Tag: Ricochet

WWE Raw results 09/04/23: Gunther makes history, Jey Uso arrives

See how Gunther made history on WWE Raw from Charlotte, which also saw Jey Uso arrive for his first show on the red brand.

WWE Raw emanates from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it could be a momentous night for Chad Gable.

As Gunther nears the record for the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion, he has Gable standing in his way as his biggest obstacle yet. While not at the size and stature of the Imperium leader, Gable is still a presence in his own right as an Olympian and one of WWE’s top technical wrestlers.

It would be startling if Gunther fell just short of the historic mark, but WWE has teased it enough to instill some doubt.

This is also the first show with The Judgment Day as Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions after they defeated Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens at Payback. This group now holds gold across the board, and entering the fall season, they should run amok.

The other shock from Payback was when Cody Rhodes introduced Jey Uso as the newest member of Raw. Jey had “quit” WWE after the events of SummerSlam and stayed off programming for the past few weeks. With The Usos now split, it will be interesting to see how Jey begins his career as a singles star and if life without Jimmy is more profitable.

WWE Raw results from Charlotte:

  • A recap video of Payback opens the show.
  • Jey Uso addresses the crowd on his first night at WWE Raw, and Sami Zayn assures him that he is welcome on Monday nights.
  • An aftermath video of Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura plays, that shows the King of Strong Style’s post-match attack at Payback that did not air. Nakamura vows to become World Heavyweight Champion.
  • Adam Pearce tells Seth Rollins backstage that medical had ordered him not to be at Raw, but Rollins insisted he was fine. Ricochet praised Rollins’ match at Payback, expressing his respect for him, but reminded him that he didn’t have to carry the show alone. Rollins assured everyone he was fine.
  • The Viking Raiders defeat Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle via pinfall, in part due to Kofi Kingston’s interference.
  • Seth Rollins challenges Shinsuke Nakamura to a World Heavyweight Championship match, but Nakamura declines and the two brawl.
  • Backstage, Adam Pearce says he’s trying to help Seth Rollins help himself because he’s running himself into the ground, but Rollins wants to hear none of it.
  • Zoey Stark says she has a lot of respect for Trish Stratus, but no one ever pushes her around. Shayna Baszler interrupts, and Starks says they should go one on one tonight.
  • The Judgment Day celebrates their victorious weekend at Payback. JD McDonagh presents Damian Priest with a personalized briefcase and accepts Sami Zayn’s challenge for a match.
  • A slideshow of previous Intercontinental Champions is shown.
  • Gunther says Chad Gable can’t stand in the way of his legacy, and Gable’s fairytale story is temporary.
  • Adam Pearce informs Raquel Rodriguez that he will fulfill her unknown request. Chelsea Green then approaches Pearce and begins to belittle Raquel. Consequently, Pearce officially announces the match between Green and Rodriguez for tonight. It’s also revealed that Piper Niven isn’t cleared to wrestle.
  • Shayna Baszler defeats Zoey Stark via submission.
  • Damian Priest says JD McDonagh still needs to prove himself, but Finn Balor says they wouldn’t be tag team champions without JD McDonagh. Rhea Ripley says let’s see how he does against Sami Zayn before deciding if JD joins Judgment Day.
  • Raquel Rodriguez defeats Chelsea Green via pinfall.
  • Chad Gable says he’s already in the history books and lists his accolades. He vows to add to own legacy as being more than a tag team specialist.
  • Drew McIntyre searches backstage for Kofi Kingston, but runs into Matt Riddle instead. Angered by Jey Uso’s presence on Raw, McIntyre warns Cody Rhodes that he will be watching Uso closely and will have a problem with him if anything happens. Kofi apologizes, but McIntyre refuses to accept it and vows to keep a close eye out for any other accidents.
  • The Miz challenges LA Knight to a rematch without a special referee involved.
  • Gunther and Chad Gable’s rivalry is played in a video package.
  • Adam Pearce tells Jey Uso that someone from SmackDown is being traded to Raw. The identity of the person is unknown, but whoever it is might annoy people more. Tommaso Ciampa then enters Pearce’s office to “finish a conversation.”
  • JD McDonagh defeats Sami Zayn via pinfall.
  • Dominik Mysterio celebrates backstage with The Judgment Day, but breaks away to try to recruit Jey Uso into the group.
  • Gunther defeats Chad Gable via pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

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

Welcome to Monday Night Raw, Jey Uso

Jey Uso wastes no time as he opens Raw with an entrance through the crowd, who gives him a massive pop. Uso gives everyone a grand “Welcome to Monday Night Raw” and receives a huge “Uso” chant in response. Comparing his recent events on SmackDown to “Family Feud,” Uso admits he has made enemies along the way.

Naturally, one of his enemies, Sami Zayn, interrupts. Zayn, Kevin Owens and The Usos headlined the first night of WrestleMania 39 not long ago, but it feels like an eternity has passed since then.

Zayn admits that many people backstage will have issues with Uso’s presence on Raw, but he wants Uso to know that he is glad Jey is here.

Jey puts his hands behind his back as Zayn extends his hand. Zayn walks away, and Uso says “Now that wasn’t very Ucey of me, was it?” They then embrace, but while departing the arena, Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle, who both have longstanding issues with The Bloodline, stare down Jey as Zayn tries calming everyone.

Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle find trouble in paradise in loss to The Viking Raiders

After Drew McIntyre vowed to destroy The Viking Raiders last week, he and Matt Riddle took them on in a tornado tag team match, something not seen often in WWE.

Erik and Ivar quickly take control of the action, but after settling in, McIntyre and Riddle start to work together effectively as a tag team. Riddle then imitates The Dudley Boyz and playfully requests that McIntyre get the tables.

McIntyre then gets his hot tag without the hot tag and plants both Erik and Ivar in the middle of the ring. Despite both teams’ attempts, they fail to put the other through a table as the table is set up in the corner foreshadowing something. McIntyre then sets Ivar up for a Claymore Kick, but Erik saves Ivar.

The Scottish Warrior tries setting up the announce table for something dangerous, but it allows Ivar to hit a splash on McIntyre onto the floor.

Riddle puts Erik on the table inside the ring, but Valhalla interferes. The Viking Raiders attempt to take out Riddle, prompting Kofi Kingston to rush in to save him. Unfortunately, Kingston ends up striking Riddle with Trouble in Paradise, allowing Erik and Ivar to put Riddle through a table and win by pinfall, leaving McIntyre livid.

Seth Rollins challenges Shinsuke Nakamura to a title rematch

Charlotte crowd happily welcomed Seth Rollins, who admitted that there were times during his Payback match with Shinsuke Nakamura when he wasn’t sure if he was going to get up. However, he proudly declared that, last time he checked, he was still the World Heavyweight Champion.

Rollins demands that Nakamura enter the arena, insisting that it hasn’t been sitting right with him that The King of Strong Style attacked him after the match. Seth gets his wish, but Nakamura stops short of the ring.

Rollins proposes a World Heavyweight Championship rematch right then and there. However, Nakamura hesitates and cuts a promo in Japanese, prompting Rollins to assume that he has accepted the challenge. But Nakamura says no.

Adam Pearce and security rush out to break up the brawl between Rollins and Nakamura, but not before Nakamura kicks Rollins in the back. This prompts Ricochet to come out and help clear the area.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants to break backs instead of winning

During the match, Wade Barrett tries to explain on commentary why Nakamura declined Rollins’ title challenge; Nakamura wants to fight on his own terms, not Rollins’.

Nakamura takes control of the match with a strike to the midsection and work on Ricochet’s back after the commercial break. However, Ricochet fights back with a headscissors takedown. Interestingly, Mr. Money in the Bank, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are watching the match backstage.

Ricochet searches for a 630 splash, but Nakamura dodges and counters with a thrilling sequence. Nakamura fails to land a move on the apron, and the two start brawling at ringside. An infuriated Nakamura finally smashes Ricochet in the back with a chair, resulting in a disqualification.

Before Nakamura makes things worse, Rollins saves Ricochet, attacking Nakamura and the security who tries to stop him. But as Nakamura tries to brutalize Rollins again, Ricochet saves him. Backstage, Ripley advises Priest to not cash his briefcase tonight.

The Judgment Day try to celebrate their weekend

Damian Priest tells everyone to rise for the group who all hold gold. Dominik Mysterio tries to speak, but, of course, he gets booed out of the building and everything he says is indistinguishable.

Finn Balor congratulates Dominik on his Judgment Day anniversary, thanking Ripley for being the voice of reason. He then turns to Priest, reminding them that despite the ups and downs, they are now tag team champions. Balor gives a shoutout to JD McDonagh and proudly thanks himself for being “Grand Slam Finn.”

Ripley says Balor and Priest rose to the occasion, making the group a true family, but one thing is aggravating her: The focus isn’t on The Judgment Day, but instead on Jey Uso being on Raw and what that means.

McDonagh interrupts, to Priest’s dismay, and McDonagh says big changes are needed in The Judgment Day. McDonagh says the briefcase has to go and he doesn’t need it, but he gives him a customized “Señor Money in the Bank” briefcase that’s colored purple.

Interrupting the party, Sami Zayn declares that he won’t let the weekend’s title match shenanigans slide. He proclaims that a special beating is owed to “the biggest turd of them all,” Dominik. Seemingly unfazed, McDonagh challenges Zayn to a match tonight, to which Zayn accepts.

Zoey Stark begins life after Trish Stratus

Stark, without Trish Stratus at her side and as a babyface, faces a difficult challenge in the woman who sent Ronda Rousey out of WWE.

Baszler attempts to put the Kirifuda Clutch on Stark, who escapes it. She tries again at ringside, but Stark prevents it by slamming her into ringside.

Baszler tries the Kirifuda against Stark inside the ring, but Stark counters with a Z360 and a splash at ringside. However, Baszler’s Kirifuda proves too much for Stark, who fails to break free from it after three attempts, eventually passing out and losing the match.

After the match, Baszler tells Stark that she gave a better fight than Rousey, and Stark says the same thing about Stratus.

Raquel Rodriguez annihilates Chelsea Green

Chelsea Green is once again partnerless, and she has no help as Raquel dominates her with pure strength and a few big kicks. After a massive clothesline and powerbomb, Rodriguez wins easily.

Rodriguez announced that she will be getting her rematch against Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship next week on Raw, with Dominik Mysterio banned from ringside.

The Miz speaks to “John Cena”

The Miz claims he was cheated in his match against LA Knight at Payback. He then announces that he has someone to bring out who’s completely honest, John Cena … but no one sees him.

The Miz begins addressing an empty chair as “Cena”. He then declares that he has seen through Cena for all these years and starts questioning “Cena” about the match.

“Cena” and Miz start fighting, with Miz hitting the Skull Crushing Finale. The A-lister subsequently challenges LA Knight to a rematch without a special guest referee.

Sami Zayn wants payback against JD McDonagh

Sami Zayn targets JD McDonagh’s back after what Owens did to it at Payback, but McDonagh swiftly takes control, slamming Zayn into the announce deck and the ring post.

Zayn retaliates with a clothesline and a chop. He hits a Michinoku Driver and almost pins McDonagh. When he goes for a Helluva Kick, Dominik Mysterio yanks McDonagh out of danger, and Zayn turns his attention to Mysterio.

Mysterio’s last distraction pays off, allowing McDonagh to roll up Zayn with the tights to score the victory.

Zayn goes after Dominik, but McDonagh, as he continues to do, takes the offense instead and tells Dominik to go. It seems like a quasi-initiation process for McDonagh to join The Judgment Day.

Gunther makes history

Easily the biggest moment of Chad Gable’s singles career and a potential history-making moment for Gunther, this has all the makings of a classic.

Gable targets Gunther’s ankle, goading him into a chop and escaping his own attempted offense, sending the champion on the run. Gunther takes control of the match, but Gable retaliates with another ankle target to weaken the tall Gunther, who fights back with the other leg, delivering a big boot.

Gable channels his inner Kurt Angle, pulling down his singlet straps to bring the fight, but it fails to work as Gunther continues dominating the challenger.

Gunther powerbombs Gable and hits a damaging chop, but Gable comes back with a superplex and a splash for a dramatic nearfall. After two attempts, he hits Chaos Theory but can’t get past the Austrian just yet.

Gable gets his best anklelock in, but Gunther kicks his way out and puts him into a sleeper hold. A gnarly suplex drops Gable directly on his head, and after a powerbomb and a sickening clothesline, Gunther retains to make history.

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 SummerSlam 2023: Top takeaways from all the happenings in Detroit

SummerSlam was a good show that elevated several wrestlers, but did it live up to sky high expectations overall?

Fans having high expectations for an event is usually a good thing, as that means people are engaged with the product.

But in the case of SummerSlam, it turned out to be kind of a detriment for WWE.

On the surface, SummerSlam wasn’t a bad show. In fact, I think it was a pretty good one. A couple of years ago, that would have been good enough by WWE standards.

But the bar has been raised throughout 2023, making SummerSlam, at least for me, only a decent show that had potential to be a lot more.

As usual, I have takeaways from the night in Detroit.

Jimmy Uso betrays his own brother

I had a feeling that this could happen. I had a feeling it could go down like this. I didn’t really want to entertain the idea that Jimmy Uso could turn on Jey Uso. But when someone as integral to a story as Jimmy Uso goes missing, wrestling fans can assume that they will resurface during the ensuing major encounter. 

That is exactly what happened Saturday night, as Jimmy Uso thwarted his brother’s chances of defeating Roman Reigns by pulling him out of the ring during a pin attempt. After a shocking reveal, Jimmy Uso delivered a gut-wrenching superkick to his twin brother.

While it may be hard to believe for some that not one but two of Jey Uso’s blood brothers have turned on him in favor of their narcissistic yet insecure cousin, it didn’t make it any less heartbreaking to see the Usos essentially break up after years of being one of the best tag teams in the world.

It is professional wrestling, though, which means they will surely reunite one day. But for now, it is just kind of sad.

So where do we go from here?

I can only assume this means we will see the Usos face each other in a one-on-one match at some point. Will WWE save that for next year’s WrestleMania? Time will tell, but it seems like the logical direction either way.

Where does Reigns go from here? In the immediate future, I honestly have no idea. Outside of Cody Rhodes, who we’ll discuss more in a little bit, I don’t see a long line of credible challengers for Reigns. 

Does that mean Reigns is in line for an extended break? Reigns has had a busy summer, so much so that you almost forget that he has essentially risen to the level of a part-time wrestler, and we may not see him for a while after this.

IYO SKY cashes in and cashes out

As I predicted earlier in the week, IYO SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank contract and won the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.

I must admit, though, that my prediction had SKY cashing in on Charlotte moments into her 15th title reign. Instead, it was Bianca Belair who pulled off a triumphant victory, only for SKY to come down and rain on her parade.

Unlike Reigns, there are a slew of credible challengers for SKY to go up against. First on the list is Belair, who will probably enact an automatic rematch clause to set up their next encounter.

However, I feel like this will eventually lead to jealousy amongst Damage CTRL and eventually end with the group dissolving right before our very eyes.

Brock Lesnar endorses Cody Rhodes

Brock Lesnar has been involved with professional wrestling for more than 20 years, and I don’t think I have ever seen him put someone over the way he did for Rhodes Saturday night.

Not only did Rhodes defeat Lesnar clean as a sheet in the middle of the ring, Lesnar shook Rhodes’ hand, gave him a hug, and raised his arm after the match, essentially endorsing Rhodes as “that guy.”

Receiving such an endorsement from Lesnar of all people should mean a lot. And if WWE follows through on that, it should mean Rhodes is the person to dethrone Reigns. Right? Why else would you have Lesnar single him out like that? 

If that is the case, when does this happen? Is WWE pushing this all the way until WrestleMania? I guess it could happen, especially if Reigns takes an extended break. 

But what do you do with Rhodes in the meantime? He’s already slayed the biggest threat in the promotion outside of Reigns. Who else would pose a credible threat at this point?

Could we see that match before the end of 2023? I’m of the opinion that WWE should save a second match between Reigns and Rhodes for WrestleMania, but I also understand how that is easier said than done.

LA Knight has finally his moment

It may have occurred in a sponsored battle royal with virtually nothing at stake, but LA Knight finally had his moment to shine, winning said battle royal and getting a lot of love from the fans in Detroit in the process.

At this point, WWE needs to stop messing around and get fully on board with Knight being a potential top guy. It’s not often that WWE has someone on the roster as over as Knight currently is. And the times it has happened, the company has often been late to the party and failed to capitalize on the momentum.

Hopefully, that is not the case with Knight, who has earned at least a chance to show that he can run with the ball. He has to prove that he actually can in the long run, but he has definitely earned the opportunity.

A worked MMA match?

If there is one lesson I have taken away from my multiple decades of watching professional wrestling, it’s that simulating anything other than pro wrestling is usually a mistake.

Roddy Piper and Mr. T tried to put on a worked boxing match at WrestleMania 2, and it ended up being one of the worst matches in the event’s illustrious history.

Almost 20 years later, WWE put Big Show into a worked sumo match with sumo legend Akebono. That turned out to be an abomination as well.

With the rise of mixed martial arts, I should have known that it was only a matter of time until WWE tried to simulate an MMA fight. And no, not in the way of NXT’s Fight Pit or Raw/NXT Underground, or even Ken Shamrock’s Lion’s Den matches, which still largely resembled professional wrestling contests.

This was Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler doing their best to make it seem like they were back in UFC, which unsurprisingly, did not turn out well.

If this is indeed the end of Rousey’s run with WWE, what an anticlimactic way to go out. Her run started out with so much promise. WWE immediately slotted her into big matches and into the main event of the biggest show of the year. The company basically promoted the one and only all-women’s pay-per-view around the fact that she was going to be on it.

But there she was Saturday night, being choked out by Baszler in the middle of Ford Field. 

In theory, this should be a springboard for Baszler to ascend to bigger and better things as a single. In reality, however, I’m not sure it will be. That is how far Rousey’s stock has fallen as of late.

Who’s to blame for that? Oh, there is plenty to go around. Regardless of who you place the blame upon, Rousey’s run in WWE was not the cash register the company was hoping it would be. It also didn’t make any real progress in putting women’s wrestling on equal footing with the men. 

To be fair, the latter is not Rousey’s fault, but it is just another aspect of a run that did not reach its full potential.

SummerSlam results: Maverick soars, cheats as Logan Paul defeats Ricochet

Logan Paul was able to defeat Ricochet at SummerSlam 2023 … but not without a big shortcut.

Logan Paul has now firmly embraced his heel role, even acting tough toward fans on his way down the very long SummerSlam entranceway. He supposedly is trying to get to his brother’s boxing match after this, so we’ll see how long this goes. Fans are firmly behind Ricochet from the start.

There’s plenty of posturing and posing early on, along with some smack talking. The crowd is reacting audibly to almost every move, and it will be interesting to see if they can keep that up for three hours.

Paul yanks Ricochet down hard and bounces him off the apron to the floor. The camera cuts to ring announcer Samantha Irvin, who is engaged to Ricochet and got dragged into this feud over the last week by Paul.

The fans enthusiastically tell Paul he sucks as he earns his first near fall. He’s leaning into the boos again, cupping his ear and flexing between moves.

A spinebuster finally turns things around for Ricochet, who follows with a standing moonsault for two. Paul responds with a back body drop that gets big air.

Paul tries to launch into a Spanish Fly off the apron, but both men land on their feet and the Maverick is planted. He recovers in time to drag his foe back out to the floor, however, and hits a Buckshot lariat of sorts before grabbing a drink of Prime. Of course. He returns to the ring for another near fall.

Ricochet battles out of the corner, then heads up top with Paul and drops him with a cutter that leaves both men down. Paul gets hit with a handspring back elbow, and Ricochet’s flurry ends with a springboard lariat and a follow-up for two.

We may now have entered “what will it take to win this?” territory for Ricochet. Paul plants him with a tornado DDT after a nice countering sequence, and the crowd reacts as it’s a very close two count.

Ricochet counters a powerbomb attempt with a facebuster and looks to soar again. But Paul gets his knees up on the Shooting Star Press and covers for yet another near fall.

An inverted electric chair drop has Paul looking confident again. He springboards into a Frog Splash but Ricochet manages to kick out at the last second, and Logan looks a little dismayed.

Paul signals that he’s going to load up his right hand but is caught coming in. Yet another close call occurs after Ricochet’s springboard moonsault finds the mark.

Ricochet tries a 450 splash only to find Paul roll away, and the crowd boos as he grabs some brass knux. His right hand is on target, giving him a cheating victory.

Check out full WWE SummerSlam 2023 results here.

WWE SummerSlam 2023 results: Tribal Combat, Rhodes-Lesnar 3 and more

Ford Field in Detroit is playing host to four championship matches and Tribal Combat among eight bouts on the WWE SummerSlam 2023 card.

The time has arrived for The Biggest Party of the Summer to take over Detroit’s Ford Field. But for some of the biggest stars of WWE, it’ll be more fighting than partying tonight.

That’s because the SummerSlam card is packed to the gills with title matches and other intriguing bouts, with four championships on the line, a 25-man battle royal and some very personal non-title bouts.

With all due respect to WWE framing the event as having multiple man events, the match that’s expected to close the show is one that has built up for well over a year: Tribal Combat between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso, with not only the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line, but also Reigns’ status as Tribal Chief. Can Jey grab something that even Roman has claimed would someday be his destiny, or will Reigns’ … well, reign, continue unabated?

Rhea Ripley is somehow without a championship match tonight, but supremacy of the rest of the women’s division will on the line when Asuka defends against both Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. Finn Balor will try to erase seven years of bitterness when he tries to dethrone World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. And Cody Rhodes will attempt to put Brock Lesnar behind him once and for all in the rubber match between two men who are currently tied at one win apiece.

It should be an interesting and entertaining night, so let’s see how it all plays out.

WWE SummerSlam 2023 results from Detroit:

(click on any match link for full details)

WWE SummerSlam 2023: Predictions for every match set for Detroit

Who will prevail at WWE SummerSlam in Detroit? Here are picks for every match.

Wrestling fans have truly been spoiled this summer with some amazing wrestling.

Throughout this summer, we have seen banger after banger (from all over the world, mind you), and we potentially have another on the way with the season’s most notable event, SummerSlam. 

At SummerSlam, we’ve got one of the biggest matches of the year on top of the card and an undercard that is worthy of sitting all the way through until the main event rolls around.

Naturally, I have predictions. Here is what a rundown of what I think will go down in Motown.

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (Tribal Combat): Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso

The story leading up to SummerSlam has been great, but the outcome has never been in doubt.

In short, Reigns will retain his title along with his status as Tribal Chief, extending his already historic reign. With that said, I fully expect WWE to pull out all of the stops with this one. That means there will be plenty of interference and an overabundance of familial drama. 

Buckle up folks, this could get wild.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

As of this writing, there has been no added stipulation to their third encounter. Whether one is added or not means nothing to me, as I believe Rhodes will finish this particular story with a win.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

WWE World Heavyweight Championship match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor

With Damian Priest looming in the background with the Money in the Bank briefcase, this could get pretty interesting.

For all we know, Priest could take a page out of Rollins’ playbook and cash in during the match, making it a triple threat. 

Cash in attempt or not, I think Rollins will retain his world title, mainly because I think the only person that should take that title away from the current champion is Gunther. 

Since Gunther is still on the road to becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, he is probably not going to pursue the world title until he has broken the long-standing record.

And yes, that could mean Priest fails at cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.

Winner: Seth Rollins

WWE Women’s Championship match: Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair

While I think Priest may fail in his attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, I think IYO SKY will successfully cash in hers. 

However, that comes after Charlotte Flair wins her 15th world title in WWE, which would put her one shy of tying her father for 16 world title reigns.

WWE seemingly looks for ways to get Charlotte Flair extra title runs, so I can easily see the company have her defeat Asuka and Belair, only to quickly lose it to IYO SKY.

It’s happened before, when Carmella cashed in on Charlotte Flair back in 2018.

Winner: Charlotte Flair, but eventually, IYO SKY

WWE Intercontinental Championship match: Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre

As of this writing, Gunther is a little more than a month away from surpassing Honky Tonk Man to become the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in history. Since I believe Gunther is going to break that record, the prediction is easily Gunther retaining.

However, I fully expect this to be a brutal affair that will leave a few bruises before it is said and done.

Winner: Gunther

MMA Rules: Shayna Baszler vs. Ronda Rousey

An MMA rules match is kind of hilarious given that WWE is about to be part of a media conglomerate that features the most prominent mixed martial arts promotion in the world under its umbrella.

If this match took place in the UFC, the prediction would definitely be Rousey winning. But since this is simulated combat and not real fighting, I’m going to go with Baszler to pick up the much-needed win.

If the reports of Rousey stepping away from wrestling are true, it would make even more sense for Baszler to come away with the win and use it as a springboard to bigger and better things.

Winner: Shayna Baszler

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

As I wrote back in a previous column, being paired with Paul has benefitted Ricochet. But like Tribal Combat, the outcome has never been in doubt.

Paul hasn’t won a match in over a year, and Ricochet represents a quality opponent to finally get back in the win column.

Winner: Logan Paul

SummerSlam Battle Royal

As of this writing, the full field has yet to be unveiled. However, I don’t need to see the entire field to know that this has be LA Knight’s moment to shine.

Winner: LA Knight

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 07/24/23: Becky wins big, but her husband not so much

Get the scoop on WWE Raw from Tampa, less than two weeks away from SummerSlam.

Like the Rolling Stones (Google them, kids) once famously said, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need. Becky Lynch really wants another match against Trish Stratus, and if she tries hard enough tonight on WWE Raw in Tampa, she may get what she says she needs — probably at SummerSlam.

Standing in her way is leading Stratus disciple Zoey Stark, who definitely is no relation to Tony. One of the few people who’s actually been willing to thank Trish the way she wants, Stark needs to win to keep her mentor from getting her hands dirty, as well as ensuring The Man gets a tattoo she’d definitely prefer not to have on her person.

Naturally, this all seems to be setting up for Stark to lose and the two stars of different WWE generations to have a showdown in Detroit next month. But hey, that’s why we watch. I thought for sure LA Knight would have received a push by now too, which just goes to show you never know.

Another big part of Raw will be seeing face to face meetings between pairings who seem even more guaranteed to be joining the SummerSlam card. By this we mean Ricochet and Logan Paul, as well as Drew McIntyre and Gunther. If both of these gatherings end peacefully, let’s just say that would be a heck of a parlay if there were prop bets allowed on WWE programming in the U.S.

(Which they aren’t, and that’s a good thing IYAM.)

Anyway, this could be a water-treading type show on the way to SummerSlam, but WWE has surprised to the upside more than once this year, so let’s see what happens.

WWE Raw results from Tampa:

The Judgment Day is already in the ring when the show begins, but someone is missing … oh yeah, Dirty Dom. They don’t only run Raw, but all of WWE thanks to “unbeatable” Rhea Ripley, Senor Money in the Bank Damian Priest and future World Heavyweight Champion Finn Balor.

But the man of the hour is, alas, Dominik Mysterio, and clips are show of his victory over Wes Lee to become the NXT North American Champion. With lots of help from his teammates, of course.

Sporting a huge grin despite all the boos raining down, Mysterio joins his teammates carrying his new gold. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn join the fun and admit the crowd is disrespecting him … because no one respects him.

But Sami has an idea for that to change: if Dom takes on Sami tonight in Tampa. Further, if Mysterio is a fighting champ like he says he is, he’ll put his title on the line. Rhea Ripley accepts on his behalf, so the die is cast.

Becky Lynch def. Zoey Stark by pinfall

KP and Corey Graves remind us of the stakes here: Lynch needs to win, or else she gets no match with Trish Stratus and has to get “thank you Trish” tattooed on her body. Where is unclear.

Stark hits some impressive early moves that show off her athleticism. When things start turning against Stark, Stratus provides some hands-on assistance, but The Man is still able to kick out, much to Trish’s dismay.

Lynch escapes the Z-360 and takes Stark up top for a superplex, but she’s not able to apply an armbar and Zoey powerbombs her for another close near fall. After they go back and forth a bit, Lynch catches Stark in mid-air for a Manhandle Slam, and Stratus looks dismayed as she sees the ref count the three.

A hype video is shown for Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar that once again calls it “one of the main events of SummerSlam.” Tsk, tsk.

Rhodes heads for the ring for what figures to be his weekly mic time. He wants to talk about Lesnar beating him up with a chair in front of his mother, Cody says he wasn’t surprised, and his mom wasn’t impressed, given what she’s seen in wrestling throughout the years.

Brock made a mistake, he continues, by leaving him breathing. Now Rhodes doesn’t want to go to SummerSlam just to win a rematch, but to embarrass Lesnar. Goals are good.

Ricochet is glad Logan Paul accepted his invitation to show up tonight but anything he has to say, he’ll say to Logan’s face.

Dominik Mysterio def. Sami Zayn by pinfall to retain the NXT North American Championship

The Judgment Day is on hand to support Dirty Dom, but KO is there as well, and much happier than the others to see Zayn get off to a strong start. The shenanigans begin during a commercial break, and the ref sees enough, first ejecting Owens and later all of Mysterio’s teammates as well.

Corey Graves loves it as Dom builds some momentum … that is halted by a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Mysterio responds with a 619 and his own two count.

The boos rain down as the Three Amigos are all on target, but a frog splash finds no one home. An exploder sends Dom into the corner, but Zayn halts as he sees The Judgment Day roll a beaten up KO out on the stage. Dom quickly rolls up Sami and gets the three to escape with his gold.

Adam Pearce and Zayn look concerned as Owens wonders if his foot is broken.

The weekly SmackDown Bloodline recap shows Roman Reigns and Jey Uso invoking Tribal Combat at SummerSlam.

Ricochet asks Shinsuke Nakamura if he’s seen Logan Paul, then Shinsuke gets a visit from Tommaso Ciampa. He doesn’t want to see Nakamura out there during his match with Bronson Red or else they will have a problem.

Shinsuke says nothing in response, like the legend he is.

Apollo Crews doesn’t like The Judgment Day picking on people and steps to Damian Priest. Meanwhile, Akira Tozawa, who cleared out when the heels asked if he had a problem with them, slides back in and tells Crews “you got this.” Heh.

Bronson Reed def. Tommaso Ciampa by pinfall

Ciampa is not holding up well against Reed’s power. Maybe hopping on Bronson’s back for a sleeper will work? Not when he falls straight back. Yikes.

A knee shot on the outside looks like it might turn things around for Ciampa. But can he keep the momentum going? He’s giving it his best shot with a modified Fame-Ass-Er.

Reed is surprised when he just plops down seated on Ciampa’s chest (as a counter to a sunset flip) and sees his foe kick out. Somehow, Tommaso gets Bronson up for an Air Raid Crash, which unfortunately doesn’t end it.

Right on cue, here comes Nakamura down the ramp. That gives Reed the opening he needs for a Tsunami, and that’s lights out for Ciampa.

Byron Saxton gets a Raquel Rodriguez injury update from Liv Morgan, but Liv wants to deal with Rhea, who caused that injury, tonight. You may recall that she’s the last person to defeat Ripley. Source? Liv Morgan.

Saxton tries to throw it back to Graves and KP, but tag team champs Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville are upset about not being interviewed. They seem mad that “everything revolves around” Ripley but quickly change their tune and vamoose when Rhea shows up. She says she warned Raquel and Liv to stay out of her business, and now … well, you see where she’s going.

Rhea Ripley destroys Liv Morgan in lieu of having a match

Ripley catches Morgan with a blindside show on her way to the ring, which goes badly for Liv. Rhea has a steel chair too, and wears Morgan out before a ref and another official finally show up.

They aren’t enough to stop Rhea from stomping on Liv’s arm with the aid of the chair.

“This is my division, you’re lucky you’re living in it,” Ripley taunts while backing up the ramp.

Alpha Academy congratulates Viking Raiders on their win but challenges them to an Academy Rules match in return. Maxxine Dupri also wants Valhalla in her first singles match ever next week.

Ricochet heads to the ring and calls for Logan Paul to “show your stupid face.” He says everyone knows Paul doesn’t belong here, even though he’s put in the work. Ricochet admits Paul might even be special, but he’s special every day of the week. No, it’s because Paul is an “arrogant little prick.”

The least surprising twist comes next, as Ricochet challenges Paul to a SummerSlam match. Alas, Paul is right behind him and lays him out before streaming his acceptance.

Logan keeps mocking Ricochet but takes his eye off the ball, and he gets hit with a standing Shooting Star Press after a superkick so he ends up looking dumb.

Shayna Baszler is tired of hearing Ronda Rousey’s name every time hers is mentioned. She says she’ll settle things in a language only Rousey understands: She’s going to fight Ronda Rousey.

Saxton calls Ricochet’s actions “unprofessional as hell” and vows to pop Ricochet’s “stupid, bald head” next week on Raw.

Damian Priest def. Apollo Crews by pinfall

Priest tries to take Crews off his game right from the start, but Apollo proves more than resilient enough to fight back. Senor Money in the Bank rallies back after just a few minutes, however, and finishes things with a South of Heaven.

Lynch is feeling good now that she’s got her rematch, but as she said before, it ain’t over ’til she wins.

Valhalla issues a warning back to Dupri, as one does.

Gunther and his Imperium mates come to the ring for the Intercontinental Champion’s face to face showdown with Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior gets right to it, daring Gunther to put his title on the line tonight in Tampa. The champ scoffs at that, running down Drew’s perceived failures before saying he accepts and will “humiliate you again” at SummerSlam.

McIntyre says he wants to tell a story first about wanting to have a WrestleMania singles match with Sheamus, and that they had it for about 10 minutes before Gunther slid in and won it. But SummerSlam will be one on one, and McIntyre will beat Gunther’s ass.

Ludwig Kaiser takes exception to that, and McIntyre tells Kaiser he actually likes him, and that maybe he should be leader of Imperium. Kaiser still finds that disrespectful, so it appears they are headed for a match next.

Drew McIntyre def. Ludwig Kaiser by pinfall

Poor Kaiser is about to get served up here. He eats some hellacious chops while Graves does his Ludwig impression that is honestly pretty spot on. But Kaiser is actually looking good heading into a commercial break.

But an avalanche Air Raid Crash changes that in a hurry, and now Kaiser is getting manhandled. Ludwig actually counters a Claymore with a timely dropkick for a near fall. Alas, a second Claymore wins it for McIntyre.

Literally seconds after the bell, Imperium rushes the ring to beat up McIntyre. Matt Riddle rushes down but is handled by Gunther, who powerbombs him and then takes out McIntyre by the announce table.

The IC champ then clears off said announce table, but Drew backdrops his way out of trouble and powerbombs the Ring General through the announce table.

Jackie Redmond asks Rousey about what Baszler said about a fight, and she accepts it.

Finn Balor tells the fans that Adam Pearce was supposed to moderate the contract signing, but he’s had his hands full tonight. But since he and Seth Rollins are both professionals and both want this match, Finn believes they can settle things like gentlemen.

And since the World Heavyweight Champion comes out and promptly signs his name, maybe Balor is right. Finn pauses and lingers before doing the same, which leads Seth to taunt him about having zero chance to win at SummerSlam.

If by some chance Balor does win, Rollins suggests Priest will cash in his MITB briefcase right then and there — which Finn would also do if the roles were reversed. The champ suggests that SummerSlam will be the end of The Judgment Day as a result.

That motivates Balor to sign, smirking at how Rollins thinks he has everything figured out. And here come the other members of his group as Balor says the losing he’s done over the last seven years has been driving him insane, all because of Seth.

Seven-year itch? No, at SummerSlam, Finn is going to make Seth “my seven-year bitch.” Priest clocks Rollins with the briefcase and considers a cash-in, but Zayn rushes down with a steel chair. Unfortunately, he gets beaten down as well, and Priest plants him with South of Heaven.

Rollins also gets a Razor’s Edge from Priest, a Frog Splash from Dom and a Coup de Grace from Balor. The Judgment Day stands tall, backing up their boasts that they run Raw as the show goes off the air.

WWE Raw preview 07/24/23: Seth Rollins, Finn Balor sign on the dotted line

Also set for WWE Raw in Tampa, Drew McIntyre confronts Gunther, Ricochet does the same with Logan Paul, and Becky Lynch has a critical match.

The contract signing for a big PPV match is one of the sillier conventions of pro wrestling. Why does it only happen for some bouts? Or are we supposed to think that everyone else on the card has a contract too and they just sign them quietly off camera? Despite that, they’re also often big fun, which could be the case tonight on WWE Raw from Tampa.

This time out, it’s Seth Rollins and Finn Balor who will be picking up pens. Though they’ve clashed over Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship before, and Seth thought their beef was finished, Finn simply refused to let it die out. Now they will face off one more time at SummerSlam in less than two weeks, but not before making it official on Raw — when there certainly figures to be a high chance for hijinks.

Two more confrontations are being promoted for tonight’s show that figure to solidify matches for SummerSlam. Ricochet has been trying to prove a point to Logan Paul, except the social media superstar is as slow a learner about the conventions of WWE as he is a fast study between the ropes. And since Gunther has prove immune to any number of challenges to his Intercontinental Championship, Drew McIntyre looks to be taking it into his large hands to change that status quo.

Plus Becky Lynch wants a match against Trish Stratus so badly that she quickly agreed to some of Trish’s demands to get it last week. The first of those takes place tonight, when Lynch will face Stratus understudy Zoey Stark and will need to win to get another crack against the WWE Hall of Famer.

As always, Raw will pack this and more into three hours starting at 8 p.m. ET tonight. Tune in on USA or hop back here to Wrestling Junkie for the details on the show.

WWE Raw results 07/17/23: New champs, big tag team main event

Several SummerSlam matches were also finalized during this week’s WWE Raw from Atlanta.

The first time Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, no one ever beat them for the titles. That’s something they will once again be trying to avoid tonight on WWE Raw from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The once and current champs only saw the straps slip away because of an injury to Morgan. Raquel tried to regroup with a new partner, but instead saw Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler win the gold.

All became right in their world, however, when Morgan returned and the MMA besties had their friendship disintegrate in a very public way during a title match. Morgan and Rodriguez reclaimed what was rightfully theirs, but they’ve yet to defend their championship.

Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville may not have seemed like a legitimate threat a few weeks ago, but WWE has done a nice job building them up and making them earn this shot. It still feels too early for another title change, but you never know.

One thing that’s a bit more certain is the other thing that WWE has been heavily promoting for Raw this week. Cody Rhodes hasn’t gotten Brock Lesnar out of his system just yet, and he made that clear by challenging the Beast Incarnate to a third bout at SummerSlam in just a few weeks. Lesnar is supposed to be in Atlanta tonight to give his response, but does anyone really think he’s going to say no? Or that the two men won’t end up fighting again if they’re under the same roof at the same time?

As the Magic 8-Ball might say, signs point to no. But signs very much point to yes for us watching everything that goes down in Atlanta tonight.

WWE Raw results from Atlanta:

Cody Rhodes, come on down. The American Nightmare appears dressed for a fight even though he’s ostensibly out here to talk. Or maybe not, because Rhodes says Brock Lesnar usually accepts challenges and should do so again, no chatting necessary.

The fans boo as no music hits and no Brock appears. Cody instead tears up as he points out his mom, Michelle, and mentions how his relationship with Lesnar is “hard times.” Welp, enjoy Raw everyone, as Rhodes hugs family and friends.

Oh, or maybe not, as now Lesnar’s music hits. As it hits again, Rhodes goes looking for Lsnar, who was apparently waiting right off-stage with a steel chair. This … probably won’t end well for Rhodes. He takes an F5 right in front of his mom, and Lesnar follows by locking in a kimura.

Another kimura is applied in the ring before Lesnar yells that the challenge is accepted, so he’ll see Rhodes at SummerSlam.

Gunther def. Matt Riddle by pinfall

The big deal for this one is that Gunther’s Imperium goons, Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser, have to watch backstage as they’ve been banned from ringside. Also, Riddle’s ankle is feeling better.

Alas, neither of those things end up mattering, with Gunther pinning Riddle clean in a moderately short encounter.

Reveling in some boos from the crowd, Gunther stands atop the announce desk and calls this the greatest night in the fans’ lives. It feels like a good time for Drew McIntyre to come out, but nope.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez say that being champs means they need to be ready for anything tonight, but are they ready for Rhea Ripley? The Judgment Day’s badass attacks Liv and starts brawling with Raquel, who looks like she needs attention for her left knee.

The Judgment Day comes out for what appears to be its weekly brag session. Ripley is already a champ, says Finn Balor and Damian Priest will be as well, and Dominik Mysterio will become NXT North American Champion Tuesday night.

Priest reiterates that Balor gets first crack at Seth Rollins, and Finn says the issues between them will never be over until his arm is raised as World Heavyweight Champion. As Dom tries in vain to speak over the boos again, though, he’s interrupted by the arrival of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Sami asks rhetorically if the fans paid to hear Dom talk or someone shut him up, then says they’re in luck because the tag team champs will get to do that tonight.

In response, Priest wonders if KO and Zayn are confident enough to put their titles on the line tonight. Sami defers to Kevin for a response, and he emphatically accepts.

Rodriguez is “technically” cleared to compete, and Adam Pearce somewhat reluctantly agrees the tag team title match is still on.

Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville def. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez by pinfall to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions

It seems pretty smart to give the champs a handicap, as it were, to make this matchup even more compelling. The heels are smart about being aggressive early, going right after Raquel’s bad wheel.

Green is able to hit her finisher on Morgan, but Liv kicks out at two to keep the match going. But with Rodriguez out of commission on the outside, she’s fighting alone, and after a second Unpretty Her and a running knee strike from Deville, we’ve got new champs.

Green thanks some hilarious people. including the person at the tanning salon, for her victory, while Deville says they plan on running the division and everyone better respect them.

The weekly Bloodline update from SmackDown arrives in video highlight form.

Seth Rollins sits down with “Sax-man” Byron Saxton to talk about his “big plans” for the World Heavyweight Championship. He says it’s a very short list of potential challengers for SummerSlam, at which point Balor crashes the convo and says he wants his rematch.

But Rollins says the title is bigger than Balor’s personal vendetta, and even bigger than him. He tells Balor he can take his shot right there if they just want to settle things, and after teasing like he’s leaving, Finn takes him up on it, laying out the champ and telling him to make the match.

Viking Raiders def. Alpha Academy by pinfall in a Viking Rules match

Titus O’Neil joins the announcers for commentary and immediately raises the humor level of the broadcast. The idea is that there are no rules and falls count anywhere, but there are plenty of Viking props to go around as well.

The crowd comes alive as Ivar does a top rope moonsault, then again as Chad Gable pulls off a German suplex on one of his much larger foes. Titus loves it even more when Maxxine Dupri takes out Valhalla, receiving her varsity jacket … but then getting speared through a table.

Otis looks like he’s destined to be involved in the finish, and indeed he is, getting victimized by the Ragnarok from the Raiders and pinned as a result.

Shayna Baszler def. Nikki Cross by submission

Baszler wins in about 30 seconds, then gets a mock congratulations from Ronda Rousey from one of the luxury boxes. Ronda is not impressed with Shayna’s assertion that she slid into the back door of the industry, but Baszler says she’s a “better Ronda Rousey than you.”

Shayna challenges her former friend to come to the ring to settle things between them right now, but Ronda says she will see her in the Motor City instead.

Ricochet says he showed Logan Paul he could bring it in a real fight last week, and challenges him to show up next week on Raw so he can hurt Paul where it really hurts him most: his ego.

The Miz kicks off Miz TV by bragging about how he’s “back” after beating Tommaso Ciampa last week and playing in the American Century Championship golf tournament. His guest, however, hasn’t been winning as much as of late: Becky Lynch.

When the host asks The Man if she’s lost a step, Becky takes out some anger on the show’s furniture and threatens Miz to bring Trish Stratus out “before you lose your tiny testicles.” Stratus obliges, along with Zoey Stark, but Trish sees no reason to fight Becky since she’s already beaten her.

“I’m done with you. Zoey and I are moving on, baby.” But Lynch says she has spent more time in WWE and accomplished more, so if Stratus is as good as she claims, she should fight her one on one.

Trish agrees, but under a few conditions. Lynch has to go through Stark first, and if she loses, Becky will have to get on her knees and thank Trish. Lynch even agrees to get “thank you Trish” tattooed across her chest if she loses, before she proceeds to dismantle both heels in a brief scuffle.

Bronson Reed def. Shinsuke Nakamura by DQ

The announcers remind us that Reed has been messing with Nak for a while and question why Shinsuke would want to mess with him. Reed also really deserves a better nickname than “Big,” but hey.

A “big” Death Valley Driver looks like it could be lights out for Shinsuke, but he survives it and hits a diving knee shot for a near fall. Just when Reed looks like he might move in for the kill, Ciampa invades the ring to attack Reed … who does at least get the DQ win.

Nakamura expresses his displeasure with Ciampa afterward in very violent and direct fashion.

Shinsuke tells Saxton he’s tired of everyone getting involved in his business, then repeats it, louder for the people in the back.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship

Chaos ensues almost immediately, as Rollins flies down and takes out Balor, who accompanied the challengers to the ring. Mysterio ends up getting smashed into the announce table right in front of Ripley, who distracts the champs long enough for her teammates to seize control of the action.

KO changes that almost singlehandedly, running off a hyperactive series of moves after getting the hot tag. Only Priest getting his knees up on a frog splash stops that, and Mysterio covers to force Zayn into a save.

Mysterio and Owens go back and forth until a Popup Powerbomb has Dom in trouble, but it’s Priest to make the save this time. Both teams make tags, and a big tornado DDT gets a near fall for Zayn.

Priest fires back with a top rope hurricanrana that nearly wins it. Dom hits Sami with a dropkick to the back but can’t get the 619. Both of the champs take flight to the floor, and they’re feeling it now.

But Ripley throws Owens into the steel steps, giving Mysterio a chance to roll up Zayn for another close two. Rhea is in the face of the ref but gets pulled off the apron and assaulted by Morgan.

With the coast clear, KO stuns Priest and Zayn nails Dom with the Helluva Kick to get the pin.