The footage showing the bear giving Chunk the slip – intentionally or otherwise – has garnered several responses pertaining to Chunk.
“Chunk is kind of like Leisure Suit Larry – the ladies want no part of him,” reads a top comment on Explore’s Instagram post.
A comment on Twitter: “Poor Chunk, he’s truly lovable really.”
The footage was captured at Brooks Falls, where the most dominant bears in Katmai National Park are foraging on salmon and competing for prime fishing spots.
Chunk, a large adult with numerous facial scars, is a fixture at Brooks Falls and a perennial Fat Bear Week candidate.
Fat Bear Week, conducted annually each October, is a bracket-style, fan-driven competition that celebrates the bears’ success in fattening up sufficiently to survive during hibernation.
Chunk, however, has never been named Fat Bear Week Champion.
Check out the complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including every briefcase winner and how they fared when cashing in.
Originally the brainchild of Chris Jericho, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match has gone from being an entertaining gimmick match to one of the most anticipated subplots of any WWE calendar year. It’s changed and expanded to multiple brands and the women’s division, and become the focus of its own event, joining the likes of WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam as one of the most important that WWE puts on.
At its core, however, is a simple and compelling idea: Whoever outfights and outwits a group of hungry competitors and grabs the namesake briefcase has a guaranteed title shot they can use any time, any place, for one year. It’s the WWE’s equivalent of a golden ticket, and the anticipation for when a briefcase might get cashed in has become drama in its own right.
As Money in the Bank has risen in prominence, its history has grown as well. Let’s take a look at a complete history of WWE Money in the Bank winners, including how the winners fared when they eventually cashed in their contracts.
This week on WWE Raw, Becky Lynch outlasted Nia Jax, Cody Rhodes spit fire at The Rock, and Sami Zayn questioned himself.
Becky Lynch doesn’t do tune-up matches. She only does big time bouts even while on the Road to WrestleMania, and she’s got another one tonight on WWE Raw in Raleigh.
See, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with The Man about Nia Jax. It’s not just that Jax beat Lynch clean earlier this year, though that’s definitely a big part of it.
The rest has to do with Lynch trying to prove she’s the best at what she does when she faces Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40. How can she claim to be the top dog if she can’t first say definitively she’s better than Jax?
Becky would tell you she can’t. That’s why we’ve ended up with a Last Woman Standing match less than three weeks out from Philadelphia. It should be really fun, and there’s definitely a chance that Liv Morgan gets involved as well. What would that mean for the Showcase of the Immortals? We’ll find out soon enough.
The other big thing on tonight’s Raw is getting more teams into the Six-Pack Ladder Match for the men’s tag team titles at WrestleMania. There are three qualifying matches on the card this evening, and the one we’ve really got our eye on is #DIY vs. The Creed Brothers. Honestly seems like both teams would be great to have in the title match, so we’re not sure which way this one will go.
Oh, and there’s going to be a contract signing between Gunther and Sami Zayn, so if you’re one of the people still holding out hope that Chad Gable works his way into a Triple Threat situation, this would be the time.
We’re pumped for this Raw, one of only three left before WrestleMania. Let’s get into it.
WWE Raw results from Raleigh:
(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)
Jey Uso has a discussion with Jimmy Uso, then gets assistance from Cody Rhodes to fight off an attack from Jimmy and Solo Sikoa
A hype video is shown for the Last Woman Standing match, along with a shot of Becky on her way into the arena
Paul Heyman apologizes to Adam Pearce for Jimmy and Solo “going into business for themselves” and insists they did what they did on their own and Pearce has Roman Reigns’ word that they are gone; Heyman adds that he has official business to do and that “everyone is going to be caught off guard”
#DIY def. The Creed Brothers by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
The Judgment Day talks to Andrade, who will get a chance to impress them next week; Damian Priest chastises JD McDonagh for not winning the Gauntlet match, but somehow it now falls on Dominik Mysterio to get some shine back by defeating Ricochet tonight
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by submission, with LeRae taking advantage of a knee “injury” to Chance and exploiting it to get the victory
Cody Rhodes has some venom for The Rock tonight, and does some negotiating of sorts with Heyman
Nia Jax says Becky Lynch has never beaten her, and when that proves true again, Nia plans on taking her spot at WrestleMania
Jey Uso offers to watch Cody’s back if needed on SmackDown, though Rhodes also says he gave his word he’d show up alone
Ricochet def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall, with McDonagh unable to help Dom win or successfully ambush Ricochet after the final bell
Sami Zayn finds Chad Gable and expresses his respect for Gable, but they end up having a disagreement over Chad’s “it just means more” mantra before Gable suggests that Zayn “can’t beat Gunther”
The Sami Zayn-Gunther contract signing turns into a referendum on self-belief
Awesome Truth gets a pep talk from #DIY before heading out to face Indus Sher
The Awesome Truth def. Indus Sher by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
Zayn demands to know why Gable said he can’t beat Gunther, and Chad tells him it’s because Sami waits for a window of opportunity to strike and will need to change his mentality to have any chance to win
Drew McIntyre is interrupted immediately by Seth Rollins, who poses an interesting question: Is Drew more like Seth than he’d care to admit?
Becky Lynch cuts a short promo ahead of her main event with Jax
The New Day def. Alpha Academy (Akira Tozawa and Otis) by pinfall in a WrestleMania Tag Team Qualifying Match
Liv Morgan stops by and tells Becky that Nia is all hers tonight — just make sure you kick her ass
Rollins checks in with Rhodes, who again insists he’s going to face Reigns solo on SmackDown
Becky Lynch def. Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match
As Lynch takes a moment to compose herself after a hard-fought victory, she’s joined in the ring by Rhea Ripley, and the two stand eye to eye exchanging pleasantries as Raw goes off the air
Jey, Jimmy Uso talk WrestleMania, and Cody Rhodes ensures there’s no Bloodline ambush
Pat McAfee is already tired from participating in the Yeetdown. Michael Cole mentions that it will be only the third time that it’s brother vs. brother at WrestleMania. Jey says he knows The Bloodline is in the building and asks big brother Jimmy where he’s at.
Jimmy comes through the crowd, side by side with Solo Sikoa. But Solo stands outside the ring, allowing Jey and Jimmy to come face to face. Jey says regardless of what’s happened and the bad blood, he misses his twin.
Jey asks Jimmy to come back, but Jimmy insists he never left. After running down all the things Jey’s done since going to Raw, he claims the biggest moment of his career is because of … Jimmy.
Jey says nah, that his biggest career moment will be at WrestleMania 40 when he knocks the yeet out of his ass. Jey gets in the first shot, but Jimmy is able to land a superkick thanks to a distraction from Solo. it could be a two-on-one beatdown, but here comes Cody Rhodes, who chucks Jimmy aside and hits a Cody Cutter on Sikoa.
Cody Rhodes has some pointed insults for The Rock and negotiates a bit with Paul Heyman
Rhodes is dressed in all black tonight, perhaps a sign of what kind of headspace he’s in. Cody starts off by reminding us that in less than three weeks, he’s going to face the greatest champion in all of sports once again.
He’ll have a conversation with Roman Reigns on SmackDown about that, but there are complications, the biggest one being The Rock. Rhodes brings up The Rock referring to himself as our favorite heel and runs down some of the great heels he’s known.
“Rock, I don’t think you’re a heel … I think you’re an a–hole.”
Cody goes on to suggest that while The Rock made fun of him for crying, wasn’t The People’s Champ the one actually crying behind the scene? Accusing the people around him of being yes-men, Cody says that he’s lots of wonderful thing — but also a whiny bitch.
Saying it was fair game for The Rock to mention his mom, Cody also says he knows Rock’s mom. Rhodes says she’s wonderful, deserving of respect just like his own mom should be since she wouldn’t be scared of The Rock.
Addressing WrestleMania, Cody admits he doesn’t know if Sunday will be Bloodline Rules or if he’ll finish the story. But how can The Rock be so sure of himself? After all, he hasn’t been in the ring for years. Final Boss? Rhodes says maybe he’ll only be “Roman’s side chick.”
That brings out an angry Paul Heyman, who apologizes for his previous apology because it was dumb. Rhodes invites Heyman into the ring, but he says he’s cool on the apron and has a message from Reigns: When Reigns and Rhodes are face to face on SmackDown, no other members of The Bloodline will be present except for Paul.
Cody likes what he hears and says “Deal.” But Heyman says he forgot one crucial point. Namely, that Rhodes has to show up alone to SmackDown too. “Deal.”
Sami Zayn and Gunther make it official for WrestleMania, but does Sami believe in himself?
Adam Pearce is in the ring with the usual contract signing setup, summoning Zayn first and then Gunther. The Ring General mocks Sami for dressing like any slob from the crowd, to which Zayn takes offense at the feeling that Gunther doesn’t think he can win their match.
Sami angrily signs on the dotted line, but Gunther just wants to make fun of hic challenger a little more, questioning whether he even believes he can win. He smiles as he signs too and prepares to leave. But Zayn tells him to wait and tells Gunther to look into his eyes before storming off.
Is Drew McIntyre more like Seth Rollins than he cares to admit to himself?
McIntyre can’t be pleased that he’s immediately interrupted by the arrival of Rollins before he even makes it down the ramp. Mind games are fair play on the Road to WrestleMania, though.
They both end up in the ring, where Seth claims he has something to get off his chest. He admits he’s a spotlight junkie in the manner of people introducing themselves at AA meetings. “Spotlight junkie” chants break out in response.
An exasperated McIntyre says Rollins has become a parody of himself, but the only punchline is going to be when Drew beats him for the title at WrestleMania. McIntyre also mocks the “CM Punk” chant, at which point Rollins interjects and says none of this is a joke to him.
The World Heavyweight Champion says he’s been doing this for a while and it gets better every time. He wants the spotlight as bright as it can possibly be, which surprisingly gets McIntyre’s approval … except for the finish.
“You had me until you mentioned the big spotlight,” Drew says, yelling that it should only be the work they’ve done that matters. Rollins’ priorities are all screwed up, he insists, and that means McIntyre won’t get the moment he deserves — he’ll get the moment he earned.
Seth retorts that Drew is a spotlight junkie just as much as he is, motivated by the fact that his previous title run was in front of no fans. The problem is that when the lights got bright again, McIntyre fumbled the ball. At WrestleMania 40, Seth suggests, Drew will discover he’s not as good as he thinks he is.
Becky Lynch takes to the air to defeat Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing Match
Lynch looks like she wants to try to end it early, taking it to Jax in and out of the ring. Pat McAfee says he thought the strategy would be opposite, and perhaps he has a point as Jax starts taking over on the outside. They slug it out as the match goes to its first commercial break.
Michael Cole reminds us the only way to win is to keep your opponent down for a count of 10. Jax is busy getting out a table and a ton of chairs, but Lynch is recovering and uses a chair on Nia as she climbs back in the ring.
Jax hits a Samoan Drop back onto a pile of chairs, and McAfee thinks that’s it. Narrator: It was not it.
The crowd wants tables but Lynch is busy applying a sleeper, then pivoting into a bulldog onto a chair. The ref counts to about six, then Lynch tries coming off the top rope and takes a chair to the gut.
Jax is feeling good as Lynch struggles to get back up, eating more chair shots when she does. Jax sits right on top of her on a chair, but a kendo stick is within reach for The Man, and she goes to town with that, sending Jax to the floor.
Nia recovers quickly and picks up the steps to use as a weapon. But she misses when trying a legdrop on the apron, then gets dropped on the steps. The ref gets to six, so Lynch smashes her face into the steps again. The fans roar their approval as Becky gets out a table right as more ads arrive.
There’s now a ladder set up when the broadcast returns, but Lynch is able to blind Jax with a blast from a fire extinguisher. Somehow she’s still able to stagger back into the ring and hit Lynch with a Samoan Drop that drives The Man through a table.
Jax hits an Annihilator too, and the ref starts to count. Lynch rolls out of the ring at eight, landing on her feet to break the count. Jax eyes the table on the floor, but Lynch wriggles free of a Samoan Drop and hits a Manhandle Slam through the table instead.
The ref counts but both women make it up; Jax just barely. Seeing she needs to do something spectacular to win it, Lynch scales the ladder and drives Jax through the announce table with a legdrop. The ref counts, and this time not even Jax is getting up.
Slim Jim and WWE continue to be an entertaining combination.
For WWE fans of a certain age, long before the current era where sponsorships and endorsements are woven more and more into the fabric of the actual shows (and likely to only increase under Endeavor’s watch),the Slim Jim ads featuring “Macho Man” Randy Savage were iconic. There was simply something undeniably perfect about Macho Man imploring you to “snap into a Slim Jim” with his trademark “Oh yeah!” following right behind. It was a product and pitchman match made in marketing heaven.
Yet that doesn’t mean Slim Jim can’t do great stuff with the current batch of WWE superstars. As evidence, we submit the video posted by WWE today, with an Alpha Academy training session getting interrupted by R-Truth.
In classic Truth fashion, he misunderstood the assignment and was supposed to bring kendo sticks, not meat sticks. But as it turns out, that’s just fine with Otis.
Truth has been on something of a heater since he returned to WWE a few months ago, injecting new dimensions and unexpected humor into The Judgment Day. Otis is just great all the time, and one of our favorite wrestlers to interview.
As for Slim Jim, it had a prominent presence at SummerSlam last year in Detroit (big ups for having the whole press box stocked with mini Slim Jims) and doesn’t appear to be losing its appetite for teaming with WWE any time soon. Snap into that, indeed.
CM Punk also had a showdown with Drew McIntyre on WWE Raw from Portland.
While we all ponder where we might be watching Raw come this fall, we know where to catch it tonight: on USA, as per usual. The show comes to us from Portland, where one matchup has our attention.
That would be Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. Everyone expects that Rhodes will be in position to “finish the story” later this spring, but he keeps getting roadblocks thrown in his way in the meantime. Nakamura has been an especially persistent one, showing his full sadistic side during this program.
Would defeating him again help end it? Probably couldn’t hurt, and with Rhodes looking forward to the Royal Rumble match later this spring, he really needs to put Shinsuke in the rear view mirror if at all possible.
Portland will also see CM Punk make an appearance, though it looks like it may just be to talk in the ring. That’s fine since he’s one of the best at that, but you figure that sooner or later, WWE will want him to actually wrestle on Raw. Probably.
We’re ready for these segments and everything else thrown our way tonight, so off we go.
WWE Raw results from Portland:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
Cody Rhodes is all smiles as he enters the building ahead of tonight’s main event
Drew McIntyre has something to say, but so does CM Punk
Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano walk out toward the ring, and Ciampa calls this a “must win” match that will lead to #DIY becoming tag team champs in 2024
Tommaso Ciampa def. Finn Balor by pinfall
Becky Lynch says she thought about the bad things that could have happened in the match with Nia Jax, and she’s taking the positive view since she didn’t end up in the hospital, and that maybe this is just the beginning of a run for her
Kofi Kingston vs. Ludwig Kaiser goes to a double countout, much to the dismay of the fans; they decide to keep fighting even after the bell, and Kaiser throws one of the announcer’s chairs in Kingston’s face and then dropkicks his head into the steel steps
Asked backstage about his attack, Kaiser screams and says it’s Kofi’s fault he is carrying the weight of Imperium alone
Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley have a face to face confrontation and sling some barbs at each other
A replay of The Rock’s appearance on last week’s episode of Raw is shown
Shinsuke Nakamura assaults Cody Rhodes backstage while he’s trying to be interviewed, and Adam Pearce and officials have to hustle to pull them apart
Kayden Carter and Katana Chance def. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Due to their earlier brawl, the Rhodes-Nakamura main event is now a Street Fight
R-Truth explains why The Judgment Day is a “real family” now that he’s in and JD McDonagh is out, heh
The Judgment Day argues again about Truth, and Ripley tells McDonagh he needs to “handle” The Miz
The Miz def. JD McDonagh by pinfall, and R-Truth celebrates the win afterward, as confused as ever
Ripley goes to talk to Pearce about “our plans for next week,” and Balor and Priest agree that “this needs to end”
Seth Rollins is in the house, and he gets a visit from Jinder Mahal
Ivar def. Otis by pinfall
Jey Uso is asked if he has any plans for the new year, but Bronson Reed warns Jey not to get in his way
Cody Rhodes def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall in a Street Fight
Image credit: WWE.com
Drew McIntyre and CM Punk have a heated discussion about leadership
The Scottish Warrior says again that last Monday was all or nothing, and that he cost himself the match. He’s been thinking about it all week, and perhaps it is Drew McIntyre who is holding Drew McIntyre back.
If that’s the case, he needs to get his head screwed on straight and step away from WWE for a while. But … he didn’t lose straight up! It was because Damian Priest tried to cash in his MITB contract during the match, and due to that, he screwed McIntyre and himself.
Or maybe he can leave the company for nine years and get a hero’s reception when he returns. You know who did that? CM Punk, that’s who, and he does indeed get a great reception from the fans as he joins McIntyre in the ring.
Punk says it’s Piper Country and questions whether McIntyre is known for talking like Roddy was. If Drew has anything to say to CM, he can say it to his face, as he makes himself comfortable in the corner.
The Scottish Warrior mocks Punk for making it a month into his comeback while also suggesting he knows the “real” CM Punk. At one point in his career, McIntyre says he needed a leader to show him the way, but Punk was never that person and still isn’t. Indeed, Drew suggests he’s the one who is a leader now.
Punk retorts that he’s always led by example — including when he left the company, suggesting that gave McIntyre a blueprint to make himself better. He also disputes Drew’s assertion that he’s a demon, saying instead that he’s a nice guy but can be “Satan himself” when pushed too far.
McIntyre says what he did before, he did for the fans, but when he eliminates Punk from the Royal Rumble and heads to WrestleMania, it will be for him. Punk says the only person who can stop himself from accomplishing his goals is him, and not Drew, Seth Rollins or Cody Rhodes can prevent him from winning the Rumble. He claims he’ll throw McIntyre out last before he leaves the ring.
Image credit: WWE.com
Tommaso Ciampa outwits Finn Balor with a little help
Apparently R-Truth was responsible for this match, calling Balor a “scaredy-cat” and goading him into this matchup. There are high stakes too, since #DIY will get a title shot if Ciampa wins.
Both Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano are ringside to support their respective teammates, with Priest staring down Ciampa when they find themselves face to face outside the ring. Balor sends Tommaso crashing down into the announce table right before commercials.
Ciampa’s DDT right after the break gets him a near fall. A stomp to the chest is Finn’s answer, but he takes a running knee and Project Ciampa and has to kick out at two again.
Balor rallies but sees Ciampa roll away from the Coup de Grace, and then gets rolled up for another near fall. Priest is up on the apron, and Gargano nearly finds disaster when he gets involved.
Will Ciampa pay for halting to help his partner? He does not, as he’s able to capitalize on Gargano grabbing Balor’s foot after a suplex to get a quick three count. Turnabout is fair play, as they say.
Nia Jax has a Mami problem, or is it the other way around?
Michael Cole gets a word in the ring with Jax, who scoffs at the idea that it was “shocking” that she defeated Becky Lynch. But when she gets to the part about running through the Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley joins her.
Rhea says the people know what’s up and they know how Nia loves to talk a good game. She reminds Jax who threw her out of last year’s Rumble (it was Rhea) and warns Nia not to walk around like she owns the division, because she doesn’t.
Ripley says it’s best to keep Rhea’s name out of her mouth; Jax fires back that she’s too scared to face off one on one. But once she squashes everyone else in the Rumble, she plans on choosing Ripley. “See you soon, unstoppable champ.”
Image credit: WWE.com
Kayden Carter and Katana Chance retain after friendly fire downs the former champs
Wade Barrett suggests that even with the gold, Carter and Chance feel like underdogs coming into this title defense. Many other members of the women’s roster are shown watching backstage.
The champs go for some quick falls, trying to keep Green busy and isolated. Green finally sends Chance headfirst into the turnbuckles, and Niven tags in and treats her to a cannonball for a near fall.
After commercials, Carter gets her first chance for some extended offense, including a near fall on Green. A springboard legdrop is good for another. A top rope Frankensteiner by Chance forces Green to kick out yet again, but the champs are really rolling.
Green finally scores with a Roughrider on Carter and her own near fall. Niven tags back in, using a senton on Carter that means Chance has to save her partner. A uranage sends Carter down, but Chance pulls her partner out of the ring, and Niven hits a Vader Bomb on her own partner. Oh dear.
After getting Niven out of the ring, the Keg Stand on Green seals it up for the champs.
Image credit: WWE.com
Seth Rollins fights off Jinder Mahal … no, really
The World Heavyweight Champion reminds Portland that Royal Rumble is close and after that, we are on the Road to WrestleMania. While Seth says his Mania record is pretty good, he says he’s never taken a world title into the event. He’s never been on the marquee, but he says that will change this year.
But the question is who he’s going to beat on the Grandest Stage of Them All? That starts a somewhat unorganized CM Punk chant, to which he responds by saying “in his dreams, maybe.” Instead, Jinder Mahal comes down the ramp.
Mahal suggests he was more of a Visionary in five minutes last week than Rollins has been his whole career. He also gripes that Seth is giving out opportunities to others less deserving than him, which … not sure that’s true but OK.
Seth says Jinder is right and that he’s been overlooked — but it’s been on purpose, until last week when he showed up “and The Rock put your balls in a vice.” He does admit that Mahal was able to rebound from that and show back up, but he’s not crazy about Jinder coming out and interrupting his segment.
The champ tells Jinder to take a swing, but he chooses to take a cheap shot instead. Rollins easily repulses his attack, however, and is the one standing tall in the ring.
Image credit: WWE.com
Cody Rhodes might finally be done with Shinsuke Nakamura after winning a Street Fight
It doesn’t take long for these two to fight up toward the stage, then back toward ringside where Rhodes is fully in charge. He bounces a water bottle off Shinsuke’s face as the crowd chants for tables.
Rhodes goes up top but sees his foe escape, then pop back up using a broom as a weapon. A kendo stick is next to be brought to bear, and Rhodes has to head for the floor for a respite.
Nakamura is bossing things after a commercial break, paintbrushing Rhodes and toying with him a bit. He kicks Rhodes in the face, then the back of the neck.
Shinsuke switches gears, looking for a half crab. More kicks land too, but Rhodes fires himself up with a forearm shot off the ropes and a powerslam. A Disaster Kick follows and earns a near fall.
Nakamura gets some nunchaku out and puts them to good use over by the announce table. But his attempt to spray his mist misses Rhodes and hits the timekeeper right in the face instead. While Cody asks for help, Shinsuke attacks him with a steel chair, and more ads arrive.
He’s still going to town with that chair when we return, though now both men are back in the ring. Rhodes is able to turn the tables with the fans urging him on, and he meets Shinsuke for an exchange of strikes that he wins with a pair of Bionic Elbows.
The American Nightmare sets up a table but is greeted by a headbutt. Rhodes ends up on the table and takes double knees to drive him through it. Nakamura covers but only gets a two count.
Shinsuke gets another table out from under the ring, smiling as he goes about setting it up. They battle into a corner, and Nakamura hits his sliding German suplex. Off the second rope comes Nakamura with a knee strike, yet Rhodes manages to kick out again.
In the middle of the ring, Rhodes delivers a Pedigree for his own near fall. A Cody Cutter is next, but it’s still not quite enough to end it.
Nakamura counters a Cross Rhodes attempt and looks for a Kinshasa, but Cody sends him into the corner table. Cross Rhodes doesn’t miss this time, and the American Nightmare is triumphant.
WWE Raw from Washington D.C. will also see The Miz take on Ivar after they collided during last week’s Fatal 4-Way.
When Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso first teamed together and became Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, it felt like more of a happy side effect of their battle against The Judgment Day than a goal in and of itself. That might change tonight on WWE Raw form Washington D.C. as the duo gears up to try to win the titles back.
Why? For starters, they’re up against the same two men they beat for the gold, Damian Priest and Finn Balor — who then beat Rhodes and Uso a few weeks later. There’s a measure of payback that wasn’t involved prior.
Plus the surrounding stakes are higher after Adam Pearce declared that all four men will be prominently involved in the WarGames match at Survivor Series. Is this the time to give any kind of psychological edge to the people you’ll be facing inside the double-size steel cage.
We’d say no. So it will be interesting indeed to see whether or not Cody and Jey can take the titles back, and perhaps even more so to watch what happens around this championship match that might still shape Survivor Series.
Here’s what else WWE is promoting for tonight’s Raw from the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.:
Tommaso Ciampa will battle Ludwig Kaiser after the Imperium consigliere interfered in #DIY business last week
Shinsuke Nakamura will get a literally big challenge in the form of Alpha Academy’s Otis
Seeking some revenge on behalf of injured friends, Indi Hartwell will go one-on-one with Xia Li
After the Fatal 4-Way match featuring both men didn’t quite go as planned, The Miz and Ivar will fight each other in singles action for the first time
Tegan Nox will take on Piper Niven as an offshoot of Nox and Natalya’s ongoing issues with the women’s tag team champions
That’s a lot of in-ring action, and we’re ready to take it all in beginning at 8 p.m. ET tonight.
See who challenged Seth Rollins on WWE Raw and which eight men ended up confirmed for WarGames.
No. 1 contenders in pro wrestling can be funny. Sometimes all you have to do to be one is ask the champion for a title match. Other times you have to do something to offend them so they want you to be their top contender, which is some nice reverse psychology. And still other times, you have to earn a shot at the title in the ring, which is what’s going to play out tonight on WWE Raw from Wilkes-Barre.
Gunther has fended off many challenges to his Intercontinental Championship during a record-setting reign. So Adam Pearce is making four men who want a shot at him compete against each other to sort themselves out: Bronson Reed, Ivar, Ricochet and The Miz. Some have already taken on the Ring General and others have not, but it’s an intriguing field, to say the least.
At least Gunther doesn’t have to (for now, anyway) worry about facing all four in one match … which is what Rhea Ripley just had to do at Crown Jewel. Now Pearce is going to cast an even bigger web to find a challenge for Mami than he is for Gunther, as a Battle Royal will take place in Wilkes-Barre to figure that out.
These are some time honored ways of sorting out the title challengers and should be fun. And there’s going to be a tag team match between The Judgment Day and The New Day, so that’s a good thing as well.
Plus there are rumors of a big main event, so let’s see what the night has in store.
WWE Raw results from Wilkes-Barre:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
Seth Rollins wants to thank Sami Zayn, and he does … by giving Zayn a world title shot tonight
Backstage, Damian Priest is furious about that first segment, but he and Finn Balor have their own business to attend to right now
The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. The New Day by pinfall
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Drew McIntyre doesn’t want to talk about his loss at Crown Jewel, blowing off an interviewer on his way into the building
Shinsuke Nakamura def. Akira Tozawa by pinfall, then seems to dismiss a challenge from Otis for the time being
A hype video for Natalya is shown touting her accomplishments and legacy, which she punctuates by declaring herself the most accomplished woman in WWE history
Pearce runs down the four men in the Intercontinental Championship contender four-way, making a case for each of them
A busy Pearce double checks with Rollins to see if he’s sure about defending his title tonight, but Seth simply says “I’m born to run, boss”
The Miz def. Bronson Reed, Ivar and Ricochet in an Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contenders Fatal 4-Way match, though the finish is a little wonky
Tozawa apologizes to Alpha Academy, but Chad Gable says they will be there to support him for his Heritage Cup match tomorrow on NXT; Maxxine Dupri runs through her strategy for the Battle Royal
Earlier today, Pearce signs the Creed Brothers (and Ivy Nile) to Raw contracts, and #DIY comes to challenge them to a match tonight
The Creed Brothers def. #DIY by pinfall after Ludwig Kaiser gets in a cheap shot on Johnny Gargano to set up the finish
A video package takes us back to Zayn’s last world championship opportunity, a losing effort against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber; he then gets good luck wishes from Jey Uso, who informs him that Pearce gave Jey and Cody Rhodes a rematch for the tag team titles next week
Jackie Redmond asks Becky Lynch about her thoughts on the Battle Royal, and she says count me in; Nia Jax is behind her to say she’s going to win tonight, which would make her the happiest she’s been since breaking Becky’s face, though The Man reminds Jax she got fired after that happened
Elsewhere, the women’s tag team champions exchange pleasantries with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark
Zoey Stark wins the Battle Royal for a Women’s World Championship shot at Survivor Series, last eliminating Shayna Baszler
Rhea Ripley is asked about the next week of preparation for The Judgment Day, but Stark drops by to remind her she already hit Rhea with her finisher at Crown Jewel, which doesn’t seem to faze the champ
Seth Rollins def. Sami Zayn by pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
As Zayn goes to leave, The Judgment Day comes down the ramp and lays him out; they battle to the ring, where Jey Uso, and eventually, Cody Rhodes come to the side of the faces, setting off a huge pull-apart brawl that rages out of control; a furious Pearce says that if all eight men want to play games, they can play WarGames at Survivor Series, but they resume fighting as the show goes off the air
If The Judgment Day won’t accept JD McDonagh now after his key role on WWE Raw, they probably never will.
As the late, great philosopher Guru of Gang Starr once said, “Give the credit y’all, where it is due.” And in this case, the credit is due Dominik Mysterio as he prepares to defend his NXT North American Championship on tonight’s episode of WWE Raw in Ontario, California.
No, really. Though Dom is definitely the person you love to hate at the moment, he’s gone from “get this guy off my screen” heat to “we hate you because you’re a big heel” heat. In that respect, strapping him up only helped, which is why WWE did the right thing by doing so even though most people griped at the time.
He’ll have one of his biggest showcases tonight, trying to fend off Dragon Lee. There’s no question Lee reminds Dominik of his famous father in all the ways that get under his skin most, which is why a loss would definitely burn. WWE could potentially help make Lee a star with a win, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out, and if Mysterio needs help from his teammates in The Judgment Day to pull out a victory.
If they can’t help him, it might be because they’re busy too. Damian Priest and Finn Balor won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but now they’ve got to keep the Canadians from getting it back. Plus there’s lots going on around the champs, what with trying to recruit The Usos and that JD McDonagh guy always wondering “How can I be down?”
All that plus Drew McIntyre on Miz TV, Shinsuke Nakamura addressing Seth Rollins’ challenge and Cody Rhodes kicking off the show. Sounds like a night, doesn’t it? Let’s find out.
WWE Raw results from Ontario:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
Cody Rhodes gets interrupted again, but he finds plenty of allies rally to his side against The Judgment Day
Bronson Reed def. Otis by pinfall
Becky Lynch asks Tegan Nox why she didn’t take the open challenge last week and says she’s next in line once she wins at No Mercy
Nox and Natalya get into an argument in front of Adam Pearce over who deserves a shot at Lynch next, so he proposes they battle it out in the ring
Tommaso Ciampa def. Ludwig Kaiser by pinfall despite, and indeed perhaps thanks to, Giovanni Vinci’s attempt to help his Imperium mate
A hype video puts over the skill and athleticism of Dragon Lee
Tegan Nox def. Natalya by pinfall
A furious Priest kicks McDonagh out of The Judgment Day’s dimly lit dressing room
Seth Rollins gets his answer from Shinsuke Nakamura, and he is undeterred in agreeing to a Last Man Standing match at Fastlane
Even on crutches, Ricochet says he has unfinished business with Nakamura no matter who wins at Fastlane
Dominik Mysterio def. Dragon Lee by pinfall to retain the NXT North American Championship
KO and Sami say their actions earlier weren’t about helping Jey Uso but about getting their hands on The Judgment Day and winning the titles back together
Michael Cole has the unenviable task of interviewing Nia Jax, who brags about squashing Rhea Ripley, Shayna Baszler and everyone, really; Zoey Stark heads to the ring and gets in Jax’s face, seemingly unafraid of being squashed, and they brawl into a commercial break while referees try to pull them apart
Nia Jax def. Zoey Stark by pinfall
Jey Uso tells Byron Saxton that he’s not joining any groups of any kind and will be keeping a close eye on The Judgment Day the rest of the night, especially during the tag team title match
Finn Balor celebrates with Mysterio and tells him Priest needed to cool off, but they’d all be celebrating by the end of the night
Miz TV welcomes Drew McIntyre for a bit of a morality discussion involving The New Day, and Miz ends up on the receiving end of some well deserved violence
Chad Gable tries to console Otis, then tells Kaiser, who is creeping on Maxxine again, to deliver a message to Gunther: Master Gable still has his eyes on him
Drew McIntyre def. Kofi Kingston by pinfall, undeterred by Ivar beating up on Xavier Woods during the match and doing the same to Kingston afterward
Gunther lays into Kaiser, making Vinci his responsibility while he takes care of his responsibility as IC champ, saying he’ll beat Ciampa himself
Asked about beating up The New Day, Ivar says it’s for taking out Erik, and Valhalla says “an eye for an eye”
Damian Priest and Finn Balor def. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, with a huge assist from McDonagh
After the main event, KO, Zayn, Uso and Rhodes continue to take part in a massive brawl with The Judgment Day and McDonagh
Also on tap for WWE Raw from California, Cody Rhodes will open the show, and The Miz welcomes Drew McIntyre to Miz TV.
There was a time, not that long ago, that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions. They won those titles from The Usos in dramatic fashion at WrestleMania but lost them to a different villainous group since — and they’d like to fix that tonight on WWE Raw in California.
After moving past The Bloodline, KO and Sami fought the good fight against The Judgment Day too, but their success ran out when Damian Priest and Finn Balor beat them for the titles. Priest and Balor had plenty of help from the rest of their team, so the question is whether anything will be different during the rematch with the roles of champions and challengers reversed.
We’ll also hear from Shinsuke Nakamura tonight. Though he failed to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins at Payback, he’s done a masterful job living rent-free inside the champion’s head since then. Rollins finally snapped last week and said they could have a rematch with Shinsuke picking the stipulation, which he may do tonight … or not, depending on how far he wants to keep stringing Rollins along.
Other things to watch for tonight on Raw:
The Miz will welcome Drew McInyre to Miz TV, where surely nothing will go amiss and no one will try attacking anyone else
Otis will take on Bronson Reed in a clash of two very large human beings
Cody Rhodes is slated to open the show, and will probably ask us what we want to talk about
WWE had also been promoting an NXT North American Championship match between Dominik Mysterio and Dragon Lee. It wasn’t included in the Raw social media posts sent out Sunday, but that could very still be on the card as well.
As we do every week, we’ll have live WWE Raw results and updates beginning at 8 p.m. ET, so join us back here then if you aren’t able to watch tonight’s show.
Dominik Mysterio couldn’t help Rhea Ripley on WWE Raw, but a returning star provided an unexpected hand.
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Rhea Ripley certainly doesn’t need help from Dominik Mysterio to win her matches. She’s proven that numerous times on her way to becoming Women’s World Championship. That said, it’s fair to wonder if it’ll get in her head looking ringside tonight during WWE Raw in Norfolk and not seeing Dirty Dom there to support her.
Ripley can use any edge she can get because Raquel Rodriguez has been a determined challenger who is a legit threat to dethrone her. Rodriguez is powerful enough to stand her ground against Ripley, and she’s motivated by what the champ did to both her and tag team partner Liv Morgan, so she’s not going to stop.
All we’re saying is that with Dom barred from ringside tonight for the title rematch, Ripley might not have the same comfort level she usually does. And given the way she’s put the rest of The Judgment Day on notice if they didn’t win gold, it would be ironic indeed if she loses hers first.
Cody Rhodes is going to talk about something on Raw this evening as well, and while we fully expect that he’ll ask us what we want to talk about, we feel just as sure that he already has something in mind. We’re just not exactly sure what that might be, and if it still has to do with recently arrived Jey Uso.
Plus, Imperium is going to throw a championship celebration for Gunther, which he deserves as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time. But has he truly beaten everyone worth beating, or will someone new choose this occasion to declare themselves next in line to try to topple the Ring General?
These are the reasons we watch.
WWE Raw results from Norfolk:
(scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
Jey Uso is caught between Kevin Owens saying do the work and The Judgment Day trying to recruit him, but offers to team with KO tonight
The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. Jey Uso and Kevin Owens by pinfall, after an Uso superkick accidentally hits Owens and sets up their opponents’ victory
Uso attempts to apologize to Owens, but KO angrily tells him to go join “your new Bloodline” and accept the Judgment Day’s offer to join
A highlight package is shown of Gunther’s victory over Chad Gable last week that helped make him a record-holder; afterward, a car pulls up and Imperium gets out, dressed to the nines
The Miz def. Akira Tozawa by pinfall
Raquel Rodriguez tells Byron Saxton that Rhea Ripley might be the most dominant women’s champ ever, but she’s not like most challengers and Dom won’t be there to help Rhea tonight
Chelsea Green makes the mistake of calling Shayna Baszler a peer, and besides, she doesn’t need a partner because Piper Niven is back
Gunther is ready to celebrate his historic Intercontinental Championship reign, but Chad Gable isn’t done with him yet
Xavier Woods wants to know why Drew McIntyre was trash talking Kofi Kingston and isn’t happy with the answer he gets, then goads the Scottish Warrior into a match
Backstage, Ciampa explains why he came to Alpha Academy’s aid, and Otis suggests the three of them challenge Imperium tonight
Drew McIntyre vs. Xavier Woods by pinfall
Cody Rhodes wants to talk about Jey Uso but has to fight off Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh instead
McIntyre tells Jey he doesn’t trust him, saying he doubts Uso can stand on his own two feet; Jey says he’ll prove he can by facing McIntyre next week, and Drew quickly accepts
Shayna Baszler def. Chelsea Green by pinfall, then gets some help from Zoey Stark to avoid a post-match beating from Piper Niven
Shinsuke Nakamura is still focused on taking Seth Rollins’ title and says he will challenge for it again when he feels like it
Rollins comes to the ring and admits that he is all the bad things Nakamura claims he is, but he’s also some good things, and it simply took a long time to realize he just needed to be himself; he also offers the chance for Shinsuke to come get the World Heavyweight Championship right now, but Nak is busy beating up Ricochet backstage instead
Balor approaches Jey and says The Judgment Day are his only fans on Raw, and the door is always open for him
Alpha Academy and Tommaso Ciampa def. Imperium by submission
The Judgment Day says the more Jey feels isolated, the better the chance that he joins them; Rhea tells Dom not to worry, as she always comes out on top
Tiffany Stratton is upset that she’s been waiting for Becky Lynch, but The Man arrives to sign a contract for their title match on NXT; Lynch also says her problem with Stratton is that she only wants to be famous, while Tiffany says she doesn’t need Becky to be a big deal since she’s been doing that for herself
Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Rodriguez by pinfall to retain the Women’s World Championship, thanks to a dramatic return by Nia Jax, who then assaults Ripley after the bell
