Tag: Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali releases ‘World Tour Campaign’ video, looks like bigger star than he ever looked in WWE

Mustafa Ali vs. Okada? Ospreay? Vikingo? Cardona? ZSJ? He wants you to get hyped about the possibilities.

Want to see Mustafa Ali wrestle Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, El Hijo del Vikingo or Matt Cardona? He’d like to open you up to those possibilities and more for 2024.

Among a number of other wrestlers released from WWE this year, Ali became a free agent as of today. And he wasted no time dropping a stylish video announcing his “World Tour Campaign,” hinting at potential matchups with some of the best wrestlers in the world.

“You see, our great sport has fallen into the hands of leaders who are corrupt!” Ali says in the video. “Leaders who are selfish! Leaders the kicked down the door of opportunity only to shut that door behind them! And now, with righteous anger in my heart, I am here to announce that I am launching a campaign to rid our sport of these corrupt leaders! I will right their wrongs. And I will be the leader that we need.”

Yes, he really uses that many exclamation points, but as you can see in the video below, they’re warranted.

If you were completely unfamiliar with Ali’s work in WWE, you’d think this was a massive star. And that’s kind of the point.

In any case, expect to see Ali pop up all over the place next year, as he certainly seems to be relishing in his “freedom” from WWE.

Mustafa Ali, Dolph Ziggler among WWE talents released amid UFC merger

Elias and Hit Row’s Top Dolla were also among those reportedly released by WWE on Thursday.

When WWE’s merger with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings became official, it resulted in a reduction in the workforce of those who work behind the scenes at WWE. The layoffs at the time did not include talent, but on Thursday morning, that changed with several confirmed departures from the company.

Mustafa Ali was the first to reveal on X that WWE released him, which sparked questions due to his consistent presence on NXT, as he had been scheduled to wrestle Dominik Mysterio for the North American Championship at No Mercy on Sept. 30. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp then reported that talent cuts would take place today, suggesting that Ali’s departure was linked to this.

Emma announced her departure from WWE. Hours before, she tweeted her excitement about WWE going to Perth, Australia for the Elimination Chamber premium live event. The Melbourne native, who was in her second stint with the company, had last wrestled on the July 10 episode of Raw against Shayna Baszler.

Fightful confirmed that WWE released Rick Boogs, who last wrestled on television at SummerSlam in a battle royale.

Aaliyah announced her departure from WWE. Her last match happened on the Sept. 12, 2022, episode of Raw when she and Raquel Rodriguez lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship to Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky.

Fightful reported that WWE released Elias, who had been off television most of this year. His last match came at the May 15 episode of Raw.

Fightful confirmed the WWE departure of Riddick Moss. The former football player most recently wrestled at the Sept. 11 Main Event taping.

Fightful also announced that WWE released Top Dolla of Hit Row. He last wrestled on television on the Aug. 11 episode of SmackDown in a loss to LA Knight.

WWE released Shelton Benjamin, according to Fightful. He had been in his second stint with the company.

Fightful confirmed the departure of former World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, another long-tenured star.

This afternoon, Fightful also reported an additional round of releases, including Dana Brooke, Mace and Mansoor of Maximum Male Models and Shanky.

Mansoor had perhaps the best post of the day expressing his availability for new work.

We will update this post if more talent confirm their departure from WWE.

WWE SmackDown results, live blog 06/09/23: Jey Uso, on the spot

WWE SmackDown from Des Moines is slated for the latest chapter in the ongoing Bloodline drama that has gripped fans for more than a year.

For most of the Bloodline saga, Jimmy Uso has been a supporting cast member while the juiciest subplots swirled around Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and even Solo Sikoa. That’s changed in recent weeks and directly affects what is going to go down on WWE SmackDown tonight in Des Moines.

As the group has started to unravel in earnest over the last month or so, it’s been Jimmy, not Jey, who has been most emphatic that something about Reigns’ leadership has to change. Oh yeah, there was also that small bit about blasting the Tribal Chief in the face with a superkick, that probably didn’t help.

But while The Usos tried to broker some kind of peace last week, Reigns turned them down. He also made it very clear that he expects Jey Uso to get his twin brother back in the fold. Can he do that? More importantly, does he even want to? The pressure just keeps flipping back and forth between The Usos as this story progresses.

Elsewhere, it’s time for Money in the Bank qualifying matches to really kick it into high gear. A total of three men and three women have already punched their proverbial tickets for the Ladder matches in London, but that leaves three spots each still to be filled. SmackDown will take care of four more, two each for the men and women, thanks to four qualifiers in Des Moines.

Finally, WWE has added a new twist to one of its sillier talking points from the last few weeks: the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champions serving on the “wrong” shows. But Asuka is supposedly being presented with “a WWE Women’s Championship” tonight, meaning the light at the end of this nonsensical tunnel might be in sight.

WWE SmackDown results from Des Moines:

  • Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman are IMMEDIATELY interrupted by Jey Uso, who is told the whole situation is Jimmy’s fault because he is jealous of Jey’s destiny as a singles champ and future Tribal Chief; Jey says he will take Heyman up on an offer to challenge for the United States Championship but keeps him hanging on the question of whether he will stand with the Bloodline

  • Santos Escobar def. Mustafa Ali by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, with LA Knight watching on guest commentary
  • “You listen to what’s in your heart, not what’s being put into your ear.” Sami Zayn gives an impassioned speech to Jey about how the Tribal Chief side of Reigns causes so many problems and that he hopes Jey can see the consequences of pursuing that for himself
  • NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn come to the ring and are quickly interrupted by Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, who challenge them for a title unification match and get a quick and violent acceptance

  • A tribute video package is shown to honor The Iron Sheik, who died this week
  • Bayley def. Michin by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, irritating AJ Styles who was on guest commentary; Scarlett approached Styles after the match and sprayed him with red dust in the face, allowing Karrion Kross to apply the Kross Jacket from the first row of the crowd

  • Bianca Belair wants another piece of Asuka, but Adam Pearce asks her not to attack the champ tonight, and she agrees since Pearce says she’s in line for a rematch
  • The O.C. promises an angry and blinded Styles that they will make Kross and Scarlett pay
  • Asuka hands over her Raw Women’s Championship and receives the new WWE Women’s Championship … and she is confronted not by Belair, but by Charlotte Flair, who makes a challenge for the title that is quickly accepted; Asuka tries to hit Flair with the mist, but Charlotte is too quick for her

  • Heyman visits Jey to promise him a ride on Reigns’ private jet to Money in the Bank and a title celebration with Roman next week — and a public acknowledgement of Reigns grooming Jey to be the next Tribal Chief; Jey tells Paul if he’s in the Bloodline, it means Heyman is out
  • Pearce is on the phone with Vince Triple H, probably, when an angry Belair shows up
  • Butch def. Baron Corbin by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, with Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes watching from the crowd and distracting Corbin somewhat; Corbin, Williams and Hayes get into a post-match scrap and have to be separated by referees and security
  • Butch celebrates his win with the Brawling Brutes, while Corbin gets attacked by Cameron Grimes
  • IYO SKY def. Shotzi by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, with an assist from Bayley
  • Austin Theory is upset about being the last person to find out about his title defense against Jey Uso, but he promises to send Jey back to the Bloodline like the failure he is; Theory also invites Heyman to check out Austin Theory Live if he needs a new client after next week
  • Kevin Owens talks to Zayn about his discussion with Jey, then the champs get a visit from Pretty Deadly, the Brawling Brutes, the Good Brothers and the Street Profits, infuriating KO and leaving Pearce with little option but to say they can settle the question of who should be No. 1 contenders in a Gauntlet match next week

  • A short vignette promotes The Grayson Waller Effect and informs us that Charlotte Flair will be his guest next week
  • Austin Theory def. Jey Uso by pinfall to retain the WWE United States Championship match, in a match that also saw Pretty Deadly, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa get involved and Jimmy accidentally superkick Jey
  • With Solo and Heyman watching from the aisle, Jey shoves Jimmy and rolls out of the ring; Heyman says “I’m sorry” and calls Reigns, but the show ends without Jey making a decision

WWE SmackDown preview 06/09/23: What now, Usos?

WWE SmackDown from Des Moines has the latest chapter in the Bloodline drama plus four Money in the Bank qualifying matches.

The Usos might be “the ones,” but headed into tonight’s WWE SmackDown in Des Moines, they’re about to find out if that’s the loneliest number like the old song says.

It’s not a worry they’ve had for a while, since they’ve been steadfast members of The Bloodline. Alas, Jimmy Uso has been chafing under Roman Reigns’ leadership for weeks, which came to a head when he superkicked the Tribal Chief at Night of Champions.

The Usos’ attempt to patch things up last week with a plea for brotherhood and respect fell on deaf ears, with Solo Sikoa standing with Reigns and giving Jimmy a Samoan Spike. Jimmy and Jey will appear on SmackDown tonight, and fans will be watching to see what they say and do next — not to mention whether Solo might be waiting for them.

The rest of the show will be largely built around Money in the Bank qualifying matches for both the men’s and women’s Ladder matches. Bayley will take on Michin, while Shotzi battles IYO SKY to fill two of the remaining slots in the women’s match. With Damage CTRL seemingly not as tight as it once was, it will be interesting to see if Bayley and SKY both end up advancing.

On the men’s side, Baron Corbin will attempt to reverse his misfortune as of late when he faces Butch. And the LWO’s Santos Escobar goes one-on-one with Mustafa Ali. By the end of the night, we’ll know five of the six men and women who will compete for the briefcases in London.

That plus the latest developments in the Bloodline saga should make this a show worth watching, no doubt. It all goes down as usual starting at 8 p.m. on FOX, and we’ll have live results starting at that time as well.

WWE Night of Champions 2023 results: Rollins, Asuka win gold, Bloodline drama continues

Keep up with all the action with the latest WWE Night of Champions results to start a busy weekend in pro wrestling.

WWE Night of Champions doesn’t have every title in the company at stake, but a number of them will be as a big chunk of the roster heads overseas to Saudi Arabia. In fact, on a seven-match card, championships are up for grabs in five of the bouts.

Though WWE has humorously (to us) promoted the show as having a “triple main event,” two of those three matches also have gold up for grabs. The match that has been the subject of the most discussion will see Seth Rollins and AJ Styles compete to become the inaugural holder of the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The winner will take their gold exclusively to Raw, at least for the time being.

That’s because Roman Reigns has set up shop on SmackDown, but he’ll be vying for another championship in Saudi Arabia as well. He and Solo Sikoa are looking to take the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, even though that pursuit has exacerbated the fissures in the Bloodline even more.

And the highest profile non-title match is part of this group of three as well. Cody Rhodes has suffered several vicious attacks at the hands of Brock Lesnar, including one this week that left him with a left arm that Dr. Triple H says was broken (wink, wink). He’s determined to fight Lesnar anyway, even though tangling with the Beast Incarnate can be foolhardy enough with all one’s limbs functioning.

Because the show is overseas, it means an early start time for fans in the U.S.: afternoon on the east coast and late morning in the west. Join us back here starting at 1 p.m. ET for the latest WWE Night of Champions results, updated as they happen all day long.

WWE Night of Champions 2023 results:

(click any match with a link for full details)

  • Seth Rollins def. AJ Styles by pinfall in the tournament final to become the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion, and has the belt handed to him by Triple H after his victory
  • Cody Rhodes is shown getting checked on by a doctor, with a wrap or brace of some sort on his left forearm
  • Trish Stratus def. Becky Lynch by pinfall after Zoey Stark emerged from under the ring to assist
  • Gunther def. Mustafa Ali by pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
  • Sami Zayn tells Kevin Owens how crazy it is that they’re there and that even if it ended tonight … KO asks why it would end tonight, because he’s sick of hearing about Roman Reigns’ 1000-day reign and vows that Roman and Solo Sikoa will lose tonight
  • Asuka def. Bianca Belair by pinfall after raking Bianca’s eyes with mist on her fingers to become the new WWE Raw Women’s Champion
  • Rhea Ripley def. Natalya by pinfall to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship, with help from Dominik Mysterio as a ringside distraction
  • Rollins tells Byron Saxton that he will be on Raw on Monday and every Monday moving forward, just with World Heavyweight Championship things on his mind
  • Brock Lesnar def. Cody Rhodes by submission as Cody passes out while in a kimura on his injured left arm
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, after The Usos, who initially arrive to beat up the champs, end up accidentally superkicking Solo and then intentionally (from Jimmy, anyway) superkicking Reigns

WWE Raw results 05/22/23: Cody Rhodes is determined to fight Brock Lesnar

Other big happenings on Raw included Raquel Rodriguez finding a new tag team partner and Matt Riddle aiding Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

HERSHEY, Pa. — As a fan in Section D of the Giant Center said in realization at the end of WWE Raw on Monday night, “We never got to do the whoa.”

He was talking about a certain part of Cody Rhodes‘ entrance theme, “Kingdom,” and if you’ve been watching WWE programming any time over the past year, you know the cue. It comes right after the line “Out the curtain, lights go up I’m home.”

The fans in attendance did get to see Rhodes, who was shown on screen to both open and close the show. He also made it to the ring once in-between, but his music didn’t play because WWE was trying to make it look like he shouldn’t have been out there.

That’s what happens when you get jumped by Brock Lesnar while entering the arena, which is exactly what happened Monday night. Lesnar gave Rhodes a hellacious backstage beating, concentrating on Cody’s left arm and mocking him for wanting to fight at Night of Champions.

Lesnar came to the ring about halfway through Raw, claiming that Rhodes wouldn’t be able to make this weekend’s premium live event and laying out an open challenge to anyone who would step up. Instead, Rhodes came out, arm in a sling, and attempted to thrown down with Lesnar right there.

Let’s call that a tactical error for the American Nightmare, who ended up taking even more damage to his left arm after being locked in a kimura by Lesnar. The idea was that Rhodes’ arm was broken.

But that wasn’t the last word, because the night’s main event, which saw Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle defeat Imperium, ended about four minutes prior to 11 p.m. ET. It felt like something would happen, and that something was Triple H visiting Rhodes in the locker room and trying to convince him that Night of Champions was out.

Rhodes refused and said he’d fight Lesnar anyway. So there’s a built-in excuse for WWE to have Cody lose and continue the feud (to SummerSlam, perhaps). It was an unconventional but not illogical way to end the final live show before a premium live event, but we’ll have to wait until Saturday to see if it all plays out in satisfactory fashion.

Read on for a rundown of everything that happened Monday night.

WWE Raw results from Hershey:

  • As noted above, Lesnar attacked Rhodes in the back, smashing his left arm between a beer keg and a metal rolldown door
  • Paul Heyman took to the microphone to claim no responsibility for what just happened but suggested that was just a taste of what would happen to Rhodes at Night of Champions
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn said they were feeling pretty good about their upcoming title defense at Night of Champions, but there was also business to attend to tonight … and that business found them, with Imperium surrounding the ring, but Matt Riddle arrived to help run them off and become their partner for the main event
  • Adam Pearce refused to confirm or deny to Byron Saxton that Rhodes suffered a broken arm
  • Bronson Reed def. Ricochet by pinfall
  • Apollo Crews got his interview crashed by Dominik Mysterio, who ended up talking his way into a match, and Rhea Ripley, who warned Natalya she would end her career at Night of Champions
  • Part 3 of Corey Graves’ interview with Seth Rollins aired, including Rollins saying he loves Roman Reigns but doesn’t like Roman Reigns
  • Finn Balor had some fighting words for his opponent tonight, Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Zoey Stark def. Candice LeRae by pinfall, despite some ringside encouragement from Nikki Cross
  • Mustafa Ali was more serious than he has been recently, discussing the opportunity he has coming up this weekend … until Lesnar walked by him on his way to the ring, telling Ali to get a life as he passed
  • Barging by Adam Pearce and other officials, Rhodes made his ill-advised attempt to confront Lesnar in the ring, which ended with him in even more pain
  • A promo vignette was aired to promote Indus Sher
  • Alpha Academy def. Viking Raiders by pinfall
  • Finn Balor def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall thanks to some assistance from Damian Priest
  • Raquel Rodriguez def. Sonya Deville by pinfall, then got saved from a two-on-one post-match beating by Shotzi
  • Trish Stratus proposed a “no touch policy” for her contract signing with Becky Lynch, but Pearce declined …
  • … but Stratus and Lynch mostly just trade insults during their contract signing anyway
  • Pearce gives someone a phone call to update them on the Rhodes situation
  • Rodriguez offers Shotzi a chance to be her tag team partner to try back the women’s tag team titles
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Apollo Crews by pinfall, with the usual assist from Rhea Ripley
  • The final segment of the Graves-Rollins interview aired, focused largely on Seth discussing why he wants to win the World Heavyweight Championship so badly
  • Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle def. Imperium by pinfall
  • Triple H tried to talk Rhodes out of competing at Night of Champions, but to no avail

After the show went off the air, Imperium attempted to come back for some revenge on Owens, Zayn and Riddle, but that backfired as Ludwig Kaiser ended up going through a table.

WWE Night of Champions 2023 match card: Rollins vs. Styles and more

WWE Night of Champions is set to crown the inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but that’s not the only big match on the card.

WWE Night of Champions has a little extra championship flavor to it this year.

That’s because the upcoming show from the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will feature the crowning of the first ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion, as Seth Rollins (Raw) and AJ Styles (SmackDown) won the right to represent their respective brands to compete for this brand new title (not to be confused with the previous World Heavyweight Championship, a.k.a. the Big Gold Belt). The winner will be exclusive to Raw, or at least that’s the plan WWE has announced.

Another big title match will see Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn defend their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship … but not against The Usos. Instead, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa will go for the tag team gold, which could make the already tense Bloodline situation even more fraught if they succeed.

WWE Night of Champions will start at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Saturday, May 27. We’ll be updating this post with the latest matches as they are announced.

Last update: May 23, 2023, 11:15 a.m. ET.

WWE Night of Champions 2023 match card:

WWE Raw results: KO, Sami run into unholy alliance

Find out what went down on the May 15 episode of WWE Raw from Greensboro, with Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch and more.

Sometimes when you want to leave something in the past, it just keeps running to keep up with you. And sometimes that thing running at you also finds you, pulls you out of a match, destroys you outside the ring and then challenges you to a match so that the whole world is waiting for you to respond on WWE Raw.

If that sounds like your personal story, my condolences. It definitely applies to Cody Rhodes, who made the logical assumption that once he defeated Brock Lesnar at Backlash, that would be the end of things between them.

Alas.

Now WWE says we will hear from the American Nightmare tonight in Greensboro, giving his answer about whether he will accept Lesnar’s challenge to fight again at Night of Champions. As the Magic 8-Ball might say, signs point to yes.

Someone who hasn’t had to fight anyone in a little bit is WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther since he’s newly arrived on the Raw roster. Tonight’s show will feature a battle royal to find him a No. 1 contender, which should definitely be interesting.

There’s big happenings in the women’s division as well. Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez will defend their titles against the annoying but no less dangerous threat of Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. And Becky Lynch is scheduled to appear after surprising Trish Stratus last week, and you know she isn’t coming just to talk if Stratus is in Greensboro in person.

Update: Morgan was apparently injured last week so the tag team title match is said to be off. We’ll see how that plays out.

WWE Raw results from Greensboro:

  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn see the title challenge from Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa as a gift as it gives them a chance for revenge on Reigns, but a visit from The Judgment Day inevitably turns to fisticuffs

  • Shinsuke Nakamura def. The Miz by pinfall
  • Adam Pearce confirms Liv Morgan was injured on SmackDown so the tag team title match is postponed, but because of the griping from the challengers, Chelsea Green is going to have a singles match with Raquel Rodriguez
  • Corey Graves introduces his previously recorded interview with Seth Rollins, who talks about his desire to effect change all the way back to his NXT days … and of course, the chair shot heard ’round the world that ended The Shield
  • Gunther figures an introduction might be necessary considering he started his impressive Intercontinental Championship reign on SmackDown, and says one man has a chance to both become his next challenger and earn his respect; press ‘X’ to doubt that last part

  • Mustafa Ali wins a Battle Royal to become No. 1 contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship that includes Ricochet, Apollo Crews, Bronson Reed, Matt Riddle, Chad Gable, Otis, Baron Corbin, Von Wagner, Johnny Gargano, Dexter Lumis, JD McDonagh, Riddick Moss, Elias, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander, Mace, Mansoor, Humberto, Angel, Eri, Ivar, Akira Tozawa and Xyon Quinn; last eliminating Reed and Ricochet

  • Becky Lynch says “Thank you Trish” for hitting her and calling her daughter stupid, because that turned on a light in Becky that had been off for a while … and she’ll show how thankful she is when she kicks in Trish’s head at Night of Champions

  • Rhea Ripley and Natalya have a difference in opinion about respect, and the SmackDown Women’s Champion says she will end Nattie’s career if she ever sticks her nose in the champ’s business again
  • Ali doesn’t want to hear any negativity from Alpha Academy, but Gunther says he feels regret for him for traveling halfway around the world to lose and get the beating that goes with it
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Xavier Woods by pinfall
  • A video promo hypes JD McDonagh, who says the Irish Ace is here to stay; he also says live that he attacked Dolph Ziggler during the battle royal to make a statement
  • Indus Sher deg. Local Talent by pinfall, and Jinder Mahal tells the announce team their future is written in gold
  • Imperium pays a visit to KO and Sami, who tell them they’ll fight next week
  • Cody Rhodes tells the story of the scorpion and the frog, accepts Brock Lesnar’s challenge for Night of Champions and says that Brock isn’t the Next Big Thing any more — he’s simply in Cody’s way
  • Candice LeRae takes exception to the way Zoey Stark is talking about Nikki Cross and Candice’s “family” and the two women agree to settle things in the ring next week
  • Raquel Rodriguez def. Chelsea Green by pinfall … but Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler arrive afterward to beat down Rodriguez on the stage
  • Paul Heyman has been talking to Imperium, that can’t be good

  • The second part of Graves’ interview with Rollins covers the time right up to his pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship and his motivation for wanting to win it: to push the industry forward
  • The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn by pinfall thanks to interference from Imperium

WWE Raw results: Cody Rhodes’ misfortune is Seth Rollins’ gain in World Title tourney

Brock Lesnar made his presence felt on Raw in a way that directly affected the tournament.

If there’s such a thing as May Madness (and if there is, we’re likely going to hear about it from Legal), WWE’s got it for tonight’s episode of Raw from Jacksonville.

Why, you could very reasonably ask? Because the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament, kicks off tonight, that’s why. Two Triple Threat matches will narrow a field of six down to two, with the winners doing battle later this very night to determine who will go on to Night of Champions later this month to fight for the right to be the inaugural wearer of the new big gold belt.

WWE has helpfully revealed who will be in each of the first round tournament matches. One will see Cody Rhodes, Finn Balor and The Miz square off, while the other features Damian Priest, Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura. Those combinations set the stage for lots of fun possibilities for the Raw semifinal, including things like an all Judgment Day affait.

(Of course, we have our own ideas on how things should play out.)

The other segment WWE is promoting ahead of the episode is the return of Trish Stratus. The women’s wrestling icon and WWE Hall of Famer seems to have gotten the better of Becky Lynch both physically and psychologically over the past few weeks, as Lynch hasn’t been on TV for a while. But Stratus might not want to be too cocky when she appears on Raw tonight, because when The Man comes back around, there just might be hell to pay.

It’s also the first show where the post-WWE Draft rosters are in effect on Raw, so expect to see some new faces as well.

WWE Raw results from Jacksonville:

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

  • Cody Rhodes says he discovered at Backlash that Brock Lesnar could be defeated, and that he’s now completely focused on the World Heavyweight Championship, so he says let the tournament begin
  • Damian Priest doesn’t really want to discuss his loss to Bad Bunny but does think he and Finn Balor will battle in the semifinal later tonight
  • Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest in a World Heavyweight Championship Tournament first round match by pinning Nakamura
  • “You’ll still be Imperium in five minutes, right?” Imperium wants Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to know Gunther is coming to Raw next week, but their insistence on not being bothered seems like it’s going to lead to a match
  • Mustafa Ali def. Otis by pinfall
  • The Miz reminds the world that he’s a history maker and will have respect put on his name when he wins the tournament\
  • Finn Balor def. Cody Rhodes and The Miz in a World Heavyweight Championship Tournament first round match after Brock Lesnar attacks Rhodes and Balor pins Miz
  • Rhea Ripley def. Dana Brooke by submission, then is confronted by Natalya but leaves without any fisticuffs breaking out
  • A video package shows all of the NXT performers who got drafted to Raw, and one of them, Zoey Stark, challenges Nikki Cross for her first Raw match
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) by pinfall
  • Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green are busy getting signatures on their petition to get a rematch for the tag team titles, and The Way is nearly all back together backstage
  • Zoey Stark def. Nikki Cross by pinfall
  • Dominik Mysterio and Xavier Woods talk their way into a match later tonight, while Akira Tozawa wanders off
  • Trish Stratus is worried because Becky Lynch is missing, and says Lynch will be found but won’t be coming to “her” show … except she’s 100% wrong, and The Man gives her a quick beating before insisting she’s come around to kick Trish’s ass
  • Dominik Mysterio def. Xavier Woods by pinfall
  • Indus Sher says they’ve been waiting for their chance to strike; The Miz accidentally ends up with a match against Nakamura next week; Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez find out Deville and Green started their petition thinking they would be facing Damage CTRL for the tag team titles
  • Rhodes says this is the second time that Lesnar has attacked him from behind for no reason, so he says “let’s fight” at Night of Champions
  • Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor by pinfall to win the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament semifinal

WWE Raw results: Bad Bunny talks softly, carries a big (kendo) stick

A new World Heavyweight Championship was also unveiled tonight.

When you’re Bad Bunny, you can do pretty much whatever you want. Try your hand at WWE? Of course. Get involved in a dramatic WrestleMania match between father and son? Sure, if you want. It’s just that there might be consequences even for the biggest music star in the world if you do that, some of which might still be playing out on this week’s episode of WWE Raw from the greater Chicago area.

See, The Judgment Day wasn’t too crazy about Bunny ensuring Dominik Mysterio didn’t cheat to beat his dad in L.A., and was even less enthused about him smacking the taste out of Dom’s mouth a few weeks later. That led to Damian Priest putting the music megastar through an announce table, which naturally kept him out of commission for a bit.

He’s back tonight, however, and probably looking for some payback against old “friend” Priest. And he, meanwhile, has a match against Rey Mysterio. That, friends, is what we call synergy. Could all these elements break out into a big Judgment Day vs. LWO scuffle with Bad Bunny on the side of the LWO? That seems likely.

Also of interest for tonight, Triple H is scheduled to make some sort of announcement. The buzz is that it’s about a title — either a new physical belt of some sort or an honest to goodness change to a championship of some sort. Or it could be something else altogether, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

WWE Raw results from Chicago:

(click on any match or segment with a link for more details)

  • Cody Rhodes reflects on the “humiliating” beatdown he got from Brock Lesnar and the time he wrestled with a torn pec, but he’s not down with Finn Balor and his invitation to join The Judgment Day … but he’s medically cleared to face Finn tonight
  • The Bloodline (The Usos and Solo Sikoa) def. The LWO (Santos Escobar, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde) by pinfall
  • Damage CTRL tells Bianca Belair she can pick any two partners she wants to take them on tonight, and she’s down with that
  • “You made your choice … and like it or not, I made my choice too.” Sami Zayn drops in on Jey Uso and questions what will happen to Jey if The Usos fail to get the tag team titles back after dedicating the match to the Tribal Chief, but Jey tells Sami not to worry about him any more
  • A video replays the recent words and actions of Trish Stratus, who then insists that Becky Lynch is absent because she can’t handle the pressure of being a top star and a mom at the same time
  • Street Profits def. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin by pinfall
  • Triple H announces that wherever Roman Reigns is drafted to, he will take the Universal Championship with him, but there will also be a new World Heavyweight Championship, with the inaugural titleholder crowned at Night of Champions
  • Priest and Dominik Mysterio say Bad Bunny can watch Damian take out Rey Mysterio later tonight
  • “You can’t talk to Sami, Uce.” Jey expresses some self-doubts to Jimmy Uso, who blows up when he hears it’s because Jey talked to Sami
  • Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage CTRL
  • “Are you lazy and don’t want to work, or are you scared?” Austin Theory mocks the idea of the new title going to someone besides him while he has two powerful challengers at Backlash; Bobby Lashley joins him in the ring and wonders why Theory doesn’t welcome every opportunity to fight for the U.S. title …
  • … but Bronson Reed joins them as well when they start to brawl, and he’s the one left standing at the end
  • Chad Gable tries to explain the WWE Draft to Rick Boogs, but Maxxine Dupri is ready to fight for Otis, and Mustafa Ali thinks everyone needs to have a more positive attitude and is willing to back it up in the ring
  • Mustafa Ali def. Chad Gable by pinfall
  • Jimmy Uso confronts Zayn and tries to make him feel doubts about Kevin Owens
  • Cody Rhodes def. Finn Balor by pinfall
  • “This is an opportunity to have a World Heavyweight Championship that’s about more than politics and part-timers.” Seth Rollins says something bigger than Omos has caught his eye, but he’s not looking past the Nigerian Giant either
  • Matt Riddle is wearing out KO’s patience, and Owens is flabbergasted that his friend still cares about The Usos, and Riddle surprises Zayn with some actually helpful perspective
  • Rey Mysterio def. Damian Priest by DQ when Priest uses a chair on him, and Bad Bunny arrives to attack Priest with a kendo stick … and reveal that they’ll be facing off in a Street Fight at Backlash