Tag: Kairi Sane

How to watch WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 — Live stream US, international

A quick holiday week reminder on how to watch WWE Survivor Series: WarGames this weekend.

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It’s nearly Thanksgiving, so it’s that time of the year again where WWE presents Survivor Series, the long-running premium live event that usually pits teams and brands against each other, although the latter isn’t happening this year.

Instead, two WarGames matches will headline Survivor Series, as it’ll take two babyface groups trying to take down heel stables that are running rampant across Raw and SmackDown.

Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair and Shotzi will compete against IYO SKY, Kairi Sane, Bayley, and Asuka in WarGames. Over the last few weeks, Damage CTRL has increased in membership to five, but Bayley has been noticeably marginalized within the group. If tensions arise during the match, it could potentially end her involvement with the stable she once formed.

The other WarGames match pits Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn and probably Randy Orton against Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Drew McIntyre.

On the go-home episode of Raw, Rhodes clearly hinted at the Viper, who has not wrestled in over 18 months, being their mystery partner. It’s hard to believe it could be anyone else, even with the internet buzzing about CM Punk’s theme music playing at the Allstate Arena. When Orton emerges from behind the curtain, it will undoubtedly be a special moment for one of WWE’s iconic figures.

Survivor Series features a small match card otherwise since WarGames will dominate the night. Gunther vs. The Miz, Rhea Ripley vs. Zoey Stark, and Carlito vs. Santos Escobar all have the chance to potentially shine with more time, though, to make the undercard intriguing and entertaining.

These matches will grace Survivor Series. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the action this weekend.

WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2023

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023
  • Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
  • Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT
  • How to watch: On Peacock in the U.S., and on WWE Network in the rest of the world

WWE SmackDown preview 11/17/23: Solo’s back (alright!), LA Knight takes on Jimmy Uso

LA Knight will face Jimmy Uso in one of the featured matches tonight on WWE SmackDown.

(With apologies to the Backstreet Boys.)

We haven’t seen Solo Sikoa since his brutal beatdown of John Cena at Crown Jewel, one that had Cena thankful for the end of the actors strike. But he’s back tonight on WWE SmackDown from Evansville, Ind., probably feeling more untouchable than ever.

What might attract Solo’s attention? Possibly what a certain Megastar is up to.

Can LA Knight battle The Bloodline alone?

Though LA Knight promised in the wake of his defeat at Crown Jewel to run through The Bloodline person by person, he’s hardly the first superstar to attempt that. Both SmackDown and Raw have examples of wrestlers who have tried, but no one seems able to hand the group more than a temporary setback or two.

That said, Knight can get started in Evansville when he takes on Jimmy Uso. While Jimmy has proven a little more prone to freelancing over the last few weeks, he’s generally done what Roman Reigns asks of him in the end. But one wonders what will happen if he loses this match and if Sikoa will have to get involved.

Has the power shifted in the larger, stronger Damage CTRL?

While all of us were focused on Damage CTRL adding Kairi Sane, it turned out the group had an even bigger surprise in store when Asuka turned on her tag team partners and joined the stable as well. That makes them four strong at the moment, and five when Dakota Kai is able to compete again.

It will be interesting to see if IYO SKY set aside her history with the Empress of Tomorrow and did the recruiting. And if so, what does that mean for Bayley? Sane said the right things about her leadership last week, but she can’t feel good about her teammates reaching out to others to join without her knowledge.

We very well might get some answers to these questions in Evansville.

WWE SmackDown heads our way at 8 p.m. ET on FOX on what will be a very busy night of pro wrestling, to be sure.

WWE SmackDown results 11/10/23: Damage CTRL grows even stronger with a surprise addition

The all-star team assembled to take on Damage CTRL on WWE SmackDown didn’t even make it through one match.

Was the stunning return of Kairi Sane at Crown Jewel a boon to Damage CTRL or the beginning of the group’s end? That’s going to be one of the big questions that may get answered tonight on WWE SmackDown from Columbus.

It was Sane, not Bayley, who helped ensure that IYO SKY remained WWE Women’s Champion at the end of a hard-fought encounter with Bianca Belair in Saudi Arabia. And of course, Sane and SKY go way back.

But it was Bayley who was mostly responsible for running Sane out of WWE (in storyline, anyway). So is Sane back for some revenge? And if so, will SKY side with her or with Bayley? The future of Damage CTRL certainly seems like it might be hanging in the balance.

Another highlight for tonight will be LA Knight (no, all that rhyming wasn’t intentional) taking on Grayson Waller after the two superstars got into it on social media. Knight is undoubtedly looking for someone to beat up after his valiant but losing effort against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel, while Waller is just stirring the pot as per usual.

Oh, and Kevin Owens is on commentary tonight, filling in for new dad Corey Graves (congrats to Corey and Carmella). KO has already punched Waller in the face once and would probably like to continue doing so, but GM Nick Aldis made it a condition of his announcing gig tonight that he can’t touch anyone or he’ll be suspended.

Also, he needs a tie, but Aldis promised to hook him up.

Good stuff.

WWE SmackDown results from Columbus:

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

  • Kevin Owens is dressed like he normally is, but also has a tie on as he joins the commentators.
  • The LWO is in the house, but not united for long as Carlito blames Santos Escobar for Rey Mysterio’s loss to Logan Paul at Crown Jewel
  • Bobby Lashley def. Carlito by pinfall; after the match, Santos Escobar decides not to save Carlito from a beating by Lashley and the Street Profits and ends up finally turning on Rey Mysterio
  • Escobar is asked why he attacked Mysterio on his way out of the building, and simply says “Rey had it coming”
  • Bayley reluctantly accepts that Kairi Sane is now part of Damage CTRL, but Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Asuka are ready to see how united the group really is later tonight
  • Dragon Lee def. Cedric Alexander by pinfall
  • LA Knight says Crown Jewel didn’t go exactly as he’d hoped for, but that he did what he said he would and would be champion now if not for Jimmy Uso; Knight also says he won’t go to the back of the line and he’s not done with The Bloodline, but Grayson Waller wonders if he’s just “not the guy,” which turns out badly for the Aussie
  • LA Knight def. Grayson Waller by pinfall
  • Waller comes back out with Austin Theory, spilling water on KO and throwing a bottle at Michael Cole, so Owens pursues and catches them on the ramp, eventually hitting Waller with a Stunner in the ring
  • Jimmy Uso says he’s happy to take on Knight next week, and the phone call from Roman Reigns doesn’t seem like it’s stopping him from doing it
  • Damage CTRL (Bayley, IYO SKY and Kairi Sane) vs. Asuka, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair ends in a no contest after Asuka turns on her teammates, seemingly joining Damage CTRL and helping them beat down Belair, Flair and Shotzi

WWE SmackDown preview 11/10/23: What’s next for Bloodline, Damage CTRL, LA Knight?

Columbus will see LA Knight take on Grayson Waller, plus much more fallout from Crown Jewel on WWE SmackDown.

What’s up, Columbus? You’re hosting WWE SmackDown tonight, meaning you’re going to be front and center for some of the most pertinent storylines coming out of Crown Jewel last weekend.

We’ve also got the next direction for one of the stars in the main event in Riyadh. You may even call him a Megastar. Let’s dive in.

Is The Bloodline back to its full swagger?

After a period of time in which The Bloodline was definitely starting to show some signs of vulnerability, Roman Reigns has to feel pretty good about how the group came out of Crown Jewel.

He’s still Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, having defeated LA Knight. And Solo Sikoa took care of John Cena in emphatic fashion, beating him badly enough that he’s probably already gone back to Hollywood.

We don’t expect to see Reigns tonight in Columbus, but the Tribal Chief doesn’t need to be there in person to take a victory lap. Expect Paul Heyman to handle that, perhaps identifying new targets for Sikoa and Jimmy Uso.

Does IYO SKY need Bayley now that Kairi Sane is back?

One of the more surprising moments of Crown Jewel came during IYO SKY‘s title defense against Bianca Belair, when she received some outside assistance to win — not from Bayley, however, but from the returning Kairi Sane.

IYO and Kairi are old buddies, of course, but her presence has to threaten Bayley. Does this mean Damage CTRL is finished? Or will Bayley try to invite Sane into the group so she maintains some level of control?

Can LA Knight teach Grayson Waller to watch his mouth?

This probably isn’t a good time to mess with Knight after his loss to Reigns. Yet that’s exactly what Grayson Waller decided to do this week on social media.

Knight, of course, didn’t take this too kindly.

Nick Aldis did the obvious thing and made the match between them for tonight.

Also slated for SmackDown tonight is a grudge match between Bobby Lashley and Carlito. We’re looking forward to seeing what else goes down beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and will have live results and updates here on Wrestling Junkie at that time.

WWE Crown Jewel 2023 takeaways: Roman Reigns keeps dominating, Logan Paul is a champ

Here’s what caught our Vaughn Johnson’s eye the most during WWE Crown Jewel 2023.

Let’s jump into the biggest happenings from Saudi Arabia:

Roman Reigns wins … again

It may sound like the same old story, but it has been an effective one for more than three years.

Roman Reigns retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Saturday, and did so with the help of his Bloodline family members.

The latest victim in the Tribal Chief’s reign of dominance was LA Knight, who came into Crown Jewel with the fans firmly behind him.

I don’t think anyone thought Knight had a realistic chance of winning the title, but the key for me was making sure Knight looked like he belonged in the same league with Reigns despite losing. I think WWE accomplished that in Saudi Arabia.

Not only did Knight lose due to constant interference, Reigns didn’t even kick out of Knight’s finisher, Blunt Force Trauma. Instead of kicking out, Reigns managed to get his foot on the ropes to stop the count, which only happened because Jimmy Uso put it there.

Where does Knight go from here? Well, I see him playing a key role in WarGames, which was made official during Crown Jewel. From there, I think he could have a very entertaining feud with Logan Paul over the United States championship.

For Reigns, see you in 2024, I guess. Enjoy the holidays.

Logan Paul is a champion

As I just mentioned, a YouTube star is the new WWE United States Champion.

But while that may sound like another farcical decision done to merely generate mainstream eyeballs, in reality, this was the fruition of a carefully crafted plan that has been executed over the course of multiple years.

Paul first appeared in WWE in 2021 and signed a contract with the promotion in 2022. WWE could have easily put a title on him back then and it could have caused a stir, but it would have been looked at as merely a publicity stunt.

But having Paul work against a variety of opponents, lose to some, defeat others, and actually prove himself in the ring made him topping the legendary Rey Mysterio for the prestigious United States digestible for wrestling fans. That’s because Paul put the work in before being put in such a coveted position.

And to his credit, Paul has delivered. Even in the ring with a legend like Mysterio, Paul didn’t look out of place. He didn’t look like a fish out of water. He looked like someone that has been working to improve his skill in the ring.

Like him or not — and I completely understand if you do not — he has earned this opportunity. And yes, this is still a publicity stunt, but it is one that was well thought out and executed.

Solo Sikoa beats the brakes off John Cena

Man, is this really it? Is the last time we’re really going to see John Cena in the ring was him being beaten to a pulp by Solo Sikoa? It sure looked like it on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

But something tells me that isn’t quite the way Cena would even like to go out. I think this story isn’t quite over and Cena will ultimately pick up the win he has been desperately looking for — and it could happen over Sikoa. 

But maybe that is my wrestling fan naivete talking. Maybe Cena simply wanted to ride off into the sunset by putting a young star over in dominant fashion. If so, what a way to go out. 

Women’s matches receive little reaction from fans

Look, I understand why this happened. I understand the cultural differences as to how women are viewed in Saudi Arabia. I don’t personally agree with it, but I am aware of the situation at hand here.

However, I still feel like I have to acknowledge it because it is such a stark contrast to what we’re used to hearing from the women’s matches. It’s not for a lack of quality. I feel like the five-way was fine, but the title match between Bianca Belair and IYO SKY was great. 

But when the fans don’t seem to be interested, it hurts the quality of the match.

Sky Pirates are back

One of the biggest moments of the show was during a women’s match, as Kairi Sane made her official return to WWE television by helping SKY retain the WWE Women’s Championship and reunite the Sky Pirates from NXT.

I feel like if Sane’s return happened elsewhere, it would have received a much bigger ovation. But alas, it didn’t.

However, that doesn’t take away from the importance of Sane’s return as it adds a new wrinkle to the to the SKY-Belair-Bayley story and adds depth to an already deep women’s division in WWE.

Kairi Sane returns at WWE Crown Jewel, helps IYO SKY defeat Bianca Belair

Kairi Sane returned at WWE Crown Jewel to help IYO SKY retain her WWE Women’s Championship.

Ever since finishing her time with STARDOM earlier this year, Kairi Sane‘s WWE status has been a point of speculation. Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended) reported she signed with WWE “a while back,” but the company only recently added her to their internal roster. Additionally, PWInsider reported that she may return as early as Crown Jewel on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Well, it all came to fruition at the aforementioned premium live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as Sane returned during the WWE Women’s Championship match between IYO SKY and Bianca Belair.

With SKY on Belair’s shoulders, Sane arrived from out of nowhere to attack the title challenger at ringside while the referee was distracted, which contributed to SKY retaining her title in the ring. But after the match, Sane hit her patented elbow drop on Belair to add an exclamation point to her return.

The crowd may have been mild for Sane’s return, but it marks a significant turning point for a WWE women’s division that’s receiving a greater spotlight under Triple H’s WWE creative direction.

Sane is one of the most accomplished female wrestlers in the world, having achieved numerous accolades across the industry. This includes winning the inaugural IWGP Women’s Championship and earning multiple titles in STARDOM, not to mention holding the NXT Women’s and WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships and winning the 2017 Mae Young Classic.

With her involvement in a SmackDown match, Sane looks destined for the blue brand, and it seems like Bayley’s ringside reaction to what happened suggests a storyline involving her, SKY, and problems within Damage CTRL. Let’s see how this, and Sane’s second go-around, unfolds starting with the next episode of SmackDown.

WWE Crown Jewel 2023 results: IYO SKY beats Bianca Belair thanks to a big return

IYO SKY got some crucial help to defeat Bianca Belair at WWE Crown Jewel … but not from Bayley.

Bianca Belair sounds confident ahead of this one, but we’ll see how it plays out. She’s out of the gate quickly, trying to ground IYO SKY and then knocking her down. Belair smashes SKY into the apron a few times, then pulls off a stalling vertical suplex and her handspring moonsault for a near fall.

A dropkick sends SKY back into the corner, but she dodges a corner charge and starts working over Belair’s right leg. The champ continues that strategy, pausing only for a quick cover.

IYO smashes Bianca’s face into the canvas before returning to her leg assault, then pulls off a double stomp to the chest. Back to the right leg goes SKY, this time with a leglock on the mat. Belair manages to use several repeated right hands to free herself.

SKY tries for a legdrop off the top rope but finds no one home. She also misses a jump into the corner, and Belair treats her to a fallaway slam. But Bianca is selling her right knee a lot, even as she pulls off three body slams in a row.

A tilt-a-whirl gutbuster allows Belair to cover for two, albeit slowly due to her knee. Bianca ends up in the Tree of Woe, where SKY delivers a dropkick to the knee. IYO covers but only gets two …

… so she immediately returns to a stretch muffler on the right leg. Belair shows off her crazy power with an overhead release suplex for two. Another power move gets the same result for Bianca, who stays down a bit trying to recover her strength.

After SKY’s next near fall, the champ seems a little put off that Bayley is out at ringside. The champ barely escapes a KOD attempt, guillotining her challenger on the top rope and smashing Bianca in the face with knee shots.

SKY pulls off a top rope moonsault to the floor, landing hard in the process. She hits a springboard dropkick back in the ring and covers but only gets two again.

Bayley looks nervous as Belair gets the next two count, but SKY is able to avoid a handspring moonsault. Belair hits a facebuster, but Bayley is on the apron to distract the ref and prevent the count. She takes a right from Bianca for that, then a springboard plancha to boot. SKY makes it worse by accidentally clocking here teammate before she’s sent into the barricade.

It looks like Bayley is going to suffer an even worse fate, but someone arrives to hit Belair with a back elbow … it’s a returning Kairi Sane. That allows SKY to get her Over the Moonsault in, which is enough for her to retain the title.

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