Arena: Rocket Mortgage Field House
City: Cleveland, OH
Raw opens with Seth “Freakin” Rollins coming to the ring, and he is immediately attacked after he gets in the ring by Finn Balor. As officials break up the fight, Rollins is left lying on the floor at ringside.
Balor hits Seth with three Coup de Graces on the floor before finally getting pushed away by officials.
In the back they are at it again. Finn again leaves Seth lying on the floor.
In the ring, The Miz has a microphone and says he was going to accept Seth’s open challenge for tonight and win the World Championship. So, he is going to issue his own open challenge.
The Miz VS. Tommaso Ciampa
Miz goes in for a hug and Ciampa punches him. Ciampa hits the fairy tale ending and gets the win.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
The Judgement Day are next out to ringside. Rhea says Finn is going to bring the world championship title home to the Judgment Day and she has the women’s division on lockdown and Damian is going to win Money in the Bank and Dominik is going to take down Cody Rhodes.
Dominik tells Cody he is going to beat him at Money in the Bank then challenges Cody to find 2 partners to fight Judgement Day tonight.
A recap of the Bloodline story is shown.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are interviewed by Byron Saxton and were asked about the Bloodline and Kevin flipped out and Sami tells Kevin he has an anger problem.
Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville VS. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance
Chance and Carter hit the after-party finishing move on Deville to get the win.
Winners: Kayden Carter & Katana Chance
Kathy Kelly interviews Cody Rhodes about Dominik’s Challenge. Cody says Rhea is dominating the women’s division, Damian might leave with the briefcase and Finn might leave as World champion at Night of Champions but then there is Dom. And 2 guys will not be hard to find, your challenge is accepted.
Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander VS. Indu Sheer
Shelton hits a knee to the face of Sanga, they team up on Veer, but Sanga launched Cedric over the timekeepers’ area. With a Veer elbow off the second rope as Sanga held Shelton on his knee for the win.
Winners: Indus Sheer
Kevin and Sami were talking, and Matt Riddle comes in and starts talking about movies and Kevin goes to blow up at him but calmed down and said yes, they are good movies and walked away.
Logan Paul is out sitting on top of the ladder. Logan then announced he will be competing at the Money in the bank match.
Ricochet comes out with a microphone. He wanted to come out and congratulate him for being in the Money in the Bank match. Ricochet said he will walk out Mr. Money in the Bank and Shinsuke Nakamura comes out and says wow. As Shinsuke was saying he is going to win Money in the Bank, he is interrupted by L.A. Knight, and he says Let me Talk to ya. Before Knight could finish, Santos Escobar comes out and says empty promises and lies and Logan welcome to the party but none of that matters because I am going to win as representative of the L.W.O.
Butch comes out and just starts hitting people and fight breaks out.
Ludwig Kaiser VS. Matt Riddle
Riddle hits Broderick for the win.
Winner: Matt Riddle
Gunther comes in after the match and attacks Riddle and Kaiser comes to and helps him.
Gunther and Kaiser walk up to Sami and Kevin and ask them if they have seen what they did to Riddle, and it could happen to them as well.
Alpha Academy VS. The Viking Raiders
Valhalla gets on the ring and Maxine pulls her down and gives her a suplex on the floor as Gable looks on and Otis comes and puts his arm around Maxine and celebrates but Erik grabs Gable and gives him a knee to the head and picks up the win.
Winners: The Viking Raiders
Rhea Ripley VS. Natalya
Rhea attacks Natalya before the bell. The match never started as Rhea left Natalya lying in the ring in pain.
Winner: No Contest
Cathy Kelly interviews Raquel Rodriguez about her match with Trish Stratus and when she wins the Money in the Bank, she is going to cash in on Rhea for what she did to Natalya.
Akira Tozawa offers to be Cody’s partner for tonight and Cody then walks up to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and Sami says if you have a problem with the Judgment Day and Kevin gets upset and says he just wants to punch someone in the face and Cody says for tonight I couldn’t ask for better partners that the Tag Team Champions.
Raquel Rodriguez VS. Trish Stratus in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
As Zoey Stark gets involved and Becky Lynch comes out and takes care of Stark, Trish goes out and gets hit by Becky causing the disqualification.
Winner by Disqualification: Trish Stratus
After the match Becky and Raquel argued in the ring.
Cathy Kelly interviews Bron Breakker about his match with Seth Rollins scheduled for tomorrow. Bron says surely Seth won’t use the excuse of what happened tonight to get out of their match tomorrow. Because if you think what Finn did tonight was bad, I am going to hurt him even worse and become the new world heavyweight champion.
Byron interviews Becky Lynch about what happened earlier, and she said she is either going to overcome the mess she created and win the Money in the Bank match, or she will go down in a blaze of glory, but she is taking Zoey Stark and Trish Stratus with her.
Shinsuke Nakamura VS. Bronson Reed
Ricochet came to ringside during the match and gets on the apron and Shinsuke ends up colliding with Ricochet and Reed hits his tsunami splash off the top rope and got the win.
Winner: Bronson Reed
Seth Rollins is shown from a hospital bed and says he will be at NXT tomorrow and to Finn Balor that is the guy that beat me seven years ago welcome back. Money in the Bank can’t come fast enough.
Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn & Cody Rhodes VS. The Judgement Day
Sami hits a Helluva Kick to Dominik, Kevin hits a Stunner to send Dominik flying from the ring. With Finn already out of the ring. Cody hits Priest with the Cross Rhodes and gets the win.
Winners: Cody Rhodes & the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Several matches have already been announced for tonight’s Monday Night Raw live from Cleveland, Ohio.
Seth Rollins will be holding an open challenge for his World Heavyweight title and as of this writing, the opponent remains a mystery.
The last women to enter the Money In The Bank 2023 ladder match will be determined tonight as Raquel Rodriguez takes on WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Also set are Rhea Ripley vs Natalya in a non-title match, Bronson Reed vs Shinsuke Nakamura, and Matt Riddle vs Ludwig Kaiser.
Plus, YouTuber Logan Paul returns to WWE for the first time since his loss to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 39.
WWE will be celebrating 25 years of Edge this week on WWE.COM and all of WWE’s social media channels.
The Rated-R Superstar made his WWE in-ring debut at June 22, 1998 episode of Monday Night Raw and the rest, as they say, is history.
WWE’s social media team will be busy rolling out classic lookbacks, never-before-seen photos, special editions of WWE Top 10 and WWE Playlist, and publish all-new videos honoring Edge’s legacy throughout the week.
The company is also asking fans to share their favorite memory of the Hall of Famer by using the hashtag #Edge25.
On June 2nd’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, WWE celebrated Roman Reigns’ surpassing 1,000 days as champion. He secured the Universal Championship way back in August 2020 when he arrived late to defeat both Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt in a triple-threat match at the Payback premium live event. At WrestleMania last year, he would unify that strap with the WWE Championship when he defeated Brock Lesnar in what was dubbed the biggest WrestleMania main event of all time.
In the year since the Tribal Chief has looked unstoppable at the summit of professional wrestling. He has defeated all comers, including the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and even YouTube sensation Logan Paul. But his biggest victory perhaps came at WrestleMania 39 in April when he defeated 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble Match winner Cody Rhodes at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Heading into the much-anticipated showdown between the Head of the Table and the American Nightmare, websites such as Bodog, which provides boxing and UFC betting, had made the challenger a -300 favorite to end Roman’s reign of terror. In the end, however, via some Bloodline shenanigans, it was the champion who retained, and now his title reign has no end in sight. But good things always come to an end, and here are two men that we feel may well be the ones to finally dethrone Reigns once and for all.
Cody Rhodes
The most obvious answer to the question of who dethrones Roman Reigns is the man that he most recently vanquished, Cody Rhodes. However, many wrestling fans feel that the perfect moment for that specific coronation was two months ago in California. There is a way that the American Nightmare could find himself thrust back into the limelight, however.
The night after his biggest defeat, Rhodes found himself on a collision course with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate flattened the American Nightmare with a plethora of massive F5s, which has set up back-to-back matches between the pair. They are currently one-for-one, with Rhodes getting the victory at Backlash and Lesnar returning the favor at Night of Champions.
They are expected to settle their rivalry once and for all at SummerSlam in August, and Rhodes is highly expected to get the victory. From there, he will probably feud with Seth Rollins over the newly created World Heavyweight Championship, and you can expect him to get screwed out of the title by another beast, perhaps in the form of a returning Bray Wyatt. That should keep Rhodes busy until the fall, when he will cross paths with Reigns once again, with the rivals captaining their respective teams at Survivor Series.
This will set the ball rolling on a rematch for the ages at WrestleMania. Rhodes will win the 2024 Royal Rumble next January and immediately set his sights on the Tribal Chief, ending Roman’s record-breaking reign at what will be a whopping 1,316 days.
Solo Sikoa
At the time of writing, Solo Sikoa is Roman Reigns’ closest and most trusted confidant, outside of his wise man Paul Heyman. The Enforcer of the Bloodline turned on his real-life brother Jimmy Uso during Reigns’ 1,000-day celebration, pledging his loyalty to his tribal chief once and for all, or so it seems.
As we have seen throughout the epic Bloodline story so far, eventually, Reigns pushes those closest to him too far. We saw it with Sami Zayn at the Royal Rumble. We saw it with Jimmy Uso at Night of Champions. In the not-too-distant future, we will see it from Jey Uso, and the final piece to fall will be Solo.
WWE teased dissension between the pair on the May 26th edition of SmackDown, with Reigns accidentally barging into Sikoa, and the pair would have a momentary stare-off before the champion scurried out of the ring. That has planted the seed of doubt in the mind of fans as to not if Solo will turn on the Head of the Table, but when. We imagine that won’t be too far into the future.
Once both Uso brothers, real-life brothers of the Street Champ, have turned their back on the Bloodline, Sikoa can set about the Tribal Chief just as Batista once set his sights on Triple H during their Evolution days some two decades ago. And there are a number of ways in which the enforcer can usurp Reigns as champion.
It’s hard to imagine that the record-breaking reign will come to an end anywhere other than WrestleMania. That would mean that Solo will have to enter and win the Royal Rumble match, perhaps even at the expense of Cody Rhodes. Then, with everyone thinking he will challenge whoever the World Heavyweight Champion is at the time, Solo will choose to face off against his Tribal Chief on the grandest stage of them all in Philadelphia next April, defeating Reigns and securing his spot as the WWE’s next breakout star.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Wrestling is reporting that Chris Hero is working as a producer for Ring of Honor on a trial basis for the time being.
Sapp adds that Hero will stick around for a few weeks before a final decision will be taken to see if he joins the team or not. ROH tapings will be held weekly now in conjunction with the Collision tapings.
Hero, who spent around eight years in ROH over two different stints, is a former two-time ROH Tag Team champion with Claudio Castagnoli. He also wrestled in NXT under the name of Kassius Ohno.
Just over 9,000 fans turned up at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois for Collision’s premiere episode this past Saturday.
That was the best non-PPV attendance for AEW in many, many months but obviously fell short of the 15,000+ fans that were here the last two times the company used the arena for Punk’s original arrival and then Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
The company is staying in Chicago for this week’s episode of Dynamite as well but it’s moving its television taping to the much smaller Wintrust Arena. Just under 6,000 fans have tickets for this show according to ticket tracking service @WrestleTix and it will most likely surpass the 6,060 number that they had in November when they were there last time.
There are rumors that CM Punk will be on Dynamite this Wednesday since the show is also in Chicago.
AEW star Bandido suffered a broken wrist on Rampage during his match against Konosuke Takeshita and wrote that doctors told him that he needs surgery as soon as possible to repair it.
The 28-year-old Mexican star said that initial diagnosis suggests a “triangular fibrocartilage complex injury” but today he is going to another doctor for a second opinion.
“For now I have to cancel my closest engagements. An apology to all the fans,” Bandido wrote.
If Bandido undergoes surgery, he’s looking for a few months on the sidelines.
Bet builders refer to a recently introduced feature in horse betting that allows bettors to create customized bets by combining various markets within a single event. By selecting multiple calls, punters can make unique bets with different odds and outcomes based on their preferences. This feature enables players to place bets on elements of a race they may know more about, increasing control over the betting process.
What are Bet Builders?
To use bet builders for horse racing:
Choose your preferred bookmaker offering this feature.
Locate the event for which you want to place a bet and explore the available markets using the bet builder tool.
Choose the markets you want to combine, and the tool will automatically select relevant odds based on your selections.
After customizing your bet slip, place it like any other wager.
Bet builders are distinguished from traditional bets because they allow for greater customization and provide numerous combinations of related or unrelated events. Instead of placing individual wagers on various aspects of an event, bet builders combines them into a single custom-made bet slip yielding much higher payouts when correctly predicting outcomes.
Why Use Bet Builders for Horse Betting?
Bet builders are essential tools in horse betting, allowing punters to create bespoke bets by combining different markets. This feature provides an assortment of opportunities for increased payouts and better chances of winning.
Using bet builders, punters can flexibly choose their desired selection and build custom-made bets tailored to their preferred outcomes. With bet builders, there is no limit to the types of wagers that can be created. Therefore, punters have more freedom to implement profitable strategies and maximize their potential returns.
One significant advantage of using bet builders for horse betting is managing risks effectively while enhancing potential returns. Whether you’re betting on ‘Winning Horse’ or ‘Place,’ you can use bet builders to combine picks into a unique accumulator for optimized outcomes.
It allows combining various markets with the fundamental aim of gaining enhanced odds or eliminating unfavorable picks from an accumulator bet due to well-defined rules established by sportsbooks. The control provided by bet builders ensures you get the most out of your selections while multiplying your wins significantly.
Select a Horse Racing Market
When utilizing bet builders for horse betting, selecting an appropriate market that aligns with your preferred betting strategy is necessary. This could be a race winner, top three finishers, or any other eligible market pertaining to the specific event. You increase your chances of securing profitable returns by successfully identifying the right market and strategically placing bets.
Consider factors such as form analysis, jockey performance, and track conditions to narrow the selection process. These elements can heavily influence the outcome of a race and can help guide your decision-making when selecting a market. Additionally, researching past performances and analyzing trends can also aid in accurately predicting future results.
It is essential to thoroughly understand each market and carefully consider your selections before placing a bet. Selecting a Horse Racing Market requires careful examination of the variables for maximum profitability. By doing so, you can effectively utilize bet builders for successful horse racing wagering.
Adjust Your Odds and Stakes
To fine-tune your winning odds and wager amounts, try giving a precise personal touch to the odds and stakes settings in bet builders. Here are a few tips for adjusting the parameters of your horse bets:
Start by considering multiple variations in outcomes. Doing so can help you identify the sweet spot of the risk-to-reward ratio that works best for you.
Building on the above, play around with smaller or larger bankrolls to see how this concept influences different profit margins.
You can experiment with tweaking the number of horses and markets within each bet, aiming to find a balance between hitting winning horses and diversifying your selections.
Keep tabs on other factors like odds movement or race-day events that could impact your forecasts and how much is at stake.
Budgeting carefully and using strategies like flat vs. progressive staking plans can optimize wagers based on incremental improvements in forecast accuracy.
Be mindful of mitigating factors such as bonuses, bet refunds, or early payouts that can provide some cover if things don’t go according to plan.
By managing these variables adroitly, you can effectively boost your confidence and refine your approach when applying bet builders. Consider familiarizing yourself with mathematical tools like regression analysis for further enhancement.
With the new TV tapings of Collision, Ring of Honor will now move its tapings schedule to Saturday night, filming prior to the start of the live Collision broadcast.
Rampage will continue to tape after Dynamite every Wednesday night, with the new TV day lessening the load from Wednesday.
It’s likely that ROH weekend tapings at Universal Studios in Florida will now stop being held as the show can have a steady Saturday night taping every week.
Several matches which will form part of the upcoming ROH TV were filmed yesterday in Chicago.
Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks became the first two entrants in the men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament which will kick off soon.
While no start date for the tournament was announced, it will culminate at the July 15 episode of Collision live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the hometown of Owen Hart. The tournament was officially launched at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view with Martha Hart and AEW President Tony Khan.
Last year’s tournament winners were Adam Cole and Britt Baker who defeated Samoa Joe and Ruby Soho respectively in the tournament finals.
AEW commentator Jim Ross apologized on social media for the way he sounded last night on Collision and said that he’s taking a break from now on to heal.
“I apologize for the way I sounded tonight. Going to step away to heal. Thanks for your support,” JR’s message read.
The WWE Hall of Famer had another tweet earlier in the day, posting a selfie with a huge black eye, writing that he had a bad fall in the morning but was still headed to Chicago to call the premiere episode of Collision.
JR was announced as one third of the Collision broadcast booth, with Kevin Kelly doing main play-by-play and Nigel McGuinness doing color commentary while JR provided analysis.
Money In The Bank in London has a brand new match added to its card and it’s a big one, as Roman Reigns will team up with Solo Sikoa to take on The Usos in a tag team match.
The match was made after Jimmy and Jey got out of The Bloodline at the end of Smackdown on Friday night, with the brothers laying out both Solo and Reigns with dual super kicks, a move which sent the crowd bananas.
The end of The Bloodline has been teased for months now and finally WWE pulled the tiger on its biggest storyline in years.
The Money In The Bank tag match is being promoted as Bloodline Civil War.
CM Punk returned to AEW at Collision, opening the broadcast with a promo much to delight of the Chicago crowd who cheered big time for their returning hero.
Punk, with boots hanging around his neck and carrying a red bag which clearly had a wrestling title inside, said when he was last seen here, he carried the contents of the bag and whatever is inside belonged to him only until someone beats him for it.
His AEW World title was taken away from him just days after he won it at All Out from Jon Moxley.
Punk said he’ll always be himself and knows that his presence makes other people uncomfortable because he always speaks the truth. Fans inside the arena seemed to agree with him as they all started a “F*ck The Elite” chant.
The former champion also mentioned David Zaslav, the chief at Warner Bros. Discovery, who he said he calls him “One Bill Phil” because at the end of the day he is the only true article “in a business full of counterfeit bucks.” Ouch!
Chicago’s favorite son wrapped up the promo by saying that some people would have wanted him to hang up the boots he’s carrying around his neck but he’s staying around until someone can fill them.
Punk later joined FTR in the main event of the show, taking on the trio of Samoa Joe, Juice Robinson, and Jay White in a match which the faces won after Punk pinned Robinson.
The first ever AEW Collision comes to us tonight from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
With a nice-looking card and a ton of intrigue based around a local dude named Phil. What will he say? What will he do? How will the crowd react? Will Kenta be there? All questions that’ll be answered in the next two hours.
I’m psyched for this, especially with the reveal of Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness & JR in the booth. Don’t know McGuinness’ work but Kelly & Taz at last year’s Forbidden Door is the best AEW commentary I’ve ever heard.
*****
Very retro feel to the opening theme with the Elton John tune. Feels more like a video package. Nice looking set, quite industrial, metallic.
Well, right to it, Cult of Personality kicked in, Punk out to a huge pop, the crowd singing along. Shaved head, pair of boots round his neck. Seems that’s the ol’ MJF thumbs down/fart noise combo for my assertion he’d be booed anyway.
He’s also clutching a red draw-string bag with something inside. Muffins maybe?
Crowd respectfully quiet as he began to speak.
‘I’m tired of bein nice’. As long as he’s here, this is the professional wrestling ‘business’, ‘a place for grownups’. ‘I’m tired of bein nice’, he repeated. He really played to the crowd. ‘I love you because you love me’.
Basically said he’s not going to change. Then mentioned some people hate him, ‘the sheer magnitude of me makes people uncomfortable’. Wow, MJF might want to borrow that one.
‘I am the truth, and the truth is painful’. Sparking a ‘F the Elite’ chant. He pointed out signs both for and against him and fans can call him any of it. He’s true to himself in a ‘business full of counterfeit Bucks’ (yeeesh).
Tony’s gotta be sweatin’ right about now.
He asked the fans why he’d change. He’ll always be himself and never compromise. And there are people ‘who think they’re owed an apology’. He said anyone who feels they’re owed an apology, he’s ‘sorry the only people softer than you are the wrestlers you like’.
Daaammmnn. This dude’s getting the S booed out of him everywhere else. Only got louder here though.
He revealed that what he had in the bag was the title he held last summer. Mocking MJF’s claim to have the ‘best’ matches, since he wins his. Saying no-one’s beaten him for that belt, and no-one can fill the boots he has round his neck.
This played really well here. Not sure it’s going to help things in any other city or backstage though. Not that he cares.
Also, he should be kept far away from the title until he proves that he can both stay healthy and that he isn’t going to cause another issue.
Wardlow vs Luchasaurus (TNT Title)
Backstory: Saurus & Christian attacked Wardlow’s ‘mentor’ Arn Anderson Weds. in the latest edition of this feud
The bulls bashed shoulders, nothing doing until Wardlow dropkicked Luchasaurus to the outside. Christian briefly interfered then fled under the ring. As Wardlow flung Saurus back in, Cage grabbed Wardlow’s leg and he was booted off the apron.
Crowd quiet.
Saurus hit shots and chops in the corner then knocked the champ down via lariat.
Ads.
Wardlow had Luchasaurus on his back and dumped him off as the crowd chanted his name. Then ran through Luchasaurus with lariats and charged him to the corner, driving shoulders to the gut, spinebuster, Wardlow to the top.
Wardlow was distracted again, and crotched. Luchasaurus chokeslammed him off the top.
Then went for another, Wardlow bit his way free, took an elbow strike but came back via lariat, knocking the dinosaur to the mat.
Symphony ready, Cage going crazy outside, trying to distract the big man, grabbing and throwing a chair outside, anything to stop the inevitable. Luchasaurus popped up to snag a chokeslam for a close two count. Wardlow slipped out of a slam to hit a powerslam, just about muscling the dinosaur up, mixed chants as he headed upstairs for a senton bomb.
But he couldn’t capitalize, Cage again distracting then smacking Wardlow with a camera, the ref of course distracted by a dog with a poofy tail. Luchasaurus snatched the pin to claim the gold. Man, this company should be taken to the Hague for what they’ve done to Wardlow and this title.
Huuuuge cheer for Saurus winning too.
Cage immediately grabbed the belt and posed with it. Then did so atop the dinosaur’s shoulders.
That’s more fuel for Jack Perry to turn now that his former friend has a belt before him.
Winner: Luchasaurus
Lexi with Will Hobbs and, of course, QT Marshall. Have to get those big names on the new show. Marshall promised Hobbs would win the Owen Hart tournament. Hobbs said he’s the face of TNT, the next chapter of his story is about redemption, winning that tournament and ‘taking what’s mine’.
Hobbs pointedly looked at QT as he said that line and walked off. QT blamed Lexi for annoying the big man.
I’m very bored of hearing about ‘chapters’ and ‘the Book of Hobbs’. Because nothing ever comes of it.
*****
They re-capped the finish to the TNT title match.
Buddy Matthews vs Andrade El Idolo
Backstory: Andrade’s return after being some mixture of injured/in the doghouse for about a year
As Todd Martin pointed out, fun that this is Rhea Ripley’s man vs Charlotte Flair’s.
Matthews was accompanied by Julia Hart. To not much of a reaction. Andrade got a nice pop. Dasha’s ring announcing of his name was just superb. Kelly made a ‘tranquilo’ reference as he walked the ramp. Nothing? Or a Naito reference? Supposedly none of the AAA affiliates will appear on anything to do with New Japan so likely the former.
Very loud ‘Welcome back’ chants from the audience.
The two circled, stiff lockup, clash of shoulders, neither budged. Headlock, irish whip, ‘nother clash, same result. Andrade shoved Matthews as the pair wrestled in and out of headlock takeovers and legscissors, to another stalemate.
Until this time Andrade smashed through Matthews with a shoulder charge, Matthews flung him at the ropes, Andrade landed between the top and middle to pose. Incensing Matthews who came flying in and was sent outside. Julia went after Andrade’s mask, briefly distracting him before he cartwheeled across the apron into a moonsault to take Matthews down outside.
Matthews turned the tables by flinging the Mexican into the crowd. Andrade came back quickly to hit a hurracanrana from the barricade, landing hard on his shoulder. Before throwing Buddy back inside, count of two.
El Idolo headed upstairs, Matthews cut him off, beginning to target the shoulder, culminating in a meteora for two. Matthews clutching his knee; Andrade his shoulder, as we went to break.
Lightning quick, high-impact stuff so far.
Andrade down at ringside, still suffering with his shoulder as he made it back in with the count at eight. Matthews began booting him in the face, over and over, Andrade rallying with the crowd behind him, dragon screw, another, another, as each went after the other’s weak point.
Then a flying forearm and kip-up very much in keeping with the HBK theme this week. To the top, double moonsault, two-and-a-half. Andrade vividly selling his shoulder; Matthews clutching his knee.
Andrade then sent to the apron and absolutely spiked back inside with a snap draping-ddt. Somehow didn’t get three.
Buddy upstairs, cut off, Andrade hooking him for a superplex, Matthews countering, looking for a powerbomb and slipping, his knee giving way, he hit a thrust kick then went for an avalanche bomb, again the knee buckled, Andrade absolutely smashed him with a knee strike, the crowd roaring, another ready, Matthews met him with a bicycle knee.
Andrade just kicked out. The crowd absolutely frothing – TiA chants.
As Buddy looked for a submission, Andrade sent him to the ropes, Buddy rebounded right into a figure four, dead center, Matthews writhing, Andrade bridging up a la Charlotte to force the tap. Huge response from the crowd for that finish.
This was tremendous. Andrade’s some athlete. McGuinness said a figure eight was better than a four.
Andrade tried to help Matthews up, the latter shoved him away. Just as it looked like he might accept a handshake, the lights went out. When they came back up, the HOB were in the ring, Big Brodie poised behind, they laid Andrade out, Malakai whispered something to him.
The lights went out again and we raced away to the next segment.
It’d be smart if they largely kept the trios on one show and tags on the other so both can be properly featured. Presumably this leads to some LFI/HOB matches? Though the rest of LFI are decidedly heels.
Winner: Andrade El Idolo
Scorpio Sky package, with him clutching a drink as clips of his career played. Nothing much to it. Doesn’t suggest a serious push.
Miro vs Tony Nese
Backstory: Miro’s first match since last summer
Nese, with Smart Mark Sterling, called the crowd fat and etc. He’s going to shut the show down so the crowd can do some ‘group training’. Not so fast…
The Redeemer!!!
Looking serious and dressed in black, the Bulgarian paced round the ring, stepped inside to a huge reaction from the fans, and more ‘welcome back’ chants.
As Nese quickly fled to ringside. Ducking and dodging, he tried to cut Miro off as he got back in the ring. And was stomped down in the corner in a way Stone Cold would be proud of.
Then decapitated via lariat.
Before Sheamus-style clubbing blows with Nese on the apron and Miro behind. Nese briefly fought back but was caught coming off the top and fallaway slammed.
About to be Game Over, Sterling hit the apron, Nese hit a couple shots, Miro ignored every one then spiked Nese to the mat.
Matchka kick, ‘GAAAME OVAA!’.
Both the stuff at the start and the match itself probably went twice as long as needed. No doubting Miro’s fan support though. They were pleased to see him back, as was I.
Winner: Miro
Package pushing the main event. Focusing on Punk’s return from injury. Essentially more of what was shown Wednesday.
Kevin Kelly’s so damn good. Not convinced by McGuinness yet.
Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale vs the Outcasts (Toni Storm & Ruby Soho)
Backstory: The Outcasts attacked Blue Weds. until Willow made the save
Willow was out first to her usual nice pop, Toni’s mock dancing to her theme was fun. Blue got a decent pop, considering it’s her hometown. Her mum was in the crowd again.
Continuing the theme of every ‘good girl’ in the company being dumb as a box of rocks, they were blindsided entering the ring and beaten ‘round ringside. Blue’s mum slapped both heels, allowing the faces to strike, Blue landing a hurracanrana off the apron.
As the bell rang and Willow and Ruby kicked us off. Nightingale hitting her low splash for an early two. Firing a chop and a lariat, another, crowd quieting a little. You’ll be shocked but the Outcasts interfered from outside to take the advantage into the break.
The same two in the ring as we came back, Willow smacked Ruby with a lariat, Blue pacing for the tag, getting it, firing away at Storm, tejeiras, step up knee strike, low enziguri, kick to the head from the apron, to the top, cross body, Ruby stopped the cover at two.
Spinebuster from Willow, Toni took her out then locked the cloverleaf on Blue, who finally got the ropes only to be scooped into Storm Zero but countered out. Tag to Willow, spinning Samoan drop, straps down, gut wrench, ref’s stupid, Outcasts interfered.
Storm hit her hip attack, Soho in, they had Blue beat but wanted to spraypaint her.
Nightingale broke it up, Storm sprayed Soho by mistake, Blue hit Code Blue to win.
Crowd enjoyed the high spots and the finish. Don’t know that it really did anything for any of these women. (I’m only just remembering while editing that Storm’s the champion. Doesn’t begin to feel like it.)
I literally never want to see the Outcasts ever, ever, ever again. Same lowest common denominator garbage every single time they’re out there. Heels are supposed to look stupid themselves, not make everyone else appear so.
Winner: Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale
Ricky Starks declared for the Owen Hart Cup. He said it was an ‘honor and a privilege’ to rep Owen. Another guy who’s slipping through the booking cracks.
Kelly called him ‘one of the biggest stars in the company’. He should be, but keeps being forgotten.
*****
Jeff Jarrett promo package. In case any new fans were taking the company seriously. He’ll face Mark Briscoe in a concession stand brawl. ‘Mark, I’m kickin’ your ass’.
Isn’t that a babyface line?
*****
Tony Schiavone in the ring to introduce the Acclaimed. They ‘stole more hearts than Trump stole documents’ and wanted the crowd to wish Billy a ‘Happy Father’s Day’ in their rap.
AEW now also stands for ‘Acclaimed Every Weekend’ (to be clear, they’ll be on both shows).
Then readied the first ever Collision ‘scissor’. Including Schiavone.
So are these guys going to have a purpose to one of their segments ever again?
CMFTR (CM Punk & FTR) vs Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Juice Robinson) & Samoa Joe
Backstory: We’ll stick to just the build for the actual match shall we? BCG have promised to spoil Punk’s return & have also been linked with the Gunns whom FTR traded the tag belts with
They should get the Bulls announcer to do the whole D-Rose ‘frooooom Chicago!’ here for Punk. That’d be cool. Maybe even some Alan Parsons Project.
Nice pop for White’s music. Robinson came out with him. JR joined on comms, despite suffering a nasty fall and bad black eye today. His voice sounded very worn as a result.
Great to see Joe back on tv. He got his usual chants. Such a badass. Would’ve liked to hear something about why these three are teaming. Kelly’s best explanation was ‘common enemies’. So he did at least try.
Healthy pop for Punk’s partners. The three did the ‘clobberin time’ thing together as Punk came out to a slightly diminished pop compared to that at the start. Still very loud. The trio had matching ‘CMFTR’ hoodies in Hart Foundation colors.
White and Dax set it off: lockup, White forced to the corner, break. ‘CMFTR’ chants from the crowd as White tried again only to be run through then rolled up for two. Stiff chop from White, more in the corner, Harwood fired back, White wanted a tag but ate a back body drop.
Then a clubbing lariat in the corner, another, and a third as Dax looked for the sharpshooter. White slipped out and bailed outside. Then tagged Juice.
With Dax distracted, Juice struck from behind. Didn’t last long as Dax smacked him with more chops, tag to Cash, who went to work in the corner with yet more chops. Until Juice begged for a break, was trapped in a backslide for two, Cash ran him over but then ran into a bodyslam.
Robinson hit a couple shoulder thrusts but was dragged up into a military press before Cash tagged Dax who tagged Punk. For a two count after Cash hit a slam off the middle rope.
Signalling GTS, Juice slipped free and flew back to his corner, the crowd already chanting ‘Joe!’ then going nuts at him merely stepping through the ropes.
The two locked eyes and yelled across the ring before going right to a lockup, Joe muscling Punk to the corner then smacking him with chops that might’ve made Punk regret coming back.
Punk grabbed a headlock, working it for a good while, repeatedly grounding the bigger man who kept trying to escape.
As the ads arrived.
Juice got two on Dax, wore him down in the middle via headlock before Dax was dropped via a left from Robinson. Joe in with Dax in the wrong corner. Snapping jabs, Dax down in the corner, the crowd cheering Joe as he brought Dax again to the heels’ corner to tag both of BCG in.
They hit a double-team axe handle from the top, Dax finally struck back via German on Juice, the crowd willing the tag, Wheeler in, running through BCG with uppercuts and knee lifts then bagging two via rollup.
Before avoiding Juice in the corner: ten punches, duck under, big powerslam, backbreaker, tag to Punk who came in via middle-rope elbow. Another backbreaker, immediate tag to Cash.
Another break.
Hard to see Punk having a singles match at Forbidden Door given how little he’s wrestling here.
Cash in a White half-crab, getting the ropes, Robinson in, bodyslam, senton splash, barely two. Waistlock this time, Cash struggling to his feet but planted via belly to back for just about two.
Robinson sent Cash hard to the buckle, Joe back in, more jabs, splash in the corner and turn-around enziguri, Punk broke up the pin, the two went face to face once more. Before White came back in to hurl more chops then chop-block Cash to the mat and bring Juice back in.
Wheeler finally hit a belly to back, both down, the crowd clapping for the tag, White tried to cut it off, Punk in to roll through the BCG with shots and bodyslams, leg lariat, spinning neckbreaker, another, step up knee in the corner to both, bulldog/lariat combo, the crowd rising, GTS signalled.
White raked the eyes to block it, ate a kick to the head, Punk to the top, crotched by Juice, Punk crumpling to the mat, hit with a uranage, kickout at two. Crowd didn’t buy it for a second.
Bladerunner ready, Punk ducked under, big lariat, tag to Dax, who placed White atop the buckle, all three faces tagged, P&G suplex and splash, Punk followed with the elbow, Robinson broke the pin at two.
White got the tag to Joe, Punk down in the middle, Joe fired shots, yay/boo as Punk fired back, White blindsided Punk, FTR brawled BCG to the outside, Punk and Joe alone in the ring.
Punk step-up knee strike, looked for GTS, Joe slipped behind – Kokina Clutch, BCG prevented FTR helping, Punk fading, down on his back, Wheeler freed Dax who freed Punk.
Juice back in to take the pin, and he did, Shatter Machine, GTS, 1, 2, 3.
Between the teasing and how little we saw Punk and Joe, seems that’s one we’ll be coming back to. Should be fun.
The winners posed as the show closed.
Capping off a somewhat eventful but honestly slightly disappointing debut show. The returns were fun and the crowd were loud. But really only Andrade/Buddy was worth going out your way to watch. This main event was disappointingly repetitive – BCG in vs FTR, heat, chops and strikes, wear down/rest hold, hot tag, repeat. Was probably given a bit too much time.
It’s a big day for AEW with the premiere of Collision on TNT just around the corner, starting tonight at 8PM ET.
The new show kicks off live from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois where nearly 9,000 fans will welcome back CM Punk after a nine-month absence.
Punk will be joining FTR in the main event as they take on Samoa Joe, Jay White, and Juice Robinson in a trios match. Other matches announced are Wardlow vs Luchasaurus for the TNT title, Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale vs Toni Storm and Ruby Soho, Buddy Matthews vs Andrade El Idolo, plus Miro will be in action against an unnamed opponent.
Collision airs live in Canada on TSN+ and as well in Europe on FITE’s AEW Plus subscription service.
PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE is trying to get former champion Drew McIntyre back on television before Money In The Bank so he could be featured in the UK as well.
McIntyre and WWE are at odds over creative direction and McIntyre’s contract is up at the end of this year, with the two not close to agreeing to a new deal just yet. The issue, PWInsider says, revolves only around creative and the belief is that the Scotsman wants to stay in WWE if given certain assurances.
But until those things are ironed out, McIntyre is not expected to be back on WWE television so he could miss WWE’s return to the UK in two weeks’ time.
Drew has not been seen on WWE TV since WrestleMania 39 and his banger of a match against Sheamus and Gunther for the Intercontinental title.
He is currently in Germany representing WWE at the Special Olympics.
Following CM Punk’s story on ESPN where Punk accused Hangman Adam Page of shooting on him during their match at Double or Nothing and chipping his tooth, AEW EVP Nick Jackson added more fuel to the fire to the story and while not mentioning Punk by name, it’s very obvious what he wanted to do.
In an Instagram story yesterday, Jackson wrote, “Not only is he good at wrestling but he’s an even better human being,” and then tagged Adam Page in the post. The post was uploaded just after the ESPN story with Punk by Marc Raimondi was made public.
According to sources, AEW were hoping that ESPN would omit the Punk comments on Hangman Page as the company is trying to sign Page to a new long-term deal and allowing Punk to make those comments could maybe put some negativity on the whole situation now that Punk is back in the mix.
Page, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega have not signed a new AEW deal and the company is stepping up the efforts to lock them in.
Former NXT Tag Team champions Pretty Deadly have earned a shot at the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles after winning a six-team gauntlet match on Smackdown to determine the #1 contenders.
It was The Brawling Brutes who ran down the gauntlet, with the team of Sheamus and Ridge Holland taking out The Street Profits, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro, and Hit Row, before Pretty Deadly came in as the last team.
But it was the Brits who came out on top, with Elton Prince getting the pin on Sheamus to earn his team the victory.
The duo now will get a shot at the Undisputed Tag Team titles on the June 30 episode of Smackdown from London, England against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
Tonight, AEW’s Collision show debuts in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago. And he’ll be booed.
Not by the majority, but by enough people it’ll come through on tv. You see, there were numerous factors leading to his infamous blow-up at ‘Brawl Out’: Hangman Page, the Bucks, Kenny Omega, his injury. But I believe the one which really set him off that night, the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’, was the reaction of his hometown crowd.
On the Wednesday before All Out, Jon Moxley came out in Chicago, fresh from demolishing their hometown hero for the world title in a couple minutes. And received a healthy number of cheers. Even after wilfully baiting the crowd about ‘your boy’ ‘folding’ due to a ‘fragile…ego…mind…body…spirit’.
Later that same night, Punk gave a territorial speech to those in attendance. Completely ignoring any fans watching at home, he walked among his people, beseeching them that everything he did at All Out, he did for them, he did for the city of Chicago (‘We are Chicago’). Doesn’t get much more ‘rah rah babyface’ than that.
Yet there were enough boos and Cabana chants that an irritated Punk railed on a ‘fat’ fan in the front row. Even instantly acknowledging ‘I probably shouldn’t have said that’.
And while at the show itself support was split about 1/3 to 2 in Punk’s favour, there was no splitting the vociferous support for MJF when he came out to confront the new champion. Despite having cheated his way to a title shot. Despite Punk having just reclaimed said title in a hard-fought match against Moxley.
Because some fans in attendance did not like the recent revelations about their hometown boy. Some verified – his verbal castration of Hangman Page, whom most fans like. Some not – the rumour that he’d had his former best friend and also-Chicago native Colt Cabana demoted to ROH.
All in all, Punk was not universally beloved in Chicago as he had been previously.
And that was before the post-show press conference. In which Punk insinuated or downright stated that a former AEW world champion had achieved nothing in the business and the company’s EVP’s were morons not fit to run a Target. Not to mention absolutely belittling the company’s owner sat right beside him.
Meaning that if you’re an AEW fan before you’re a CM Punk fan. You probably resent him a little for making the company you support look like a joke. And there’s no doubting it, CM Punk absolutely did make the company a punchline.
And at least some fans in Chicago will be AEW before they’re CM Punk.Will be Colt Cabana before they’re CM Punk. Might even be Hangman Page before they’re CM Punk. Might be ten percent of the audience, might be twenty. But there will be boos.
Especially since it’s not like his supporters have flocked to have his back. The latest was that Punk had shifted about 1,500 extra tickets after being officially announced. The venue’s about half full. If those in Chicago were truly intent on rallying behind their hero, they’d have done as they did last time and vacuumed up tickets.
Working against heels most fans respect in Joe & White doesn’t help either.
This is not written to take sides. I’ve come round to accepting a second chance as an inevitability. And hope it gives the company and their new show a spark. But Punk has work to do. And it begins with convincing fans of the company that he doesn’t look down on it or them.
His admitting to being totally in the wrong re: the media scrum is a nice start; we’ll see how much he means it.
Sir Elton John’s song Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting has been announced as the official theme song for the Collision show, which kicks off tonight on TNT.
It was AEW President Tony Khan who made the announcement via Twitter.
“It’s official. Our opening theme for Saturday Night #AEWCollision on TNT is Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting by Sir Elton John! While @FulhamFC and @WatfordFC will never be best mates on the pitch, you’re now a great friend to @AEW, @eltonofficial, and we salute you, Sir,” Khan wrote.
The 45-second intro video of Collision was also published, featuring the likes of CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Thunder Rosa, Andrade El Idolo, Orange Cassidy, Wardlow, and many others.
