WWE Monday Night Raw 6/30/2025

WWE Monday Night Raw 6/30/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/wwe-monday-night-raw-6232025.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/wwe-monday-night-raw-772025.html

We are in Pittsburgh, PA. Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

Rhea Ripley comes out to talk. She gets interrupted by Iyo Sky before she can say antyhing of note. Iyo says you can't have Evolution without her. She says Rhea is not on top, not without the title. She says Adam Pearce told her she can choose who to defend her title against at Evolution. She says she wants to defend against the best and that's Rhea Ripley.

Rhea says she will stop at nothing to get the title back if that's what Iyo wants. She says what happens at Evolution is what Iyo wanted. She says Iyo is on.

The Judgment Day pound fists in the back. AJ Styles goes up to Dominik Mysterio. Dom shows his doctor's note and says he's injured. He says Adam Pearce verified that if AJ lays a finger on him, he will never get a title match. AJ puts glasses on, grabs the doctor's note and says the doc says he's a punk @ss. He says he will take the IC Title from him and beat him so bad that he needs more than a note from the doctor. 

World Tag Titles - The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and JD McDonaugh)

Kofi ducks Finn's lariat. Kofi hits forearms in the corner. Finn boots him in the gut. Kofi sunset flips him but Finn rolls through and basement dropkicks him. JD boots Kofi in the corner. Kofi is thrown out and JD kicks him from the apron. JD goes to springboard and ends up stuck over the top rope. Woods top rope double stomps JD.

We go to break and return. Kofi hits mounted shots on JD.  JD and Woods trade chops. Woods drops JD with various strikes. JD facebusters Woods off a powerbomb attempt. Finn comes in and double stomps Kofi then stomps Woods' gut. Finn elbow slices Kofi for 2. Finn sling blades Kofi. Kofi jumping knee presses Finn.

JD back body drops Woods over the top then asai moonsaults him. JD top rope moonsaults and Woods gets his feet up. Finn hits a top rope double stomp on JD on accident. Woods gets a 2 count on Finn. Finn takes a midnight hour for 2.

Finn rolls up Kofi for 2. Woods hits Finn with the title belt from behind and it's only worth 2. Woods is crotched on top when Kofi is sent into the ropes. JD top rope spanish flies Woods. Finn sling blades Kofi on the floor. JD top rope moonsaults Woods. Finn top rope double stomps Woods and wins.

Thoughts: I wasn't that into it. It was rough early with neither team being faces. JD did a bunch of flying here. The New Day haven't been great champs so them losing isn't a loss but I'm not sure where they go from here.

Bayley is interviewed. She says she wishes she was champ but Lyra got involved in her business. She says she wants to get her hands on Becky though. Lyra comes in and says Bay won't respond to her texts. Lyra says she was going to apologize and says she wasn't trying to sabotage Bay. She says it's personal with her and Becky and Bay says the same. Adam Pearce breaks up the argument and says they will face each other tonight in a #1 contender's match for the Women's IC Title. 

We get a Gunther vs Goldberg package.

We see Adam Pearce talking to American Made earlier. Adam says he's sorry about Chad's injury and wishes him luck. Chad says he makes his own luck. Adam says that means we won't see El Grande Americano for a while. Chad says he's the world's greatest luchador and keeps a busy schedule, but you never know. Chad tells his crew to win titles. Brutus says he's lost without Chad and asks what they will do. Chad says to listen to Ivy.

Nick Aldis and Pearce talk. Finn and JD come up to them. Finn says he thinks they are trying to figure out what to do with the women's tag titles. Finn says he has an idea. Finn says Raquel worked hard to get those and says they should find her a new tag partner. Finn recommends Roxanne Perez. Finn says it works for everyone. Nick and Adam agree but say they will defend the titles in 2 weeks at Evolution in a 4 way with teams from Raw, SD and NXT. Nick says we are finally on the same page and Adam says for now.

Sheamus vs Rusev

They lock up. Sheamus side headlocks him then shoulderblocks him. They trade shots. Sheamus hits punches in the corner and Rusev lariats him. Sheamus lariats him. Sheamus pulls on Rusev's mouth. Rusev hits kicks in the corner. Sheamus then hits punches in the corner. Rusev powerbombs him.

Rusev kicks Sheamus from the apron. Sheamus catches Rusev from the apron and powerslams him on the floor. We go to break and return. Rusev chinlocks Sheamus. Sheamus drives him into the corner then Rusev facekicks him. Rusev kicks him in the back.

Rusev stomps on him in the corner and Sheamus says to come on. Sheamus hits a corner lariat then uranage backbreakers him.
Sheamus hits a top rope diving knee drop on Rusev for 1. Rusev spinning heel kicks him and fallaway slams him for 2. Sheamus double boots him out of the corner. Rusev superplexes him.

We go to break and return. They bolo punch and lariat each other. Rusev boots him in the gut and the head. Sheamus powerslams him. Sheamus clubs Rusev's chest on the ropes. Sheamus goes for a brogue kick and is tossed over. Rusev hits high kicks.

Sheamus hits 2 pumping knees for 2. Rusev uranages him then does a jumping superkick. Rusev camel clutches him. Sheamus gets up and they both fall out of the ring. Sheamus brogue kicks him outside.

They fight on the buckles. Rusev eye pokes him. Sheamus is pulled chest first into the metal rope connector. Rusev pump kicks him and wins.

Thoughts: The ending lost some steam but this was exactly what it sounded like - two big guys clubbing each other and making the sweat fly. It was entertaining but not a classic.

Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis talk in front of a WWE Evolution logo. They say there will be a battle royal there for a title shot at Clash in Paris.

American Made is interviewed minus Chad. Ivy says they have work to do. El Grande Americano then comes in and is suddenly much taller. American Made are shocked and are asked what that was. They say "no comment".

Thoughts: Now this is the way to do it. There's no reason to kill the Grande gimmick, just stick someone else in there and have some fun with it.

Sami Zayn is interviewed. Karrion Kross nails him before he can say anything. He throws him into boxes and pounds on him. Kross hits him in the gut with a pipe. 

Gunther comes out to talk. He says he came out to talk about Goldberg. He says what he did was impressive but like his matches, he will sum it up in 3 minutes. He says he's not afraid of what is left of Goldberg. He says he's a 58 year old man that wants to ride his career out on his coat tails. He says it won't happen. He says Goldberg is not capable of taking the title from him. He says he knows he is capable of beating him in 3 minutes.

He says he plans to embarrass him and outclass him. He says Goldberg doesn't like bullies but he bumped into the biggest bully around here. He says he will bully him, push him around and treat him like a piece of crap. He says Bill wonders if he still got it but he will expose that he never had it. He says he will be the one who is asking who's next after.

Seth Rollins comes out with Paul Heyman. Gunther says Seth traveled far and achieved nothing this weekend. Seth says Gun hadn't been paying attention. Seth says they came to congratulate him for winning the title. Seth says they didn't go to Night of Champions to cash the MITB contract in. Seth said Gun wasn't paying attention as he said for 2 years Punk wouldn't be world champ again. Seth said they flew across the world to stand on that business.

Seth said he told the world that his MITB contract was going to be an assault on both world titles. He then says congratulations champ.

CM Punk comes out and fights with Seth. Punk hits a bunch of punches and has his eye raked. Punk back elbows Seth and Seth runs out through the crowd. 

Gun grabs Punk as he tries to leave. Punk pushes Gun over. Seth is posing on the steps and LA Knight comes up behind him. LA hits him with popcorn and beats him up. They go into the concourse and fight. Seth is sent into a snack stand then he throws a drink in LA's eyes. Seth then runs for it.

The Judgment Day talk. Finn says the women's tag titles look great on Perez. Raquel comes in. She asks if we are replacing Liv just like that. Finn says it'll be a long road for Liv to rehab and he wants Raquel to stay champ. Perez asks if it means what she thinks. Finn says they should have a vote to see if Perez is the newest member. Finn and JD say yes. Dom says he needs to talk to Liv. Finn tells him to make a decision and he says yes. Raquel tells her to hold up her end of the deal. Perez is the newest member of Judgment Day. They bang their titles together. Perez says she will get revenge on the person who took out Liv in Kairi Sane. Finn says Liv will love this.

We get a promo with Kairi Sane on a priate ship. She syas she fights for honor. She says she's been the NXT Women's Champ and the WWE Women's Tag Champ twice. She says she will have all the champions' gold and says she's not araid of anything. She says she doesn't run from the storm, she runs into it. She says The Pirate Princess is here.

#1 Contenders to the Women's IC Title - Bayley vs Lyra Valkyria

Bay shoulders her over then hiptosses her. Lyra gets a 2 count on her. Lyra throws her over by the legs. Lyra armdrags her off the casadora. Bay back elbows her out of the corner and 2nd rope diving armdrags her. Bay sliding lariats her. 

Lyra rolls over her back and backslides her. Lyra cartwheels out of a monkey flip. Bay crabs her. Lyra tries a pin attempt then they crossbody each other at the same time. We go to break and return.

They fight on the buckles. Bay superplexes her but Lyra tries a pin off of it. Bay hits lariats and backdrops her. Bay elbow drops her off the steps. Lyra armdrags Bay then she swinging neckbreakers her for 2. Bay sunset bombs her into the buckles for 2.

Lyra does a high angle sitout doctor bomb for 2. They trade shots then they try pin attempts. Lyra lays ontop of her but both kind of have their shoulders up. The ref says it's a draw.

Thoughts: I didn't love the ending here. Double pin spots are always a bit tough and the one they went with wasn't the best. The match was alright with them going even with each other and doing a lot of reversals.

Bay grabs Lyra after and they fight. Lyra is swept on the apron then Bay is pushed into the rail. They go over the time keepers rail then fight in the crowd. They fight on the boxes and it gets broken up.  

CM Punk is interviewed. He says Seth's knees haven't worked that well in years and said he ran away from him. Punk spots LA Knight. He tells him to get to the back of the line with Seth. LA says he's fighting Seth at SNME so he is the line.

Penta and Sami Zayn talk in the back and Sami does Penta's taunt. Sami's ribs are taped up and they head to the ring.

Bronson Reed asks Paul Heyman where Seth is. Paul says Seth is on a jet perfecting Plan B. Reed asks what Plan B is. Bron says the plan is for him to smash anyone who gets in his way and it starts with Sami and Penta.

Sami Zayn and Penta vs Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed

Penta and Bron go at it. Bron takes him down. Bron hits punches then corner spears. Penta flying headscissors him. Penta facekicks him then flying headscissors him. Sami elbows Bron's arm. Bron knees Sami in his injured ribs.

Bron running lariats Sami. Reed corner splashes Sami. Sami 2nd rope double axe handles Reed. Reed is clubbed on by his opponents. Bron is superkicked. Sami does Penta's walk with him then they both hit tope con hilos.

We go to break and return. Reed cranks on Penta's head. Penta dropkicks him and tags out. Sami hits punches on Reed then hits mounted forearms. Sami running lariats Reed. Sami blind leapfrogs over him and lariats him over the top. Sami seated moonsaults both opponents outside. Sami goes up top and Reed hits him.

Sami sunset bombs Reed off the 2nd rope. Sami fights off a possible doomsday device. Reed bodyblocks Sami. Bron apron diving lariats Sami on the commentary table. We go to break and return. Reed waistlocks Sami's injured ribs. Bron is back body dropped over the top. Reed misses a senton on Sami. Penta top rope crossbodies Bron. Penta facebusters Bron then superkicks Reed. Penta pendulum double boots Bron then cranks his arm back. Penta ddt's Bron for 2. Penta gets stuck up top. Bron runs up the buckles and enzugiri's him. Reed sitout powerbombs Penta for 2.

Reed misses a top rope splash on Penta. Sami exploders Bron into the corner. Bron flying lariats Sami. Bron runs into Sami's facekick for 2. Reed misses a corner splash and Sami suplexes Reed. Bron flying spears Sami for the win.

Thoughts: They tried and it was okay. It got a lot of time but it wasn't the best possible match they could have had. I thought it was a weak main as none of these guys are full-time main eventers at this point.

Bron spears Penta after. Reed goes for a top rope splash and Jey Uso comes out. Jey chairs Bron hard. Jey hits punches on Reed then superkicks him. Jey throws a chair at Reed's head, which is not something you see much of these days.

Overall thoughts: It was an alright Raw and it was much more wrestling focused than it has been on average lately. Nothing was great here but nothing was awful either. There weren't any new big storyline changes here but they are quickly filling out the rest of the SNME coming up and WWE Evolution. The one downfall of this show was that the stars were not in action here. Sami was the biggest star wrestling here. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 as it was a decent Raw but nothing great.

MLW Fusion #130 4/28/2021

MLW Fusion #130 4/28/2021

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/04/mlw-fusion-episode-129-4212021.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/mlw-fusion-episode-131-552021.html 

We are in Orlando, Florida. There's no fans here for this one as it's still during Covid.

We get a package on Marshall Von Erich vs Tom Lawlor.

Dominic Garrini vs Ross Von Erich

Dom goes down to the mat and tries to get Ross to join him. Dom rolls him with the leg and Ross ropebreaks. Ross takes him down and Dom goes for the kimura. Dom leglocks him and Ross grabs the ankle. Ross waistlock takedowns him. Dom mounts him and hits slaps. Ross then mounts him with palm strikes.

Dom goes for the triangle. They trade forearms. Ross spin kicks him and hits kicks to the chest. Ross PK's him for 2. Dom does a grounded guillotine and Ross ropebreaks.

Dom hits a strike combo. Ross hits a falcon arrow variation and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a shoot style match which is something I didn't expect. It was something different but not great. Dom could have had some better strikes here.

Ross and Marshall fight with Dom and his partner Kevin Ku after. Refs then come down to break it up. 

Tom Lawlor yells at Ku and Garrini in the back. He says Marshall stuck his nose in their business when they shouldn't have. He says it's not Dom and Ku's fault. He then pulls up his phone and says he has an idea.

We get a video on Lio Rush vs Myron Reed.

Tom Lawlor is outside and talks to Tim Donaghy. He says he has a match with Marshall Von Erich, hands him an envelope and says things need to be on the up and up. 

Hijo de LA Park vs Bu Ku Dao

Park as Salina de la Renta with him. Park mocks him, getting on his knees and throwing unches. Park holds his hand up then lariats him. Park then stomps him. Park hits a superkick and chinlocks him. Park whips him with his belt.

Bu is slammed on the floor then Park chinlocks him. Bu flying shoulders him and leg lariats him. Bu then bulldogs him. Bu then topes him outside the ring. Bu hits a crucifix bomb in the ring for 2. Park hits chops then gyrates.

Bu takes a step up enzugiri then a codebreaker while on the 2nd rope for 2. Bu spinning headscissors him into a crossface. Park step up enzugiri's him in the corner then hits a corner meteora for 2. Bu 2nd rope twisting flatliners him and wins. Salina runs to the back looking mad after.

Thoughts: It was okay but really needed a crowd. It could have been a little shorter. Bu's finisher is an okay idea on paper but it does look like it hurts him as much as it did Park.

Bu Ku Dao does a promo after. He said he loved TJP but he hates him now. He says he will send him back home. He says the match he just had was dedicated to his parents.

Alicia Atout says MLW put together a championship committee. She says people from RevPro and Dragon Gate are on it. She says there's another member from MLW, but there's no details on it yet. She then hypes up the 7/10 show in Philly.

Marshall Von Erich is interviewed. He says he needs to be ready and says Tom Lawlor always pulls crap. Tom comes in. He says he wants to make sure things are on a level playing field. He then brings in Tim Donaghy to give him a pee test for steroids. Alicia Atout says she never has seen this before. Tom says they will make sure things are on the up and up.

Myron Reed does a promo about Lio Rush not showing up to the media event today. He says we are a week away from their match and Lio wants to be scary. He says Lio doesn't care about the title, MLW or fans. He says he wants clout and fame and Reed doesn't want that. He says he knows what he did wrong the first time and is ready to right those wrongs. He says Rush Hour is about to be up.

Alexander Hammerstone is interviewed. He says he's been National Champ for 2 years and says it's time he gives the people what they want. He says the fans want to see him face Jacob Fatu. He says he thinks Fatu is scared of him. He says his reign of terror is numbered and said the nightmare pendulum will be the end of his title reign.

Tom Lawlor and Alicia Atout are waiting on Marshall Von Erich's drug test results. Tim Donaghy says Marshall is legit. Marshall comes in, says here's your test and throws the pee cup in Tom's face.

We are told MLW fined Lio Rush for not showing up to the news conference.

Contra Unit interrupt the feed as they talk. Josef Samuel says Hammerstone is saying the right words but doesn't mean them. He says even if he did, he doesn't call the shots or have the power, he does. He says this is a video of truths for the golden ace. He said he reworked some contracts and controls the fate of Jacob Fatu. He says he controls who gets the privilege to challenge Fatu, not MLW or Hammer. He says Hammer's challenge has been denied. He says to keep his ringer on though as he has a fridge to move.

Marshall Von Erich vs Tom Lawlor

Tom running dropkicks him and they trade forearms and shots. Tom trips him and bangs his knee off the mat. Tom hits chops and forearms. MVE hits hits forearms back. MVE euros him then Tom hits forearms and a euro.

Tom ties MVE's leg up in the ropes and dropkicks it. Tom hits kicks to the leg. Tom tries to push MVE into the ref and clips MVE. Tom hits the stroke and goes for the armbar.

Tom chops him in the corner. Tom ddt's the leg. MVE gets some forearms in. Tom blocks a suplex then MVE hits lariats to the front and back. Tom goes down and Tom's buddies distract the ref on the apron. Tom hits MVE in the back of the leg with a wrench.

Tom butt drops MVE's leg. MVE hits forearms. Tom irish whips him and MVE goes down holding the leg. Tom rams MVE's knee into the mat and hits leg kicks. Tom hits a forearm flurry.

Tom hits a corner lariat. MVE hits dropkicks. Tom ties his leg up and drops backwards. Tom does an interesting double leg lock. MVE hits punches and tries to claw him to escape. Tom lets go and hits leg kicks.

Tom grabs a leg and MVE claws him. MVE hits forearms. Tom leg kicks him then hits a big muso. They trade forearms then Tom guillotines him. MVE hits a spinning claw slam for 2. MVE claws him. Tom hits stieks to the gut then forearms him in the knee. Tom half crabs him then turns around with it. MVE passes out and Tom wins by ref stoppage.

Thoughts: It was a bit long and could have used a crowd but the work was good here. Tom worked the leg all throughout and bent the rules. Marshall sold well and got some offense in before going down. It was a good match.

Tom's Team Filthy attack Ross and Marshall after. ACH comes out to make the save. The ref then come out to try and stop it as they brawl everywhere.

Overall thoughts: It was a good show though the lack of a crowd hurt it. Dom/Ross was a shoot style match and something different. Park/Dao had the right idea and was okay. They did a good job in hyping up the main and next week's Rush/Reed match. The main was good with Marshall selling his knee hard and Tom really going to work on it. I'd give it a 7 out of 10 as the main was good and they really got all the promotion and outside of the ring stuff right on this. I liked it and would maybe recommend the main.

WWE LFG 6/29/2025 Season 2, Episode 2

WWE LFG 6/29/2025 Season 2, Episode 2

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/wwe-lfg-6222025-season-2-episode-1.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/wwe-lfg-762025-season-2-episode-3.html

The LFG Draft is still going on. We see clips of Booker T getting mad and leaving last week. Taker says McCool has a target on her back now. Booker says he's the creator of champs and will win anyway. Bubba picks Zena Sterling. Booker picks Harlem Lewis. Taker picks Shiloh Hill. Elijah Holyfield thinks that means Taker thinks he is better than him.

Bubba picks Elijah Holyfield. Booker picks Chris Island. Taker picks Dani Sekelsky. McCool picks Trill London.

Bubba picks Haze Jameson. Booker picks Sirena Linton. Taker picks Bayley Humphrey. McCool picks Summer Sorrell.

Booker picks Tatyanna Dumas. Bubba gets in the ring with Drake and BJ left. Bubba asks Drake if he wants to team with him again. Drake says no. He says him and BJ were in the same situation and said Bubba sent him home. Bubba says he's right and says he just confirmed the reason why he did. He says it's about entertainment and putting @sses in the seats. Bubba picks BJ. Bubba says he will make or break BJ. Taker picks Drake and says he's excited to pick a big guy.

Taker talks to his team. He says they will be judged on how good of a match they can put on. He says not to lose the focus. McCool talks to her team and sets up Summer Sorrell vs Dani Sekelsky. Summer says she needs more ideas and a character. McCool says she doesn't need that yet. Summer says she's lacking a stronger skill set. Trill is asked what his style is and he says he's a flyer. McCool thinks he's a face and sets up him vs Drake.

Bubba says their team needs to focus on bringing the positives to the spotlight. Bubba puts over Haze's look. Bubba asks what she can do to Bayley. Haze says being scrappy. Bubba says he sees tenacity in Haze and tells her to outsmart and use her speed vs Bay. Bubba says BJ's personality isn't an issue, the in-ring is. He says to show everyone that he got better in the ring. BJ says he needs to win the legends over. He's facing Harlem and Bubba says Harlem is the sleeper.

Team Booker talks. Booker works of lock-ups with Harlem. Harlem says his team will dominate and everyone else is a joke. Booker then talks trash to Taker's team.

Trill London vs Drake Morreaux

McCool marks out for Trill flipping into the ring and Bubba says "nice knowing you Drake".

Drake goes to use his stick. The ref takes it then Drake boots Trill in the chest. Drake hits punches on Trill in the corner then throws him. Drake misses a corner splash and Trill does a high flying hip attack to the back of the head.

Drake blocks a springboard armdrag. Frill flips over Drake and dropkicks him. Trill plancha's and gets nailed by Drake in mid-air. Drake splashes Trill. Trill avoids a slam and rolls him up for 2. Drake facekicks Trill for 2.

Trill hits shots to the gut and hits flying forearms. Trill dropkicks him then plancha's him outside. Trill slips on a springboard. Drake then chokeslams him and wins.

Thoughts: This was edited and was not in front of a normal crowd, so it's hard to judge this. But, I liked what we got here. We only got to see Trill twice prior to this and he got squashed quick both times. Trill definitely has something. He just does everything his own way, he doesn't follow the usual norms and he can move well. Drake did okay as the big guy against him but I prefer Drake as the fun loving face. They had a decent big vs small man match here.

Dani says she was overlooked in Season 1 and says the contract is hers to taake this year.

Summer Sorrell vs Dani Sekelsky

Sum armdrags her. They shove each other and Dani rolls her up for 2. Dani armlocks her. Sum pulls her by the hair and reverses it then is rolled up. Dani trips her and side headlocks her. Dani side headlock takeovers her.

Dani crossbodies her for 2. Dani jumps at her and is dropped throat first on the ropes. Sum hammerlocks her. Dani gets some forearms in. Dani running forearms her and back elbows her. Dani blocks a hiptoss and rolls her into a leglock. Sum then taps out.

Thoughts: It was a shorter one. Dani hit some nice chest forearms here but it wasn't the most exciting match. They just didn't get to do a lot that would pop the crowd.

Harlem Lewis says he respects BJ Ray but he's gonna show why Booker picked him #1. He says he loves him but he's dead to him in the ring.

Harlem Lewis vs BJ Ray

BJ has khaki shorts on and some kind of sleeveless polo shirt. Booker says BJ looks pudgy.

HL backs up BJ in the corner. HL slaps his chest in the break. BJ waistlocks him and they trade headlocks. HL shoulders BJ over. BJ does a nice takedown. BJ splashes him for 1.

BJ misses a corner splash and HL side slams him. HL running boots him for 2. BJ does a takedown then shoulders him over. BJ bulldogs him. BJ tries to go over him and is caught. HL then jackhammers him for the win.

Thoughts: It was different with BJ kind of being a dorky face here and being taken down easily. BJ still needs to work on his in-ring though as he was a bit rough here.

Bayley Humphrey vs Haze Jameson

We only saw Haze once or twice prior to this and she got nothing in.

Haze ducks lock-ups. Bay bangs Haze's head off the buckles. Haze's crossbody is caught and she's slammed. Bay misses an elbow drop and a corner charge. Haze hits boots in the corner. Haze runs at her, gets caught and takes boots in the corner. Haze hits bad boots to the gut. Haze misses a corner splash and Bay misses a lariat on her.

Haze gets on Bay's back. Bay rams her into the buckles. Haze 2nd rope crossbodies her for 2. Bay gorilla press gutbusters her. Bay does a cool lift into a powerslam and pins Haze.

Thoughts: The match structure was okay here. Haze didn't have the best outing and they definitely wanted us to see some of the weaker shots thrown.

Bay says it's her time in the back after and says welcome to LFG.

We now go to the coaches to award points. Booker says Dani was the standout. McCool picks Dani. Taker agrees. Bubba gives Dani a point. He says not to make fools of them though and doesn't seem to believe in her. Dani is happy about getting a point and it makes her want to finish Season 2 on top.

Bubba gives BJ Ray a point. BJ says Bubba would have given him every point last year if he didn't have the ego. Taker gives Drake a point. McCool says Drake needs to work on his bead throw and gives Harlem a point. Booker says he's shocked as he thought Taker/McCool were on the same team. Booker says Harlem will be on top of the podium if he keeps the intensity up. Booker gives Harlem a point.

Harlem and Dani are this week's winners. The standings are: Team Booker and Team Undertaker 1 point, Team Bubba and Team McCool 0 points.

Next week has Anthony Luke vs Chris Island, P-Nasty vs Tatyanna, Zena vs Sirena and Elijah vs Shiloh.

Overall thoughts: It was a pretty solid episode of LFG, maybe one of the better ones so far. We didn't get too much worked drama but we did get the coaches taking jabs at each other which was fun. We got four matches which was nice as well. Trill/Drake was the best match on here and Trill definitely has something as maybe a Darby Allin type of guy. It wasn't anything must see but I think they are getting a better idea of how to pull this show off and I look forward to seeing what they give us next week.

Reality of Wrestling 6/27/2025 GLORY Episode 7

Reality of Wrestling 6/27/2025 GLORY Episode 7 

The last GLORY show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/reality-of-wrestling-5282025-glory.html

The next show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/reality-of-wrestling-742025-glory.html

Andrew Jackson talks to Arianna Grace in his office. He offers to show her around. Grace says Ivory Robin told her all about him and he can take the night off.

Ajaxx vs Jonny Lyons

They lock up. JL backs him up in the corner then misses a charge. JL side headlocks him and they hammerlock each other. Jax armdrags him into an armlock. Jax hammerlocks him and JL back elbows out of it.

JL hits corner spears and foot chokes him. Jax hits chops and punches in the corner. Jax shoulders him over three times. Jax enzugiri's him in the corner and kicks him in the back. Jax low diving lariats him for 2. Jax hits mounted corner punches then JL drops him face first on the top buckle. JL running lariats him then slams him. JL hits kneedrops to the chest.

JL chinlocks him. Jax superkicks him then JL clips him. JL does a figure four variation and submits him.

Thoughts: It was on the shorter end and not too much of note here. I would have liked more work from Johnny on the leg. Clay Roberts was on commentary and yelled at Ajaxx the whole time.

We see Stacks from NXT arrive and I think he stares down La Familia. They give him a paper cup and say from one familia to another. They then drink alcohol from it and Stacks' crew walks off.

Emily May interviews Brad Baylor. She says he's facing elimination vs Marcus Mathers tonight in the WWE ID Tournament. Brad says he doesn't think he's facing elimination. He thinks he's facing Mathers and will beat him. He says he doesn't see himself going home. He says he's 0-1 but doesn't feel like it. He says he's on NXT and Evolve and none of that screams loser. Brad is asked what his gameplan is. He says he's just gonna walk in there and be Brad Baylor against Mathers.

Stacks comes out with his crew. He says we are looking at the new Don of NXT. He says unlike Tony D, he wants to expand and grow. He wants to take his family to LA, Chicago, NY, Gautemala and right now, Houston. A fan yells that he's no don. Stacks says they know him - he's the guy who used to drool on himself out. Note - They had no graphic here but we later find out this guy is Will Austin.

Stacks tells security to let this guy in. Stacks touches the guy and the guy knocks Stacks' hand away. The guy then takes the mic. He said he saw what he did to Tony D - the real don. He said what he did was a betrayal, not business. He says he came to Houston to tell him that he ain't no don. He says Tony D is still the don. The guy then challenges Stacks to a match right now.

Stacks asks if he's crazy. Stacks says he will give him the first shot if he wants to challenge him. He tells him to take a shot. Stacks says the guy is scared like Tony D. The guy goes to hit him and Stacks hits first. Stacks hits shots to the gut and cutters him. Stacks flying knees him in the back. The guy is then picked up and the mic goes out as Stacks tries to talk. He tells him to crawl out of here and says to let Tony D know that they are taking over Houston.

We see Rudy Garza watching video of his ROW career.

WWE ID Tournament - Brad Baylor vs Marcus Mathers

They lock up and Brad pushes him in the corner. MM waistlock takedowns him then side headlocks him. MM goes up and over with a sunset flip for 2. MM standing dropkicks him then kips up. MM rolls him into a back kick. Brad then stalls outside.

They fight outside. MM is swept on the apron chest first then sent into the post. Brad then poses. They get back in and Brad stomps on him then chops him in the corner. MM chops back and gets stomped on. MM hits shots to the gut then Brad back elbows him. Brad gyrates and is rolled up for 2. 

Brad dropkicks him and gyrates at him again. Brad uppercuts him and MM backslides him. Brad neckbreakers him for 2. Brad bulldog chokes him and gyrates while doing it.

MM is thrown down backwards. Brad chinlocks him more. MM drags him out of it then hits a back body drop. Brad is lariated over the top. MM PK's him from the apron. MM hits a springboard diving stunner then blue thunders him for 2. MM hook kicks him then brainbusters him. MM 450's off the top but Brad gets his knees up. Brad hits a double underhook into a neckbreaker and wins.

Thoughts: It was alright and was definitely a WWE style match with Brad doing a lot of chinlocks here and MM not getting a ton of offense in on this one. I thought both guys did okay here.

Eli Knight is interviewed. He says he can finally put Eric Lockhart in the back. He says the future is right here. He says if Rudy Garza puts down the liquor, maybe he would see why people are talking about Eli. He says Rudy complains about him taking the spotlight and says if Rudy wants the spotlight, come and take it.

Eli Knight vs Rudy Garza

They lock up. Eli waistlock takedowns him and Rudy ropebreaks. Rudy side headlocks him. Eli shoulders him over then Eli flips him with his feet. Eli rolls into a jumping lariat on him for 2.

Rudy eye rakes him. Eli misses a dropkick then hits one. Rudy stomps on him then stands on him. Eli hits a stiff top rope dropkick. Rudy hits a short hurricanrana spike and a double underhook ddt for 2. Rudy stomps on him then chinlocks him.

Eli hits an enzugiri then spin kicks him in the gut. Eli dropkicks him in the side of the head. Eli slingshot cutters him for 2. Rudy clips him then Eli michinoku drivers him. Eli hits a nice top rope moonsault and wins.

Thoughts: I guess it was acceptable with them going even earlier, Rudy taking over then Eli making the comeback to win. I thought it could have been a little better though. It had a slower pace and a lot of downtime.

Overall thoughts: We had 3 new matches here and one segment with Stacks from NXT coming in. Baylor/Matthews was the best match here and wasn't that different from Eli/Rudy. Ajaxx/Lyons could have been better. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 as it was your usual acceptable but not must see ROW show.

WWE Main Event 6/26/2025

WWE Main Event 6/26/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/wwe-main-event-6192025.html

Kairi Sane vs Ivy Nile

They lock up and trade waistlocks. Ivy throws her down backwards. Ivy flying kick her then clubs on her neck. Ivy misses a corner charge. Sane misses a top rope move and taunts her. Sane uses the ropes to headscissor her. Sane basement dropkicks her.

Sane flying forearms her off the apron outside. Ivy hides behind the ref then throws her down by the wrist. Ivy stomps on Sane and sends her into the top buckle shoulder first. Ivy suplexes her for 2. 

Sane crossbodies her but Ivy backrolls and gets a 2 count on her. Ivy hits elbows on the shoulder. Sane hits shots to the gut then flying clotheslines her. Sane hits sledgehammer shots and chops her. Sane does a bad headhunter.

Sane corner sliding forearms her. Sane then top rope diving forearms her for 2. Sane backslides her for 2. Ivy high kicks her then germans her for 2. Ivy goes for a slam and Sane cradles her for 2. Sane urakens her then hits a bad stunner off the casadora. Sane top rope elbow drops her and wins.

Thoughts: It got a lot of time and wasn't that good. Sane may have been the lesser wrestler here which is something that doesn't happen often. She just didn't hit things that clean in this one and was just not on her A-game. Ivy's not that great either and probably wasn't the best opponent for her on an off night.

The War Raiders (Ivar and Erik) vs A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller and Austin Theory)

GW and Austin argue over who gets in first. GW escapes a side headlock and we get a "We Want Austin" chant. GW leapfrogs then Erik shoulders him over. GW hits a big punch and Erik isn't impressed. Austin wants a tag and GW says no. Erik throws GW down by the waist then pop-up headbutts him.

Ivar corner splashes GW. Erik slams GW. Erik slams Ivar onto GW for 2. We go to break and return. Erik drops GW with forearms then flurries on him in the corner. Ivar knees GW in the gut then Erik knees GW in the shoulder. Ivar back body drops GW then side slams him. Ivar low crossbodies GW.

The War Raiders (Ivar and Erik) vs A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller and Austin Theory)

GW and Austin argue over who gets in first. GW escapes a side headlock and we get a "We Want Austin" chant. GW leapfrogs then Erik shoulders him over. GW hits a big punch and Erik isn't impressed. Austin wants a tag and GW says no. Erik throws GW down by the waist then pop-up headbutts him.

Ivar corner splashes GW. Erik slams GW. Erik slams Ivar onto GW for 2. We go to break and return. Erik drops GW with forearms then flurries on him in the corner. Ivar knees GW in the gut then Erik knees GW in the shoulder. Ivar back body drops GW then side slams him. Ivar low crossbodies GW.

Ivar is sent into Austin on the apron and the crowd boos it. GW jumping knees Ivar then spinning forearms him. GW wristlocks Ivar. GW then rolls into a nice flatliner on him for 2. GW hits knees to the face.

GW misses a 2nd rope springboard elbow drop. Ivar butt drops him out of the corner. Austin comes in and hits lariats on Erik. He flying back elbows him then double underhook suplexes him. Ivar facekicks Austin. Austin catches Ivar's crossbody in the corner and slams him. Austin hypes up and shakes the ropes. Austin has Erik and GW tags himself in.

GW is pushed into Austin. GW jawbreakers Erik. Ivar's throat is pulled down over the top rope. GW rolls in and is popped up into war machine. GW is then pinned.

Thoughts: It was an interesting match. They definitely had some plants starting Austin chants in the crowd, but it worked. Austin was the face here against his own partner and the two couldn't get along. The War Raiders weren't heels but were just along for the ride in this one. I liked the match. Austin and Waller got thrown around by the bigger guys and fought with each other in between. 

Overall thoughts: There were only 2 new matches here as usual. The women's match got a lot of time but wasn't that good with Kairi Sane having an off night. I liked the men's tag match and it continued the Main Event face turn of Austin Theory. That match had an interesting dynamic with Austin being the face against his partner Waller yet still having to go up against the face War Raiders. I think the men's tag is worth seeing here as it was something different and took the viewer to an alternate universe where they pretend that Austin and Waller splitting up has actually been featured on TV.

WOW Women of Wrestling 6/28/2025 Season 5, Episode 42

WOW Women of Wrestling 6/28/2025 Season 5, Episode 42

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/wow-women-of-wrestling-6212025-season-5.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/wow-women-of-wrestling-752025-season-5.html

Miami's Sweet Heat comes out. Linds says they tried to settle this with Pink and Holly fair and square but they cheated. They say they think they are bad, but they say MSH wrote the book on being bad. Laurie challenges them to put the titles on the line in a hardcore match.

Lana Star, Holly Swag and Penelope Pink come out. Pink says they may be twins but there isn't a shared brain cell between them if they want to fight in a hardcore match. Holly says they are better in the ring than them and are better twins. Holly says she doesn't know what they are getting themselves into. Dave McClane says it won't happen tonight but they can do it next week. 

Fury vs Gabriella Cruz

This is Gabriella Cruz's WOW debut. Gab is the former Valentina Feroz in WWE and they say she's from Brazil.

Fury side headlock takeovers her. Gab headscissors her then side headlocks her. Gab gets a 2 count on her then side headlocks her. Gab flying headscissors her for 2. Fury germans her then sleepers her.

Fury bangs Gab's head off the buckles. Gab rolls her up for 2 then Fury lariats her. Fury running knees Gab on the ropes then sits on her neck there. Fury chinlocks her then Gab amrdrags her. Gab dropkicks her then corner meteora's her. Gab water wheel drops her then misses a meteora. Fury backhands Gab then does a la rosa driver variation to win.

Thoughts: I didn't like Gab losing on her debut here, especially to Fury, who has no direction and rarely wins. Gab is from WWE and looked it. She easily looked like the best wrestler on the roster here and is so much better at comebacks and not having any of the typical women's awkwardness in the ring. I do hope we see her back because she would do some good things for this promotion. 

The Alliance talk. They say it doesn't matter who Sugar and Spice find as their partner and says they won't find a partner who is as good as any of them. Reina says they will show they aren't just an alliance, they are the alliance and are taking people down.

The Mighty Mights (Sugar and Spice) and Holidead vs The Alliance (Reina del Rey, Gigi Gianni and BK Rhythm)

Holi pulls Spice away from going after the heels before the match. Spice slides between Gigi's legs and pulls her arms to make her flip. Spice flips out of a hiptoss and armdrags her. Spice flips out of a snapmare and armdrags Gigi. Spice then facebusters Gigi.

Holi drops Spice onto Gigi then Holi legdrops Gigi for 2.  Gigi slides between her legs and tags out. BK takes snake eyes from Holi. Sugar walks up the buckles and armdrags BK. She then rolls her up for 2. Sugar flying headscissors BK. Reina gets in.

Sugar pushes Reina around from behind and step up enzugiri's her. Sugar running corner forearms her. Reina blocks the monkey flip and spinebusters her. Reina curls Sugar and rams her into the corner back first. Gigi corner forearms Sugar. Sugar is laid on the 2nd rope and Gigi double knee presses her down. Gigi suplexes Sugar.

Sugar's head is banged off the buckles. Sugar uses the ropes to armdrag Gigi and BK. The faces get offense in. BK is swung and then rammed into Gigi. Holi splashes BK and Gigi in the corner then fallaway slams BK. Holi spinebusters Gigi. Holi suplex drops Spice onto BK for 2.

The heels pose on Holi on the ropes and The Mights break it up. Reina is held and takes a boot from Holi. Holi is back body dropped out. Reina pounces Sugar. Spice is lifted up by her arms, Reina goes under her and flips her. BK then picks up the win on Spice.

Thoughts: I liked it. Spice wasn't the cleanest early on as she was going a bit fast but she was doing the right thing. The work was pretty good here for WOW standards and we had an exciting ending for this one.

Goldie Collins gets on the mic before her match. She says it's a privilege to see her. She says her and Catarina Jinx are intertwined but she told Jinx to take the night off. She says what makes them so good together is how strong they are on their own. She tells Xena to give her best and says she will flip her wings. She says she has that dog in her.

Xena Phoenix vs Goldie Collins

Xena fireman's carry takeovers her then trips her. Xena rolling armbars her and Goldie ropebreaks. Xena waistlock takedowns her. Goldie hits knees to the gut then side slams her. Goldie running boots her for 2. Goldie sits on her neck on the ropes for 2. Xena's head is banged off the mat.

Xena trips her then armdrags her twice. Xena shoulder throws her. Goldie suplexes her. Xena sunset flips her and submits her with an armbar.

Thoughts: WOW clearly likes Xena and is slow pushing her. Xena looked alright here and this was acceptable with Xena doing various takedowns and going for the arm.

Top Tier comes out. Krush and Glitter are on crutches. They then show that they are okay and laugh. They say they are mocking Ashley Blaze. Coach says they are calling a safety meeting. She says she has safety tips. She says to always be aware of your surroundings. She says to think twice about stepping in the ring with Top Tier. She says to be aware as not only are they the greatest team in wrestling, they are the most dangerous team in wrestling. She says you should take your safety seriously as if you don't, they will take it seriously for you.

Next week's show has Holly Swag and Penelope Pink vs Miami's Sweet Heat in a hardcore WOW Tag Title match.

#1 Contender's Match - Tormenta vs Princess Aussie vs Genesis vs Paola Mayfield

PM = Paola Mayfeild, Tor = Tormenta, Gen = Genesis

Tor and Aussie hit stereo dropkicks on the other two to start. They shake hands and lock up. Tor side headlocks her then Aussie reverses it. Aussie armdrags her. Aussie side headlock takeovers her. Tor is double teamed by Gen and PM. Tor springboards off the bottom rope and armdrags Gen.

PM hits forearms and chops on Tor. Tor tries a 2nd rope headscissors from behind but it gets botched. Tor misses a corner meteora. PM flying forearms her then dropkicks her. PM facebusters her.

Aussie corner splashes PM then suplexes her. Aussie elbow drops PM for 2. PM facebusters her for 2 when Gen pulls PM out. Gen leg lariats Aussie from behind. Gen chokes Aussie on the ropes. Gen spinning heel kicks Aussie and PM tries to steal the pin.

Gen push kicks PM and Tor throws Gen out. Gen takes wasteland on the floor. Tor moonsaults off the apron onto Gen on the floor. Aussie topes Gen with help from Tor. PM top rope plancha's all of them. Gen corkscrew kicks Tor for 2. Aussie cutters Gen. PM ddt's Aussie then Tor top rope meteora's PM and pins her.

Thoughts: PM had a rough night here with a lot of botches. The girls did try a bit harder than usual and did some dives that we don't see everyday. Unfortunately, there were too many botches to put this over. Tor winning was a surprise and the Genesis 2025 Humiliation Tour continues as she loses yet another match with title implications for no reason.

Overall thoughts: Gabriella Cruz looked good in her WOW debut here but they had her lose for reasons I don't understand. I liked the trios match as the girls worked hard. Xena/Goldie was short. The girls tried in the main but Paola had a rough night and sadly brought it down. Genesis lost in the main while Tormenta won, which is not something I really understand. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 as the booking wasn't the best in this one and the in-ring work was about average, making this an average show overall.

WWE Night of Champions 2025 6/28/2025

WWE Night of Champions 2025 6/28/2025

We are in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are on commentary.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

King of the Ring 2025 Finals - Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes

They lock up and go into the corner. They lock up again and fight over a top wristlock. Orton side headlocks him.  Orton shoulders him over. They lock up again. Cody chops him to escape a wristlock. Cody knees him in the gut then Orton does the same. Cody does a drop down punch.

Cody back elbows him out of the corner then bulldogs him for 2. Orton top rope superplexes him and holds his back after. Cody forearms him in the back then disaster kicks him for 2.

Cody suplexes him for 2. They trade forearms and Orton over the back neckbreakers him but hurts his back. Cody stretches Orton around the post. Cody top rope dropkicks him for 2. Cody chinlocks him. 

Orton hits lariats then powerslams him for 2. Cody forearms him in the lower back then cody cutters him for 2. Cody hits a top rope diving cody cutter for 2. Cody is on the apron and takes a draping ddt over the 2nd rope. Cody hits a croos rhodes for 2.

Orton then hits an RKO for 2. Orton is able to hit the punt and eventually goes for it but misses. Cody figure fours Orton. Orton reverses the figure four and ropebreaks. They trade shots and headbutts. Cody springboards and is hit with an RKO for 2.

Orton gets a chair and the ref takes it. Orton takes off the top buckle. Orton is pushed into the exposed buckle and Cody hits cross rhodes for the win.

Thoughts: It was a longer and slowed paced match as that's how both of these guys working. They kind of had a deal with them being friends and slowly getting more heated but I thought they could have done better with it. They also tried to tell us Orton's back was hurt but then stopped focusing on it. I thought it had potential to be more than it was and it was just acceptable only.

Cody is given the crown after and is interviewed by Byron. He thanks Orton. He said he mentored him and this isn't his last stop in Saudi. Orton's slowly walking to the back. Cody says he was born to do this and he is fighting either Cena or Punk at Summerslam. He says he will get the ball back at Summerslam.

Street Fight - Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Rodriquez

Not much happens early. Rhea stomps her and bangs her face off her knee. Rhea hits lariats then Raq fallaway slams her. Rhea is rammed in the corner and takes corner spears.

Raq corner splashes her. Rhea is tied up in the ropes and gets hit. Raq hits her with a kendo stick while she's tied up. Rhea boots a chair into Raq's face. Rhea low dropkicks her out of the ring. Raq is then sent into the steps outside.

They get on the commentary table. Raq is headbutted up there. Rhea tries to cannonball her off of it then is powerbombed through the top of the commentary table that is bridged on the rails. 

Raq's head is banged off the steps. Rhea takes her belt off and whips Raq hard with it. Raq takes a stiff razor's edge and Rhea sliding kicks her for 2. Rhea has a reverse cloverleaf on her. Roxanne Perez then comes in and breaks it up. Rhea goes after RP outside and she suplexes her on the floor. Rhea sliding kicks a trash can into RP's head. Raq rams Rhea's head into the post.

Rhea is sent into the steps on the apron. RR 2nd rope corkscrew elbow drops her for 2. Raq running facekicks her. A table is laid on the top rope and Rhea kicks Raq. They go on top of the table and Rhea hits a riptide off of it to win.

Thoughts: They tried and the finish was nice. I thought they needed a little more aggression and emotion in this one though to really put it over the top. It was a decent match though. It could have also been sped up a bit as it was a slower paced match that followed a slower paced match.

Giulia is in the crowd.

Sami Zayn vs Karrion Kross

Sami wears a head dress out, pandering to the local crowd.

Sami backs up KK in the corner. KK gets in his face in the corner and Sami piefaces him. KK hits punches and stomps. Sami hits chops and forearms. Sami lariats KK over the top. KK forearms him down outside. Sami is thrown into the rail but moonsaults off of it. KK exploders Sami. KK back elbows him and chokes him on the ropes. KK hits mounted punches on Sami and laughs. Sami hits punches back.

Sami blind springboard leapfrogs and lariats him. Sami hits shots in the corner then hits corner mounted punches. Sami 2nd rope double axe handles him. KK death valley drivers him for 2.

KK backdrops him. Sami blue thunders him for 2. KK germans him then Sami exploders him into the buckles. Kross does a grounded sleeper. Sami escapes, gets it put back on and rope breaks. KK tells him he needs to learn when to stay down. He corner lariats him and slaps him.

KK runs to the corner and Sami helluva kicks to win.

Thoughts: It was a midcard match that would have been better suited for Raw. What we got was alright but just okay at best. I thought Kross went down too easy here and hope for his sake that this is not the end of this, as it would be a weak way to lose the feud.

WWE United States Title - Jacob Fatu (c) vs Solo Sikoa

Solo hits himn before it starts and sends him shoulder first into the post. Solo pounds on him. Fatu boots and pounds on him in the corner. Fatu corner hip attacks him and hits an uppercut. Solo slides out then Fatu flying lariats him off the steps.

Fatu sentons him. Solo stops a dive then uranage's him on the apron and floor. Solo chokes him on the ropes and tells him he should have stayed and listened. Solo stomps him.

Fatu hits punches then misses a corner splash, banging his head off the post. Solo corner hip attacks him. Solo sleepers him and talks trash then does Fatu's line. Solo tries shots and gets hit. Solo hits a release german. Fatu gets right back up and Solo does Fatu's dance. Fatu germans him and superkicks him. Fatu hits a corner hip attack then a lifting ddt.

Fatu top rope swantons him for 2. JC Mateo comes out. Fatu is crotched on the top rope by Tanga Loa. Loa magic screws Fatu. Fatu superkicks Solo, handspring kicks JC and Loa off the apron then fosbury flops both outside.

Fatu pop-up samoan drops Solo then double jump moonsaults him. Hikuleo then debuts and pulls Fatu out. They say he's Tama and Loa's brother. Hiku chokeslams Fatu onto the commentary table. Hiku throws Fatu in. Solo samoan spikes Fatu and wins.

Thoughts: It was an alright match. Solo needed a win and now he has it and thankfully, it wasn't clean. Fatu's fosbury flop to the outside was nice. We had 2 big developments here with Hikuleo making his debut and Tanga Loa returning. That will change things up and maybe give new life to The Bloodline. I think Fatu was supposed to go through the table as it would have made Hiku look better.

Queen of the Ring 2025 Finals - Asuka vs Jade Cargill

Asuka does an octopus early. Jade side slams her out of it. Asuka dragon screws her on the ropes. Asuka hits kicks to the leg then basement dropkicks her for 2. Asuka  hits chest kicks. Asuka rolling leglocks her.  Jade germans her. Jade hits chest forearms then spinebusters her. Jade flying elbows her in the corner then fallaway slams her. Jade superkicks her then chokeslams her for 2. Asuka high kicks her and both are down.

Asuka hits kicke and codebreakers her. Asuka top rope dropkicks her for 2. Jade gets a 2 count on her then hits a sitout powerbomb on a blocked kick. Asuka armbars her. Jade pump kicks her then Asuka grounded chickenwings her.

Asuka hits buzzsaw kicks. Jade blocks a hip attack and hits a jade end to win.

Thoughts: It wasn't anything too great. I'm not surprised Jade won as WWE loves her, but she's still a limited wrestler. Jade's finisher could have looked a bit better here. Jade didn't bring a lot to this one.

Jade is interviewed in the ring by Byron after. She says not to let people tell you who you are and says a storm is coming to Summerslam. She then gets the crown and fireworks.

Undisputed WWE Title - John Cena vs CM Punk

They fight over a top wristlock. Punk side headlocks him and Sena rolls him with a wristlock. Punk side headlock takeovers him. Cena headscissors him. Cena shoulders him over. Cena punches Punk down then punches him while he's on the 2nd rope. Cena suplexes him for 2. Cena shoulders him over then slides out to avoid the GTS. Punk hits punches and ends up on Cena's shoulders. Punk then rolls him up for 2. Punk lariats him. Punk russian legsweeps him and does an octopus.

Cena hits mounted punches. Cena running facekicks him. Cena hits shoulder tackles and blue thunders him. Cena hits a five knuckle shuffle. Punk leg lariats him then neckbreakers him. Punk lariats him. Punk hits a top rope elbow drop.

Cena stf's him then Punk turns it into an anaconda vice. Cena hits an AA For 2. Punk ddt's Cena then does an STFU on him. Cena hits a blue thunder. Cena hits an AA for 2. Cena is pushed off the buckles. Cena catches Punk's top rope crossbody and hits another AA for 2. Cena grabs the title belt but puts it away. Punk hits a GTS for 2.

They each hit shots. Cena flying shoulders him then nails the ref on accident. Punk hits the GTS but the ref is down. Punk calls for another ref to come out but Seth Rollins' crew comes out instead.

Punk fights off Seth's crew. Punk plancha's Bron and Reed and almost ends up on his head. Punk takes a double spinebuster through a commentary table. Seth calls for a ref to come out. Cena then knocks the ref over as he runs down. Cena and Seth argue in the ring. Cena AA's Seth. Bron and Reed beat up Cena. Penta then comes out. Penta fights Bron and superkicks him on the ramp. Bron back body drops him on the ramp. Sami Zayn comes out and beats up Bron. Bron beats him up on the floor near the stage. Penta jumps off the stage onto both of them.

Reed goes up top. Punk pushes him off the top. Cena AA's Reed. Cena and Punk stare down. Punk offers a handshake. Cena accpets it and hugs him.  Cena tries to kick him but is caught. Seth hits Punk with the MITB briefcase and curbstomps him. Cena throws Seth out and pins Punk to win.

Thoughts: The match was okay enough but nothing too great but this was all about the shenanigans here. They definitely set up either Cena/Seth or Cena/Punk/Seth and we're going to have to see where that goes. Sami and Penta also got involved in this. This was similar to other Cena matches we have seen from this run with his doing his usual stuff and everyone and their mother getting involved. I would have liked to have seen a clean winner, but at least this will go somewhere.

Overall thoughts: The opener was acceptable but not great. I liked Rhea/Raquel more than expected and thought it was decent enough. Sami/Kross was average and would have been better suited for Raw. Fatu/Solo wasn't bad and gave us the return of Loa plus the debut of Hikuleo. Asuka/Jade wasn't that great and the main was fine with lots of shenanigans and kickstarted something with Seth/Cena/Punk. It was your usual Saudi show where you don't get anything too amazing and I'd give it about a 6 out of 10 overall as it was pretty average with nothing must see.

New Japan Pro Wrestling 6/15/2025 Dominion 6.15 In Osaka-Jo Hall

New Japan Pro Wrestling 6/15/2025 Dominion 6.15 In Osaka-Jo Hall

House Of Torture (Don Fale, Ren Narita, SANADA & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Chase Owens, Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori)

Fale is called "Don Fale" here. Sanada comes out in a Giant Gonzalez type of suit. Fale gets some offense in to start and throws Drilla out. he hits Taiji in the gut. Fale foot chokes Taiji and stands on his back. Yujiro hits legdrops on Taiji for 2. Ren rakes Taiji's face on the ropes then throws him out. Taiji is sent into the rails outside.

Taiji hits forearms on Ren then Ren chokes him. Ren snapmares him. Yujiro gets in and Taiji handspring corkscrew kicks him. Clark gets in and gets shots in on the heels. Clark suplexes Yujiro for 2. Fale pulls Clark out. Fale sends Drilla into the rails outside then Clark hits Fale with a tire. Clark then powerslams Yujiro.

Yujiro bites Clark's hand. Clark takes a stun gun then Yujiro facekicks him. Clark pounces Yujiro.

Drilla comes in and rolling spears Sanada. He headbutts him and blocks his low blow attempt. Drilla spinebusters Sanada. Sanada kicks the ref while in the air and magic screws Drilla. Drilla tries to hit Sanada with a guitar. Chase stops Drilla and kicks him in the crotch. Sanada hits Drilla with the guitar and pins Chase.

Thoughts: It was short and there wasn't much to it. I didn't like the wrestlers being able to use weapons in front of the ref and I didn't like the ref ignoring it. This was all about Chase's heel turn. 

El Phantasmo & Shota Umino vs. TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Oiwa wristlocks Shota. Shota rolls out and reverses it. Shota side headlock takeovers him, Oiwa headscissors him and they repeat the spot with the roles reversed.

Zack and ELP go at it. ELP wristlocks him. Zack bridges out and they keep up the wristlocks. Zack upkicks him away and they stand off. Zack monkey flips ELP then ELP monkey flips him. They both bridge at each other on the mat then slap each other. Zack bow and arrows him then Oiwa sentons him while he's in the hold.

Oiwa yanks on ELP's arm then slams him. Oiwa falling splashes him for 2. Zack and Oiwa work ELP's limbs together then armbar him at the same time. ELP goes up and over Oiwa. Shota gets in and shoulders over his opponents. Shota slams Oiwa then tornado ddt's Zack.

Shota fisherman suplexes Oiwa. Shota stf's Oiwa and Zack neck twists Shota. ELP topes Zack outside. ELP asai moonsaults Oiwa but Oiwa gets his knees up. Oiwa does a backdrop on him for 2. Oiwa doctor bombs ELP for 2.

ELP lariats Oiwa. Shota comes in and trades pin attempts with Zack for 2 counts. They trade euros and Zack sleepers him. Oiwa sleepers ELP at the same time. Oiwa and Zack take stereo step up enzugiri's him.

Shota lariats Zack over. Oiwa germans ELP then Shota half-nelson suplexes Oiwa. Shota hits a big lariat on Zack for 2. Zack pele kicks Shota's arm then Shota bridges him off of his bridge pin attempt. They roll and Zack bridge pins him to win.

Thoughts: I liked this one. It was fast paced and the four were working well together. They did a bunch of reversals and mat wrestling in this one. It's a shame it didn't get more time as they were cooking and I would have liked to have seen what they could do.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuya Uemura

They mat wrestle and stand off. Yuya side headlock takeovers him. Tana headscissors him and they do the spot with the roles reversed. They armdrag each other. Yuya armdrags him then hits a low dropkick. Yuya keylocks him.

Tana hits forearms and Yuya dropkicks him. Tana flying forearms him then back body drops him. Tana slams him then 2nd rope swantons him. Tana dragon screws him. Tana hits a twist and shout. Tana slingblades him for 2.

Tana misses a top rope high fly flow. Yuya then misses one as well. Tana and Yuya trade forearms. Yuya goes up and over then armdrags and armbars him. Tana dragon suplexes him. Yuya then hurricanrana's him into an armbar. Tana then pins him off of it before Yuya even notices it.

Thoughts: I liked this. The two are rather alike and work styles that are similar and they made this worth. It was a faster paced match with them mirroring each others moves and I thought it was fun.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match - Master Wato & YOH (c) vs. House Of Torture (DOUKI & SHO)

Douki was a surprise partner here, wrestling in Kanemaru's place.

Yoh and Wato get hit from behind before it starts. Douki bangs Wato's knee off the floor. Ren stomps Wato's knee. Wato's flying headscissors is blocked then he is dropkicked. Both of his knees are banged off the mat. Yoh is sent into the exposed buckle. Kanemaru then 2nd rope chops Yoh in the nuts.

Wato's knee is banged off the floor outside. Douki ddt's the leg then half crabs Yoh. Yoh tries to fight back and is kicked in the knee. Yoh tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Douki.

Wato hits a double bulldog on his opponents. Wato sends the heels into the exposed buckle then plancha's Kanemaru outside. He sends Kanemaru into the rails and top rope swantons Yoh. Sho spears Yoh then Douki double stomps Yoh. Douki then bangs Wato's knee off the floor outside.

Ren trips up Yoh then Wato trips up Douki. Wato facekicks Douki off the apron then tope con hilos him.
Douki takes a falcon arrow. Kanemaru pushes Wato off the top and Yoh is sent into the exposed buckle. Wato and Yoh hit superkicks on the heels. Yoh is sent into the ref. Kanemaru spits whiskey into Yoh's eye. Yoh is hit with a wrench. Douki hits Wato in the back of the leg with his stick. Douki then ties up Wato's legs and submits him.

Thoughts: It was half leg work on Wato and half cheating by the heels. The heels were allowed to do whatever they wanted as usual and the ref work here was awful as usual. It just was what it was but atleast there was logic to it.

Wato and Yoh get hit with Douki's stick after.

IWGP Tag Team Title Match - United Empire (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan) (c) vs. Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii

CN and Tai facekick each other thne trade shots. CN running facekicks him and is kicked over. CN dropkicks him. CN chest kicks him down with Khan's help. CN then double stomps Ishii's back. CN hits mounted forearms on Tai and the ref pulls him off.

Khan knees Tai in the gut then monkey flips him. Khan fireman's carry takeovers him and hip throws him. Khan sits on Tai's neck on the top buckle. Khan mongolian chops Tai. Khan slaps Tai around. Tai hits chops.

Khan uppercuts him then Tai side kicks him. Khan takes corner attacks then Ishii shoulders CN over. Ishii suplexes Khan. Ishii chops him then Khan shoulder throws him. Ishii takes a kick to the arm then an armbar.

Ishii germans CN. Tai facekicks CN then running lariats him. Tai release backdrops CN for 2. Khan bangs Tai's head off the mat then running lariats Ishii. Khan rams Tai in the corner then face claws him. CN flying dropkicks Tai off the aprons. Khan then does a rare plancha on Ishii outside.

CN tope con hilos Tai outside. CN top rope double stomps Tai for 2. Tai takes a double team shot from his opponents. CN does a heel hook fisherman suplex on Tai for 2. Ishii shoulders CN over then lariats Khan. Ishii headbutts CN and CN takes a gamengiri + enzugiri combo. CN tornado ddt's Tai off of Ishii.

Khan germans Ishii. CN pumping knees Tai then Tai hits a big forearm on him. CN standing spanish flies Tai for 2. CN springboards and is superkicked in mid-air. CN is thrown up by Tai into an Ishii suplex. Tai air raid crashes CN and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a good one. The action was fast, they hit each other hard and they were a lot of fast spurts here. This was main event worthy even though it was just a midcard match. I would love to see this one again. 

They announced the G1 competitors for this year.  Both blocks could be pretty good but the A Block is going to be the weaker one with Finlay, Tana and Evil involved.

NEVER Openweight Title Match - Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Oleg Boltin

KT side headlocks Oleg and they shoulder battle. Oleg shoulders him over. Oleg corner splashes him then KT flying knees him. KT tope con hilos him outside. KT suplex lifts him on the apron and throws him into the ring.

KT top rope sentons Oleg's back for 2. KT forearms him in the spine. Oleg catches KT in the air and F-5's him over the top to the floor. They fight on the ramp. KT drops him with a forearm there. KT runs the ramp and they collide with lariats. Oleg karelin's lifts him down the ramp.

Oleg vader bombs KT for 2 in the ring. KT forearms him twice in the ring. KT then blue thunders him. KT boston crabs him. KT running lariats him. KT then germans him for 2. KT goes up top and is stuck. KT lariats him down off the 2nd rope. Oleg 2nd rope AA's him for 2.

KT guillotines him then Oleg back body drops him. They trade forearms. Oleg finlay rolls him for 2. They trade forearms. Oleg beats him to the punch on one then Oleg lariats him for 2.

KT dragon suplexes Oleg then drops him with a running forearm. Oleg dropkicks him then hits a finlay roll for the win.

Thoughts: I was surprised to see Oleg win here. I liked the match. It was similar to their New Beginning match with lots of lariats and forearms. KT did his flying and Oleg threw him around. This was good and was entertaining as expected.

They shake hands after.

Dog Collar Death Match - EVIL vs David Finlay

They tug over the chain. DF trips him with it and pounds on him. Evil tries to go out, DF pulls him back in and pounds on him. DF hits mounted corner punches and uses the post to choke him with the chain. DF hits a lariat flurry in the corner then whips him with the chain.

DF hangs Evil with the chain. DF is pulled off the apron into the rails. DF's and Evil's buddies get into a fight outside. Evil takes DF into the crowd and chokes him with the chain. DF is sent into the seats. DF hits punches to the head.

Evil wraps the chain around his mouth outside. DF's head is banged off the exposed buckle inside. DF is put in tree of woe. Evil's buddies choke DF with the chain while he hangs. DF is sent into the exposed buckles.

DF pulls the chain into Evil's crotch. DF then whips Evil with the chain. DF hits a big forearm on Evil. He then powerbombs Evil over the top rope onto his buddies.

DF hits mounted punches on Evil. Evil is sent into the rails. DF ties Evil around the post. DF bites Evil then DF is pulled into the post with the chain. DF has a chair put around his neck then he is pulled into the post.

Evil whips DF with the chain. Evil lariats him then hits darkness falls for 2. DF hits oblivion. DF buckle bombs him into the exposed buckle. DF then powerbombs him. DF hits another powerbomb. DF chokes him with the chain and Evil grabs the ref. Dick Togo interferes and chokes DF. Gedo then chokes Togo with a chain. Multiple people come in to fight. DF is hit with a push-up board and gets whiskey in the eyes. Chase running knees DF. Evil throws a table at DF's face. Fal 2nd rope splashes DF through a table.

Evil chokes DF with the chain. Evil sharpshooters DF while choking him with the chain. The ref then stops it.

Thoughts: It was a longer and slower match. Some blood and more aggressive brawling really would have helped this one. I think they had the general idea right but there wasn't much emotion or fire in this and it plateaued because of it. 

House of Torture poses after and DF is carried out on a stretcher.

IWGP Global Heavyweight Title Match - Yota Tsuji (c) vs. Gabe Kidd

Gabe forearms then backdrops him. Gabe tope con hilos him outside. Yota then fosbury flops him outside. They fight on the floor and get back in before being counted out. Gabe side headlocks him and shoulders him over. Yota hiptosses him then baseball slides him.

Gabe hits shots then Yota knees him in the gut. Yota slams and splashes him for 2. They trade forearms and Gabe goes down. Yota shoulders him over. Yota chops him in the corner and snapmares him. Yota then bodyscissors him.

Yota hits forearms and drops him. Yota is on the bottom rope and is pushed over the top. Yota gets back in and is lariated. Gabe hits chops then crossbodies him. Gabe corner lariats him and exploders him. Yota flatliners him then deadlift germans him. Yota flying pumping knees him in the corner. Yota then superkicks him for 2. Yota is laid on the top rope. Gabe dropkicks him. Gabe then tries to top rope sentons him but misses completely.

Gabe backdrops him for 2. Gabe slaps him then Yota chops back. Yota curbstomps him. Yota topes him outside then Gabe pump kicks him. Gabe 2nd rope moonsaults him then tombstones him.

Gabe brainbusters him for 2. Gabe giant swings him then crabs him. Yota ropebreaks. Gabe boots him in the face. They trade forearms and Yota chops him. Yota headbutts him in the chest. Gabe does an abdominal stretch and rolls him up for 2. Yota samurai drivers him then piledrivers him for 2.

Yota curbstomps him then hits the marlow crash for 2. Yota tries to spear him then runs into a jumping knee. Gabe piledrivers him for 2. Gabe tries a running knee. Yota knees him in the face and powerbombs him for 2.

Yota pumping knees him then Gabe rebound lariats him. Yota spears him for 2. Gabe blocks a spear and hits a double underhook ddt. Gabe piledrivers him and wins.

Thoughts: It was a slower and longer match and lost a lot of momentum due to it. It's not like the work was bad but it should have been more exciting than it was. I don't think they got the most out of some of the spears and piledrivers that they could have. I think if you cut 5 minutes or so off of this one it would have been a lot better.

Gabe gets on the mic after. He talks about some of the past stars and rivalries of NJPW and says it's Yota vs Gabe in 2025. Gabe says his struggles have been public. He says it means nothing as he's a champ now. Gabe calls out Hiroshi Tanahashi. He challenges him to a match.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match - Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Shingo Takagi

They lock up. Goto backs him up on the ropes and Shingo side headlocks him. Goto side headlocks him. They shoulder battle then trade forearms and chops. Goto kicks him in the back. Shingo misses a senton, takes a side headlock takeover and headscissors Goto. They then stand off.

Shingo knees him off of a handshake. Goto hiptosses him then shoulders him over. Shingo stalls outside. Goto clubs on him then back elbows him. Goto elbow drops his back for 2 then elbows his face.

Goto hits forearms and boots. Goto corner lariats him. Shingo tornado ddt's him then lariats him over the top to the floor. Goto is sent into the rails and has his head banged off the apron. Shingo suplexes him on the ramp.

Shingo elbow drops and sentons him. Shingo hits knees to the body and shoulders him over. Shingo suplexes him for 2 and body scissors him. Shingo then hooks his head and Goto ropebreaks. Goto hits chops and Shingo chops back.

Shingo hits a chop and punch combo. Goto then lariats him. Goto spinning heels kicks him in the corner and backdrops him for 2. Shingo gets stuck bridged on the rail and Goto elbow slices him down. They trade strikes and Goto running lariats him. Shingo lariats him over. Shingo hits a twist and shout then sliding lariats him for 2. Shingo backdrops him then Goto hits an ushigoroshi. They collide with lariats. Shingo lariats him over then powerbombs him for 2.

Shingo hits a corner lariat. Goto gets hit up top and they headbutt battle there. Goto code red's him off the buckles for 2. Goto hits a GTW for 2. Shingo GTR's him then hits a made in Japan for 2. Shingo running lariats him. Shingo then hits a burning dragon for 2. 

Shingo hits lariats. They trade forearms then headbutt each other at the same time. Goto hits a shouten kai. Goto chest kicks him down then lariats him. Shingo rolls him up for 2. Goto hits a headbutt flurry and hits a GTR kai to win.

Thoughts: It was a decent and solid main just not great. It just never really kicked over the to the next level, but nothing was wrong with it. It was what you would expect and it delivered. Goto won as expected here as Shingo hasn't been presented as a true threat in a while. 

Goto then talks on the mic after to close the show.

Overall thoughts: I'd give it a 9 out of 10. Everything minus the opener was okay enough and the opener was a bit short anyway which helped. I'd say the tag title match was my favorite thing on the show. There's just not a lot to complain about with this card. It looked good on paper and delivered. I'd recommend seeing the Phantasmo tag and the tag title match as those were my favorite things on the show and I'd recommend the show as whole.

WWE Smackdown 6/27/2025

WWE Smackdown 6/27/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/wwe-smackdown-6202025.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/wwe-smackdown-742025.html

Note - There was apparently a big power outage for over 30 minutes when this aired on Netflix internationally.

Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are on commentary. We are in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia. They are in a big and dark arena.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

Cody Rhodes comes out to talk and Randy Orton follows right after. They have the WWE KOTR crown on a podium.

Orton asks if we watched Raw and says Cody/Jey should be in the running for best match of the year come slammy time. Orton says Cody might want the crown but he needs it. He said he also fell short to Gunther last year in KOTR. he said Cena embarrassed him in his hometown. We get a message saying there were technical issues and we see them filmed from a weird angle.

Orton says there's nothing he wont due to make sure he leaves with the crown around his head. He says the goal will come true. He says he will reintroduce Cody to the RKO.

Cody says Orton shouldn't feel embarrassed. He said Orton slapped his dad during his first night in WWE. He calls Orton his teacher and said he's thankful and grateful for him. Orton says he needs it a bit more than Orton. Cody says Orton won't be KOTR, he will be.

Thoughts: It was hard to watch with the technical difficulties as the camera was at a weird angle. The camera quality was also not as good as usual. This stuff is happening too much these days post-Vince and needs to stop.

Solo Sikoa tells JC Mateo to give Jimmy Uso one more chance to come back to the family. He says to remind him what it is like to have no back up. He says to take care of Jimmy as he will take care of Fatu tomorrow night. He say everyone will see that they are just getting started.

JC Mateo vs Jimmy Uso

Uso jumps at him, is caught and takes corner spears. JC pounds on him in the corner. Uso uppercuts JC then hits chops. JC flying lariats him. Uso back elbows him and sends him out. Uso spinning enzugiri's him. Uso goes for a dive. Solo stops him and tries to recruit him.

We go to break and return. Uso is caught coming off the buckles and JC slams him down. JC standing moonsaults him for 2. Uso back elbows him then corkscrew moonsaults him off the top. Uso hits shots then he spinning enzugiri's him. Uso corner hip attacks him then superkicks him out. Uso topes him. Solo trips Uso. JC spinning powerslams Uso and wins.

Thoughts: Uso went down easily here which was unusual. I hope it wasn't for nothing. What we got was fine but it could have been a lot better than it was.

Solo tries to help up Uso after and asks if ready to rejoin him. He offers a hug and Uso slaps him. JC hits Uso from behind. Jacob Fatu then runs out. Fatu pop-up samoan drops JC then goes for Solo but Solo runs. Fatu then top rope moonsaults JC. Fatu and Uso stare down. Uso pushes him out of the way and superkicks Solo.

DIY talk in the back to the other non-Wyatt tag teams. They try to tell them how bad The Wyatt's being tag champs would be. Johnny says tonight is about the survival of the tag division. Nick Aldis comes out and Ciampa says they are the trying to motivate the division to fight against The Wyatt's. They tell Nick to do something about it. Nick brings in Andrade and tells him to find a partner to fight DIY with. DIY hates the idea.

We get a video on Giulia. She says her and Zelina Vega have been calling each other out. She says she doesn't have to talk about how hard she works like Vega. She says her hard work is obvious. She says the title is just a stepping stone to her. She says Vega acts like the title belongs to her and she says she will prove it does.

Zelina Vega says you go out to the street and handle it if you have a problem with someone. She says Giulia likes to do sneak attacks. She says she will have to pry the title from her cold dead body if she wants it. Vega says she will use her to show why she is the US champ.

WWE Women's United States Title - Zelina Vega (c) vs Giulia

G = Giulia

The girls are wearing full body outfits here. Vega takes her down then G crucifixes her. They high kick each other at the same time and both go down. G suplexes her. Vega flying knees her off the apron. Vega 2nd rope moonsaults her outside.

We go to break and return. G curbstomps her. Vega armdrags her and meteora's her against the steps. They go back in. G hits forearms and is lariated twice. Vega meteora's her against the buckles. Vega 2nd rope meteora's her for 2.

G hits a top rope butterfly suplex. Vega code red's her for 2. Vega takes a running knee to the face then G knees her in the face again. G northern lights bombs her and wins.

Thoughts: The match was about average and it felt like there were a lot of meteora variations here. I still don't see what WWE sees in Giulia but they are trying to get her over by having her win the title. The crowd wasn't that into this one.

Giulia gets fireworks after.

They announce that Smackdown will be 2 hours starting next week. As a reviewer I like it as it means no more reviewing stuff until 11PM and means an easier night for me. But it's going to mean a lot less midcarders make the show and it'll mean shorter matches which isn't good. I can't say I thought they made the most out of the extra hour they had.

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss talk in the back. Flair says she doesn't need friends. Bliss says she's not trying to be her friend but says they need to be on the same page. She says they should be allies of convenience and Flair shakes her head.

Wade Barrett is in the ring for a segment with Asuka and Jade Cargill with the QOTR crown. Jade says people get nervous when they see Asuka. She says she sees an opportunity. She says this isn't pressure, it's purpose. She says she doesn't plan on just taking the title, she plans on taking the whole throne.

Asuka says she's strong but the power is not everything. She says she has skills and experience. She says no one is ready for Asuka.

Naomi interrupts. She says her MITB briefcase means they can fight over the crown but she has the power. She says she can do whatever she wants. She talks about when she might cash-in. She says Jade hates that Naomi has the power to take away whatever she does. Naomi says it gives her pleasure to think about how sweet it would be to ruin the biggest night of Jade's career.

Naomi gets on the apron, Jade pushes Asuka aside. Asuka hits headkicks on Jade and drops her.

Thoughts: I'm not sure what we were supposed to do with Jade and Asuka here. Both are kind of faces and the crowd did not boo Asuka dropping Jade. I don't think that was a good look.

Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis talk. They say they need to do something about the women's tag titles quick. Aleister Black comes in then R-Truth interrupts. Truth says he wants Cena now. Nick says Cena is here for Punk, not Truth. Truth says he's here for Cena and not to worry about it. Black then follows Truth. 

We see clips of Los Garza winning the AAA Tag Titles at Triplemania.

DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa) vs Andrade and Rey Fenix

Andrade waistlocks Ciampa and takes a back elbow for it. Ciampa takes shots form both opponents then is tripped into the 2nd rope with JG. Andrade and Rey then hit an enzugiri + basement dropkick on them. Rey and Andrade hit top rope plancha's outside.

We go to PiP break and return. Rey back body drops JG outside. Rey high kicks Ciampa and enzugiri's him. Rey goes for the tag and Andrade is pulled down. Ciampa pumping knees Rey in the back for 2. We go to quick PiP break for Jurassic World: Rebirth with Rey getting punched by DIY.

Rey rope walk kicks Ciampa. Andrae comes in and hits offense in DIY. Andrade misses a corner euro, blocks JG's slingshot spear and reverse tornado ddt's him. Andrade is popped up into a shatter machine for 2.

We go to break and return. Andrade flips out of a top rope move and hits a corner meteora on JG. Andrade botches some kind of top rope moonsault and like moonsault double stomps JG. Rey tope con hilos Ciampa through the ropes.

Rey top rope moonsaults and germans JG off of it for 2. JG cradles Rey for 2. JG poisonrana's Rey. Rey takes a superkick + angel's wings for 2. Rey takes project ciampa for 2. Ciampa takes a springboard spin kick from Rey. Ciampa takes the message from Andrade and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was what you would expect - a flippy match without much selling. I wasn't a huge fan of it. JG seemed to hurt his leg here and Andrade turned a top rope moonsault into a moonsault double stomp on JG on this one. 

We get a video on the history of John Cena vs CM Punk.

R-Truth walks in front of the commentators to get in the ring. Truth says he wants John Cena right now. Aleister Black shows up behind Truth and drops him with a high kick. Black says they are even now.

The Street Profits are interviewed about their match against The Wyatt's. Ford says it's been 4 years since they had gold and they had to go through fire to get to the mountain top. He says any team who thinks they can take their titles must be out of their minds. Dawkins says The Wyatt's are the only threat they got so they will eliminate that threat.

B-Fab goes up to them. She says she has their backs if they need it.

Damien Priest and Aleister Black talk in the back. DP says Black is feeling tough. Black says he's not. He says Truth's debt is paid. DP says the next time he's looking for payment, he should go face to face with Truth. He says the result will be different. Black says sure it will be.

Carmelo Hayes walks up to DP. He says he'd mind his own business if it was him. He says if it's he's his boy, get out of his way before he ends up a casualty. DP tells Melo to walk away and Melo says the truth hurts.

World Tag Titles - The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) vs The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy)

Dex hits shots on Ford. Ford dropkicks him. Ford takes a spinebuster then Joe sentons him. Other tag teams come down to watch. Joe handspring lariats Ford. We go to PiP break and return. Ford superkicks Dex then takes a pop-up uppercut. They clothesline each other at the same time then collide with crossbodies.

AD hits lariats on Joe. He flying back elbows him, corkscrew splashes him and enzugiri's him. Dex is tripped and pulled out by Los Garza. AD pounces Dex into Los Garza. AD is pulled out by DIY then he gets hit by tag teams and The Wyatt's get DQ'd.

Thoughts: It was short. They kept this one moving but there wasn't much but interference and some dives going on here.

The tag teams fight after then Erick Rowan cleans house. Rowan takes a 4 person superkick then he catches Frazer's tope. Los Garza's baseball slide him over. Howdy hits sister abigail on Axiom. AD lariats Howdy over the top then tope con hilos a bunch of people outside. Ford then tope con hilos onto everyone over the post. 

Jacob Fatu and Jimmy Uso talk outside. Uso says he didn't need his help. Fatu says he didn't need his help last week. Fatu asks if there's a problem here. Uso says it's just respect and said he should have stepped up to Solo a long time ago like he did. Fatu says if he gets in where he fits in, they will be alright. 

WWE Women's Title Last Woman Standing Match - Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Nia Jax

Nia hits Tiff before intros are done. Tiff is sent into the buckles shoulder first. Nia takes off a turnbuckle pad. Nia is sent out and Tiff baseball slides her. Nia headbutts her outside. Tiff jumps at her off the apron and Nia kind of tilts the steps into her.

Nia samoan drops Tiff on the commentary table. We go to PiP break and return. Tiff top rope crossbodies her. Tiff top rope swantons her. Tiff basement dropkicks her. Tiff is dropped face first on the buckles. Tiff is sent into the rails then put on a table. Nia splashes her off the apron through a table. We go to PiP break and return. Nia chairs her. Nia banzai drops Tiff then banzai drops a chair into her. Nia goes on the 2nd rope and Tiff powerbombs her through a table while Nia is on the 2nd rope.

Naomi runs down while both girls are struggling to come in. She wants to cash in but gets hit by Tiff first. Tiff hits Naomi and Nia with the briefcase. Tiff double jump moonsaults both opponents on top of each other.

Nia is on the apron in front of tables. Tiff tries to knock her off and does after hitting her with the MITB briefcase. Tiff then wins then Nia can't answer the 10 count.

Thoughts: It was a bit dragged out. We didn't get to see a lot of it due to breaks. The tables here were rigged to break very easily as Nia just touched them and they exploded. It was okay but not a classic at all. Naomi trying to cash in during the middle of the match was dumb but thankfully it didn't go through.

John Cena comes out. He says to get used to it as this is what a winner looks like. He says CM Punk has been outmanuevered and is out of tricks. He says Night of Champions is a formality and Punk can do nothing about it.

We then hear John Cena's "Basic Thuganomics" theme play with the word "Punklife" on the tron. CM Punk then comes out dressed like Cena from 2004. Punk says this is basic Punkanomics. He said Punk plagiarized his pipe bomb so he's stealing Wordlife. He raps and insults Cena. 

He talks about WWE hiring his ex and says Batista is a better rapper. He then says he's a fish-belly Hulk Hogan that is more problematic. He says Cena can't wrestle and does Cena's "you can't see me" line. He says he's a washed up bum. He says he's a leech and a phony. Punk then stands on top of the rail and does Cena's old pose.

Thoughts: It was something different but a little cheesy and it made Punk look old and unhip.

Overall thoughts: The show started off bad with technical issues ruining the Orton/Cody segment. Uso/Mateo was fine but not their best. Vega/Giulia was average but we got a title change out of it. DIY vs Andrade/Fenix was a flippy match without a lot of selling. The tag title match was short and filled with interference. The last woman standing match got ripped up by commercials and it was a little dragged out. They tried for a classic but it was a very safe type of WWE hardcore match and was just okay. The Punk/Cena segment was something different but I thought it made Punk look old. I'd give this one a 5 out of 10 as the framework was there for something great but some of the matches didn't get enough time and the opening and main event segments didn't hit.