Tag: Grayson Waller

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 results: Priest, Sky soar, Roman Reigns falls in London

See all the winners from London as they claim victory at WWE Money in the Bank.

It’s not too often that the Money in the Bank Ladder matches aren’t among the top attractions at the event that bears their name, but as London’s O2 Arena prepares to play host to the 2023 edition, an argument can be made for that this year.

That’s not to say that the battles for the men’s and women’s briefcases won’t be entertaining. Both fields are full of the kind of talent that could benefit by winning them, and the women’s match, especially, features some of the division’s top names, past and present.

But neither figure to be the emotional high point of the show. That will almost certainly be the so-called Bloodline Civil War, where Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa will battle their own blood, The Usos. It’s the latest milepost in the longest running WWE storyline in years, one that has kept fans locked in for every new development.

There’s also a World Heavyweight Championship match that has its roots in events that took place seven years ago. Seth Rollins says his challenger Finn Balor has grown bitter since defeating him back then, but Balor insists that Rollins made him that way. Even though Rollins is heavily expected to win, there should be plenty of action and drama along the way.

And it doesn’t appear that any of those matches will even close out the show. Somewhat incredibly, the showdown between Cody Rhodes and Dominik Mysterio appears set to be the main event, with rumors swirling that it could be the vehicle for a big return of some sort. At least it will have the London crowd fired up to provide big and very opposite reactions.

Let’s head to London and see how everything plays out.

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 results from London:

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

  • Damian Priest wins the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match, defeating Butch, Shinsuke Nakamura, Santos Escobar, Ricochet, LA Knight and Logan Paul
  • Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez def. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler by pinfall to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions after Baszler turns on Rousey mid-match, attacking Ronda and then walking out
  • Priest tells Kayla Braxton he is now Señor Money in the Bank, and while he has some things to think about, the one thing he knows is that he will be a champion
  • Gunther def. Riddle by submission to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship …
  • … but after the bell, Drew McIntyre returns for the first time since WrestleMania; he gets shoved by Gunther and responds with a Glasgow Kiss and a Claymore before holding Gunther’s title belt over him
  • Cody Rhodes def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall
  • Surprise! John Cena makes an appearance, talking up how long it’s been since there was a big event in London and that WWE doesn’t know what to make of the fans there; but as for why he’s really there, Cena says it’s to let the world know the London fans are underappreciated and have earned his respect … but also to try to bring WrestleMania to London (cont.)
  • Cena is joined by Grayson Waller, who mocks Cena and accuses him of lying to people; Cena declines his offer to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect and gets attacked from behind, but Cena ends up turning the tables on him
  • IYO SKY wins the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match, defeating Bayley, Zelina Vega, Zoey Stark, Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch
  • Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor by pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
  • Kayla Braxton talks to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who are watching the event from a skybox, and Sami says he thinks tonight will be the night that Roman Reigns gets exactly what’s coming to him
  • The Usos def. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa by pinfall to win the Bloodline Civil War tag team match when Jey Uso pins Reigns

WWE SmackDown results 06/30/23: Bloodline members throw hands ahead of MITB

The stars of WWE get their final say the night before Money in the Bank.

WWE SmackDown rolls into London tonight, with only 24 hours to go before Money in the Bank.

OK, not really tonight, and definitely not live in North America, because time zones. But you get the drift.

Because talent is already in town for Money in the Bank, we’ll see big names on this edition of SmackDown. Roman Reigns, for one, and the Tribal Chief will not be in a good mood ahead of the Bloodline Civil War.

Logan Paul is also scheduled to appear as a guest on The Grayson Waller Effect. And lord only knows what will happen when those two share the ring together.

Oh, and we’ve got a pair of title matches as well. Hard to beat that for tape-delayed TV.

It looks like an insanely packed house for this show, so let’s get right to it.

WWE SmackDown results from London:

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Pretty Deadly by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship

Almost completely forgot that this is a home game for Pretty Deadly. That should help them stay competitive even if it would be a big surprise if they won the titles.

KO sells damage to his left leg, giving the challengers somewhere to focus their attack. He eats several signature moves in a row but manages to kick out each time.

Alas, all it takes is one big flurry from the champs to turn the tide and retain their gold.

The Brawling Brutes want some payback against Solo Sikoa, but Adam Pearce says he’s got other business tonight. Instead, Ridge Holland has a match against Austin Theory, and if he wins it, will be “firmly in contention” for the United States Championship.

Austin Theory def. Ridge Holland by pinfall

The announcers doing some nice work putting over Holland. Meanwhile, we had sort of forgotten about Theory, which is no diss to him but merely an observation about how out of sight, out of mind he’s been lately. But he wins here, so sorry about that, Ridge.

Perhaps teasing a program, Theory tries to beat up on Holland after his victory and is chased away by a Brogue Kick from Sheamus.

Karrion Kross brags that he beat AJ Styles in only three moves in a game of chess and challenges him to a match next week.

A video package replays some of the recent twists and turns in the Bloodline saga.

Bayley def. Shotzi by pinfall to retain her spot in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match is on the line

There’s a quick review of how we got here, meaning how IYO SKY “helped” Bayley by accepting Shotzi’s challenge on her behalf. SKY actually provides some real help early during the match, putting Bayley’s foot on the ropes to help Bayley escape a pin, and a Rose Plant shortly after secures a victory for the Role Model. Not sure what the point of this was, but here we are.

Shotzi storms backstage and says she isn’t done with Bayley but ends up getting thrashed by Damage CTRL and also has some of her hair cut off.

Logan Paul is welcomed as the guest on The Grayson Waller Effect. After he boasts a little about what he might do after winning the briefcase, he’s joined unexpectedly by LA Knight … who kind of cuts a face promo.

Paul disses Knight by saying he was supposed to be a manager in WWE after a 20-year career, but LA gets the fans on his side. Santos Escobar joins the fun as well, followed by Butch, who quickly turns this conversation into violence.

Paul and Butch end up brawling over the announce table into a commercial break.

It turns into a match during said break …

Butch def. LA Knight and Santos Escobar by pinning Escobar

Paul isn’t competing in this one but is hanging around ringside to keep a close eye on it. He gets in Knight’s face when the battle goes to the outside, but soon pays for it thanks to Escobar.

Alas, Santos is pinned shortly after by Butch. After the match, Paul takes out Knight but is thrown from the ring in turn by Butch, who does the climb the ladder and pose with the briefcase thing.

Styles accepts Kross’ challenge and says Michin will keep Scarlett on her leash if Karrion does not.

Asuka def. Charlotte Flair by DQ to retain the WWE Women’s Championship after she is attacked by Bianca Belair

There’s a very interested onlooker in the front row: Bianca Belair, who appears to have purchased a front row ticket since Pearce told her to stay away.

Charlotte mostly misses a moonsault to the floor but lands just fine, but her running boot to Asuka ends up smashing into Belair when the champ moves. Bianca decides to attack Asuka, which means that Flair loses due to disqualification.

An angry Flair confronts Belair, who then smashes Charlotte in the face as well. Asuka ends up getting the KOD onto the announce table, so she probably should have just left well enough alone, and Flair soon joins her. Ouch.

The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, heads to the ring with Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. Reigns says “we ain’t the ones, I’m the one, I’m the only one.” He clarifies by saying he’s the only one who loves The Usos and allowed them into the promised land.

When the fans start chanting that he sucks, Reigns says no, it’s family who betrays you who suck. Roman says he’ll give his cousins an unlimited number of chances after screwing up, but they need to come out, bow down and acknowledge him so they can all move on.

Jimmy and Jey come out and are incredulous that Roman thinks they want to get back in. Now it’s all about consequences: What happens if Reigns loses? Jey says when Roman loses, he’s the only one out.

The Usos also suggest that Solo would make a great next Tribal Chief. That appears to throw Reigns just a tad, and he gets in the face of Jey on the apron. A superkick is the answer, and now all four men are brawling.

Pearce and a host of officials try to separate the warring Bloodline members, but Reigns is able to land a Superman punch and Jey ends up flying out to the floor as the show fades out for tonight.

WWE SmackDown results: The Usos deliver a message to Solo, Roman

See what’s going down in the Bloodline saga and who wins the women’s tag team title unification match on WWE SmackDown.

Perhaps this was inevitable, as Thanos might say. Even with the family bonds between The Bloodline, it was always likely the WWE wasn’t big enough for all of their ambitions. Now, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa are preparing to do physical battle with The Usos at Money in the Bank, and before that, it appears all four men will be in the house for WWE SmackDown tonight.

Bloodline Civil War? We’d say so.

The Bloodline segments have been the biggest draws on SmackDown for some time, and there’s no reason to think anything will change for tonight’s show from Lafayette, Louisiana.

That’s not to say there’s nothing else of interest on the schedule for this particular June Friday. The women’s tag team titles will be unified as Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler (the WWE champs) take on Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (who still hold the NXT titles despite their recent call-up). Shotzi will attempt to get into the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match if she can knock off Bayley, whose spot in said match is on the line — or at least that was the plan, because that match is no longer listed on WWE’s official site as of the time of this post.

But heck, it’s OK if there is a little bit of mystery for this SmackDown, because people would tune in to see what’s going on with the Bloodline alone. The whole second hour could be drama with the Tribal Chief and his subjects and it would do big ratings.

(Note to Vince McMahon in case you’re reading this: Please don’t actually do this, we’re exaggerating for effect.)

Let’s dive right in, because we hear The Usos’ music …

WWE SmackDown results from Lafayette:

  • The Usos come to the ring to a huge ovation from the crowd, and explain that they still love Roman Reigns but that he messed up by disrespecting them; they also call Paul Heyman the biggest snake of them all and remind everyone that they’re the best tag team in the game, with plans on taking it back to the Uso Penitentiary mind set in London

  • LA Knight def. Rey Mysterio by pinfall, though Santos Escobar hustles down to keep him from unmasking or beating down Rey after the bell
  • Solo Sikoa nails Ridge Holland with a Samoan Spike backstage and says he’s not in the mood tonight; Heyman makes a phone call to Reigns
  • Sheamus tells Adam Pearce to “give me Solo now,” but AP has sent for Heyman and says he’ll handle it; Sheamus does the opposite and briefly pops out on stage to call for Sikoa to meet him in the ring tonight
  • Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler def. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn by pinfall to become the new Unified WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions; Rousey calls out Raquel Rodriguez afterward, who was watching the match from ringside, and Raquel says “we” want a rematch for the titles we never lost — meaning her and the returning Liv Morgan

  • Yes boy! The Grayson Waller Effect welcomes Pretty Deadly, who don’t feel like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are giving them the proper respect; they also get a visit from the Street Profits, who are anxious to introduce them to the smoke
  • Pretty Deadly def. Street Profits by pinfall, cheating a bit to do so
  • Charlotte Flair def. Lacey Evans by submission, but gets attacked by Asuka right after the bell
  • Pearce summons Bianca Belair to discuss the Flair-Asuka title match and says she’ll be barred from ringside, but she doesn’t seem to trust that he’ll be true to his word and give her the chance to challenge the winner
  • Solo Sikoa def. Sheamus by referee stoppage, then fights off officials who come to check on the Celtic Warrior; The Usos come to the ring to attack Sikoa, however, delivering a series of superkicks that leave Heyman’s mouth open in astonishment before they also hit an Uso Splash

WWE SmackDown results 06/02/23: Solo picks Tribal Chief over brothers … for now

See if the Bloodline held together long enough to celebrate 1,000 days of Roman Reigns as Universal Champion on WWE SmackDown.

Tonight should be a joyous occasion for Roman Reigns. With WWE promoting a celebration of his 1,000 days (and counting) as Universal Champion, it should be a time for the Tribal Chief to take a well-deserved victory lap, secure in his dominance.

And it would be … if everything was alright with The Bloodline. Instead, it’s the exact opposite, as things have arguably never been more turbulent. After being pushed past their limits by Roman’s gaslighting, The Usos erupted into the family stable version of open revolt, with Jimmy, not Jey, as the ringleader.

There’s almost zero chance The Usos will be beside Reigns tonight, leaving him with just Solo Sikoa as the loyal but silent lieutenant, and his wise man, Paul Heyman. That makes you wonder if Reigns will be in any mood to appreciate his accomplishments, even if WWE gives him a shiny new belt to mark the occasion.

What else is on tap for Wilkes-Barre? Oh not much, just qualifying for the potentially career-altering experience called Money in the Bank. So far two men are in and zero women, but we’re going to increase those numbers tonight. Montez Ford will take on LA Knight (kind of a shame since both men deserve to be in the Ladder match), while Zelina Vega goes up against Lacey Evans.

With a few other surprises bound to be part of the show as well, it should be a fun two hours.

WWE SmackDown results from Wilkes-Barre:

  • Austin Theory claims he’ll have a 1,000-day celebration and more since he’s probably going to be United States Champion forever; he also brings out Pretty Deadly, who says they were glad to take care of the Brawling Brutes and won’t mind doing it again
  • Austin Theory and Pretty Deadly def. Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch and Ridge Holland) by pinfall
  • A video package replays the problems in the Bloodline that erupted at Night of Champions
  • Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa that they need to make the night special for the Tribal Chief, especially after what just happened, and says he’s going to talk to Adam Pearce to ensure the Usos go nowhere near the celebration tonight
  • The O.C. wishes AJ Styles a happy birthday, and the Good Brothers say they’ll take out Hit Row tonight
  • Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows def. Hit Row by pinfall, Styles gives Top Dolla a Phenomenal Forearm, and Michael Cole makes some poor efforts at rapping
  • Pearce tells Heyman the Usos have been told they aren’t needed tonight and that he’s doubled security to keep them out
  • Raw Women’s Champion Asuka drops by The Grayson Waller Effect, but IYO SKY pays a visit as well, followed by Bayley, Shotzi, Lacey Evans and Zelina Vega; when Asuka tries slipping away, Bianca Belair shows up and they brawl until officials can separate them
  • Cameron Grimes tells Pearce that the next time Baron Corbin shows his face on SmackDown, he’ll handle it
  • Zelina Vega def. Lacey Evans by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match
  • The LWO is fired up by Vega’s win, and Santos Escobar says he’s going to win his qualifier next week too
  • LA Knight def. Montez Ford by pinfall (grabbing the ropes to ensure he gets the three count) in a Money in the Bank qualifying match
  • A spooky vignette promotes the “Unholy Union” of Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre
  • Triple H gives Reigns an introduction comparing him to athletes who redefined domination of their respective sports, then presents him with a brand new (very gold) Undisputed WWE Universal Championship title belt …

  • … but his speech is quickly interrupted by The Usos, with Jimmy Uso saying he did what he did because he’s being a good brother, and after Solo Sikoa stands with his brothers, Jey tries to broker peace; Jimmy makes a plea to reunite the family, but even after a hug, Reigns says no, and Sikoa hits Jimmy with a Samoan Spike and walks out with Roman

WWE SmackDown results 05/19/23: Usos continue their downward spiral

Things went from bad to worse for Jimmy and Jey Uso on the May 19 episode of WWE SmackDown.

It’s really only in retrospect that we realize that we were watching when a big star made their debut … because we don’t know until later they’re actually going to be a big star. But every debut could be something special down the road, which is a relevant idea for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown from Columbia, South Carolina.

Why? Because even though we briefly saw Grayson Waller last week, this will be the show where he makes his first legit SmackDown appearance, hosting his segment “The Grayson Waller Effect.” He’s promised a big name guest, and if we were to make a wager, whoever it is just might be someone he antagonizes into being his first opponent on the blue brand.

There’s also no guarantee that Waller becomes a huge WWE star. But he might, and if so, you’ll be able to tell everyone you were watching when he took his first steps.

As for those who are already main eventers, tonight’s show has plenty of those as well. Most prominently, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are going to come face to face with their challengers at Night of Champions, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa.

Sure, KO and Sami have been in the ring with those two plenty of times, especially Sami seeing as he was once part of the Bloodline and all. But things are different now, particularly since Reigns brushed aside The Usos — who also happen to be in tag team action tonight. This has all the makings of a very combustible mix, and we’re here for it.

WWE SmackDown results from Columbia:

  • Roman Reigns doesn’t even get past the “Acknowledge me!” part of his promo before Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn join him and the Bloodline in the ring; when The Usos ambush Owens and Zayn and look for approval, however, Reigns is livid and storms out of the ring

  • Jey and Jimmy try to explain themselves, but Roman insists he had something to say and angrily kicks them out of the Bloodline dressing room
  • Pretty Deadly def. Brawling Brutes by pinfall
  • A tribute video is shown to remember the late “Superstar” Billy Graham
  • Zelina Vega says she is, in fact, ready for Asuka after the experience she had at Backlash in Puerto Rico
  • Asuka def. Zelina Vega by submission, then won’t let go of the Asuka Lock, which ends up bringing Bianca Belair to the rescue — and Belair barely avoids another dose of the mist

  • The Grayson Waller Effect welcomes AJ Styles, and Grayson Waller ends their conversation with what he thinks will be the best part of Night of Champions: “And new … World Heavyweight Champion, Seth ‘Freakin” Rollins!”

  • The LWO has a pep talk ahead of their match with The Usos
  • Street Profits def. LA Knight and Rick Boogs by pinfall, leading Knight to turn on Boogs after the match, hitting him with the BFT
  • Cameron Grimes says it feels like he’s living a dream and is ready to keep going … to the moon!
  • Karrion Kross and Scarlett have a tarot card for Styles, never a good thing
  • Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn def. Valentina Feroz and Yulisa Leon by pinfall
  • Due to Liv Morgan’s injury, Raquel Rodriguez has to relinquish the tag team titles and find another partner to compete for them against three other teams, but she gets mocked and challenged by Damage CTRL in the meantime
  • Austin Theory complains about being ganged up on last week, but Sheamus isn’t out there to talk and just drops Theory with a Brogue Kick
  • Heyman says the Tribal Chief forgives the Usos but still won’t be out there at ringside for their match
  • LWO (Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar) def. The Usos by pinfall, with an assist from Owens and Zayn, and Reigns is unhappy but keeps Sikoa from going out there

WWE SmackDown results: Phenomenal night for AJ Styles sends him to tourney final

See who emerged from the SmackDown side of the tournament and what Roman Reigns had to say.

Knoxville, get ready for a packed two hours of WWE SmackDown tonight.

It’s the first episode with the new post-WWE Draft rosters, but the biggest intrigue is arguably about six men vying to be off to Raw. That’s because it’s the second night of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament, and if the SmackDown representative wins the whole thing, he’ll be defending that title exclusively on Monday nights.

Be that as it may, the Triple Threat matches for tonight are pretty sweet. One features AJ Styles, Edge and Rey Mysterio, while the other will see Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley and Sheamus collide. The winners will then face each other in what we expect will be the night’s main event, with that winner then going against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions for the title.

There are also titles up for grabs tonight. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez will defend their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against the Damage CTRL duo of Bayley and Dakota Kai, because we guess IYO SKY can’t get all the title shots even though we’d stan for that.

Last and certainly not least, Roman Reigns now calls SmackDown his exclusive home, and he’ll be live in Knoxville as well. What will he want to talk about? Not Cody Rhodes any more, probably, so look for him to address the tension within the Bloodline and the status of The Usos.

It should be an entertaining two hours of pro wrestling without a whole lot of filler, which is just the way we like it.

WWE SmackDown results for Knoxville:

(click any match with a link for full details)

  • AJ Styles def. Edge and Rey Mysterio by pinning Edge to advance in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament first round match
  • Bobby Lashley def. Sheamus and Austin Theory by pinning Theory to advance in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament first round match
  • Grayson Waller gets Adam Pearce to agree to put the SmackDown tourney finalist on his talk show next week
  • Cameron Grimes def. Baron Corbin by pinfall in a matter of seconds to win his SmackDown debut
  • Accompanied by the entire Bloodline, Roman Reigns gives tons of credit to Solo Sikoa for solving problems, but wants The Usos to apologize for losing a match they dedicated to him …

  • … and after Reigns getting in Jimmy’s face, Jey steps in and apologizes but gets some surprising news: Solo and Roman will go for the tag team titles at Night of Champions
  • Damage CTRL seems to be having a Bloodline moment of its own with Bayley saying she pushed IYO SKY too hard and that she and Dakota Kai will win the tag team titles tonight
  • Still, stinging from their public humiliation, the Usos get into it briefly with the LWO but decide not to press it since they’re outnumbered
  • Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez def. Damage CTRL (Bayley and Dakota Kai) by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
  • The Brawling Brutes get a visit from Pretty Deadly but don’t know what to make of them
  • Bianca Belair has a championship celebration in front of her hometown fans that is quickly interrupted by Asuka, who sprays her with the blue mist
  • AJ Styles def. Bobby Lashley by pinfall in a World Heavyweight Championship Tournament semifinal

Australia a potential market for future WWE premium live event

Australia has so far played host to only one WWE PLE.

While once almost the exclusive domain of continental North America, WWE has shown an increasing willingness to take premium live events (or PLEs) to other locales. The home country of one of its most fast-rising current stars could be added to that list in the not too distant future.

According to Fightful Select (subscription required), “WWE has spoken with reps in Australia to gauge interest of a potential PLE event.” No specifics were given on when or in what part of the country a show might take place.

The timing for those discussions is fitting. WWE is currently in the midst of a WrestleMania to SummerSlam stretch where none of its PLEs are in the continental U.S. or Canada. Backlash just set records in Puerto Rico this past weekend. Night of Champions will take place in Saudi Arabia later this month before Money in the Bank hits The O2 Arena in London in early July.

Australia has so far played host to just one previous premium live event, Super Show-Down on Oct. 6, 2018. That show originated from the Melbourne Cricket Ground and featured a main event promoted as the last match ever between Triple H and The Undertaker, a claim that ended up sort of true as it was the last singles match between the two legends (though they faced off in a tag team match the following month).

Super Show-Down had an announced attendance of more than 70,000, and even though Wrestling Observer claimed the actual number of fans at the show was around 62,000, there was a huge crowd on hand regardless. Australia is clearly a market with the population and appetite for a WWE stadium show.

It’s also more relevant than ever in terms of the current WWE roster. SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, who’s seen her profile rise considerably over the past year and a half, is a native Australian, born Adelaide. Fellow Aussies Indi Hartwell (Melbourne) and Grayson Waller (Sydney) were among the NXT call-ups in the recent WWE Draft.

With no lack of venues to host a show, homegrown talent on the rise and proof that overseas fans will turn out in big numbers, a PLE in Australia over the next 18 months would make a lot of sense, and there would undoubtedly b plenty of fans who would be thrilled if one came together.