Tag: IYO SKY

WrestleMania night 1 card: Every match set for April 1

We know John Cena vs. Austin Theory will kick off WrestleMania night 1, but which match will close it?

WrestleMania 39 is almost upon us — the first half of it, anyway.

WrestleMania night 1 on Saturday, April 1 will be headlined by a battle of legend vs. rising star, as John Cena takes on Austin Theory for the WWE United States Championship. However, that match will kick off the show, so the main event on the first night is still a bit of a question mark.

A leading candidate to close Saturday night is the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship match between Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley. Another possibility is one of the emotional highlights of the entire two-day event, with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens reuniting to try to end the record-setting run of Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos.

It’s possible that night 1 could run longer than night 2, with seven matches compared to six, though there are several bouts slated for Sunday that could be lengthy. Here’s a look at the entire WrestleMania night 1 card, and if you’re looking for what we think will happen, please check out our full WrestleMania predictions for both nights.

WrestleMania 39 night 1 matches

WWE Raw results: Cody Rhodes is ready for WrestleMania

WWE Raw results for March 27, 2023 from Phoenix, where Cody Rhodes took on Solo Sikoa in the main event.

Can you feel that? It’s WrestleMania 39, coming up quickly now. The final WWE Raw prior to the Show of Shows is tonight in Phoenix, and while it’s probably not wise to expect anything Earth-shaking, there are still some big things happening.

We mean that literally, too. Brock Lesnar and Omos will collide in Los Angeles, providing fans with the rare site of Lesnar being the smaller man in a fight. The WWE Universe will find out how much smaller on Raw, as the two titans will have a pre-WrestleMania weigh-in. And yes, that’s not usually a thing in pro wrestling, but you can’t deny it’s somewhat fascinating in this context.

Want big matches instead? This show will have one of those for sure. Cody Rhodes is less than a week away from his chance to “finish the story,” but he’s got a big test in the form of Solo Sikoa. Will Cody’s attempt to get inside Solo’s head the past few weeks pay off, or will the street champ be able to soften up the American Nightmare to make things easier for the Tribal Chief?

The Miz has certainly been letting us know whenever possible what a big deal it is to be the host of WrestleMania 39, and he’s going to head into Hollywood with one final episode of Miz TV. His guests will be none other than a trio of legendary women’s division champs, and you can probably guess who we mean: Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus.

WWE Raw results in 90 seconds:

  • Miz TV welcomes three legends, yet Damage CTRL isn’t going to let them go without a confrontation
  • Becky Lynch def. IYO SKY by pinfall
  • A video package plays up the accomplishments of Asuka and looks ahead to her WrestleMania challenge of Bianca Belair
  • We see Logan Paul boasting last Monday before Seth Rollins is interviewed backstage, and he’s not crazy about Mustafa Ali trying to put his positive spin on things, which leads to them facing each other tonight
  • Seth Rollins def. Mustafa Ali by pinfall, then cuts a promo on Paul
  • Baron Corbin complains to Adam Pearce, who has to break away to deal with Chelsea Green, who finally gets into the WrestleMania Showcase match with a partner who is equally disgruntled with AP: Sonya Deville
  • Omos and Brock Lesnar hit the scales … well, one of them does, anyway
  • A video package is shown for Charlotte Flair before Rhea Ripley says Charlotte’s unmatched legacy will not define her destiny — and she needs Charlotte’s championship for that
  • Finn Balor warns Edge there’s nothing more dangerous than a caged demon
  • Street Profits, Braun Strowman and Ricochet def. Alpha Academy and Viking Raiders by pinfall
  • Cody Rhodes is asked if he put himself in a vulnerable position by taking this match against Solo Sikoa, and he insists that he will make Solo realize he’s not ready before going on to beat Roman Reigns this weekend
  • A video package is shown to promote Bianca Belair
  • Austin Theory cuts a promo in an empty arena to prove he doesn’t do it for the fans, he does it for himself, and he’s going to make the fans stop believing in John Cena this Saturday at WrestleMania
  • Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green def. Michin and Candice LeRae by pinfall in a WrestleMania Showcase qualifying match
  • Heyman says flat out that Solo isn’t there to compete, but to ensure Cody isn’t at 100% come Sunday
  • Rey Mysterio def. Damian Priest by DQ thanks to interference by Dominik Mysterio, and Legado Del Fantasma has to save Rey fafter a short post-match beating
  • The contestants for the Andre the Giant Battle Royal are posted on the wall, and Rick Boogs is really excited to be in it while Elias is less thrilled after seeing some of the others who are too
  • Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens talk about how their match against The Usos is extra special because L.A. is where they got their first big break
  • Gunther def. Dolph Ziggler by pinfall
  • Cody Rhodes def. Solo Sikoa by pinfall

Please scroll down for more details on every match and major non-match segment.

IYO SKY, Akira Tozawa cheer on Japan at WBC final

The two WWE stars looked to have great seats for the “dream match” between Japan and USA.

What do WWE stars do on their precious days off? During the World Baseball Classic (WBC), sometimes they root for their national team to win the final.

That’s exactly what IYO SKY and Akira Tozawa were doing Tuesday night. Sharp-eyed viewers spotted them with prime seats not far from home plate, making them clearly visible from one particular camera angle.

For those who follow IYO on Twitter, this should come as no surprise. The Damage CTRL member and former Women’s Tag Team Champion said she’d be in attendance for the final between USA and her native Japan.

Before the game, IYO sent her love for Team Japan.

But she also said she had shirts for both sides.

At the time of this post, SKY and Tozawa were no doubt happy at what they were seeing: Japan led Team USA 3-1after six innings.

Opening Bell: AEW gold on the line on Tuesday, Brock returns to Raw

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, October 17, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

What does Brock Lesnar want? That’s a valid question after the Beast Incarnate showed up unexpectedly on Raw last week and destroyed Bobby Lashley. We should get more insight into what he’s got his sights set on now when he appears live this week in OKC.

The beneficiary of Lesnar’s attack was Seth Rollins, who defeated an injured Lashley to become the new United States Champion. He’ll get little time to enjoy it, however, as he has to defend it against heated rival Matt Riddle on Raw.

Dexter Lumis has popped up more than once without warning to torment The Miz, despite not having a WWE contract. That could change after Raw, as the two men will finally go head to head in an official match, with Lumis earning a deal if he wins.

Also scheduled for this week’s episode of Raw:

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AEW Dynamite preview – Tuesday, October 18, Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati

The MLB Playoffs have claimed TBS for this Wednesday evening, so Dynamite is taking over Tuesday night instead. And it’s from the hometown of AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, but he’s not going to have a restful stay at home considering he’s defending his title against Hangman Adam Page.

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But wait, that’s only the first of four, yes four, championship matches scheduled for Dynamite. In what should be a respectful yet fierce encounter, Toni Storm puts her AEW Women’s World Championship on the line against Hikaru Shida. The Ocho, Chris Jericho, will try to fend off a ROH World Championship challenge from Dalton Castle. And the Trios titles will also be up for grabs as Death Triangle defends against Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.

Phew. That is a loaded card, and we’ll also hear from MJF. Fans definitely won’t want to forget Dynamite is on a different night this week.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, October 21, Huntington Center, Toledo, OH

Maybe Ohio is the pro wrestling center of the world for this week, as SmackDown heads to Toledo. We already know there will be a championship match on the card, as the Damage CTRL duo of Dakota Kai and IYO SKY tries to retain their titles against Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez.

A former champion will also be in action, as Liv Morgan faces off with Sonya Deville. Liv’s Extreme Rules confrontation with Ronda Rousey seems to have changed her for good, but is it a change for the better?

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Logan Paul is also scheduled to appear on SmackDown, plus it would be strange if Bray Wyatt didn’t show up as well.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, October 21, Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, FL

Rampage is back in the spiritual home of AEW, Daily’s Place, with a couple of matches already announced. Hook is a man of few words, but he’ll try to let his actions speak for themselves as he defends his FTW Championship against Ari Daivari following Daivari’s unsuccessful attempt to simply buy the title from its holder.

And 10 of the Dark Order has been the subject of numerous recruiting efforts from Jose The Assistant. He’ll try to end them for good by battling Rush, because if 10 wins, Jose must leave him alone going forward.

Opening Bell: Riddle takes on The Judgment Day, AEW rolls into Philly

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, Sept. 26, Rogers Place, Edmonton

Matt Riddle, you may have bitten off more than you can chew.

Just about everyone who has tangled with The Judgment Day has come to regret it, though arguably none more than Rey Mysterio since he lost his son to the group. Nevertheless, Riddle has gotten tangled up with Judgment Day business during his own ongoing vendetta against Seth Rollins, and will try to make the best of it Monday night by defeating Damian Priest.

The trick, of course, is dealing with the rest of the group. He may not even have Rey to back him up since the elder Mysterio has his own match with Rollins to worry about.

Also on tap for this week’s show in Edmonton:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Sept. 28, The Liacouras Center, Philadelphia

The Forbidden Door isn’t closed. No sir, as Jon Moxley is about to find out this week on Dynamite, it still is open a crack every now and then, and you never know who might walk through it.

In this case, it’s NJPW’s Juice Robinson, showing up in Philly for an AEW World Championship Eliminator. And while we don’t usually like these “beat the champ to get a shot at the champ’s title” bouts, we’ll make an exception for Rock Hard in this case.

AEW is also promoting these segments for Dynamite:

  • Saraya will speak, following her dramatic debut at Grand Slam.
  • The Jericho Appreciation Society will hold a championship celebration after the seemingly unlikely Chris Jericho ROH World Championship victory … and maybe say something about fellow ROH champ Daniel Garcia too.
  • MJF will be on the show to stir the pot again, probably.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Sept. 30, Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg

WWE continues its tour of the North by hitting Winnipeg for SmackDown on Friday night. If you watched any college or NFL football this past weekend, you no doubt heard Michael Cole’s voice on promos advertising a few matches already set for this show.

Most notably, new BFFs Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn will team to face Madcap Moss and Ricochet. The latter duo was only trying to warn Sami about his inevitable heartbreaking betrayal by the Bloodline, but Solo wasn’t trying to hear that talk and gave them a good thrashing.

Two other matches have also already been revealed for SmackDown in Winnipeg:

  • Shotzi, perhaps finally driving her cool tank again, will nonetheless be the underdog when she faces Bayley.
  • After being publicly disrespected by Los Lotharios during their watch party last week, Hit Row will get a chance at some payback.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Sept. 30, The Liacouras Center, Philadelphia (recorded on Sept. 28)

AEW has actually been doing a nice job of teasing some Rampage matches a week in advance, but that wasn’t the case this time out thanks to Grand Slam being a bigger than normal deal in its own right (and expanding to two hours just for last week).

So surprise! We may know more as we get closer, and certainly by the time Dynamite is on some matches will be revealed before they are taped later Wednesday night, but this show is a question mark for the time being.

WWE Clash at the Castle: Everything you need to know

Prepare for WWE Clash at the Castle with our complete preview, including predictions for each match, start time, and how to watch.

UK, you’re getting the stadium show you’ve been waiting three decades to see.

When Principality Stadium in Wales hosts WWE Clash in the Castle on Saturday, Sept. 3, it will be the first time since SummerSlam way back in 1992 that WWE is holding an event at a large, outdoor stadium in the UK. That alone makes it a big deal.

But the probable main event ratchets things up another notch, because while Drew McIntyre isn’t from Wales, he is from the UK. Clash at the Castle will be the closest thing to a home WrestleMania the Scottish Warrior is likely to ever experience, and WWE has done an excellent job making it appear he has a real chance to topple Roman Reigns as undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

There are other matches on the card with semi-local interest as well, none bigger than the Intercontinental Championship match between Austrian champ Gunther and Irish challenger Sheamus. Also, that contest should just be one heck of a professional wrestling match, with both men bringing tremendous physicality, as one of WWE’s most legendary announcers of the past might say.

Add in Bayley and her new “Damage CTRL” teammates in a six-woman tag match, Liv Morgan trying to fend off another tough challenger for her SmackDown Women’s Championship in Shayna Baszler, and the man with the newly restored first name, Matt Riddle, throwing down with Seth Rollins in a feud that has become very personal, and you’ve got the makings of a very big night (or afternoon/morning, in the US) of wrestling indeed.

Keep scrolling to get fully up to speed before watching Clash at the Castle, wherever you might be watching it.

WWE Clash at the Castle

  • When: Saturday, Sept. 3
  • Where: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
  • Start time: 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT
  • How to watch: On Peacock in the U.S., or on WWE Network internationally
  • Matches announced: 6

Opening Bell: Stretch run toward Clash at the Castle, All Out

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, Aug. 29, PPG Paints Arena

The final live WWE show before Clash at the Castle (because SmackDown was taped last week, since everyone is traveling to Wales) is unsurprisingly loaded. The card starts with the crowning of new Women’s Tag Team Champions, as Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah collide with Dakota Kai and IYO SKY.

Bobby Lashley and The Miz will also do battle on Monday night, but there’s a story to tell first since Miz was dragged into … um, wherever by Dexter Lumis last week. Is he any the worse for wear? And how exactly did he escape? Hopefully there’s a fun story in there somewhere.

Also on the slate for this week’s Raw:

  • Hall of Famer Kurt Angle makes an appearance in his hometown
  • The Usos and Sami Zayn visit from SmackDown to represent the Bloodline (yes, Sami too)
  • Riddle and Seth Rollins have one final face-to-face before Clash at the Castle and it’s likely to result in fisticuffs

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Aug. 31, NOW Arena, Chicago

Hey, what do you know, AEW has a big event this weekend as well, so Dynamite is also a pretty stacked show as a result. The World Trios Championship tournament will have its Dynamite final (or as it’s better known more generally, the tourney semifinal) when Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks take on Will Ospreay and Aussie Open of the United Empire. Get your popcorn ready, as the great American philosopher Terrell Owens once said.

Also of interest is a tag team match pitting Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida against Dr. Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter. You may recognize those women as the four who will compete at All Out for the interim AEW Women’s Championship.

Plus there’s more already announced for Dynamite:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Sept. 2, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit (taped on Aug. 26)

As mentioned above, this episode is already in the can, as it was recorded after the live SmackDown last week in Motown. You can get full spoilers online should you be so inclined.

If you’d rather just have teasers of what’s to come and enjoy SmackDown as it happens on Friday, here’s what to expect:

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AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Sept. 2, NOW Arena, Chicago

In a bit of role reversal, Rampage is live this week while SmackDown is recorded. That means it should be a sweet hour of TV even though AEW has so far not said much about what to expect yet.

One match we feel confident will take place is the other semifinal of the World Trios Tournament. The two teams left on the Rampage side of the bracket are Dark Order, after they upset House of Black, and Best Friends. Expect to see them compete this Friday for the right to challenge for the inaugural championship on Sunday.

Opening Bell: Huge AEW title match, WWE Toronto homecoming

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, Aug. 22, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

It’s a big homecoming episode of Raw in front of what’s being reported as a legitimate sellout crowd in Toronto. Edge has vowed to kill what he created in The Judgment Day, but Damian Priest isn’t about to let him accomplish that goal easily. Priest says he’ll take on the hometown guy by himself, but it’s hard to imagine there won’t be some kind of hijinks from the heel stable.

Trish Stratus is another legendary local product of the Toronto area, and she’s making a return to Raw this week as well. WWE hasn’t teased much about what she’s doing except to say that she’s appearing, but even if she’s just there to say hi and thank the fans, you know she’ll get a warm welcome.

The Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament continues this week as well. Alexa Bliss and Asuka have to be among the favorites, but Dakota Kai and IYO SKY are getting a nice push. On top of that, reports say another change to the bracket is in the works, so this could be where it takes place.

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Aug. 24, Wolstein Center, Cleveland

Thought you’d have to wait until All Out to see CM Punk and Jon Moxley unify the AEW World Championship? So did we, and then last week happened. Now the two men will meet to determine who is the “real” champ going forward, with all kinds of possibilities for All Out depending on who emerges with the gold.

Also on the slate for this Wednesday:

  • The World Trios Championship tournament continues with Death Triangle facing NJPW’s Will Ospreay and Aussie Open.
  • Dax Harwood takes on Jay Lethal.
  • Dr. Britt Baker steps in against KiLynn King.
  • Billy Gunn does some tough parenting by facing Colten Gunn.
  • Ricky Starks speaks.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Aug. 26, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

Though there are bound to be more big matches added and announced on Raw, what WWE has already revealed for Detroit looks sweet. The second Women’s Tag Team Tournament semifinal will go down between Toxic Attraction and the face duo of Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah, but again, there are reports that a change will need to be made that could affect this matchup.

Neither Ricochet nor Happy Corbin advanced from the Fatal 5-Way last week to challenge Gunther at Clash at the Castle, so they’ll be looking to right the ship against each other this Friday night on SmackDown.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Aug. 26, Wolstein Center, Cleveland (taped on Aug. 24)

Last in the week but certainly trying not to be least, Rampage will undoubtedly be dealing with some of the fallout from Dynamite. But we also know of two matches already announced, including a title bout as Claudio Castagnoli defends his ROH World Championship against Dustin Rhodes.

The trios title tourney will continue as well, with House of Black in action against Dark Order. Can Hangman Adam Page inspire his friends to what most would consider an upset victory? We’ll find out Friday.