WWE Bad Blood 2024

By Steve Ward

WWE resurrected it’s Bad Blood moniker following a several year hiatus for tonight’s Premium Live Event (that still doesn’t sound right) which emanated from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. This evening’s show had a special start time of 6 pm ET to cater to those who wanted to also watch UFC 307 at 10 pm ET (a downside of WWE being under the same umbrella as UFC - TKO Holdings). Additionally, the card for tonight’s event was rather slim at five matches, as opposed to AEW’s regularly robust shows, and would be headlined by Roman Reigns teaming up with Cody Rhodes to face Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu.

Hell In A Cell Match

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk 

Winner: CM Punk via pinfall

The longstanding, bitter rivalry between these two combatants would come to a head tonight as they would do battle in Hell In A Cell to mark the third encounter of their trilogy - with each man holding a win over the other. This match was the bloodiest encounter I’ve seen in WWE for more than a decade as both men were busted open early in the match (a sign of WWE looking to potentially ditch the PG era) and took each other to the limit with the use of tables, ring steps, and wrenches to name a few weapons put to use. In the end, Punk wrapped his knee in a chain before delivering his fourth Go To Sleep to finally put away the Scottish Psychopath.

WWE Women’s Championship

Nia Jax (c) vs. Bayley

Winner: Nia Jax via pinfall

Bayley sought to regain the title she lost to Jax at Summerslam (with an assist from Tiffany Stratton) tonight. Tiffany Stratton again made her presence felt in the contest after the referee was inadvertently pancaked by Nia Jax. This allowed the champ to regain momentum as she executed a Samoan Drop from the turnbuckle and the followed it up with her version of the Bonzai Drop to retain her title.

Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

Balor and Priest have been embroiled in a bitter feud since Finn betrayed his former Judgement Day brethren at Summerslam costing him the World Heavyweight Championship in the process and tonight the animosity would spill over. In the closing moments of the match, Carlito and JD McDonagh made their way to ringside in an attempt to give Balor the edge. Balor was able to execute his patented Coup de Grace three times but his fourth attempt would prove to be his downfall as Priest countered with the South of Heaven to solidify his victory.

WWE Women’s World Championship (with Dominik Mysterio in a shark cage)

Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

Winner: Rhea Ripley via DQ

Mysterio viciously betrayed Rhea Ripley at Summerslam costing her the coveted Women’s Title and subsequently seeing her ousted from the Judgement Day. To help ensure “Dirty” Dom would not interfere in the bout, he was suspended in a shark cage above the entryway. Late in the match, Dom managed to get the cage open but fell out of the door and found himself hanging upside down. This prompted Rhea to take a kendo stick to Dom until she was jumped from behind by a returning Racquel Rodriguez. This led to a disqualification of Liv Morgan, however, a title cannot change hands by DQ so Liv escaped with her title.

Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu vs. Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns

Winners: Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns via pinfall

Cody recruited his former bitter rival and the man he took the Universal Championship from at WrestleMania, the “Original Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns, to battle the new tribal chief Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. In the closing moments of the match, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa made their presence known to turn the tide back in favor of Solo and Jacob. This didn’t last long as an individual concealing his face with a bandana emerged from the crowd to neutralize the Tongans with a pair of super kicks. The man then revealed himself as Jimmy Uso who had been out of action since April. This supplied just enough of a distraction for Roman Reigns to break Solo in half with a devastating spear to cap the victory for his team.

Following the match, the New Bloodline proceeded to beat down Cody Rhodes only for Jimmy Uso to convince Roman to return to the ring and save him. Once the dust settled The Rock’s music echoed throughout the arena as he stood in the entryway and stared down the Universal Champion, Cody Rhodes to close the show.

WWE Money in the Bank 2024 Recap

By Steve Ward

The WWE finally returned to North America for a “Premium Live Event” this evening as Money in The Bank emanated from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. WWE’s last three PLE’s were held in France (Backlash), Saudi Arabia (King of the Ring), and Scotland (Clash at The Castle) and they will finally return to the US next month for SummerSlam. While I understand that WWE is a global brand with shareholders to answer to, they should remember that the company was built in the United States and the fan base deserves more than watered down weekly programming. As for tonight’s event, the card featured five bouts with two titles contested and would be headlined by the Men’s and Women’s Money In The Bank matches which would have the potential to heavily influence the title landscape of WWE moving forward.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight
Winner: Drew McIntyre

The show surprisingly kicked off with the Men’s Money In The Bank Match which proved to be foreshadowing for a cash-in later in the show. The winner of the match would be awarded a contract for a title bout at any time. Following a chaotic match filled with ladders being trashed and bodies broken, it appeared in the closing moments that Jey Uso would retrieve the briefcase. Then out of nowhere, Drew McIntyre threw a ladder that struck Uso in the face and knocked him from the ladder. McIntyre followed up with a Claymore Kick to dispose of Uso and ascended to the top of the ladder to become Mr. Money In The Bank.

Intercontinental Championship

Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker

Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall

Following his monumental upset over Gunther at Wrestlemania to end his historic Intercontinental Title reign, Zayn faced, arguably, his most daunting opponent in Bron Breakker - the son of Rick Steiner and, obviously, nephew of Scott Steiner. Bron Breakker put on a phenomenal display of power and agility as he dominated Zayn for the entire match. In the closing moments, Breakker delivered a body breaking power slam and squared Sami up for the spear. Zayn was able to avoid disaster and kicked Breakker in the face. The defending champ then delivered a Heluva Kick to put Breakker down for the three count and sneak out of Toronto with his title.

Following the match, there was a segment hosted by Trish Stratus where John Cena was introduced to cut a promo announcing he would be retiring from in-ring competition at the end of 2025. 

World Heavyweight Championship

Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

At this year’s Wrestlemania, Rollins lost his title to Drew McIntyre (who subsequently lost it minutes later to Damian Priest who cashed in the Money in The Bank briefcase) and spent two months out of action due to a procedure on his knee. Tonight, Rollins would attempt to regain his title against the Judgement Day’s Damian Priest. This match devolved into chaos halfway through as Drew McIntyre came down to the ring and cashed in the Money In The Bank briefcase making it a triple threat encounter. After McIntyre disposed of Rollins, CM Punk emerged from the crowd and brutally reciprocated the beat down he received several weeks ago in his hometown of Chicago. A vulnerable McIntyre then fell victim to the South of Heaven at the hands of Damian Priest who was able to retain his title. 

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Naomi vs. Zoey Stark vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Iyo Sky

Winner: Tiffany Stratton

The same reward would literally hang in the balance as in the men’s match to start the show with the winner earning a contract for a title opportunity at any time in the next year. In the closing moments, Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton were on side by side ladders jockeying for position to grab the briefcase. Stratton shoved Green’s ladder launching her to the floor where she crashed through two tables. Stratton then retrieved the briefcase unopposed.

Six-Man Tag Team Match

Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, & Jacob

Fatu) w/ Tonga Loa

Winners: The Bloodline via pinfall

Since Cody Rhodes dethroned the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, and took his Universal Championship at Wrestlemania, he has remained embroiled in a bitter feud with the newly revamped Bloodline with Solo Sikoa in charge. Since Wrestlemania, Sikoa first ousted his brother Jimmy Uso, then recruited Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, the sons of the legendary Haku/Meng, unleashed the “Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu, son of the Tonga Kid, and viciously beat down Paul Heyman when he would not “acknowledge” Solo as new Tribal Chief. That leads us to tonight’s bitter grudge match where Rhodes recruited backup in Owens and Orton. With bodies strewn about, the announce table in shambles, and the referee knocked out for a significant amount of time, the closing moments saw Jacob Fatu prop up Cody Rhodes so Solo Sikoa could deliver a Samoan Spike to the jugular. The referee was then helped back into the ring to count the pinfall as Solo covered Cody.

WWE WrestleMania 40 - Night Two

By Steve Ward

WWE once again emanated from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA for Night Two of WrestleMania 40. This evening proved to be a more entertaining spectacle with the increase in star power and championship bouts as Night One felt like more of a glorified kick off show with the exception of a stellar main event. Tonight’s card featured seven matches with five titles contested leading up to Cody Rhodes getting another opportunity to “finish his story” in an attempt to take the Universal Championship from Roman Reigns under Bloodline Rules.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall

McIntyre earned his shot at Rollins’ championship as a result of his victory in the Elimination Chamber. Seth “Freakin” Rollins would face an uphill battle after the punishment he undertook on Night One in the main event, and it showed as he entered the match covered in Kinesio tape. Seth Rollins demonstrated impressive resiliency throughout the match as he withstood several Claymore Kicks until the final two were simply too much for him to withstand.

Following the match, McIntyre decided to gloat in the face of CM Punk who was the guest commentator for the match. Punk took exception and swiped Drew’s feet out from under him as he stood on the announce table over him. Punk then removed the brace from his arm and beat McIntyre down as the music of The Judgement Day echoed throughout the stadium. Damian Priest sprinted to the ring with his Money In The Bank briefcase and leveled McIntyre with it before telling the referee that he would be cashing in his title opportunity.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Damian Priest

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

Damian Priest promptly executed the South of Heaven to steal the World Heavyweight Championship from McIntyre.

Philadelphia Street Fight

The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & Authors of Pain) w/ Scarlett & Paul Ellering vs. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits w/ B-Fab

Special Guest Referee: Bubba Ray Dudley

Winners: Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits

Following the destruction of several kendo sticks, chairs, and tables, this match saw its conclusion as Lashley and The Street Profits isolated Kross and laid him out across yet another table. Montez Ford then climbed to the top turnbuckle and leapt onto Kross putting him through the table and cinching the victory for his team.

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight\

Winner: LA Knight via pinfall

AJ Styles blamed LA Knight for costing him the Universal Heavyweight Championship when they were engaged in a triple threat match with Roman Reigns several months back. Tempers finally boiled over in the Elimination Chamber match as Styles assaulted Knight with a steel chair leading them into a bitter rivalry that culminated tonight on the Showcase of the Immortals. AJ Styles appeared to have LA Knight in dire straits for much of the match, however, his attempts at a springboard 450, Phenomenal Forearm, and Styles Clash were all denied before Knight finally countered with the BFT (Blunt Force Trauma) to seal his first WrestleMania victory.

United States Championship Match

Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Logan Paul via pinfall

Orton and Owens initially stood unified against Paul until he had been thoroughly beaten down and the match devolved into chaos. In the final moments of the match, Orton hit the RKO on Kevin Owens as a counter to the Pop-Up Powerbomb. Paul then got the jump on Orton and tossed him out of the ring allowing him to capitalize on a downed Owens with an impressive frog splash to put the final exclamation on his successful title defense.

WWE Women’s Championship

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley

Winner: Bayley via pinfall

After Bayley won the Women’s Royal Rumble match back in January, her Damage Ctrl stablemates unceremoniously ousted her from the group with a vicious beat down setting up tonight’s showdown of former best friends. Bayley was limited the entire match by what appeared to be a legitimate knee injury but still prevailed in the end with a massive top rope elbow drop followed by the Rose Plant to crown her as the new WWE Women’s Champion.

WWE Undisputed Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. Cody Rhodes

Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

Tonight’s match was contested under Bloodline Rules (meaning there would be no disqualifications, no count outs, etc.) as a result of Rhodes and Rollins losing the main event of WrestleMania Night One to Roman Reigns and The Rock. The big question tonight would be whether Cody Rhodes, the cover Superstar for the WWE 2K24 video game, would “finish his story” as predicted or would Roman Reigns continue his historic title reign. The match initially got off to an uneventful start, but business began to pick up as Jimmy Uso came to Reigns’ aid at the first sign of peril, but he was neutralized by his twin brother Jey. Next, Solo Sikoa helped Roman take down Rhodes again. This time John Cena came to Rhodes rescue only to have his momentum disrupted promptly by The Rock who delivered the Rock Bottom to the 16-time world champion.

Then the music of The Shield shocked the WWE Universe as a broken Seth Rollins entered the ring in his old Shield attire only to be the recipient of a brutal chair shot to the back. Next, the shocker of the match occurred as the lights went out and the unmistakable bell tolled throughout Lincoln Financial Field. As the lights returned, The Rock found himself face to face with The Undertaker who choke slammed “The Final Boss” before the lights once again went out. As the lights came back up, The Undertaker was gone, and The Rock was incapacitated on the floor outside of the ring. Shortly thereafter, Rhodes delivered three consecutive Cross Rhodes to conquer The Tribal Chief and finish his story on the grandest stage of them all.

WWE Payback 2023

By Steve Ward

The WWE emanated from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA this evening as they presented Payback. Tonight’s card featured six matches with four titles contested and was headlined by Seth Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. The World Heavyweight Championship was of course brought back earlier this summer because Roman Reigns is essentially a part-timer, despite holding the Undisputed Universal Heavyweight Championship, and WWE needs to have a major title to defend on each Premium Live Event. In addition to the headlining title bout, the show also boasted a grudge match between Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch inside an unforgiving steel cage.

Steel Cage Match

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch

Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

Tonight’s card opened with a rare women’s steel cage match pitting “The Man” Becky Lynch against Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus, who made a rather surprising full-time return earlier this year. Initially aligned with each other, Trish became tired of the “sidekick” role and turned her back on Lynch igniting a bitter rivalry between the two. Following an encounter that left Trish Stratus covered in welts and bruises, Zoey Stark decided to become involved in the match. Stark attempted to hold The Man at bay as Trish scaled the cage. Lynch delivered a Manhandle Slam to Stark and then ascended the cage to intercept Trish. Lynch then pulled Trish back down the side of the cage and delivered a Manhandle Slam from the top turnbuckle to solidify the victory. 

The Miz vs. LA Knight 

w/ Special Guest Referee John Cena

Winner: LA Knight

Prior to this match, John Cena made his way to the ring as the host of Payback and decided to announce that he was naming himself the special guest referee for the next match. In the closing moments of the match, The Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale, however, it wasn’t enough to secure the pinfall. Moments later, LA Knight was able to rebound and hit the elbow drop before the Blunt Force Trauma to put away The Miz.

United States Championship

Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Austin Theory

Winner: Rey Mysterio via pinfall

Theory was recently set to defend his title against Santos Escobar until he unleashed a vicious attack on his knee and took him out of the bout. Fellow LWO member Rey Mysterio then stepped in and was able to bring the title home. Tonight, Theory attempted to regain his title as he again squared off with the Hall of Famer, Rey Mysterio. In a rather abrupt match, Mysterio found himself up on the shoulders of Theory in a rather precarious position but turned it to his favor as he rolled up Austin for the pinfall victory.

Undisputed Tag Team Championship Pittsburgh Steel City Street Fight

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Finn Balor & Damian Priest

Winners: Finn Balor & Damian Priest via pinfall

Sami Zayn and his tag team partner Kevin Owens, who made his recent return from injury, defended their titles against the Judgement Day’s Finn Balor and Mr. Money In The Bank, Damian Priest, in a no holds barred Pittsburgh Steel City Street Fight where victory could only be attained by pinfall or submission. It appeared that Zayn and Owens were poised to defend their titles late in the match as Balor was the recipient of a Helluva Kick from Sami. As Balor was covered for a pinfall attempt, Dominik Mysterio stormed the ring with Priest’s Money In The Bank briefcase and cracked Zayn over the back. Mysterio then rolled Balor on top of Zayn to secure the pinfall and crown new tag team champions.

Following this match, there was another filler segment on the show as there was an installment of The Grayson Waller Effect with guest Cody Rhodes. Instead of Rhodes making any substantial announcement regarding himself, he introduced “Main Event” Jey Uso as the newest member of the Monday Night RAW roster. Uso came out, received a few insults from Waller, and reciprocated with a Superkick to the face.

RAW Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Rhea Ripley had her most physically imposing opponent to date in Raquel Rodriguez set to go toe to toe with her this evening with her coveted championship gold on the line. This match came to it’s merciful conclusion following interference once again by Dominik Mysterio which opened the door for Ripley to execute the Riptide and retain her title.

World Heavyweight Championship

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Nakamura has had the World Heavyweight Champion in his crosshairs for the past month, following a shocking surprise attack on him on Monday Night RAW, which culminated in their title bout this evening. Shinsuke Nakamura controlled the tempo for a vast majority of this match as he continued to target Rollins’ back. Late in the match, Rollins surprised Shinsuke with a Pedigree and quickly followed up with The Stomp to retain his title.

WWE Summerslam 2021

By Steve Ward

WWE Summerslam emanated this evening (yes, on a Saturday)  from a sold out Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not only was the event moved to a Saturday, but also to the same night where Sin City would play host to the huge Manny Pacquiao and Yordenis Ugas showdown. Prior to the event, reports circulated that WWE was actually told to keep their event within three hours so that it would not coincide with the huge title fight, however, that didn’t even come close to happening as the show eclipsed four hours. The card this evening featured ten matches while it boasted seven title bouts in the mix and featured Roman Reigns defending his Universal Championship against a returning John Cena who was in search of his record 17th world title.

WWE RAW Tag Team Championship

AJ Styles & Omos (c) vs. Rated RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Matt Riddle)

Winners: RK-Bro via pinfall

Following weeks of failing to see eye to eye between Riddle and Orton, The Original Bro came to his rescue recently on RAW as his singles match with Omos quickly escalated into a handicap encounter hence earning The Viper‘s respect in the process. The reformation of this team proved to pay dividends for them this evening as this rather abrupt match ended with an RKO delivered to Styles to secure the pinfall victory and crown new champions.

Alexa Bliss vs. Eva Marie w/ Dou Drop

Winner: Alexa Bliss via pinfall

Since her uninspiring return to WWE, Eva Marie has found herself in the crosshairs of Alexa Bliss who has continued her Fiend-like role despite the recent departure of Bray Wyatt. Sadly, Alexa Bliss’ talents were not able to be utilized to their full extent in this bout with her given opposition. This was yet another match that arrived at a rapid conclusion as Bliss executed a strike to the jaw of Eva Marie to set up the pinfall.

United States Championship

Damian Priest vs. Sheamus (c)

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

Sheamus recently returned to action following a broken nose with a face mask in tow and immediately entered into a program with Damian Priest. This created a huge opportunity for the man once know as Punishment Martinez in his ROH days as he competed for his first title since becoming a member of RAW. What had the promise to be a sleeper match on the card quickly lost it’s momentum as Priest vaulted himself to the ring floor and landed badly on his hip. The bout finally picked up some momentum late as Priest withstood a Brogue Kick and the figure four leglock to deliver The Reckoning allowing him to solidify the victory and crown himself the new United States Champion.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

The Usos (c) vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio

Winners: The Usos via pinfall

After dropping the title to The Usos at Money In The Bank, The Mysterios earned another opportunity to regain them this evening. The Mysterios came up a little short this evening in their bid for a second tag team title reign as The Usos did their part to keep the bloodline intact prior to their cousin, Roman Reigns, title defense later in the evening.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch

Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

Bianca Belair was poised to defend her title in a Wrestlemania rematch with Sasha Banks, however, ring announcer Greg Hamilton stated that Banks was unable to compete and would be replaced by Carmella. After Carmella made her way to the ring, Belair proceeded to take the mic and belittled Carmella only to be interrupted by the return of “The Man” Becky Lynch! Becky Lynch quickly disposed of Carmella and challenged Belair for the title. Belair accepted the challenge and will be wondering what hit her until Friday Night Smackdown. Following the opening bell, Lynch extended her hand to Belair. Belair reciprocated only to be blindsided with a forearm to the face followed by The Manhandle Slam. The Man quickly pinned Belair to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion after a year and a half off for maternity leave.

Jinder Mahal vs. Drew McIntyre

Winner: Drew McIntyre

The rivalry between the former Three Man Band cohorts (yes, I went there) that erupted at Money In The Bank last month when Mahal, along with Shanky and Veer, cost McIntyre an opportunity at retrieving the briefcase. In a relative squash match, McIntyre made quick work of Mahal with a series of belly-to-belly suplexes followed by the Claymore Kick.

RAW Women’s Championship

Nikki A.S.H. (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Charlotte Flair via submission

After Charlotte defeated Ripley to regain her title at Money In The Bank last month, she promptly dropped it the following night on RAW to Nikki A.S.H. who cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase. With Flair and Ripley both laying claims to the title, we arrived at our triple threat encounter tonight. Charlotte again put her wrestling acumen on display as she overcame the odds to earn her 12th championship. With Ripley disposed of on the ring floor, Nikki and Flair found themselves alone in the ring. Nikki attempted a splash from the top rope only to have Flair side step her and quickly cinch in the Figure Eight to regain her title.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Edge via submission

Edge was out for revenge this evening following Rollins’ actions at Money In The Bank which cost him his match for the Universal Championship with Roman Reigns. Rollins awakened a beast within Edge after he referred to him as Edge-light which lead the Rated R Superstar to dive back into a dark place. Edge jumped into the time machine for his entrance this evening as he delved into the archive for the old Brood entrance theme and was raised through a flaming platform - all that was missing was Gangrel spitting “blood” into the air from a chalice. Rollins controlled much of the action in the early going until Edge began to turn the tables late. Edge executed a brutal spear after the prior one was thwarted with a reversal in the form of a Pedigree. Edge then blocked a curb stomp attempt and proceeded to smash Rollins head into the canvas several times before cinching in a move resembling the combination of a sleeper and a crossface to earn the submission victory.

WWE Championship

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP

Winner: Bobby Lashley via no contest

Goldberg made his triumphant return to RAW the night after Money In The Bank to pose a challenge to WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley. Following Lashley’s acceptance the following week, things then became personal as MVP began to target Goldberg’s family - specifically his son at ringside. That brings us to our showdown tonight as the 54-year old Goldberg attempted to reclaim championship gold once again. Just minutes into the match MVP struck Goldberg in the knee with his cane as the referee was distracted which proved to be the deciding factor. Lashley proceeded to target the knee until the referee was forced to put an end to the match with Goldberg’s inability to put weight on his leg. After the bell was called for, Lashley attacked Goldberg with a steel chair until his son jumped the champion only to be the recipient of The Hurt Lock. 

WWE Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. John Cena

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

This match came to fruition after John Cena confronted Roman Reigns in the ring following his victory at Money In The Bank and called out the Tribal Chief in search of his 17th world championship. Roman Reigns withstood multiple Attitude Adjustments, including one through the announce table, to finally put away Cena with a devastating spear to retain his title. As Reigns celebrated in the ring, he was interrupted by the unmistakable entrance music of Brock Lesnar! The capacity crowd unleashed a deafening roar as Brock made his way to the ring and stood toe to toe with The Tribal Chief. Paul Heyman appeared to soil himself as he implored Reigns to leave without conflict to which he obliged as the show came to a close.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!

WWE Wrestlemania Backlash 2021

By Steve Ward

Following two nights of Wrestlemania in front of a capacity crowd at Raymond James Stadium last month, WWE reverted back to their dystopian setting this month as Wrestlemania Backlash emanated from the new home for the WWE Thunderdome, The Yuengling Center on the campus of the University of South Florida. This is a curious development since AEW will present their annual Double or Nothing pay per view in two weeks and have announced they will sell Daily’s Place to capacity - a venue which stands only a couple hours away in Jacksonville. Nonetheless, this evening’s event represented a culmination of the fallout from the “Showcase of the Immortals” as five titles were contested on the six bout card with the headline bout featuring Roman Reigns stepping toe to toe with Cesaro for the Universal Championship.

RAW Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley (c) 

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Charlotte firmly reasserted herself in the RAW Women’s division the night after Wrestlemania as she brutally assaulted new champion Rhea Ripley and manipulated her way into a title opportunity. This of course did not sit well with the former champion, Asuka, hence the table being set for our triple threat match this evening. Charlotte established her dominance for much of this bout, however, she would not factor into the decision. In the closing moments, Flair stood on the ring apron and delivered a kick to the face of the charging Asuka. The momentum not only drove Charlotte to the arena floor, but also set up Asuka for the Riptide which solidified Ripley’s title defense.

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio

Winners: Rey & Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

This contest was originally supposed to feature Rey teaming with his son Dominik until Roode and Ziggler brutally attacked him backstage during the Kickoff Show. Rather than find another partner, Mysterio elected to challenge for the titles on his own. Rey put forth a valiant effort to open the match, however, it did not take long for the numbers game to eventually overwhelm him. After being the recipient of a vicious beat down, topped by a Fameasser delivered by Dolph Ziggler, a hobbled Dominik Mysterio made his way to ringside to aid his father. Dominik’s presence revitalized Rey as they turned the tide of the bout. In the closing moments, Rey executed the 619 on Roode. Rey then proceeded to tag in his son who delivered a Frogsplash from the top rope crowning the first ever father-son tag team champions in WWE history.

Lumberjack Match

The Miz w/ John Morrison vs. Damian Priest

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

After being embarrassed by Damian Priest and Bad Bunny at Wrestlemania, The Miz sought retribution this evening. Following his victory over John Morrison on Monday night, Priest was able to name the stipulation for tonight’s match and elected for a Lumberjack Match. With the event being sponsored by Dave Bautista’s movie Army of the Dead, WWE elected to make all of the lumberjacks…zombies…yes, you read that correctly. In the closing moments, Priest was able to withstand a running knee from The Miz and finished him off with the Hit the Lights for the pinfall. Following the match, The Miz was swarmed by the zombie lumberjacks as Priest escaped the ring.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley

Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall

Belair found herself in the crosshairs of Bayley following her victory at Wrestlemania as the former champ has made it a point to regain her title especially after being left off the card at WWE’s signature event. I’ll be quite honest, this match didn’t hold a candle to the triple threat contest that opened the show. The closing moments saw Bayley attempt a pinfall only to have Belair use her excessively long hair to create leverage and reverse the pin to retain her title.

WWE Championship Triple Threat Match

Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman

Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall

Following his retention of the WWE title over McIntyre at Wrestlemania, Bobby Lashley again found himself set to defend his championship against him at Backlash following Drew’s victory over Randy Orton recently on RAW. As if this weren’t enough, Braun Strowman reestablished his dominance in recent weeks and manipulated his way into the bout as well stacking the deck against “The Almighty” Bobby Lashley. Early in the match, Lashley and McIntyre found themselves engulfed in a brawl at the top of the entrance ramp that concluded with Drew thrusting the champion through an LED display which erupted in sparks. McIntyre and Strowman proceeded to demolish the arena and each other as Lashley was out of the equation. In the closing moments, McIntyre delivered the Claymore Kick to Strowman before he was ambushed by Lashley who ejected Drew from the ring. Lashley proceeded to deliver a devastating spear to Strowman setting up the pinfall victory.

WWE Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. Cesaro

Winner: Roman Reigns via submission

Following monumental wins over Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania and recently on Smackdown, Cesaro found himself competing for his first world title in WWE. Cesaro had one of his finest matches, however, it just wasn’t enough in the end as Roman also put worth one of the most well-rounded efforts I’ve ever seen where he actually utilized more than three moves and demonstrated legitimate technical expertise. In the end, Roman cinched in a guillotine choke that rendered Cesaro unconscious and allowed him to retain his title. Following the match, Jey Uso entered the ring and praised the “Tribal Chief” for his victory. As if this wasn’t enough, Seth Rollins then made his way to ringside and proceeded to lay waste to Cesaro with a steel chair and a curb stomp to close the broadcast.

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!