WWE Summerslam 2026 Night One

By Steve Ward

WWE Summerslam Night One emanated this evening from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Night one of this two-night extravaganza would feature six matches with two titles contested and would be headlined by a Hell In A Cell Match between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi.

 

Women’s World Championship

Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo Sky

Winner: Liv Morgan via pinfall

 

Tonight marked Liv’s first defense of her title since she dethroned Stephanie Vaquer at WrestleMania. Her opponent would be the formidable Iyo Sky who defeated Liv in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Iyo was able to withstand outside interference from Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez, however, Liv escaped falling victim to the Over The Moonsault multiple times to answer with two Codebreakers (one from the second rope) and finally Oblivion to retain her title.

 

The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) & Jacob Fatu vs. Royce Keys, Solo Sikoa, & LA Knight

Winners: Royce Keys, Solo Sikoa, & LA Knight via pinfall

 

This six man tag team bout saw Solo pull together the forces of Knight and Keys in an attempt to conquer the Bloodline. They were able to do just that as the closing moments saw Solo stun Jey Uso with the Samoan Spike setting him up to be put down with LA Knight’s BFT.

 

Gunther vs. Nick Aldis

Winner: Gunther via submission

 

With Gunther’s growing frustrations over being unable to recapture the Undisputed WWE Championship, he made the mistake of getting physical with Smackdown GM Nick Aldis at Saturday Night’s Main Event which brought us to tonight’s encounter. For those unfamiliar with Nick Aldis’ resume, he is a former TNA World Champion (then known as Magnus) and held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (also known as the Ten Pounds of Gold) to name a couple accomplishments so a three-year hiatus from in-ring competition may not be so daunting for him. Aldis did not demonstrate any ring rust and appeared to be in prime condition. In the closing moments of this hard-fought bout, Aldis seemed moments from a massive upset as he had Gunther trapped in the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf. Gunther was able to escape and followed up with a powerbomb before finally earning the submission victory via the sleeper hold.

 

The Bella Twins & Paige vs. Fatal Influence

Winners: Fatal Influence via pinfall

 

Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid defeated Brie Bella and Paige two weeks ago for the tag team titles at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Now with Nikki Bella back from injury, the three were out for revenge tonight in a six-woman tag team affair. The end of this match was rather anticlimactic as Jacey Jayne put Paige away with the Rolling Thunder. Following the match, The Bellas delivered a vicious beatdown on Paige as Nikki had taken exception to her stepping in with her sister Brie while she was out with an injury.

 

Undisputed WWE Championship

CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

Winner: CM Punk via pinfall

 

Cody Rhodes found himself right back in an Undisputed WWE Championship once again after he confronted his friend CM Punk following his victory over Sami Zayn to reclaim the title. Punk told Cody to say when he wanted a title opportunity which brought us to tonight. Late in the match, Cody seemed fast on his way to winning the championship after Punk had missed an elbow drop from the top rope to Rhodes who was seemingly incapacitated on the announce table - until he rolled out of harm’s way just in time. Cody then attempted a Cody Cutter moments later, but Punk moved leaving referee Charles Robinson there to take it instead. With the referee now out of commission, Randy Orton emerged from the crowd and hit Rhodes with an RKO outta nowhere! Punk then hit Cody with a GTS just in time for Charles Robinson to come to and count the pinfall.

 

Hell In A Cell

Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. Oba Femi

Winner: Oba Femi via pinfall

 

The trilogy between these two unstoppable behemoths would come to a head tonight as the third battle in their trilogy, following encounters at WrestleMania and Clash In Italy, would commence in Hell In A Cell with the series tied at one apiece. These two gladiators wreaked absolute havoc in the cage as they left broken tables, chairs, and ring steps scattered around the ring. In the closing moments, Brock ripped up the ring canvas and padding as he exposed the wood planks. Brock then delivered a Tombstone Piledriver onto the wood. Oba kicked out of the subsequent pinfall attempt and moments later delivered the Fall From Grace to seal the victory.

 

Following the match, Brock returned to the ring, embraced Oba, and proclaimed him the future of WWE.

WWE Clash In Italy

By Steve Ward

For the first time in history, a WWE premium live event emanated from Italy as Clash In Italy was live from Inalpi Arena in Turin. This evening’s card, arguably more stacked than both nights of WrestleMania 42 combined, featured five matches with four titles contested and was headlined by a Tribal Combat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between defending champion Roman Reigns and his cousin Jacob Fatu.

WWE Undisputed Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther
Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

This was a solid back and forth affair to open the card that had the crowd fully invested from the start, however, it ended in a shroud of controversy. In the closing moments, Cody executed a Cody Cutter and immediately followed it up with the Cross Rhodes to set up the pinfall. It was not seen until after the pinfall was counted that referee Dan Engler missed Gunther’s foot under the rope. Gunther proceeded to protest for several minutes to no avail before storming out of the arena.

WWE Women’s Championship
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Jade Cargill
Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

After losing her title to Ripley at WrestleMania, Jade earned another opportunity at the Women’s Championship recently on Smackdown to set up tonight’s encounter in Italy. Late in the match, B-Fab and Michin tried to insert themselves in the match by placing Jade’s foot on the bottom rope to halt the pinfall. Moments later, Charlotte Flair emerged from the crowd to even the odds. After dispensing Jade’s backup, Flair repaid the favor by placing Rhea’s foot on the rope as Jade attempted a pinfall. Shortly thereafter, Rhea hit the Riptide to retain her title.

Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
Winner: Brock Lesnar via pinfall

Following his embarrassment at the hands of Oba Femi at WrestleMania which left him seemingly retired, Brock Lesnar exacted his revenge two weeks ago on RAW as he shocked the WWE Universe with a ruthless ambush of The Ruler which brought us to tonight’s grudge match. Brock was ready tonight as he brought the fight to Oba from the opening bell. Following an onslaught of F5s and Kimura Locks which allowed him to systematically break down Femi, Lesnar finally put him away with a SEVENTH F5 for the win.

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sol Ruca
Winner: Sol Ruca via pinfall

In a match that saw Becky Lynch jarring with referee Jessika Carr several times, she seemed like she would overcome her challenger until she attempted a Sol Snatcher only to be countered with her own Manhandle Slam. This proved to be the turning point of the match as just moments later, Ruca hit the Sol Snatcher to capture her first championship since her main roster call up.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tribal Combat Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

After Jacob Fatu came up short in his title opportunity at Backlash, he refused to acknowledge the Tribal Chief which brought us to tonight’s Tribal Combat match with championship gold at stake once again. Following an absolutely brutal encounter, Roman Reigns was able to survive Jacob Fatu and the deadly Tongan Death Grip which he took from his uncle, the legendary Haku. In the final moments of the match, Roman drove Fatu through a table propped up in the corner of the ring with a devastating spear that left splintered wood everywhere. Reigns then nailed the Samoan Werewolf with yet another spear to solidify the win.

WWE WrestleMania 42 Night One

By Steve Ward

The “Showcase of the Immortals” returned tonight for its 42nd installment as WWE presented WrestleMania 42 Night One from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. This marks the first time that WrestleMania has been held at the same venue since WrestleMania five and six were each held at Boardwalk Hall (then known as Atlantic City Convention Hall) in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Early this week it was reported, however, that WWE was still behind last year’s night one gate by approximately 20,000 tickets due in part to TKOs inflated prices. While we will need to see if they were able to rebound in sales, it is undeniable that the seven match card is star-studded with four title bouts and a main event featuring Cody Rhodes defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton.

Six Man Tag Team Match

The Usos & LA Knight vs. Logan Paul, Austin Theory, & IShowSpeed

Winners: The Usos & LA Knight via pinfall

With the Usos and LA Knight not involved in any title picture and The Vision depleted in their ranks with the untimely injuries to Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, this special six man tag team attraction was booked to open the ESPN 2 portion of the card. While one would have thought The Usos would have received an opportunity to reclaim their tag team titles from Logan Paul and Theory, this seemed to be the only option to implant Knight on the card. Following some miscues by The Vision late in the match, IShowSpeed received the BFT from LA Knight and was subsequently pinned.

Unsanctioned Match

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre 

Winner: Jacob Fatu via pinfall 

After Drew McIntyre was unceremoniously removed from the main event after he dropped the Undisputed WWE Championship on an episode of Smackdown several weeks ago to Cody Rhodes, he found himself entered into a feud with Jacob Fatu. Tonight they did battle in an Unsanctioned Match (I suppose this is the PG label for what is essentially a Hardcore Match). Fatu was able to withstand a Claymore Kick and being shoved from the top turnbuckle down through a table staged on the floor at ringside to rebound for a victory. In the closing moments, McIntyre was laid out supine on a table in the ring as Fatu ascended to the top rope and delivered the Mighty Moonsault which sent Drew through the table setting up the pinfall.

Women’s Tag Team Title Fatal Four Way

Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

Winners: Brie Bella & Paige via pinfall 

The first surprise of the night arrived as The Bella Twins made their entrance with Nikki Bella on crutches. Nikki stated she was not cleared to compete, however, she found a replacement in the form of Paige who just signed back with the company yesterday! In the closing moments, Alexa Bliss failed her attempt at the Twisted Bliss as Paige got her knees up and she quickly countered with the RamPaige for the victory.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship 

AJ Lee ( c ) vs. Becky Lynch

Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall 

After she was dethroned from her spot as Women’s Intercontinental Champion at Elimination Chamber, The Man received her opportunity at redemption tonight against the woman who took her title, AJ Lee. In the closing moments of this bout, Becky found herself in the corner with an exposed steel turnbuckle behind her. As AJ charged her, Becky pulled referee Jessika Carr in front of her leaving her briefly incapacitated. This allowed Lynch to slam Lee’s head into the dreaded exposed turnbuckle and then hit the Manhandle Slam to reclaim her title.

Gunther vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Gunther via submission 

It was rumored that Gunther was scheduled to potentially end the career of Rey Mysterio tonight, however, an injury to Rey changed those plans and left Gunther with no WrestleMania plans. Since WWE could not allow the momentum of the Career Killer, who retired AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble, to be stymied, they had him attack Rollins several weeks back on RAW to set up this encounter of megastars. Late in the bout Rollins appeared to be in complete control after he delivered a Pedigree and Stomp on the announce table before Bron Breakker made his shocking return and speared him at ringside. Gunther was then able to capitalize as he cinched in the sleeper hold for the victory.

Women’s World Championship 

Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan

Winner: Liv Morgan via pinfall

Liv Morgan punched her ticket to WrestleMania after she outlasted 29 other women in this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble Match. In a rather anticlimactic title bout, Liv’s Judgement Day cohorts, Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez, made their presence known late which allowed Morgan to hit Oblivion for the win.

Undisputed WWE Championship 

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton w/ Pat McAfee

Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

Randy Orton earned his opportunity for world championship number 15 tonight following his victory in the Men’s Elimination Chamber match. In recent weeks, he was often seen communicating by phone with a mystery individual which lead to rampant speculation that it could be anyone from “Cowboy” Bob Orton to Vince McMahon - much to the WWE Universe’s dismay, it was Pat McAfee (whose agent is coincidentally one of the heads of TKO Holdings and of course is prominently featured on ESPN). Nonetheless, Orton would be pitted against “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes who has met a mixed crowd reaction following his victory over Drew McIntyre to reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship in the middle of the Road to WrestleMania on an episode of Smackdown. Prior to the opening bell, McAfee got the jump on Cody Rhodes but this would backfire quickly as Cody would quickly regain the upper hand with the help of Jelly Roll. McAfee would find himself laid out on the announce table and moments later was driven through the table thanks to an elbow drop by Jelly Roll. Late in the match, Randy Orton was disoriented by a vicious eye poke and accidentally RKO’d referee Charles Robinson. Moments later, Pat McAfee returned to the ring with a neck brace and referee shirt on. Orton went for a pin attempt on Cody but he kicked out at two. Seemingly tired of McAfee’s antics, Orton RKO’d McAfee, however, this opened the door for Rhodes to hit the Cross Rhodes and seal the victory. After the match, Orton took out Rhodes with the title belt and delivered a punt to his cranium before standing over him with the title to close the show.

Royal Rumble 2026

By Steve Ward

WWE presented the 39th incarnation of the Royal Rumble from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this evening in front of a crowd of 25,000. Not only was the event held in a crowd substantially smaller than what would’ve been commanded in the United States, it also was within a stadium that was built in a parking lot over the past month. The show, which marks the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, featured four matches and was headlined by the Men's Royal Rumble Match.

Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Winner: Liv Morgan

The show kicked off with the Women’s Royal Rumble Match where the competitors were all required to wear Saudi-approved attire and more importantly, where the winner would earn a shot at the championship of her choice at WrestleMania.

Order of Entry:

Charlotte Flair
Alexa Bliss
Kiana James
Nia Jax
Ivy Nile
Lola Vice
Candice LeRae
Jordynne Grace
Becky Lynch
Sol Ruca
Roxanne Perez
Maxxine Dupri
Nattie
Liv Morgan
Lash Legend
Zelina
Raquel Rodriguez
Chelsea Green
Giulia
Iyo Sky
Asuka
Rhea Ripley
Bayley
Jacy Jayne
Nikki Bella
Lyra Valkyria
Kelani Jordan
Kairi Sane
Brie Bella
Tiffany Stratton

Final Four: Raquel Rodriguez , Liv Morgan, Sol Ruca, and Tiffany Stratton.

The first of the final eliminations occurred as Liv dumped her Judgement Day stablemate Raquel over the top rope as she celebrated her elimination of Rhea Ripley. Moments later, the final three women found themselves battling on the ring apron. First, Ruca went for the Sol Snatcher but missed and was eliminated by Stratton. This opened the door for Liv Morgan to knock Stratton off the ring apron with the Oblivion to punch her ticket to WrestleMania.

AJ Styles vs. Gunther
Winner: Gunther via submission

This bout came to the forefront after AJ Styles squared off with Gunther on Monday Night RAW earlier this month. Styles seemingly clinched victory with a Calf Crusher submission that prompted The Ring General to tap out, however, the referee didn’t see it and Gunther eventually prevailed after a low blow gave him the edge. This outcome lead Styles to seek a rematch but Gunther would only accept the challenge once Styles put his career on the line. AJ Styles emptied the tank in this contest but in the end, Gunther cinched in a vicious sleeper hold that saw The Phenomenal One unable to answer the call of referee Dan Engler (formerly TNA lead official Rudy Charles) as his career came to an end.

Undisputed WWE Championship
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall

This match came to fruition after McIntyre stunned the WWE Universe by defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship three weeks ago on Friday Night Smackdown and after Zayn won the number one contender’s fatal four way at last week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event. The final minutes of this match saw Sami Zayn square up McIntyre for a Heluva Kick, however, he was intercepted by Drew with a Claymore. Rather than go for a pinfall, Drew elected to deliver more punishment with a second Claymore as he silenced the challenge of Sami Zayn to retain his title.

Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Winner: Roman Reigns

In the main event of the evening, 30 WWE Superstars competed for a main event spot on The Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania, in a 30-man over the top rope battle royal.

Order of entry:

Oba Femi
Bron Breakker
Solo Sikoa
Rey Mysterio
Rusev
Matt Cardona
Damian Priest
Je’Von Evans
Mr. Iguana
Trick Williams
Cody Rhodes
El Grande Americano
El Grande Americano (Chad Gable)
Royce Keys (fka Powerhouse Hobbs)
Austin Theory
Bronson Reed
Ilia Dragunov
La Parka
Dragon Lee
Logan Paul
LA Knight
Brock Lesnar
The Miz
Rey Fénix
Jey Uso
Roman Reigns
Jacob Fatu
Penta
Randy Orton
Gunther

Final Four: Gunther, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Logan Paul 

One major development that occurred at the onset of the match occurred during Bron Breakker’s entrance. Before he could enter the ring, a masked assailant emerged from the crowd and issued a severe beatdown that was capped off by one of Seth Rollins’ signature moves, The Stomp, which lead many to speculate it was him.

Fast forward to the closing moments of the match where Roman Reigns eliminated Logan Paul after Paul was intercepted with a Superman Punch as a counter to a springboard maneuver he attempted. After Reigns tossed Paul, he received an RKO out of nowhere from The Viper who was promptly tossed by Gunther. Gunther seemed poised to win the match as he had Roman trapped in a sleeper until he was carried towards the corner and had his head propelled towards the ring post. This opened the window for Reigns to spear Gunther before tossing him from the ring to claim his spot in the main event of WrestleMania.

WWE Backlash 2025

By Steve Ward

The fallout from WrestleMania 41 culminated this evening in St. Louis, Missouri as WWE presented Backlash from the Enterprise Arena. This evening’s card featured five bouts with four holding a title in the balance and was headlined by John Cena defending his Universal Championship against Randy Orton.

United States Championship Fatal Four Way

Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest vs. LA Knight

Winner: Jacob Fatu via pinfall

 

The tempo of this match remained at a fever pitch throughout. Late in the contest, Priest took both himself and Drew McIntyre out of the match after delivering a South of Heaven from the top of a sound crate through a pair of tables. LA Knight then laid Fatu out on the announce table and scaled to the top rope. First, Solo Sikoa emerged to pull Fatu out of harm’s way. As Knight pursued Solo, he was blindsided by an unknown assailant soon revealed as Jeff Cobb! Knight was then thrown into the ring and served up for Fatu to put him away.

 

Women’s Intercontinental Championship

Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria (c)

Winner: Lyra Valkyria via pinfall

 

These two women teamed up at WrestleMania to claim the Women’s Tag Team Championship only to lose them 24 hours later on RAW. This caused The Man to reveal her true colors and lay waste to Lyra leading us to tonight’s encounter. Both women pulled out all stops but, in the end, Lyra withstood multiple Manhandle Slams, the Disarm Her, and an exposed turnbuckle to end up winning with a pinfall reversal.

 

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta

Winner: Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

 

After Penta was cost his chance at claiming the Intercontinental Championship on RAW recently, he was granted another opportunity tonight. Late in the match, The Judgement Day tried to get involved only to be stopped by the referee and banned from ringside. While the referee was still distracted, El Grande Americano emerged to headbutt Penta with a loaded mask. This set the stage for Mysterio to hit the frogsplash and seal his victory.

 

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

Winner: Gunther via submission

 

The night following WrestleMania Gunther took exception to the commentary being delivered by Michael Cole and Pat McAfee and assaulted the two. That prompted McAfee to call out Gunther bringing us to tonight. McAfee made the match interesting and received a little help in the form of outside interference from Michael Cole, but in the end, Gunther put him away with the Sleeper Hold.

 

WWE Universal Championship

Randy Orton vs. John Cena (c)

Winner: John Cena via pinfall

 

John Cena and Randy Orton resumed their 25-year rivalry tonight in Orton’s hometown for possibly the last time with Cena’s new Universal Championship on the line. Randy Orton controlled most of the match and seemed poised to win his 15th world championship until Cena decked the referee inadvertently with the title. In the closing minutes, Orton had Cena squared up for the punt only to be stopped by the man who calls Cena his childhood hero despite being older than him, R-Truth. R-Truth promptly received an RKO for his efforts. As Orton yelled at Truth, who had rolled out to the arena floor, Cena delivered a low blow to Randy. Cena then finished Orton off with a shot to the head with the Universal Championship and pinned him just in time for the referee to recover and count the pinfall.

WWE Summerslam 2024

By Steve Ward

WWE Summerslam emanated from Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio this evening in front of a raucous sellout crowd. Tonight’s card featured seven matches, six of which were title bouts. The card was headlined by Cody Rhodes going toe to toe with Solo Sikoa for the WWE Undisputed Championship with the air of speculation as to whether Roman Reigns would make his long-awaited return.

Women’s World Championship 

Rhea Ripley w/ Dominik Mysterio vs. Liv Morgan (c)

Winner: Liv Morgan via pinfall

Rhea Ripley finally received her opportunity tonight for vindication and to regain the title she never lost. Ripley was previously forced to relinquish her title shortly after WrestleMania due to injury. In the weeks following, Liv Morgan became infatuated with Ripley’s man, Dominik Mysterio, who eventually helped her win the Women’s Title in Saudi Arabia. That brings us to tonight where Ripley, who had seemingly taken Dirty Dom back, attempted to win back her title. In the closing moments of the match, Ripley was unable to finish Morgan with the Riptide so she turned to a steel chair. Dom grabbed the chair warning Ripley that she would be disqualified only to, moments later, toss the chair into the ring so Morgan could drive Ripley’s head into it with the Oblivion.

WWE Intercontinental Championship 

Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn (c)

Winner: Bron Breakker via pinfall

Following his unsuccessful bid to win the Intercontinental Championship at Money In The Bank, Breakker has been on a warpath with Zayn in his crosshairs. While this was not the dominating effort one would anticipate, Breakker withstood a Blue Thunder Bomb from Zayn in the final minutes of the bout and countered the Heluva Kick with a spear. Breakker then put Zayn away with another body breaking spear to claim his first main roster title.

WWE United States Championship 

Logan Paul (c) vs. LA Knight

Winner: LA Knight via pinfall

Logan Paul put his 270-day title reign on the line this evening against another Superstar seeking his main roster singles title, LA Knight. In the closing moments, rapper MGK handed Paul brass knuckles which he managed to use to no avail as moments later Knight countered Paul’s attempt to put him away with the BFT to claim the US Title.

WWE Women’s Championship

Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax

Winner: Nia Jax via pinfall

Nia Jax earned her shot at Bayley’s title tonight as a result of her victory in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Late in the match, Tiffany Stratton made her way to the ring to distract Bayley. This provided Jax the window of opportunity she needed to turn the tides in her favor as she hit two powerbombs and then not one, but two, Annihilators (an homage to Yokozuna’s Bonzai Drop) to win the title.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

Special Guest Referee - Seth Rollins 

Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall

The bitter rivalry between Punk and Drew would come to a head this evening as Punk is finally cleared to wrestle following his torn triceps suffered at the Royal Rumble (despite making regular appearances since WrestleMania where he cost McIntyre his newly earned title to Mr. Money in the Bank Damian Priest five minutes after winning it from Seth Rollins). Seth Rollins would also be the special guest referee tonight after blaming Punk for costing him the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank last month. Late in the match, Punk got into a verbal altercation with Rollins and eventually boiled over with emotion and delivered the GTS. As Punk turned his attention back to McIntyre, he received a low blow followed by a brutal Claymore Kick. This allowed McIntyre to claim victory and a measure of revenge.

World Heavyweight Championship 

Damian Priest (c) vs. Gunther

Winner: Gunther via submission 

Tonight Damian Priest would be required to defend his title against Gunther who earned his shot by winning the King of the Ring Tournament. The final minutes of the match saw Priest’s Judgement Day running mate Finn Balor make his way to ringside seemingly in support of Damian. Priest proceeded to rally and hit the Razor’s Edge and South of Heaven and proceeded to attempt a pinfall. Balor then betrayed Priest and put Gunther’s leg on the ring rope to break the count. Gunther finally cinched in back-to-back sleeper holds with the second putting Priest to sleep and crowning Gunther with his first World Heavyweight Championship.

WWE Undisputed Championship 

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Solo Sikoa 

Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

Tonight’s match had been in the making seemingly ever since Solo took control of The Bloodline following Roman Reign’s loss at WrestleMania. Surprisingly, this bout, contested under Bloodline Rules, began with Solo coming to the ring alone. The match began as a typical back and forth affair until Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga intervened only to be quelled by Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Just moments later, Jacob Fatu intervened to turn the tides in Solo’s favor again. Fatu then put Rhodes through a table but injured himself in the process. Next, the unspeakable happened as Roman Reigns made his long-awaited return and delivered a Superman Punch and spear to Solo which allowed Cody to hit the Cross Rhodes to retain his title.

WWE Royal Rumble 2024

By Steve Ward

The WWE kicked off the road to Wrestlemania this evening as the Royal Rumble emanated from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. This evening’s event featured a men’s and women’s Royal Rumble match, as well as, a Fatal Four Way Match for the Undisputed Universal Championship as Roman Reigns put his 1,245 day title reign on the line against AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and LA Knight.

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Winner: Bayley

Order of entry:

Natalya

Naomi

Bayley

Candice LeRae

Jordynne Grace

Indi Hartwell

Asuka

Ivy Nile

Katana Chance

Bianca Belair

Kairi Sane

Tegan Nox

Kayden Carter

Chelsea Green

Piper Niven

Xia Li

Zelina Vega

Maxxine Dupri

Nia Jax

Shotzi

Becky Lynch

Alba Fyre

Shayna Baszler

Valhalla

Michin

Zoey Stark

Roxanne Perez

Jade Cargill

Tiffany Stratton

Liv Morgan

Final Three: Jade Cargill, Bayley, Liv Morgan (Tiffany Stratton and Bianca Belair were simultaneously eliminated off the apron by Bayley)

In the final moments, all three women battled on the ring apron. First, Morgan shockingly tossed Cargill off the apron. Next, Bayley, ever the opportunist, kicked Liv’s legs out from under her for the elimination and to punch her ticket to Lincoln Financial Field for Wrestlemania.

Undisputed Universal Championship Fatal Four Way Match

Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton vs. LA Knight

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

Several weeks ago on Smackdown, Styles, Knight, and Orton competed in a Triple Threat Match to determine Reigns’ opponent for tonight’s event, however, The Bloodline ensured that no winner was determined. As a result of their actions, Smackdown general manager Nick Aldis declared that all three men would compete against Reigns tonight. In the closing moments, Reigns appeared to be in dire straits after a barrage of chair shots from AJ Styles and a massive elbow drop from LA Knight. Knight then attempted the BFT but Reigns countered and propelled him into the ropes where Styles was preparing to deliver a Phenomenal Forearm. Styles was knocked off the ropes and Reigns took advantage by executing a body crumbling spear to secure the pinfall and retain his title.

WWE United States Championship 

Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Logan Paul via disqualification

In the closing moments of the contest, Grayson Waller and Austin Theory made their way to ringside. Theory proceeded to slip brass knuckles to Logan Paul, however, Kevin Owens ripped them off his hand before he could be struck and turned around to use them on Paul. As Owens went for the pinfall, the referee saw the brass knuckles on Owens’ hand and disqualified him.

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Order of entry:

Jey Uso

Jimmy Uso

Grayson Waller

Andrade

Carmelo Hayes

Shinsuke Nakamura

Santos Escobar

Karrion Kross

Dominik Mysterio

Carlito

Bobby Lashley

Ludwig Kaiser

Austin Theory

Finn Balor

Cody Rhodes

Bronson Reed

Kofi Kingston

Gunther

Ivar

Bron Breakker

Omos w/ MVP

Pat McAfee

JD McDonagh

R-Truth

The Miz

Damian Priest

CM Punk

Ricochet

Drew McIntyre

Sami Zayn

Final Four: Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Gunther

In the closing moments of the match, Punk surprised McIntyre near the ropes and hoisted him up on his shoulders and dumped him out of the ring. Next, Rhodes dragged Gunther by his head and pulled him over the top rope leaving Punk and Rhodes. Punk then attempted the Go To Sleep, however, Rhodes escaped and tossed Punk out to win for the second year in a row.

Following the match, Rhodes directed his attention to the skybox, where Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman were seated, and pointed at The Tribal Chief setting up a rematch of their encounter from last year’s Showcase of the Immortals.

WWE Survivor Series: War Games 2023 Recap

By Steve Ward

WWE’s Thanksgiving weekend tradition, Survivor Series, emanated this evening from Chicago’s Allstate Arena for its 37th installment. This year they would again incorporate the War Games component, adapted from WCW’s annual Fall Brawl events, in place of the traditional Survivor Series bouts. The event featured five matches with two titles contested and would be headlined by two War Games matches.

Women’s War Games Match

Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Shotzi, & Bianca Belair vs. Damage Ctrl

(Asuka, Bayley, Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane

Winners: Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Shotzi, & Bianca Belair

The War Games match, for those unfamiliar with the concept, takes place within two adjacent rings with a colossal cage encasing them. The match begins with one competitor from each team in the ring with a new participant entering the fray in three-minute intervals alternating between teams. A winner can only be determined by pinfall or submission after ALL competitors have entered the match.

The women’s War Games began with Becky Lynch and Bayley going toe to toe. The subsequent order of entry was Shotzi, Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair, Kairi Sane, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka. Once Asuka entered the imposing War Games structure, the match officially began meaning the first pinfall or submission would crown a winner. The closing moments saw Bayley singled out as Becky Lynch climbed to the middle turnbuckle with a table set up in front of her. Bayley then was hoisted up on the middle turnbuckle by The Man’s teammates where Becky Lynch delivered a Manhandle Slam to her plunging through the table setting up the pinfall.

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Gunther (c) vs. The Miz

Winner: Gunther via submission

This evening the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in history, Gunther, put his 533-day title reign on the line against The Miz who sought to capture his ninth Intercontinental Championship. The Miz gave a valiant effort and was able to land several low blows, while distracting the referee’s attention, but in the end, Gunther was too much as he cinched in the Boston Crab to capture the win.

Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee

Winner: Santos Escobar via pinfall

Over the past several weeks, Santos Escobar systematically took out each member of the LWO after he decided he no longer wished to remain in Rey Mysterio’s shadow. Escobar was supposed to square off with the last man standing in the LWO, Carlito, until he was brutally attacked on Smackdown last night. Following the assault, Dragon Lee stepped up and pleaded with Smackdown general manager Nick Aldis to put him in the match bringing us to tonight’s bout. Santos Escobar proved to be too much for Lee as he hit the South of the Border Destroyer and then the Phantom Driver to solidify the victory.

WWE Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zoey Stark

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Zoey Stark showed some brief flurries of offense, but Ripley was simply too formidable of an opponent. Ripley finally vanquished Stark with The Riptide to retain her title.

Men’s Wargames Match

Drew McIntyre & The Judgement Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh) vs. Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Randy Orton

Winners: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Randy Orton

The same rules would apply for the men’s match as the women’s earlier in the evening.  The key storyline to follow in this match would be whether Randy Orton, who’s been on the shelf injured for over a year and a half, would show after being announced as the final member of Rhodes’ team this past Monday on RAW. The first two participants in the match were Finn Balor and Seth Rollins. The order of entry following the first two competitors was JD McDonagh, Jey Uso, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Dominik Mysterio, and Randy Orton.

When it appeared Orton would no show, Rhea Ripley ran to the ring with Damian Priest’s Money In The Bank briefcase after Rollins, the World Heavyweight Champion, was put through a table. Just as Priest was going to cash in his contract, Orton interrupted and made his way to the ring. Orton helped his team run roughshod on the opposing team culminating in Cody Rhodes hitting the Cross-Rhodes on Damian Priest for the win.

As they celebrated in the ring, the shock of the night came as CM Punk’s music echoed throughout the arena and he made his return to WWE after his termination from AEW in August following a backstage altercation with Jack Perry.