SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
Fresh off of defeating Jey Uso to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event, C.M. Punk opened this weekâ€s show. Before he could finish his celebration promo, he was interrupted by Logan Paul. As Paul attempted to stake his claim as Punkâ€s first challenger, they were interrupted by Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, & Paul Heyman. After a few moments of back-and-forth bickering, Breakker & Reed laid out Punk & Paul to end the segment. Looking for revenge, Punk recruited Jey to team up with him to face Breakker & Reed in the showâ€s main event.
Before the night was over, Paul would make another appearance to declare where his allegiance lies. In addition to that, we had Stephanie Vaquer team up with Nikki Bella to face Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez, Dominik Mysterio being confronted by his father Rey, as well as AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defending their newly won World Tag Team Titles against Finn Balor & Dragon Lee.
Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez
Latest developments:
Two weeks ago, Womenâ€s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defeated Roxanne Perez in a non-title match. Perez along with Raquel Rodriguez attacked Vaquer after the match until Nikki Bella came out to her rescue. Last week, Nikki went one on one with Perez in a match where Perez picked up the win with the Pop Rocks. As Perez & Raquel attacked Nikki after the match, Vaquer came to Nikkiâ€s rescue to return the favor from the week before. Later in the night, it was announced that Vaquer & Nikki would face Raquel & Perez this week.
As the match took place, Vaquer hit Perez with a Back Suplex from the second rope and followed that with the Devilâ€s Kiss. Nikki then tagged in and hit the Rack Attack 2.0 onto Perez before Raquel interrupted the pin attempt. After both falling over the top rope, Vaquer attempted a Devilâ€s Kiss to Raquel on the apron before she blocked it and slammed Vaquer face first onto the apron. Raquel then hit Nikki with a hard right hand through the bottom rope after Perez kicked out of Nikkiâ€s pin attempt and that allowed Perez to hit her with the Pop Rocks for the win. Later in the night, it was announced that Vaquer will defend her title against Raquel next week.
Analysis:
While it wasnâ€t anything that stood out too much, this match was a big improvement from the match between Nikki and Perez from last week. Interestingly enough, this match ended the same way as the one last week with Perez pinning Nikki with the Pop Rocks. While there was nothing wrong with that finish, Raquel shouldâ€ve been the one to get the win here since sheâ€s gonna be challenging Vaquer for the title next week. Raquel has improved tremendously throughout this year and that title match next week is going to be a huge showcase in showing how far sheâ€s come. As good as that match will likely be, thereâ€s no way that it ends with a title change.
Will all the momentum that Vaquer has now and considering that this is going to be her first title defense, her losing the title now doesnâ€t seem realistic. In addition to all that, this all feels like itâ€s leading to an eventual feud between Vaquer and Nikki. Theyâ€ve done a good job in telling the story of Nikkiâ€s recent losing streak starting to make her doubt herself. With her going through that and the fact that sheâ€s been almost too friendly with Vaquer lately, Nikki turning on her so that she can challenge for the title feels inevitable. As sheâ€s always made a better heel than a babyface, that would be the best route for Nikki going forward.
Grade: B
Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio
Latest developments:
On the April 18 Smackdown, Rey Mysterio was injured during a match and has been out of action ever since. The following Sunday at WrestleMania 41, Dominik won the Intercontinental Championship in a Fatal Four Way match. At Triple Mania, Dominik won the AAA Mega Championship. Immediately after the match, his father Rey kept his word that he gave to him before the match and put the title around his waist. Last Saturday at Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event, Dominik successfully defended his Intercontinental Title against Penta and Rusev.
This week as Dominik was in the bring bragging about being the greatest lucha dore of all time, he was interrupted by his dad Rey. Dominik accused his dad of only being there to cash in because heâ€s the one who made the Mysterio name relevant and surpassed everything heâ€s ever done. Rey agreed to leave the ring after Dominik ordered him to, but made it clear to his son heâ€ll never be the greatest Mysterio as long as heâ€s around. Dominik tried to cheap shot Rey before he stopped him and Rey then pulled Dominik into the ropes as he hit him with the 619. Rey was then about to hit him with a Frog Splash, but Dominik slipped out of the ring and escaped before he could.
Analysis:
With Rey being gone for over six months, this was a very strong way to bring him back. This segment between Rey and Dominik brought back a lot of great memories from their 2022-2023 feud that really helped elevate Dominik to where he is now. Perhaps the best line from this whole segment was when Rey told Dominik he wasnâ€t better than Eddie Guerrero, Dominik told him to keep his dadâ€s name out of his mouth. In addition to that, the closing line when Rey told him that heâ€ll never be the greatest Mysterio as long as heâ€s around also hit hard. As great as Dominik has been over the last three years, none of his feuds have ever hit the same as the one with his dad.
As long as their feud went on, itâ€s crazy to think that they only had one singles match at a PLE. With Survivor Series only a few weeks away and with it being in their hometown of San Diego, it looks like weâ€re about to get the second one. Now that itâ€s looking like this match is going to happen at Survivor Series, that puts the rumors of a match between Dominik and John Cena happening there to bed. While that wouldâ€ve been a fun match, doing another Rey vs. Dominik match in that setting is also very appealing. If this segment is a sign of whatâ€s to come, this feud is arguably going to be the best part of the show between now and November 29.
Grade: A
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane
Latest developments:
Last week before Bayley & Lyra Valkyria were about to challenge for the Womenâ€s Tag Team Titles, Asuka & Kairi Sane confronted Lyra backstage about how they were the ones who really deserved a title shot. Later in the night, Bayley & Lyra challenged Charlotte & Alexa Bliss for the titles in the showâ€s main event. After a competitive match that couldâ€ve gone either way, the champions eventually retained. After the match, Asuka & Kairi attacked Charlotte & Alexa. As they were about to attack Lyra after, Bayley chased them off.
Lyra & Bayley faced Asuka & Kairi this week in a match where Lyra hit Kairi with a Backbreaker as Bayley hit an Elbow Drop from the second rope, but Asuka interrupted the count. As Asuka later held up Lyra for Kairi to hit the Insane Elbow, Bayley pulled Kairi down. Asuka then threw Lyra into Bayley off the apron, but Lyra was able to kick out of Asukaâ€s roll up attempt. Lyra then jumped backwards from the second rope, but Asuka trapped her into the Asuka Lock as she landed and forced her to tap out. Asuka & Kairi were about to attack Lyra after the match before Charlotte & Alexa came out to chase them off. Later in the night, it was announced that Charlotte & Alexa will defend their titles against Asuka & Kairi next week.
Analysis:
To no surprise considering the talent involved, this was a fun tag match. Of all the great spots throughout it, the highlight was the finish when Asuka caught Lyra when she jumped from the second rope and trapped her in the Asuka Lock. After the way the show ended last week, it was obvious that Asuka & Kairi were going to be challenging for the titles and this win just helped establish that. With Asuka & Kairi set to challenge Charlotte & Alexa next week, it feels like somethingâ€s going to happen there to set up for the Womenâ€s WarGames match. While itâ€s hard to say what the teams are going to be, itâ€s likely going to involve a combination of the women we saw here.
Another noticeable thing about all this was how Asuka & Kairi have been more hesitant to attack Bayley than they have been about attacking Lyra. As the weeks have gone on, theyâ€ve done a good job in establishing how unpredictable Bayleyâ€s behavior is. While it looks like theyâ€ve gone away from her having a split personality, it now looks like sheâ€s doing things behind Lyraâ€s back. Although Bayley turning on Lyra is the eventual destination, the way it happens is now looking more interesting. With all these different stories involved and the possibility of seeing Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky return to get involved in all this, the Womenâ€s WarGames match this year has the potential to be even better than the menâ€s.
Grade: B
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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A.J. Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Finn Balor & J.D. McDonagh
Latest developments:
Two weeks ago, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh lost the World Tag Team Titles to AJ Styles & Dragon Lee. Last week, Finn & JD confronted Adam Pearce about giving them their rematch. Pearce said heâ€d consider it if JD went one on one with Sheamus later in the night. After Finn hit Sheamus with a shillelagh while the refereeâ€s back was turned, JD picked up the win with a Spanish Fly from the top rope. After the match, Pearce granted Finn & JD their rematch for the titles for this week.
The match took place as Dominik Mysterio got on the apron to distract the referee as Styles had JD pinned, and that led to JD escaping the pin to hold onto Styles for Finn to hit the Coup De Grace, but Finn hit JD with it by mistake. Styles then hit JD with a Phenomenal Forearm, but Finn interrupted the count just in time. Dominik was about to hit Styles with his IC Title after Finn told him to, but Sheamus came out to attack Dominik. Finn hit Styles with the shillelagh as the referee was distracted, but Lee interrupted the count just in time. Lee then leaped over the top rope onto Finn and as JD went for a Hurricanrana from the top rope, Styles turned it into a Styles Clash to get the win and retain the titles.
Analysis:
While not as strong as the match two weeks ago where the titles changed hands, this was another fun outing involving these four. There were a lot of close calls here, especially where it looked as if Finn & JD were going to win the titles back after Finn hit Styles with the shillelagh. After Sheamus was screwed by Finn last week, it made sense for him to get involved here as a measure of payback. With his involvement and the fact that Finn & JD lost again, itâ€s looking like Judgment Dayâ€s going to be feuding with Sheamus for a while. Especially considering that Sheamus mainly attacked Dominik, thatâ€s also an Intercontinental Title feud we could see playing out as the weeks go on.
Something else to take out of this is the never-ending tension between Finn and Dominik. As it was Dominik who accidentally put Finn & JD in the match where they lost the titles in the first place, Finn wasnâ€t shy about bringing that up to him backstage before this match. Even though Dominik wasnâ€t the main reason they lost here, the fact that they lost again with him at ringside is likely going to play into their growing tension. As their issues have been going on for the better part of a year now, theyâ€ve backed away from pulling the trigger multiple times. With the way itâ€s been playing out lately and Liv Morganâ€s return not being too far off, they need to pay this off by the time we head into WrestleMania season.
Grade: B
C.M. Punk & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
Latest developments:
At Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event, C.M. Punk defeated Jey Uso to win the vacated World Heayweight Championship. This week as Punk was in the ring stating heâ€d take on all challengers, he was interrupted by Logan Paul. Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, & Paul Heyman then came out several moments later and as they were about to square off with Punk and Paul, Paul walked away to leave Punk to fend for himself. Breakker shoved down Paul as he attempted to leave and then he along with Reed attacked Punk, but Paul came back into the ring to go after them before he was overpowered and hit with a Tsunami from Reed. Later backstage, Jey asked Punk to let him be his partner to face Breakker & Reed later in the night, which Punk agreed to.
In the showâ€s main event, Jey got the hot tag and took the fight to Reed that included a running hip attack and a Spear that Breakker interrupted the count for. All four men later brawled outside the ring as the referee counted to 10 and the match ended on a double count out. After the match ended, Breakker & Reed took out Jey with two Spears and a Tsunami as Punk came into the ring with a chair to chase them off, but they then pulled two chairs from under the ring to confront Punk with. Paul then came out to stand by Punkâ€s side while he put brass knuckles on his hand and as they were about to fight side by side, Paul knocked Punk out with the brass knuckles on his hand. Paul then faced off with Heyman and then handed the brass knuckles to him as the show ended.
Analysis:
As the match itself was nothing to write home about, it didnâ€t really matter as it was an afterthought to the angle that followed. After Breakker & Reed attacked Paul earlier in the show, it really made it seem like he was going to turn babyface. When he came out at the end of the show and acted as if he was standing side by side with Punk, it was clear as day that he was going to turn on him. Thank God that he did because while Paul turning on Punk was predictable, itâ€s a far better route to go than turning Paul into a babyface. Considering that he handed the brass knuckles to Heyman right after, it now looks like Paulâ€s aligning himself with The Vision for WarGames.
With the injury to Rollins messing up a lot of their plans, Paul seems like the one whoâ€s going to replace him on The Visionâ€s team. As heâ€s never been in a WarGames match before and considering the great performances heâ€s had throughout the year, heâ€ll make a great addition to that match. Another person who could potentially join their team as heâ€s someone who goes way back with Heyman is Brock Lesnar. With Paul, Breakker, Reed & possibly Lesnar making up the heel side, the babyface side will probably consist of Punk, Jey, Jimmy Uso, Roman Reigns, or LA Knight factoring in somehow. As much as the Rollins injury threw a monkey wrench into everything, the potential lineup for both teams with all the stories and possible swerves that could happen are enough reasons to be no less hyped for the Menâ€s WarGames match.
Grade: B
Penta vs. El Grande Americano
Latest developments:
After coming up short in his quest to win the Intercontinental Championship at Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event, Penta looked to bounce back this week as he went one on one with El Grande Americano. Penta maintained the advantage with a Tornado DDT followed by a leap over the top rope onto Americano. After Bravo Americano tripped Penta as he tried to get back into the ring, the referee kicked him out of ringside. Americano was then given a piece of metal to put into his mask by Rayo Americano before Rayo was kicked out of ringside for pulling Pentaâ€s leg. Penta then jumped onto Rayo from the top rope, kicked Americano in the head as he went for a running head butt, and followed that with a Mexican Destroyer from the second rope for the win.
Analysis:
This was the standard good Penta match that weâ€ve seen regularly ever since he debuted in January. With him not having much of direction right now after not winning the Intercontinental Title, at least he was able to pick up the win here to stay strong. Although Ludwig Kaiser has done a good job playing Americano and heâ€s even got his own stable of Americanos out of it, itâ€s just not the same as when Chad Gable was playing the character. It just feels like if Gable and also Rey Mysterio hadnâ€t gotten injured when they did, this storyline wouldâ€ve been wrapped up by now. Considering that Penta got the win here decisively despite all the outside interference, thereâ€s no reason to run this back again.
Becky Lynch Promo
Latest developments:
As Joe Tessitore & Wade Barrett were talking at the announce table, Womenâ€s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch showed up out of nowhere and stood on top of the announce table to cut a promo. Despite Adam Pearce sending her home to cool off after the rough few weeks sheâ€s had, Becky called herself the definition of cool and told the crowd that the only cool thing to ever come out of New Mexico was a show about how much meth they do. She then turned her attention to Maxxine Dupri as she said Maxxine was lucky to be in the ring with her but now wonâ€t shut up about it. She then looked into the camera and told Maxxine that you donâ€t survive in this business by being lucky, you survive by being good and that sheâ€s not just good, sheâ€s the greatest of all time. She ended the promo by telling Maxxine it wonâ€t just be the biggest opportunity of her career the next time she steps in the ring with her, itâ€ll be her last and shouted welcome to the big time before dropping the mic.
Analysis:
From Becky appearing out of nowhere to interrupt the announcers, standing on top of the announce table, all the way to the Breaking Bad reference, this promo was another example of why Becky is honestly the best heel in the company. Although they couldâ€ve just had her do this promo backstage, it was far more effective having her do it the way she did here in front of the crowd. For a feud was felt like it was going to be short, her feud with Maxxine has extended much longer than most people expected. Just because it wasnâ€t expected to go so long doesnâ€t mean itâ€s been bad as the feud has not only been entertaining, but itâ€s also done wonders for Maxxineâ€s career. While the outcome of their third match isnâ€t in doubt, what theyâ€ve done with this storyline is going to make their third match really feel like a much bigger deal by the time it happens.
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