Tag: Damian Priest

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.

Damian Priest cashes in MITB after Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40: Best photos

Check out these photos from Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins, which saw Damian Priest cash in his Money In the Bank briefcase.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Damian Priest[/autotag]’s successful Money In The Bank cash-in after [autotag]Drew McIntyre[/autotag] def. [autotag]Seth Rollins[/autotag] for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Photos by Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports, Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

WWE Money in the Bank winners — Every briefcase winner and how they fared when cashing in

Check out the complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including every briefcase winner and how they fared when cashing in.

Originally the brainchild of Chris Jericho, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match has gone from being an entertaining gimmick match to one of the most anticipated subplots of any WWE calendar year. It’s changed and expanded to multiple brands and the women’s division, and become the focus of its own event, joining the likes of WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam as one of the most important that WWE puts on.

At its core, however, is a simple and compelling idea: Whoever outfights and outwits a group of hungry competitors and grabs the namesake briefcase has a guaranteed title shot they can use any time, any place, for one year. It’s the WWE’s equivalent of a golden ticket, and the anticipation for when a briefcase might get cashed in has become drama in its own right.

As Money in the Bank has risen in prominence, its history has grown as well. Let’s take a look at a complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including how the winners fared when they eventually cashed in their contracts.

Last updated on April 7, 2024.

WrestleMania 40 Night 2 results: Cody Rhodes gets the help he needs to defeat Roman Reigns

See how WrestleMania 40 came to its conclusion with all the results from Night 2.

When last we saw Cody Rhodes, he was looking glum. And why not? He and Seth Rollins had just lost the most significant tag team match in WrestleMania history, one that made the likelihood of Rhodes never hearing the phrase “finish the story” again that much more unlikely.

But that was Saturday and this is Sunday, and there’s still hope that Rhodes can regain control of his narrative in the main event of WrestleMania Night 2 in Philadelphia. He’ll have to overcome Roman Reigns despite the match being contested under Bloodline Rules, which means The Rock, fresh off scoring the pinfall on Night 1, is virtually guaranteed to get involved.

Fighting back will probably mean getting some help, whether it’s from the likes of Jey Uso and Sami Zayn or WWE legends who have a bone to pick with Reigns and The Rock. There’s also a chance Reigns may have an ace up his sleeve, but however it plays out, it should be wild and entertaining.

It might not be as enjoyable for Rollins, seeing as he has to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against a very locked in Drew McIntyre. Will the Scottish Warrior win the title he craves and be able to let the world know his way was the right way?

Another emotional high point should be the WWE Women’s Championship match between IYO SKY and Bayley. While fans are heavily invested in Cody’s journey, they’ve become quite attached to Bayley’s narrative as well. It’s hard to not relate to people you thought you could trust stabbing you in the back, and while that’s standard pro wrestling fare at this point, it’s become especially poignant in the case of Damage CTRL.

We’re ready with people in the press box at the Linc, in the crowd and watching at home, so let’s do this.

WrestleMania 40 Night 2 results from Philadelphia:

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

  • Damage CTRL and Bayley are shown entering the stadium earlier today
  • The War and Treaty sing “America the Beautiful” to kick things off
  • Stephanie McMahon is introduced, putting over the specialness of WrestleMania, touting the work of Triple H and generally getting the fans excited
  • Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins by pinfall to become the new World Heavyweight Champion, but …
  • … while McIntyre is mocking CM Punk on commentary, Punk removes his arm brace and smashes him with it; Damian Priest runs down, hits McIntyre with his briefcase and cashes in his MITB briefcase, then hits the South of Heaven and pins McIntyre to become the new World Heavyweight Champion
  • Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits def. The Final Testament by pinfall in a Six-Man Tag Team Philadelphia Street Fight, with Snoop Dogg on commentary and Bubba Ray Dudley as special guest referee
  • Logan Paul is shown doing push-ups in his locker room; we then see a highlight package of the Night 1 main event
  • Paul Heyman tells Kayla Braxton that Bloodline Rules means no DQ, no count-outs and there has to be a definitive finish, but also suggests it’s really whatever Roman Reigns, The Rock and Heyman decide they are
  • LA Knight is shown pulling up to the ring in the Slim Jim car; he then hands the keys to the car to the sweepstakes winner by ringside
  • LA Knight def. AJ Styles by pinfall
  • Logan Paul def. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton by pinning Orton to retain the WWE United States Championship
  • Bayley def. IYO SKY by pinfall to become the new WWE Women’s Champion
  • Snoop Dogg and the Philadelphia Eagles reveal the announced attendance: 72,755 for Night 2 and 145,298 total for the two nights
  • Cody Rhodes def. Roman Reigns by pinfall in a Bloodline Rules match to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, in a match that also involved both Usos, Solo Sikoa, John Cena, The Rock, “Shield era” Seth Rollins and The Undertaker
  • Rhodes celebrates in the ring after his victory with Brandi, his mom and many of the faces, including Cena, Zayn, Owens, Orton, Knight, Jey Uso and more …
  • … Cody gets on the mic and says he’s surrounded by greatness but wants to thank both Bruce Prichard and Triple H

WrestleMania 40: Biggest takeaways from Night 1

Look back at WrestleMania 40 Night 1 and ahead to what’s next for its winners and losers.

Since 1985, WrestleMania has been utilized as a way to showcase WWE and its biggest stars.

But as the 40th edition of the “Showcase of the Immortals” descended upon Philadelphia this week, it was clear that the event that was once a single day with a 1 p.m. start time has grown into a cultural happening for wrestling fans.

It’s a place where fans from opposite corners of the planet with nothing in common other than an undying love for professional wrestling can quickly bond and create lasting memories together.

Heck, you may even find Eagles and Cowboys fans putting away their differences for a week all in the name of pro wrestling.

There are wrestling shows, meet and greets, parties, and even a wrestling block party on South Street — and that was just Saturday.

But while all of those events are meaningful in their own right, the main course is still WrestleMania, which has also seen its share of growth over the years. WrestleMania XL on Saturday was simply the latest piece of evidence.

Here are my takeaways from a brutally cold night at Lincoln Financial Field:

Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes is shaping up to be a chaotic affair

It was an all-too-familiar scene for Cody Rhodes Saturday night as for the second year in a row, he was left sitting dejectedly in the ring while Roman Reigns — joined this time by The Rock — celebrated another victory over him.

Because of that result, Rhodes’ Undisputed Universal Championship match against Reigns will now take place under Bloodline Rules, which basically means there are no rules.

Within the story, it means Rhodes will be entering the match in a great deal of peril.

Rhodes and his partner Seth Rollins fell short against Reigns and The Rock Saturday and there was no interference. There was no sign of Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy Uso was still recovering from his defeat at the hands of his brother, Jey Uso, earlier in the night.

Sure, The Rock used his “Mama Rhodes” weight belt to help his team earn the win, but there isn’t a ton of wiggle room for Rhodes to dispute the outcome. Simply put, Rhodes and Rollins got beat. 

Now, Rhodes will have to try to do this all over again, except this time, The Bloodline can do whatever they want given that there are no rules.

However, the lack of rules also extends to Rhodes, who I expect will have a lot of backup during the title match. 

The result could be a chaotic, overbooked mess — and I would love every second of it.

The main event isn’t just the culmination of Rhodes’ story. It is the culmination of so many others as well. The Bloodline saga has incorporated so many characters since it began in 2020, it would only make sense for them to have a role in the climax of one of the best stories in wrestling history.

It’s a story that has drawn comparisons to the Avengers, which makes sense given WWE employs a former Marvel writer (Rob Fee).

While “Infinity War” ended on a bleak note, “Endgame” saw the heroes overcome Thanos and save the day. Will Rhodes enjoy a similar fate Sunday night?

Side note: The Rock’s entrance may have been the best in WrestleMania history.

Will we get Rhodes vs. Rock in the future?

One detail that some may have missed Saturday night was The Rock pinned Rhodes to win the match.

To me, that leaves the door open for a possible match between these two in the future. It doesn’t seem that far-fetched given all of the physicality between the two even before WrestleMania. 

But then during the post-show press conference Saturday, The Rock hinted that part of the reason why he returned to WWE (and joined TKO overall) was to build something not just for WrestleMania XL, but for the future as well.

Nothing is guaranteed, but I think it is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Sami Zayn ends Gunther’s reign

The last two WrestleManias have been very kind to Sami Zayn.

Last year, he closed out Night 1 with an emotional victory for the tag team titles alongside his best friend, Kevin Owens.

This year, Owens was the last person to lend Zayn words of encouragement before he walked through the curtain to challenge the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, Gunther.

And once again, Zayn walked away with gold.

In what was in my opinion the best match of the evening, Zayn ended Gunther’s historic 666-day reign (was it a bad omen for Gunther?) with a pair of Helluva Kicks to become the new Intercontinental Champion. It is Zayn’s first singles championship since he held the same title back in 2022.

One aspect of the Bloodline story that I don’t think is talked about enough is how it has developed multiple people into major stars, and Zayn is a prime example. 

Zayn was an over enough heel that he was slotted into a match with “Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania in 2022. But once that was over, he was kind of … just there

But then Zayn began his attempts to join the Bloodline. Fast forward to 2024 and Zayn enjoyed an emotional moment in the ring with his family in front of more than 70,000 people. 

What a time.

What’s next for Rhea Ripley?

Mami proved once again that she is still on top after she defeated Becky Lynch in the night’s opening match to retain her WWE Women’s World Championship.

The match itself was good, but it left me with one question: What’s next for Rhea Ripley?

The Raw women’s division doesn’t have a slew of credible challengers lined up for Ripley. Lynch was easily the most credible, but Ripley has already beaten her clean in the middle of the ring.

Based on the reaction Ripley received in Philadelphia (and everywhere else), she is one of WWE’s biggest stars at the moment. I’d imagine WWE will have something planned. However, that does not mean it will be anything of real consequence.

WWE makes the right decision to split the tag titles

Anyone that knows me and how I view professional wrestling knows that I am usually against having split championships.

The NFL doesn’t split up the Super Bowl title. It goes to one team and one team only. That’s what makes it special.

For me, the same applies to pro wrestling, as I am typically in favor of having one title per division. That means one world title, one set of tag team titles, etc.

However, I am not unreasonable. I understand that WWE has placed itself under the unique circumstances of having a massive roster of wrestlers that need their respective time to shine. Five hours of television (not counting NXT) is simply not enough to feature them all, which means they are divided up into their own brands, and those brands come with their own set of championships.

I understand that. I’m not usually in favor of it, but I understand. That is why I am on board with WWE deciding to split up the undisputed tag titles and go back to having Raw titles and Smackdown titles.

Entering WrestleMania 40, each brand already had its own set of championships. The only one that was undisputed were the tag team championships.

I guess you could make the case that Reigns is the top champion in WWE since he is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and since the universe is bigger than the world (looking at you, World Heavyweight Championship), you could make the case that those titles are not on equal footing.

But when it comes to WWE’s tag team division, there is no hierarchy. Both titles are very much on equal footing.

WWE’s tag team division is pretty stacked at the moment. There’s young talent on both shows that did not appear at WrestleMania. It only makes sense to give each show its own set of titles so that more teams can be featured at a given time.

Also, it probably cuts down on the wear and tear that comes with appearing on both shows on a regular basis.

I think Austin Theory and Grayson Waller walking away with the Smackdown titles was a smart decision by WWE. They’re young, they’re talented, and I believe they have a bright future ahead of them. However, they still need time to develop into the top singles stars I think they are capable of being. 

A good way to help them eventually get to that point is to develop together as tag team champions. It’s a method that has been proven to work with countless others in the past. Legends such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Batista, just to name a few, all started as one half of a tag team or as a member of a larger group before spinning off to become bigger stars. 

Whether Waller and Theory will reach those same heights remain to be seen, but I do believe they are on the right track.

On the opposite end of the spectrum would be R-Truth and The Miz, collectively known as the Awesome Truth. Truth and Miz have decades of experience between them and have enjoyed a recent run of success, mainly due to the fans simply loving Truth and his shenanigans. 

It was great to see Truth have a WrestleMania moment after all of these years. He’s gone from K-Kwik to the first Black NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and on this one Saturday, he sat atop the ladder before 70,000-plus who were all thrilled to see him become a champion.

Bah gawd, that’s Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson’s music!

Wrestling fans from around the world may or may not have cared, but wrestling fans from Philadelphia most certainly cared that recently-retired center Jason Kelce and tackle Lane Johnson not only appeared at WrestleMania, but were also involved in a match.

In the latter stages of the tag team match that pitted Rey Mysterio and Andrade against Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio, two large men wearing luchador masks hopped over the guardrail and prevented Dirty Dom from bringing a steel chair into the ring.

One of the masked men then tossed Dom into the ring post before throwing him back into the ring so he could receive a call from the 619 area code to end the match.

The men then hopped into the ring to reveal themselves to be Kelce and Johnson.

For the uninitiated, Kelce is among the best centers of all time and delivered the best Super Parade speech ever. He also co-hosts the popular “New Heights” podcast alongside his brother, Travis Kelce. I think Travis dates Taylor Swift or something.

Johnson is arguably the best tackle in the NFL and is always willing to cut a Steve Austin-esque promo. 

He also recently worked out with Seth Rollins at the NovaCare Complex, the Eagles’ headquarters.

Maybe it wasn’t for everyone, but as a Philadelphian — and former Eagles employee — I was here for it.

Yes, the crowd was cold — literally

If you watched WrestleMania from the comfort of your own home, you were guaranteed to be warmer than the 72,543 fans in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field who had to endure a brutally cold night in Philadelphia.

Just a week or two ago, it was 70 degrees and sunny in Philly. On Saturday night, the temperate dipped into the 40s with some gusts of wind to boot. It felt more like an Eagles playoff game than WrestleMania.

While it didn’t sour my personal experience, I do understand why others weren’t as enthralled, which I’m sure contributed to the lack of noise you heard at times during the event.

Philadelphia fans have a reputation for being vocal, especially when it comes to wrestling. However, not all of the fans at Lincoln Financial Field were from the Philly area, and they probably didn’t dress warm enough to prepare for the bone-chilling temperatures.

I wore a jacket with a hoodie underneath and was still kind of cold. There were plenty of cool WrestleMania fits on display Saturday night, but not all of them were ready to endure a chilly night in Philadelphia.

If someone traveled to WrestleMania, they probably didn’t pack a winter coat, which is what would have been the appropriate attire for Saturday night.

The cold is the only explanation I have for why WWE had a few production hiccups during the show, which is not what you would expect from WWE in general, but especially so at WrestleMania.

I’ll be attending Sunday night’s show as well and will be sure to dress even warmer.

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 WrestleMania 40: Predictions for the rest of the card in Philadelphia

You know the marquee matches for WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia. Let’s try to figure out the rest of them.

Now that the hour-long annual time skip has occurred for this spring, we’re officially less than four weeks away from WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia. The WWE is so hot right now that it could probably not reveal any of the matches ahead of time and still be assured that people will fill Lincoln Financial Field for two nights, and I’m only partially joking about that.

What Triple H and company have done is announce the biggest matches while leaving the rest of the card to be filled in over the last few weeks. It makes perfect sense to approach the show that way, as the world championship feuds have all been cemented and can help draw in lapsed fans while still leaving plenty to keep regular viewers engaged through the rest of March.

As I write this, only six matches are set. Night 1 will feature the recently confirmed tag team match pitting Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins against The Rock and Roman Reigns. That will have big ramifications for the Night 2 rematch between Rhodes and Reigns (as in whether The Bloodline will be allowed to interfere or not), while Rollins moves on to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre.

Though we don’t know which night they will happen, both women’s world titles will also be defended, with Rhea Ripley facing Becky Lynch and IYO SKY squaring off with Bayley. Gunther will defend his Intercontinental Championship as well, though the identity of his challenger won’t be determined until the March 11 episode of Raw.

History suggests that what’s been announced so far may only be about half the card. The two full-on post-pandemic two-night Manias had 16 (for WrestleMania 38) and 15 matches (last year at 39), respectively, though that’s counting impromptu stuff like Pat McAfee and Snoop Dogg getting quick wins in L.A.

So we’ve got to round out the WrestleMania 40 slate with at least 13 matches total, we’d say. Let’s try to do that now by making predictions from “this is almost absolutely happening” down to “we’re just grasping at straws here.”

Gunther vs. Chad Gable – WWE Intercontinental Championship match

We counted this as one of the matches we know is happening, but there’s still the matter of who will face the Ring General. The Gauntlet match for this Monday has a number of plausible candidates, and it’s important to remember that the only reason this is still a question is because WWE is keeping its distance from Brock Lesnar at the moment.

So the guess here is that Chad Gable will emerge as the contender to take on Gunther. He has the most interesting narrative, having pushed the big Austrian hard the first time they battled and talking about how much more another shot would mean to him than anyone else.

Also, lest we forget, Gable can really go in the ring, and while anyone WWE put in this spot would pull out all the stops at WrestleMania, Gable would arguably benefit the most from a reminder to everyone watching about how good he is. Maybe WWE would even consider having him win if Gunther is bound for bigger things in the post-WrestleMania landscape, but just getting this spot would be a statement in and of itself.

Update 3/11: It was close but not quite for Gable, who made it to the final two but couldn’t close things out. It’ll be Zayn vs. Gunther at WrestleMania.

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

It just feels like it’s time, no? Jimmy Uso has cost his brother multiple championship opportunities and isn’t going to stop until Jey Uso makes him stop. Out of character, the Usos have talked openly in the past about their desire to face each other in singles competition at WrestleMania, so it all just makes too much sense.

Considering how WWE likes to push multiple matches on each night as “co-main events,” as silly as that is, a brother vs. brother showdown would be perfect for that on Night 1. If The Bloodline is going to be finished with a Reigns loss to Rhodes (assuming that’s in the cards), you’d think Jey would win and Jimmy would eventually reunite with him, but perhaps WWE will want this program to go on past WrestleMania as well.

Update 3/11: This is almost certainly happening. Jey Uso made the challenge to Jimmy on the March 11 episode of Raw, so all we need now is a response.

Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton – WWE United States Championship match

I really had no idea what was in store for Logan Paul in Philadelphia until Elimination Chamber, when it became clear pretty quickly. When Paul hosed Randy Orton out of a win in Perth, it meant they were going to throw down sooner or later, and nothing has happened since then to change my mind.

Orton has looked superb since his return from a long injury layoff, and WWE has booked him in a way that makes him look nearly unbeatable save for extenuating circumstances. Of course Paul knows all about those, so he can simply keep cheating to go over, or he can give a heroic but losing effort. Either way, fans should be into this.

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight

Sometimes WWE needs to come up with something for people who simply can’t be kept off the WrestleMania card, and LA Knight falls into that category this year. Part of the Showcase of the Immortals is giving people what they want, and Knight continues to be hugely over with live crowds.

As with Orton and Paul, this was set up directly at Elimination Chamber, and AJ Styles has explained his actions on the March 8 episode of SmackDown as well. I’m not a huge fan of the all business heel version of Styles, but he’s certainly playing it well and looks the part since he’s as jacked as he’s ever been. These two should put on an excellent match together.

R-Truth and The Miz vs. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) – Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match

This is quite the step back for the tag team titles after they were featured in the Night 1 main event at WrestleMania 39. Nevertheless, WWE has put a lot of effort into the R-Truth storyline with The Judgment Day, and it would be logical to pay it off in Philadelphia, especially since Truth is arguably as popular as he’s ever been.

It would be fun to see if Damian Priest might cash in his Money in the Bank contract on Night 2 out of anger if The Judgment Day loses this match, something he’s teased doing before. Also, just spitballing here, but if The Miz and Truth actually win, WWE could easily have #DIY turn heel on them after Mania, upset about the work they put in themselves going for naught.

Update 3/11: We weren’t thinking big enough here, apparently. The Judgment Day will defend the titles in Philly … but in a Six-Pack Challenge Ladder match. Teams will have a chance to win their way in over the next few weeks, and we wouldn’t be shocked if Miz and Truth and #DIY made the field.

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark vs. Kabuki Warriors – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match

Yes, these teams are slated to face off well ahead of WrestleMania, so maybe this isn’t a program with enough legs to even make it to Philly. Still, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark have been pushed as a very effective duo and deserve a shot to shine on the big stage.

Let’s play it out: the Kabuki Warriors give them a shot at the titles and retain, but only because Dakota Kai, now firmly recommitted to Damage CTRL, cheats to help them do it. Adam Pearce, who’s already warned the group he’s got an eye on them, arranges a rematch for Mania and Nick Aldis agrees. Simple.

Some kind of multi-person women’s contenders match

WWE has done so much good in building up the likes of Nia Jax (better than ever on this run, to my surprise) and Tiffany Stratton (a breakout star) that it would be a shame to keep them off this show. Plus there’s Liv Morgan and Naomi who are back, Raquel Rodriguez is healthy again, and Jade Cargill is waiting in the wings.

Oh, and Bianca Belair! We’re not going to do a WrestleMania without her, right?

It’s quite possible WWE will still spin something up for Bianca prior to Phialdelphia. But if not, she can be included here, whether it’s a Gauntlet match or battle royal or what have you. Regardless of the actual format, we can come out of this with a post-Mania challenger for either Bayley or whoever wins the Becky-Rhea match, and potentially spin off some additional programs as well.

Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits vs. The Final Testament

I confess this feud hasn’t been doing a ton for me, but the WrestleMania card needs some more multi-person matches and this is a made to order six-man tag to use as a palate cleanser.

The New Day vs. Imperium

This feud has been entertaining as it’s given The New Day a chance to play the “yes we act goofy for your enjoyment but we can get serious too” card. The only question is whether WWE can or wants to string this out for another four weeks.

But WrestleMania needs a couple of change of pace matches among the bigger stuff and this would be perfect, particularly with a stipulation of some sort. Could they do a TLC match between these two teams, for instance? I’d be on board for that.

Even more possibilities:

  • Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal – While it’s been relegated to the pre-show and even SmackDown in recent years and doesn’t seem to be much of a priority, it’s always an option to get more wrestlers involved in the show.
  • Legado Del Fantasma vs. LWO – Maybe I’m not giving this one enough thought now that Rey Mysterio is back. Certainly a possibility for a six-man tag, and ripe for a gimmick or stipulation if that’s the case.
  • Something with John Cena – He’s certainly teased that he might be part of WrestleMania, though no one seems to think it will be in a full-length match. WWE can work him in as a host or have him just show up and AA someone for a pop, though.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: Breaking down the biggest takeaways from Australia

Elimination Chamber set a couple of intriguing ideas in motion in Perth.

For the most part, this year’s Elimination Chamber was as predictable as we all expected.

Rhea Ripley retained her WWE Women’s World Championship after a borderline great main event match against Nia Jax, Becky Lynch was the last person standing in the women’s Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge Ripley’s title at WrestleMania, and Drew McIntyre outlasted five others to win the men’s Elimination Chamber and punch his ticket to the biggest show of the year, where he will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

So nothing to see here, right?

No, actually, as there were two other happenings on the show that left me intrigued.

Cody Rhodes challenges The Rock to a one-on-one match

Although all indications have been pointing toward Rhodes and Rollins facing The Rock and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns to some sort of tag team match in the future (possibly at WrestleMania), judging by what happened during “The Grayson Waller Effect,” I’m not quite as sure.

As I predicted, a challenge was laid, but it wasn’t for a tag team match. Instead, it was Rhodes challenging The Rock to a one-on-one match. Rollins, who revealed that he was merely days away from being medically cleared, was there to lend his moral support, but nothing more. Rhodes did not put a date on his challenge, saying that he wants The Rock anytime, anywhere.

Will we actually get a one-on-one match between Rhodes and The Rock? I guess we can’t totally rule it out. My best guess is that the tag team match is still happening sooner rather than later and an encounter between Rhodes and The Rock is something WWE could visit at any time down the road.

Is this slightly confusing? Yes. I’m still not totally sure what to make of it. But again, this is intriguing. I am interested in seeing what happens. Rhodes laid the challenge, which means The Rock has to eventually respond. I anxiously await it.

What is Logan Paul doing at WrestleMania?

Logan Paul has made his share of enemies as a controversial internet influencer, and that has carried over, in storyline at least, to the WWE locker room.

He’s obviously got Kevin Owens as a sworn enemy after their encounter at the Royal Rumble, and that was on full display Saturday in Perth.

But Paul created a new enemy Saturday in the form of Randy Orton, who was seemingly poised to win the men’s Elimination Chamber after eliminating Paul. But before Orton could seal the victory, Paul sucker punched him with brass knuckles, knocking Orton out cold and paving an easy path to victory for McIntyre.

I had been predicting for weeks that LA Knight should be the person to face Paul for the United States title at WrestleMania, but after AJ Styles attacked him during the Elimination Chamber, I feel like Knight will be occupied elsewhere.

Do we get Paul against Orton one-on-one? Is Owens inserted to make it a triple threat? Either way, it will be an interesting road getting there.