Tag: Maxxine Dupri

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 04/01/24: The Rock, Roman Reigns rule once again

Seth Rollins had a good plan B in Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes, but it ended up not mattering on WWE Raw in Brooklyn.

We’re less than a week away from WrestleMania 40. Wild, right? You know we’re getting quite close because The Rock and Roman Reigns will on on WWE Raw tonight from Brooklyn, which isn’t something that happens every week.

OK, in fairness, The Rock has been around an awful lot as of late. He’s really jumped headfirst into this Final Boss heel run, regardless of whether it was originally in the cards or not.

Before you try to get any jokes off about Reigns, he typically isn’t even on Raw, so Monday nights aren’t really his domain. But it’s WrestleMania week, and now all bets are off.

Ah, but there might be the rub. See, last time we saw The Bloodline, the entire group minus Reigns was ruining last week’s episode of Raw for Cody Rhodes. Things got so bad for the American Nightmare that he ended up taking an extended beating from The Rock, one that was so one-sided that Rhodes could neither fight back nor object to hearing “look at you now” about 75 times.

Was that worse than being bloodied? You decide!

Seriously, though, it seems a bit unlikely that Rhodes would just let The Bloodline flaunt what they did without attempting to get some measure of revenge. Cody has sufficient backup in the form of Seth Rollins and Jey Uso, both of whom had his back last week, so … let’s just say it would be strange indeed if he didn’t show up trying to settle the score in Brooklyn.

There is indeed other stuff advertised for this show, including a Sami Zayn-Bronson Reed rematch, a women’s tag team match that will likely feature Candice LeRae acting horrible again, and The New Day teaming with #DIY against The Judgment Day. But Rock and Roman are where it’s at, and they might want to keep their guard up.

Let’s head to Barclays Center and see what’s what.

WWE Raw results from Brooklyn:

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

  • As one might expect, the show begins with a recap of the stuff between The Rock and Cody Rhodes from last week’s episode of Raw
  • The Rock is in Brooklyn and he’s not alone, but does Seth Rollins bite off more than he can chew?
  • Footage is shown on Becky Lynch confronting Rhea Ripley on “The MMA Hour” earlier today; afterward, Cathy Kelley asks Lynch about it, and The Man says she’ll be in the ring later if Rhea wants to do something about it
  • The Judgment Day def. The New Day and #DIY by pinfall
  • The Rock says goodbye to Reigns, who is off to write his speech … because he’ll be inducting Paul Heyman into the WWE Hall of Fame Friday night
  • A classic training montage is shown of Sami Zayn training with Chad Gable and Alpha Academy to prepare him for Gunther
  • The Judgment Day gets a visit from Legado Del Fantasma, and Dom’s teammates aren’t crazy about him inviting Santos Escobar and company into their clubhouse
  • Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed ends suddenly as Gunther attacks Gable, then Sami
  • Jey Uso runs into Lil Wayne backstage, and Weezy says he’s going to premier a new single at WrestleMania
  • Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell by pinfall after Dupri dropkicks Hartwell into LeRae on the apron while the two are bickering (though only after Candice looks like she’s up to her dirty tricks again)
  • Jey tells Seth he has his back the same way Seth had his last week; they take a walk and talk strategy
  • A video promo by Drew McIntyre has the Scottish Warrior delivering what appears to be a eulogy for Seth Rollins’ career while also getting in some shots at CM Punk

  • Ricochet def. Ivar by pinfall, somehow hitting the big man with a fallaway slam along the way, hot damn
  • Damian Priest is upset that Ricochet hasn’t been handled yet, so JD McDonagh says he’ll take care of him during the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, and Dom says Andrade can handle it, offering him full membership if he does
  • Becky Lynch is looking for a fight, and she gets a brief one from Rhea Ripley
  • Dakota Kai and Damage CTRL say they’ll prove at WrestleMania that they are the future while also proving something in the ring tonight
  • Pearce is still struggling to get the Lynch-Ripley fracas under control backstage
  • Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and Kabuki Warriors) def. Shayna Baszler, Tegan Nox and Zoey Stark by pinfall
  • Michael Cole and Pat McAfee run down the WrestleMania XL card; we do the same thing here
  • Kelley asks Rollins why he’d take on this match tonight so close to double duty at WrestleMania, and along with saying he only knows one speed, he says he always has a plan B; on his way to the ring, though, he runs into McIntyre, and says “I ain’t dead yet” while heading for the curtain
  • Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa ends in a no contest in a Bloodline Rules match, as The Rock and Reigns end up beating the heck out of Cody and Seth to end the show

The Rock is in Brooklyn and so is Roman Reigns, but neither of them are fighting Seth Rollins tonight

The Rock is a man of his word: He told Cody Rhodes he’d make him bleed, and that’s exactly what he did. And all the Cody Crybabies didn’t like that.

Though he mocks grown adults for crying about it, there were some reactions that stopped The Rock in his tracks. Namely, little kids crying on social media. Stuff like that breaks The Rock’s heart, however … there are moments in life when a man’s gotta to what a man’s gotta do.

The Rock repeats his assertion that professional wrestling is cool again and ratings have skyrocketed because of The Rock. Finally, The Final Boss has come back to Brooklyn, which gets most of the fans chanting “Rocky.”

But he didn’t come alone, as the rest of The Bloodline arrives. Roman Reigns gets Brooklyn to acknowledge him, then talks about the motto on his hoodie: “Family Above All.” He says it’s how he’s always operated, and he came to Raw to acknowledge his family.

“No yeet,” he says to the the chorus of “Yeet” chants, threatening to leave if the fans continue. Reigns says he wants to thank his cousin for making this the easiest WrestleMania of his life. He says they’re going to smash Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the tag team match and then have their way with Cody on Sunday.

But The Rock went above and beyond, making Cody bleed. Reigns insists that Rhodes only wanted to be part of WWE once he saw it was becoming cool again, but while they allowed him to be involved, this is far enough.

We’ll never know what Reigns intended to say next, as Seth Rollins’ music hits and the World Heavyweight Champion descends from the crowd like he did in The Shield era. Rollins says he’s not stupid enough to fall into their trap in the ring, and if they want a piece of him, they’ll have to come up in the crowd and fight the whole city of Brooklyn.

Rollins says the time for talk is over and he wants a fight — and tonight, not five days from now. Specifically, he asks for the biggest main event of all time and challenges The Rock to a match tonight. Or Reigns, he doesn’t care, nor does he mind if they set a stipulation. Who’s got the balls, he wonders.

The fans chant for Rocky again, and he’s incredulous, saying Seth doesn’t want any of that. Rollins isn’t going to fight The Rock or Reigns, as you expected, but since they always have a plan, they step aside and let Solo Sikoa step up.

Sikoa says he’s fighting Rollins, and Seth agrees, but The Rock says it’s Bloodline Rules.

Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley ignore the GM, start a brief scrap

No more talking for The Man. She wants a fight with Rhea Ripley right now. But General Manager Adam Pearce isn’t about that life, saying he needs to save that for WrestleMania and respectfully asks her to leave the ring.

Ripley comes out right after that, and Pearce tries to calm her down too. Rhea tosses her title belt to Pearce, powers through some security guards and heads to the ring.

The two WrestleMania opponents scrap, breaking free from security guards until Lynch dives from the top rope onto Ripley and a bunch of the guards on the floor. They’re eventually pulled apart just by sheer numbers.

Seth Rollins can’t defeat Solo Sikoa, as Bloodline Rules turns out to be literal

Rollins hits a suicide dive as soon as the bell rings, clearly not sitting back and letting Sikoa settle in. The fans challenge the record for least time passed before chanting for tables as Sikoa is hurled into the steel steps.

Heading behind the timekeeper’s area, Rollins starts chucking chair after chair at Solo, then DDTs him on a chair as well. The rest of The Bloodline might want to check on their boy.

A big cheer erupts from the fans as Rollins goes under the ring for a table setting it up in the ring. That backfires, however, when Sikoa meets him on the top turnbuckle and treats him to an Avalanche Samoan Drop to smash through it.

After commercials, Rollins has rebounded nicely, getting out a second table. Seth looks like he might go through that one too, with Solo looking for the same move. This time, Rollins pulls off the sunset flip, powerbombing Sikoa through the table. He wants a Stomp but is attacked by Jimmy Uso, who soon has to leave to deal with the incoming Jey Uso.

Unfortunately, Jey runs into The Rock, who quickly chucks Jey into the video board. The Final Boss heads for the ring and menaces Rollins. But Seth simply smiles, because Cody Rhodes’ music hits and the American Nightmare runs to the ring.

Rhodes unleashes on The Rock, then joins Rollins in clearing off the announce table. Cody looks for a Rock Bottom but is wiped out by Roman Reigns (who came out from beneath the ring), and now it’s a proper four-man melee.

The fans chant for CM Punk, but Reigns lays out Rollins with a Superman punch and spears Rhodes. Roman yells “this is it, this is everything” at Cody, then hugs The Rock. Reigns looks at his watch and The Rock takes off Cody’s belt, lashing both Rhodes and Rollins before tossing it to Reigns to do the same.

Sikoa is then ordered to hold Rhodes in place so The Rock can lash him again. The Rock holds up Cody’s belt and Roman raises his title belt as boos rain down on them. The Rock lays into Cody one more time as the show goes off the air.

WWE Raw results 03/11/24: Sami runs the Gauntlet, earns WrestleMania spot

Chad Gable came agonizingly close to earning another shot at Gunther, but fell just short on WWE Raw.

Just because WrestleMania is less than four weeks away doesn’t mean that WWE weekly TV grinds to a halt. On the contrary, now that the biggest matches for Philadelphia are finalized, there’s a lot of work to fill in the rest of the card, and some of it will be done tonight on WWE Raw from Houston.

In one of the show’s featured bouts, the women’s tag team titles will be on the line. The Kabuki Warriors have them now, but Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark have more than earned a shot at them. Would WWE consider a title change here, or might this be a feud that goes all the way to the Showcase of the Immortals?

Another big order of business is finding Gunther a WrestleMania challenger for his Intercontinental Championship. Many have tried and failed, but the fact that there are six men in the Gauntlet match tonight vying for a shot means he hasn’t quite cleaned out the division.

It’s a mix of former champs, up and comers and Chad Gable, who has made his quest to get a rematch with Gunther a personal one. Can the Alpha Academy leader climb a very tall mountain and get his WrestleMania moment?

Plus, since you know WWE isn’t going to let even one show go right now without keeping its top storylines on at least a low simmer, Michael Cole will have an interview with Cody Rhodes. Maybe he can talk about how oddsmakers think he and Seth Rollins will lose the tag team match on Night 1 of WrestleMania, making his rematch with Roman Reigns that much harder on Night 2.

We’ll have to wait and see. But not long because we’re off and running from the Toyota Center.

WWE Raw results from Houston:

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

  • Several wrestlers and Travis Scott are shown on their way into the arena before the show
  • Drew McIntyre chides Seth Rollins for not listening to his own advice, but the Visionary claims Drew is the least of his problems
  • A video package shows Chad Gable talking about his chance to rewrite history if he can make it through the Gauntlet
  • Becky Lynch def. Liv Morgan by pinfall
  • Right after the match, Rhea Ripley walks by Morgan and gets in the ring with Lynch; Mami accuses Lynch of knowing that Rhea is better than her, taking on a number of pre-WrestleMania matches to use as an excuse when she loses in Philly, but The Man says she’s even better when everyone doubts her so doesn’t mind if the world is against her
  • Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis make their announcement: At WrestleMania, The Judgment Day will defend their tag team titles against 5 other teams in a Six-Pack Ladder match; teams will be able to win their way in over the next few weeks
  • The Judgment Day reacts angrily to the above news and vows to find Pearce to … complain, we guess
  • Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri by pinfall, in large part because LeRae decides to say some very hurtful, personal things to Dupri to throw her off her game
  • Finn Balor leads The Judgment Day into the GMs’ office and lodges a complaint, and Damian Priest demands to know whose idea it was; they’re really upset when it turns out that it came from The Miz and R-Truth, and Truth is there even though he is supposed to be doing media with Miz, so Priest asks Pearce to make a match between them
  • Michael Cole talks to Cody Rhodes, who explains that it’s not his story alone he needs to finish
  • We hear from Ricochet and JD McDonagh, also entrants in the Gauntlet match later tonight
  • Lynch finds Morgan backstage and offers a handshake which is accepted, but both of them are assaulted suddenly by Nia Jax, who drives The Man through a merch table
  • Kabuki Warriors def. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship; 
  • Andrade stops by to see Dominik Mysterio, but since he’s not here, Ripley tells him they can talk business next week, and he seems amenable to that
  • Shinsuke Nakamura and Bronson Reed get their say before the Gauntlet match
  • Damian Priest def. R-Truth by pinfall, though the match also pulls in #DIY and Priest’s teammates; after the match, The Judgment Day beats up on #DIY
  • Logan Paul has a major announcement to make on ImPAULsive tomorrow
  • Meanwhile, Lynch says it’ll be her vs. Jax, Last Woman Standing next week
  • Jey Uso says he wants to holler at his brother Jimmy Uso, proposing they fight at WrestleMania and promising to “knock the yeet out your ass!”
  • After a tribute plays to celebrate his record-breaking title reign, Gunther tells Jackie Redmond that the idea of people thinking he’s become overconfident is silly, and that while he finds it flattering that six men are going to all this effort to challenge him, he clearly thinks whoever it is will be fighting an uphill battle against him
  • Gauntlet match for Intercontinental Championship title shot at WrestleMania

Seth Rollins says he’s not sweating Drew McIntyre

The Scottish Warrior wastes no time starting right in on Seth Rollins, accusing him of not being able to leave well enough alone and agreeing to compete on both nights of WrestleMania. McIntyre adds that he also has been thinking about the bigger picture, scoffing when the crowd starts a “CM Punk” chant.

No, McIntyre says the bigger picture involves The Rock, and that pro wrestling should be working with someone who is one of the most powerful people in entertainment. Drew thinks when he’s champion, WWE will actually have a champion the company can invest in and be proud of, but that brings Seth Rollins out to join him.

Rollins gives McIntyre the chance to get a shot in, mockingly turning his back since he says Drew is a coward. The Scottish Warrior insists he just wants Seth to listen, and that he was right: Rollins was the one who told him he needed to get over The Bloodline, because for a champion, that’s all you should care about.

McIntyre says he pleaded for Rollins to heed his own advice but he would not. Seth replies that Drew is starting to remind him of CM Punk, because he used to think Punk was the biggest hypocrite in the world and now he’s not sure. Wasn’t it Drew that had such an issue with The Bloodline? Because recently it seems like he’s been getting plenty of help from that group.

Rollins vows that he and Cody Rhodes will take down The Bloodline on Night 1 at WrestleMania, and on Night 2, the same thing will happen that always happens when they face off: Seth will stomp his head into the mat, pin him and the people will sing his song.

Before he walks out, McIntyre claims there’s nothing Rollins can do to provoke him. Before he can get up the ramp, though, Seth says that of all the things he has to worry about for WrestleMania, Drew is at the very bottom of the list. McIntyre is obviously angry and makes it back as far as the ropes, but he eventually turns and stomps off.

Becky Lynch gets a legitimate battle from Liv Morgan but prevails in the end

It’s kind of fun that these two fan favorites have legit beef with each other without either one turning. That should be possible with good writing.

Morgan proves to be every bit as savvy as Lynch early on, even hitting a suicide dive right before a commercial break.

Lynch is fighting back big time after the ads, hitting several suplexes and a baseball slide kick to the floor. Becky comes off the apron and nails Liv as well, but her attempt to come off the middle rope back in the bring is answered by a Codebreaker that leaves both women down.

A series of kicks by Lynch is answered by a springboard Codebreaker, forcing The Man to kick out at two. They battle to the apron, where Morgan is able to prevail and hit a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor. She returns to the ring and covers, but Becky once again kicks out at two.

Lynch hits a Manhandle Slam amidst some back and forth, but Morgan rolls to the floor to prevent a cover as more commercials slide in.

Turnabout, as they say, is fair play, and Lynch shows it by rolling outside after Morgan connects with Oblivion. Liv tries to come off the second rope but is caught with another Manhandle Slam, and this time it’s enough to seal the deal.

Michael Cole gets Cody Rhodes to call it the ninth inning

Before he summons the American Nightmare, Cole introduces a full replay of the segment featuring Rhodes, Rollins, Roman Reigns and The Rock on last Friday’s SmackDown. You may remember that ended with Cody slapping The Rock, though the show quickly ended after hand hit face.

Cole cuts to the chase by asking why he slapped The Rock after he trumpeted the fact that he’s Rhodes’ boss. Rhodes isn’t so sure that’s really true but says if it is, it feels good to slap your boss. He says The Rock was a wrestler before he was all the other things he is today, and a great one at that.

Things take a turn as Cole points out that maybe Rollins wants to be the one to beat Reigns. How can Cody trust Seth? People change, Cody says, before rolling a clip from last October and another conversation with Cole.

It was about finishing his story, of course, and Rhodes admits he’s scared because he can’t say “I’ll get him next year” again. However, Cody says the story is not about him but all the fans who have been along on the ride with him, as well as his family.

Rebuking Paul Heyman’s famous quote about what inning The Bloodline story is in, Rhodes suggests we’re in the last inning, ending by telling Cole he’ll have the chance to make this call: “Cody Rhodes has finished his story.”

Dakota Kai tips the scales as Kabuki Warriors barely retain their gold

Asuka and Stark are first to enter the fray, with Zoey getting a quick two count on a dropkick. Baszler tags in and absorbs some kicks before grabbing Asuka’s ankle, but Kairi Sane is in not long after to spell her teammate.

The challengers subject Sane to some double team offense, and Zoey goes flying to the floor as well before a commercial break.

The announcers keep putting over Zoey’s athleticism, and rightly so, as she keeps taking it to Sane. Kairi headbutts Zoey into the Tree of Woe and hits a double stomp off the top buckle. Stark barely manages to beat the three count.

Both wrestlers make tags, leaving Asuka and Baszler to slug it out. Sane tags back in and hits a blockbuster, and the champs are rolling now. A sliding knee from Asuka hammers Baszler, but Stark hustles to break up the pin.

A Baszler kick levels Asuka, but the Empress counters the Z-360 with a German suplex. A second Z-360 finds the target, and a Baszler knee looks like it might be the match-winner until Asuka makes the save.

Baszler gets the Kirifuda Clutch on Sane, but Dakota Kai pulls Shayna’s leg under the bottom rope to break the hold. The champs take full advantage, double teaming Baszler until she’s finished off by an Insane Elbow.

Gauntlet match for Intercontinental Championship title shot at WrestleMania

Ricochet and JD McDonagh kick us off, showing us off some fun mat work and evasive maneuvers. JD hits double knees as a counter to a springboard cross body, which gets him the edge as they spill outside the ring.

McDonagh is still in charge back inside the ring, with Pat McAfee advancing the idea that Ricochet gets all the way back to the title he once held if he can come through the Gauntlet. The announcers also feel this first matchup is taking too long to benefit whoever wins it.

JD has another counter ready for Ricochet and follows with a brainbuster for a near fall. A number of shots crash home in both directions until Ricochet is nearly pinned again. To commercials we go.

Ricochet hits his inevitable rally and scores his own near fall. McDonagh rakes his eyes and sends him into the post, covering for another two.

JD keeps focusing on Ricochet’s midsection, attacking the ribs. They head up top together, but Ricochet shoves his foe down and delivers a Shooting Star Press to advance. JD McDonagh is eliminated.

Bronson Reed gets greeted by a twisting plancha from Ricochet, but he responds quickly with a running powerslam in the ring for a near fall. A step-up enzuigiri staggers Reed, who recovers to shove his opponent down and hit a senton.

Reed hits the Tsunami, and that’s it for the Highlight of the Night. Ricochet is eliminated.

Sami Zayn is the next man up, though he barely gets going before we step away for ads again.

The announcers note again that Zayn needs to win this as he has put all his eggs in this basket for WrestleMania. He’s in trouble on Reed’s shoulders on the turnbuckles, but he pivots into a sunset flip powerbomb and holds on for three. Bronson Reed is eliminated.

No one gave Reed the memo, though, as he delivers a cheap shot to Zayn, then a Tsunami as Shinsuke Nakamura is slow to enter the fray. Shinsuke lines up a Kinshasa but misses, and Zayn nearly rolls him up for the pinfall.

Nakamura throws Zayn over the announce table as we step away for what’s likely the last set of commercials tonight.

Zayn sees a Kinshasa coming again, but Shinsuke nails him with a scissor kick. A Helluva Kick comes right back as an answer, and Nakamura is down for the three. Shinsuke Nakamura is eliminated.

Gable shows some sportsmanship, seeing Zayn is beaten down and telling him he wants Sami back up before they lock up. Gable gets in the first offense when they finally do battle, hitting two German suplexes and looking for the ankle lock both in and out of the ring.

Sami drives Chad’s back into the steel steps, and whoops, we were wrong, one more ad break.

We return right into a superplex by Gable that earns him a near fall. He wants a moonsault next, but Zayn meets him there, and even after getting knocked to the canvas, gets his knees up to fend off the moonsault and covers for a two count.

Zayn ends up in the grips of the ankle lock, and even though he reaches the ropes for a break, there is definitely some damage done. Sami manages to hit an exploder suplex into the buckles, but gable sees a Helluva Kick coming and applies the ankle lock again.

Sami is straining hard but gets pulled back into the middle of the ring. This time Zayn rolls onto his back, but a tenacious Gable simply won’t let go. Sami gets onto one foot but is German suplexed for his efforts. A moonsault is on the way, but Zayn rolls out of the way.

A Helluva Kick is on target, but Zayn only gets two, as does Gable when he flips the pinning predicament over.

Both men are slow to recover from that last exchange, and we’re running short on time in the show. Gable manages to get the drop, hitting Chaos Theory for another two, then transitioning back to the ankle lock. Somehow, Zayn reverses the hold into a pinfall attempt, and this time he hangs on for the three.

Gable’s disappointment is evident as he can’t believe he didn’t get the victory, but Zayn is on his way to WrestleMania. Gable picks up Zayn, who won’t let him walk away without hugging him.

A smiling Gunther comes out onto the stage just as Raw fades out for the night.

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 results 11/13/23: The Judgment Day gets a new member — and a powerful ally

Fans ended WWE Raw stunned as it wasn’t JD McDonagh who bailed out The Judgment Day.

The Judgment Day likes to go around saying it runs Monday nights. The villainous stable doesn’t necessarily need titles to back up that claim, but it sure does help, which is why the tag team title match tonight on WWE Raw in Washington D.C. is important to its efforts to keep the rest of the roster under its collective thumb.

Rhea Ripley has so far been the only member of the group to keep a firm grip on a championship. Damian Priest and Finn Balor have win the tag team titles twice, but that means they’ve also lost them once.

As luck would have it (well, more Adam Pearce than luck, but you get it), the men they beat for the championship the second time are also the ones who briefly took it from them, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. So if Priest and Balor can hang on to the belts tonight, they’ll pull off the rare retention/payback combo in one fell swoop.

It’s also very much worth noting that Survivor Series is coming up fast, and both of these duos are on opposite sides of WarGames at that event. Could that figure into what happens on Raw? Honestly, it might be more surprising if it didn’t.

There’s some other good stuff advertised for this show as well, especially when it comes to in-ring action. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Otis sounds like a matchup we didn’t know we wanted. The same could be said for Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ludwig Kaiser, and there are several women’s intriguing women’s matches scheduled too.

So what say you? If you’re ready to take it all in, so are we.

WWE Raw results from Washington D.C.:

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

  • Cody Rhodes and his WarGames team exchange pleasantries with The Judgment Day, which ends with Damian Priest declaring himself his group’s leader and accepting Seth Rollins’ challenge for a tag team match involving the four men NOT in tonight’s main event
  • Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins def. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh by DQ, as the rest of The Judgment Day interfere, Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes get involved, and Adam Pearce responds to the ensuing brawl by declaring everyone who is in the WarGames match barred from the arena for tonight’s main event
  • Rhea Ripley yells at Pearce until both of them are joined in the ring by Zoey Stark, who says Rhea is simply worried about too many things; Ripley disagrees but also finds herself unable to pull off a sneak attack on her No. 1 contender
  • Shinsuke Nakamura says he’s still in control and waiting for his time to go after the person he’s targeting, though he still won’t reveal who that is
  • Cody asks to speak to Seth one on one, and Rollins promises that for one night, for WarGames, they will be good
  • Shinsuke Nakamura def. Otis by pinfall
  • A video package gets us even more hype for WarGames, if that’s possible
  • Drew McIntyre stops Rollins to say that the things he told McIntyre before Crown Jewel turned out to be right, and extends his hand, which Seth shakes; the Scottish Warrior says he’s going to work his butt off to earn another shot, then watches Rollins walk off
  • A video promotes Tegan Nox, her recovery from injury and the “craziest” year she’s had since then, where she learned she can hang with the very best in WWE
  • Tegan Nox def. Piper Niven by pinfall
  • Asked what is driving him to dethrone Gunther, The Miz says it’s his desire to restore the respect to his previous Intercontinental Championship reigns; both Ivar and Bronson Reed interrupt, and Reed ends up in a staredown with Valhalla
  • Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ludwig Kaiser
  • The Judgment Day regroups, agreeing that Priest can be the leader for WarGames, while Damian also says he’ll tell JD McDonagh he’s become a full member of the group
  • Xia Li def. Indi Hartwell by referee stoppage, continuing a string of her stopping opponents with strikes alone; afterward, Becky Lynch arrives with a bone to pick, and though Li retreats, The Man says they’ve got a match confirmed for next week
  • Gunther taunts The Miz backstage, but the A-Lister tells the Ring General to watch his match tonight and to beware at Survivor Series; the IC champ is unmoved, promising the “beating of a lifetime” for Miz at the PPV
  • Stark gets Shayna Baszler to admit that she hopes Zoey defeats Rhea at Survivor Series, but both Raquel Rodriguez and Nia Jax both show up to tease a fight between the two of them
  • The Miz def. Ivar by pinfall, and Ivar gets attacked by Reed after the bell
  • Priest tells McDonagh he’s officially in The Judgment Day before Balor congratulates him and tells him to leave the arena (since he’s been barred from the building and all)
  • Gunther is happy … but with Giovanni Vinci, not Kaiser; an angry Kaiser almost runs afoul of Indus Sher but thinks better of it
  • The Creed Brothers, Alpha Academy and The New Day bicker over who should go for the tag team titles, Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri hit it off, and Akira Tozawa breaks out his nasty moves again
  • The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship after McIntyre lays out Uso with a Claymore
  • The show ends with McIntyre shaking hands with Ripley on the stage as the fans boo

WWE Raw results 08/21/23: KO returns, Gable wins (but not the title) in Quebec City

Also on WWE Raw, Matt Riddle and Drew McIntyre took on The New Day, and Shinsuke Nakamura revealed what he said to Seth Rollins.

Shooooooooosh! Shoosh, please! We’re going to need quiet for Chad Gable tonight in Quebec City as he attempts to win a singles championship on WWE Raw.

Not just any title, either, but the Intercontinental Championship that’s been in the iron grasp of Gunther since last summer. The Ring General has used power to beat many opponents, skill to best others, and underhanded tactics when necessary — though that has rarely been the case.

Gable, of course, is a technical wizard who is also exceptionally strong for his size. Plus he has the rest of Alpha Academy to keep an eye on the other members of Imperium, so theoretically, it should be a wash on the outside.

In other words, maybe this won’t be quite a simple as the IC champ thinks it could be.

Another interesting match on tonight’s card in Quebec City will see Matt Riddle and Drew McIntyre team to face The New Day. While McIntyre has been somewhat reluctant to make his recent partnership with Riddle an ongoing thing, a victory over one of the most decorated tag teams in WWE history might persuade him to change his stance. Or not, but it can’t hurt Riddle’s efforts.

Last but not least, WWE says Shinsuke Nakamura is going to tell the world exactly what he whispered to Seth Rollins last week that turned the World Heavyweight Champion white as a sheet. It’s got to be pretty good considering the reaction he got.

It would also be strange indeed if Quebec’s favorite son, Sami Zayn, wasn’t involved in tonight’s proceedings in some way, so watch for that as well.

WWE Raw results from Quebec City:

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

  • Sami Zayn is in the house, and he’s not alone: Kevin Owens is back
  • The New Day def. Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle by pinfall, but only thanks to some unexpected aid from the Viking Raiders, who attack the winning team after the bell until McIntyre chases them off
  • Finn Balor and JD McDonagh are being interviewed when Rhea Ripley comes to summon Finn to decide who is competing in the main event; JD tries to come with them but Rhea says no
  • Shayna Baszler says she’s out to set the whole world on fire and leave everyone in the women’s division with no chance but to let it burn
  • Gunther says despite what Chad Gable believes, time is on his side, with each passing day building his legacy; Gable is interviewed backstage, and gets a pep talk from Otis and Maxxine Dupri
  • Chad Gable def. Gunther by countout, so Gunther retains the WWE Intercontinental Championship
  • Ripley can’t believe that Balor and Damian Priest can’t decide who is going to be in the main event and says they better figure it out shortly or she’ll make the decision for them
  • An angry Gunther takes out his frustration on the rest of Imperium, and things seem to flow downhill toward poor Giovanni Vinci
  • Cody Rhodes doesn’t want to be interviewed backstage and takes Byron Saxton with him out to the stage and gets the fans pumped up to be in the corner of Owens and Zayn in the main event later tonight
  • In a pre-recorded segment, Shinsuke Nakamura claims he told Rollins “I know about your back,” explaining that Seth’s back has been his weakness for years and that Rollins lives in constant pain because of it; he ominously ends his bit with “watch your back”
  • Rhea Ripley def. Candice LeRae by submission but soon finds herself retreating from Raquel Rodriguez, who says they will meet at Payback
  • Tommaso Ciampa says he needs to be the change he wants to see since he’s tired of being close to big opportunities, and he says his mantra needs to be “do it yourself,” hmm …
  • The Miz continues to insist that LA Knight will be remembered as a flash in the pan or “the Hoobastank of WWE” before introducing his opponent, Akira Tozawa, who tries getting over by saying “yeah” like Knight
  • Akira Tozawa def. The Miz by pinfall as Miz is distracted by LA Knight
  • McIntyre is about to tell Riddle that he thinks they should go their separate ways, but The New Day convinces them to hold on for one more day like Wilson Phillips, or at least Drew will consider it
  • Ripley is ticked that the guys haven’t worked out who will compete in the tag team match, so she stomps away and says they’ll do it her way now
  • Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus exchange verbal jabs again
  • Chelsea Green says she handled having WWE authorize making her and Piper Niven the official tag team champions, but Niven makes it appear she’s the one calling the shots
  • Chelsea Green and Piper Niven def. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance by pinfall
  • Rollins lets the fans sing for a second before responding to questions about his back, admitting that he has been living with a lumbar injury for four years that could shorten his career, but he says it’s part of the gig and says Shinsuke isn’t man enough to face him man to man; Seth gives Shinsuke one more chance to prove he’s an honorable warrior next week
  • Damian Priest and Finn Balor def. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn by DQ when KO is caught using the MITB briefcase as a weapon, but …
  • … Rhodes comes down and chases away The Judgment Day before suggesting a six-man tag to end the show; Adam Pearce agrees, so let’s try this main event again
  • Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor) by pinfall
  • Zayn has a bilingual last word for The Judgment Day

WWE Raw results 08/07/23: Shinsuke snookers Seth, New Day returns

WWE didn’t announce much for Raw from Minneapolis, but we know Becky Lynch will be there.

There’s playing it close to the vest, and then there’s what WWE is doing with tonight’s episode of Raw from the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Generally, WWE has a preview of Raw on any given Monday posted by late morning, sometimes sliding into the afternoon when it’s the show following a premium live event. Considering we just had a big one Saturday night in SummerSlam, a bit of a delay was no surprise.

Yet as of an hour before the show, we still have very little idea of what to expect. At the moment, the only segment WWE has confirmed will be Becky Lynch addressing all of us. The Man did what was needed to score her desired rematch with Trish Stratus, then Adam Pearce did the right thing when Stratus and Zoey Stark conspired to try to wriggle out of it.

Many believed the rematch would take place at SummerSlam, but it was instead revealed to be happening on Raw on Aug. 14. What will Lynch say, and will Stratus and Stark respond?

Everything else is pure speculation based on what went down at Ford Field. You’d expect that Cody Rhodes may address his next step as he appears to have put Brock Lesnar behind him for good (and even got the Beast Incarnate to co-sign for him, apparently). And we’ll see what kind of mood The Judgment Day is in after Finn Balor failed to lift the World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins, even with some help from his teammates.

As well, WWE is expected to address the fate of the Women’s Tag Team Championship after news broke today that Sonya Deville is out indefinitely with a torn ACL.

But hey, we could be completely wrong since WWE hasn’t announced any of this. Let’s find out.

WWE Raw results from Minneapolis:

A lengthy video package replays highlights from every match from SummerSlam, and we get a welcome from the new Raw announce team of Michael Cole and Wade Barrett.

Dressed in a suit again instead of his ring gear, Cody Rhodes heads to the ring. Does everyone want to talk about one of Minnesota’s own? Cody shows some still images of his post-match handshake with Brock Lesnar and says his mom pointed out that Brock acknowledged him. Now he feels like he can beat anyone in the world. Does that include Seth Rollins, who comes out rocking the MSCHF x Crocs yellow boots? Rollins says they should put that feeling to the test, but in response, The Judgment Day (sans Finn Balor) come out on stage. They run Monday Night Raw, etc. Damian Priest says he’s the one who should dictate what happens with titles, and that Dominik Mysterio isn’t done with Cody (lol). While the posturing is going on, Balor attacks Rollins from behind. To the rescue comes Sami Zayn, and the faces quickly clear the ring. Cody quickly proposes a six-man tag, but Seth looks a little upset that Cody spoke for him, and Sami has to play peacemaker.

Ricochet gets Adam Pearce to admit he saw Logan Paul cheat at SummerSlam, but as for tonight, he invites Ricochet, Matt Riddle, Chad Gable and Tommaso Ciampa to participate in a Fatal Four-Way to determine who will be No. 1 contender for Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship.

Chad Gable def. Ricochet, Matt Riddle and Tommaso Ciampa by pinning Ciampa, becoming No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship

Ricochet gets a chance to show off his power instead of his agility, but all I can concentrate on right now is Riddle’s thin mustache. A four-man superplex snaps me out of it, and Gunther is watching closely backstage since the winner gets a shot at his title.

Gable snares Ciampa in an ankle lock until Riddle recovers and crushes Gable. All four men start exchanging trademark moves until Riddle can superplex Ciampa. Two pinfalls are counted at the same time after Gable and Ricochet both hit knees coming off opposite corners, but kickouts happen at two.

All four men exchange strikes, Riddle hits a Floating Bro on Gable on the floor. Ricochet flies out there too, but he gets bent in half coming back in and has to kick out after a Storybook Ending from Ciampa.

Amidst a ton of chaos, Gable appropriately hits a bridging suplex on Ciampa, and he holds on for a big win. He celebrates with his son afterward.

A video package shows highlights from Rhodes-Lesnar III at SummerSlam.

Zayn is still trying to keep the peace between Rhodes and Rollins. He reminds them that they don’t have to work out their issues tonight but should be properly motivated to take on The Judgment Day, and Seth grudgingly agrees.

Want a Tribal Combat highlight package? You got it.

The Miz wants to shoot his commercial segment and get out of town, but he’s told he needs to wait for LA Knight … and he’s not happy about it.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Bronson Reed by pinfall

This battle of ex-New Japan talent is the latest in an ongoing series of issues that also included Ciampa. Cole and Barrett talk up Reed while the crowd chants for Shinsuke.

Nakamura takes a lot of abuse early but is able to fight back during a side-by-side commercial sequence, even getting a two count before he gets caught coming off the top rope and dropped hard into a powerslam.

Reed wants a Tsunami, of course, but Shinsuke isn’t about that life. He does eat a Death Valley Driver but is able to kick out at two. That pays off nicely for him, as he connects on a Kinshasa, make that two, after avoiding a Tsunami, and seals up a victory.

Raquel Rodriguez is comforted backstage after being told she still isn’t medically cleared to face Rhea Ripley.

Ludwig Kaiser stops by the Alpha Academy locker room and hits on Maxxine Dupri, which brings out a more serious side of Otis as he challenges Kaiser to a match tonight.

Becky Lynch is hopeful that she will finally get her one-on-one rematch with Trish Stratus for a matchup of the greatest of two generations and no possibility of interference. It’s not Trish but Zoey Stark who comes out to answer … and claims Becky is scared of her.

When Lynch accuses Stark of playing second fiddle to Stratus, Stark fires back that Becky is just jealous. Stark’s continued boasts about how good she already is are answered by a slightly the worse for wear Shayna Baszler, who says Ronda Rousey looks even worse after she drove Ronda out of WWE.

Lynch loves the fact that those two are in each other’s faces and asks for Pearce to come out and make it official between them.

After a video package of Finn Balor-Seth Rollins SummerSlam highlights, Balor and Priest have a heated difference of opinion about what happened Saturday (in front of JD McDonagh). Rhea Ripley has to step in and calm them both down, which works, but McDonagh says he thinks the MITB briefcase is coming between them, so maybe Priest should get rid of it. Interesting.

Shayna Baszler def. Zoey Stark by pinfall

Though Baszler told us at SummerSlam that she loves the fact that she isn’t being spoonfed to fans as a face, the fans are definitely behind her here. Lynch, meanwhile, is enjoying a tall glass of lemonade while watching near the announce table.

Stark seems to be one step ahead of Baszler but also gets distracted by Lynch. Shayna hits the World’s Baddest Slam, a.k.a. Ronda’s Piper’s Pit, and sends Stark to defeat.

Nakamura tells Byron Saxton he is carving his own path. But their discussion is interrupted by a commotion backstage: McDonagh beating the heck out of Zayn.

Ludwig Kaiser def. Otis by pinfall

Dupri looks concerned early on as Kaiser is able to outmaneuver Otis, and she gets on the apron to distract the Imperium right-hand man. Otis gladly capitalizes, but he has to stop to deal with Giovanni Vinci, and that allows Gunther to attack Otis and gift wrap the win for Kaiser.

Gable rushes down after the bell to stop more post-match beatings, and the fans chant for him as Gunther smiles and walks off with his crew.

Rhodes and Rollins are asked about Zayn, and Seth handles the interview while Cody walks off. Shinsuke walks up, hearing Rollins’ comments about how he’s not sure if he’s going to end up fighting The Judgment Day one-on-three, and offers his assistance. Rollins says let’s ride.

An angry Miz says industry leaders like himself aren’t being shown the proper respect. That quickly brings out the man who he was doing the verbal equivalent of subtweeting, Knight, who soaks in a typically huge crowd reaction.

Knight offers a handshake and introduction only to have Miz refuse and accuse him of trying to ride his coattails. He also calls LA an “Attitude Era fanboy playing cosplay,” to which Knight says Miz shouldn’t make it personal.

But he does, of course. Knight explains that he’s been making himself a dangerous man for the past 20 years, clawing his way to an opportunity while WWE bet on the wrong horses — including The Miz.

A furious Miz screams that Knight isn’t on his level, but when he gets called on it, he tries for a cheap shot. Knight avoids a Skull Crushing Finale and hits the Blunt Force Trauma, which makes for a definitive last word.

The New Day def. Viking Raiders by pinfall

It’s so, so good to see Kofi Kingston back in the ring. The Raiders initially look like they will make his return a short one, but Xavier Woods hits a tornado DDT to get the New Day an opening, and Kofi runs through much of his trademark offense.

Kingston’s SOS gets a near fall on Ivar. Erik responds with a knee shot to the face and a two for his side. Trouble in Paradise wipes out Erik, however, and Woods flies a long way for a springboard elbow to win it.

Baszler tells Lynch that she didn’t need her help and will be coming for The Man sooner or later. Becky says she isn’t hard to find and is looking forward to it.

The New Day says it’s ready to pursue the tag team championship again. What about the women’s titles with Sonya Deville hurt? We’ll have to wait and see.

As The Judgment Day is coming out for the main event, Rodriguez appears out of nowhere and assaults Ripley, leading to a wild brawl that needs Pearce, referees, officials and other wrestlers to restore some semblance of order.

Cody Rhodes, Shinsuke Nakamura and Seth Rollins def. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor) by pinfall

Mysterio has to step in-between Balor and Priest as soon as the bell rings, so the vibes are still off in The Judgment Day. Balor takes some early abuse but his group is slowly able to get a foothold in the match.

The crowd tries to will Nakamura back into things as he’s caught in the wrong corner, and his tag to Rollins helps ignite his team. Seth’s Falcon Arrow on Damian gets a near fall.

Balor, though, ends that run and works over the World Heavyweight Champion during side-by-side action. Ripley sneaks in a cheap shot when the full broadcast returns, and now it’s Rollins who really needs a tag.

Rhodes gets that tag, but Balor is able to hang with him … until a Cody Cutter that forces Dom to make the save. Balor stops Rollins from flying to the floor, and the briefcase comes into play, but here comes Zayn.

Rollins kicks the briefcase into Balor’s face and gets rid of the evidence, and Rhodes hits the Cross Rhodes to get the three count.

As the show ends, Rhodes and Rollins are still bickering, forcing Zayn to play peacekeeper again. Cody and Seth finally shake hands and all four faces celebrate in the corners.

But wait … Nakamura rushes over and smashes Rollins with a Kinshasa, leaving the champ flat on his back as the fadeout arrives.

WWE Raw results 07/31/23: Cody, Brock dance again, Finn’s delay costs Damian

Also on WWE Raw from Houston, Trish Stratus learned she won’t be able to run from Becky Lynch in two weeks.

It occurred as the picture for this WWE Raw report was uploading that there’s probably been more than one just like it over the past few months. It’s true: We’ve been here before with Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar, and now we’ll have to wait and see if anything is different tonight on the final episode of Raw before SummerSlam.

Not only have they fought twice on premium live events already this year, but the buildup for all of them has been more or less the same. Cody says he wants to fight Brock due to something the Beast Incarnate did to him. Lesnar doesn’t really respond, but he attacks Rhodes at some point, then Cody “surprisingly” gets one over before their match. Any other times they meet in there, a pull-apart brawl breaks out.

The strong suspicion is that with WWE promoting the fact that both men will be in the Toyota Center tonight, the same script will be followed. Still, surprising to the upside is one of the things that makes pro wrestling great and keeps us all coming back for more. Maybe tonight will be one of those nights and push the anticipation for “one of the main events of SummerSlam” even higher. Maybe.

Elsewhere, the teaming of Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn to fight The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio feels like one of those superhero team-ups from the Silver Age. Why shouldn’t two of our heroes join forces to combat a dastardly group of villains? That was a rhetorical question, because of course they should.

Let’s get to it.

WWE Raw results from Houston:

Boos and cheers, but mostly boos, greet Logan Paul as he opens the show. He gets right to insulting the fans before vowing to beat Ricochet in the most viral WWE match of all time.

The Highlight of the Night makes his way out to the stage, informing Paul that “you not the good guy in this situation.” Ricochet says he may not like anything about him but does respect Logan’s status as an athlete and performer.

Paul says the thing between them started all the way back at Royal Rumble when he made them go viral on the double jump spot. Alas, he can’t help but bring Ricochet’s fiancé, Samantha Irvin, into it, touching off a brawl that he wins thanks to his “titanium-reinforced” right hand. Ahem.

Gunther is asked if he has any concerns about facing Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam, but the Intercontinental Champion is mostly disappointed with his Imperium running mates. He’s giving Ludwig Kaiser a chance to redeem himself tonight, however, against Matt Riddle, and says he will end McIntyre once and for all this Saturday.

Ludwig Kaiser def. Matt Riddle by pinfall

Imagine having a very stern parent or teacher watching you over your shoulder while you work, and you get an idea of what kind of pressure Kaiser is under here. He does some impressive work in the opening minutes and gets some advice from the Ring General, but a Floating Bro turns things around.

Not sure this match seemed like it would go so long, but it’s probably the best match Kaiser has wrestled in a long time. And to that end, he actually finishes Riddle with a DDT. Wow!

And he gets a handshake from Gunther following his big win. Strangely heartwarming.

Paul is stopped by Byron Saxton and once again promises his match with Ricochet will go extremely viral. Make your disease joke here.

A video package set to a popular song that probably got that way because of TikTok hypes up Cody Rhodes-Brock Lesnar III.

Maxxine Dupri def. Valhalla by pinfall

The idea here is to see how much Dupri has absorbed from Chad Gable and Otis to get ready for her singles debut. It looks like she’s learned enough, though maybe it won’t be enough to deal with the mid-match distraction of Alpha Academy and Viking Raiders brawling on the outside.

Or … maybe it is? As Valhalla tries coming off the top rope, Dupri is able to get her hoisted up and fall straight back to get the pinfall. Your winner, Maxxine Dupri, though I can’t say it as cool as Irvin does.

Tommaso Ciampa says he needs momentum and plans on starting it with a victory over Shinsuke Nakamura tonight … and both men say they’re winning the SummerSlam Battle Royal on Saturday.

The Judgment Day’s gloating time is upon us. Who can stop them? Not Kevin Owens, who they took out. Sami Zayn? Nah. Seth Rollins? Impossible after the “epic beating” last week.

Finn Balor takes special exception to Rollins’ idea of insanity, which is dressing silly and laughing like a clown. Finn says it’s nothing compared to seven years of looking at scars that Seth inflicted, and he’s itching to inflict some scars on Rollins in return.

The fans and/or pumped in noise try to drown out Dominik Mysterio, while Rhea Ripley tells all women’s division contenders to run and hide. It doesn’t appear Raquel Rodriguez is doing that as she marches to the ring to face off with Ripley. Raquel sends the Women’s World Champion to the floor and continues her assault there, but a distraction from Dom allows Ripley to drop her with a chop block to her already injured knee.

Referees and officials step in to keep more damage from being done to Rodriguez.

A hype video is shown for Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler, one that goes back through their MMA background together.

Alpha Academy is feeling good, but those spoilsports in Imperium have to bring them down. After some back and forth jawing, Gable ends up agreeing to see if he can last five minutes in the ring with Gunther.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Tommaso Ciampa by pinfall

Bronson Reed is watching carefully on a backstage monitor, seemingly enjoying himself in the process. Nakamura nails Ciampa with a nasty knee while he’s strung across the top rope, but it’s not enough to win it.

Shinsuke does win it not long after, but only by pulling the tights to do it. Ciampa can only shake his head knowing he just got got.

The weekly SmackDown Bloodline recap is shown, which ended with Jey Uso taking the spear/Spike combo twice.

Adam Pearce tells Rodriguez that as soon as she’s medically cleared, she’ll have her match with Ripley. But not until she’s cleared.

Not often that Brock Lesnar comes to the ring to talk, but that’s what he’s doing tonight. He’s excited about the fact that he’s getting paid this Saturday to kick the crap out of Cody Rhodes and that Cody will be paid to get beaten up.

He invites Rhodes to come out, shake his hand and he’ll respect that and see him Saturday. Brock only gives Cody five seconds, but that’s enough for his music to hit.

Rhodes cautiously gets in the ring and offers his hand, which is accepted by a grinning Lesnar. Brock says something and shoves his way past Cody to leave, but Rhodes decides to launch a suicide dive.

That might have been a tactical error, as Lesnar slams him into the steps and then smashes Cody with them again for good measure. He’s not leaving just because his music hits, however, and Lesnar eventually fights his foe back into the ring for an F5.

Gunther def. Chad Gable by pinfall (though not in five minutes)

Lots of fans would probably prefer to just see these two go for it in a normal match, but you take what you can get. The agreement is that both men would leave their respective stables in the back for this bout, and so they have.

Gable manages to get the ankle lock applied with a minute left, but Gunther is able to escape and lock in a sleeper. Chad fights for all he’s worth, and he manages to dump Gunther over the top rope to the floor to run the time limit out.

An angry Gunther says the match isn’t over and asks for more time to be added to the clock, so we’re going on after some commercials.

Gable is still perplexing Gunther after the break, but a big release German suplex helps steady the ship. A superplex makes for a good response and both men are slow to regain their feet.

Gable’s deadlift German suplex gets him another near fall. Gunther finally has enough, and powerbombs the heck out of Gable to earn a victory that was harder thought than he would have imagined.

After the bell, Gunther gets on the announce table and tells fans to get used to him being up there celebrating his success. The Ring General tells McIntyre to look at Gable for the fate that awaits him Saturday, promising again to end the Scottish Warrior once and for all.

Saxton asks Rhodes if he’s going to be able to compete Saturday, to which the American Nightmare says he will shatter the aura of the Beast at SummerSlam.

“The Man has come around to Houston, Texas.” Becky Lynch is excited that she’s done everything needed to get her rematch with Trish Stratus, and she’d love for it to be here and now.

Stratus (and Zoey Stark) comes out and says no one tells her when to fight. The rematch will happen, but Trish says she’ll be the one to decide when it takes place. She takes a shot at the Astros and seems like she’s ready to take off, but Pearce comes out and says it actually will happen right now.

Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus by DQ

Well, it was a fun idea anyway. As soon as the bell rings, Starks jumps in and the ref calls for the bell. A two-on-one brawl spills into the timekeeper’s area, with Lynch more than holding her own until Trish brings a chair into the proceedings.

Pearce tells Stratus and Stark that what just happened was “totally unacceptable,” and that Trish will have to face Becky in two weeks … and this time, Zoey will be barred from ringside.

Both Rousey and Baszler are in tears in the second part of their hype video, which is really great stuff.

Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins def. Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio by pinfall

The good guys aren’t waiting around, attacking The Judgment Day on their way in. Things settle in after a commercial break, with both sides showing good timing on tags.

Rollins gets himself into some trouble as the heels cut the ring in half, keeping the World Heavyweight Champion stuck in enemy territory — and Balor isn’t above lending a hand when the ref is otherwise engaged.

The hot tag isn’t really a question of if so much as when, and Zayn does his part by unleashing hell on Dirty Dom. Tags are made both ways, and Rollins looks like a man possessed as he dives three straight times to the floor to knock Priest back across the announce table.

A couple of superkicks have Priest reeling, but the numbers game is starting to get to the face team. Priest grabs Rollins for the Razor’s Edge, but his gaze turns toward his briefcase. Balor delays ever so slightly in handing it to him, meaning it only ends up as a weapon.

Amid the chaos, Rollins is able to plant Priest and keep him down for three.

WWE Raw results 07/10/23: The Judgment Day prove all is well, for now

After teasing their implosion, The Judgment Day tried to stay on the same page on WWE Raw.

As WWE Raw takes over Western New York, SummerSlam comes into focus.

[autotag]Cody Rhodes[/autotag] has [autotag]Brock Lesnar[/autotag] on his mind tonight, just weeks before WWE’s biggest party of the summer, with a planned “special message.” It’s clear that a match between the two is imminent, and it’s only a matter of time before confirmation for their bout is made. Whether or not the match will have a stipulation remains to be seen, but one can add flare to a one-on-one already seen twice.

[autotag]Drew McIntyre[/autotag] will compete for the first time since his return at Money in the Bank, teaming with [autotag]Matt Riddle[/autotag] to face [autotag]Ludwig Kaiser[/autotag] and [autotag]Giovanni Vinci[/autotag]. This tag-team match bridges the gap to the inevitable showdown between McIntyre and [autotag]Gunther[/autotag] for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam, so look for a confrontation between the two in Buffalo as well.

Chad Gable and Otis will throw a “Graduation Ceremony” for Maxxine Dupri, who has been training under their guidance. The Viking Raiders are sure to cause chaos at the ceremony, and given how these teams have constantly fought, this will likely lead to another match.

How would the July 10 episode of Raw deliver? Let’s break it down.