WWE Summerslam 2026 Night Two

By Steve Ward

WWE Summerslam would continue with night number two from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tonight’s card featured six matches with five titles contested and was headlined by Roman Reigns going toe to toe against Seth Rollins with the World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance. 

 

Undisputed WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Match

Finn Balor vs. Gunther vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Kevin Owens via pinfall

 

This match was originally scheduled to be a one-on-one encounter between Balor and Zayn until newly reinstated Smackdown GM Nick Aldis made his way onto the stage. Aldis announced that he would be adding another competitor to the match as Gunther made his way out. Aldis then announced he never said he was only adding one competitor as everyone in US Bank Stadium was left in shock when Kevin Owens was introduced as the fourth competitor following a 17-month absence resulting from neck surgery. In the closing moments of this frenetically paced opening contest, Zayn appeared poised to capture victory as he hit the Blue Thunder Bomb on Owens and then had him squared up for the Helluva Kick. As Zayn attempted to kick Owens head off, KO countered with a superkick and then quickly followed up with a Stunner to claim the number one contender’s spot.

 

United States Championship 

Trick Williams (c) w/ Lil Yachty vs. Baron Corbin

Winner: Baron Corbin via pinfall

 

Following his shocking return recently on Smackdown, Corbin immediately set his sights on Trick Williams and the United States Championship. The repeated attacks on Williams by Corbin helped fuel tonight’s match coming to fruition. The closing moments of tonight’s encounter saw Corbin grab the title from ringside and start making his way back into the ring. As Corbin stood on the ring apron, he was confronted by Lil Yachty. Corbin and Yachty proceeded to fight over the belt as Trick ran into Corbin who subsequently bumped into Yachty knocking him from the apron and through a table that was set up at ringside earlier in the bout. With the referee distracted, Corbin proceeded to strike Trick in the head with the belt and followed up with the End of Days which allowed him to cover Williams for the pinfall. 

 

WWE Interim Women’s Championship Ladder Match

Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lash Legend vs. Charlotte Flair

Winner: Chelsea Green

 

With WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley out of action indefinitely due to a torn meniscus, the decision was made to crown an interim champion tonight in a five-way ladder match. The closing moments of this match saw three ladders set up in the middle of the ring. The center one with Green’s feet caught in between rungs as she was hanging upside down following an attack from B-Fab and Michin, another with Cargill and Flair jockeying for position, and the third with Stratton and Legend battling each other. First, Cargill climbed across the ladders to tip over the one with Stratton and Legend on it. Next, Jade and Charlotte took themselves out of the fight with their in-fighting. Finally, Green sat up with her feet still anchored on the ladder and ascended to the top where she retrieved the title.

 

Human Monies On A Pole Match

Danhausen vs. Dominik Mysterio 

Winner: Danhausen

 

Following weeks of Danhausen throwing curses at The Judgement Day after they attempted to collect money they believed he owed them, they finally decided to settle the core in a Human Monies On A Pole match.  As the match began to wind down, we saw JD McDonagh attempt to assist Dirty Dom until the Minihausens swarmed the ring. Once McDonagh dispatched them, Joe Hendry made his way down the ramp with a guitar in hand and proceeded to shatter it over his head. Dirty Dom then began to climb the the turnbuckles towards the bag of money when Danhausen cursed him and fireworks shot from the corner post knocking Mysterio off. This allowed Danhausen to climb up and retrieve the Human Monies.

 

WWE Intercontinental Championship 

Penta (c) vs. Chad Gable

Winner: Chad Gable via submission 

 

Chad Gable earned his opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship back on the July 13 episode of Monday Night Raw as he emerged victorious in a grueling gauntlet match and tonight would attempt to dethrone Penta who put his 153-day title reign on the line. In the final moments of the bout, Gable survived a brutal Mexican Destroyer on the ring apron to quickly recover in the middle of the squared circle. Gable then countered another Mexican Destroyer attempt in the ring with the ankle lock submission. Gable continued to battle to keep Penta away from the ropes and finally dropped to the canvas to cinch in the hold even deeper which immediately prompted a tap out by Penta.

 

WWE World Heavyweight Championship 

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

 

This match symbolized the end of a chapter for both competitors. Seth who had never lost to Roman would attempt to put the shadow of The Shield in his rearview while Roman would seek to finally earn a victory over Rollins exorcising his demons in the process. After both competitors pulled out every stop in an attempt to conquer one another, the referee took an inadvertent spear from Roman Reigns that left him incapacitated outside the ring. Rollins then introduced a chair into the match. Reigns managed to get a hold of the chair and instead of putting it to use, he tossed it from the ring wanting to put Seth away on his own. In the final minutes, Seth attempted a top rope stomp only to miss and be put down with a spear. Roman then connected on two more spears in a row as the referee came to just in time to count the 1-2-3 as The OTC retained his title.

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 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.

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 Summerslam 2025 Night One

By Steve Ward

WWE returned to the great state of New Jersey this evening as Summerslam emanated from MetLife Stadium. This also marked the first time in WWE history that the event would be a two night spectacular. Tonight’s card featured six scheduled matches with three championships contested as Gunther battled CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.

Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman
Winners: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso via pinfall

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso reunited tonight in Reigns’ first in ring action since “The Wiseman” (now “The Oracle”) Paul Heyman turned on him at WrestleMania and forged his alliance with Seth Rollins. Tonight, Reigns and Uso would square off with the two newest Paul Heyman Guys, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. In the closing moments of the opening bout, Breakker had Uso sized up for a spear. As Breakker charged forward, Reigns shoved Uso out of harm’s way and took the spear that nearly broke him in half. Uso then disposed of Breakker and delivered an Uso Splash to Reed to earn the victory.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair
Winners: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair via pinfall

Following Liv Morgan’s shoulder injury, Roxanne Perez stepped in as the newest member of The Judgement Day and as the new tag team partner of Raquel Rodriguez. Tonight they were challenged by Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, who recently became allies of convenience, for the Tag Team Championship. In the closing moments, Charlotte took out Raquel with a big boot allowing Bliss to hit the Sister Abigail on Perez to crown them as the new tag team champions.

Karrion Kross w/ Scarlet vs. Sami Zayn
Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall

For weeks, Kross has been trying to convince Zayn that he must tap into his evil side to achieve his goal of becoming a world champion and tonight their rivalry would come to a head. As the match came to an end, Zayn resisted using a steel pipe offered to him by Scarlet and instead delivered a Helluva Kick to earn the win.

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

Jade Cargill punched her ticket to a title shot at Summerslam following her win in the Queen of the Ring tournament and tonight she sought to win her first singles championship against Tiffany Stratton. The closing minutes saw Stratton avoid her demise by reversing a top rope Jaded and following it up with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to help her retain her title.

Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre
Winners: Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre via pinfall

Jelly Roll was invited to perform on Smackdown several weeks ago only to be interrupted by Logan Paul. Orton then saved Jelly Roll only to be immediately ambushed by Drew McIntyre. This lead to the start of a bitter rivalry that culminated in a bitter grudge match tonight. The closing moments saw Jelly Roll somehow return to the ring after being put through the announce table but was first met with a Claymore from McIntyre and then the Paul From Grace to suffer defeat in his in-ring debut.

World Heavyweight Championship
Gunther (c) vs. CM Punk
Winner: CM Punk via pinfall

After Gunther retired the legendary Goldberg a few weeks ago on Saturday Night’s Main Event, CM Punk stepped up to the champ stating he needed to be World Heavyweight Champion and established himself as his new challenger. Late in the match, Gunther had his legs swept out from beneath him as he stood gloating on the Spanish announce table and took a header on the way down. As he recovered from the ground, he was covered in a crimson mask. Punk then went on to escape a subsequent sleeper hold by Gunther and finished him off with to Go To Sleeps.

As Punk celebrated, Seth Rollins’ music echoed through MetLife Stadium as he and Paul Heyman made their way out. Rollins stood there on crutches with a knee brace on as Heyman held the Money In The Bank briefcase. Rollins let Punk know he’d be cashing in on him soon and proceeded to start walking out only to abruptly stop, drop his crutches, remove his brace, and storm the ring with briefcase in tow.

World Heavyweight Championship Match #2
CM Punk (c) vs. Seth Rollins w/ Paul Heyman
Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall

Seth Rollins proceeded to beat CM Punk down with the briefcase before handing it to the referee to cash it in. Rollins then hit the stomp on Punk and quickly covered him to claim the title.

WWE Bad Blood 2024

By Steve Ward

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

Hell In A Cell Match

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk 

Winner: CM Punk via pinfall

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

WWE Women’s Championship

Nia Jax (c) vs. Bayley

Winner: Nia Jax via pinfall

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

Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

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

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

Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

Winner: Rhea Ripley via DQ

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

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

Winners: Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns via pinfall

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

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

WWE 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 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.