WWE WrestleMania 42 Night Two

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada for night number two of WrestleMania. Night One didn’t feel like it was firing on all cylinders with the four-minute commercial breaks between every match that consistently broke the momentum of the show and consumed more of the four hour block than the combined time of multiple matches, the clearly empty sections in the upper deck that were tarped over, and the matches that felt rushed and void of that special “WrestleMania Moment.” While night one did provide some highlights in the form of the Gunther and Seth Rollins bout that featured the return of Bron Breakker and Paige’s surprise return for the Women’s Tag Team Championship match, night two seems poised to be the more electrifying card of the weekend. Sunday’s card featured six matches with four titles contested and was headlined by CM Punk defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.

Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. Oba Femi

Winner: Oba Femi via pinfall

Tonight’s show kicked off its first hour on ESPN with Brock Lesnar returning to the ring to square off with the up and coming Oba Femi who seems poised for a monster push. Brock Lesnar appeared overpowered for the first time in his illustrious career as Femi withstood Suplex City and an F5 to deliver the Fall From Grace powerbomb as he conquered The Beast. 

Following the match, Lesnar removed his gloves and boots in the center of the ring before embracing his longtime advocate, Paul Heyman,  in what appeared to be his retirement from professional wrestling.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match 

Penta (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Rusev vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh

Winner: Penta

Penta would defend the title on night two against a very interesting mix of challengers. We had Rey Mysterio who was conveniently cleared for action after Gunther was booked in another match, the veteran powerhouse Rusev who hasn’t been able to build momentum since his return, the “Young OG” Je’Von Evans who is out to prove himself as a top contender, and JD McDonagh who is out for revenge for Penta taking the title from his Judgement Day cohort Dominik Mysterio. In a match that saw plenty of broken ladders and broken bodies, the final moments saw Je’Von Evans seemingly poised to capture the Intercontinental Championship until Penta came out of nowhere to deliver a Mexican Destroyer off the ladder to put him down. This opened the door for Penta to scale the ladder and retrieve his title.

WWE United States Championship 

Trick Williams w/ Lil Yachty vs. Sami Zayn (c)

Winner: Trick Williams via pinfall 

Sami Zayn recently dethroned Carmelo Hayes as champion on Smackdown and was quickly thrown into a feud with another rising star, former TNA Heavyweight Champion Trick Williams. Many have viewed Zayn as a transitional champion with speculation that WWE wants to build a long program between Williams and Hayes - tonight would determine if that plays out. In the closing moments, Zayn hit the Exploder Suplex and was positioned to attempt The Helluva Kick. As Zayn charged Williams, he was stunned with The Trick Shot which allowed Trick to cover him for the pinfall.

Street Fight

Dominik Mysterio vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor

Winner: “The Demon” Finn Balor via pinfall

Following his unceremonious removal from The Judgement Day, Finn Balor has decided to invoke the return of his Demon persona, following a lengthy three year absence, for tonight’s grudge match. Balor withstood a barrage of chair shots, being put through a table, and a Frogsplash to achieve his measure of revenge on “Dirty” Dom. In the closing moments, Balor beat Dom down with a chair and then laid him out on a table to deliver the Coup de Grace for the win.

WWE Women’s Championship 

Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall 

Rhea Ripley earned her opportunity to ascend to the top of the Women’s Division once again with her victory in the Women’s Elimination Chamber against a champion who has never seemed to defend her title. Rhea appeared in dire straits as Cargill’s Baddies, Michin and B-Fab, made their presence felt late in the contest. Iyo Sky then made her way to the ring and dispatched of the two while also creating a distraction. This allowed Ripley to stun Jade with a headbutt followed by the Riptide for the victory.

Following the match, John Cena made his way to the ring to announce the attendance before he was interrupted by The Miz and Kit Wilson. As The Miz proclaimed he wanted his WrestleMania moment, Danhausen made his way to the ring with a group of mini Danhausens. After the mini Danhausens eliminated Kit Wilson, Danhausen delivered a Five Knuckle Shuffle to The Miz. Danhausen’s exit was seemingly botched as a plume of smoke went off and dissipated around him before he could make his exit.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship 

CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns 

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

WrestleMania 42 weekend closed out tonight with the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble winner, Roman Reigns, challenging CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. The buildup to this encounter did get ugly at times with the personal attacks that blurred the lines of kayfabe promising a fever pitch intensity level for the main event on “The Showcase of the Immortals.” Late in the match CM Punk seemed to be in prime position to put Roman away after he put him through the announce table with a devastating elbow drop. Punk then delivered the Go To Sleep, however, when he attempted a second consecutive GTS, his body gave out. This opened the door for Reigns to deliver two devastating, body-breaking spears after which Punk was unable to kick out before the referee’s three count.

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 Wrestlemania 39 Night Two

By Steve Ward

WWE’s 39th installment of the Showcase of the Immortals continued this evening from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA following a solid overall first night. While night one featured some WWE legends in action and entertaining bouts for the Smackdown Women’s and United States Championships, the star power is much more prevalent across the card for night two with names such as Brock Lesnar, Edge, and Roman Reigns showcased. This evening’s card featured seven matches, three title contests, and was headlined by Roman Reigns putting his 945-day title reign on the line against “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes.

Brock Lesnar vs. Omos w/ MVP

Winner: Brock Lesnar via pinfall

Tonight’s card kicked off with one of WWE’s biggest draws, Brock Lesnar, squaring off with the 7’3” Nigerian Giant, Omos. With no title bout for Lesnar this year, WWE decided to pair him up with the largest man in WWE - and one of the largest competitors ever. A dire situation appeared to be afoot for Lesnar to open this bout as he was manhandled by Omos. Lesnar capitalized on a window of opportunity that opened when he ducked out of the way of a charging Omos while in the corner. Lesnar’s evasion lead the Nigerian Giant to slam his head into the ring post. Lesnar then took the massive Omos to Suplex City and finished the massive giant off with an impressive F5.

Wrestlemania Showcase Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match

Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan vs. Natalya & Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler

Winners: Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler via submission

Much like the men’s tag team showcase on night one, the women were featured tonight in an effort to give more of the roster exposure on the stage of Wrestlemania and the winners would put themselves in prime position for a future tag team title opportunity. In the closing moments of the match, Shayna Baszler made a blind tag on Liv Morgan and then Rousey tagged her partner to become the legal competitor in the match. Rousey and Baszler disposed of Morgan and then Rousey cinched in the armbar on Shotzi for the submission victory.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match

Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus

Winner: Gunther via pinfall

Gunther was forced to put his historic 296-day Intercontinental Title reign on the line against both Sheamus and McIntyre after the two men fought to a no contest in their match to determine the number one contender for tonight’s contest. Late in this incredibly hard-hitting affair, that left all three competitors with bruised and swollen pectorals, Sheamus appeared poised to earn the victory on McIntyre when Gunther flew from the top turnbuckle to break up the pinfall attempt. Gunther then hoisted Sheamus up and powerbombed him onto McIntyre and then powerbombed McIntyre as well to secure the pinfall victory.

WWE RAW Women’s Championship

Asuka vs. Bianca Belair (c)

Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall

After Rhea Ripley elected to use her Royal Rumble victory to challenge Charlotte Flair for her Smackdown Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania, RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair was left without an opponent until the Empress of Tomorrow answered her challenge. Tonight, Belair would put her second longest ever RAW Women’s Championship reign on the line against the highly decorated Asuka on the grandest stage of them all. In the closing moments, Belair avoided the dreaded mist and was able to survive the armbar to deliver a KOD to solidify her title defense.

The Miz vs. Snoop Dogg

Winner: Snoop Dogg via pinfall

After The Miz and Snoop Dogg announced the attendance for Night Two, The Miz proceeded to reprimand Snoop for putting him in an impromptu match with Pat McAfee on Night One. Snoop then introduced Shane McMahon as the opponent for The Miz tonight. Shortly after the bell rang, Shane McMahon landed wrong as he leapfrogged a charging Miz and legitimately tore his quadricep. While the ringside doctor attended to McMahon, Snoop Dogg stepped up and dropped The Miz with a couple right hands and then delivered his version of The People’s Elbow to pin The Miz.

Hell In A Cell

Edge vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor

Winner: Edge via pinfall

In what should be the final chapter in the long, bitter rivalry between Edge and Finn Balor, they decided to do battle in the ominous Hell In A Cell tonight. At the end of this brawl, the confines of the cell was littered with chairs, kendo sticks, ladders, broken tables, and blood. Balor appeared to have the match in hand until Edge evaded his Coup de Grace attempt leaving him to crash through a table. Edge then speared The Demon and finished him off with the Conchairto to leave Wrestlemania victorious.

WWE Undisputed Universal Heavyweight Championship

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

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

Cody Rhodes made his shocking return to WWE after leaving the company he helped to build, AEW, at last year’s Wrestlemania but was derailed shortly after with a torn pectoral muscle that put him on the shelf for over six months. Rhodes then made his triumphant return at this year’s Royal Rumble as entrant number 30 and prevailed to punch his ticket to the main event tonight against Roman Reigns. The real question would be whether WWE would elect to end Roman Reigns’ title reign short of 1,000 days. Following a hard-hitting affair where each competitor emptied their arsenals, the difference proved to be Solo Sikoa. Roman’s title reign appeared to be in serious jeopardy late after Rhodes built momentum following interference from both The Usos and the new tag team champions, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Rhodes executed back-to-back Cross Rhodes and was about to try and put away The Tribal Chief with a third when Paul Heyman climbed up to the ring apron to draw the referee’s attention. With Dan Engler distracted, Solo Sikoa snuck into the ring and delivered a Samoan Spike to the neck of Rhodes. This gave the defending champ the opportunity he needed to put away The American Nightmare with a body-crumbling spear to continue his historic title run.

WWE Extreme Rules 2022

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to the birthplace of extreme, Philadelphia, PA, for Extreme Rules live from the Wells Fargo Center. While the Undisputed Universal Champion, Roman Reigns was noticeably absent from the card, the show was loaded with several “extreme” matches including two of the six contested for championship gold. One would have to wonder if the show would bend the rules of the PG rating with Vince McMahon no longer at the helm on a night where WWE claims to go extreme. Another glaring question for the evening was whether the “white rabbit” (presumed to be Bray Wyatt) would make his debut/return.

Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match

Imperium (Gunther, Giovanni Vinci, &Ludwig Kaiser) vs. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, & Butch)

Winners: The Brawling Brutes via pinfall

The bitter feud that has continued to escalate since Walter and Sheamus battled for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash at the Castle last month, came to a head tonight. Both men rallied their factions together for a “Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match” which was essentially a free-for-all brawl. Before the chaos of this match ensued, it should be noted that The Brawling Brutes entrance was interrupted by a brief video featuring the enigmatic “white rabbit.” Following a hard-hitting brawl that exceeded 20 minutes, Gunther received a devastating shot with a shalalee at the hands of Sheamus that subsequently allowed him to seal the victory.

WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Extreme Rules Match

Liv Morgan (c) vs. Ronda Rousey

Winner: Ronda Rousey via submission

Ronda Rousey found herself in a position to try and regain her Smackdown Women’s Championship that she lost at Money In The Bank when Morgan cashed in her briefcase on Rousey after she was injured in her title defense. Rousey looked out of place in this match as soon as weapons were introduced and unfortunately Liv Morgan didn’t look much more comfortable as her most significant highlight was a well-executed senton from the top rope that put Rousey through a table. Moments after that thunderous blow, Morgan found herself tied up on the mat in the most unique submission hold I’ve seen her unleash that lead to Morgan losing consciousness.

Strap Match

Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett vs. Drew McIntyre

Winner: Karrion Kross via pinfall

Karrion Kross made his shocking return to RAW (following a very dismal and poorly booked first run on the main roster) just before Clash at the Castle. Upon his return, Kross immediately placed McIntyre in his crosshairs. The two combatants were bound together by a 13-foot leather strap in this bout with the winner to be declared by scoring a pinfall or submission. The closing moments of the match saw McIntyre seemingly poised for a potential victory as he sized up Kross for The Claymore. Scarlett intercepted McIntyre and sprayed him in the eyes with pepper spray leaving him vulnerable as he was blindsided with the Kross Hammer allowing Karrion Kross to seal the victory with a pinfall.

RAW Women’s Championship Ladder Match

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley

Winner: Bianca Belair

Bayley made her return at Summerslam with her new running mates Io Sky and Dakota Kai, collectively called Damage Ctrl, as they confronted Belair following her successful title defense over Becky Lynch. Fast forward to tonight where they meet head-to-head in a Ladder Match where the first competitor to scale the ladder and retrieve the title suspended above the ring would be the victor. Belair was able to overcome a spirited effort by the former champ and interference by Damage Ctrl as she hit the KOD on Bayley clearing a path for her to ascend to the top of the ladder and retrieve her title.

“I Quit” Match

Edge vs. Finn Balor 

Winner: Finn Balor

This bitter feud ignited after Edge was unceremoniously booted from the faction he created, Judgment Day, when he thought he was introducing Finn Balor as the newest member only to have him supplant him as leader. Tonight, this feud came to a head in an “I Quit” Match where one wins by making his opponent mutter the words, “I Quit.” Edge was seemingly moments from forcing Balor to quit as he had him in a crossface with the aid of a hockey stick until the rest of the Judgement Day came to his aid. The odds were then evened as Rey Mysterio and Beth Phoenix came to The Rated R Superstars aid. The Judgement Day was able to regain the advantage once again after disposing of Rey Mysterio and Ripley delivering a vicious blow with brass knuckles to the back of Beth Phoenix’s head. With Edge being held down, Ripley positioned Phoenix’s head on a chair for the con-chair-to. Edge was forced to say, “I Quit” and still watched as Ripley delivered the crushing chair shot to his wife’s head.

Following the match, The Miz was again confronted by the Flyer’s mascot Gritty backstage and was offered a t-shirt. This time The Miz attacked Gritty and as he stood over the mascot berating him, he was attacked from behind by Dexter Lumis who subsequently choked him out and walked away with Gritty.

Fight Pit Match w/ Special Guest Referee Daniel Cormier

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle

Winner: Matt Riddle via submission

These two men decided to take their personal rivalry into the Fight Pit, a doorless steel cage with shelves on top that would be lowered over the ring with the ropes removed. Additionally, a winner would only be crowned by pinfall or submission meaning escape would not be an option. Late in the contest, Riddle landed a senton from the top of the Fight Pit and moments later cinched in a triangle choke to solidify the victory.

As Riddle exited the arena, the lights faded to black as a creepy rendition of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” echoed through the arena. After people dressed as characters from the Firefly Funhouse were illuminated around the arena, Bray Wyatt made his long-awaited debut/return to WWE to close the show.

WWE Extreme Rules 2021

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to pay per view this evening as Extreme Rules emanated from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This evening’s card featured only six bouts - rather slim for a pay per view - with only one contested under the show’s moniker. The aforementioned lone Extreme Rules match would be the main event where Roman Reigns defended the WWE Universal Championship against “The Demon” Finn Balor. Another disappointing facet of the card was the lack of star power as the WWE seemed set on reserving marquee matches for their return to Saudi Arabia for next month’s Crown Jewel event where Brock Lesnar will likely make his in-ring return following his return at Summerslam.

The New Day vs. A.J. Styles, Omos, & Bobby Lashley

Winners: The New Day via pinfall

Rather than book a return bout for the WWE Championship, WWE elected to place Bobby Lashley and new champion (following his cash-in of the Money In The Bank briefcase two weeks ago) Big E on opposite sides of a six man tag team encounter. The closing moments of the bout saw dissonance ensue between Styles and Lashley which ultimately cost their team the match. Lashley was sizing up Big E for a spear as Styles blind-tagged himself into the match. Styles then attempted a Phenomenal Forearm only to have Lashley follow suit and blind tag himself in. Styles missed the attempt and Lashley then attempted a spear only to have Bug E sidestep him making Styles the unfortunate recipient. Big E took advantage of the chaos and executed the Big Ending on Lashley for the win.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

The Usos (c) vs. The Street Profits

Winners: The Usos via pinfall

The Street Profits gave The Usos a run for their money, however, Jimmy and Jey used effective teamwork to first neutralize Angelo Dawkins outside the ring before they turned their attention to Montez Ford. First, Ford received a super kick to his injured ribs buckling him in half before The Usos delivered simultaneous splashes from opposite turnbuckles to seal the victory.

RAW Women’s Championship

Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss

Winner: Charlotte Flair via pinfall

This match came to fruition after Flair’s recent appearance on Alexa’s Playground where the champ ridiculed Bliss’ current persona to the point Alexa snapped and assaulted Charlotte. Bliss appeared poised to score the upset in this contest until she missed a late attempt at the Twisted Bliss. Charlotte responded with a kick to the face followed by the Natural Selection to secure the victory.

United States Championship Triple Threat Match

Damien Priest ( c ) vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus

Winner: Damien Priest via pinfall

Sheamus was scheduled to receive an opportunity to regain his title which he lost at Summerslam in a singles match tonight until a loss to Jeff Hardy this past Monday transformed this into a triple threat affair. Jeff Hardy appeared moments from victory late in this bout after he landed a Swanton Bomb on Priest who was attempting a pinfall on Sheamus. After a couple failed pinfall attempts, Hardy became the recipient of a Brogue Kick to the face from Sheamus which effectively knocked him out of the match. Priest next capitalized and rolled up The Celtic Warrior for the pinfall to retain his title.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair

Winner: No contest

After “The Man” made her miraculous return at Summerslam to defeat Belair in less than a minute and reclaim championship gold, Belair found herself with a rematch this evening for the title. Lynch spent much of the early going of the match baiting Belair into a game of cat and mouse as she continued to escape to the arena floor before finally returning to the ring where she attempted to slow down the tempo of the match. Belair turned the momentum back in her favor shortly thereafter until Becky turned her attention to her arm. Lynch cinched in the Disarm Her only to have Belair reverse the submission attempt and hoist her up for the KOD. Before she was able to finish the move, Sasha Banks rushed the ring and laid waste to both women leading to a no contest.

WWE Universal Championship Extreme Rules Match

Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

After Finn Balor’s championship opportunity was spoiled recently on Smackdown by The Usos, he reintroduced his Demon persona for his return to pay per view. Late in the match Balor appeared poised to score the upset multiple times. First, Balor attempted the Coup de Grace only to be thwarted by The Usos. Moments later, Balor, after disposing of The Usos, again found himself on the top rope ready to attempt the Coup de Grace before the top rope mysteriously snapped and caused Balor to fall to the canvas injuring his leg. As The Demon got back to his feet, he was met with a spear from The Tribal Chief putting an end to his title hopes.

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WWE NXT TakeOver 31

By Steve Ward

Just one week following Clash of Champions, WWE returned with NXT Takeover 31 from the brand new Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Essentially, the Capitol Wrestling Center is a scaled down version of the Thunderdome as WWE has again implemented the virtual fans with the primary difference being Performance Center athletes, family, and friends also surrounding the ring. The event also marked the debut of Wade “Bad News” Barrett on commentary with Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix - a much needed infusion of life since the departure of Mauro Ranallo. The concise card featured five bouts with four titles on the line and was headlined by Finn Balor going head to head with Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT Championship.

NXT North American Championship

Damian Priest (c) vs. Johnny Gargano

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

Takeover kicked off in electrifying fashion as the man formerly known as Punishment Martinez in Ring of Honor defended his North American Championship against Johnny Gargano. This hard-hitting contest fired on all pistons from the opening bell. One of the most brutal spots of the match evolved as the two men battled in front of the announce table where Priest hoisted Gargano up into the Razor’s Edge and propelled him so his spine collided with the edge of the ring apron. Following a low blow that caused a momentum shift late in the match, Priest was still able to prevail as he executed The Reckoning to solidify the victory.

Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream

Winner: Kushida via submission

This grudge match evolved after each man essentially cost the other their respective title opportunities for Takeover. Like the opening contest, this one also got off to a ferocious start as Kushida ambushed Dream in the midst of his entrance. The advantage did not last long as Dream was able to assert control over the contest by engaging in his well known mind games. Kushida was able to withstand the Dream Valley Driver and The Purple Rain Maker to systematically dismantle Dream’s left arm. The final moments of the match saw Kushida cinch in The Hoverboard Lock as Dream attempted another Dream Valley Driver and he sustained the hold throughout as he forced Dream to tap out.

NXT Cruiserweight Championship

Santos Escobar (c) vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

Winner: Santos Escobar via pinfall

Since the demise of 205 Live, the Cruiserweight Championship has been adopted by NXT. Tonight’s bout featured two men who had their personas manipulated in typical WWE fashion shortly following their arrivals. First, we had the champion, Santos Escobar, who may be better known as El Hijo del Fantasma. In his case he debuted under that moniker until he unmasked himself and formed Legado del Fantasma. Escobar’s opponent, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, was formerly known in Ring of Honor as Swerve Strickland. Swerve was able to execute the impressive 450 splash late in the bout, however, it wasn’t enough. The two proceeded to jockey for position on the ring apron as Swerve was knocked down and inadvertently struck his head on the steel ring post. This opened the window of opportunity for Escobar who hoisted him up in a double underhook and drove Scott’s cranium into his knee to allow him to earn the pinfall.

NXT Women’s Championship

Io Shirai (c) vs. Candice LeRae

Winner: Io Shirai via pinfall

Late in the match Shirai appeared to be in dire straits after the referee was inadvertently knocked out and LeRae’s husband, Johnny Gargano, made his way to the ring in a referee’s shirt. As the referee came to, Johnny Gargano was able to distract him while LeRae took the title and decked Shirai with it. This just wasn’t enough as Shirai first executed a perfect Spanish Fly and then immediately followed through with the Over The Moonsault to retain her title.

NXT Championship

Finn Balor (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Winner: Finn Balor via pinfall

After Karrion Kross was forced to relinquish the NXT Champinship immediately after he defeated Keith Lee for it due to injury, Finn Balor quickly emerged as the new champ. This evening he was pitted in his first defense against the Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly. This opportunity was substantial for O’Reilly as he has been known throughout his career as a tag team specialist primarily alongside Bobby Fish and has never competed in a singles match at a Takeover event. Kyle O’Reilly certainly brought his A-game this evening as his submission prowess was on full display, however, The Prince was able to withstand the challenge as he finished him off with the Coup de Grace to retain his title.

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NXT Takeover Portland

By Steve Ward

In an interesting scheduling change last month, there was no Takeover event the night before last month’s Royal Rumble but instead a Worlds Collide show that pit NXT and NXT UK against each other. With WWE making another cash-grab trek to Saudi Arabia in a couple weeks for their only RAW/Smackdown pay-per-view in February, the Superstars of NXT took center stage in a rare Sunday extravaganza. The six bout card featured the defense of all four NXT titles, and was headlined by Tomasso Ciampa’s stab at redemption as he battled Adam Cole for the NXT Championsip - a title he never lost.

NXT North American Championship

Keith Lee (c) vs. Dominic Dijakovic

Winner: Keith Lee via pinfall

Takeover got off to an electric start as two of the most agile heavyweights in the industry renewed their rivalry in a war. Dijakovic wasted no time delivering a move worthy of a “Mamma Mia” chant as he delivered a top rope moonsault to Lee who was seated in a chair positioned between the announce tables. Dijakovic appeared poised to earn his first NXT title after executing another spectacular move in the form of a top rope Spanish Fly, however, his back gave out in an attempt to subsequently hoist up Lee which opened the window for the champion to land the Big Bang and retain his title.

Street Fight

Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai

Winner: Dakota Kai via pinfall

Close friends became bitter enemies at NXT War Games when Dakota Kai viciously attacked Tegan Nox preventing her from participating in the match. The bitter rivalry came to a head this evening as the two battled in a Street Fight. Dakota Kai wasted no time bringing the fight to Nox as she launched an ambush while Nox made her entrance to the ring. What was a fairly solid match ended up being ruined by a mishap in the end. Raquel Gonzalez made her way to ringside as Kai was laid out on a table thwarting Nox’s attempt to put her away. Gonzalez first hung Nox up on the rope and pushed Kai off the table. Gonzalez then scaled the ropes, grabbed Nox by the throat, and propelled her toward the table - unfortunately the table didn’t break. This allowed Kai to seal the victory and apparently earn a new cohort in the process.

Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano

Winner: Finn Balor

After viciously attacking Gargano and putting him on the shelf, Balor made their feud personal. Gargano responded with a vow to use a victory over him to solidify his NXT legacy.  What began as a slow-paced bout, finished in a blaze of glory. Shortly after the fight had spilled to the outside of the ring, Finn sealed the deal with a gut-busting Coup de Grace followed by the 1916 DDT to put an exclamation point on an impressive victory.

NXT Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Bianca Belair

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

After an impressive showing in this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble match, Belair earned a shot for the title as she won a #1 contender’s battle royal on a recent installment of NXT TV. While Belair has made quite the name for herself since her debut, it has seemed inevitable that Ripley will defend her title against Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemania - Flair only waiting to accept the challenge until after Takeover. Belair certainly pulled out all of the stops in arguably her best performance to date, however, it wasn’t enough as Ripley put an abrupt end to a very entertaining contest as she executed the Riptide for the pinfall. 

Following the match, Ripley’s celebration came to a crashing halt as Charlotte Flair emerged from the crowd and flattened the champion in the ring. Flair then requested a mic and told Ripley she would see her at Wrestlemania!

NXT Tag Team Championship

The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’ Reilly) vs. The Broserweights (Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle)

Winners: The Broserweights

Following their rather surprising chemistry and subsequent victory in the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, the Broserweights found themselves with a title opportunity this evening at Takeover. It appeared that a lack of experience as a team would bring about the demise of Dunne and Riddle in the closing moments after Dunne received an inadvertent spear, however, they overcame the superior tag team prowess of the Undisputed Era to win the NXT Tag Team Championships with an overwhelming flurry of tandem offense.

NXT Championship

Adam Cole (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Winner: Adam Cole

Adam Cole’s 260 day title reign was put on the line this evening as Tommaso Ciampa sought to regain the title he was forced to relinquish prior to his neck surgery. This bout was an absolutely visceral affair as both competitors left nothing on the table with the greatest prize in NXT at stake. Ciampa withstood a Panama Sunrise (Cole’s version of the Canadian Destroyer) at ringside to answer with Willow’s Bell and the Fairytale Ending but it wasn’t enough as Cole kicked out.

Cole’s Undisputed Era cohorts then made their way to ringside in an attempt to implement the number’s game, however, Ciampa briefly disposed of them with a vaulting corkscrew over the top rope. As if things couldn’t get more intriguing, the referee was then knocked out (of course). In what seemed to be a modest evening of the odds, Johnny Gargano arrived at ringside and grabbed the title belt. As Ciampa went to the ropes, Gargano struck him in the face with the belt all while wearing a DIY shirt in a shocking turn of events. This allowed Cole his opportunity to cover Ciampa for the victory as the referee conveniently reemerged to count the 1-2-3.

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