually looks down at her as if he were surprised. Indi then looks over to Beth Phoenix on commentary who is giving her tips to calm down and breathe.
Lumis and Stone start off and Stone shuffles around the ring before going for the leg, but Lumis doesn’t move and Stone looks like an idiot as the crowd chants that he looks stupid. Lumis gets down to the mat and crawls toward Stone causing him to slide out of the ring but Franky Monet grabs him and throws him right back in, Stone tries to tag in Jessi but she refuses and then gives Stone a pep talk but he charges right into an uppercut from Lumis. Jessi tries to come in but Indi cuts her off and we get Index stomping a mudhole into their respective opponent. Index walk toward each other and this gives their opponents a chance to attack from behind and while Jessi throws Indi out of the ring, Stone barely phases Lumis as he hammers away with clubbing blows and then tries to shove him into the rope but Lumis shoves him away. Franky is embarrassed by just how bad Stone is so she grabs the foot of Lumis but Lumis drags her into the ring right in front of the referee and she ejects Franky from ringside.
We come back from a commercial to Jessi in control of Indi until she misses a twisting senton and then when Jessi tries to stop Indi from making the tag she is kicked into Stone which counts as a tag. Lumis lights Stone up with punches and then hits him with the corner clothesline and a bulldog into the center of the ring. Stone begs off and then takes Lumis up on his offer to shake hands, but when he does Lumis pulls him in and lands a spinebuster, Lumis goes for the cover but sees Jessi coming to make the save but as she dives toward Lumis to break it up, Lumis moves and Jessi lands on Stone. The referee signals there was a tag made but it never was, but Indi comes in anyway and she drops Jessi with a clothesline and then tosses Stone out to the floor. Indi catches Jessi with a spinebuster of her own and then goes for the cover but Stone pulls her off. Jessi slams Indi to the mat and locks in a half crab and this leads to the most emotion we have ever seen from Lumis as he crouches down and locks eyes with Indi and starts nodding his head as if he were encouraging Indi to get to the ropes which she eventually does.
Jessi actually kicks Lumis off the apron and Stone goes for a plancha but his leg catches the top rope and he goes splat right onto his face nowhere close to where Lumis was standing and I actually had to go rewatch this a few times and every time I had a good laugh. Jessi tries to make up for this by nailing Lumis with a forearm but it has no effect and it pisses off Indi who sends her into the plexiglass and then she throws her back into the ring where she hits the uranage and locks in the Silencer which makes Jessi tap out and gives InDex the win.
After the match, InDex stare at each other, and then Indi slides out of the ring and goes over to Beth Phoenix who gives her a pep talk and then hands her something. Indi gets back in the ring and drops to one knee and pulls out a ring (which has an eye on it) and Lumis nods yes as the crowd erupts, InDex kiss and hug to bring the segment to an end.
This was such a fun match and segment and I absolutely had a blast watching it and although it wasn’t a wrestling clinic like we got in our opening match of the night it told a really good story and had some fun comedy spots which I feel is needed sometimes on a show like NXT which is usually very straight forward wrestling as it is a nice break to let you just sit back and relax without having to closely analyze everything happening in the ring. I look forward to seeing where the story of InDex goes next as I enjoy them as a pair on their own and also when they are playing off the Garganos.
Roderick Strong is interviewed backstage but before he can speak Malcolm Bivens steps in and say that Strong’s loss tonight doesn’t count since Dragunov is a heavyweight and Strong still has his sights set on winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
Beth Phoenix turns the focus to the NXT Women’s Championship match at Takeover as we are set for an interview with both the champion and challenger on a split-screen. Raquel says that when she debuted a year ago alongside Dakota she knew what she was getting into because if Dakota would turn on her best friend Tegan then there was a good chance she would turn on her too. Dakota says those are some big words to say now, but if she knew all along then why didn’t she see her attacking coming a few weeks ago? Raquel admits that Dakota got her with that one and because of what she did she earned herself a title shot, Raquel says she has been dominating everyone put in front of her and she is no longer a star in the making she is a superstar and Dakota won’t be the one to take the title from her.
Dakota calls her delusional and says she kicked her face off before she even had a chance to get her hands up and she taught Raquel everything Raquel knows, but she didn’t teach her everything she knows. Dakota says she made Raquel into somebody and at Takeover she will be the somebody she beats to become NXT Women’s Champion. Raquel doubts Dakota’s words and asks how she is going to beat her by finding someone else to do the dirty work like she did and then says there is nobody else on Earth like her. Raquel says that Dakota may be one of the best in the world but there is not a real bone in her body and all she does is uses people and then gets jealous when they become bigger stars than she is. Dakota says Raquel can call her what she wants but after Sunday she will be calling her champion. Raquel looks forward to the challenge and then calls her a sidekick before saying she will see Dakota at Takeover.
I thought this was a good back and forth between Raquel and Dakota to hype their match at Takeover, however, I’m not sure who we are supposed to cheer for as both are acting somewhat heelish as Dakota turned on Raquel but at the same time, Raquel is starting to come off very cocky and full of herself. I expect their match will be good but just as I said before I have a strong feeling that it will be overshadowed by the other matches on the card.
It’s time for our second semi-final match in the NXT Breakout Tournament where Carmelo Hayes will take on Duke Hudson and the winner will face Odyssey Jones next week in the finals.
Hudson uses his power early on to take control of the match as he drops Hayes with a shoulderblock and then grabs a headlock until Hayes counters into one of his own, but Hudson sends him into the ropes only for Hayes to jump over him and grab the headlock once again but Hudson sends him into the ropes and lands another shoulder block. Hayes leapfrogs over Hudson and catches him with a springboard clothesline for a 2 count. Hayes goes back to the headlock and really wrenches it in but Hudson lifts him up and throws Hayes over the top and to the floor.
We come back from a commercial break to Hudson in control as he blocks a sunset flip attempt and throws Hayes into the corner but when he charges in Hayes moves out of the way and catches Hudson with a jawbreaker and an enziguri which stuns Hudson. Hayes goes for a whip into the corner, but Hudson blocks and pulls Hayes up to his shoulder looking to slam him, but Hayes slides out the back only to be crushed with a clothesline in the corner and hit with a belly-to-belly suplex. Hudson sends Hayes into the ropes but he grabs the ropes and then he passes a charging Hudson out to the floor but he gets right back on the apron and as he bends his head to get back into the ring he is hit with a scissor kick sending him back down to the floor. Hayes grabs the wrist of Hudson as he goes to get back in the ring and hits him with repeated kicks to the head followed by a slingshot DDT onto the apron.
Once the action gets back in the ring Hayes delivers some punches to Hudson until he is shoved to the ropes and he then takes Hudson down with a tilt-a-whirl facebuster for a 2 count. Hayes goes up top and when Hudson looks to press slam him off Hayes turns it into a small package for a 2 count. Hayes hits Hudson with a bicycle kick and a lungblower before going up top and hitting a leg drop to the back of Hudson’s head for the win.
After the match, Hayes is interviewed on the stage and he talks about how he called his shot weeks ago and he has kept his word, Hayes talks about how he had beat guys two or three times bigger than him in this tournament and it’s only fitting he faces the final boss, but plot twist he is the final boss and not Odyssey Jones. Odyssey Jones comes out clapping and laughs at Hayes calling himself the final boss and says after he wins the tournament next week the NXT Universe is going to sound the alarm.
Even though Hayes and Hudson didn’t get much time I thought they had a really good match for the time they were given with Hayes once again having to find a way to defeat a much larger opponent which is a story that will continue into the finals against Odyssey Jones. I really have no clue as to who is going to win as both have been built up very well, but regardless of who wins I really hope they think twice before putting out a t-shirt for them as we don’t need another ACH situation happening with this year’s breakout tournament winner. On a side note, I really need to find out who this new interview girl in NXT is as she is really cute.
We get a video of Jacy Jane who tells those just surviving to step aside or be roadkill because they (Jacy & Gigi) will not be silenced. She says they’ve been caged for far too long and we are going to feel them in our souls when they break free.
It’s time for some tag action as MSK defends their NXT Tag Team Championship against Imperium.
Aichner breaks a waistlock from Wes Lee and then tosses him across the ring with his own waistlock and then he pushes Lee across the ring from a lockup, Aichner charges in but Lee flips over and then slides through the legs of Aichner, Lee grabs a headlock only for Aichner to send him into the corner but as Aichner pulls him in Lee catches him in a crucifix for a 1 count. Lee lands some punches to the gut of Aichner before sending him into the corner where he gets backdropped to the apron, but as this happens Carter makes a tag and we get a bronco buster combo move from MSK for another 1 count. Aichner throws Carter into his corner and Barthel tags himself in where he takes Carter down with an arm drag and then locks in a hammerlock but as Carter gets back to his feet Barthel transitions into a wristlock which Carter flips out of and then he hits an arm drag on Barthel.
Carter slides under a clothesline and then causes a misdirection but Barthel nails him with an uppercut and then snapmares him into the middle of the ring where he lands a kick to the spine. Barthel sends Carter into the corner and tries to hit a kick but Carter blocks and then comes off the middle rope but is met with a shot to the gut and is hit with a butterfly suplex. Aichner tags in and puts Carter up on his shoulder but Carter slides out the back and makes the tag to Lee. MSK hit Aichner with a combination of kicks and then Carter hits him with a double stomp to the back. MSK backdrop Barthel to the floor and then they look to take out Imperium with a pair of tope suicidas, but they both get caught and are slammed on the floor.
We get a picture-in-picture commercial where Imperium isolates and work over Lee, as the commercial comes to an end Aichner levels Lee with a clothesline for a 2 count. Barthel is tagged in and he grounds Lee with a chinlock but he fights out and snapmares Barthel across the ring, Lee tries for an enziguri but Barthel ducks and locks in an ankle lock until Lee rolls through but Barthel knocks Carter off the apron. Lee tries for a hurricanrana but Barthel blocks it and goes back to the ankle lock, Barthel backs up into the corner, and Aichner tags in and he then throws Lee hard into the corner. Imperium hits Lee with their stereo dropkicks for a 2 count. Barthel works Lee over in the corner but Lee ends up backdropping Barthel to the floor and then makes the hot tag to Carter as Walter makes his way down to the ring for a closer look.
Carter comes in on fire with a combination of kicks to Aichner and then he hits a running knee in the corner followed by a roll through snapmare and a PK. Lee is tagged in and MSK hit their push-away shooting star press for a 2 count when Barthel makes the save. Walter teases getting in the ring to distract the referee as Barthel throws Carter out to the floor and then Imperium set up for the European Bomb, but they get distracted when Ilja Dragunov comes out to brawl with Walter and Carter kicks Barthel off the ropes and he falls to the floor. Lee hits Aichner with a hurricanrana and then MSK hits him with their spinebuster and corkscrew blockbuster for the win.
After the match, Walter continues to put the boots to Dragunov and when MSK comes to help him he lays them out and even hits an apron powerbomb on Carter. Dragunov comes back and looks to go after Walter but Barthel and Aichner cut him off and then Walter locks him in the rear-naked choke causing him to pass out and Imperium stands tall over the prone body of Dragunov.
This was a really fun match and it made sense for MSK to retain. I thought Walter looked really good in the post-match beatdown and I can’t wait for this Dragunov vs Walter match on Sunday.
We get a promo from Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland where Dunne says people shouldn’t step to geezers like him and Holland. Holland doesn’t care how long Ciampa and Thatcher have been around or what they have been through, but he does respect the fact that they have the balls to challenge him (or stupid as Dunne suggests) and he will make his name at Thatcher’s expense next week.
After a rundown of the Takeover: 36 card we get Samoa Joe coming to the ring for his face-off with Karrion Kross.
Joe gets on the mic and says that venom seeps through his lips when he talks about Karrion Kross and he thought he would enjoy this last face-to-face with Kross before their match, but he realizes it is pointless because he is not there to hurt Kross’s feelings he is just there to hurt him. Joe tells Kross to tuck his clock in his back pocket and stroll his ass on out to the ring. Kross comes out and says this isn’t about him or Joe this is about the future of NXT and if Joe thinks he is going to walk into Takeover and win the NXT Championship after taking over a year off he is sadly mistaken (as Kross is talking the fans are chanting “Where is Scarlett”). Kross says he is going to call security out but not to protect him but rather to protect Joe.
Kross gets into the ring and says he is going to drop Kross real fast and that sets off Joe as he strikes first and then sends Kross to the outside as he fights off security and then he takes them all down with a tope suicida to the outside. Joe beats Kross’s ass around ringside until security pulls him off and this allows Kross to have an opening to send Joe into the steps Joe makes a comeback as he sends Kross through one of the plexiglass and chain panels. Joe and Kross continue to brawl as some of the locker room comes out to help security but Kross and Joe go through another panel, the show comes to an end with Joe and Kross laid out as everyone surrounds them.
Now that is how you do a final push to get people hyped for a match as these two were going to do everything they could to get to each other and were willing to tear down the CWC in the process. While it seems like the outcome is predictable since Kross is now on Raw I am looking forward to the match regardless as it is going to be one hell of a fight.
I thought this was an absolutely fantastic episode of NXT as it had a little bit of everything with two really good matches, some fun comedy, a great segment involving Hit Row and Legado del Fantasma, and some really great last-minute hype for Takeover on Sunday which I can’t wait to watch. NXT as we know it may soon be coming to an end but they sure as hell are going out with a bang as this was a near-perfect show.
NXT UK
NXT UK Results
- Meiko Satomura © w/ Emilia McKenzie def Stevie Turner (NXT UK Women’s Championship) – **½
- Saxon Huxley def Eddie Dennis – **¼
- Dani Luna def Isla Dawn – *¾
- Pretty Deadly © def Moustache Mountain (NXT UK Tag Team Championship) – ***½
We open the show with our first of two title matches on this episode as Meiko Satomura defends her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Stevie Turner. Emilia McKenzie will be in Meiko’s corner for this match.
We get a lockup and Meiko pushes Stevie into the ropes where she connects with a spinning kick to the midsection followed by a couple of uppercuts. Stevie escapes a wristlock and goes for a hammerlock but Meiko elbows out and takes Stevie to the mat with a headlock takeover but she eventually lets her up and has a double underhook locked in but Stevie drives her into the corner only for Meiko to come back with a snap suplex. Meiko tries to go to work on the arm but Stevie gets to the ropes and then we get another lockup but we get a repeat of Meiko going for the arm and Stevie forcing the break. Stevie fires back as she connects with a series of boots to the head and then a running boot to the head, Stevie goes for a slam but Meiko blocks it and hits one of her own, and then she follows up with a running forearm in the corner. Stevie reverses a whip into the corner and follows her in, but Meiko springs off the middle rope with an arm drag which she seamlessly turns into an attempted STF but Stevie makes it to the ropes before she can lock it in.
Meiko lights Stevie up with kicks and uppercuts but Stevie is able to duck a spin kick and roll to the outside. Meiko waits for Stevie to get back in the ring but grows impatient which is exactly what Stevie wanted as she nails Meiko with a forearm as she goes to get out of the ring and then she pulls her off the apron. Stevie sends Meiko into the ring apron and the barricade before rolling her back into the ring where she connects with more kicks to the head and a slap to the face, Stevie goes for a cover but only gets a 2 count. Stevie tells Meiko she is wired differently and then delivers repeated kicks to the back and a final cut out of the corner for another 2 count. Stevie tries for a straightjacket submission but Meiko gets to the ropes and moments later she connects with the overhead kick. Meiko connects with a running forearm but Stevie fires right back with a running back elbow of her own and after a misdirection, Stevie nails Meiko with yet another running boot to the head for a 2 count. Meiko sidesteps Stevie’s attempt at hitting the rope-assisted flatliner and kicks her in the back and then hits the cartwheel knee drop for a 2 count. Meiko then hits the DVD for yet another very close 2 count, but moments later Meiko locks in the STF and Stevie has no choice but to tap out to the Final Boss.
I thought this was a fine match as Stevie looked impressive against Meiko although I do wish she had a more bit more of a varied offense than just boots to the head as it felt like that is all she did for the entire match. Meiko Satomura looked dominant as always and there was never a point during this match where I thought she wasn’t walking out as NXT UK Women’s Champion.
We get a video package highlighting one of the upcoming matches in the Heritage Cup #1 Contender Tournament between Oliver Carter and Kenny Williams. Carter wants to win the tournament for representation since there aren’t many Europeans like him (it’s about time someone brings up that there are only two black people in NXT UK). Williams wants to win so everyone will stop focusing on the past and focus on the here and now which is him.
We go from one video package to another as this one previews the big rubber match between Joe Coffey and Rampage Brown happening next week where the only way to win is by submission or knockout.
We then go to our second match of the night which is Saxon Huxley vs Eddie Dennis
We get some feeling out early on and then Dennis lands a kick to the gut but Huxley comes back with a shoulder block and a knee to the gut, Huxley sends Dennis into the ropes and hits him with a kitchen sink followed by a running elbow drop. Dennis gets in the ropes to stop Huxley’s momentum and then gets in a kick to the leg before trying to whip Huxley into the corner, but Huxley blocks and sends Dennis into the corner, Huxley tries for a running boot Dennis sidesteps him and Huxley falls out to the floor. Dennis looks to go after Huxley on the floor, but when he lands a punch it fires up Huxley and he starts beating Dennis down with clubbing blows. Huxley goes to throw Dennis back in the ring, but he rebounds and connects with a clothesline to Huxley before throwing him back into the ring. Dennis connects with a kick to the face and then takes Huxley to the mat with a headlock takeover which he keeps locked in until Huxley fights out of it. Huxley connects with a palm strike and then sends Dennis into the ropes but he hangs onto the top rope and connects with a boot only to be taken down with a big Thesz press moments later.
Huxley hits Dennis with a clothesline in the corner and then washes his face before delivering a running knee attack. Huxley goes out to the floor looking to hit Dennis with a boot but he is able to move out of the way at that moment but when Dennis slides out of the ring he is hit with that running boot by Huxley. Huxley suplexes Dennis onto the barricade and then comes off the apron with a Cactus elbow to Dennis who is draped over the barricade which gets him a 2 count once he rolls Dennis back in the ring. Dennis elbows out of a fireman’s carry and sends Huxley into the ropes but he nails Dennis with a back elbow and then tries for a running crossbody but Dennis moves and Huxley snaps back to the mat, Dennis rolls Huxley up in a schoolboy for a 2 count. Dennis hits Huxley with a slam for a 2 count and then tries for an inverted suplex slam but Huxley escapes and nails Dennis with a boot before connecting with the crossbody into the ropes that he tried for earlier. Huxley connects with a diving clothesline off the top and then hits a fireman’s carry slam to pick up a surprising win. After the match, Symbiosis hit the ring to attack Huxley and then they lift him up so Dennis can hit Huxley with the Severn Bridge.
I was definitely not expecting Saxon Huxley to pick up a win as it feels like it has been forever since he has, but of course, his celebration had to be cut short so that Symbiosis could get their heat back after the match.
We get a video hyping up the Jinny vs Aoife Valkyrie No DQ match where Joseph Conners will be locked in a shark cage as that match is coming up next week.
We go to our third match of the night which sees Subculture’s Dani Luna take on the awkwardly creepy Isla Dawn.
Dani isn’t having any of Isla’s creepy shit as she takes her down with a waistlock and then looks for a front facelock but Isla counters into a headlock which Dani escapes from and then she takes Isla down with a shoulder block followed by a back elbow. Isla escapes a fireman’s carry and drops Dani throat-first across the top rope. Isla connects with some strikes and a leg sweep followed by a running dropkick to the head for a 2 count. Isla locks in a seated cobra clutch and then once Dani gets to her feet she tries to turn it into a ripcord, but Dani catches her in a schoolgirl for a 2 count, and then she takes Isla’s head off with a lariat. Dani lands some right hands and then ducks a kick before throwing Isla across the ring with a fallaway slam. Dani is fired up as she sends Isla into the corner and hits her with a shoulder to the gut followed by an exploder for a 2 count.
Isla counters a suplex attempt into a small package for a 2 count and then kicks Dani’s leg out from under her and hits a running kick. Isla connects with another big kick to the head and hits a snapping Saito suplex for a 2 count. Isla looks for her half and half suplex but Dani throws her off only to be hit with another kick by Isla, Isla goes up top but Dani cuts her off and joins her up top looking for a superplex only to have Isla knock her back down and grab a chunk of hair. Isla is mesmerized by the hair but Dani is pissed off as she grabs Isla off the top and hits her with a fireman’s carry into a sit-out slam to pick up the win.
I like Dani Luna as she has a really different look and style that kind of reminds me of Jordynne Grace so she definitely sticks out and her work in the ring is solid. As far s Isla goes I just can’t get into whatever they want her to be as it’s bad enough for someone to get distracted by a human being or even a doll but to be so mesmerized by a lock of hair that it costs you the match is pretty ridiculous, I will say that if they ever wanted to make a real-life version of Lily to tag with Alexa then Isla would be the perfect pick seeing as they want her to be creepy but she just doesn’t pull it off like Alexa.
We get a Prime Target video for Walter vs Dragunov II happening this Sunday at Takeover: 36.
We then get a rundown of next week’s show which includes Coffey vs Brown III and Jinny vs Aoife in a No DQ match,
It’s time for our main event tag team championship match as Pretty Deadly defends their titles against Moustache Mountain, and as Pretty Deadly comes to the ring we see that they have mustaches of their own.
Bate and Stoker start out the match and Bate escapes a wristlock and flips Stoker with one arm, Bate makes the tag to Seven who goes to work wrenching on the arm of Stoker only for Stoker to break the grip and knee Seven in the leg. Seven hits an inverted atomic drop and a chop which causes Stoker to go over to the corner and tag in Howley. Stoker picks the leg and Howley leapfrogs over him and lands an elbow onto Seven and then Howley is sent into the ropes and he comes back with a shoulder block. Howley sends Seven into the ropes and he comes back with a crossbody followed by a hip toss and a leg drop for a 2 count. Seven tags in Bate who hits Howley with a senton off Seven’s shoulders and then he nails Howley with a headbutt to the gut and a double knee attack for a 2 count.
Bate pushes Howley into the ropes and ducks his head but Howley leapfrogs over him and kicks his leg out from under him. Bate floats over from a suplex attempt and pushes him into the ropes for an O’Connor roll but Howley makes a blind tag to Stoker and as Bate sees him coming into the ring he hits him with a drop toe hold causing Stoker to headbutt Howley in the nuts. Bate tags in Seven and they simultaneously rip the mustaches off Pretty Deadly and then clothesline them out to the floor. Seven tags in Bate and then throws Stoker back in the ring where Bate grabs a headlock and then he ducks a clothesline and hits Stoker with an atomic drop, but as he lifts Stoker in the air he tags in Howley. Stoker goes out to the floor and Bate gives chase only to run into a clothesline from Howley. Bate is thrown back in the ring and Pretty Deadly works him over until he is able to break free and make the hot tag to Seven.
Seven comes in on a roll as he hits a DDT and backdrop combo move on Pretty Deadly and then he hits Howley with an emerald flowsion for a 2 count. Moustache Mountain hit Pretty Deadly with stalling vertical suplexes and then Seven looks like he could be going for the Seven Stars Lariat, but Howley gets to the ropes. Stoker tags in and hits Seven with a DDT and then hits some grounded punches, Howley is tagged back in and he slams Seven into the ropes but misses an elbow drop as Seven rolls out to the floor. Seven rolls back in the ring and is sent into the ropes where we get a double down as both men clothesline each other. We get a tag on both sides as Bate and Stoker come in and Bate gets some punches into the gut and then comes off the middle rope with a twisting uppercut, Stoker follows Bate into the corner and tries for a splash but gets caught and hit with an exploder while Howley makes a blind tag. Bate knocks both men to the floor and wipes them out with a dive to the outside. Bate throws Howley back in the ring and then goes up top, but he jumps over Hawley and rolls through and then connects with a rolling Koppo kick followed by the Tiger Driver for a very close 2 count.
Bate tags Seven and they think about hitting the full nelson suplex and clothesline combo, but Stoker pulls the rope down sending Bate flying out to the floor. Hawley ducks a Seven Star attempt and rolls Seven up in a schoolboy for a 2 count and then he tags in Stoker who is propelled into the air and connects with a lungblower on Seven for a 2 count. Stoker lifts Seven up for a Hart Attack but Bate pulls down the rope sending Hawley out to the floor. Seven tags in Bate and they hit the full nelson suplex and clothesline combo and then Seven takes out Hawley with a tope to the outside. Bate goes for the Tyler Driver once again, but this time he gets backdropped, and when Bate tries to land on his feet his leg gives out on him and Stoker takes him down with a chop block. Stoker swings Bate around and then locks in a half crab, Hawley throws a towel into the ring making it seem as if Seven threw it in. Seven tries to make the referee understand it wasn’t him but as he does that Hawley hits Bate with the belt and then Pretty Deadly hits their neckbreaker version of the Hart Attack to pick up the win and retain the titles.
This was a really solid match that I enjoyed quite a bit but now that Pretty Deadly has beat both Subculture and Moustache Mountain I am really curious as to what team will challenge them next as there aren’t that many teams in NXT UK.
This was a good episode of NXT as both the opener and the main event were good and we also got a surprise upset with Saxon Huxley beating Eddie Dennis. Next week we have two big matches which have been built up for a while as we have Joe Coffey vs Rampage Brown and Jinny vs Aoife Valkyrie.
SmackDown
SmackDown Results
- Jey Uso w/ Jimmy Uso def Rey Mysterio w/ Dominik Mysterio – **¾
- Baron Corbin def Kevin Owens via DQ – **
- Shotzi & Nox def Natalya & Tamina – *¾
- Otis w/ Chad Gable def Montez Ford w/ Angelo Dawkins – **
- Rick Boogs & King Nakamura def Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez – **¼
- Bianca Belair def Zelina Vega – *½
- Bianca Belair def Carmella – **¼
Edge comes out to start the show as he sits in a chair in the middle of the ring under a spotlight and he talks about how Rollins has pushed him to a dark place and he doesn’t know if he can come back from, but he says he likes this dark place where his blood runs black. Edge says he sees clearly that at SummerSlam he doesn’t just have to beat Rollins he has to break him and at SummerSlam, he will Burn Him Down! Later in the night, Seth Rollins comes out dressed in white and he responds to what Edge said by saying Edge covered his bases as to why he will lose to Rollins tomorrow night. Edge says it’s fine that Edge has gone into his dark place because that is the only way he has even the slightest chance of being on the same level as Rollins. We hear the music of The Brood and Edge shows up on the screen and talks like he did back when he was part of the group and after telling Rollins that the freaks come out at night we see black “blood” pour down from the ceiling as a call back to when The Brood would give their opponents blood baths.
I thought both of these promos did a good job hyping up the match for SummerSlam as Edge was very intense and looked like a psychopath as he stared into the camera. Rollins’ promo wasn’t on the same level as Edge’s but that is fine as his great promo came last week, however, I didn’t expect to hear the music of The Brood or to see a blood bath so it was really cool that they pulled from that far back in Edge’s career. This was some good stuff heading into their match at SummerSlam.
Our first match is Rey Mysterio vs Jey Uso and before the match, Rey criticizes Dominik yet again for being too confident. Jey and Mysterio have a fun match that ends when Dominik tries to put his boots against the back of his dad to help his father get the ring, but he gets caught and this leads to Rey confronting him which gives Jey the opportunity to make a comeback and moments later he picks up the win after an Uso Splash.
Up next is Baron Corbin vs Kevin Owens and Corbin comes to the ring clutching the Money in the Bank Briefcase that he stole last week. It wouldn’t take long before Big E came down to the ring looking for his briefcase and as Corbin went to grab it Big E attacked him causing the DQ. Corbin would shove Big E into the barricade and run into the crowd with the briefcase.
I expected them to add Corbin vs Big E to the SummerSlam card but as I am writing this that hasn’t happened. It’s a shame that guys like Big E and Kevin Owens don’t have spots on the SummerSlam card but Goldberg does.
We get a backstage interview with Bianca Belair who is completely disgusted at what happened last week and doesn’t even want Sasha’s name mentioned around her as it makes her furious. Bianca hopes Sasha is watching because tonight she will snap Zelina in half and will make Carmella the ugliest woman in the WWE. She is asked if its smart to compete in two matches the night before her big title defense against Sasha and Bianca says it probably is, but she doesn’t care because tonight she will show her Meanest and Nastiest side. As we fast forward to later in the night we get Bianca taking on Zelina first and she makes quick work of her before beating her with a K.O.D. and then it’s Carmella’s turn, she puts up more of a fight than Zelina did but in the end she too falls to the K.O.D. and Bianca beats two opponents in a little over 6 minutes.
I don’t know what is going on with Sasha as both she and Bianca missed last weekend’s live events and then Sasha missed tonight, but it seems like the match is still scheduled to happen as of me writing this. It was strange to have a final go-home build for a match without one of the participants in the match being present but Bianca did the best she could do by taking out Sasha’s backup in one night. While this match between Sasha and Bianca won’t have the same emotion surrounding it as their WrestleMania match did I still expect it to be one of the better matches of the night and will most likely be a lot better than the Raw women’s triple threat match.
We get a Women’s Tag Team Championship contenders match with Nox & Shotzi taking on Natalya and Tamina, but I have no clue why this isn’t a title match as Nox & Shotzi have beat the champs every time they have been in the ring together including a previous championship contender match, and this match would be no different as Tegan and Shotzi pick up the win once again.
The next match is Otis vs Montez Ford, I got distracted during this match as I couldn’t get over what Ford was wearing as I guess his luggage got lost and this outfit was made out of whatever they could find backstage. Ford gets control at one point in the match and even hits the Frog Splash but Otis kicks out and in the end, Otis puts Ford away with the Vader Bomb.
We then get a SmackDown in-ring debut which is going to be forgotten as Rick Boogs tags with King Nakamura to face Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez. Boogs was pretty impressive in his SmackDown in-ring debut as he threw Crews around with ease and he ends up picking up the win for his team with a Pumphandle Slam on Crews. I was also expecting a Nakamura vs Crews rematch to be added to the SummerSlam card as it is the only men’s title not on the line.
It’s time for the final face-to-face between John Cena and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns before their big main event match at SummerSlam.
Reigns says that Cena said a lot of dumb stuff last week but he got the crowd to pop because he said it with a lot of energy, but he is not going to let Cena come out and lie to everyone because he is not going to beat him 1-2-3. Reigns then asks Heyman who was the last person to beat him and Heyman says that nobody has beaten this Roman Reigns. Cena finally cuts them off and then hypes up the crowd before saying that when he came back nobody thought he had a chance to win against Reigns seeing as he was doing movies and while they were right about him going to shoot movies they were dead wrong about him losing to Reigns.
Cena says that this Reigns may go on about how he is the “Head of the Table” and how he wants people to acknowledge him, but he has been saying the same thing for his entire career and that is to Never Give Up and that is all he has to do at SummerSlam and after a 1-2-3 he will win the Universal Champion, go film his movie, and leave Reigns an embarrassed shell of himself. Cena says he is going to become a 17x World Champion thanks to Roman Reigns and all it takes is 1-2-3.
Reigns has had enough as he accuses Cena of thinking he is better than Reigns and just when he if fixing to blow his fuse he stops himself and then says he wants to raise the stakes since they will be in Vegas, Reigns says that either he walks out of SummerSlam as Universal Champion or he leaves WWE. Reigns then quickly scoops Cena up into a fireman’s carry but Cena escapes and rolls Reigns up in a schoolboy for a 1-2-3 and then slides out of the ring leaving the Universal Champion fuming as the show comes to an end.
This was a fine promo but I thought last week was a lot better and by the end of the segment, they completely took away any doubt of the outcome of the match when reigns said he would leave WWE if he lost as we all know that is not happening. I really don’t understand why they thought that stipulation was needed as this match is big enough on its own and it completely ruined any excitement for the match. I also think Cena forgot during his time away from the WWE that you can win matches by submission as he has been obsessed with beating Reigns by pinfall, I mean it would make sense if he didn’t have a submission move as one of his finishers but he does and has won hundreds of matches with it so it just makes Cena come off like he has amnesia.
I have to be honest that outside of the Edge and Rollins promos and to a lesser extent the Cena vs Reigns face-to-face this was a nothing episode of SmackDown, and given that AEW Rampage was next with the return of CM Punk there were many times when I was ready for this episode to come to an end which is a shame because SmackDown had been doing a good job of building to SummerSlam. I am looking forward to SummerSlam for no other reason than I am going to watch it in the theater so the unique experience of watching it with other fans will hopefully be fun and will make anything bad on the show more enjoyable.
In the News
There have been conflicting reports on the future of NXT as Dave Metzer is reporting that the plan is for NXT to permanently go back to taping their shows rather than running them live, however, Andrew Zarian spoke with a source at the USA Network who told him that they didn’t pay for a taped show and then we have PWInsider who is reporting that NXT will tape the next three weeks of TV within the next week and then will go back to airing live on September 14.
In more NXT news that was reported by Dave Meltzer that the partnership with Full Sail has come to an end and the CWC will be the permanent home for the black and gold brand. In addition, he also reports there could be changes coming to the CWC which will see more light and color because WWE officials think the show looks too dark on TV. The plexiglass barrier may also be removed as well.
Fightful Select reports that Becky Lynch has been training at Seth Rollins’ school since May and sources say that she looks ready to get back in the ring based on the drills they have seen from her.
Wrestlevotes reports that we shouldn’t expect some big reactionary move from WWE after CM Punk debuts in AEW on Friday night during their Rampage show.
Wrestlevotes reports that given the success of the MLB’s game on the Field of Dreams set WWE is now considering doing some non-arena shows within the next year with ideas including Raw on the Roof, Hammerstein Ballroom, & more festival shows like we saw at Rolling Loud.
PW Insider reports that both Molly Holly & Shawn Daivari are now full-time producers in WWE.
WWE has announced 30 new live events on their schedule which rounds out the rest of the year, you can check those out here.
WWE has surprisingly not had good luck when it comes to securing a big celebrity appearance for SummerSlam as earlier in the summer they had tried to get both Cardi B and Mike Tyson but neither deal came to fruition and on Thursday it was reported by Fightful Select that WWE had tried to secure Megan the Stallion for a spot with Bianca Belair but those plans fell through as well.
For all of our UK people over at Place to be Nation it was announced by Triple H that NXT UK has partnered with Enfield Town FC for a one-year agreement for their 20th Anniversary. As part of the agreement, the NXT UK logo will be featured on the team’s home shirts and the Women’s Reserve Team home shirts. I’ll be honest I don’t know if this is a big deal or not, but you can read more about it here and I have to note how the talent in the pic in that article look like nerds because they had to dress in their wrestling gear for this appearance rather than their street clothes like normal human beings.
Actor and former writer for WWE Freddie Prinze Jr revealed on The Ringer Wrestling Show more details that lead to the release of Bray Wyatt according to contacts that Prinze still has within the company. You can read what he had to say here.
Gable Stevenson who just won a gold medal at the Olympic games could be headed to WWE very soon as there are strong talks by both sides of him joining the company, but as of right now those are just talks as Stevenson stated in an interview with The Sun that he isn’t really sure what’s next for him as he has several options. You can read more of Stevenson’s comments from The Sun interview here.
On Thursday, the WWE2K Twitter page was finally updated saying that more info on WWE 2K22 will be shown during SummerSlam, and along with the Tweet was a picture of Edge from the new game and to say the character model has improved since 2K20 would be an understatement. I hope we get the release date for the game during SummerSlam and perhaps also the reveal of the cover. If I wasn’t excited enough for SummerSlam because I am going to watch it in a theater, this news doubled my excitement.
Coming up this Week
Raw:
- The Fallout from SummerSlam
NXT:
- Fallout from NXT Takeover: 36
- Carmelo Hayes vs Odyssey Jones (NXT Breakout Tournament Final Match)
- Legado del Fantasma vs Hit Row
- Ridge Holland vs Timothy Thatcher
NXT UK
- Joe Coffey vs Rampage Brown (Submission or Knockout Only)
- Jinny w/ Joseph Conners vs Aoife Valkyrie (No DQ Match – Joseph Conners locked in a shark cage)
SmackDown:
- The Fallout from SummerSlam
As always if you have any feedback to give whether it be positive or negative please feel free to contact me on Twitter @MTW3589.
