Tag: Candice LeRae

WWE Raw results 04/15/24: Rhea vacates, Sami retains, Gable snaps

Sami Zayn won in front of his hometown fans on WWE Raw in Montreal, but Chad Gable wasn’t willing to let his defeat go.

Nothing makes an otherwise ordinary start to a week in pro wrestling turn sober faster than unexpected injury news, and that unfortunately is the case for tonight’s episode of WWE Raw in Montreal.

Earlier today, a report from PWInsider emerged that Rhea Ripley had been injured during her backstage brawl segment with Liv Morgan last week. Other outlets like Fightful have since confirmed that Ripley is indeed injured, but what isn’t clear is whether she will have to vacate her Women’s World Championship.

If she does, that heavily suggests she’ll be out of action for an extended period of time. If not, she might be back sooner than feared. But either way, since Ripley was promoted to be on tonight’s show to address Morgan’s attack, the expectation is that Liv will be blamed (or credited, if you’re on her side) with putting Ripley on the shelf for storyline purposes.

It’s an unfortunate situation, to be sure, and yet it could work out for the best in the long run. Morgan seems like more of a badass for being able to step to Mami like that — while in real life, her heart surely goes out to Ripley given her own bad luck with injuries — and Rhea will be just as over when she returns.

The other big thing to watch tonight is the Intercontinental Championship match between new champ Sami Zayn and the man who trained him to help win it, Chad Gable. The thought is that Gable will play it straight and fall short tonight, leading to him snapping and turning heel for an extended program with Zayn that probably leads to a title rematch at Backlash.

Finding out is why we watch. We’ll be doing that, so follow along with us if you will.

WWE Raw results from Montreal:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Various stars are shown entering the arena, including Sami Zayn, Damian Priest, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso
  • Rhea Ripley has her arm in a sling and gives the fans the news they’ve dreaded: She’ll have to say goodbye to her Women’s World Championship as she spends months recuperating from injury
  • Ripley gets a group hug from The Judgment Day and some words of encouragement from Damian Priest, then tells them to keep the group on top and look after Dominik Mysterio
  • Sheamus def. Ivar by pinfall
  • A lengthy hype video plays up Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania and his title defense tonight
  • Triple H is in the house to present Awesome Truth with their new World Tag Team Championship belts
  • #DIY def. The Creed Brothers and The New Day to become No. 1 contenders for the World Tag Team Championship
  • Jackie Redmond is surprised that Drew McIntyre is laughing after watching what CM Punk did to him last week, but that smile goes away fast and the Scottish Warrior takes his wrath out on a TV monitor
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri by pinfall, with Hartwell showing the first signs of following the rule-breaking path LeRae has been trying to get her to take
  • A lengthy hype video plays to promote Priest; afterward, he psyches up the team and trues to motivate both Dominik and Finn Balor, who is questioning his match with Jey Uso tonight but ends up smiling
  • Redmond talks to Chad Gable, who runs down his experience with hostile crowds and says he won’t be intimidated by Zayn’s hometown advantage tonight
  • Andrade def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall; after the match. JD McDonagh helps Dom with a two-on-one beating until Ricochet comes to even the odds and chase off the heels
  • Cathy Kelley asks Jey Uso about Tama Tonga and his attack on Jimmy Uso, and he questions adding “members we don’t even know” while also saying he needs to concentrate on Balor tonight
  • Chelsea Green and Piper Niven def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by pinfall
  • Kelley speaks with Morgan, who says she’s confused that people are mad at her, as no one had that reaction to Ripley when she injured Liv’s shoulder: “This is karma at it’s very finest, so Rhea got exactly what she deserved”; this also isn’t the end of the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour as she still needs to become champion again
  • And now, a word from our champion, Cody Rhodes, who reflects on WrestleMania and offers to watch Jey Uso’s back, though Jey says he needs to do things himself tonight
  • Kelley talks to Nia Jax about the Rhea situation, and as you might expect, she’s not too sympathetic and says that the title is hers
  • Jey Uso def. Finn Balor by pinfall; after the bell, Uso is assaulted by The Judgment Day but manages to escape into the stands and up the stairs toward the concourse, where he high-fives a bunch of people (and shoves one aside) …
  • … then he runs into Sami Zayn on his way to the ring, encouraging him to get it tonight as he defends his title
  • While Gable is on his way out, Bronson Reed stops him and says no matter who wins, that person will have to answer to “Big” Bronson Reed
  • Sami Zayn def. Chad Gable by pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
  • Zayn lays his title belt down in the middle of the ring and asks Gable to meet him there, then heads to the corner instead; Zayn offers a hand to lift Gable, who initially seems to accept the show of respect, but then waits until Zayn is in front of his wife to attack the champ, battering him around ringside and the apron and wrapping an ankle lock on Sami around the top turnbuckle as Raw goes off the air

Rhea Ripley does, indeed, have to vacate her title

Though she is greeted warmly by the fans in Montreal, Ripley looks unhappy and says everyone knows what’s going on right now, yeah? She says she’s been told she’s “stuck on the bench” for months, and that she must vacate the Women’s World Championship, which gets a “bulls–t” chant going.

Rhea says the title is what means the most to her, which makes this even more painful. Ripley also delivers a warning: When she comes back, she’s coming back for blood, and when she finds Liv Morgan, they’re going to have to lock her up in a Montreal jail.

She won’t have to wait long, as a cackling Morgan comes out and a swarm of security guards emerges at the direction of Adam Pearce to keep them separated. One security guard takes some of Mami’s wrath, but that’s that.

No longer Raw champions, Awesome Truth are now World Tag Team Champions

“You guys are on fire tonight, I gotta tell you that,” the WWE CCO says to the crowd in Montreal. He says it was only a few days ago we were in the midst of the biggest WrestleMania of all time, one that gave us two sets of tag team champions.

To that end, he and Adam Pearce summon the Awesome Truth. Triple H congratulates them R-Truth and The Miz for making history, then tells Truth it was awesome to see him have his WrestleMania moment.

But to represent this brand and a new era, they need to do it in a new way. They will now be known as the World Tag Team Champions and are shown their spiffy new title belts. R-Truth thinks Triple H is a magician and suggests Little Jimmy used to be visible until a magic accident.

Much confusion on Truth’s part follows, especially about who Triple H is, but the CCO finally hits his limit and hands Awesome Truth their new title belts. Pearce then reveals there’s going to be a Triple Threat match to find them No. 1 contenders.

Cody Rhodes reflects, offers to watch Jey Uso’s back

Rhodes kicks things off by thanking Adam Pearce for letting him hang around Raw when he’s technically a SmackDown superstar. He reminds us all that at Backlash, he’ll defend his title against either LA Knight or AJ Styles, but before that, he wants to reflect a little bit.

There’s one man in particular he wants to shout out, and it’s the man who said he would be Cody’s shield, Seth “Freakin'” Rollins. Rhodes also talks about The Rock and says it was news to him that he did a 12-week training camp, stating that the Final Boss has a lot more than one more match left in him. Cody adds that The Rock is probably right about making him bleed again, but no amount of training can stop the fact that if he bleeds, The Rock will bleed with him.

One thing he’s confused about is the introduction of Tama Tonga to The Bloodline with Roman Reigns nowhere to be found. His last bit of reflection is to bring someone out to the ring, Main Event Jey Uso.

Rhodes offers to have Jey’s back for his match with Finn Balor, knowing that The Judgment Day usually rolls as a group. Jey appreciates that but says he has to do it on his own.

Cody says he totally understands and wishes Jey good luck, “until we yeet again.” Cody’s words, not mine.

Sami Zayn digs down deep to defeat Chad Gable

Sami takes some time to drink in the reaction from his hometown fans once he gets his in-ring intro from Samantha Irvin. Michael Cole says there are “many ghosts in this building” for Zayn, the biggest of which was being defeated by Roman Reigns while competing for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

The announcers discuss how Gable claims he knows all of Zayn’s weaknesses while he’s taking it to Sami on the outside. The champ’s rally includes a springboard moonsault to the floor, which gets the fans to reach another level as commercials arrive.

We return to see Zayn going for a ride courtesy of a Gable Olympic slam off the top rope, and Sami’s wife is shown with her hands over her mouth after that. Zayn takes two German suplexes before firing back with two of his own.

They trade one more German each before Zayn wins a battle of standing switches for one last suplex, this time with a release that sees Gable land a bit awkwardly on his neck.

Sami has just a tad of blood on his face as he hits an Exploder, but his Helluva Kick attempt is countered with an ankle lock. Gable tries to fly off the top but is caught and powerbombed by Zayn, who is thinking Sharpshooter but seeds his ankle give out.

Gable hits a release German suplex into the buckles, then wins a series of counters to drag Zayn back into the center of the ring for another ankle lock. Sami rolls through and nearly wins it.

Another Exploder sets up the Helluva Kick, and Zayn crawls over Gable to score the very popular pinfall.

WWE Raw results 04/01/24: The Rock, Roman Reigns rule once again

Seth Rollins had a good plan B in Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes, but it ended up not mattering on WWE Raw in Brooklyn.

We’re less than a week away from WrestleMania 40. Wild, right? You know we’re getting quite close because The Rock and Roman Reigns will on on WWE Raw tonight from Brooklyn, which isn’t something that happens every week.

OK, in fairness, The Rock has been around an awful lot as of late. He’s really jumped headfirst into this Final Boss heel run, regardless of whether it was originally in the cards or not.

Before you try to get any jokes off about Reigns, he typically isn’t even on Raw, so Monday nights aren’t really his domain. But it’s WrestleMania week, and now all bets are off.

Ah, but there might be the rub. See, last time we saw The Bloodline, the entire group minus Reigns was ruining last week’s episode of Raw for Cody Rhodes. Things got so bad for the American Nightmare that he ended up taking an extended beating from The Rock, one that was so one-sided that Rhodes could neither fight back nor object to hearing “look at you now” about 75 times.

Was that worse than being bloodied? You decide!

Seriously, though, it seems a bit unlikely that Rhodes would just let The Bloodline flaunt what they did without attempting to get some measure of revenge. Cody has sufficient backup in the form of Seth Rollins and Jey Uso, both of whom had his back last week, so … let’s just say it would be strange indeed if he didn’t show up trying to settle the score in Brooklyn.

There is indeed other stuff advertised for this show, including a Sami Zayn-Bronson Reed rematch, a women’s tag team match that will likely feature Candice LeRae acting horrible again, and The New Day teaming with #DIY against The Judgment Day. But Rock and Roman are where it’s at, and they might want to keep their guard up.

Let’s head to Barclays Center and see what’s what.

WWE Raw results from Brooklyn:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • As one might expect, the show begins with a recap of the stuff between The Rock and Cody Rhodes from last week’s episode of Raw
  • The Rock is in Brooklyn and he’s not alone, but does Seth Rollins bite off more than he can chew?
  • Footage is shown on Becky Lynch confronting Rhea Ripley on “The MMA Hour” earlier today; afterward, Cathy Kelley asks Lynch about it, and The Man says she’ll be in the ring later if Rhea wants to do something about it
  • The Judgment Day def. The New Day and #DIY by pinfall
  • The Rock says goodbye to Reigns, who is off to write his speech … because he’ll be inducting Paul Heyman into the WWE Hall of Fame Friday night
  • A classic training montage is shown of Sami Zayn training with Chad Gable and Alpha Academy to prepare him for Gunther
  • The Judgment Day gets a visit from Legado Del Fantasma, and Dom’s teammates aren’t crazy about him inviting Santos Escobar and company into their clubhouse
  • Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed ends suddenly as Gunther attacks Gable, then Sami
  • Jey Uso runs into Lil Wayne backstage, and Weezy says he’s going to premier a new single at WrestleMania
  • Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell by pinfall after Dupri dropkicks Hartwell into LeRae on the apron while the two are bickering (though only after Candice looks like she’s up to her dirty tricks again)
  • Jey tells Seth he has his back the same way Seth had his last week; they take a walk and talk strategy
  • A video promo by Drew McIntyre has the Scottish Warrior delivering what appears to be a eulogy for Seth Rollins’ career while also getting in some shots at CM Punk

  • Ricochet def. Ivar by pinfall, somehow hitting the big man with a fallaway slam along the way, hot damn
  • Damian Priest is upset that Ricochet hasn’t been handled yet, so JD McDonagh says he’ll take care of him during the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, and Dom says Andrade can handle it, offering him full membership if he does
  • Becky Lynch is looking for a fight, and she gets a brief one from Rhea Ripley
  • Dakota Kai and Damage CTRL say they’ll prove at WrestleMania that they are the future while also proving something in the ring tonight
  • Pearce is still struggling to get the Lynch-Ripley fracas under control backstage
  • Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors) def. Shayna Baszler, Tegan Nox and Zoey Stark by pinfall
  • Michael Cole and Pat McAfee run down the WrestleMania XL card; we do the same thing here
  • Kelley asks Rollins why he’d take on this match tonight so close to double duty at WrestleMania, and along with saying he only knows one speed, he says he always has a plan B; on his way to the ring, though, he runs into McIntyre, and says “I ain’t dead yet” while heading for the curtain
  • Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa ends in a no contest in a Bloodline Rules match, as The Rock and Reigns end up beating the heck out of Cody and Seth to end the show

The Rock is in Brooklyn and so is Roman Reigns, but neither of them are fighting Seth Rollins tonight

The Rock is a man of his word: He told Cody Rhodes he’d make him bleed, and that’s exactly what he did. And all the Cody Crybabies didn’t like that.

Though he mocks grown adults for crying about it, there were some reactions that stopped The Rock in his tracks. Namely, little kids crying on social media. Stuff like that breaks The Rock’s heart, however … there are moments in life when a man’s gotta to what a man’s gotta do.

The Rock repeats his assertion that professional wrestling is cool again and ratings have skyrocketed because of The Rock. Finally, The Final Boss has come back to Brooklyn, which gets most of the fans chanting “Rocky.”

But he didn’t come alone, as the rest of The Bloodline arrives. Roman Reigns gets Brooklyn to acknowledge him, then talks about the motto on his hoodie: “Family Above All.” He says it’s how he’s always operated, and he came to Raw to acknowledge his family.

“No yeet,” he says to the the chorus of “Yeet” chants, threatening to leave if the fans continue. Reigns says he wants to thank his cousin for making this the easiest WrestleMania of his life. He says they’re going to smash Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the tag team match and then have their way with Cody on Sunday.

But The Rock went above and beyond, making Cody bleed. Reigns insists that Rhodes only wanted to be part of WWE once he saw it was becoming cool again, but while they allowed him to be involved, this is far enough.

We’ll never know what Reigns intended to say next, as Seth Rollins’ music hits and the World Heavyweight Champion descends from the crowd like he did in The Shield era. Rollins says he’s not stupid enough to fall into their trap in the ring, and if they want a piece of him, they’ll have to come up in the crowd and fight the whole city of Brooklyn.

Rollins says the time for talk is over and he wants a fight — and tonight, not five days from now. Specifically, he asks for the biggest main event of all time and challenges The Rock to a match tonight. Or Reigns, he doesn’t care, nor does he mind if they set a stipulation. Who’s got the balls, he wonders.

The fans chant for Rocky again, and he’s incredulous, saying Seth doesn’t want any of that. Rollins isn’t going to fight The Rock or Reigns, as you expected, but since they always have a plan, they step aside and let Solo Sikoa step up.

Sikoa says he’s fighting Rollins, and Seth agrees, but The Rock says it’s Bloodline Rules.

Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley ignore the GM, start a brief scrap

No more talking for The Man. She wants a fight with Rhea Ripley right now. But General Manager Adam Pearce isn’t about that life, saying he needs to save that for WrestleMania and respectfully asks her to leave the ring.

Ripley comes out right after that, and Pearce tries to calm her down too. Rhea tosses her title belt to Pearce, powers through some security guards and heads to the ring.

The two WrestleMania opponents scrap, breaking free from security guards until Lynch dives from the top rope onto Ripley and a bunch of the guards on the floor. They’re eventually pulled apart just by sheer numbers.

Seth Rollins can’t defeat Solo Sikoa, as Bloodline Rules turns out to be literal

Rollins hits a suicide dive as soon as the bell rings, clearly not sitting back and letting Sikoa settle in. The fans challenge the record for least time passed before chanting for tables as Sikoa is hurled into the steel steps.

Heading behind the timekeeper’s area, Rollins starts chucking chair after chair at Solo, then DDTs him on a chair as well. The rest of The Bloodline might want to check on their boy.

A big cheer erupts from the fans as Rollins goes under the ring for a table setting it up in the ring. That backfires, however, when Sikoa meets him on the top turnbuckle and treats him to an Avalanche Samoan Drop to smash through it.

After commercials, Rollins has rebounded nicely, getting out a second table. Seth looks like he might go through that one too, with Solo looking for the same move. This time, Rollins pulls off the sunset flip, powerbombing Sikoa through the table. He wants a Stomp but is attacked by Jimmy Uso, who soon has to leave to deal with the incoming Jey Uso.

Unfortunately, Jey runs into The Rock, who quickly chucks Jey into the video board. The Final Boss heads for the ring and menaces Rollins. But Seth simply smiles, because Cody Rhodes’ music hits and the American Nightmare runs to the ring.

Rhodes unleashes on The Rock, then joins Rollins in clearing off the announce table. Cody looks for a Rock Bottom but is wiped out by Roman Reigns (who came out from beneath the ring), and now it’s a proper four-man melee.

The fans chant for CM Punk, but Reigns lays out Rollins with a Superman punch and spears Rhodes. Roman yells “this is it, this is everything” at Cody, then hugs The Rock. Reigns looks at his watch and The Rock takes off Cody’s belt, lashing both Rhodes and Rollins before tossing it to Reigns to do the same.

Sikoa is then ordered to hold Rhodes in place so The Rock can lash him again. The Rock holds up Cody’s belt and Roman raises his title belt as boos rain down on them. The Rock lays into Cody one more time as the show goes off the air.

WWE Raw preview 04/01/24: Will Cody Rhodes look for payback against The Rock?

Expect some more WrestleMania-related surprises tonight on WWE Raw from Brooklyn.

Turnabout is fair play, or at least that’s what they say. It’s an adage to keep in mind as we head into the final WWE Raw before WrestleMania, live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Rock and Roman Reigns will be in Brooklyn, but will Cody?

Cody Rhodes got the unpleasant surprise of the year so far last week on Raw, when The Rock showed up unannounced. He wasn’t alone either, and when the smoke cleared, Rhodes was bloody and battered out in the rain.

We know The Rock and Roman Reigns will be on hand for Raw tonight. This is Cody’s show, so surely he’s not going to let The Bloodline go without looking for revenge. It could be a wild scene in Brooklyn if last week was any indication.

Will anyone be able to stop Candice LeRae?

One of the more interesting midcard stories of the last few weeks has been the transformation in Candice LeRae. While she had been a “nice to her own detriment” face, she suddenly flipped a switch and became an “ends justify the means” heel.

That clearly hasn’t sat well with her tag team partner Indi Hartwell, who not only has a conscience but is losing friends over Candice’s actions. They’ll team again tonight to face Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri, but you have to wonder if Hartwell will finally be fed up enough to say or do something to her partner.

WWE Raw card for Brooklyn:

  • The Rock and Roman Reigns will both be in the house
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell vs. Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri
  • The Judgment Day vs. #DIY and The New Day

Incredibly, we’re just five days away from WrestleMania 40, so you won’t want to miss any of the shows this week. We’ll make sure you’re covered with live WWE Raw results and updates tonight, so join us back here at Wrestling Junkie to keep up with the latest.

[lawrence-related id=45029]

WWE Raw results 03/25/24: The Rock bloodies Cody, CM Punk makes Mania plans

The Fina Boss lived up to his word on WWE Raw from Chicago, much to Cody Rhodes’ detriment.

“Look in my eyes, what do you see? CM Punk on my TV!”

OK those aren’t the actual words to “Cult of Personality,” but they do fit the rhythm and also summarize the big selling point for WWE Raw tonight in (well really near) Chicago. Even though Punk won’t be able to compete at WrestleMania due to injury, there’s no reason he can’t address what is sure to be a rabid hometown crowd.

Considering Drew McIntyre keeps talking about him even while he’s out, Punk has stayed hot even while he’s been rehabbing his torn triceps. Our feeling here at Wrestling Junkie is that he and the Scottish Warrior are going to have a feud later this year, assuming McIntyre wins gold at WrestleMania.

Seth Rollins is going to have something to say about that, of course, and he might get involved in tonight’s festivities too. We know McIntyre is in town.

As for actual wrestling matches, WWE has promoted a bunch of those as well, including solo outings for Jey Uso and Sami Zayn, Ricochet taking on JD McDonagh, Andrade in action against Ivar, and new queen of the mean girls Candice LeRae battling Ivy Nile.

That’s plenty of reason to tune in even if you weren’t looking forward to seeing Punk, though you know you are. Here’s how it all unfolded.

WWE Raw results from Chicago:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are shown on the way into the building, after which we see highlights from the final segment of SmackDown that led to a standoff between Rhodes and Roman Reigns
  • Cody Rhodes is kicking us off, but The Rock is here too, and something he says to Cody has him a little shook
  • Jackie Redmond wants to know what The Rock said, but he suggest she ask Cody instead
  • The Judgment Day gets ready for tonight, with JD McDonagh saying he’ll handle Ricochet and Damian Priest suggesting he has a plan to have things in their favor heading into WrestleMania
  • Ricochet def. JD McDonagh by pinfall, shaking off distractions from Dominik Mysterio, who gets himself ejected from ringside before the finish
  • CM Punk has his homecoming, which turns into a discussion with Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins about WrestleMania
  • A short video shows Shinsuke Nakamura saying he’ll be a nightmare for Jey Uso tonight
  • Candice LeRae def. Ivy Nile by pinfall, again taking shortcuts and again making Indi Hartwell look like she feels bad
  • The New Day and #DIY do some backstage bickering when they’re visited by The Awesome Truth; R-Truth is hyped because he thinks it’s going to be The New Day vs. DX, and is that Paul Heyman talking to McIntyre in the background?
  • The New Day vs. #DIY ends in a no contest as The Judgment Day attacks both teams, and Awesome Truth (who were on guest commentary) ends up getting hauled into the mess and laid out as well
  • Redmond finds Rhodes, but Cody says it’s something he can’t repeat but suggests “it’s a promise that he can’t keep”
  • Cathy Kelley talks to Gunther, who doubles down on his assertion that Sami Zayn doesn’t really think he can win at WrestleMania, or even beat Bronson Reed tonight
  • Andrade def. Giovanni Vinci by pinfall
  • When are Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch finally going to throw down? How about right now
  • Chad Gable stops Sami Zayn and pleads with him to focus on his match tonight; Sami appreciates the tough love approach and says Chad is right, then shakes his hand
  • Bronson Reed def. Sami Zayn by pinfall after a distraction by Gunther proves costly for Sami
  • Jey Uso cuts his pre-match promo on Nakamura, but he gets a quick visit from Solo Sikoa, who says nothing, and Jimmu Uso, who says “no yeet”
  • Zayn laments to Gable that he knew what Gunther was doing and it still worked; Chad says that Sami needs a different approach, and they can talk about it
  • Rollins finds Jey and says something doesn’t feel right, but that he and Cody have his back so he can get that dub
  • Jey Uso def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall, despite The Bloodline and McIntyre scrapping with Rhodes and Rollins
  • That fighting continues to the backstage area, where The Rock attacks Rhodes with a variety of weapons, including trash cans, and they battle outside into the rain, where Cody is busted open while The Rock wipes his blood on the belt just as he said he would last week

The Rock manages to unsettle Cody Rhodes with just a whisper

What does Chicago want to talk about? Cody could say nothing, as the talk is kind of over this close to WrestleMania. After getting the fans to cheer for Pat McAfee and Michael Cole, Rhodes talks about how Roman Reigns said a lot during his media rounds last week.

A “Roman sucks” chant loudly rings through the arena while Cody says the idea that he’s not keeping his promises got under his skin. He’s actually done plenty of promise-keeping, even for people he doesn’t really know. Cody says he’s had to play the role of champion because the champion isn’t here.

Even though Rhodes says he’s done all of this without asking for anything in return, he does need something now: He needs the fans to ride with him for both nights of WrestleMania. Now he wants all 15,000 people in the arena to point at the WrestleMania sign with him, which they do.

That is quickly answered though, by the unadvertised arrival of The Rock, which also sends the fans into a frenzy. There are some “Rocky” chants among the boos, for sure. Oh, and some “holy s–t” chants that have to be blanked out.

After an extended staredown and a smirk from The Final Boss, The Rock simply whispers something to Cody and leaves The Ring, bringing “Rocky sucks” chants as he smiles and walks to the back.

CM Punk will be at WrestleMania, but will he get the last word with Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre?

The fans in Chicago greet Punk warmly before he says he will definitely be at WrestleMania. He says his arm is not great and he’s not medically cleared, but his mouth works. Does that mean he will host WrestleMania? Ten years ago he said he would have felt that was beneath him, but now he wishes he could just be in front of the people.

What about being a referee? Is there a title match that could use an impartial referee? People sure like talking about him, though, and Punk mentions that Roman Reigns talked about him on Pat McAfee’s show, but he’s earned the right.

Seth Rollins also likes talking about him, but Punk also figures maybe he’s earned the right too. In contrast, The Rock hasn’t talked about him, but Punk likes to think it’s because he already knows his arms “were just too short to box with God.”

And then there’s Drew McIntyre. Punk says he’s been very quiet because in Chicago, if you have a problem you handle it face to face like a man. The Scottish Warrior arrives and promptly gets a dose of verbal venom, which gets the fans on him too.

McIntyre says he’d love to head to the ring but also reminds Punk of what happened last time that happened. As they argue about t-shirts, McIntyre claims he doesn’t hate Punk, because CM completes him.

They finally end up finding something to argue about: McIntyre calling himself The Chosen One. Punk wants to know who chose him, because it wasn’t the people.

Drew insists he wants CM to have a front row seat at WrestleMania to see McIntyre have his long awaited moment in front of a stadium full of live fans.

That, in turn, brings out Seth Rollins, and the fans reach full throat again. Rollins, of course, doesn’t like Punk and says he doesn’t get to make decisions about a WrestleMania main event when he’s not in it.

Still, Rollins decides to poll the crowd: Should Punk be on commentary? That “referee” chant suggests they’d prefer something out. Punk demonstrates he can count with his left arm but also says he doesn’t think he could be impartial with “these two dips–ts,” to which McIntyre hilariously quips “PG, brother.”

Seth insists he never even thinks about Punk but appreciates the irony of him calling Rollins’ finest hour. He says Punk can do whatever he wants at WrestleMania as long as stays out of Seth’s way.

Punk says it’s decided: He’ll do guest commentary and manage to actually make them both interesting. An angry McIntyre says Punk doesn’t get the last word, insisting that Punk is “my No. 1 Stan,” but he climbs in the ring as he’s talking and gets a superkick and a Stomp from Rollins.

Words finally turn to fists for Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch

Is Ripley getting enough attention? She tells Dirty Dom she doesn’t think so, saying Becky Lynch keeps fighting other people week after week. Though Rhea figures she could have attacked The Man at any time, she decided to be respectful.

Now she’s just getting impatient. Mysterio is about to throw in his two cents when Lynch’s music hits. Becky taunts Rhea about not ever wrestling on Raw any more, to which Ripley says she doesn’t need to be in the ring every week to get everyone’s attention. She can just post a photo or video online and “watch these freaks eat it up.”

They simply have different opinions on what being a champion is all about. Ripley agrees that Lynch is a survivor … or really a cockroach, since she’s hard to kill but not impossible. Rhea says she’ll leave Becky alive so she can sit on her couch and hear her daughter call Ripley Mami.

Lynch says if Ripley ever mentions her daughter again, it will be the last words Rhea ever utters. Neither her quips nor the title is a joke to Becky, even if they are to Rhea. Lynch also says when Ripley throws the first punch, there’s no going back, and neither of them will ever be the same again.

Dom holds Rhea back, but that gets him punched, and now Becky and Rhea are throwing hands. They battle onto the ramp, where referees finally arrive to separate them.

Jey Uso perseveres through chaos, pins Shinsuke Nakamura

It’s all yeets early, meaning strikes from Jey, but Shinsuke manages to fight back pretty quickly. The question is how long will it be until this all degenerates into chaos.

It won’t be until after the commercial break, when Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso emerge from the crowd and are quickly intercepted by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Here comes Drew McIntyre too, who ends up giving Rollins a Future Shock on the floor.

Amidst the melee on the floor, Uso is able to superkick and spear Nakamura, ending the match.

WWE Raw results 03/18/24: The Man takes flight to be Last Woman Standing

This week on WWE Raw, Becky Lynch outlasted Nia Jax, Cody Rhodes spit fire at The Rock, and Sami Zayn questioned himself.

Becky Lynch doesn’t do tune-up matches. She only does big time bouts even while on the Road to WrestleMania, and she’s got another one tonight on WWE Raw in Raleigh.

See, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with The Man about Nia Jax. It’s not just that Jax beat Lynch clean earlier this year, though that’s definitely a big part of it.

The rest has to do with Lynch trying to prove she’s the best at what she does when she faces Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40. How can she claim to be the top dog if she can’t first say definitively she’s better than Jax?

Becky would tell you she can’t. That’s why we’ve ended up with a Last Woman Standing match less than three weeks out from Philadelphia. It should be really fun, and there’s definitely a chance that Liv Morgan gets involved as well. What would that mean for the Showcase of the Immortals? We’ll find out soon enough.

The other big thing on tonight’s Raw is getting more teams into the Six-Pack Ladder Match for the men’s tag team titles at WrestleMania. There are three qualifying matches on the card this evening, and the one we’ve really got our eye on is #DIY vs. The Creed Brothers. Honestly seems like both teams would be great to have in the title match, so we’re not sure which way this one will go.

Oh, and there’s going to be a contract signing between Gunther and Sami Zayn, so if you’re one of the people still holding out hope that Chad Gable works his way into a Triple Threat situation, this would be the time.

We’re pumped for this Raw, one of only three left before WrestleMania. Let’s get into it.

WWE Raw results from Raleigh:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Jey Uso has a discussion with Jimmy Uso, then gets assistance from Cody Rhodes to fight off an attack from Jimmy and Solo Sikoa
  • A hype video is shown for the Last Woman Standing match, along with a shot of Becky on her way into the arena
  • Paul Heyman apologizes to Adam Pearce for Jimmy and Solo “going into business for themselves” and insists they did what they did on their own and Pearce has Roman Reigns’ word that they are gone; Heyman adds that he has official business to do and that “everyone is going to be caught off guard”

  • #DIY def. The Creed Brothers by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • The Judgment Day talks to Andrade, who will get a chance to impress them next week; Damian Priest chastises JD McDonagh for not winning the Gauntlet match, but somehow it now falls on Dominik Mysterio to get some shine back by defeating Ricochet tonight
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by submission, with LeRae taking advantage of a knee “injury” to Chance and exploiting it to get the victory
  • The Rock Concert segment from SmackDown is shown
  • Cody Rhodes has some venom for The Rock tonight, and does some negotiating of sorts with Heyman
  • Nia Jax says Becky Lynch has never beaten her, and when that proves true again, Nia plans on taking her spot at WrestleMania
  • Jey Uso offers to watch Cody’s back if needed on SmackDown, though Rhodes also says he gave his word he’d show up alone
  • Ricochet def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall, with McDonagh unable to help Dom win or successfully ambush Ricochet after the final bell
  • Sami Zayn finds Chad Gable and expresses his respect for Gable, but they end up having a disagreement over Chad’s “it just means more” mantra before Gable suggests that Zayn “can’t beat Gunther”
  • The Sami Zayn-Gunther contract signing turns into a referendum on self-belief
  • Awesome Truth gets a pep talk from #DIY before heading out to face Indus Sher
  • The Awesome Truth def. Indus Sher by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • Zayn demands to know why Gable said he can’t beat Gunther, and Chad tells him it’s because Sami waits for a window of opportunity to strike and will need to change his mentality to have any chance to win
  • Drew McIntyre is interrupted immediately by Seth Rollins, who poses an interesting question: Is Drew more like Seth than he’d care to admit?
  • Becky Lynch cuts a short promo ahead of her main event with Jax
  • The New Day def. Alpha Academy (Akira Tozawa and Otis) by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • Liv Morgan stops by and tells Becky that Nia is all hers tonight — just make sure you kick her ass
  • Rollins checks in with Rhodes, who again insists he’s going to face Reigns solo on SmackDown
  • Becky Lynch def. Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match
  • As Lynch takes a moment to compose herself after a hard-fought victory, she’s joined in the ring by Rhea Ripley, and the two stand eye to eye exchanging pleasantries as Raw goes off the air

Jey, Jimmy Uso talk WrestleMania, and Cody Rhodes ensures there’s no Bloodline ambush

Pat McAfee is already tired from participating in the Yeetdown. Michael Cole mentions that it will be only the third time that it’s brother vs. brother at WrestleMania. Jey says he knows The Bloodline is in the building and asks big brother Jimmy where he’s at.

Jimmy comes through the crowd, side by side with Solo Sikoa. But Solo stands outside the ring, allowing Jey and Jimmy to come face to face. Jey says regardless of what’s happened and the bad blood, he misses his twin.

Jey asks Jimmy to come back, but Jimmy insists he never left. After running down all the things Jey’s done since going to Raw, he claims the biggest moment of his career is because of … Jimmy.

Jey says nah, that his biggest career moment will be at WrestleMania 40 when he knocks the yeet out of his ass. Jey gets in the first shot, but Jimmy is able to land a superkick thanks to a distraction from Solo. it could be a two-on-one beatdown, but here comes Cody Rhodes, who chucks Jimmy aside and hits a Cody Cutter on Sikoa.

Cody Rhodes has some pointed insults for The Rock and negotiates a bit with Paul Heyman

Rhodes is dressed in all black tonight, perhaps a sign of what kind of headspace he’s in. Cody starts off by reminding us that in less than three weeks, he’s going to face the greatest champion in all of sports once again.

He’ll have a conversation with Roman Reigns on SmackDown about that, but there are complications, the biggest one being The Rock. Rhodes brings up The Rock referring to himself as our favorite heel and runs down some of the great heels he’s known.

“Rock, I don’t think you’re a heel … I think you’re an a–hole.”

Cody goes on to suggest that while The Rock made fun of him for crying, wasn’t The People’s Champ the one actually crying behind the scene? Accusing the people around him of being yes-men, Cody says that he’s lots of wonderful thing — but also a whiny bitch.

Saying it was fair game for The Rock to mention his mom, Cody also says he knows Rock’s mom. Rhodes says she’s wonderful, deserving of respect just like his own mom should be since she wouldn’t be scared of The Rock.

Addressing WrestleMania, Cody admits he doesn’t know if Sunday will be Bloodline Rules or if he’ll finish the story. But how can The Rock be so sure of himself? After all, he hasn’t been in the ring for years. Final Boss? Rhodes says maybe he’ll only be “Roman’s side chick.”

That brings out an angry Paul Heyman, who apologizes for his previous apology because it was dumb. Rhodes invites Heyman into the ring, but he says he’s cool on the apron and has a message from Reigns: When Reigns and Rhodes are face to face on SmackDown, no other members of The Bloodline will be present except for Paul.

Cody likes what he hears and says “Deal.” But Heyman says he forgot one crucial point. Namely, that Rhodes has to show up alone to SmackDown too. “Deal.”

Sami Zayn and Gunther make it official for WrestleMania, but does Sami believe in himself?

Adam Pearce is in the ring with the usual contract signing setup, summoning Zayn first and then Gunther. The Ring General mocks Sami for dressing like any slob from the crowd, to which Zayn takes offense at the feeling that Gunther doesn’t think he can win their match.

Sami angrily signs on the dotted line, but Gunther just wants to make fun of hic challenger a little more, questioning whether he even believes he can win. He smiles as he signs too and prepares to leave. But Zayn tells him to wait and tells Gunther to look into his eyes before storming off.

Is Drew McIntyre more like Seth Rollins than he cares to admit to himself?

McIntyre can’t be pleased that he’s immediately interrupted by the arrival of Rollins before he even makes it down the ramp. Mind games are fair play on the Road to WrestleMania, though.

They both end up in the ring, where Seth claims he has something to get off his chest. He admits he’s a spotlight junkie in the manner of people introducing themselves at AA meetings. “Spotlight junkie” chants break out in response.

An exasperated McIntyre says Rollins has become a parody of himself, but the only punchline is going to be when Drew beats him for the title at WrestleMania. McIntyre also mocks the “CM Punk” chant, at which point Rollins interjects and says none of this is a joke to him.

The World Heavyweight Champion says he’s been doing this for a while and it gets better every time. He wants the spotlight as bright as it can possibly be, which surprisingly gets McIntyre’s approval … except for the finish.

“You had me until you mentioned the big spotlight,” Drew says, yelling that it should only be the work they’ve done that matters. Rollins’ priorities are all screwed up, he insists, and that means McIntyre won’t get the moment he deserves — he’ll get the moment he earned.

Seth retorts that Drew is a spotlight junkie just as much as he is, motivated by the fact that his previous title run was in front of no fans. The problem is that when the lights got bright again, McIntyre fumbled the ball. At WrestleMania 40, Seth suggests, Drew will discover he’s not as good as he thinks he is.

Becky Lynch takes to the air to defeat Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match

Lynch looks like she wants to try to end it early, taking it to Jax in and out of the ring. Pat McAfee says he thought the strategy would be opposite, and perhaps he has a point as Jax starts taking over on the outside. They slug it out as the match goes to its first commercial break.

Michael Cole reminds us the only way to win is to keep your opponent down for a count of 10. Jax is busy getting out a table and a ton of chairs, but Lynch is recovering and uses a chair on Nia as she climbs back in the ring.

Jax hits a Samoan Drop back onto a pile of chairs, and McAfee thinks that’s it. Narrator: It was not it.

The crowd wants tables but Lynch is busy applying a sleeper, then pivoting into a bulldog onto a chair. The ref counts to about six, then Lynch tries coming off the top rope and takes a chair to the gut.

Jax is feeling good as Lynch struggles to get back up, eating more chair shots when she does. Jax sits right on top of her on a chair, but a kendo stick is within reach for The Man, and she goes to town with that, sending Jax to the floor.

Nia recovers quickly and picks up the steps to use as a weapon. But she misses when trying a legdrop on the apron, then gets dropped on the steps. The ref gets to six, so Lynch smashes her face into the steps again. The fans roar their approval as Becky gets out a table right as more ads arrive.

There’s now a ladder set up when the broadcast returns, but Lynch is able to blind Jax with a blast from a fire extinguisher. Somehow she’s still able to stagger back into the ring and hit Lynch with a Samoan Drop that drives The Man through a table.

Jax hits an Annihilator too, and the ref starts to count. Lynch rolls out of the ring at eight, landing on her feet to break the count. Jax eyes the table on the floor, but Lynch wriggles free of a Samoan Drop and hits a Manhandle Slam through the table instead.

The ref counts but both women make it up; Jax just barely. Seeing she needs to do something spectacular to win it, Lynch scales the ladder and drives Jax through the announce table with a legdrop. The ref counts, and this time not even Jax is getting up.

WWE Raw results 03/11/24: Sami runs the Gauntlet, earns WrestleMania spot

Chad Gable came agonizingly close to earning another shot at Gunther, but fell just short on WWE Raw.

Just because WrestleMania is less than four weeks away doesn’t mean that WWE weekly TV grinds to a halt. On the contrary, now that the biggest matches for Philadelphia are finalized, there’s a lot of work to fill in the rest of the card, and some of it will be done tonight on WWE Raw from Houston.

In one of the show’s featured bouts, the women’s tag team titles will be on the line. The Kabuki Warriors have them now, but Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark have more than earned a shot at them. Would WWE consider a title change here, or might this be a feud that goes all the way to the Showcase of the Immortals?

Another big order of business is finding Gunther a WrestleMania challenger for his Intercontinental Championship. Many have tried and failed, but the fact that there are six men in the Gauntlet match tonight vying for a shot means he hasn’t quite cleaned out the division.

It’s a mix of former champs, up and comers and Chad Gable, who has made his quest to get a rematch with Gunther a personal one. Can the Alpha Academy leader climb a very tall mountain and get his WrestleMania moment?

Plus, since you know WWE isn’t going to let even one show go right now without keeping its top storylines on at least a low simmer, Michael Cole will have an interview with Cody Rhodes. Maybe he can talk about how oddsmakers think he and Seth Rollins will lose the tag team match on Night 1 of WrestleMania, making his rematch with Roman Reigns that much harder on Night 2.

We’ll have to wait and see. But not long because we’re off and running from the Toyota Center.

WWE Raw results from Houston:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Several wrestlers and Travis Scott are shown on their way into the arena before the show
  • Drew McIntyre chides Seth Rollins for not listening to his own advice, but the Visionary claims Drew is the least of his problems
  • A video package shows Chad Gable talking about his chance to rewrite history if he can make it through the Gauntlet
  • Becky Lynch def. Liv Morgan by pinfall
  • Right after the match, Rhea Ripley walks by Morgan and gets in the ring with Lynch; Mami accuses Lynch of knowing that Rhea is better than her, taking on a number of pre-WrestleMania matches to use as an excuse when she loses in Philly, but The Man says she’s even better when everyone doubts her so doesn’t mind if the world is against her
  • Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis make their announcement: At WrestleMania, The Judgment Day will defend their tag team titles against 5 other teams in a Six-Pack Ladder match; teams will be able to win their way in over the next few weeks
  • The Judgment Day reacts angrily to the above news and vows to find Pearce to … complain, we guess
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri by pinfall, in large part because LeRae decides to say some very hurtful, personal things to Dupri to throw her off her game
  • Finn Balor leads The Judgment Day into the GMs’ office and lodges a complaint, and Damian Priest demands to know whose idea it was; they’re really upset when it turns out that it came from The Miz and R-Truth, and Truth is there even though he is supposed to be doing media with Miz, so Priest asks Pearce to make a match between them
  • Michael Cole talks to Cody Rhodes, who explains that it’s not his story alone he needs to finish
  • We hear from Ricochet and JD McDonagh, also entrants in the Gauntlet match later tonight
  • Lynch finds Morgan backstage and offers a handshake which is accepted, but both of them are assaulted suddenly by Nia Jax, who drives The Man through a merch table
  • Kabuki Warriors def. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship; 
  • Andrade stops by to see Dominik Mysterio, but since he’s not here, Ripley tells him they can talk business next week, and he seems amenable to that
  • Shinsuke Nakamura and Bronson Reed get their say before the Gauntlet match
  • Damian Priest def. R-Truth by pinfall, though the match also pulls in #DIY and Priest’s teammates; after the match, The Judgment Day beats up on #DIY
  • Logan Paul has a major announcement to make on ImPAULsive tomorrow
  • Meanwhile, Lynch says it’ll be her vs. Jax, Last Woman Standing next week
  • Jey Uso says he wants to holler at his brother Jimmy Uso, proposing they fight at WrestleMania and promising to “knock the yeet out your ass!”
  • After a tribute plays to celebrate his record-breaking title reign, Gunther tells Jackie Redmond that the idea of people thinking he’s become overconfident is silly, and that while he finds it flattering that six men are going to all this effort to challenge him, he clearly thinks whoever it is will be fighting an uphill battle against him
  • Gauntlet match for Intercontinental Championship title shot at WrestleMania

Seth Rollins says he’s not sweating Drew McIntyre

The Scottish Warrior wastes no time starting right in on Seth Rollins, accusing him of not being able to leave well enough alone and agreeing to compete on both nights of WrestleMania. McIntyre adds that he also has been thinking about the bigger picture, scoffing when the crowd starts a “CM Punk” chant.

No, McIntyre says the bigger picture involves The Rock, and that pro wrestling should be working with someone who is one of the most powerful people in entertainment. Drew thinks when he’s champion, WWE will actually have a champion the company can invest in and be proud of, but that brings Seth Rollins out to join him.

Rollins gives McIntyre the chance to get a shot in, mockingly turning his back since he says Drew is a coward. The Scottish Warrior insists he just wants Seth to listen, and that he was right: Rollins was the one who told him he needed to get over The Bloodline, because for a champion, that’s all you should care about.

McIntyre says he pleaded for Rollins to heed his own advice but he would not. Seth replies that Drew is starting to remind him of CM Punk, because he used to think Punk was the biggest hypocrite in the world and now he’s not sure. Wasn’t it Drew that had such an issue with The Bloodline? Because recently it seems like he’s been getting plenty of help from that group.

Rollins vows that he and Cody Rhodes will take down The Bloodline on Night 1 at WrestleMania, and on Night 2, the same thing will happen that always happens when they face off: Seth will stomp his head into the mat, pin him and the people will sing his song.

Before he walks out, McIntyre claims there’s nothing Rollins can do to provoke him. Before he can get up the ramp, though, Seth says that of all the things he has to worry about for WrestleMania, Drew is at the very bottom of the list. McIntyre is obviously angry and makes it back as far as the ropes, but he eventually turns and stomps off.

Becky Lynch gets a legitimate battle from Liv Morgan but prevails in the end

It’s kind of fun that these two fan favorites have legit beef with each other without either one turning. That should be possible with good writing.

Morgan proves to be every bit as savvy as Lynch early on, even hitting a suicide dive right before a commercial break.

Lynch is fighting back big time after the ads, hitting several suplexes and a baseball slide kick to the floor. Becky comes off the apron and nails Liv as well, but her attempt to come off the middle rope back in the bring is answered by a Codebreaker that leaves both women down.

A series of kicks by Lynch is answered by a springboard Codebreaker, forcing The Man to kick out at two. They battle to the apron, where Morgan is able to prevail and hit a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor. She returns to the ring and covers, but Becky once again kicks out at two.

Lynch hits a Manhandle Slam amidst some back and forth, but Morgan rolls to the floor to prevent a cover as more commercials slide in.

Turnabout, as they say, is fair play, and Lynch shows it by rolling outside after Morgan connects with Oblivion. Liv tries to come off the second rope but is caught with another Manhandle Slam, and this time it’s enough to seal the deal.

Michael Cole gets Cody Rhodes to call it the ninth inning

Before he summons the American Nightmare, Cole introduces a full replay of the segment featuring Rhodes, Rollins, Roman Reigns and The Rock on last Friday’s SmackDown. You may remember that ended with Cody slapping The Rock, though the show quickly ended after hand hit face.

Cole cuts to the chase by asking why he slapped The Rock after he trumpeted the fact that he’s Rhodes’ boss. Rhodes isn’t so sure that’s really true but says if it is, it feels good to slap your boss. He says The Rock was a wrestler before he was all the other things he is today, and a great one at that.

Things take a turn as Cole points out that maybe Rollins wants to be the one to beat Reigns. How can Cody trust Seth? People change, Cody says, before rolling a clip from last October and another conversation with Cole.

It was about finishing his story, of course, and Rhodes admits he’s scared because he can’t say “I’ll get him next year” again. However, Cody says the story is not about him but all the fans who have been along on the ride with him, as well as his family.

Rebuking Paul Heyman’s famous quote about what inning The Bloodline story is in, Rhodes suggests we’re in the last inning, ending by telling Cole he’ll have the chance to make this call: “Cody Rhodes has finished his story.”

Dakota Kai tips the scales as Kabuki Warriors barely retain their gold

Asuka and Stark are first to enter the fray, with Zoey getting a quick two count on a dropkick. Baszler tags in and absorbs some kicks before grabbing Asuka’s ankle, but Kairi Sane is in not long after to spell her teammate.

The challengers subject Sane to some double team offense, and Zoey goes flying to the floor as well before a commercial break.

The announcers keep putting over Zoey’s athleticism, and rightly so, as she keeps taking it to Sane. Kairi headbutts Zoey into the Tree of Woe and hits a double stomp off the top buckle. Stark barely manages to beat the three count.

Both wrestlers make tags, leaving Asuka and Baszler to slug it out. Sane tags back in and hits a blockbuster, and the champs are rolling now. A sliding knee from Asuka hammers Baszler, but Stark hustles to break up the pin.

A Baszler kick levels Asuka, but the Empress counters the Z-360 with a German suplex. A second Z-360 finds the target, and a Baszler knee looks like it might be the match-winner until Asuka makes the save.

Baszler gets the Kirifuda Clutch on Sane, but Dakota Kai pulls Shayna’s leg under the bottom rope to break the hold. The champs take full advantage, double teaming Baszler until she’s finished off by an Insane Elbow.

Gauntlet match for Intercontinental Championship title shot at WrestleMania

Ricochet and JD McDonagh kick us off, showing us off some fun mat work and evasive maneuvers. JD hits double knees as a counter to a springboard cross body, which gets him the edge as they spill outside the ring.

McDonagh is still in charge back inside the ring, with Pat McAfee advancing the idea that Ricochet gets all the way back to the title he once held if he can come through the Gauntlet. The announcers also feel this first matchup is taking too long to benefit whoever wins it.

JD has another counter ready for Ricochet and follows with a brainbuster for a near fall. A number of shots crash home in both directions until Ricochet is nearly pinned again. To commercials we go.

Ricochet hits his inevitable rally and scores his own near fall. McDonagh rakes his eyes and sends him into the post, covering for another two.

JD keeps focusing on Ricochet’s midsection, attacking the ribs. They head up top together, but Ricochet shoves his foe down and delivers a Shooting Star Press to advance. JD McDonagh is eliminated.

Bronson Reed gets greeted by a twisting plancha from Ricochet, but he responds quickly with a running powerslam in the ring for a near fall. A step-up enzuigiri staggers Reed, who recovers to shove his opponent down and hit a senton.

Reed hits the Tsunami, and that’s it for the Highlight of the Night. Ricochet is eliminated.

Sami Zayn is the next man up, though he barely gets going before we step away for ads again.

The announcers note again that Zayn needs to win this as he has put all his eggs in this basket for WrestleMania. He’s in trouble on Reed’s shoulders on the turnbuckles, but he pivots into a sunset flip powerbomb and holds on for three. Bronson Reed is eliminated.

No one gave Reed the memo, though, as he delivers a cheap shot to Zayn, then a Tsunami as Shinsuke Nakamura is slow to enter the fray. Shinsuke lines up a Kinshasa but misses, and Zayn nearly rolls him up for the pinfall.

Nakamura throws Zayn over the announce table as we step away for what’s likely the last set of commercials tonight.

Zayn sees a Kinshasa coming again, but Shinsuke nails him with a scissor kick. A Helluva Kick comes right back as an answer, and Nakamura is down for the three. Shinsuke Nakamura is eliminated.

Gable shows some sportsmanship, seeing Zayn is beaten down and telling him he wants Sami back up before they lock up. Gable gets in the first offense when they finally do battle, hitting two German suplexes and looking for the ankle lock both in and out of the ring.

Sami drives Chad’s back into the steel steps, and whoops, we were wrong, one more ad break.

We return right into a superplex by Gable that earns him a near fall. He wants a moonsault next, but Zayn meets him there, and even after getting knocked to the canvas, gets his knees up to fend off the moonsault and covers for a two count.

Zayn ends up in the grips of the ankle lock, and even though he reaches the ropes for a break, there is definitely some damage done. Sami manages to hit an exploder suplex into the buckles, but gable sees a Helluva Kick coming and applies the ankle lock again.

Sami is straining hard but gets pulled back into the middle of the ring. This time Zayn rolls onto his back, but a tenacious Gable simply won’t let go. Sami gets onto one foot but is German suplexed for his efforts. A moonsault is on the way, but Zayn rolls out of the way.

A Helluva Kick is on target, but Zayn only gets two, as does Gable when he flips the pinning predicament over.

Both men are slow to recover from that last exchange, and we’re running short on time in the show. Gable manages to get the drop, hitting Chaos Theory for another two, then transitioning back to the ankle lock. Somehow, Zayn reverses the hold into a pinfall attempt, and this time he hangs on for the three.

Gable’s disappointment is evident as he can’t believe he didn’t get the victory, but Zayn is on his way to WrestleMania. Gable picks up Zayn, who won’t let him walk away without hugging him.

A smiling Gunther comes out onto the stage just as Raw fades out for the night.

WWE Raw results 03/04/24: Drew McIntyre gets one over on Jey Uso … and Seth Rollins

The Bloodline, and especially Jimmy Uso, also found a way to screw Jey Uso over again this week on WWE Raw.

Let’s go, San Antonio. Specifically, let’s get it cranked up for WWE Raw, which features a pair of matches between bitter rivals.

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom … er, sorry, just in WWE, Drew McIntyre had a chance to defeat Roman Reigns in front of his countrymen. He failed, and Jey Uso, then a loyal member of the Bloodline, was a big reason why.

Things have changed for both men quite a bit since then. Jey has discovered his better angels and had his own title bids foiled by the Bloodline. McIntyre, meanwhile, has seen misfortune befall his foes while his own arrow has been pointing up: all the way to WrestleMania 40 and another world championship opportunity next month.

That’s emboldened him to tell the people he dislikes exactly what he thinks of them, including Uso. Some hands flew during their conversation, and more will fly tonight between them on Raw.

As for Becky Lynch, her tale is more one of the opponent she can’t get past. Nia Jax beat The Man clean on the first Raw of the year, and it’s been a defeat that hasn’t sit well with Lynch.

Can Becky overcome the one foe she’s never really been able to put down? She’ll get a chance tonight.

Let’s see what’s going down.

WWE Raw results from San Antonio:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • After we see Jey Uso and Nia Jax entering the building, a video package takes us through Cody Rhodes’ challenge to The Rock, along with the counteroffer the latter made last week on SmackDown
  • Cody Rhodes wants to make sure Seth Rollins is on the same page with him, and they pledge to answer The Rock’s challenge Friday on SmackDown
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Gunther by submission
  • Damage CTRL runs into Adam Pearce, who wants to know why the group is here, and Dakota Kai claims it’s for the tag team champs to scout Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark; Shinsuke Nakamura also wants to have a word with Pearce about the Intercontinental Championship
  • Katana Chance and Kayden Carter tell Cathy Kelley they’re determined to do whatever it takes to be back in tag team title contention
  • Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by pinfall; after the match, Kai gets in the ring to tell the victors that they’ll get a title shot at Houston, and Baszler says they’ll see the Kabuki Warriors next week
  • The Judgment Day regroups with Mysterio, who gets a visit from Andrade while JD McDonagh seems nervous he’s being serves up to Gunther soon
  • A short hype video gets us prepared for Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax, which is up next
  • Nia Jax def. Becky Lynch by DQ thanks to an attack from Liv Morgan, who ends up squabbling with Lynch until both are beaten down by Jax
  • An irritated Ricochet is told by Pearce that he has a plan that should satisfy just about anyone looking for an IC title shot; The Judgment Day stops by as well, and McDonagh makes his pitch to face Gunther
  • Lynch and Morgan keep arguing in the back and agree to settle their differences in the ring next week; Becky also gets a brief visit from Rhea Ripley, who simply flashes her a sinister smile and walks away
  • A video package shows us how we got to this moment between Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre ahead of their match later tonight
  • Andrade def. Apollo Crews by pinfall in Andrade’s first match back in WWE
  • Pearce reveals his Intercontinental Championship contender idea: a Gauntlet match that will take place next week on Raw and feature six men: Sami Zayn, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bronson Reed, JD McDonagh and Chad Gable

  • Sami Zayn says the Gauntlet match is the path to WrestleMania he believed would reveal itself, but that also means it’s do or die for him; Valhalla and Ivar stop by and mock Zayn for believing he can beat Gunther, but Sami says he knows he can beat Ivar, and they agree to battle tonight
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell are getting antsy about a title shot, and Natalya and Tegan Nox have even more internal issues; Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile stop by to offer encouragement, which only seems to tick off Candice
  • The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) by pinfall
  • A highlight package is shown of Paul Heyman being named to the WWE Hall of Fame as the first member of the Class of 2024
  • Drew McIntyre doesn’t think Seth Rollins listened to anything he had to say and also warns Jey Uso that while he knows Jey could use a big win, he’s not going to be able to get it tonight
  • Damage CTRL bumps into Ripley, who warns IYO SKY to stay out of her territory but simply gets a scoffing laugh in return
  • Sami Zayn def. Ivar by pinfall but gets immediately ambushed by Bronson Reed and crushed with a Tsunami
  • Gunther talks to Kelley about the Gauntlet match, and the Ring General says he is kind of flattered to have so many men competing to challenge him, though all that will get them is a chance to be outclassed at WrestleMania; Chad Gable stops by and repeats his “it just means more” mantra about why he’ll win
  • Jey Uso apologizes to McIntyre … for what he’s about to do to Drew, that is; also he now has “Yeet” sunglasses
  • The Miz finds Xavier Woods, R-Truth and #DIY playing WWE 2K24 (and R-Truth still thinks #DIY is DX) and says the way to get payback on The Judgment Day is by taking their tag team titles
  • Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins have each other’s backs, including this Friday on SmackDown

After asking what San Antonio wants to talk about, Rhodes says he’d love to discuss standing across the ring from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. However, he really can’t talk about it because of a distraction called The Rock.

Cody is ticked at The Rock insulting the fans, but especially mocking his dog. He notes that The Rock didn’t accept his challenge for a one-on-one match, spinning things and presenting a whole different challenge like the politician that he is.

One thing Rhodes admits is that he and The Rock did have a conversation, and The Rock suggested the people wanted Rock vs. Roman at WrestleMania. Why, he wonders, did people start chanting “We want Cody” while The Rock decided to call them Cody crybabies?

Since The Rock’s new challenge also involves his friend, he calls Seth Rollins to join him in the ring. Rhodes knows Rollins has offered his assistance against the Bloodline, but he also knows Seth has his own match against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania. If he needs to focus on Drew, Cody says he’d understand.

Rollins insists he’ll take care of McIntyre, as it’s not just Cody’s story that needs to be finished at WrestleMania, it’s his story too. Seth once vowed to give the power to the people, but Reigns wants to keep it all for himself. With The Rock now in the Bloodline, Roman is this close to having absolute power.

He goes on to say he’s “kind of over The Rock,” which inspires an enthusiastic “Rocky sucks” chant. Since none of his previous nicknames fit him now, Rollins says he’s going to call The Rock “Diarrhea Dwayne.” The crowd sounds like it enjoys that suggestion.

What Seth doesn’t like is The Rock saying he made wrestling cool again, as he hasn’t been cool in 20 years. But what is cool is that Rollins has been medically cleared, so he’ll be at SmackDown Friday to confront the Bloodline.

Seth just wants to know if Cody has his back in return, and the American Dream confirms he’ll join Rollins on SmackDown Friday.

Becky Lynch learns turnabout is fair play from Liv Morgan during her match against Nia Jax

Jax says something to Lynch right as the bell rings, then charges right after her. A body slam puts Lynch down and gives the fans a chance to boo Jax.

A headbutt puts The Man on her back again, where she eats a big elbow and has to kick out at two. Lynch jumps on her foe’s back but is smashed back into the turnbuckles, where she also suffers a Stinkface.

Lynch is choked along the bottom rope, but she fights back thanks to a chop block. The Man hits at least part of a missile dropkick that sends Jax to the floor, but she’s caught coming off the apron and treated to a Samoan Drop on the floor. Ouch.

After a commercial break, Lynch is mounting a serious rally, but a Samoan Drop puts a swift end to that. Jax wants an Annihilator but finds no one home, and Lynch applies the Dis-arm-her. Jax manages to power her way out and get to the floor, where she’s attacked by Liv Morgan.

The ref calls for the bell as Liv get in Becky’s face in the ring. Their ensuing argument is interrupted by Jax, who sets about destroying them both on the outside.

Drew McIntyre wins when Jey Uso is hosed again

Get ready to Yeet. Pat McAfee certainly is, telling Michael Cole he tired himself out doing the Yeetdown during Jey’s entrance. Alas, McIntyre quickly hurls Uso over the announce table, which gets a “no yeet” from Cole as we head to commercials.

Uso has it rolling when we return, but McIntyre blasts him with a kick out of the corner and earns a near fall. Both men trade shots until McIntyre hammers him with an elbow.

The Scottish Warrior chops away in the corner, even after Jey heads up higher. Drew has a thought for White Noise, but Jey counters with a running powerbomb for an impressive two count.

Uso tries to fly but catches knees to the chest and a spinebuster, good for another near fall for McIntyre.

After commercials, Uso is trying to regroup and has McIntyre lined up in the opposite corner. There’s a hip attack that’s on the mark, and when Drew heads to the floor, Jey flies out there to ensure there’s no respite.

As the men return to the ring, Solo Sikoa crawls out of the crowd. A distracted Uso is hit by the Future Shock, and when Uso kicks out, Cody Rhodes comes down to neutralize Sikoa, brawling with Solo into the crowd.

Drew’s Claymore is countered with three superkicks and a spear. Jey goes to head up top but sees Jimmy Uso at ringside, then turns and eats a Claymore, giving McIntyre the win.

Jimmy enters the ring with a steel chair, but Rollins hustles down and kicks it into Jimmy’s face … only to fall victim to a Claymore from McIntyre. Drew yells at Seth not to “taint this title” and to do the right thing by concentrating on Raw as the show fades out for this week.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 results: Ripley, Lynch, McIntyre triumph in Perth

Complete results and updates from WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth.

WWE has made it Down Under. Perth, Australia is the host of this year’s Elimination Chamber premium live event, the first time the promotion has visited the country in more than five years.

Despite the fact that only one of WWE’s four world championships is being defended on the card, and some of the biggest players on the Road to WrestleMania won’t be in action, there should be a big show feel regardless. Part of that will be due to the two namesake matches inside the Elimination Chamber (one each for the men and women), both of which have stacked fields and carry Mania title shots as prizes.

Australian talent will also be well represented. Indi Hartwell will get a chance to go for tag team gold during the pre-show with Candice LeRae, though dethroning the Kabuki Warriors will likely be a tall task.

A much more prominent Aussie will be featured in what could be the show’s main event. Rhea Ripley has proven to be every bit the dominant champion fans hoped when she was first given the opportunity to run with the Women’s World Championship, fulfilling her role to a tee. She’s up against a fellow powerhouse in Nia Jax in Perth, but as she noted during a media event this week, Jax will be going against Mami and all of Australia (though Jax, too, is part Australian).

With only four matches on the main card plus The Grayson Waller Effect to show off yet one more Aussie, everything should have the proper time it needs to play out in full. Let’s see what’s in store for everyone at Optus Stadium in Perth.

WWE Elimination Chamber Perth Kickoff results:

  • Raquel Rodriguez is said to be fighting through “hypersensitivity reactions” but will compete in the Elimination Chamber match
  • Kabuki Warriors def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
  • Byron Saxton catches up with LA Knight, who says no one can scout him for the Elimination Chamber since he’s never been in one, and he intends to walk out as the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship

WWE Elimination Chamber Perth main card results:

(tap or click on any match with a link for full details)

  • Becky Lynch wins the Women’s Elimination Chamber match, last eliminating Liv Morgan by pinfall
  • The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
  • The Grayson Waller Effect (with guest co-host Austin Theory) welcomes Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes, during which Rhodes challenges The Rock to a one-on-one match any time, any place; Rollins and Rhodes also end up beating up on Theory, because why not?
  • Drew McIntyre wins the Men’s Elimination Chamber match, last eliminating Randy Orton after a shot from brass knux used by the already eliminated Logan Paul
  • Triple H comes to the ring to thank fans and announce that the attendance is 52,590
  • Rhea Ripley def. Nia Jax by pinfall to retain the Women’s World Championship

WWE Raw results 01/22/24: Punk, Rhodes have a classic showdown, Priest upended

Seth Rollins also vowed to fight on to WrestleMania on WWE Raw from New Orleans.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/pgKdMY0BPe8_50XPDikt/1705934466491_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0ib2J0dXd6Y25sZXllZXVkZmhicHRrbWN5a2JjZ3MyM3UiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMzMCI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

There’s a big time moment of truth that will lead off tonight’s episode of WWE Raw from New Orleans.

(From the Smoothie King Center, one of our favorite venue names anywhere.)

Seth Rollins is advertised to open the show, which isn’t unusual for Raw. As World Heavyweight Champion, the Visionary is pretty much The Man on this brand.

That would normally suggest he’s in line for a big time match at WrestleMania, perhaps even one that fans have been clamoring for ever since a certain Chicago native made his return to WWE.

But there’s been a complication: Rollins is hurt, and we don’t know at the moment how it might affect his availability over the next few months.

Might another segment on tonight’s show offer a clue? CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are going to be face to face in NOLA, which should be an entertaining exchange. While no one knows exactly what will happen next, the most popular theory is that Punk will win the Royal Rumble (he’s the betting favorite at the moment), positioning him to challenge Rollins, while Rhodes has to jump through one more hoop to try to finish his story against Roman Reigns.

But what if Rollins says he’s too injured and relinquishes his title? That isn’t what we expect to happen, but if it does, that would potentially change everything less than a week out from Royal Rumble.

These are the kind of intriguing nights wrestling fans live for, and we’re anxiously awaiting it as well. Off we go!

WWE Raw results from New Orleans:

(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)

  • CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are shown walking into the arena earlier today, hyping up their “confrontation” later in the show
  • Seth Rollins is determined to stay the course for WrestleMania, but Gunther’s sights are set on Seth’s world championship
  • The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) goes to a no contest after they end up in a wild brawl that ends up with all four men going through tables together out in the crowd
  • A trailer is shown for WWE 2K24, which was officially revealed today
  • The Judgment Day has a little tension going on, with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley especially heated, and Finn Balor says he’ll do Rhea a favor and display his vicious side tonight
  • Maxxine Dupri says Ivy Nile is ready for her match tonight … which happens to be next
  • Ivy Nile def. Valhalla by pinfall
  • Jey Uso daps up The New Day, who tell Jackie Redmond that if people think they can’t stand on business just because they’re entertaining a lot of the time, they’re sadly mistaken; to that end, Kofi Kingston challenges Gunther to a title match next week on Raw
  • Nia Jax, Becky Lynch and Bayley all explain why they will win the Royal Rumble
  • A Royal Rumble “By the Numbers” package is shown
  • Lynch gets briefly taunted by Ripley backstage

  • Dominik Mysterio def. The Miz by pinfall; not only does Balor assist in the victory, he attacks Miz after the bell, but #DIY comes to the rescue
  • Priest is about to talk about his match with Drew McIntyre when he has to stop and tell R-Truth that this isn’t the right time; Priest then turns back to McIntyre and says he will receive his punishment tonight
  • Bronson Reed warns Jey Uso that their paths are eventually going to cross, so they might as well get it out of the way, and he challenges Jey to a match next week
  • Ivar def. Chad Gable by pinfall, thanks in part to some assistance from Valhalla
  • Cody Rhodes and CM Punk discuss the past … and the uncertain future that starts this Saturday
  • A video package features Hulk Hogan talking about the birth of Hulkamania and how he sees some of it in current stars, and he also discusses the Royal Rumble matches and his favorites in each one
  • Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell by pinfall; after the bell, the Kabuki Warriors attack tag team champs Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, who were watching from ringside
  • Drew McIntyre has nothing to say about the Rhodes-Punk confrontation, but he does have some tough talk for Priest, who he says isn’t ready to be world champion
  • Damage CTRL is feeling good, but Adam Pearce stops by and has to intervene when Natalya and Tegan Nox take exception to them, and Dakota Kai says if he has a problem with them, Pearce needs to take it up with Nick Aldis; Pearce turns and sees Indus Sher behind him, and he agrees to have a chat with Jinder Mahal
  • A second Royal Rumble By the Numbers package is shown with more fun tidbits and stats
  • Drew McIntyre def. Damian Priest by pinfall, aided largely by some very unfortunate timing on the part of R-Truth

Seth Rollins isn’t missing WrestleMania, but that might mean dealing with Gunther

The World Heavyweight Champion is serenaded by fans as usual as he heads to the ring, though there’s something unmistakably different about him: the brace on his left knee. It’s over his dress pants, though, which seems like a bit of a show, and the fans deliver a loud “thank you Seth” chant.

Rollins shows his appreciation for the love he’s receiving before going into an explanation of when he hurt himself a week ago facing Jinder Mahal. Seth says while doing a moonsault, he felt his knee “go in” in a way it’s not supposed to, but it took until he got to the back to sink in that he might be seriously hurt.

The champ goes on to say that it made him feel like a bit of a liar that he says he is always better and stronger, and he also says it crossed his mind that it was a real possibility that he might miss WrestleMania. Rollins says his MRI results were not great: grade 2 MCL tear and partially torn meniscus. It will mean four months off if he gets surgery, so he’s taking it day by day for now.

While that’s sinking in, Gunther’s music hits and Imperium makes its way to the ring, with the Ring General joining Rollins. Seth says he doesn’t have time for this and Imperium should just get an attack out of the way if that’s the plan.

Gunther says no, and that he’s really just out there to tell Rollins what he thinks of the world champ. As Gunther puts it, Seth has been in a tough position right from the start, expected to be a workhorse and living up to the ideal of a champion everyone can be proud of — just like Gunther.

It kind of pulls on Gunther’s heart strings seeing Rollins like this, he claims, and even saddens him to think Seth might not make it to WrestleMania. Rollins says Imperium should have let him finish, as he insists he will take the title to Mania and do everything in his power to leave that way too.

Gunther says he admires that, saying that as one great champion to another, he plans to win the Royal Rumble and choose Seth as his WrestleMania opponent. After he does that, the Ring General will target Seth’s knee and his back on his way to becoming World Heavyweight Champion.

Rollins replies that he appreciates the honesty, and both men say they better remember who is coming for them. Also Gunther said the Rumble is Sunday, so a graphic and Michael Cole quickly remind us it’s really Saturday.

Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, Bayley make their Royal Rumble cases

Jax asks for a mic so she can point out that the first time she went one on one with Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, she squashed both of them. Nia says she understands why the two of them want to fight at WrestleMania since neither of them can beat Jax.

So this Saturday, Nia plans on killing both of their dreams. That boast brings out Lynch, who tells Jax to shut up. Becky says she knows she has a target on her back in the Royal Rumble match … but not as big as the target on Nia. After all, the locker room never agrees on anything, but they do agree that no one likes Jax.

Lynch says she’s not sure what she will enjoy more, winning the Rumble match again or watching Jax lose. That brings out Bayley, who says “both of you idiots are going to lose.” The Role Model was looking for Ripley but says this is almost better.

Bayley wants to make it clear: She’s winning the Rumble and will be the one to point at the WrestleMania sign. Both Lynch and Jax start beating on her, then throwing hands with each other. Lynch hits a Manhandle Slam on Bayley but gets thrown out by Jax, who drops a leg on Bayley.

Will Cody Rhodes and CM Punk still be friends after the Royal Rumble … or even after tonight?

Punk suggests they take a second to enjoy the moment, as even though they’ve taken very different paths to get here, they’ve done it. He hopes they will still be friends come Sunday morning.

Rhodes asks both the crowd and Punk what they want to talk about, and the latter says he wants to talk about Cody’s dad. He says this is a story he’s never told, one about Dusty asking Punk to keep an eye on his son. Punk says he didn’t know Cody or think he needed a guardian angel, but when the American Dream asks for a favor, you say yes.

The job was easy, as Cody didn’t fall into any vices or get into much trouble, and Punk says he was proud of Cody. Alas, that means Saturday he’s going to feel like he’s breaking a promise, as in the Royal Rumble he’ll be looking for Cody and do whatever he needs to do to win.

Cody responds that Punk is hardly alone among people who are talking to him but thinking of Dusty. It’s a very large shadow, but Cody says he’s done everything in his power to be the light in that shadow and subvert expectations. He remembers his OVW days and appreciates Punk treating him like a peer, and later a friend.

That makes it bittersweet that in the Rumble, there are no friends. What about Sunday morning, Punk asks, wondering if Cody can separate business from personal. And he goes a step further suggesting that with his electrician dad, he’s more of the American dream than Punk.

Cody responds by bringing up the famous Pipe Bomb interview, saying that when Punk left after that, he picked up the ball and lived what CM talked … so he’s more CM Punk than the man himself.

Punk hints at a much bigger superstar coming to take Cody’s story away, but sadly he means himself and not The Rock. The American Nightmare says the only way he can go from here is forward, meaning through Punk. When Cody goes to leave, CM grabs him and spins him around, and the two men are literally nose to nose for a few tense moments.

Fans chant loudly for both men until they finally separate, with Cody leaving the ring and Punk on the other side of it.

Damian Priest gets some Truth at the wrong time against Drew McIntyre

Considering they are snarling at each other before the bell even rings, it’s no surprise that it doesn’t take long for them to lock up. An evenly fought opening few minutes finally leads them to battle on the floor, where Priest is able to run McIntyre into the post. A Broken Arrow onto the announce table is next, leaving the Judgment Day stalwart in good shape going into a commercial break.

Priest is still knocking McIntyre around after the break, scoring a near fall after a running lariat. A chinlock keeps the Scottish Warrior grounded for just a sec, but simultaneous big boots leave both men on the canvas.

McIntyre kips up and hears some cheers as he looks for a Claymore, but Priest sidesteps it only to be caught by a spinebuster for a two count. Priest responds with a flatliner of sorts that gets him two right back.

A series of kicks from Priest is answered by a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre heads up top but gets caught by a kick to the back of the head, and Priest turns some counters into a Broken Arrow and another near fall.

Priest hits his feet on the top rope but still pulls off a somersault plancha, but R-Truth shows up and distracts him at a critical moment. That allows McIntyre to hit the Future Shock, and he lines up again for a Claymore attempt.

Truth is on the apron now, and takes a right hand from McIntyre. Priest hits the South of Heaven, but the ref is occupied with Truth and the money scattered all over the ring.

You know what’s coming next: a Claymore from McIntyre, giving Scottish Warrior the win.

WWE Raw results 01/15/24: Jinder Mahal comes close but not quite against Seth Rollins

See how Jinder Mahal came within a hair of dethroning Seth Rollins on WWE Raw in Little Rock.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/4pJpDo0Bn0dZxwaYYdnj/1705343886587_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0iZ3J5ZXU0Y2VuNHllZTNycW1ybmhxNTNibGZtd2kzdGsiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMzMCI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

With less than two weeks to go until the Royal Rumble in Florida, it’s time for some of the top talent on WWE Raw to get their current programs finished and turn their attention to securing a spot at WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes might have the first half of that plan finally checked off after he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura again last week, so he can finally put all his effort on winning the Royal Rumble match. Or we think that’ll be the case anyway, since WWE says he’s kicking off the show tonight.

What if we’re wrong, though? Is it possible Rhodes has one more in a seemingly ceaseless string of hurdles placed in his way? TBD.

Seth Rollins knows he can’t worry about Royal Rumble just yet, as he has a World Heavyweight Championship defense to attend to this evening. Plus it’s against the man of the hour, Jinder Mahal, not something we expected to be typing as recently as two weeks ago.

There would seem to be little chance WWE would put this title on Mahal, especially given the time of year we’re in. Things need to be cemented, not chaotic. Right?

Normally, we’d say yes. But there’s that little matter of Elimination Chamber in Australia, where WWE will need to put on a big show next month. Roman Reigns probably won’t be there, and while the Chamber matches are attractions in their own right, a world title match doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.

So we’re just putting this out there: Maybe Mahal wins tonight and Rollins has to win it back from him at Elimination Chamber. Or a certain Straight Edge Superstar could snag it there and go into WrestleMania making Seth chase him.

Or, you know, Rollins could just win tonight and speed on down the Road to WrestleMania. That’s why we watch, which we’ll be doing starting right now.

WWE Raw results from Little Rock:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • A tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. starts the show
  • Are Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre more alike or different?
  • Damian Priest takes R-Truth to task for selling Judgment Day merchandise in the parking lot, but Truth is making a killing off the gear, and Priest relents while also telling him not to tag in during their tag team match tonight
  • #DIY def. The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh) by pinfall
  • Chelsea Green and Piper Niven interrupt a conversation between Adam Pearce and Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, which Pearce turns into a match between those two teams tonight
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven by pinfall
  • Rhea Ripley sees a Nia Jax hype video and leaves to “address her division,” while the rest of The Judgment Day takes Priest to task about the R-Truth situation; Damian shows the money he’s been bringing in and suggests to McDonagh that he may not get a cut because “your name’s not on the shirt”
  • Gunther is back and offering rare praise for Ludwig Kaiser, who gets a challenge from a vengeful Xavier Woods
  • Ludwig Kaiser def. Xavier Woods by DQ after Woods uses a steel chair, though he ends up getting it kicked into his (already bloody) face afterward
  • Bronson Reed says there is a champ right now who is unaware his championship will soon belong to Reed … though he doesn’t name which champ he’s talking about
  • Byron Saxton tries to get a word with Woods, but Kaiser attacks him until Jey Uso puts a stop to it
  • A video package shows us how we got to a Seth Rollins-Jinder Mahal world title match
  • Akira Tozawa def. Ivar by pinfall, though after the bell, Valhalla assaults Maxxine Dupri after the bell and Ivar hits a moonsault on Tozawa
  • CM Punk and Rhodes will be face to face next week on Raw
  • Ivy Nile says she will look for Pearce to deal with Valhalla; Chad Gable says he will teach Ivar a lesson next week too
  • Rhea Ripley addresses her division and ends up in a showdown with Becky Lynch
  • Seth Rollins says the only way to head to WrestleMania is to continue to be a fighting champion, a workhorse champion, and he knows this is the best version of Jinder Mahal and he wouldn’t have it any other way
  • Damian Priest and Finn Balor def. The Miz and R-Truth by pinfall
  • Jinder Mahal says everyone is divided but his focus is singular, and everyone will be unified when he defeats Rollins to become World Heavyweight Champion
  • Apparently Shinsuke Nakamura isn’t done with Cody Rhodes, which is interesting
  • Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark def. Natalya and Tegan Nox by submission, with Baszler making Natalya tap out
  • Seth Rollins def. Jinder Mahal by pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
Image credit: WWE.com

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre bicker over who will finish their story first

Rhodes asks Little Rock what they want to talk about, giving some options. He’s about to launch into his “I’m on my way to Royal Rumble” routine when he’s interrupted by the arrival of Drew McIntyre.

The Scottish Warrior turns Cody’s question around on him before reminiscing about how they came up the first time in WWE together. McIntyre says he’s proud of Rhodes as both a man and performer and also reminds him they were tag team champs together as The Dashing Ones.

Drew mentions that both of them had to leave WWE to find themselves and “become verbs.” He believes in Rhodes now too, saying he will finish the story … but not before Drew finishes his.

Rhodes says Drew could win the Rumble, but so could Jey Uso. So could CM Punk. You can’t count anybody out.

McIntyre tells Rhodes he should just be himself and doesn’t need to smile all the time and try so hard. Cody seems irritated by that, insisting that he smiles when he comes out because he is grateful for his second chance while Drew stands and complains about his.

Undeterred, McIntyre claims Rhodes is standing in his way, and at WrestleMania, the story belongs to him. But the American Nightmare says McIntyre is still blaming everyone but himself, and if he wants to keep bringing up the last time they wrestled, he has one question: Who won?

Image credit: WWE.com

#DIY closes in on a tag team title shot with a victory over the champs’ teammates

The framing here is that #DIY is stringing together wins to get closer to a tag team title shot, and this is a victory that would surely help considering it’s the other two Judgment Day men who hold the gold.

Tommaso Ciampa takes flight with a corkscrew plancha, and Johnny Gargano does the same to send McDonagh over the announce table. They do their sitting on the apron and clapping thing as commercials arrive.

With some timely rulebending and double teaming, Mysterio and McDonagh take charge after the break. Wade Barrett calls out Dom’s fuzzy boots, which are, in fact, incredible.

Gargano is isolated and taking a beating far from his own corner. He finally hits Dom with his slingshot spear, and he nearly dives for the tag before Ciampa gets hauled off the apron by McDonagh.

Ciampa is the legal man after a second commercial break so must have gotten himself back in position while we were away. Gargano prevents a double team and Ciampa nearly rolls up Mysterio for three.

McDonagh saves his partner from another close call seconds later. Big shots start flowing in every direction, eventually leaving all four men down. The fans approve, starting a “this is awesome” chant.

Also awesome: McDonagh’s standing Spanish fly and top rope moonsault, leaving Ciampa in need of a save from his partner. Mysterio’s attempted 619 is foiled and he gets sent to the floor by a hard knee shot.

McDonagh looks like he’s in trouble now, and he eats Meet in the Middle, leaving him helpless as Gargano covers for three.

Image credit: WWE.com

Gunther is … happy with Ludwig Kaiser? Xavier Woods definitely is not

Ludwig Kaiser does his usual ring intro for Gunther, who is back from IRL paternity leave. Giovanni Vinci is hurt, so this is all the Imperium we get.

The Ring General says he can smell the desperation this close to Royal Rumble, which he reminds us he was close to winning last year after a record-setting time in the ring. This year, he plans on winning and main eventing WrestleMania. As one does.

But for now, he wants to focus on Kaiser, reviewing what’s been happening while Gunther was gone. The champs likes the grit, confidence and courage Kaiser showed in his attack on Kofi Kingston and gives him a hug as a sign of his happiness.

Not as happy? Xavier Woods, who is here and hot for some payback. He challenges Kaiser to a match, taunting him for needing to ask his “daddy” for permission.

Kaiser accepts and says what he did to Kingston is nothing compared to what he’ll do to Woods, who comes right after Ludwig, leaping off the apron and hammering him on the floor until a ref finally calms him down.

Mami vs. The Man? Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch tease Mania showdown

Mami makes it simple: This is her division, which is why she is the champion. As such, she says the Royal Rumble winner will be wasting a WrestleMania opportunity if they choose her. It’s just going to go the way it did last year, because Mami is always on top.

Some familiar music hits as an answer, and Bekcy Lynch joins Ripley in the ring. The Man says they are two very different people but with two very similar journeys.

Lynch says they’re the two very best to do it, but the voice in her head keeps her awake asking if perhaps Ripley is better than she is. Becky says she needs to prove that Rhea is not, and to do that means taking the title, and to do that means winning the Royal Rumble match.

Ripley says she really does want Lynch to win the Rumble and will see her at WrestleMania.

Image credit: WWE.com

R-Truth gets some harsh truth from Damian Priest and Finn Balor

Truth is not only in The Judgment Day’s entrance video, he also walks out behind them despite being on the opposing team. He then proceeds to spill cash all over the ring before the bell. Miz is basically pleading with his partner to convince him they’re on the same team. Funny stuff.

Truth ignores Priest’s suggestion earlier in the show that he not tag in, earning him a beating from Balor as commercials arrive. Nothing has changed after the break, really. Priest tags in but is immediately outmaneuvered by Truth, who get Miz in for his first extended action.

Miz fights Balor to the floor and sends Priest over the announce table. The A-Lister is rolling, but only until Balor counters away from a Skull Crushing Finale, and Truth tags himself in for a scissor kick to Balor. Priest blasts Miz with a kick but manages to stop Truth, who ends up kicking Balor and then taking South of Heaven from Priest.

Balor crawls over and pins Truth for a chaotic win as boos rain down from the fans.

Image credit: WWE.com

Seth Rollins overcomes chaos, retains against Jinder Mahal

Indus Sher accompanies Mahal to the ring, giving Rollins potentially one more thing to worry about. Seth has got plenty to worry about from Jinder himself in the opening minutes, though he connects on a flying knee off the apron to get a foothold in things. Damian Priest wanders out casually with his MITB case, and Rollins has a grim look on his face heading into commercials.

After we return, Mahal is treating Rollins to some pain inside the ring. Seth finally battles free of an abdominal stretch for the obligatory exchange of strikes, which the champ wins thanks to a healthy clothesline.

Rollins is tossed over the buckles, then comes flying back in with a cross body for a near fall. A second rope moonsault gives Rollins another near fall, though the announcers wonder if he tweaked a knee or ankle.

Both men want suplexes, but Rollins wins the day by pivoting to a Falcon Arrow. Seth is thinking Stomp but runs into some head kicks, though he perseveres for a Pedigree … sort of, as his knee gives out, and his cover is thwarted by Indus Sher’s timely assistance.

Rollins dives onto one of Mahal’s wingmen on the floor but misses a splash back into the ring. Priest is up on his feet as both combatants are down, but Drew McIntyre is there to throw hands with him.

While the ref is distracted by their brawl, Mahal follows a cheap shot by Indus Sher and comes darn close to stealing the world title. A chair is slid into Mahal, and dealing with that allows Indus Sher to get in a briefcase shot. Mahal hits the Khallas … but Rollins kicks out.

As Mahal tries for a second Khallas, Rollins evades it and hits a Stomp, closing the show by retaining his world title.