Tag: Finn Balor

WWE Raw results 05/29/23: New women’s tag champs, Rollins and Styles join forces

See who emerged as the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions after a Fatal 4-Way on WWE Raw in Albany.

It’s been a tough few weeks for Raquel Rodriguez, but maybe that will change tonight on WWE Raw from Albany.

Not that Raquel has been losing too many races recently, mind you. As one half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions, Rodriguez hadn’t lost a tag team match since WrestleMania 39. Alas, when partner Liv Morgan was injured (during one of those victories), WWE stripped them of the titles.

Rodriguez got to be part of one of the four teams that competed for the championship tonight, but she needed a partner. Enter Shotzi, who has history with Raquel and figures to be someone who can capably fill in for Morgan even if not quite replace her.

Can they win (back) the titles? Perhaps, but a Fatal 4-Way is always a crap shoot, and the other three teams — Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville, and Bayley and IYO SKY — all figure to be serious contenders.

WWE hasn’t promoted anything else specifically for this show from Albany, but we know Money in the Bank qualifying matches are due to start. We’re expecting at least one apiece on the men’s and women’s sides.

And there will be fallout from Saturday’s Night of Champions show in Saudi Arabia, to be sure. Seth Rollins promised he’d be on hand, World Heavyweight Championship around his waist, for tonight’s Raw. It’s possible we might learn who will be first up to challenge him for the new big gold belt.

If Cody Rhodes is up for it after battling Brock Lesnar with an injured arm, he could be in the house as well. Can he pick himself back up again after experiencing another dose of adversity? And are things done between him and the Beast Incarnate?

WWE Raw results from Albany:

  • New World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins makes a memorable entrance through the crowd, and after repeating his intention to be a fighting champion, he’s joined by a congratulatory AJ Styles; their mutual show of respect is interrupted by The Judgment Day, and after exchanging insults, Rollins and Styles agree to take on any two of them tonight

  • Adam Pearce is on the phone trying to make the match approved, and both Rollins and Styles want it to happen
  • Ricochet def. The Miz by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match
  • Trish Stratus brags about doing exactly what she said she’d do in beating Becky Lynch, and she’s proud to introduce a superstar who reminds Trish of a young her, Zoey Stark; Lynch of course comes looking for both of them, which proves foolhardy as she is beaten down with a Z-360 from Stark and a big right hand from Stratus, then left crumpled in the corner with a “thank you Trish” shirt over her

  • Indus Sher def. local talent by pinfall
  • A video segment shows the Bloodline drama from Night of Champions once again, though apparently Roman Reigns’ 1000-day title reign celebration is still on for SmackDown
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are feeling pretty good tonight after the “worst night of Roman Reign’s life,” but Imperium comes out to take exception to them representing Raw, and the “new and improved” Alpha Academy (with Maxxine Dupri now part of the team) makes the champs laugh by dissing Imperium

  • Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) def. Alpha Academy by pinfall with Owens and Zayn on guest commentary; also, Valhalla chases Dupri to the back
  • Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi are asked if they’ve built up enough chemistry, a question that gets mocked by Bayley and IYO SKY before Raquel fires right back at Bayley
  • Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler def. Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville and Damage CTRL (Bayley and IYO SKY) in a Fatal 4-Way match when Rousey made Shotzi tap out to an armbar to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions
  • Dolph Ziggler vs. JD McDonagh goes to a double countout, to the mild displeasure of the fans, with McDonagh continuing to assault Ziggler after the bell and stomping his head on top of the steel steps
  • Left arm still in a sling, Cody Rhodes takes the ring to say he hopes Brock Lesnar isn’t satisfied with their two matches being tied 1-1 and issues an open challenge for a third fight, any time, any place, finishing by saying Lesnar wasn’t “man enough to make me tap out”

  • Gunther tells Matt Riddle he wants him to win the Money in the Bank Ladder match and cash it in on the IC title just so he can have fun beating Riddle
  • Shinsuke Nakamura def. Bronson Reed by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match
  • Rhea Ripley tells Byron Saxton she destroyed Natalya at Night of Champions, and the Judgment Day won’t tell him which two members will face Rollins and Styles
  • A video package pays tribute to the men and women who have given their lives in defense of the U.S. to commemorate Memorial Day
  • AJ Styles and Seth Rollins def. Damian Priest and Finn Balor by pinfall

WWE Raw results 05/22/23: Cody Rhodes is determined to fight Brock Lesnar

Other big happenings on Raw included Raquel Rodriguez finding a new tag team partner and Matt Riddle aiding Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

HERSHEY, Pa. — As a fan in Section D of the Giant Center said in realization at the end of WWE Raw on Monday night, “We never got to do the whoa.”

He was talking about a certain part of Cody Rhodes‘ entrance theme, “Kingdom,” and if you’ve been watching WWE programming any time over the past year, you know the cue. It comes right after the line “Out the curtain, lights go up I’m home.”

The fans in attendance did get to see Rhodes, who was shown on screen to both open and close the show. He also made it to the ring once in-between, but his music didn’t play because WWE was trying to make it look like he shouldn’t have been out there.

That’s what happens when you get jumped by Brock Lesnar while entering the arena, which is exactly what happened Monday night. Lesnar gave Rhodes a hellacious backstage beating, concentrating on Cody’s left arm and mocking him for wanting to fight at Night of Champions.

Lesnar came to the ring about halfway through Raw, claiming that Rhodes wouldn’t be able to make this weekend’s premium live event and laying out an open challenge to anyone who would step up. Instead, Rhodes came out, arm in a sling, and attempted to thrown down with Lesnar right there.

Let’s call that a tactical error for the American Nightmare, who ended up taking even more damage to his left arm after being locked in a kimura by Lesnar. The idea was that Rhodes’ arm was broken.

But that wasn’t the last word, because the night’s main event, which saw Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle defeat Imperium, ended about four minutes prior to 11 p.m. ET. It felt like something would happen, and that something was Triple H visiting Rhodes in the locker room and trying to convince him that Night of Champions was out.

Rhodes refused and said he’d fight Lesnar anyway. So there’s a built-in excuse for WWE to have Cody lose and continue the feud (to SummerSlam, perhaps). It was an unconventional but not illogical way to end the final live show before a premium live event, but we’ll have to wait until Saturday to see if it all plays out in satisfactory fashion.

Read on for a rundown of everything that happened Monday night.

WWE Raw results from Hershey:

  • As noted above, Lesnar attacked Rhodes in the back, smashing his left arm between a beer keg and a metal rolldown door
  • Paul Heyman took to the microphone to claim no responsibility for what just happened but suggested that was just a taste of what would happen to Rhodes at Night of Champions
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn said they were feeling pretty good about their upcoming title defense at Night of Champions, but there was also business to attend to tonight … and that business found them, with Imperium surrounding the ring, but Matt Riddle arrived to help run them off and become their partner for the main event
  • Adam Pearce refused to confirm or deny to Byron Saxton that Rhodes suffered a broken arm
  • Bronson Reed def. Ricochet by pinfall
  • Apollo Crews got his interview crashed by Dominik Mysterio, who ended up talking his way into a match, and Rhea Ripley, who warned Natalya she would end her career at Night of Champions
  • Part 3 of Corey Graves’ interview with Seth Rollins aired, including Rollins saying he loves Roman Reigns but doesn’t like Roman Reigns
  • Finn Balor had some fighting words for his opponent tonight, Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Zoey Stark def. Candice LeRae by pinfall, despite some ringside encouragement from Nikki Cross
  • Mustafa Ali was more serious than he has been recently, discussing the opportunity he has coming up this weekend … until Lesnar walked by him on his way to the ring, telling Ali to get a life as he passed
  • Barging by Adam Pearce and other officials, Rhodes made his ill-advised attempt to confront Lesnar in the ring, which ended with him in even more pain
  • A promo vignette was aired to promote Indus Sher
  • Alpha Academy def. Viking Raiders by pinfall
  • Finn Balor def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall thanks to some assistance from Damian Priest
  • Raquel Rodriguez def. Sonya Deville by pinfall, then got saved from a two-on-one post-match beating by Shotzi
  • Trish Stratus proposed a “no touch policy” for her contract signing with Becky Lynch, but Pearce declined …
  • … but Stratus and Lynch mostly just trade insults during their contract signing anyway
  • Pearce gives someone a phone call to update them on the Rhodes situation
  • Rodriguez offers Shotzi a chance to be her tag team partner to try back the women’s tag team titles
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Apollo Crews by pinfall, with the usual assist from Rhea Ripley
  • The final segment of the Graves-Rollins interview aired, focused largely on Seth discussing why he wants to win the World Heavyweight Championship so badly
  • Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle def. Imperium by pinfall
  • Triple H tried to talk Rhodes out of competing at Night of Champions, but to no avail

After the show went off the air, Imperium attempted to come back for some revenge on Owens, Zayn and Riddle, but that backfired as Ludwig Kaiser ended up going through a table.

WWE Raw results: KO, Sami run into unholy alliance

Find out what went down on the May 15 episode of WWE Raw from Greensboro, with Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch and more.

Sometimes when you want to leave something in the past, it just keeps running to keep up with you. And sometimes that thing running at you also finds you, pulls you out of a match, destroys you outside the ring and then challenges you to a match so that the whole world is waiting for you to respond on WWE Raw.

If that sounds like your personal story, my condolences. It definitely applies to Cody Rhodes, who made the logical assumption that once he defeated Brock Lesnar at Backlash, that would be the end of things between them.

Alas.

Now WWE says we will hear from the American Nightmare tonight in Greensboro, giving his answer about whether he will accept Lesnar’s challenge to fight again at Night of Champions. As the Magic 8-Ball might say, signs point to yes.

Someone who hasn’t had to fight anyone in a little bit is WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther since he’s newly arrived on the Raw roster. Tonight’s show will feature a battle royal to find him a No. 1 contender, which should definitely be interesting.

There’s big happenings in the women’s division as well. Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez will defend their titles against the annoying but no less dangerous threat of Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. And Becky Lynch is scheduled to appear after surprising Trish Stratus last week, and you know she isn’t coming just to talk if Stratus is in Greensboro in person.

Update: Morgan was apparently injured last week so the tag team title match is said to be off. We’ll see how that plays out.

WWE Raw results from Greensboro:

  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn see the title challenge from Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa as a gift as it gives them a chance for revenge on Reigns, but a visit from The Judgment Day inevitably turns to fisticuffs

  • Shinsuke Nakamura def. The Miz by pinfall
  • Adam Pearce confirms Liv Morgan was injured on SmackDown so the tag team title match is postponed, but because of the griping from the challengers, Chelsea Green is going to have a singles match with Raquel Rodriguez
  • Corey Graves introduces his previously recorded interview with Seth Rollins, who talks about his desire to effect change all the way back to his NXT days … and of course, the chair shot heard ’round the world that ended The Shield
  • Gunther figures an introduction might be necessary considering he started his impressive Intercontinental Championship reign on SmackDown, and says one man has a chance to both become his next challenger and earn his respect; press ‘X’ to doubt that last part

  • Mustafa Ali wins a Battle Royal to become No. 1 contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship that includes Ricochet, Apollo Crews, Bronson Reed, Matt Riddle, Chad Gable, Otis, Baron Corbin, Von Wagner, Johnny Gargano, Dexter Lumis, JD McDonagh, Riddick Moss, Elias, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander, Mace, Mansoor, Humberto, Angel, Eri, Ivar, Akira Tozawa and Xyon Quinn; last eliminating Reed and Ricochet

  • Becky Lynch says “Thank you Trish” for hitting her and calling her daughter stupid, because that turned on a light in Becky that had been off for a while … and she’ll show how thankful she is when she kicks in Trish’s head at Night of Champions

  • Rhea Ripley and Natalya have a difference in opinion about respect, and the SmackDown Women’s Champion says she will end Nattie’s career if she ever sticks her nose in the champ’s business again
  • Ali doesn’t want to hear any negativity from Alpha Academy, but Gunther says he feels regret for him for traveling halfway around the world to lose and get the beating that goes with it
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Xavier Woods by pinfall
  • A video promo hypes JD McDonagh, who says the Irish Ace is here to stay; he also says live that he attacked Dolph Ziggler during the battle royal to make a statement
  • Indus Sher deg. Local Talent by pinfall, and Jinder Mahal tells the announce team their future is written in gold
  • Imperium pays a visit to KO and Sami, who tell them they’ll fight next week
  • Cody Rhodes tells the story of the scorpion and the frog, accepts Brock Lesnar’s challenge for Night of Champions and says that Brock isn’t the Next Big Thing any more — he’s simply in Cody’s way
  • Candice LeRae takes exception to the way Zoey Stark is talking about Nikki Cross and Candice’s “family” and the two women agree to settle things in the ring next week
  • Raquel Rodriguez def. Chelsea Green by pinfall … but Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler arrive afterward to beat down Rodriguez on the stage
  • Paul Heyman has been talking to Imperium, that can’t be good

  • The second part of Graves’ interview with Rollins covers the time right up to his pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship and his motivation for wanting to win it: to push the industry forward
  • The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn by pinfall thanks to interference from Imperium

World Heavyweight Championship tournament results: Seth Rollins advances from Raw

One half of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament final was determined on Raw in Jacksonville.

Monday’s episode of WWE Raw began the road to determining the World Heavyweight Championship. Two triple-threat matches took place with the winners of both battling in the main event of the show to decline who will compete for the title at Night of Champions.

Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest to advance, as did Finn Balor over The Miz and Cody Rhodes (with aid from “Cowboy” Brock Lesnar), to recreate the first WWE Universal Championship match in Raw’s main event.

In a fun final match of the night, Rollins pinned Balor to advance to Night of Champions on May 27. Injured arm and all, he will have the chance to have world title glory at the end of the month.

With the Raw matches over, the second part of the tournament will take place on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, with two more intriguing triple threats and one more finals matchup to determine who goes to Night of Champions.

AJ Styles vs. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio is a dream match of two WWE Hall of Famers and another inevitably bound for induction. It’s a blockbuster match that could headline any weekly show or premium live event and should deliver all the goods on Friday.

Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus is potentially another hard-hitting match. Theory and Edge could have a rematch of their United States Championship bout from the day after WrestleMania 39, but any pairing makes for a solid main event to determine who will face Rollins at Night of Champions.

WWE Raw results: Seth Rollins stomps his way past Finn Balor

Seth Rollins didn’t miss his chance to fight for the world title at Night of Champions.

The fans in Jacksonville seem more than happy to sing along with the Seth Rollins entrance theme for a second time in one night. The announcers remind all of the stakes, as either Rollins or Finn Balor will go on to Night of Champions to compete to be the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion.

Rollins is sent out to the floor in the early going, where he tries to take a moment to regroup and is able to stay one step ahead when Balor tries to catch him off guard. As Rollins tries to re-enter the ring, however, Balor picks Seth off the apron and powerbombs him into the barricade.

Seth is fighting back after some commercials with a series of slaps, shoulder charges and kicks. Balor eats a charging corner forearm and a backbreaker before Rollins looks to go up top. Even favoring one arm, he launches into a frog splash, but he catches double knees from Finn and has to kick out at two … only to fall right into an armbar.

Rollins rolls his way to his feet and is taken right back down by a Sling Blade, though he responds quickly with a superkick for a two count.

After some successful offense on the floor by Rollins, the two men go back and forth in the ring and both end up down on the canvas. Finn looks like he’s bleeding a bit from the mouth as they charge back toward each other, with Balor hitting a double stomp and heading to the top rope. Seth meets him there and hits a superplex, but he can’t float into the Falcon Arrow, and Balor slams him down for another two count.

Balor’s corner dropkick scores, and another blasts Rollins down. Finn climbs but can’t find the target on a Coup de Grace, and Rollins hits a Pedigree even with only one good arm. Balor kicks out and the match continues.

Rollins nods as if to say, “I’ve got this now,” and the fans come back to life. Finn avoids a Stomp but eats an inverted version of the move. Seth moves back into position and hits the regular Stomp, which does the trick keeping Balor down for three.

WWE Raw results: Finn Balor advances as Brock Lesnar costs Cody Rhodes

The Beast came back for Cody at the worst possible time in Jacksonville.

A very early commercial break means we’re a few minutes into the action when the match gets our full attention. Cody Rhodes is looking good, hitting a double Cody Cutter on both Finn Balor and The Miz. Rhodes clutches his shoulder, though, a reminder of his Backlash battle with Brock Lesnar. His Disaster Kick to Balor is on target, though Finn kicks out at two.

Ever the opportunist, Miz comes in with a rally that leads him to a near fall on Rhodes even while the crowd hits him with the “tiny balls” chant. He gets sent to the outside, and Balor has several chances to try to pin Cody.

Balor wants a Coup de Grace but sees Rhodes roll away, and Miz hits Finn with a Skull Crushing Finale that forces a breakup by Cody.

Rhodes talks Balor and falls into an inside cradle, but is able to kick out at two. Back and forth they go until Cody hits Cross Rhodes three times on The Miz. Surely that’s it … and it might be except Brock Lesnar drags him out of the ring and treats him to an F-5.

Balor takes full advantage by pinning The Miz to advance, but Lesnar isn’t done, driving Rhodes through the announce table. He gets a microphone and mockingly asks Rhodes what he wants to talk about. Lesnar wants to talk about them fighting again at Night of Champions, and he soaks in the boos as he laughs his way to the ramp and medical personnel check on Cody.

Click here for full WWE Raw results from Jacksonville.

WWE Raw results: Cody Rhodes’ misfortune is Seth Rollins’ gain in World Title tourney

Brock Lesnar made his presence felt on Raw in a way that directly affected the tournament.

If there’s such a thing as May Madness (and if there is, we’re likely going to hear about it from Legal), WWE’s got it for tonight’s episode of Raw from Jacksonville.

Why, you could very reasonably ask? Because the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament, kicks off tonight, that’s why. Two Triple Threat matches will narrow a field of six down to two, with the winners doing battle later this very night to determine who will go on to Night of Champions later this month to fight for the right to be the inaugural wearer of the new big gold belt.

WWE has helpfully revealed who will be in each of the first round tournament matches. One will see Cody Rhodes, Finn Balor and The Miz square off, while the other features Damian Priest, Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura. Those combinations set the stage for lots of fun possibilities for the Raw semifinal, including things like an all Judgment Day affait.

(Of course, we have our own ideas on how things should play out.)

The other segment WWE is promoting ahead of the episode is the return of Trish Stratus. The women’s wrestling icon and WWE Hall of Famer seems to have gotten the better of Becky Lynch both physically and psychologically over the past few weeks, as Lynch hasn’t been on TV for a while. But Stratus might not want to be too cocky when she appears on Raw tonight, because when The Man comes back around, there just might be hell to pay.

It’s also the first show where the post-WWE Draft rosters are in effect on Raw, so expect to see some new faces as well.

WWE Raw results from Jacksonville:

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

  • Cody Rhodes says he discovered at Backlash that Brock Lesnar could be defeated, and that he’s now completely focused on the World Heavyweight Championship, so he says let the tournament begin
  • Damian Priest doesn’t really want to discuss his loss to Bad Bunny but does think he and Finn Balor will battle in the semifinal later tonight
  • Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest in a World Heavyweight Championship Tournament first round match by pinning Nakamura
  • “You’ll still be Imperium in five minutes, right?” Imperium wants Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to know Gunther is coming to Raw next week, but their insistence on not being bothered seems like it’s going to lead to a match
  • Mustafa Ali def. Otis by pinfall
  • The Miz reminds the world that he’s a history maker and will have respect put on his name when he wins the tournament\
  • Finn Balor def. Cody Rhodes and The Miz in a World Heavyweight Championship Tournament first round match after Brock Lesnar attacks Rhodes and Balor pins Miz
  • Rhea Ripley def. Dana Brooke by submission, then is confronted by Natalya but leaves without any fisticuffs breaking out
  • A video package shows all of the NXT performers who got drafted to Raw, and one of them, Zoey Stark, challenges Nikki Cross for her first Raw match
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) by pinfall
  • Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green are busy getting signatures on their petition to get a rematch for the tag team titles, and The Way is nearly all back together backstage
  • Zoey Stark def. Nikki Cross by pinfall
  • Dominik Mysterio and Xavier Woods talk their way into a match later tonight, while Akira Tozawa wanders off
  • Trish Stratus is worried because Becky Lynch is missing, and says Lynch will be found but won’t be coming to “her” show … except she’s 100% wrong, and The Man gives her a quick beating before insisting she’s come around to kick Trish’s ass
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Xavier Woods by pinfall
  • Indus Sher says they’ve been waiting for their chance to strike; The Miz accidentally ends up with a match against Nakamura next week; Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez find out Deville and Green started their petition thinking they would be facing Damage CTRL for the tag team titles
  • Rhodes says this is the second time that Lesnar has attacked him from behind for no reason, so he says “let’s fight” at Night of Champions
  • Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor by pinfall to win the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament semifinal

WWE Raw results: Cody Rhodes sends message with victory over Finn Balor

See how the American Nightmare was able to get by the Prince at Raw in Chicago.

The fans are very much behind Cody Rhodes, as they are in most every city. Cory Graves still can’t believe Rhodes called Brock Lesnar a coward.

Finn Balor is able to get off the first hip toss, but Rhodes takes him to the mat and works him over a bit. A gutbuster variation gets Rhodes the upper hand, and he earns an early two count.

Balor gradually gets in some offense and has Rhodes looking pained as he slumps up against the barricade. The camera zooms in on the new World Heavyweight Championship belt as commercials loom.

Things are better for Cody after the break, as he connects with a Disaster Kick for a two count. Cross Rhodes next? Nope as Balor counters that and the Cody Cutter and takes him down to the mat hard for two.

Maybe Rhodes just needed to set up the Cody Cutter with a superkick first, because that helps him score another near fall. He’s looking determined but takes the double stomp and the shotgun dropkick.

Rhodes sees the Coup de Grace coming and rolls out of the way. He wants Cross Rhodes but Balor uses an inside cradle for two. Shifting gears, Rhodes hits a Pedigree and fires up the fans as he stalks Balor.

The Cross Rhodes is on the mark this time, and Balor stays down for three.

Click here for full WWE Raw results from Chicago.

WWE Raw results: Bad Bunny talks softly, carries a big (kendo) stick

A new World Heavyweight Championship was also unveiled tonight.

When you’re Bad Bunny, you can do pretty much whatever you want. Try your hand at WWE? Of course. Get involved in a dramatic WrestleMania match between father and son? Sure, if you want. It’s just that there might be consequences even for the biggest music star in the world if you do that, some of which might still be playing out on this week’s episode of WWE Raw from the greater Chicago area.

See, The Judgment Day wasn’t too crazy about Bunny ensuring Dominik Mysterio didn’t cheat to beat his dad in L.A., and was even less enthused about him smacking the taste out of Dom’s mouth a few weeks later. That led to Damian Priest putting the music megastar through an announce table, which naturally kept him out of commission for a bit.

He’s back tonight, however, and probably looking for some payback against old “friend” Priest. And he, meanwhile, has a match against Rey Mysterio. That, friends, is what we call synergy. Could all these elements break out into a big Judgment Day vs. LWO scuffle with Bad Bunny on the side of the LWO? That seems likely.

Also of interest for tonight, Triple H is scheduled to make some sort of announcement. The buzz is that it’s about a title — either a new physical belt of some sort or an honest to goodness change to a championship of some sort. Or it could be something else altogether, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

WWE Raw results from Chicago:

(click on any match or segment with a link for more details)

  • Cody Rhodes reflects on the “humiliating” beatdown he got from Brock Lesnar and the time he wrestled with a torn pec, but he’s not down with Finn Balor and his invitation to join The Judgment Day … but he’s medically cleared to face Finn tonight
  • The Bloodline (The Usos and Solo Sikoa) def. The LWO (Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde) by pinfall
  • Damage CTRL tells Bianca Belair she can pick any two partners she wants to take them on tonight, and she’s down with that
  • “You made your choice … and like it or not, I made my choice too.” Sami Zayn drops in on Jey Uso and questions what will happen to Jey if The Usos fail to get the tag team titles back after dedicating the match to the Tribal Chief, but Jey tells Sami not to worry about him any more
  • A video replays the recent words and actions of Trish Stratus, who then insists that Becky Lynch is absent because she can’t handle the pressure of being a top star and a mom at the same time
  • Street Profits def. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin by pinfall
  • Triple H announces that wherever Roman Reigns is drafted to, he will take the Universal Championship with him, but there will also be a new World Heavyweight Championship, with the inaugural titleholder crowned at Night of Champions
  • Priest and Dominik Mysterio say Bad Bunny can watch Damian take out Rey Mysterio later tonight
  • “You can’t talk to Sami, Uce.” Jey expresses some self-doubts to Jimmy Uso, who blows up when he hears it’s because Jey talked to Sami
  • Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage CTRL
  • “Are you lazy and don’t want to work, or are you scared?” Austin Theory mocks the idea of the new title going to someone besides him while he has two powerful challengers at Backlash; Bobby Lashley joins him in the ring and wonders why Theory doesn’t welcome every opportunity to fight for the U.S. title …
  • … but Bronson Reed joins them as well when they start to brawl, and he’s the one left standing at the end
  • Chad Gable tries to explain the WWE Draft to Rick Boogs, but Maxxine Dupri is ready to fight for Otis, and Mustafa Ali thinks everyone needs to have a more positive attitude and is willing to back it up in the ring
  • Mustafa Ali def. Chad Gable by pinfall
  • Jimmy Uso confronts Zayn and tries to make him feel doubts about Kevin Owens
  • Cody Rhodes def. Finn Balor by pinfall
  • “This is an opportunity to have a World Heavyweight Championship that’s about more than politics and part-timers.” Seth Rollins says something bigger than Omos has caught his eye, but he’s not looking past the Nigerian Giant either
  • Matt Riddle is wearing out KO’s patience, and Owens is flabbergasted that his friend still cares about The Usos, and Riddle surprises Zayn with some actually helpful perspective
  • Rey Mysterio def. Damian Priest by DQ when Priest uses a chair on him, and Bad Bunny arrives to attack Priest with a kendo stick … and reveal that they’ll be facing off in a Street Fight at Backlash

WWE SmackDown results: Matt Riddle falls to Bloodline numbers game

Two title matches, plus Matt Riddle vs. Solo Sikoa in a No DQ match, highlight this week’s SmackDown from Columbus. We give you live updates.

The WWE SmackDown show rolls into Columbus tonight, and what it’s bringing with it is gold. Championship gold, to be precise, with a pair of title matches headlining the card.

Gunther has been dismissive of the threat to his Intercontinental Championship reign that Xavier Woods poses, to say the least. Can the lone currently healthy member of The New Day forcefully make him change his mind, or will the Ring General be proven correct?

In contrast to Gunther, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez have only just begun (shout out to the Carpenters) their run as Women’s Tag Team Champions. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville would love to end things just as they’re getting started, and if they fail, they’re sure to let us all hear about it later.

Also poor Adam Pearce, naturally.

The other match WWE has promoted for tonight has no belts on the line, but it might be even more contentious. Braun Strowman and Ricochet have had a bit of a rivalry going the past few weeks with the Viking Raiders, but it got ratcheted up several notches last week when the Raiders jumped them on SmackDown. Payback time? One would think.

Those bouts won’t be enough to fill two full hours, so there’s going to be more. WWE recently said we can expect a tag team match pitting The LWO’s Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar against The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest and Finn Balor. And there will be a No DQ match between Matt Riddle and Solo Sikoa that could possibly be the main event, even with two title matches on the show.

WWE SmackDown results from Columbus:

(click on match links for more details)

  • Damian Priest and Finn Balor def. Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar by pinfall
  • Solo Sikoa and The Usos are shown entering the arena
  • Zelina Vega tells Adam Pearce she wants to challenge Rhea Ripley for her SmackDown Women’s Championship at Backlash, and he seems agreeable

  • A video promotes Shinsuke Nakamura as the King of Strong Style, followed by a warning to him from Karrion Kross, who claims he will take away Shinsuke’s honor
  • Braun Strowman and Ricochet def. Viking Raiders by pinfall thanks to the fan favorite Swanton Bomb by Ricochet off Strowman’s shoulders
  • Raquel Rodriguez has to calm down Liv Morgan before their title defense
  • Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez def. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, giving the heels a taste of their own medicine in the process
  • Matt Riddle promises to leave Solo Sikoa buried tonight
  • Gunther def. Xavier Woods by submission to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
  • A video package shows once again how Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn became tag team champions
  • The Usos cut a promo about their rematch against KO and Sami next week and say they’re going to dedicate their victory to the Tribal Chief, which … they better hope they win
  • Solo Sikoa def. Matt Riddle by pinfall in a No Disqualification match with some help from The Usos, who give Riddle a 1-D through a table after the bell