WWE WrestleMania 40 - Night One

By Steve Ward

The 40th installment of the Showcase of the Immortals, WWE WrestleMania, emanated from the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, PA. As has become the norm for the past few years, WWE again elected for a two night event in order to capitalize on their ability to produce to sellout gates with two mediocre cards padded with unnecessary vignettes and advertisements between every bout. This evening’s card featured seven matches with three titles contested and was headlined by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins teaming up against The Rock and Roman Reigns to determine the stipulation for night two’s Universal Championship match.

Women’s World Championship

Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (c)

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

The opening bout of the weekend would have the potential to set the bar high as Becky Lynch, winner of the Women’s Elimination Chamber, earned her shot at the dominant Rhea Ripley’s RAW Women’s Championship. Becky Lynch gave a commendable effort but was clearly slowed as she battled strep throat. In the closing moments, Ripley was simply too much for The Man as she delivered a Riptide into the turnbuckle and immediately followed it up with yet another Riptide to successfully defend her title.

Six Pack Challenge for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship Ladder Match

DIY (Tommasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Awesome Truth (R-Truth & The Miz) vs. New Catch Republic (Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Judgement Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) (c)

Winners: Smackdown Tag Team Championship - Grayson Waller & Austin Theory; RAW Tag Team Championship - R-Truth & The Miz

Although this match was for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship, both the RAW and Smackdown Tag Team titles were suspended above the ring separately and the match would continue until both sets were retrieved. The first set of titles removed from their suspension above the ring were the Smackdown titles by Grayson Waller and Austin Theory. In the closing moments, R-Truth dumped Damian Priest out of the ring with an Attitude Adjustment and scaled the ladder to retrieve the RAW Tag Team Championship.

Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio & Santos Escobar

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Andrade via pinfall

The leader of the LWO, Rey Mysterio, recently returned from injury and dove right back into his bitter rivalry with former stablemate Santos Escobar (who has since reformed Legado del Fantasma). Dominik Mysterio then decided to insert himself back into Rey’s business making tonight’s affair a tag team match. Rey was set to team with Dragon Lee initially, however, he was taken out on Smackdown last night leaving the door open for Andrade to step in after he decided he didn’t agree with Escobar’s tactics. The match reached its conclusion shortly after Dominik Mysterio attempted to get a chair from ringside to use on his father. Before he was able to crack Rey’s skull with the steel chair, a pair of men donning luchador masks emerged from the crowd to thwart his efforts. This left Escobar vulnerable to the Tadpole Splash from Rey Mysterio which secured the pinfall.

Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso

Winner: Jey Uso via pinfall

Following his departure from The Bloodline, Jey Uso left Smackdown for RAW in search of a new start - his brother Jimmy, however, would not allow this as he has continued to insert himself in his brother’s business time and time again which brought us to, tonight. The conclusion of the match saw Jey Uso deliver a spear and subsequent splash from the top rope to solidify the victory.

Damage Ctrl (Kairi Sane, Asuka, & Dakota Kai) vs. Bianca Belair, Naomi, & Jade Cargill

Winners: Bianca Belair, Naomi, & Jade Cargill via pinfall

Interestingly enough, WWE decided to book the Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Kabuki Warriors, in a six-woman tag team match instead of a title bout. The Kabuki Warriors teamed with fellow Damage Ctrl member Dakota Kai as Bianca Belair recruited Naomi and Jade Cargill who returned/debuted at the Royal Rumble. In the closing moments of a rather brief bout, Jade Cargill was left alone with Dakota Kai who she dispatched with Jaded.

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall

Gunther put his record-setting Intercontinental Championship reign on the line this evening against the resilient Sami Zayn. “The Ring General” Gunther dominated the entire match and seemed to have an impressive victory at hand after delivering a barrage of power bombs and splashes. After Zayn kicked out of a late pinfall attempt, Gunther scaled the turnbuckles only to be intercepted with a Helluva Kick. Zayn then delivered a brain buster in the corner and immediately followed with another Helluva Kick to shock the WWE Universe and end the record championship reign of Gunther.

The Rock & Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins

Winners: The Rock & Roman Reigns via pinfall

The main event of Night One had significant implications for the stipulation of Cody Rhodes match with Roman Reigns on Night Two with the Universal Championship hanging in the balance. If Rhodes and Rollins were victorious, the Bloodline would be banned from ringside, however, if The Rock and Roman Reigns prevailed, then the Universal Championship would be contested under Bloodline Rules. This carnage-filled encounter showed that The Rock didn’t lose a step in his near decade away from the ring. With broken tables and broken bodies galore, the final moments of the match saw Seth Rollins incapacitated by Roman Reigns after being speared through the ringside barricade. This left The Rock and Rhodes in the ring alone. The Brahma Bull executed The Rock Bottom and immediately proceeded to hit the most electrifying move in sports entertainment, The People’s Elbow, to put away The American Nightmare and set up Bloodline Rules for Night Two’s main event.

WWE Fastlane 2023

By Steve Ward

WWE made their way to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana this evening for Fastlane. They would definitely need a strong showing tonight after AEW dropped a bombshell in the closing moments of their outstanding Wrestledream pay per view last weekend with the debut of Adam Copeland (formerly known as Edge). Following some additional roster cuts recently, that included such names as Dolph Ziggler and Matt Riddle, tonight’s card was noticeably thin as it only featured five bouts albeit with three championships contested. Despite the event featuring The Bloodline, Undisputed Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, would also be conspicuous by his absence from the show. Tonight’s main event pit Seth Rollins against Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing Match with the World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance. 

WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship

Cody Rhodes & “Main Event” Jey Uso vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) (c)

Winners: Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso via pinfall

Following Jey Uso’s recent departure from The Bloodline and move to Monday Night RAW, The Judgment Day made an attempt to recruit him to no avail. The Judgment Day did not take this rejection well and proceeded to viciously attack him until Cody Rhodes came to his rescue. Authority figure Adam Pearce stepped in and that brought us to our title encounter tonight. The match devolved into chaos late as the rest of the Judgment Day and J.D. McDonagh became involved in the match. McDonagh inadvertently struck Priest in the knee with the Money In the Bank briefcase effectively removing him from the match and allowing Uso and Rhodes to focus on Balor. First, Rhodes executed the Cody Cutter with an assist from Uso and then finished Balor off with the Cross Rhodes to crown new Undisputed Tag Team Champions.

Six-Man Tag Team Match

L.W.O. (Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar) w/ Zelina Vega & a mystery partner vs. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits

Winners: L.W.O. (Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar) & Carlito via pinfall

Following a brutal beat down of Joaquin Wilde and Cruz del Toro on Friday Night Smackdown by The Street Profits and Lashley, the L.W.O. was left shorthanded. Rey Mysterio proceeded to put in a call for backup to even the odds tonight. At the onset of the match, it appeared that we would have a handicap match on tap. Late in the match, Mysterio appeared to be in dire straits as Escobar was incapacitated. Rey’s backup then arrived just in time in the form of Carlito. Carlito delivered an immediate impact on the match and made short work of Montez Ford as he finished him off with a backstabber to claim victory.

WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka vs. Iyo Sky (c)

Winner: Iyo Sky via pinfall

Sky appeared in danger of losing her title late in the match as she was laid out on the arena floor while Flair had the upper hand on Asuka. Sky’s Damage Ctrl cohort Bayley then made her way to ringside to help Sky back into the ring. Flair then cinched in the Figure Eight on Asuka with a title victory within her grasp. Next, Bayley climbed to the ring apron to distract the referee and allow Sky to recover to execute the Over The Moonsault on Flair. The champ then covered Flair to retain her title.

John Cena & LA Knight vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso) w/ Paul Heyman

Winners: John Cena & LA Knight via pinfall

John Cena was originally scheduled to team with AJ Styles until he suffered a brutal attack at the hands of Jimmy Uso, who continues to try and earn his way back into The Bloodline, and Solo Sikoa recently on Friday Night Smackdown. LA Knight quickly stepped up to fill the void leading us to tonight’s match. In the closing moments of the match, with Solo Sikoa outside the ring, John Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle on a laid out Jimmy Uso setting up LA Knight for the Blunt Force Trauma to solidify the victory.

World Heavyweight Championship Last Man Standing Match

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins (c)

Winner: Seth Rollins

The bitter rivalry between Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura entered a new chapter tonight following Rollins’ successful title defense at last month’s Payback event as tonight the championship gold would again be on the line - this time, however, in a Last Man Standing Match. For those unfamiliar with a Last Man Standing Match, a winner is crowned when you incapacitate your opponent to the extent he is no longer able to answer the referee’s ten count. The chaos of the main event eventually spilled out of the ring and into the crowd. The final moments saw the two competitors on a platform where Rollins hoisted Nakamura up into the Falcon Arrow and dropped him through a table. Nakamura was unable to answer the referee’s ten count as Rollins was able to retain his championship.

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 One

By Steve Ward

World Wrestling Entertainment elected to go for the mega cash grab business model again for this year’s Showcase of the Immortals once again as they would emanate two nights in a row from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California - likely because they no longer generate revenue from pay-per-view buys and sold off the WWE Network to Peacock. Nonetheless, what would typically be a five to six hour mega event has now been split into two shows. Night One would feature eight matches with three titles contested and the main event pit The Usos against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.

United States Championship

John Cena vs. Austin Theory (c)

Winner: Austin Theory via pinfall

The show surprisingly kicked off with the return of John Cena to a WWE ring following another prolonged absence as he answered the challenge of the brash Austin Theory. Cena made a solid showing in the ring with little evidence of ring rust, however, Theory prevailed in the end. Cena had Theory on his shoulders and inadvertently knocked the referee out. Cena proceeded to cinch in the STF prompting a tapout from Theory to no avail as the referee had still not recovered. As Cena attempted to revive the referee, Theory struck him with a low blow followed by the A-Town Down to retain his championship.

Wrestlemania Showcase Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match

Ricochet & Braun Strowman vs. The Viking Raiders w/ Valhalla vs. Alpha Academy (Otis & Chad Gable) vs. The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)

Winners: The Street Profits via pinfall

This match not only allowed WWE to fit more Superstars onto the card but also would serve to designate who the next team in line for a tag team title opportunity would be. In the closing moments, Ricochet attempted the Shooting Star Press only to land on Angelo Dawkins’ raised knees and Montez Ford proceeded to dive from the top turnbuckle to drive Ricochet’s face into Dawkins’ knees again setting up the pinfall.

Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Logan Paul first eliminated Seth Rollins from the Royal Rumble Match, then cost him a victory in the Elimination Chamber, and has trolled him endlessly culminating in their encounter tonight at Wrestlemania. Seth Rollins withstood outside interference from KSI, the GTS, and a frog splash to turn around and hit the curb stomp to pull out the victory.

Becky Lynch, Lita, & Trish Stratus vs. Damage Ctrl (Bayley, Io Sky, & Dakota Kai)

Winners: Becky Lynch, Lita, & Trish Stratus via pinfall 

Following their shocking victory over Io Sky and Dakota Kai to claim the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles several weeks ago with the backing of Trish Stratus, a bitter rivalry has continued to fester leading us to tonight’s encounter. The crowd seemed disinterested in this match during the early going but in the closing moments they would become much more engaged as Lita executed a Litasault from the top turnbuckle and then Becky Lynch hit the Manhandle Slam from the second rope on Bayley to claim the pinfall victory for her team.

Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

Winner: Rey Mysterio via pinfall

After he abandoned his father to join The Judgement Day, Dominik Mysterio has continued to try everything in his power to goad his father into a match at Wrestlemania. Rey continuously rejected his son’s attempts until Dominik disrespected his mother at ringside recently on Smackdown. That leads us to their confrontation tonight following Rey’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame last night in Los Angeles. Rey appeared to be in dire straits with the appearance of The Judgment Day at ringside but The Legado del Fantasma and Spanish announce table guest commentator Bad Bunny evened the odds. In the end, Rey hit the 619 and immediately followed up with the frog splash to seal the victory over his son.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Following her victory in the Women’s Royal Rumble match, Rhea Ripley elected to challenge Charlottle Flair in an attempt to avenge her Wrestlemania loss in 2020. Neither of these competitors left anything in the ring as each exhausted their entire arsenals but in the end, Ripley executed the Riptide from the turnbuckle to finally put away Charlotte Flair to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion.

The Miz vs. Pat McAfee

Winner: Pat McAfee via pinfall

The hosts of Wrestlemania, The Miz and Snoop Dogg, made their way to the ring to announce the attendance and The Miz proceeded to claim he made an open challenge that no one responded to. Pat McAfee then surprised the crowd to accept. With an assist from San Francisco 49er George Kittle, McAfee finished The Miz off with a punt to the head to claim victory.

WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship

The Usos (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

Winners: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn via pinfall

Following his dismissal from The Bloodline, Sami Zayn pled with Kevin Owens for weeks to team with him to gain revenge on The Bloodline finally wearing him down and bringing us to tonight’s contest for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. In the closing moments of the match, Sami Zayn gained retribution on Jey Uso and The Bloodline as he executed three consecutive Helluva Kicks to allow him to cover Uso for the pinfall as new Undisputed Tag Team Champions were crowned.

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!

WWE Payback 2020

By Steve Ward

Just one week after Summerslam, the Quarantine Era continued as WWE returned with Payback from the Thunderdome (aka The Amway Center) in Orlando, Florida. The composure of the card bears a semblance of what WWE wished last week’s event had been and they decided they wanted a do-over. Tonight’s show featured seven matches with three titles defended. This event also marked the return to in-ring action for Roman Reigns after an extensive layoff due to concerns over COVID-19 and his compromised immune system stemming from his battles with leukemia.

United States Championship Bobby Lashley w/ MVP & Shelton Benjamin vs. Apollo Crews (c) Winner: Bobby Lashley via submission

Weeks of feuding between The Hurt Business and Apollo Crews came to a head this evening. After Crews successfully defended his title against MVP last Sunday, he met a more formidable foe tonight in U.S. Army veteran Bobby Lashley. Lashley overcame Apollo in a hard fought contest as he locked in the Full Lashley (his rendition of the Full Nelson) for the submission victory.

Sheamus vs. Big E Winner: Big E via pinfall

In a match described by the commentary team as one to help potentially propel the winner into a future title shot, we were presented with the first card-filler bout of the evening. With virtually no real buildup, Sheamus, who recently concluded his program with Jeff Hardy a few weeks back with a loss in their barroom brawl, was pitted against Big E who has been acclimating to singles competition again with his New Day cohorts on the shelf. Sheamus appeared he was in a prime position for the submission victory as he had Big E locked into a heel hook, however, Big E fought his way out with several strikes to the head. Sheamus proceeded to size up Big E for the Brogue Kick but was welcomed with a power bomb followed by the Big Ending to solidify the victory.

King Corbin vs. Matt Riddle Winner: Matt Riddle via pinfall In the second card-filler bout of the evening, arguably the most hated man in WWE, King Corbin, was pitted against former mixed martial artist Matt Riddle as he continues to acquire his footing following his promotion from NXT to Smackdown. As the match approached it’s conclusion, Corbin executed the Deep Six, however, it wasn’t enough to seal the deal. Riddle was able to turn the tides by first executing the Bro to Sleep (his version of CM Punk’s Go to Sleep) and then the Floating Bro for the upset victory.

Women’s Tag Team Championship Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax vs. Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) Winners: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax via submission

Two women who were conspicuously omitted from the Summerslam card last week were thrown together this week as a rather imposing duo to challenge for the tag team titles. It appeared that Banks and Bayley were going to skate by after Banks executed a frog splash but Jax was able to kick out. In the final moments of the match, The Queen of Spades displayed her submission prowess as she locked up Banks with a Muta Lock and Bayley with the Kirifuda Clutch simultaneously! As Sasha tried to fight her way out, Baszler used Banks’ arm to further choke out her partner leading to the tap out and crowning of new champs.

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee Winner: Keith Lee via pinfall

This contest pit two men coming off of main event losses last weekend against each other in an interesting encounter. Randy Orton’s meteoric momentum came to a screeching halt last Sunday at Summerslam as he lost his bid at the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre. On the other hand, Keith Lee suffered defeat and the loss of his NXT Championship last Saturday at NXT Takeover XXX to Karrion Kross which opened the door for his debut this past Monday on RAW where he interrupted the Legend Killer as he addressed the WWE Universe. This interruption lead to a bout between the two that was prematurely ended by a McIntyre interruption bringing us this rematch tonight. This exceedingly physical match concluded in absolutely shocking fashion. Orton’s attempt at an RKO was foiled as Lee reversed it into the Spirit Bomb for the upset victory.

Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy Winners: Rey and Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

The ongoing saga between the Mysterio family and “The Monday Nigh Messiah” Seth Rollins added yet another chapter this evening. Following Dominik’s loss to Rollins in his debut match last Sunday, he teamed with his father tonight to do battle with Rollins and his disciple, Buddy Murphy. After Murphy accidentally struck Rollins in the head, the opening presented itself for the Mysterios to take control. Rey kept Rollins at bay outside the ring as Dominik first executed his father’s patented 619 and then the frog splash for the victory.

WWE Universal Championship “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

After The Fiend defeated Strowman last Sunday for the Universal Championship, Roman Reigns shocked everyone as he emerged to lay waste to both men. This week it was announced that the title would be defended in a triple threat match, however, at the conclusion of Smackdown this past Friday, Roman was found discussing the contract for the match with Paul Heyman - could he be the latest Paul Heyman Guy?? The early moments of the match were absolute carnage as Roman Reigns did not make his appearance in the match while Strowman and The Fiend destroyed each other and the ring - literally. After The Fiend suplexed Strowman off the top rope, the ring literally collapsed. Reigns found this to be his window of opportunity to make his way to the ring with Paul Heyman in tow. Roman was unable to put away The Fiend and could have succumbed to the Mandible Claw if he hadn’t kicked Wyatt in his manhood. Reigns then turned his attention to Strowman who he speared to reclaim his Universal Championship.

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

WWE Extreme Rules 2020

By Steve Ward

The latest pay-per-view installment of the “Quarantine Era” aired live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida as we were presented with Extreme Rules…correction…The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. Yes, you read that correctly…the WWE decided to rename the event by prefacing the normal Extreme Rules moniker with “The Horror Show.” While I understand this is likely tied to the main event where Bray Wyatt challenged Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship, this name certainly could open WWE up to some ridicule. For instance, if this show doesn’t deliver, well, it will be considered a “horror show” - just not for the reason WWE intended. After last night’s Impact Wrestling Slammiversary show saw the debuts/returns of Gallows & Anderson, Eric Young, EC3, Heath Slater, Alex Shelley, and Chris Sabin, WWE had a lot to live up to in the eyes of the less than casual fan. Tonight’s show featured six matches and was headlined with the aforementioned Wyatt Swamp Fight between Bray Wyatt and Universal Champion Braun Strowman.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship Tables Match

Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) (c)

Winners: Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

An ongoing feud between these teams culminated this evening in a Tables Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. Following a rather pedestrian match, the ending came in spectacular fashion. Two tables were stacked on top of each other outside the ring as Cesaro found himself jockeying for position with Kofi on the top turnbuckle. As it appeared that Kofi was going to escape disaster, Nakamura met them on the ring apron and delivered a brutal kick to Kingston’s back. This allowed Cesaro to power bomb Kofi through both tables solidifying their victory.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Nikki Cross vs. Bayley (c)

Winner: Bayley via pinfall

Riding the heels of a 282 day stretch as the Smackdown Women’s champion (and currently half of the Smackdown Women’s Tag Team Champions with Sasha Banks), Bayley put the title on the line against the underrated Nikki Cross this evening. Bayley was in dire straits late in the bout after she received a neck breaker to the arena floor. After the women returned to the ring, Banks handed her Boss ring off to Bayley who viciously punched Cross in the stomach and followed it up with a face plant to retain her title.

MVP was scheduled to challenge Apollo Crews for the United States Championship, however, Crews failed a “pre-match physical.” The announce team cited this was from an injury sustained a month ago at the hands of MVP’s cohort Bobby Lashley, however, one has to wonder if perhaps he entered the venue with a fever or other Coronavirus symptoms. Nonetheless, MVP proceeded to walk down to the ring, pick up the newly designed United States Championship, and proclaim himself the new champion by forfeit.

Eye for an Eye Match

Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins
Winner: Seth Rollins

This had to be one of the most ridiculous stipulations I’ve ever heard of…at least when Abdullah the Butcher was “electrocuted” at the conclusion of the infamous Chamber of Horrors Match in WCW back in the early ‘90s, they made it appear somewhat realistic albeit comedic at the same time. Anyway, Rollins pressed Mysterio’s face into the corner of a ring stair allegedly inflicting an eye injury a few weeks back. That coupled with the ongoing inclusion of Rey’s son Dominic being targeted by the Monday Night Messiah, we have arrived at this match. The announce team actually said the winner would be declared by removing one of his opponent’s eyes - really??? This match was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. The two men spent the majority of the bout trying to puncture out the other’s eyes with various tools, pens, and edges of ring stairs. The conclusion finally came after Rollins pressed Mysterio’s eye into the edge of a ring stair until after the referee put it, it was hanging out. Following this I personally hope the rumors are true that Rey’s contract is up because it would be nice to see such a legendary competitor used in a promotion like AEW where his talent would be respected and he would be utilized as something more than a sideshow attraction.

RAW Women’s Championship

Asuka (c) w/ Kairi Sane vs. Sasha Banks w/ Bayley

Winner: No contest

In what was looking to be a nice recovery to the preceeding shit show of a match, a very competitive title bout ended in ludicrous fashion. As Banks stood with a title belt in hand poised to strike Asuka when she returned to her feet, Asuka sprung up and spewed the green mist - the only problem was Banks ducked and left the referee to receive the full brunt of it in his face. Bayley then proceeded to remove the referee’s shirt and put it on herself. After Banks took down Asuka and covered her, Bayley counted the pinfall and Sasha stole the title proclaiming herself champion.

WWE Championship

Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall

Ziggler found himself in this match after he promptly confronted the champ following his trade to RAW along with Bobby Roode for AJ Styles. Ziggler told McIntyre that he was owed a match based on their extensive history and that he would keep the stipulation for the contest a secret until the night of Extreme Rules. Before the bell rang, Ziggler announced that the match would be contested under extreme rules…for him only. Ziggler also stated that if McIntyre were disqualified or counted out, he would also relinquish the title. Ziggler put forth a solid effort despite the fact he stacked the deck against McIntyre, however, the defending champ took everything he had and finally closed the contest with a brutal Claymore kick to successfully retain his title.

Universal Championship Wyatt Swamp Fight

Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman (c)

Winner: Bray Wyatt???

After Wyatt’s attempts to awaken Strowman’s dark side from his early days as a member of the Wyatt family to no avail, Bray revived his original cult leader persona in the fashion of Waylon Mercy. This set the stage for another cinematic pay per view main event in the form of a Wyatt Swamp Fight. Sadly, this did not come anywhere close to reaching the bar established by the Undertaker vs. AJ Styles clash at Wrestlemania - in fact it was just plain bad. The conclusion found Wyatt and Strowman fighting on a pier as Braun kicked Bray into the water thinking the fight was over. Next, a hand emerged from the water, grabbed Strowman by the throat, and dragged him into the swampy abyss. After the two struggled for a few moments, the face of The Fiend emerged from the water as the broadcast ended. Apparently, there was no winner - at least not in the traditional sense.

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