Tag: Katana Chance

WWE Raw results 04/15/24: Rhea vacates, Sami retains, Gable snaps

Sami Zayn won in front of his hometown fans on WWE Raw in Montreal, but Chad Gable wasn’t willing to let his defeat go.

Nothing makes an otherwise ordinary start to a week in pro wrestling turn sober faster than unexpected injury news, and that unfortunately is the case for tonight’s episode of WWE Raw in Montreal.

Earlier today, a report from PWInsider emerged that Rhea Ripley had been injured during her backstage brawl segment with Liv Morgan last week. Other outlets like Fightful have since confirmed that Ripley is indeed injured, but what isn’t clear is whether she will have to vacate her Women’s World Championship.

If she does, that heavily suggests she’ll be out of action for an extended period of time. If not, she might be back sooner than feared. But either way, since Ripley was promoted to be on tonight’s show to address Morgan’s attack, the expectation is that Liv will be blamed (or credited, if you’re on her side) with putting Ripley on the shelf for storyline purposes.

It’s an unfortunate situation, to be sure, and yet it could work out for the best in the long run. Morgan seems like more of a badass for being able to step to Mami like that — while in real life, her heart surely goes out to Ripley given her own bad luck with injuries — and Rhea will be just as over when she returns.

The other big thing to watch tonight is the Intercontinental Championship match between new champ Sami Zayn and the man who trained him to help win it, Chad Gable. The thought is that Gable will play it straight and fall short tonight, leading to him snapping and turning heel for an extended program with Zayn that probably leads to a title rematch at Backlash.

Finding out is why we watch. We’ll be doing that, so follow along with us if you will.

WWE Raw results from Montreal:

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

  • Various stars are shown entering the arena, including Sami Zayn, Damian Priest, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso
  • Rhea Ripley has her arm in a sling and gives the fans the news they’ve dreaded: She’ll have to say goodbye to her Women’s World Championship as she spends months recuperating from injury
  • Ripley gets a group hug from The Judgment Day and some words of encouragement from Damian Priest, then tells them to keep the group on top and look after Dominik Mysterio
  • Sheamus def. Ivar by pinfall
  • A lengthy hype video plays up Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania and his title defense tonight
  • Triple H is in the house to present Awesome Truth with their new World Tag Team Championship belts
  • #DIY def. The Creed Brothers and The New Day to become No. 1 contenders for the World Tag Team Championship
  • Jackie Redmond is surprised that Drew McIntyre is laughing after watching what CM Punk did to him last week, but that smile goes away fast and the Scottish Warrior takes his wrath out on a TV monitor
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri by pinfall, with Hartwell showing the first signs of following the rule-breaking path LeRae has been trying to get her to take
  • A lengthy hype video plays to promote Priest; afterward, he psyches up the team and trues to motivate both Dominik and Finn Balor, who is questioning his match with Jey Uso tonight but ends up smiling
  • Redmond talks to Chad Gable, who runs down his experience with hostile crowds and says he won’t be intimidated by Zayn’s hometown advantage tonight
  • Andrade def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall; after the match. JD McDonagh helps Dom with a two-on-one beating until Ricochet comes to even the odds and chase off the heels
  • Cathy Kelley asks Jey Uso about Tama Tonga and his attack on Jimmy Uso, and he questions adding “members we don’t even know” while also saying he needs to concentrate on Balor tonight
  • Chelsea Green and Piper Niven def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by pinfall
  • Kelley speaks with Morgan, who says she’s confused that people are mad at her, as no one had that reaction to Ripley when she injured Liv’s shoulder: “This is karma at it’s very finest, so Rhea got exactly what she deserved”; this also isn’t the end of the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour as she still needs to become champion again
  • And now, a word from our champion, Cody Rhodes, who reflects on WrestleMania and offers to watch Jey Uso’s back, though Jey says he needs to do things himself tonight
  • Kelley talks to Nia Jax about the Rhea situation, and as you might expect, she’s not too sympathetic and says that the title is hers
  • Jey Uso def. Finn Balor by pinfall; after the bell, Uso is assaulted by The Judgment Day but manages to escape into the stands and up the stairs toward the concourse, where he high-fives a bunch of people (and shoves one aside) …
  • … then he runs into Sami Zayn on his way to the ring, encouraging him to get it tonight as he defends his title
  • While Gable is on his way out, Bronson Reed stops him and says no matter who wins, that person will have to answer to “Big” Bronson Reed
  • Sami Zayn def. Chad Gable by pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
  • Zayn lays his title belt down in the middle of the ring and asks Gable to meet him there, then heads to the corner instead; Zayn offers a hand to lift Gable, who initially seems to accept the show of respect, but then waits until Zayn is in front of his wife to attack the champ, battering him around ringside and the apron and wrapping an ankle lock on Sami around the top turnbuckle as Raw goes off the air

Rhea Ripley does, indeed, have to vacate her title

Though she is greeted warmly by the fans in Montreal, Ripley looks unhappy and says everyone knows what’s going on right now, yeah? She says she’s been told she’s “stuck on the bench” for months, and that she must vacate the Women’s World Championship, which gets a “bulls–t” chant going.

Rhea says the title is what means the most to her, which makes this even more painful. Ripley also delivers a warning: When she comes back, she’s coming back for blood, and when she finds Liv Morgan, they’re going to have to lock her up in a Montreal jail.

She won’t have to wait long, as a cackling Morgan comes out and a swarm of security guards emerges at the direction of Adam Pearce to keep them separated. One security guard takes some of Mami’s wrath, but that’s that.

No longer Raw champions, Awesome Truth are now World Tag Team Champions

“You guys are on fire tonight, I gotta tell you that,” the WWE CCO says to the crowd in Montreal. He says it was only a few days ago we were in the midst of the biggest WrestleMania of all time, one that gave us two sets of tag team champions.

To that end, he and Adam Pearce summon the Awesome Truth. Triple H congratulates them R-Truth and The Miz for making history, then tells Truth it was awesome to see him have his WrestleMania moment.

But to represent this brand and a new era, they need to do it in a new way. They will now be known as the World Tag Team Champions and are shown their spiffy new title belts. R-Truth thinks Triple H is a magician and suggests Little Jimmy used to be visible until a magic accident.

Much confusion on Truth’s part follows, especially about who Triple H is, but the CCO finally hits his limit and hands Awesome Truth their new title belts. Pearce then reveals there’s going to be a Triple Threat match to find them No. 1 contenders.

Cody Rhodes reflects, offers to watch Jey Uso’s back

Rhodes kicks things off by thanking Adam Pearce for letting him hang around Raw when he’s technically a SmackDown superstar. He reminds us all that at Backlash, he’ll defend his title against either LA Knight or AJ Styles, but before that, he wants to reflect a little bit.

There’s one man in particular he wants to shout out, and it’s the man who said he would be Cody’s shield, Seth “Freakin'” Rollins. Rhodes also talks about The Rock and says it was news to him that he did a 12-week training camp, stating that the Final Boss has a lot more than one more match left in him. Cody adds that The Rock is probably right about making him bleed again, but no amount of training can stop the fact that if he bleeds, The Rock will bleed with him.

One thing he’s confused about is the introduction of Tama Tonga to The Bloodline with Roman Reigns nowhere to be found. His last bit of reflection is to bring someone out to the ring, Main Event Jey Uso.

Rhodes offers to have Jey’s back for his match with Finn Balor, knowing that The Judgment Day usually rolls as a group. Jey appreciates that but says he has to do it on his own.

Cody says he totally understands and wishes Jey good luck, “until we yeet again.” Cody’s words, not mine.

Sami Zayn digs down deep to defeat Chad Gable

Sami takes some time to drink in the reaction from his hometown fans once he gets his in-ring intro from Samantha Irvin. Michael Cole says there are “many ghosts in this building” for Zayn, the biggest of which was being defeated by Roman Reigns while competing for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

The announcers discuss how Gable claims he knows all of Zayn’s weaknesses while he’s taking it to Sami on the outside. The champ’s rally includes a springboard moonsault to the floor, which gets the fans to reach another level as commercials arrive.

We return to see Zayn going for a ride courtesy of a Gable Olympic slam off the top rope, and Sami’s wife is shown with her hands over her mouth after that. Zayn takes two German suplexes before firing back with two of his own.

They trade one more German each before Zayn wins a battle of standing switches for one last suplex, this time with a release that sees Gable land a bit awkwardly on his neck.

Sami has just a tad of blood on his face as he hits an Exploder, but his Helluva Kick attempt is countered with an ankle lock. Gable tries to fly off the top but is caught and powerbombed by Zayn, who is thinking Sharpshooter but seeds his ankle give out.

Gable hits a release German suplex into the buckles, then wins a series of counters to drag Zayn back into the center of the ring for another ankle lock. Sami rolls through and nearly wins it.

Another Exploder sets up the Helluva Kick, and Zayn crawls over Gable to score the very popular pinfall.

WWE Raw results 03/18/24: The Man takes flight to be Last Woman Standing

This week on WWE Raw, Becky Lynch outlasted Nia Jax, Cody Rhodes spit fire at The Rock, and Sami Zayn questioned himself.

Becky Lynch doesn’t do tune-up matches. She only does big time bouts even while on the Road to WrestleMania, and she’s got another one tonight on WWE Raw in Raleigh.

See, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with The Man about Nia Jax. It’s not just that Jax beat Lynch clean earlier this year, though that’s definitely a big part of it.

The rest has to do with Lynch trying to prove she’s the best at what she does when she faces Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40. How can she claim to be the top dog if she can’t first say definitively she’s better than Jax?

Becky would tell you she can’t. That’s why we’ve ended up with a Last Woman Standing match less than three weeks out from Philadelphia. It should be really fun, and there’s definitely a chance that Liv Morgan gets involved as well. What would that mean for the Showcase of the Immortals? We’ll find out soon enough.

The other big thing on tonight’s Raw is getting more teams into the Six-Pack Ladder Match for the men’s tag team titles at WrestleMania. There are three qualifying matches on the card this evening, and the one we’ve really got our eye on is #DIY vs. The Creed Brothers. Honestly seems like both teams would be great to have in the title match, so we’re not sure which way this one will go.

Oh, and there’s going to be a contract signing between Gunther and Sami Zayn, so if you’re one of the people still holding out hope that Chad Gable works his way into a Triple Threat situation, this would be the time.

We’re pumped for this Raw, one of only three left before WrestleMania. Let’s get into it.

WWE Raw results from Raleigh:

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

  • Jey Uso has a discussion with Jimmy Uso, then gets assistance from Cody Rhodes to fight off an attack from Jimmy and Solo Sikoa
  • A hype video is shown for the Last Woman Standing match, along with a shot of Becky on her way into the arena
  • Paul Heyman apologizes to Adam Pearce for Jimmy and Solo “going into business for themselves” and insists they did what they did on their own and Pearce has Roman Reigns’ word that they are gone; Heyman adds that he has official business to do and that “everyone is going to be caught off guard”

  • #DIY def. The Creed Brothers by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • The Judgment Day talks to Andrade, who will get a chance to impress them next week; Damian Priest chastises JD McDonagh for not winning the Gauntlet match, but somehow it now falls on Dominik Mysterio to get some shine back by defeating Ricochet tonight
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by submission, with LeRae taking advantage of a knee “injury” to Chance and exploiting it to get the victory
  • The Rock Concert segment from SmackDown is shown
  • Cody Rhodes has some venom for The Rock tonight, and does some negotiating of sorts with Heyman
  • Nia Jax says Becky Lynch has never beaten her, and when that proves true again, Nia plans on taking her spot at WrestleMania
  • Jey Uso offers to watch Cody’s back if needed on SmackDown, though Rhodes also says he gave his word he’d show up alone
  • Ricochet def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall, with McDonagh unable to help Dom win or successfully ambush Ricochet after the final bell
  • Sami Zayn finds Chad Gable and expresses his respect for Gable, but they end up having a disagreement over Chad’s “it just means more” mantra before Gable suggests that Zayn “can’t beat Gunther”
  • The Sami Zayn-Gunther contract signing turns into a referendum on self-belief
  • Awesome Truth gets a pep talk from #DIY before heading out to face Indus Sher
  • The Awesome Truth def. Indus Sher by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • Zayn demands to know why Gable said he can’t beat Gunther, and Chad tells him it’s because Sami waits for a window of opportunity to strike and will need to change his mentality to have any chance to win
  • Drew McIntyre is interrupted immediately by Seth Rollins, who poses an interesting question: Is Drew more like Seth than he’d care to admit?
  • Becky Lynch cuts a short promo ahead of her main event with Jax
  • The New Day def. Alpha Academy (Akira Tozawa and Otis) by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
  • Liv Morgan stops by and tells Becky that Nia is all hers tonight — just make sure you kick her ass
  • Rollins checks in with Rhodes, who again insists he’s going to face Reigns solo on SmackDown
  • Becky Lynch def. Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match
  • As Lynch takes a moment to compose herself after a hard-fought victory, she’s joined in the ring by Rhea Ripley, and the two stand eye to eye exchanging pleasantries as Raw goes off the air

Jey, Jimmy Uso talk WrestleMania, and Cody Rhodes ensures there’s no Bloodline ambush

Pat McAfee is already tired from participating in the Yeetdown. Michael Cole mentions that it will be only the third time that it’s brother vs. brother at WrestleMania. Jey says he knows The Bloodline is in the building and asks big brother Jimmy where he’s at.

Jimmy comes through the crowd, side by side with Solo Sikoa. But Solo stands outside the ring, allowing Jey and Jimmy to come face to face. Jey says regardless of what’s happened and the bad blood, he misses his twin.

Jey asks Jimmy to come back, but Jimmy insists he never left. After running down all the things Jey’s done since going to Raw, he claims the biggest moment of his career is because of … Jimmy.

Jey says nah, that his biggest career moment will be at WrestleMania 40 when he knocks the yeet out of his ass. Jey gets in the first shot, but Jimmy is able to land a superkick thanks to a distraction from Solo. it could be a two-on-one beatdown, but here comes Cody Rhodes, who chucks Jimmy aside and hits a Cody Cutter on Sikoa.

Cody Rhodes has some pointed insults for The Rock and negotiates a bit with Paul Heyman

Rhodes is dressed in all black tonight, perhaps a sign of what kind of headspace he’s in. Cody starts off by reminding us that in less than three weeks, he’s going to face the greatest champion in all of sports once again.

He’ll have a conversation with Roman Reigns on SmackDown about that, but there are complications, the biggest one being The Rock. Rhodes brings up The Rock referring to himself as our favorite heel and runs down some of the great heels he’s known.

“Rock, I don’t think you’re a heel … I think you’re an a–hole.”

Cody goes on to suggest that while The Rock made fun of him for crying, wasn’t The People’s Champ the one actually crying behind the scene? Accusing the people around him of being yes-men, Cody says that he’s lots of wonderful thing — but also a whiny bitch.

Saying it was fair game for The Rock to mention his mom, Cody also says he knows Rock’s mom. Rhodes says she’s wonderful, deserving of respect just like his own mom should be since she wouldn’t be scared of The Rock.

Addressing WrestleMania, Cody admits he doesn’t know if Sunday will be Bloodline Rules or if he’ll finish the story. But how can The Rock be so sure of himself? After all, he hasn’t been in the ring for years. Final Boss? Rhodes says maybe he’ll only be “Roman’s side chick.”

That brings out an angry Paul Heyman, who apologizes for his previous apology because it was dumb. Rhodes invites Heyman into the ring, but he says he’s cool on the apron and has a message from Reigns: When Reigns and Rhodes are face to face on SmackDown, no other members of The Bloodline will be present except for Paul.

Cody likes what he hears and says “Deal.” But Heyman says he forgot one crucial point. Namely, that Rhodes has to show up alone to SmackDown too. “Deal.”

Sami Zayn and Gunther make it official for WrestleMania, but does Sami believe in himself?

Adam Pearce is in the ring with the usual contract signing setup, summoning Zayn first and then Gunther. The Ring General mocks Sami for dressing like any slob from the crowd, to which Zayn takes offense at the feeling that Gunther doesn’t think he can win their match.

Sami angrily signs on the dotted line, but Gunther just wants to make fun of hic challenger a little more, questioning whether he even believes he can win. He smiles as he signs too and prepares to leave. But Zayn tells him to wait and tells Gunther to look into his eyes before storming off.

Is Drew McIntyre more like Seth Rollins than he cares to admit to himself?

McIntyre can’t be pleased that he’s immediately interrupted by the arrival of Rollins before he even makes it down the ramp. Mind games are fair play on the Road to WrestleMania, though.

They both end up in the ring, where Seth claims he has something to get off his chest. He admits he’s a spotlight junkie in the manner of people introducing themselves at AA meetings. “Spotlight junkie” chants break out in response.

An exasperated McIntyre says Rollins has become a parody of himself, but the only punchline is going to be when Drew beats him for the title at WrestleMania. McIntyre also mocks the “CM Punk” chant, at which point Rollins interjects and says none of this is a joke to him.

The World Heavyweight Champion says he’s been doing this for a while and it gets better every time. He wants the spotlight as bright as it can possibly be, which surprisingly gets McIntyre’s approval … except for the finish.

“You had me until you mentioned the big spotlight,” Drew says, yelling that it should only be the work they’ve done that matters. Rollins’ priorities are all screwed up, he insists, and that means McIntyre won’t get the moment he deserves — he’ll get the moment he earned.

Seth retorts that Drew is a spotlight junkie just as much as he is, motivated by the fact that his previous title run was in front of no fans. The problem is that when the lights got bright again, McIntyre fumbled the ball. At WrestleMania 40, Seth suggests, Drew will discover he’s not as good as he thinks he is.

Becky Lynch takes to the air to defeat Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match

Lynch looks like she wants to try to end it early, taking it to Jax in and out of the ring. Pat McAfee says he thought the strategy would be opposite, and perhaps he has a point as Jax starts taking over on the outside. They slug it out as the match goes to its first commercial break.

Michael Cole reminds us the only way to win is to keep your opponent down for a count of 10. Jax is busy getting out a table and a ton of chairs, but Lynch is recovering and uses a chair on Nia as she climbs back in the ring.

Jax hits a Samoan Drop back onto a pile of chairs, and McAfee thinks that’s it. Narrator: It was not it.

The crowd wants tables but Lynch is busy applying a sleeper, then pivoting into a bulldog onto a chair. The ref counts to about six, then Lynch tries coming off the top rope and takes a chair to the gut.

Jax is feeling good as Lynch struggles to get back up, eating more chair shots when she does. Jax sits right on top of her on a chair, but a kendo stick is within reach for The Man, and she goes to town with that, sending Jax to the floor.

Nia recovers quickly and picks up the steps to use as a weapon. But she misses when trying a legdrop on the apron, then gets dropped on the steps. The ref gets to six, so Lynch smashes her face into the steps again. The fans roar their approval as Becky gets out a table right as more ads arrive.

There’s now a ladder set up when the broadcast returns, but Lynch is able to blind Jax with a blast from a fire extinguisher. Somehow she’s still able to stagger back into the ring and hit Lynch with a Samoan Drop that drives The Man through a table.

Jax hits an Annihilator too, and the ref starts to count. Lynch rolls out of the ring at eight, landing on her feet to break the count. Jax eyes the table on the floor, but Lynch wriggles free of a Samoan Drop and hits a Manhandle Slam through the table instead.

The ref counts but both women make it up; Jax just barely. Seeing she needs to do something spectacular to win it, Lynch scales the ladder and drives Jax through the announce table with a legdrop. The ref counts, and this time not even Jax is getting up.

WWE Raw results 03/04/24: Drew McIntyre gets one over on Jey Uso … and Seth Rollins

The Bloodline, and especially Jimmy Uso, also found a way to screw Jey Uso over again this week on WWE Raw.

Let’s go, San Antonio. Specifically, let’s get it cranked up for WWE Raw, which features a pair of matches between bitter rivals.

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom … er, sorry, just in WWE, Drew McIntyre had a chance to defeat Roman Reigns in front of his countrymen. He failed, and Jey Uso, then a loyal member of the Bloodline, was a big reason why.

Things have changed for both men quite a bit since then. Jey has discovered his better angels and had his own title bids foiled by the Bloodline. McIntyre, meanwhile, has seen misfortune befall his foes while his own arrow has been pointing up: all the way to WrestleMania 40 and another world championship opportunity next month.

That’s emboldened him to tell the people he dislikes exactly what he thinks of them, including Uso. Some hands flew during their conversation, and more will fly tonight between them on Raw.

As for Becky Lynch, her tale is more one of the opponent she can’t get past. Nia Jax beat The Man clean on the first Raw of the year, and it’s been a defeat that hasn’t sit well with Lynch.

Can Becky overcome the one foe she’s never really been able to put down? She’ll get a chance tonight.

Let’s see what’s going down.

WWE Raw results from San Antonio:

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

  • After we see Jey Uso and Nia Jax entering the building, a video package takes us through Cody Rhodes’ challenge to The Rock, along with the counteroffer the latter made last week on SmackDown
  • Cody Rhodes wants to make sure Seth Rollins is on the same page with him, and they pledge to answer The Rock’s challenge Friday on SmackDown
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Gunther by submission
  • Damage CTRL runs into Adam Pearce, who wants to know why the group is here, and Dakota Kai claims it’s for the tag team champs to scout Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark; Shinsuke Nakamura also wants to have a word with Pearce about the Intercontinental Championship
  • Katana Chance and Kayden Carter tell Cathy Kelley they’re determined to do whatever it takes to be back in tag team title contention
  • Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by pinfall; after the match, Kai gets in the ring to tell the victors that they’ll get a title shot at Houston, and Baszler says they’ll see the Kabuki Warriors next week
  • The Judgment Day regroups with Mysterio, who gets a visit from Andrade while JD McDonagh seems nervous he’s being serves up to Gunther soon
  • A short hype video gets us prepared for Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax, which is up next
  • Nia Jax def. Becky Lynch by DQ thanks to an attack from Liv Morgan, who ends up squabbling with Lynch until both are beaten down by Jax
  • An irritated Ricochet is told by Pearce that he has a plan that should satisfy just about anyone looking for an IC title shot; The Judgment Day stops by as well, and McDonagh makes his pitch to face Gunther
  • Lynch and Morgan keep arguing in the back and agree to settle their differences in the ring next week; Becky also gets a brief visit from Rhea Ripley, who simply flashes her a sinister smile and walks away
  • A video package shows us how we got to this moment between Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre ahead of their match later tonight
  • Andrade def. Apollo Crews by pinfall in Andrade’s first match back in WWE
  • Pearce reveals his Intercontinental Championship contender idea: a Gauntlet match that will take place next week on Raw and feature six men: Sami Zayn, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bronson Reed, JD McDonagh and Chad Gable

  • Sami Zayn says the Gauntlet match is the path to WrestleMania he believed would reveal itself, but that also means it’s do or die for him; Valhalla and Ivar stop by and mock Zayn for believing he can beat Gunther, but Sami says he knows he can beat Ivar, and they agree to battle tonight
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell are getting antsy about a title shot, and Natalya and Tegan Nox have even more internal issues; Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile stop by to offer encouragement, which only seems to tick off Candice
  • The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) by pinfall
  • A highlight package is shown of Paul Heyman being named to the WWE Hall of Fame as the first member of the Class of 2024
  • Drew McIntyre doesn’t think Seth Rollins listened to anything he had to say and also warns Jey Uso that while he knows Jey could use a big win, he’s not going to be able to get it tonight
  • Damage CTRL bumps into Ripley, who warns IYO SKY to stay out of her territory but simply gets a scoffing laugh in return
  • Sami Zayn def. Ivar by pinfall but gets immediately ambushed by Bronson Reed and crushed with a Tsunami
  • Gunther talks to Kelley about the Gauntlet match, and the Ring General says he is kind of flattered to have so many men competing to challenge him, though all that will get them is a chance to be outclassed at WrestleMania; Chad Gable stops by and repeats his “it just means more” mantra about why he’ll win
  • Jey Uso apologizes to McIntyre … for what he’s about to do to Drew, that is; also he now has “Yeet” sunglasses
  • The Miz finds Xavier Woods, R-Truth and #DIY playing WWE 2K24 (and R-Truth still thinks #DIY is DX) and says the way to get payback on The Judgment Day is by taking their tag team titles
  • Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins have each other’s backs, including this Friday on SmackDown

After asking what San Antonio wants to talk about, Rhodes says he’d love to discuss standing across the ring from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. However, he really can’t talk about it because of a distraction called The Rock.

Cody is ticked at The Rock insulting the fans, but especially mocking his dog. He notes that The Rock didn’t accept his challenge for a one-on-one match, spinning things and presenting a whole different challenge like the politician that he is.

One thing Rhodes admits is that he and The Rock did have a conversation, and The Rock suggested the people wanted Rock vs. Roman at WrestleMania. Why, he wonders, did people start chanting “We want Cody” while The Rock decided to call them Cody crybabies?

Since The Rock’s new challenge also involves his friend, he calls Seth Rollins to join him in the ring. Rhodes knows Rollins has offered his assistance against the Bloodline, but he also knows Seth has his own match against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania. If he needs to focus on Drew, Cody says he’d understand.

Rollins insists he’ll take care of McIntyre, as it’s not just Cody’s story that needs to be finished at WrestleMania, it’s his story too. Seth once vowed to give the power to the people, but Reigns wants to keep it all for himself. With The Rock now in the Bloodline, Roman is this close to having absolute power.

He goes on to say he’s “kind of over The Rock,” which inspires an enthusiastic “Rocky sucks” chant. Since none of his previous nicknames fit him now, Rollins says he’s going to call The Rock “Diarrhea Dwayne.” The crowd sounds like it enjoys that suggestion.

What Seth doesn’t like is The Rock saying he made wrestling cool again, as he hasn’t been cool in 20 years. But what is cool is that Rollins has been medically cleared, so he’ll be at SmackDown Friday to confront the Bloodline.

Seth just wants to know if Cody has his back in return, and the American Dream confirms he’ll join Rollins on SmackDown Friday.

Becky Lynch learns turnabout is fair play from Liv Morgan during her match against Nia Jax

Jax says something to Lynch right as the bell rings, then charges right after her. A body slam puts Lynch down and gives the fans a chance to boo Jax.

A headbutt puts The Man on her back again, where she eats a big elbow and has to kick out at two. Lynch jumps on her foe’s back but is smashed back into the turnbuckles, where she also suffers a Stinkface.

Lynch is choked along the bottom rope, but she fights back thanks to a chop block. The Man hits at least part of a missile dropkick that sends Jax to the floor, but she’s caught coming off the apron and treated to a Samoan Drop on the floor. Ouch.

After a commercial break, Lynch is mounting a serious rally, but a Samoan Drop puts a swift end to that. Jax wants an Annihilator but finds no one home, and Lynch applies the Dis-arm-her. Jax manages to power her way out and get to the floor, where she’s attacked by Liv Morgan.

The ref calls for the bell as Liv get in Becky’s face in the ring. Their ensuing argument is interrupted by Jax, who sets about destroying them both on the outside.

Drew McIntyre wins when Jey Uso is hosed again

Get ready to Yeet. Pat McAfee certainly is, telling Michael Cole he tired himself out doing the Yeetdown during Jey’s entrance. Alas, McIntyre quickly hurls Uso over the announce table, which gets a “no yeet” from Cole as we head to commercials.

Uso has it rolling when we return, but McIntyre blasts him with a kick out of the corner and earns a near fall. Both men trade shots until McIntyre hammers him with an elbow.

The Scottish Warrior chops away in the corner, even after Jey heads up higher. Drew has a thought for White Noise, but Jey counters with a running powerbomb for an impressive two count.

Uso tries to fly but catches knees to the chest and a spinebuster, good for another near fall for McIntyre.

After commercials, Uso is trying to regroup and has McIntyre lined up in the opposite corner. There’s a hip attack that’s on the mark, and when Drew heads to the floor, Jey flies out there to ensure there’s no respite.

As the men return to the ring, Solo Sikoa crawls out of the crowd. A distracted Uso is hit by the Future Shock, and when Uso kicks out, Cody Rhodes comes down to neutralize Sikoa, brawling with Solo into the crowd.

Drew’s Claymore is countered with three superkicks and a spear. Jey goes to head up top but sees Jimmy Uso at ringside, then turns and eats a Claymore, giving McIntyre the win.

Jimmy enters the ring with a steel chair, but Rollins hustles down and kicks it into Jimmy’s face … only to fall victim to a Claymore from McIntyre. Drew yells at Seth not to “taint this title” and to do the right thing by concentrating on Raw as the show fades out for this week.

WWE Raw results 02/05/24: Cody wins, but is Drew in the ‘Mania mix now too?

Gunther has a new challenger, and nothing was really resolved with Cody Rhodes and WrestleMania on WWE Raw this week.

It’s not easy to get more popular when you’re already the top face in the top wrestling promotion. Yet that very well might apply to Cody Rhodes, who will be front and center during tonight’s episode of WWE Raw in St. Louis.

All it took was WWE putting The Rock, possibly because of a clause in his new deal to join the TKO board, in position to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. You know, the spot that was going to allow Rhodes to finish his story, the one that he earned by beating 29 other competitors in the Royal Rumble.

That one.

So now the American Nightmare, already very over with the fans, has the sympathy factor going for him too. To be fair, there are also a lot of people who really do want to see The Rock vs. Roman at WrestleMania. Some of those people are also Rhodes supporters, though, and they didn’t want to see it come about this way.

But hey, there are still two months to WrestleMania, so who knows what could happen until then? What we do know is that tonight, building off something that happened at a house show over the weekend, Rhodes will face Shinsuke Nakamura in a Bull Rope match. What’s better for getting out some frustration than being tied together with one of your enemies by a rope and then using it to beat them with it?

Well don’t look at us, we’ve never been in a match like this. We’d expect the answer is “probably nothing.”

Whether you’re part of the “WHOA movement” or just want to see what happens next in the ongoing drama that is WWE, come along on this ride that is Raw tonight.

WWE Raw results from St. Louis:

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

  • That ending from SmackDown is shown again, with The Rock making his appearance after Cody Rhodes told Roman Reigns he wasn’t coming for him at WrestleMania
  • Seth Rollins calls out Cody Rhodes for a WrestleMania answer, but Drew McIntyre spoils their conversation
  • #DIY def. The Creed Brothers, The New Day and Imperium, and will go to SmackDown to face Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate with the winner of that match earning a tag team title shot
  • Shayna Baszler says the last Elimination Chamber match she was in didn’t go the way she wanted, but she gets Becky Lynch tonight without having to jump through any hoops; Lynch is shown as well, saying her future is on the line in this match
  • Becky Lynch def. Shayna Baszler by pinfall in an Elimination Chamber qualifier
  • Liv Morgan talks about the long time she spent out with injury and how badly she needs to earn her place in Elimination Chamber to start on the path to revenge against Rhea Ripley
  • Adam Pearce warns McIntyre that he’s close to being fined for his behavior, and both men look surprised that Ripley is on her way out to the ring
  • Rhea Ripley wants Nia Jax, and gets her in two ways: a title match at Elimination Chamber and a scrap right now, which Nia wins definitively
  • A video package is shown of Bayley getting betrayed by Damage CTRL and challenging IYO SKY at WrestleMania
  • Ivar and Valhalla def. Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri by pinfall
  • The Judgment Day says Ripley will be alright but gets joined by R-Truth, and eventually Damian Priest just gives up and tells him to make himself at home
  • Jackie Redmond talks to The Miz about Truth’s situation
  • The Miz def. JD McDonagh by pinfall, in large part because JD gets distracted by Truth giving him a cut of t-shirt sales during the match, and yes that is really what happened
  • A hype video promotes Katana Chance and Kayden Carter and their attempt to reclaim the tag team titles tonight
  • Imperium insists to Pearce that everything must be perfect for Gunther tonight, and as they leave, the GM makes his offer to Bron Breakker
  • A video package checks in on CM Punk as he deals with surgery and his recovery
  • Gunther celebrates 600 days as Intercontinental Champion by getting a new potential challenger: Jey Uso
  • Shinsuke Nakamura scoffs at the idea that a Bull Rope match gives Rhodes an advantage tonight, promising to beat Cody in the match his own family made famous
  • The Kabuki Warriors def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
  • Sami Zayn sat down with Redmond earlier today to discuss thinking back to this same time a year ago, when he was preparing to face Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber; Zayn says Triple H pulled him aside after losing to Reigns and told him not to be down, comparing Sami to Rocky, and he says he’s gone beyond underdog to contender
  • Cody Rhodes def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall in a Bull Rope match
  • Right after the bell, McIntyre attacks Rhodes, leaving him looking at the lights with the WrestleMania XL sign in the background as Raw goes off the air
Image credit: WWE.com

Seth Rollins wants an answer from Cody Rhodes, but Drew McIntyre wants to get in his two cents

Michael Cole makes sure to point out that the World Heavyweight Champion is wearing a brace on his left leg. It doesn’t affect the pop he gets, as he points out.

Rollins antagonizes the crowd just a bit, and when it appears they want Cody, he says he does too, inviting the American Nightmare to join him. It’s an enormous reaction for him, as you might expect, and when he asks what everyone wants to talk about, there’s a “Rocky sucks” chant and Cole asks if it’s 1996 again.

Seth says he understands what Cody is going through but needs answers, and he stands by the words he said when he called the World Heavyweight Championship the most prestigious title in the sport. More than that, Rollins says he needs to know if he’s the best, and the only way to do that is to test himself again the best … meaning Cody.

“Are you gonna fight me at WrestleMania?” But Rollins gets no answer, as Drew McIntyre decides to join the party. The Scottish Warrior says he was supposed to be talking to Rollins about their main event match at WrestleMania and implores Rhodes to finish the story.

Rollins is sort of bewildered, wondering why McIntyre thinks he’ll get a shot at the world title if Rhodes refuses. Drew at least compliments Seth for making his championship the workhorse title and contrasts him with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline.

Rhodes wants to say something but is hushed as McIntyre says it’s time for him to take the title form here, smacking the champ after he does. Cody snaps into action and hammers Drew right back, but the Scottish Warrior only grins as he retreats back up the ramp.

Image credit: WWE.com

Rhea Ripley should be careful what she wishes for with Nia Jax

The Women’s World Champion hardly sounds like a heel as she gets cheers while storming to the ring. Ripley makes it clear in no uncertain terms that she wants to rip Nia Jax’s bloody head off, but Adam Pearce heads down the ramp and says we aren’t doing this right now.

Pearce is giving Rhea what she wants … but at Elimination Chamber, where they will battle over the title. Much to Pearce’s dismay, Jax makes a beeline for the ring, getting the best of Ripley in a scrap that security can’t stop, and delivering the Annihilator to boot.

Image credit: WWE.com

Gunther’s celebration is crashed by a new contender … Yeet!

The Ring General says it’s to the surprise of absolutely nobody that he’s standing in the ring commemorating 600 days as champion. He tells Ludwig Kaiser that he appreciates the effort Imperium gave to putting this together but doesn’t want anything like this going forward — because it’s a given that he’s the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time.

Gunther says his problem now is he’s running out of competition. That boast is answered by some familiar entrance music as Jey Uso makes his way to the ring.

The champ admits he’s not surprised to see Jey after he eliminated Uso from the Royal Rumble but is irritated at the apparent disrespect. Jey says there’s no disrespect as he knows the work Gunther put in.

Gunther replies that Uso is one of the most decorated tag team wrestlers of all time and holds the record for longest tag team reign. The best part is he only had to put in 50% of the work for it.

Uso is unfazed as he has the crowd going “Yeet” behind him, though Gunther continues to taunt him for only now stepping out of his family’s shadow. He says he’ll beat Jey worse than his family ever did, and that Jey will wish he’s back in the says where people couldn’t tell him and his brother apart.

That leads to an attack by Jey, and when the 3-on-1 odds quickly turn against him, The New Day runs down to make things even and chase the heels away.

Image credit: WWE.com

The Kabuki Warriors ensure they’re the ones partying by fending off Katana Chance and Kayden Carter

Can the C&C tag team factory win their titles back? Asuka seems like she’s in no mood for it, running over Chance and berating her as she continues her assault. The Empress of Tomorrow also laughs after getting slapped and goes right back to trying to bully Chance.

Katana manages to roll up Asuka for a two count, then tags her partner to take the fight to the floor. Carter boosts Chance into a leaping move on the outside, and the challengers look good as commercials arrive.

The champs are still in control after the break, though the announcers note that both the Kabuki Warriors are taped up after Bayley lit into them with a metal pipe on SmackDown. Chance tags in and uses her speed to keep Kairi Sane flustered, then stomps away in the corner.

Sane eats a knee and a double stomp on the back of the neck but kicks out at two. Carter tags in and helps her teammate deliver the Afterparty, but a save is made to prevent a three count.

The champs want the Keg Stand, but Sane drags Carter out to the floor to stop it, and Kairi follows with the Insane Elbow to ensure the champs retain.

Image credit: WWE.com

Cody Rhodes gets some measure of relief with a Bull Rope match victory over Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura looks a bit perplexed by the rope, and instead of getting strapped in, he launches a sneak attack on Rhodes right before the bell rings. Shinsuke does get his hand in his end, and the two men slug it out with right hands before Cody finds and rings the bell in the middle of the rope. They fight to the outside and over the barricade as an early commercial break ensues.

It’s Nakamura pressing the attack in the corner, then choking Rhodes with his boot. Cody rolls out to the floor, then gets dragged hard into the apron, selling damage to his knee. Shinsuke drives a knee into the back of his foe’s neck inside the ring and covers for a near fall.

Rhodes’ rally leads to a Figure Four, much to the delight of the fans, but Nakamura manages to free himself right before the show’s last ad break.

We return to see another burst of offense from Rhodes and a near fall. Shinsuke responds by getting Cody seated in the ropes and kicking him in the back of the head.

It might be Kinshasa time, but Rhodes puts a stop to that thought with a Cody Cutter. Cody fires up with the help of the fans, and the two men trade shots in the middle of the ring. A Bionic Elbow connects, but Nakamura uses a kick to knock Rhodes down too.

Cody sees the Kinshasa coming again and is able to hit a Pedigree for a close two count. Even after being sprayed with the red mist, Cody is able to deliver a Cross Rhodes, but he puts his hands on his face in dismay as Shinsuke kicks out at two.

As Shinsuke tries again for a Kinshasa, Rhodes blocks it, uses the rope to crotch Nakamura, and hits a second Cross Rhodes that ends it.

WWE Raw preview 02/05/24: Will #WeWantCody sweep over Monday night?

Gunther celebrating 600 days as IC champ and a women’s tag team title match will also be part of WWE Raw from St. Louis.

So … nothing much happened since the last episode of WWE Raw, right? Yeah, not much. Just The Rock stepping in and looking like he’ll face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania in the match everyone expected Cody Rhodes was going to get. That hasn’t been talked about at all in the last few days.

Sarcasm aside, Rhodes has to pick up the pieces and continue on, and he can’t really take the night off tonight as Raw heads to St. Louis.

Cody Rhodes can’t afford to overlook Shinsuke Nakamura

The American Nightmare already knows this, of course, as he had to deal with a running feud with Shinsuke Nakamura not that long ago. One good thing: It’s a Bull Rope match, which is something that runs in the Rhodes blood.

The more interesting thing to watch for is the crowd reaction Rhodes gets. He’s already the top fan favorite on Raw, and perhaps all of WWE. A lot of people seem ticked that he’s seemingly been shuffled aside for The Rock, at least online. Will that anger carry over to TV tonight?

Is Gunther about to get an Elimination Chamber surprise?

WWE has been promoting that Gunther is going to celebrate 600 days as Intercontinental Champion, which is well deserved. He’s run through a wide range of challengers over that time, making it seem like he’s unbeatable.

But here’s what we can’t get out of our heads: Elimination Chamber is just a few weeks away, and the original plan for the Men’s Chamber match involved CM Punk, who is now injured. It would make a lot of sense if Gunther had to defend his title against five other competitors in the Chamber, so we’re anxious to see if that might be what awaits him on Raw.

Can Katana Chance and Kayden Carter win back the tag team titles?

Though Katana Chance and Kayden Carter provided a much needed jolt to the women’s tag team division, their reign as champs was fairly brief. Now they’ll get an opportunity to win them back against the Kabuki Warriors, who were most recently seen attacking Bayley on SmackDown.

Just a thought here, but Bayley could certainly take this chance to pay Asuka and Kairi Sane back by interfering in this bout, which would benefit Chance and Carter. Something to file away while watching tonight’s show.

We’ll be set to take in and recap all the action from St. Louis, so join us back here at Wrestling Junkie at 8 p.m. ET for live results and updates.

[lawrence-related id=45116]

WWE Raw results 01/29/24: Seth Rollins complicates Cody Rhodes’ Road to WrestleMania

Gunther retained and Drew McIntyre wore out Sami Zayn on WWE Raw from Tampa.

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The Royal Rumble is in the rear view mirror, so it’s mash the gas on the Road to WrestleMania, right? Well, yes, but also there are some potholes on that road, which tonight’s WWE Raw from Tampa will try to pave over.

Some things we expected to happen at the Rumble did indeed take place. Bayley won the Women’s Rumble match, seemingly hammering in another plank in her plan for Damage CTRL to win all the gold. That would require her to challenge Rhea Ripley, though … and is that actually what the Role Model is going to do when she appears tonight?

No such mystery hangs over Cody Rhodes, who certainly has his eyes and heart set on a rematch with Roman Reigns. The questions instead are floating around the man who finished runner-up to Rhodes on Saturday night: CM Punk, who reportedly suffered an injury that would likely cause him to miss out on WrestleMania 40. WWE hasn’t advertised it, but Punk is expected to address his status tonight.

Plus we’ve got championship matches on the card. Gunther will attempt to put another impressive defense on his Intercontinental Championship resume when he faces Kofi Kingston. And the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship is also on the like when Damian Priest and Finn Balor contend with #DIY.

Oh, and to top it all off, Raw is going to be commercial-free for the first 60 minutes, which is fantastic for viewers but not as much for those of us who type along with the show. Finger breaks are important, y’all.

Anyway, we’re looking forward to this show and ready to capture everything that goes down.

WWE Raw results from Tampa:

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

  • A Royal Rumble highlight package kicks off the show
  • Pat McAfee is on hand to join Michael Cole on commentary
  • CM Punk already has his right arm in a sling, telling the WWE Universe he’ll be back, but Drew McIntyre revels in his misfortune
  • The Judgment Day appears to be unified ahead of the tag team title match … but so do #DIY
  • The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. #DIY by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
  • Damian Priest calls for R-Truth to join The Judgment Day in the ring, which is just the impetus for an attack by JD McDonagh; The Miz attempts to make a save but ends up laid out along with Truth
  • Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark def. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven by pinfall
  • Cody Rhodes addresses his Royal Rumble win, but Seth Rollins gives him something to think about with regard to his WrestleMania decision
  • Jey Uso def. Bronson Reed by pinfall
  • A video narrated by Cole and McAfee puts over the return of Andrade, who is then shown signing with Adam Pearce and Raw; Nick Aldis arrives as well, a little ticked but happier once he gets a call from Bron Breakker
  • Gunther says Kofi Kingston will remember this match fir the rest of his life, while he will forget about Kofi and continue his record-breaking Intercontinental Championship reign
  • Jackie Redmond talks to Becky Lynch about what her Plan B is after losing the Royal Rumble, and The Man says it involves her not stopping until she’s back at the top
  • Gunther def. Kofi Kingston by pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
  • After the match, Xavier Woods comes out to check on Kingston and gets attacked by the other members of Imperium, and that ends badly for Woods
  • Sami Zayn talks about his repeated run-ins with McIntyre and says he’s tired of Drew blaming others for his misfortune and promises to give him a reality check
  • A quick hype video shows Jade Cargill making her in-ring debut in the Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • Kabuki Warriors def. Natalya and Tegan Nox by pinfall
  • Katana Chance and Kayden Carter tell Jackie Redmond their rematch for the tag team titles is coming next week on Raw
  • Bayley does some gloating, but Nia Jax destroys Rhea Ripley and gives Bayley a warning
  • McIntyre does a quick interview with Redmond, reminding everyone that Zayn has never beaten him in a match
  • Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn by pinfall
Image credit: WWE.com

CM Punk addresses his injury, but Drew McIntyre is happy about it

As the fans chant his name, Punk looks forlornly at the WrestleMania 40 sign. “I came real close Saturday night, and I felt like I had it in the palm of my hand,” he says, explaining that he’s not mad at Cody Rhodes, congratulating him and saying Cody earned it.

Though he says he never believed in luck, he can’t help but feel a little unlucky. Punk confirms that he tore his right triceps during the Royal Rumble match and it’s not in the cards to work through it. Still, he doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him, it’s just a flesh wound and nothing compared to people who have real fights — like a cancer patient he calls a friend.

Punk says he loses more often than he wins, mentioning his unsuccessful foray into UFC. That scared him, as did coming back to WWE, not his injury. He promises he’ll keep entertaining people until the wheels come off, and he’ll continue to take inspiration from people of all walks of life who wake up and keep going.

“There’s always next year,” Punk says, before he’s suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior admits he’s said some terrible things about Punk and he meant them, but he relates to what Punk is saying now.

McIntyre says he’s never been a spiritual person, “but I prayed for this and it happened.” Drew says he was angry when Punk eliminated him, but he slept like a baby once he heard about the injury news. He vows to put himself into the spot Punk thinks he was going to get.

Punk walks right up to McIntyre and says he’ll rehab and eventually get to that WrestleMania main event, but before that, he’ll go right after Drew. They have a quick fight, which Punk loses and gets his already injured arm stomped. Sami Zayn comes to the rescue, driving McIntyre off.

Image credit: WWE.com

The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) fends off a serious title challenge from #DIY

Balor and Tommaso Ciampa start the match against each other, but the challengers quickly get to work doing double team offense. Both Ciampa and Johnny Gargano dive to the floor at once and take a second to pat themselves on the back.

The champs are able to get their feet under them just in time to tag in Priest, who bounces Ciampa’s face off the apron. Balor tags back in and hits a scissor kick for a near fall.

Balor does his best to stop Ciampa from getting to his side for a tag and is able to get another two count. Michael Cole says he’s not sure who the referee is for this match, which is funny. Ciampa gets his own two count, then hits a reverse DDT and tags in Gargano for a rally ending with a slingshot spear and another two.

Balor’s response is dropping an arm across Gargano’s neck for his own hear fall, and the possible falls are coming fast and furious now. Priest kicks out of another double team move, but he’s able to power out of a Fairytale Ending attempt.

The Judgment Day does the double team thing in their own right, forcing Ciampa to kick out of a big legdrop. A powerslam has Ciampa in trouble too, but Gargano comes to make the save.

DIY hits a pair of high impact moves, including Ciampa’s White Noise off the turnbuckles, though it’s still not enough to keep Balor down for three. Finn eats the Meet in the Middle as well, yet his partner is able to drag his foot to the ropes for a break.

Ciampa and Gargano fly out to the floor to hit Priest in quick succession, but Balor is feeling it now back in the ring. Gargano evades the Coup de Grace, though, and has Finn in the Gargano Escape. Ciampa has Priest in the Sicilian Stretch too, but Priest picks him up and drops him on his partner to break the other hold.

Both Gargano and Balor could use tags, and they eventually both make them. A series of moves from all four men leaves Priest the last man standing, and he treats Gargano to a Flatliner onto the announce table. Ciampa rolls up Priest coming back into the ring, but it’s still only a two count.

With Gargano out of the picture, Ciampa takes the Razor’s Edge and the Coup de Grace, and that’s a wrap for the champs.

Image credit: WWE.com

Cody Rhodes gets an interesting proposal for his WrestleMania decision from Seth Rollins

“You deserve it” chants greet the American Nightmare before he even gets a chance to start talking. Pretty sure we know what everyone wants to talk about, though he asks Samantha Irvin to repeat her announcement of him as the 2023 and 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble matches, and she obliges.

Rhodes says the fans will never know how much he needed all of them on Saturday night, but just as he suggests they make WrestleMania 40 official, he’s cut short by the entrance theme of Seth Rollins. The World Heavyweight Champion gets a lengthy singalong as he makes his way to the ring.

Rollins agrees that Rhodes does deserve it and thinks they’ve developed a mutual respect for each other. But he wants to be real with Cody: If he chooses to fight Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, he’s making a mistake. Rollins says Rhodes should fight him instead.

Let’s hear him out. Rollins says Rhodes called himself The Guy at the Royal Rumble press conference, but neither he nor Reigns fits that description. Rollins suggests he’s The Guy and that his World Heavyweight Championship is The Title in WWE.

When Cody won the 2023 Royal Rumble, it made sense to go after Reigns, but that was when there was only one champion. As Seth reasons, Cody has been on the same ride with him since the World Heavyweight Championship was created. And it was that title that was defended all along the way.

This is a good plea, at any rate. Will Rhodes go for it? Rollins even calls his championship “the Dusty Rhodes title” as he makes his closing argument.

Rollins says he doesn’t need an answer right now, encouraging Rhodes to think about it before telling Seth what’s in his heart. “What kind of man do you want to be?”

Cody says he has an “insane” amount of respect for Seth and can’t believe they’re talking about this. He does say he’ll think about it.

Image credit: WWE.com

Kofi Kingston shows his heart again, but it’s not enough to dethrone Gunther

“That man is a machine,” Michael Cole says, as the announcers ponder what Kingston needs to do to give himself a chance of winning. Kofi ends up in an Boston Crab right out the gate, which isn’t optimal, as we get some side-by-side commercials.

Pretty much nothing has changed on the other side of that half-break, as it’s all one-way offense, as Wade Barrett would say. A backbreaker leads to another Boston Crab, which appears to be the official move to set up commercials. Well played, that.

Kingston finally looks like he’s found a foothold coming back off this half-break, and he manages to hurl Gunther to the floor with his legs as a powerbomb counter. He launches a tope suicida but gets caught and driven in the apron.

Kofi sends Gunther into the ringpost and heads back inside. This time Kingston does hit the tope suicida, not once but twice. There’s a jumping kick as well, but the Ring General has the wherewithal to roll to the outside.

Kingston keeps his edge, though, and hits a huge leaping shot to Gunther on the steps, then a Boom Drop off the top rope back inside the ring for a near fall. He wants Trouble in Paradise but gets countered, and his rollup for two is immediately answered by a clothesline.

We’re still going back and forth, with Kofi hitting the SOS for another two. Kingston walks into another nasty clothesline, plus a dropkick. Gunther powerbombs Kingston and stacks him up to secure the dub.

Image credit: WWE.com

Bayley doesn’t make her WrestleMania challenge, but Nia Jax gives her more to think about

The other members of Damage CTRL is waiting in the ring for Bayley, presumably to help celebrate her Royal Rumble win. She points to the sign as the fans chant for her.

She says she’ll give the WWE Universe a rare chance to take a picture of them, because there’s never been a group that had the WWE Women’s Champion, the Women’s Tag Team Champions and the Royal Rumble winner … and it’s all because of Bayley.

While she’s had her share of doubters, Bayley says she never listens to their opinions, and even though the roster is as stacked as it’s ever been, she came out on top. She gloats about breaking Rhea Ripley’s time in the ring too.

That brings Ripley out, who says Bayley will remain the one member of the group without gold … but then gets attacked from behind by Nia Jax. Nia beats Rhea all the way into the ring and drops a leg on her twice as Damage CTRL watches from the corner. There’s a third legdrop for good measure.

After an Annihilator, Jax tells Bayley that she can pick any other champ, because Rhea isn’t making it to WrestleMania. Bayley responds that she’ll make her decision on SmackDown, which leaves IYO SKY looking less than pleased on the outside.

Image credit: WWE.com

Drew McIntyre shows no remorse in dispatching Sami Zayn

Zayn gets an early taste of McIntyre’s power that sends him over the announce table. Drew hurls him back into the ring and takes exception of Pat McAfee talking about him, giving Sami a chance to return the favor to his foe.

After some ads, McIntyre continues to turn Zayn’s chest red with chops. They both end up on the top rope, where Zayn pulls off a sunset flip powerbomb that hints at a momentum swing.

Zayn counters the Future Shock by walking the ropes and hitting a tornado DDT for a two count. McIntyre gets a pair of pinfall attempts, including one with a sitout powerbomb, but Zayn kicks out of both of them.

The fans try to urge Sami on, but Drew just shoves him around as he tries to get back to his feet. He does lure McIntyre into flying into the post, but he has trouble getting his foe up for a Blue Thunder Bomb and eats a Glasgow Kiss.

Drew heads up top again and gets crotched for his trouble. Sami launches into a thunderous superplex, but both men are down and there’s no immediate cover.

Both men evade each other’s finishers, and Zayn gets most of a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. A “this is awesome” chant gets going, albeit briefly.

A belly-to-belly overhead throw has McIntyre feeling good as he kips up. He hits White Noise off the middle turnbuckle only to see Zayn kick out again.

McIntyre can be heard verbally berating Zayn, which only seems to fire him up until a Glasgow Kiss halts his attack. Sami goes for a Helluva Kick but Drew covers up and nails Zayn low. McIntyre follows with a Claymore to secure a victory.

WWE SmackDown results 01/26/24: Reigns’ challengers fight Bloodline, themselves

We also got new women’s tag team champs Friday on WWE SmackDown in Miami.

To say that it’s been an eventful week for WWE would be a high grade understatement. While the company no doubt hoped it would coast into the Royal Rumble weekend on the strength of the Netflix-Raw deal and The Rock joining the TKO board, it’s now instead dealing with the latest horrendous Vince McMahon allegations and the prospects of sponsors jumping ship.

Nothing is more WWE than a show playing out against that wide of a backdrop, but that’s exactly what we’ve got with WWE SmackDown in Miami tonight. Even with the Rumble matches and a Fatal Four-Way starring Roman Reigns looming, there’s some potential intrigue bubbling up tonight.

It starts with what should be tonight’s main event. LA Knight got one shot at Reigns already, and he has another on Saturday albeit with the complications of AJ Styles and Randy Orton in the mix. He’ll go one on one with Solo Sikoa in a classic case of either gaining momentum or giving him one last moment of triumph before he takes an ‘L’ tomorrow.

(And even though we love Knight, we have a feeling it’s going to be the latter.)

There’s a women’s tag team title match as well, one that could hint at some developments in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Bayley is the favorite there, but the Kabuki Warriors are going for gold in Miami. Should they win, does that put even more pressure on the Role Model to win on Saturday? Or might it finally signal the beginning of her end in Damage CTRL?

We have no idea, which is why we’ll be tuned in tonight. Here we go.

WWE SmackDown results from Miami:

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

  • Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are shown walking into the arena earlier, as are their challengers, the Kabuki Warriors; after that, a video package is shown to promote the Fatal Four-Way at Royal Rumble
  • Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight all make their cases for dethroning Roman Reigns
  • Santos Escobar def. Carlito by pinfall, but the big news is that Elektra Lopez, who was part of Legado Del Fantasma in NXT, joins Escobar’s new version of that group and helps neutralize the LWO
  • A scowling Styles (is there any other kind these days?) is stopped by Jimmy Uso, who proposes that he help The Bloodline take out Knight tonight; when approached by The O.C. and Michin asking what that was about, Styles sneers “don’t worry about it”
  • Ava’s meeting with Nick Aldis is interrupted by Bobby Lashley drawing his number for the Royal Rumble and Santos Escobar doing the same
  • Bayley talks about her goals of winning the Royal Rumble and ensuring Damage CTRL wins all the gold
  • R-Truth is confused about what he’s doing while drawing his Rumble number, as well as mistaking Nick Aldis for Adam Pearce, whose hair has grown in awfully fast
  • The Kabuki Warriors def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by pinfall to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions
  • Paul Heyman begs Solo Sikoa to “fix the problem” tonight and show no mercy while doing so; he simply says “OK” in response before walking away, while Heyman suggests that there will be a moment for Jimmy Uso to seize this weekend by winning the Royal Rumble
  • Bayley comes in to pick her Royal Rumble number and looks a little less excited about hers than Bianca Belair did right before her
  • Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits’ encounter with The Final Testament goes poorly
  • Jimmy Uso draws his number and says “No Yeet” in response … so is he No. 1?
  • Austin Theory def. Carmelo Hayes by pinfall, pulling the tights to do so; but when Theory and Grayson Waller try to attack Hayes after the bell, Trick Williams comes to Hayes’ aid — though it doesn’t seem all good between them
  • Eladio Carrión is confronted backstage by The Bloodline but is wise enough not to push things with them
  • LA Knight def. Solo Sikoa by DQ (presumably) after Styles attacks Knight; Orton also joins the fight, which ends badly for Sikoa and Uso, and ultimately Orton after a Blunt Force Trauma by Knight

Randy Orton has something to say ahead of Royal Rumble, but so do AJ Styles and LA Knight

Eladio Carrión introduces Orton, who thanks him for the “RKO” video. The Viper is here to talk about The Bloodline, however, and specifically Roman Reigns holding his Universal title for almost 1,300 days. No one can stop The Bloodline … except maybe Randy.

Orton claims that the only number that will mean anything to anyone after Saturday night will be 15, the number of times he’s been world champion. How will he do it? The three most destructive letters in sports entertainment, naturally.

That boast brings out AJ Styles, who wants to remind Orton there are other people in that title match. Styles says he asked for a match with Solo Sikoa, and was ticked that Nick Aldis gave it to LA Knight instead.

Now he’s upset that Orton seems to have forgotten about him, and he says Randy should know better as they have history. He also promises a receipt coming for the RKO he got last week, and he’s about to talk about stepping over the other challengers when LA Knight’s music hits.

Let him talk to you. Knight mocks Styles for crying about people “stepping over me” and ponders why he’s the only one with a match tonight. Is it because Paul Heyman thinks he’s the biggest threat?

As he finishes his statement, Styles makes one of his own, hitting Orton with a Pele kick.

And new … The Kabuki Warriors take down Katana Chance and Kayden Carter to once again wear tag team gold

You figure the champs will want to start fast, which is exactly what Chance does while working against Asuka. She treats both challengers to some arm drags while talking smack, and she flies to the floor to take out both of them to boot.

As is often the case, the Kabuki Warriors have battled back during a commercial break, though Chance is able to lure Asuka into flying through the ropes to the floor. She also sends Kairi Sane out of the ring on the other side, but the delay allows Asuka to grab her briefly in an ankle lock.

Carter tags in and flies from the top rope to the floor to take out both challengers. She smashes Asuka with a boot to the face, followed by a springboard legdrop for two.

Double team offense by the Kabuki Warriors now has Carter in trouble, but Chance is able to make the save. Sane sees an opening for the Insane Elbow, but Carter gets both feet up to ward it off.

Asuka tags in but misses a sliding kick, and Carter treats her to a facebuster. Chance is finally back on the apron to tag in, but while the Keg Stand nails Asuka, Sane is quick enough to break up the pin at the last moment.

The champs aren’t as lucky. After a brief scramble takes chance out of the equation, Sane delivers the Insane Elbow, and the Kabuki Warriors are titleholders once more, celebrating with the rest of Damage CTRL.

Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits come face to face with The Final Testament, to their detriement

Not that he really needs to, but Lashley introduces himself and the Profits to the crowd. He says the people of Miami came to see a fight, so he tells The Final Testament to come on out “and come get some.”

That group obliges, complete with new t-shirts and black and white entrance effects. Lashley and the Profits are unimpressed that they send only Scarlett into the ring, but Paul Ellering says it’s not because of fear. Karrion Kross says when he looks at them, he sees desperation because things aren’t going according to plan, a feeling he understands.

Kross ticks off the fans by saying he won’t give them a fight tonight, but Lashley and the Profits try to bring it to them. Scarlett rakes Lashley’s eyes, allowing Kross to head into the ring to send Bobby into the post. The Authors of Pain make short work of the Profits too, leaving Lashley to try to fight one-on-three.

It goes poorly, with the Kross Hammer laying him out. The Final Testament wins this round, easily.

LA Knight, Solo Sikoa settle nothing as the main event descends into chaos

Again, Knight seems to have a good strategy in mind, as he goes right after Solo’s right hand. That’d be the one he uses to deliver the Samoan Spike.

After a commercial break, though, Sikoa is in control, pummeling the Megastar in one corner and still very much using that right hand. The announcers remind us that Jimmy Uso is lurking on the outside as well if need be.

A clothesline is answered by a bulldog from Knight, leaving both men on the canvas. He pours on shots with both hands, then hits a leaping lariat and a Russian leg sweep.

Over in the corner, the fans do the “yeah!” thing to stomp his foe into the corner. A DDT is next, then a swinging kick that forces Solo into the announce table. Sikoa’s head is bounced repeatedly off the table, much to the delight of the Miami crowd.

Alas, AJ Styles isn’t one of the people in the seats who’s enjoying this, and he hits a Phenomenal Forearm off the barricade. Uso grabs a steel chair, then lays it in front of AJ. But lest we think Styles is down with The Bloodline, he throws Uso into the ring.

Randy Orton quickly joins the fray as well, dropping Sikoa on the announce table before turning his attention back to the ring. Uso tries to flee but can’t escape the hanging DDT … nor can Styles. AJ also eats an RKO, leaving Orton the last man standing ahead of the Royal Rumble.

Or maybe not, as Knight returns and lays out Orton with Blunt Force Trauma just as the show is about to fade to black.

WWE SmackDown preview 01/26/24: LA Knight has tough pre-Rumble foe in Solo Sikoa

The Kabuki Warriors are also going for tag team gold this week on WWE SmackDown in Miami.

On the night before Royal Rumble, especially when one has a world championship opportunity, you’d want to take it easy, right? Not so for LA Knight, who has a tough night ahead of him on WWE SmackDown from Miami.

Can LA Knight get some momentum going into the Fatal Four-Way?

The Royal Rumble would be the biggest moment of Knight’s career if he hadn’t already received a one-on-one shot at Roman Reigns a few months ago. Nevertheless, it is indeed a huge opportunity, and the Megastar will need to be at his very best to also vie with AJ Styles and Randy Orton, both of whom have their own very legit beef with the Tribal Chief.

Instead of relaxing in Florida, however, Knight will be trying to take down the second most imposing member of The Bloodline, Solo Sikoa. Not many expect Knight to win on Saturday, so perhaps WWE will throw him a bone with a victory the night before. Perhaps.

Is the party already over for Katana Chance and Kayden Carter?

We seriously hope not. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter have been a breath of fresh air for the women’s tag team division, and it feels like it’s too early to let that end.

The problem is that the Kabuki Warriors are the most formidable test they’ll have to date, and there’s a strong argument to be made that Asuka and Kairi Sane would better serve the ongoing Damage CTRL storyline if they were champs. This is going to be interesting to watch.

Will Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits ever get a stable name?

We kid, we kid … at least a little bit. The Final Testament has assembled a powerful unit under the direction of Karrion Kross (and Paul Ellering, to an extent). It’s time for Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits to fight back, though perhaps they could use a little more help since there’s Ellering and Scarlett to account for on the opposing side.

But man, would it be fun if they had a cool group name. Think about it WWE.

Also on the slate for the night before Royal Rumble:

  • Carlito takes on Santos Escobar

WWE SmackDown originates from the Kaseya Center in Miami, and will be on your flatscreens at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. We’ll also be doing the recap thing here, so join us for live SmackDown results if you need a way to follow along.

WWE Raw results 01/08/24: Cody might finally be done with Shinsuke

CM Punk also had a showdown with Drew McIntyre on WWE Raw from Portland.

While we all ponder where we might be watching Raw come this fall, we know where to catch it tonight: on USA, as per usual. The show comes to us from Portland, where one matchup has our attention.

That would be Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. Everyone expects that Rhodes will be in position to “finish the story” later this spring, but he keeps getting roadblocks thrown in his way in the meantime. Nakamura has been an especially persistent one, showing his full sadistic side during this program.

Would defeating him again help end it? Probably couldn’t hurt, and with Rhodes looking forward to the Royal Rumble match later this spring, he really needs to put Shinsuke in the rear view mirror if at all possible.

Portland will also see CM Punk make an appearance, though it looks like it may just be to talk in the ring. That’s fine since he’s one of the best at that, but you figure that sooner or later, WWE will want him to actually wrestle on Raw. Probably.

We’re ready for these segments and everything else thrown our way tonight, so off we go.

WWE Raw results from Portland:

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

  • Cody Rhodes is all smiles as he enters the building ahead of tonight’s main event
  • Drew McIntyre has something to say, but so does CM Punk
  • Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano walk out toward the ring, and Ciampa calls this a “must win” match that will lead to #DIY becoming tag team champs in 2024
  • Tommaso Ciampa def. Finn Balor by pinfall
  • Becky Lynch says she thought about the bad things that could have happened in the match with Nia Jax, and she’s taking the positive view since she didn’t end up in the hospital, and that maybe this is just the beginning of a run for her
  • Kofi Kingston vs. Ludwig Kaiser goes to a double countout, much to the dismay of the fans; they decide to keep fighting even after the bell, and Kaiser throws one of the announcer’s chairs in Kingston’s face and then dropkicks his head into the steel steps
  • Asked backstage about his attack, Kaiser screams and says it’s Kofi’s fault he is carrying the weight of Imperium alone
  • Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley have a face to face confrontation and sling some barbs at each other
  • A replay of The Rock’s appearance on last week’s episode of Raw is shown
  • Shinsuke Nakamura assaults Cody Rhodes backstage while he’s trying to be interviewed, and Adam Pearce and officials have to hustle to pull them apart
  • Kayden Carter and Katana Chance def. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
  • Due to their earlier brawl, the Rhodes-Nakamura main event is now a Street Fight
  • R-Truth explains why The Judgment Day is a “real family” now that he’s in and JD McDonagh is out, heh
  • The Judgment Day argues again about Truth, and Ripley tells McDonagh he needs to “handle” The Miz
  • The Miz def. JD McDonagh by pinfall, and R-Truth celebrates the win afterward, as confused as ever
  • Ripley goes to talk to Pearce about “our plans for next week,” and Balor and Priest agree that “this needs to end”
  • Seth Rollins is in the house, and he gets a visit from Jinder Mahal
  • Ivar def. Otis by pinfall
  • Jey Uso is asked if he has any plans for the new year, but Bronson Reed warns Jey not to get in his way
  • Cody Rhodes def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall in a Street Fight
Image credit: WWE.com

Drew McIntyre and CM Punk have a heated discussion about leadership

The Scottish Warrior says again that last Monday was all or nothing, and that he cost himself the match. He’s been thinking about it all week, and perhaps it is Drew McIntyre who is holding Drew McIntyre back.

If that’s the case, he needs to get his head screwed on straight and step away from WWE for a while. But … he didn’t lose straight up! It was because Damian Priest tried to cash in his MITB contract during the match, and due to that, he screwed McIntyre and himself.

Or maybe he can leave the company for nine years and get a hero’s reception when he returns. You know who did that? CM Punk, that’s who, and he does indeed get a great reception from the fans as he joins McIntyre in the ring.

Punk says it’s Piper Country and questions whether McIntyre is known for talking like Roddy was. If Drew has anything to say to CM, he can say it to his face, as he makes himself comfortable in the corner.

The Scottish Warrior mocks Punk for making it a month into his comeback while also suggesting he knows the “real” CM Punk. At one point in his career, McIntyre says he needed a leader to show him the way, but Punk was never that person and still isn’t. Indeed, Drew suggests he’s the one who is a leader now.

Punk retorts that he’s always led by example — including when he left the company, suggesting that gave McIntyre a blueprint to make himself better. He also disputes Drew’s assertion that he’s a demon, saying instead that he’s a nice guy but can be “Satan himself” when pushed too far.

McIntyre says what he did before, he did for the fans, but when he eliminates Punk from the Royal Rumble and heads to WrestleMania, it will be for him. Punk says the only person who can stop himself from accomplishing his goals is him, and not Drew, Seth Rollins or Cody Rhodes can prevent him from winning the Rumble. He claims he’ll throw McIntyre out last before he leaves the ring.

Image credit: WWE.com

Tommaso Ciampa outwits Finn Balor with a little help

Apparently R-Truth was responsible for this match, calling Balor a “scaredy-cat” and goading him into this matchup. There are high stakes too, since #DIY will get a title shot if Ciampa wins.

Both Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano are ringside to support their respective teammates, with Priest staring down Ciampa when they find themselves face to face outside the ring. Balor sends Tommaso crashing down into the announce table right before commercials.

Ciampa’s DDT right after the break gets him a near fall. A stomp to the chest is Finn’s answer, but he takes a running knee and Project Ciampa and has to kick out at two again.

Balor rallies but sees Ciampa roll away from the Coup de Grace, and then gets rolled up for another near fall. Priest is up on the apron, and Gargano nearly finds disaster when he gets involved.

Will Ciampa pay for halting to help his partner? He does not, as he’s able to capitalize on Gargano grabbing Balor’s foot after a suplex to get a quick three count. Turnabout is fair play, as they say.

Nia Jax has a Mami problem, or is it the other way around?

Michael Cole gets a word in the ring with Jax, who scoffs at the idea that it was “shocking” that she defeated Becky Lynch. But when she gets to the part about running through the Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley joins her.

Rhea says the people know what’s up and they know how Nia loves to talk a good game. She reminds Jax who threw her out of last year’s Rumble (it was Rhea) and warns Nia not to walk around like she owns the division, because she doesn’t.

Ripley says it’s best to keep Rhea’s name out of her mouth; Jax fires back that she’s too scared to face off one on one. But once she squashes everyone else in the Rumble, she plans on choosing Ripley. “See you soon, unstoppable champ.”

Image credit: WWE.com

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance retain after friendly fire downs the former champs

Wade Barrett suggests that even with the gold, Carter and Chance feel like underdogs coming into this title defense. Many other members of the women’s roster are shown watching backstage.

The champs go for some quick falls, trying to keep Green busy and isolated. Green finally sends Chance headfirst into the turnbuckles, and Niven tags in and treats her to a cannonball for a near fall.

After commercials, Carter gets her first chance for some extended offense, including a near fall on Green. A springboard legdrop is good for another. A top rope Frankensteiner by Chance forces Green to kick out yet again, but the champs are really rolling.

Green finally scores with a Roughrider on Carter and her own near fall. Niven tags back in, using a senton on Carter that means Chance has to save her partner. A uranage sends Carter down, but Chance pulls her partner out of the ring, and Niven hits a Vader Bomb on her own partner. Oh dear.

After getting Niven out of the ring, the Keg Stand on Green seals it up for the champs.

Image credit: WWE.com

Seth Rollins fights off Jinder Mahal … no, really

The World Heavyweight Champion reminds Portland that Royal Rumble is close and after that, we are on the Road to WrestleMania. While Seth says his Mania record is pretty good, he says he’s never taken a world title into the event. He’s never been on the marquee, but he says that will change this year.

But the question is who he’s going to beat on the Grandest Stage of Them All? That starts a somewhat unorganized CM Punk chant, to which he responds by saying “in his dreams, maybe.” Instead, Jinder Mahal comes down the ramp.

Mahal suggests he was more of a Visionary in five minutes last week than Rollins has been his whole career. He also gripes that Seth is giving out opportunities to others less deserving than him, which … not sure that’s true but OK.

Seth says Jinder is right and that he’s been overlooked — but it’s been on purpose, until last week when he showed up “and The Rock put your balls in a vice.” He does admit that Mahal was able to rebound from that and show back up, but he’s not crazy about Jinder coming out and interrupting his segment.

The champ tells Jinder to take a swing, but he chooses to take a cheap shot instead. Rollins easily repulses his attack, however, and is the one standing tall in the ring.

Image credit: WWE.com

Cody Rhodes might finally be done with Shinsuke Nakamura after winning a Street Fight

It doesn’t take long for these two to fight up toward the stage, then back toward ringside where Rhodes is fully in charge. He bounces a water bottle off Shinsuke’s face as the crowd chants for tables.

Rhodes goes up top but sees his foe escape, then pop back up using a broom as a weapon. A kendo stick is next to be brought to bear, and Rhodes has to head for the floor for a respite.

Nakamura is bossing things after a commercial break, paintbrushing Rhodes and toying with him a bit. He kicks Rhodes in the face, then the back of the neck.

Shinsuke switches gears, looking for a half crab. More kicks land too, but Rhodes fires himself up with a forearm shot off the ropes and a powerslam. A Disaster Kick follows and earns a near fall.

Nakamura gets some nunchaku out and puts them to good use over by the announce table. But his attempt to spray his mist misses Rhodes and hits the timekeeper right in the face instead. While Cody asks for help, Shinsuke attacks him with a steel chair, and more ads arrive.

He’s still going to town with that chair when we return, though now both men are back in the ring. Rhodes is able to turn the tables with the fans urging him on, and he meets Shinsuke for an exchange of strikes that he wins with a pair of Bionic Elbows.

The American Nightmare sets up a table but is greeted by a headbutt. Rhodes ends up on the table and takes double knees to drive him through it. Nakamura covers but only gets a two count.

Shinsuke gets another table out from under the ring, smiling as he goes about setting it up. They battle into a corner, and Nakamura hits his sliding German suplex. Off the second rope comes Nakamura with a knee strike, yet Rhodes manages to kick out again.

In the middle of the ring, Rhodes delivers a Pedigree for his own near fall. A Cody Cutter is next, but it’s still not quite enough to end it.

Nakamura counters a Cross Rhodes attempt and looks for a Kinshasa, but Cody sends him into the corner table. Cross Rhodes doesn’t miss this time, and the American Nightmare is triumphant.

WWE Raw preview 01/08/24: What will CM Punk say next?

Tonight’s WWE Raw from Portland will also see the rematch between Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Now that we’ve all had a chance to get accustomed to the idea that it’s 2024 in earnest, it’s time to turn our attention to the next big milepost on the WWE calendar: the Royal Rumble, which is coming up fast. And before that, we’ve got tonight’s episode of WWE Raw from Portland.

What’s next for CM Punk?

To say that CM Punk has settled in nicely since his shocking return to WWE late last year would be a bit of an understatement. He’s looked extremely happy with the reunion, helped draw a big crowd to MSG for a house show over the holidays and likely is moving merch at an insane pace.

He’s also stirred up hope for a feud with Seth Rollins, which seems likely to happen for WrestleMania. What happens until then? We know he’s going to be in the men’s Royal Rumble match, but as for beyond that, we’ll probably get an inkling tonight.

Cody Rhodes vs. Shinuske Nakamura, round 2

Another superstar who is undoubtedly looking forward to Royal Rumble and WrestleMania is Cody Rhodes, but unlike Punk, he’s embroiled in something that just won’t let him go in the meantime. Or more precisely, someone: Shinsuke Nakamura, who has the American Nightmare in his sights and won’t let him go.

This is wrestling, though, and maybe Rhodes can simply beat his problem into the mat. He’ll get a chance when the two men have their rematch on Raw. Watch out for the mist is all we’ll say.

Former tag team champs challenge current titleholders

The party probably hasn’t stopped for Kayden Carter and Katana Chance since they won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, especially since that’s part of their gimmick. Now it’s time to get back to work, however, and against the team they won those titles from, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven.

A thought, however: Green and Niven are doing such great character work that they really don’t need the titles now. Carter and Chance would benefit more from keeping them, in our opinion, but we’ll see what happens in Portland.

Also advertised for Raw tonight:

  • Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa, with #DIY earning a tag team title shot if Ciampa wins

We’re set for Raw tonight even if we’ll admittedly be keeping one eye on a certain college football game at the same time. Join us back here at Wrestling Junkie at 8 p.m. ET tonight for live results and more.