ProWresBlog

Saturday, December 13, 2025

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event XLII 12/13/2025

The last SNME is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/11/wwe-saturday-nights-main-event-xli.html

My thoughts on Cena's retirement: I watched most of Cena's career. I really liked him during his original rapper phase and thought he could be a big star. WWE thought so too and really watered him down and made him the most generic, cookie cutter face possible instead of the cool heel. It did work but I do felt like he mostly stopped improving by 2006 or so. His endless push was obnoxious at times and he was very overexposed. I felt like he knew how to work as a face but his in-ring work always left more to be desired. There's just no excuse for him having such weak looking offense including the worst stf ever. WWE booked him horribly for the first part of his career as they put him against tweener heels who were more popular. I felt like that stuff furthered the "Cena Sucks" chants and hurt him. His heel run was a total disaster and them just dropping it instead of having him turn face during his big match with Cody was a mistake. You have to give it to him for his consistency, his hard work and him doing everything that was asked of him. You could not ask for more. I can't say Cena was one of my favorites though and I'd definitely rank him below other WWE top faces like Hulk, Austin, Rock, Bret, Undertaker and Macho Man. I'd put him above Roman, Backlund and probably above The Ultimate Warrior. I'd say the best match of Cena's career was his match vs Umaga.

We are in Washington, DC. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are on commentary.

We see some various tributes to Cena.

We see Shawn Michaels talking to Johnny Gargano.

We see various wrestlers arrive like Trish Stratus, Kurt Angle and Mark Henry. They then show celebs in the crowd.

We get a video on Cena.

We see Sol, Bayley, AJ, Dragon Lee, Evans, Leon and Gunther arrive.

Joe Tessitore and Stephanie McMahon talk at a podium. Steph says it's electric and says they are here to pay tribute to a true legend. Steph talks about John. Steph asks the crowd, "Are you ready?".

Cody Rhodes vs Oba Femi

This is Oba's second main roster match, if you count his appearance on WWE Main Event in 2024. Oba is the current NXT champ.

They stare down and talk. They lock up and Oba shoves him. Cody side headlocks him and hammerlocks him. Cody side headlocks him. Cody goes for a drop down punch but Oba stops him and uranage backbreakers him. Oba hits shots in the corner. Cody hits forearms on Oba and Oba knees him in the gut. Oba throws Cody.

Cody goes up and over Oba and Oba blocks his powerslam attempt. Oba slams him. Oba bakcbreakers him. OBa lariats him from behind. Oba misses a corner spear. Cody flying forearms him then powerslams him. Cody hits a cody cutter for 2. Oba is sent out. Cody goes for a tope and is forearmed. Oba is pulled over the top and Cody topes him.

Oba spinebusters him for 2. Cody drop down punches him then Oba lariats him over the top. Oba running euros Cody over a table and goes with him. Cody's ear gets busted open. Oba spinebusters him for 2.

Cody walks up the buckles and cody cutters him for 2. Drew McIntyre comes in and beats up Cody to cause a Cody DQ win.

Thoughts: It's a shame we didn't get a finish here. They had the idea right here with Oba overpowering Cody some. The finish was disappointing but it saved either guy from taking a loss. I wonder if Cody's ear getting hurt caused the finish to happen sooner than planned. It was a solid showing for Oba and with him getting good crowd reactions, there's no reason not to bring him up soon.

Drew keeps pounding on Cody and Oba pulls him off. Oba is upset. drew pokes him and is shoved. Cody hits a cody cutter on Drew. Oba chokeslams Drew. Cody throws Oba his title and raises his hand. Oba raises Cody's hand and they shake hands.

We get some video tributes to Cena.

Bayley vs Sol Ruca

Bay hugs Trish Stratus and Eve Torres on her way to the ring. Bay has Lyra Valkyria with her. Sol has Zaria with her.

They lock up. Bay side headlocks her and waistlocks her. Bay side headlock takeovers her. Bay tries an arm throw but Sol cartwheels out. Bay yanks on the arm. Sol handstand walks over her then backflips into a reverse headscissors.

Bay yanks the arm. Sol flips out of a hiptoss and facebusters her. Sol is stunnered over the 2nd rope. Bay tries to slide under the bottom buckle but is caught. Sol PK's her from the apron. Sol misses an asai moonsault and Bay running forearms her down outside.

Sol rolls her up for 2. Sol superkicks her. Bay is sent out and Sol flying space tiger's her outside. Sol misses a springboard splash and Bay lariats her. Bay sunset flips her into the buckles for 2.

Bay chinlocks her. Bay knees her in the head. Bay misses a knee in the corner. Sol superkicks her in the gut and hits back elbows. Sol release german's Bay and kips up. Sol cartwheel's on the top rope and ddt's her for 2.

Sol springboards and is caught with a belly to belly for 2. Sol is put in tree of woe. Bay step up elbow drops her as she hangs for 2. Sol backslides her. Sol cartwheels out of a roseplant and running knees her. Bay hits a roseplant for 2 when Sol gets her feet on the ropes.

Bay backdrops her. Sol gets her knees up on a top rope elbow drop. Sol then hits a sol snatcher. They each try pin attempts and Sol gets the pin.

Thoughts: It was a good match and went a lot better than I expected. Sol busted out all of her cool moves and Bay didn't botch. This was exactly what it needed to be and put over Sol well. This couldn't have gone much better than it did and was a major success.

We get more tributes to Cena.

Michelle McCool, Mark Henry, Eve Torres, Trish Stratus, Rob Van Dam, Sami Zayn and Kurt Angle are in the front row.

We cut to Steph and Joe. Steph talks about Sol beating Bayley. Steph says we are all waiting for Cena's final match. Steph says, "we can see you for the last time tonight".

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs Je'Von Evans and Leon Slater

Evans and Leon hit superkicks to start. Evans suicide dives out. Leon leg lariats Lee. Leon corkscrew dives over the post onto Lee. Leon top rope crossbodies Lee. Evans top rope frogsplashes Lee for 2. Leon corner flying lariats Lee for 2.

Lee boots Leon out of the corner. Evans is pulled over the top. Lee wraparound sitout powerbombs Leon. AJ hits strikes on Evans then lariats him. AJ sliding forearms him. AJ flying corner lariats him then ushigoroshi's him. AJ sitout drops Leon on his chest. Evans stops AJ's springboard. Evans misses an asai moonsault and AJ spears him into the rails.

Lee flying headscissors Leon off the apron. AJ catches him and goes for a styles clash but it is stopped. Lee goes into the post. Evans double jump os cutters AJ. Leon swanton 450's AJ for 2. Evans high kicks Lee. Lee pumping knees him. Evans superkicks him then Lee hidden blade's him. Lee tope con hilos Evans outside.

Leon sunset flips AJ. AJ goes for a styles clash. AJ forearms him from the apron. AJ slips on a springboard and Leon gets a 2 count for it. Leon misses a top rope move. AJ hits a styles clash and wins.

Thoughts: It a shorter high flying match as expected. It was a bit rushed but everyone hit their big dives here and it worked out well. They made the best of the time that they could but I left this wanting a bit more.

The four pose together after and do Cena's salute.

We get more tributes to Cena.

We go back to Joe and Steph. Stpeh says she's getting emotional and doesn't want the match to happen. Steph says Gunther is gonna bring it. She goes to say it'll be awesome and The Miz appears in the ring.

The Miz says what would have been awesome is if they didn't pretend he didn't didn't exist. He says he's been a main character in the career of Cena. He says he beat Cena in the main event of Mania and demands respect.

R-Truth comes out. Truth says he saw what Miz did. He said Miz took someone's opportunity in the tournament and shows a ball from the lottery roller. The ball has Joe Hendry's name in it. Miz says his name and Joe Hendry appears.

Miz complains and gets mad. Miz pushes Truth and says he's sick of him. Joe blocks Miz's punch and hits his own. Joe fallaway slams Miz then kips up. Joe and Truth do Joe's turnaround pose. They then hit Miz with five knuckle shuffles. Joe hits Miz with a standing ovation. Truth then counts the pin for Joe on Miz. Joe and Truth then do Joe's hand wave.

Thoughts: It was a fun little segment here that got Joe, Miz and Truth on the show so it worked.

We cut to Joe Tessitore and Steph. Steph does Hendry's arm wise. They say, "Thank you, Cena".

We get another Cena video with various stars doing tributes to him. We see clips from some of his old matches with various current stars. A bunch of wrestlers hold up signs for him.

John Cena's Retirement Match - John Cena vs Gunther

Cena grabs the cameraman's camera and films him. Cena hugs the wrestlers in the front row. Elijah, Kevin Owens, Haku and Booker T show up.

Cena and Gun lock up. Gun euros him over and stomps him. Gun chops him down a few times. Gun slams him then throws him hard int othe corner, knocking him down. Cena hits punches and hits flying shoulders. Cena blue thunders him. Cena hits a five knuckle shuffle.

Cena goes for the AA and takes a german. Gun running lariats him. Cena goes for the STFU. Gunther dropkicks him then hits a big powerbomb. Gun lariats him down five times in a row. Cena hits flying shoulderblocks. Cena does a blue thunder and five knuckle shuffle. Cena hits an AA for 2.

Gun chops him from behind then puts him in a sleeper. Cena then puts Gun in a grounded sleeper. They go out and Cena is sent into the steps. Gun stands on steps near the commentary table. Cena AA's him through the commentary table.

They go back in and Cena gets a 2 count on him. Cena hits a top rope diving legdrop on the back of Gun's neck. Cena goes for the five knuckle shuffle. Gun facekicks, germans and powerbombs him for 2. They go up top and Cena hits a 2nd rope AA.

They trade shots. Gun blocks an AA and powerbombs him. Gun hits a top rope splash for 2. Gun sleepers Cena then gets on his back with it. Cena rams him into the corner and breaks it but Gun puts it back on. Cena hits another AA For 2. Gun grounded sleepers him again.

Cena fights out and is hit with an elbow flurry. Gun grounded sleepers him again. Cena then taps out and loses.

Thoughts: They did what they were supposed to do here though Cena got little out of his AA's. I was fine with this but it wasn't great. Cena winning would have helped this a bit more. Retirement matches are always a bit weird because the person retiring should win but them losing can help put their opponent over. I didn't love Gunther being Cena's final opponent. It makes sense but Gunther's not really enough of personality for the role. I think he peaked with his IC Title run and at some point, I think his booking will be like Kane or Big Show's booking - they can be in main events but don't win them.

We get "bullsh!t" chants after. The crowd then chants, "Thank You, Cena". Triple H, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and others come out. The crowd chants, "You f*cked up". Punk and Cody get in the ring with Cena. Punk says he loves him and they give Cena their titles. Cena raises the titles as everyone in the back comes out and claps for him.

Cena hugs Triple H and the crowd boos. Triple H points to the tron and we get a Cena video.

Cena bows and the crowd claps for him. Cena takes off his shoes, wristbands and armband. He leaves them in the ring and walks up the aisle. Cena gets near the entrance and looks at the crowd. He then bows. He thanks everyone, does his salute and leaves.

Overall thoughts: It was more of a Japanese style show than a WWE show with the way Cena's retirement was handled. We've never really had anything like this in WWE but I think we will see this type of show again. The show was good as a whole. The opener was weak as we had a DQ finish to an okay match. Bayley/Sol worked out great and helped both girls. The tag match was fun but a little short. Cena's retirement was alright but I don't know if Gunther winning was the right call. I'd give this a 6 out of 10 total. They gave us enough and mostly delivered. It was memorable and it was a nice send off for Cena.

AEW Collision 12/13/2025 Winter is Coming 2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/aew-collision-1262025.html

This is airing at 4:30PM due to Cena's retirement show on SNME airing at 8pm.

We are in Cardiff, Wales. Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone are on commentary.

This started 20 minutes late due to college basketball.

Swerve Strickland vs Josh Alexander

They lock up. JA side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. SS cartwheels out of a takedown. SS drops him face first on the buckles and running facekicks him. SS stomps him in the face. SS neckbreakers him twice. Prince Nana goes up to Don Callis on commentary. SS neckbreakers JA over the 2nd rope. JA gordbusters SS knees first on the commentary table. JA puts SS on the apron and crossbodies his back from behind.

We go to PiP break and return. They trade forearms. SS spin kicks him in the gut and is facekicked. SS holds his leg and JA kneebreakers him on the knee. JA holds on for a backdrop. SS hits a powerbomb into a powerslam. SS 2nd rope diving euros him in the back of the neck.

JA punches SS on the apron. JA picks him up for a slam and drops him down on the apron. SS hits a top rope olympic slam. JA goes for a pin attempt but is cradled. SS crucifixes him for 2. JA dragon screws him over the shoulder then he half crabs him.

They trade shots in the corner. SS blocks a bunch with his forehead. JA stomps down on the back of the leg. SS rolls into a flatliner on him. SS hits a house call kick for 2. SS half-nelson drivers him and wins.

Thoughts: Swerve hit is knee hard off the commentary table here and I'm not sure if that was truly planned. It was alright enough with Josh working the knee some before going down as expected. He could have done a little more though.

Swerve says he was AEW world champ the last time he stood in this ring. He says he didn't come to AEW to face The Don Callis Family or The Opps. He says he came here for the AEW Title. Swerve says Samoa Joe's days are numbered. He says he's the most dangerous man in AEW and says he's declaring himself the top contender.

Toni Storm talks in the back. She says Harley and Willow can't have a championship toast without them. Mina does Toni's line and says watch for love bomb.

Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander vs Skye Blue and Julia Hart

The fight starts as the heels enter. Skye and Jamie each hit shots. Jamie slams her then Kris slams Jamie onto her. Jamie slams Kris onto Skye. Skye takes a double slam then a double elbow drop for 2.

Skye is catapulted into the buckles. Kris boots Hart and snapmare drivers her. hart rope walks and diving headscissors Kris. Jamie boots Hart then running facekicks her. Jamie exploders Hart into the corner. Jamie suplexes her for 2. Hart STO's Jamie then standing moonsaults her for 2. WE go to PiP break and return.

Kris running corner euros Skye then flying knees her in the corner. Kris blue thunders her for 2. Skye rolls her up for 2 then spinning ddt's her for 2. Kris takes a double superkick for 2. Kris blocks Hart's flying headscissors and powerbombs her. Skye then runs in and hits a code blue on Kris. Hart does a double soul foot on Jamie and all 4 go down.

The four trade forearms on their knees then get up and trade. The heels hit stereo superkicks and take jawbreakers. Kris michinoku drivers Skye for 2. Skye knees Kris in the face then superkicks Jamie. Hart rope walks and pulls Jamie's arm down over the top. Skye takes a big german from Jamie. Jamie uranage backbreakers Hart then lariats her for the win.

Thoughts: It was a decent match the four mostly doing various strikes. They didn't blow anything but there was no great story or logic aside from the heels being heels.

Kris and Jamie talk after. We see Thekla watching in the suites.

We go to break and return. Kris and Jamie are being interviewed by Lexy. Kris says they should have a match for the title and Jamie says she wants to do it at World's End. Jamie says the woman she teamed with tonight won't be the woman she sees at World's End. Jamie says she wants it and will take it.

AEW Continental Classic 2025 Blue League Match - Claudio Castagnoli vs Konosuke Takeshita

CC entered from outside of the arena. They lock up and let go. CC side headlocks him and they stare at each other on the break. CC goes back to the side headlock. They shoulder battle and KT facekicks him. KT flying lariats him. KT hits mounted punches and CC drops him face first on the top buckle. CC running euros him in the corner.

They trade forearms. CC lariats him. CC gutwrench suplexes him. KT facekicks him. KT lariats him over the top. KT jumps off the apron and runs into a CC euro. CC double stomps him outside. KT ddt's him on the ramp. CC tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him on the ramp.

We go to PiP break and return. CC hits euros on KT. KT facekicks him out of the corner and 2nd rope diving headscissors him. KT tope con hilos him outside. KT corner facekicks him and blue thunders him for 2. CC giant swings him. CC sharpshooters him. CC crossfaces KT.

CC boots KT around. They trade shots. KT package tombstones him then wheelbarrow germans him. KT hits a hidden blade for 2. CC pop-up euros him for 2. KT hurricanrana's him for 2. CC springboard euros him. CC flips out of a back body drop. They double clothesline each other down.

They get up and trade shots. They fight on the apron. CC hits shots. KT facekicks him. CC facekicks him back they then facekick each other at the same time. They fall down to the floor. They trade shots on the floor and facekick each other. CC is sent into the rails and he facekicks KT down.

They go back in and KT pumping knees him for 2. CC does a neutralizer for 2. We then go to a time limit draw.

Thoughts: KT is the IWGP champ and hasn't lost yet in this tournament. I don't think that's by accident. It got a little obvious they were likely going the distance with how long this went and the way they were wrestling. The match was decent with them trading lots of strikes and each guy hitting their usual signature moves.

CC and KT keep fighting after. Various refs break it up and The Death Riders and The Don Callis Family come out.

Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight are interviewed. Kevin says he knew they might end up fighting each other and says tonight will be something special. Mike says he needs more points to get to the finals. Mike tells him he won't hold nothing back and Kevin says he wouldn't expect anything else.

Tony Schiavone interviews Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron in the ring. They chant their team name. Willow says they wrestled each other the last time they were here. Willow says she hit her as hard as she could and she kept getting back up. She says there's no one she'd rather partner with.

Mina Shirakawa and Toni Storm come out. Toni says they gave Willow and Harley a fight to remember. Mercedes Mone comes out. Mone says there can't be a championship celebration without the greatest champion. Mina tells her to shut up. Mone says she sees a bunch of loser's in the ring. She says she lead a team that beat them in Blood and Guts. Toni challenges her to a match for tonight and Mone doesn't accept it. Harley says there's four of them and "less of you". Willow says Mone is dodging them as she has no friends.

Mone says she doesn't need friends but will bring a team of killers on Wednesday. Toni says challenge accept and says they will raise a glass and wax her @ss.

Ricochet does a promo. He says 2026 will only be better as he will enter the Dynamite Diamond Ring Battle Royal. He says he will win then get the World Title.

Various wrestlers in the Dynamite Diamond Ring Battle Royal talk about why they will win it. Bowens gets mad upon finding out Max Caster is in it. MVP says Lashley is injured but Shelton will be in it.

AEW Continental Classic 2025 Gold League Match - Kevin Knight vs Mike Bailey

They roll each other up to start and stand off after ucking moves. KK armdrags Mike into an armlock. KK springboard armdrags him. They each miss plancha's. Mike triangle moonsaults him outside.

We go to PiP break, full break and return. KK springboard diving lariats him outside. Mike spin kicks him in the chest. Mike top rope hurricanrana's him. Mike is on the 2nd rope and KK hurricanran's him from the mat. KK jumping ddt's him for 2. KK is up top and is hit with a enzugiri. Mike legsweeps him on the apron. Mike standing moonsault double knee drops him on the apron.

KK jumps up to the top and superplexes him for 2. Mike standing spanish flies him for 2 then KK tries his own pin. Mike spinning forearms him and KK dropkicks him. KK springboards and is hit with a spinning roundhouse kick.

They springboard at the same time on opposite sides of the ring and collide in mid-air. KK coast to coast springboard dropkicks him. Mike gets his knees up on KK's 180 splash. Mike spinning roundhouse kicks him for 2. Mike superkicks him then corkscrew kicks him. Mike misses hits moonsault double knee off the 2nd rope. KK tries a pin attempt.

They try to pin each other and Mike spin kicks him in the side of the head. Mike hits a one-armed electric chair driver and pins him.

Thoughts: They did some cool stuff here but the selling was questionable as expected. I think they didn't overdo it too much though and I was alright with this. This was all high flying and kicks.

Kyle Fletcher says that was a great match. He says he had all this momentum in the gold league and it was ruined. He says his next opponent in the CC is Pac. He says he has to bring it to Pac. He says he will get his momentum back and tells Pac to bring his best.

Pac says he knows Kyle well. He says his rise has been nothing short of remarkable. He says he's in awe of what he achieved. He says he doesn't care how brilliant his matches are. He says nothing brilliant will happen in Manchester. He says he will grind him down. He says Speedball and Okada know and he does too.

AEW TNT Title - Mark Briscoe (c) vs Daniel Garcia

Marina Shafir is with DG. Mark takes him down and they do some mat wrestling. DG slaps him around. Mark boots and chops him. Mark hits boots to the gut in the corner. DG back elbows him then Mark knocks him off the 2nd rope to the floor. Mark dropkicks him through the ropes.

Mark is flying knee'd off the apron and goes into the rails. DG stands on him. Mark pulls him out of the ring then tope con hilos him through the ropes. Marina Shafir distracts Mark. DG hits Mark from behind on the apron and then DG clubs wildly on him.

DG swinging neckbreakers him on the floor. We go to PiP break and return. Mark hits punches on DG. DG hits knees to the gut. Mark flying forearms him and hits chops. Mark flying forearms him down. Mark hits punches and uppercuts him. Mark exploders him.

DG does a backdrop but Mark no sells it. Mark rolling death valley drivers him and low sliding lariats him. Mark goes up top and Shafir crotches him. The ref teases ejecting Shafir but doesn't. DG rakes Mark's back on the buckles. DG superplexes Mark three times. Mark holds on and fisherman busters him.

They trade forearms. DG facekicks him then hits chops. Mark lariats him. Shafir tries to trip Mark and is caught by the ref. Shafir is ejected. Wheeler Yuta comes in and low blows Mark. DG piledrivers Mark for 2. DG hits downward elbows and pounds on him. Mark cradles him for 2. Mark hits a jay driller and pins him.

Thoughts: I didn't like Mark basically not selling the triple superplexes. Superplexes are undersold as a whole and underselling three of them isn't good. DG oddly didn't work a body part here. We had interference as we often do with The Death Riders here. The match was watchable but not great.

Mark poses with The Conglomeration after.

Overall thoughts: It was a very wrestling heavy show as Collision usually is. As always, the show wasn't stacked starpower wise, but it was a little better than the usual offerings. I liked Takeshita/Claudio the best and I appreciated Knight/Bailey not going too overboard. I'd give the show a 6 out of 10 overall as it was fine, but nothing must see.

WWE Main Event 12/11/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/wwe-main-event-1242025.html

Note - The announcers pushed that this show was taking place today on 12/13 despite the description saying this was from 12/11.

Blake Howard and Vic Joseph are on commentary here.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kit Wilson

Kit ducks a lock up and gyrates. SN knees him in the gut and they go to the mat. SN side headlocks him then wristlocks him. Kit slaps him and shoves him. Kit hits a dropkick. Kit misses a dropkick and is hit with a PK. SN knee drops him for 1.

SN chest kicks and forearms him. SN misses a flying knee in the corner and Kit 2nd rope diving bulldogs him. SN goes out. Kit leg lariats him outside. Kit slaps SN outside. Kit hits double axe handles for 2.

Kit boots him in the corner. Kit misses a corner splash. SN hits chest kicks and axe kicks him. SN baseball slides him. SN hits an enzugiri. Kit is on the 2nd rope and SN sliding germans him for 2. Kit hits a side effect on SN. SN reverse slams him. SN runs at him and Kit hits some kind of a twisting ddt where SN's head just lands on Kit's chest. Kit misses a top rope twisting elbow drop. SN spinning heel kicks him in the head. SN kinshasa's him and pins him.

Thoughts: Nakamura won as expected here. Kit got to kick out of more than I expected and put up a good fight before going down. It wasn't bad. Kit's twisting ddt move doesn't look good and could be dangerous if it gets botched, so I'm not a big fan of it.

Akira Tozawa vs Rayo Americano

Grande Americano and his buddies have really fallen off the map in WWE. They just haven't been used much and in Rayo and Bravo's cases, they stopped being used before they even got established, so they are really stuck. Rayo has Bravo with him and Akira has Otis with him.

Rayo wristlocks Akira and knuckle locks him. Rayo takes him down and twists his wrist. Akira rolls out and wristlocks him. Rayo ropebreaks and drops him with a forearm. Akira double boots Rayo out of the corner here then 2nd rope diving headscissors him.

Akira is back body dropped out. Rayo misses a plancha and Akira topes him. Akira boots Rayo off the ropes. Bravo trips up Akira. Otis goes after Bravo and Rayo lariats Akira. We go to break and return.
Rayo slams Akira down then does a nasty armbar. Rayo knee drops the arm. Rayo armbreakers Akira on his shoulder then backdrops him for 2. Rayo chinlocks Akira. Akira is popped up and hurricanrana's Rayo off of it. Akira shining wizards him. Akira top rope dropkicks Rayo for 2.

Rayo superkicks him while he's down. He ducks Akira's corkscrew kick. Akira germans him for 2. Bravo gives Rayo a weapon. Rayo loads his mask and flying headbutts Akira. He then pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't much of note. They just only had so much time and it was a match where the heel wins so it wasn't as exciting. Rayo won but it honestly doesn't matter if he can't get featured on TV.

Overall thoughts: We had 2 random bouts here as usual along with various recaps and highlights. Kit/Nakamura wasn't bad and Kit got a lot more in than I expected. Akira/Rayo wasn'the greatest as the heel got most of the offense in and won, which limited the amount of excitement here. I wouldn't recommend this one and just thought it was so-so.

Friday, December 12, 2025

WWE Smackdown 12/12/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/wwe-smackdown-1252025.html

We are in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary.

Nick Aldis talks about Drew McIntyre being suspended and says Drew won't respond to his messages. Nick invites him to come here tonight to discuss a resolution together to bring him back to SD.

Cody Rhodes walks in the back and talks to Nick. He asks if Drew McIntyre is here. Nick has a legal letter from Drew's attorney's claiming there is an unsafe working environment. Nick says he will go to Drew's house to get this solved once and for all. Cody crumbles up the paper.

Cody Rhodes comes out to talk. He says Drew said this is an unsafe working environment. Cody says Drew is only half-in and says that's why he doesn't sweat him. Cody says he'd fired Drew if he was his boss, but he's not. He says he can whip his @ss though.

Oba Femi comes out and stares down Cody. Oba says he loves how fired up Cody is but says he's worried about the wrong man. He says he's worried about Drew but Drew isn't here. Oba says the NXT champ is. He says he's the ruler, the destroyer and the mountain he can't climb or conquer. He says he's also the man he faces tomorrow at SNME.

Oba says he's here knocking on Cody's front door to tell him the future is here and now. He says Cody's time is up and his time is now.

Cody says he's the man that beat Cena for the title. He goes to leave and Oba grabs him. They hold their titles up at each other and the segment ends.

Thoughts: Oba got a good reaction here which is nice considering he has really only been on NXT.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

Ilja Dragunov talks to Fraxiom. NF says if DIY try anything out there, they will kick their teeth down their throats. Ax says they will have his back and Drag says no thanks. Drag says he will punch Ciampa in his place. He says Cena never backed down from a bully or fight. He says he will teach Ciampa that if he messes with a mad dragon, he will burn his fingers.

WWE United Statles Title - Ilja Dragunov (c) vs Tomasso Ciampa

They lock up and Drag is backed up into the corner. TC hits shots. Drag chops and euros back. They forearm each other then slap each other. Drag jumping kicks him. Drag spinning chops him. TC dropkicks him in the knee and pumping knee's him for 2. Drag facekicks him on the ropes. Drag facekicks him off the apron. Drag misses a charge and goes into the steps. TC suplexes him into the steps.

We go to break and return. Drag hits elbows while in a waistlock. Drag tiger feints but his leg gives out. TC knees him in the face and Drag gamengiri's him. Drag hits chops and slaps. Drag knees him in the chest. Drag germans him. Drag hits elbows to the head.

They slap each other. Drag drives him hard into the mat with a backdrop for 2. Drag goes up top and is chopped. TC boots him in the knee and drops him to the apron. TC hits an air raid crash on the apron for 2. Drag top rope dropkicks TC in the side of the head. We go to PiP break and return.

TC is up top and Drag hits slaps on him. TC hits a 2nd rope air raid crash for 2. Drag's nose is busted open. They get up and trade shots. They hit big slaps on each other. TC dragon screws him then runs into Drag's chest headbutt. TC germans him. Drag flying headbutts him in the chest. Johnny Gargano comes out. Candice LeRae pulls Drag's throat over the top. TC flying knees Drag for 2. Drag back body drops him and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't like the two air raid crashes not meaning much here when those should have finished Drag but I liked it otherwise. The finish seemed a bit random. Drag's nose bled like crazy here especially towards the end. They really got stiff with each other and it was mostly all strikes.

The heels jump Drag after. Carmelo Hayes saves Drag and clears off the heels.

We get a part of a Cena interview.

Je'Von Evans is interviewed. He says he's excited about being on SNME. The Miz comes in. He says this is all wrong. Miz says he should be interviewed about his match but he doesn't have one. He calls Evans a kid. Evans calls him "Unc" and "Uncle Miz". Miz says he wrestled on a level he's not ready for. Evans suggests they have a match. Miz says if he gets injured, he won't make it to SNME. He then calls him nephew.

The Wyatt Sicks then hijack the feed. Howdy says, "we're here".

The Wyatt Sicks come out. Howdy says Solo Sikoa made many claims this past week, trying to discredit him and his family. He says Solo may not have the power to look within himself but they do. Howdy says Solo's real family turned their backs on him as he uses and abuses those he claims to love. He says Solo is disillusioned and out of his mind saying The MFT's run SD. Howdy says The MFT's run nothing while they have the tag titles. Howdy tells Solo to come get the titles if he wants them.

The MFT's music hits and they appear on the tron. Solo tells his crew to look at these freaks. He asks if they thought they would show up on their terms. Solo says Howdy doesn't get to call the shots around here as he calls the shots. Solo says they will do things his way and will come to take the tag titles next week. Solo says to be ready for war and says if he wants to keep his family safe, give them the tag titles. He says if they don't, the only thing they can do is run.

Flair and Bliss talk in the back. Flair says Bliss has more experience and she will win today then they will focus on winning the tag titles back. Rhea Ripley comes in. She says her and Iyo are next when it comes to that. Bliss says they aren't stepping aside for anyone. Rhea wishes Bliss good luck tonight. Flair says Bliss doesn't need luck.

We get another Cena video.

Alexa Bliss vs Lash Legend

Lash has Nia with her and AB has Flair with her.

Lash misses a pump kick. AB gets on her back and is thrown over. Bliss flying headscissors her out. Bliss tries to cannonball her off the apron but is caught and dominatored on the rail top. Lash tries to bend AB's arm backwards then she lifts her by it.

Lash lariats her for 2. Lash splashes AB for 2. AB superkicks her out of the corner. Lash catches AB off the 2nd rope but AB ddt's her off of it. AB knees her in the face and basement dropkicks her. Lash forearms her down. AB pulls Lash's throat down over the top rope. Nia sweeps AB on the apron. Flair superkicks Nia outside. Lash pump kicks Flair down. Lash back rack drops AB and pins her.

Thoughts: Lash was a bit off on some of her kicks and forearms here. I was surprised to see her win. Her getting a win so early like this is good for her but I don't know if Bliss should be going down that easy. This was just a match.

Aleister Black and Zelina Vega are interviewed in the back. Vega says it didn't have to come to this. She says Priest doesn't like the man he is. She says him phoning a friend won't make him whole. Black says if Priest wants to drag his friends to hell with him, then so be it.

They say Smackdown will return to 3 hours on January 2nd, 2026.

Thoughts: As a fan I like it, but as a reviewer, no. They just don't have the roster for it right now.

We get a video on Leon Slater and Je'Von Evans.

The Miz vs Je'Von Evans

They lock up. Miz side headlocks him. Miz shoulders him over. Mi pushes him down and Evans kips up into a monkey flip on him. Evans dropkicks him then seated springboard headscissors him. Evans and Miz both go out. Miz knees him outside in the gut. Evans jumps up to the apron and asai moonsaults him outside. Miz facekicks Evans on the apron and sends him into the post. Miz cranks Evans' arm down over the bottom rope.

We go to break and return. Miz crossfaces him. Evans rolls him into a pin attempt. Evans hits chops then punches. Miz boots him down and Evans flying forearms him. Evans superkicks him in the face and corkscrew kicks him off the ropes for 2.

Evans misses a top rope moonsault. Miz blue thunders him. He then does a five knuckle shuffle to Evans. Miz goes for an AA but Evans flips out. Evans sends Miz out then suicide dives him. Evans rolls up Miz for 2. Miz rolls him up for 2. Evans double jump os cutters him and pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't bad. Evans did his flying as usual and Miz notably did some of Cena's moves here. I get why they had Evans lose here but I do think they could be getting a bit more out of Miz right now than this.

Lash Legend and Nia Jax talk to Rhea Ripley in the back. They said what they did to Flair and Bliss was a warning. Lash says things have changed around here. Rhea asks if it's a threat. She says she's a problem Nia doesn't want to have. Rhea says when her and Iyo want the tag titles, they will take them. Priest comes in and asks if she's good. Priest says he can't wait to see her energy out there.

Jade Cargill comes up to Rhea and just looks at her and walks off.

Michin says Jade has been picking on everyone and nothing p!sses her off more than a bully. She says she will give her everything she got and says she knows Jade will do the same. Jade then attacks Michin and sends her into a box and the wall. Jade then sends to cue her music.

WWE Women's Title - Jade Cargill (c) vs Michin

Jade says to stop trying her as that is what happens when women don't know their place in the back. She says anyone can come step up and get stepped on. Michin then comes out with a kendo stick. She hits Jade with the stick. Mich grabs a title and Jade pump kicks her.

Jade comes in and is hit. Jade chokeslams Mich. Then stands over her and talks trash. She then leaves her laying without the match ever officially starting.

We another John Cena video.

We then get a video on Oba Femi.

Aleister Black and Zelina Vega vs Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest

The heels attack while the faces pose on the buckles. AB kicks Dp in the corner then hits punches and elbows. DP hits punches in the corner. DP lariats him over the top. Vega gets on DP's back and Rhea is tagged in. Vega hits her then makes her chase her around the ring. Rhea hits short arm lariats inside. Rhea lariats her.

We go to PiP break and return. Rhea goes into the buckles. Vega 2nd rope diving meteora's her for 2. Vega hits mounted shots. Vega botches some kind of headscissors and ddt's her for 2. Vega tries it again and is thrown down. The men come in. DP hits shots on AB and lifting flatliners him. DP flying elbows him in the corner and hits a falcon arrow for 2.

Vega jumps on DP's back and is thrown off. AB spin kicks DP in the face then germans him for 2. DP boots AB out of the corner. AB sweeps DP. AB throws Vega into a headscissors on Rhea. AB pumping knees DP out. Vega and DP do stereo asai moonsaults outside.

Rhea catches Vega off the buckles. Rhea goes for riptide and Vega botches again. Vega hits a code red on Rhea for 2. Vega clubs on her. Rhea electric chair drops her on her chest for 2. AB breaks the pin up. AB and Rhea stare down. Reha headbutts AB then Vega rolls up Rhea for 2. DP and Rhea hit stereo razor's edge's. Rhea hits riptide on Vega and wins.

Thoughts: It was an ugly match. Vega botched almost everything with Rhea badly. The two didn't work together at all and destroyed this. I also didn't Rhea being able to headbutt Black in the chest right in front of the ref and not getting punished. This was bad and probably one of the worst TV matches of the year.

Overall thoughts: We had an okay Cody/Oba segment to start off. Ilja/Ciampa was very bloody and stiff but the selling could have been better. Bliss/Lash wasn't good. Miz/Evans was fine. We never really got Jade/Michin. The main was a total disaster with Vega botching everything. We also got tons of hype for Cena's retirement tomorrow which filled up a bunch of time. I wouldn't recommend this one at all and would just give it a 5 out of 10.

Ring of Honor on HonorClub 12/11/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/ring-of-honor-on-honorclub-1242025.html

We are in Columbus, OH. Caprice Coleman and Ian Riccaboni are on commentary.

Athena comes out with Billie Starkz and Diamante. Athena says it's been 3 years as the forever ROH Women's champ. She talks about beating Thunder Rosa and says she put her heart and soul into every title defense. She says she built herself from the ground up to prove she is worth far more than anyone else in the building. She says she has built Dia, Billie and everyone else in the back up.

She says she's not gonna stop as her title is more precious to her than anything in this world. She says her crew will mold ROH into a better future. she says they will break porcelain hussy's forever. She calls Persephone an up and comer and said she crumbled at Final Battle. She says everything at Final Battle went according to plan.

She asks Billie where the Pure Title is. She says that didn't go to according to plan. She says Billie was supposed to take them into 2026 with two titles but she failed. She says Billie will have a tag match to redeem herself against Deonna and whoever she finds in the back. She says let's make a toast. She says she's forever. She says she's the forever ROH champ and says it's time you all get over it. The crowd then throws streamers at her.

The Spanish Announce Project (Angelico and Serpentico) vs LSG and Josh Crane

Ang and Josh shake hands. Josh wristlocks him. Ang reverses it then Josh reverses it back. Ange takes him down by the arm. Serp top rope double stomps Josh's arm. Josh is hiptossed then Serp is hiptossed onto him.

Serp enzugiri's him in the corner then headscissors him out of the corner for 2. LSG hits Serp form the ropes and is hit. Josh drops Serp for 2. Josh slams Serp. LSG elbow drops Serp for 2. Serp fights off a 2v1 and tags out.

Ang comes in and lariats his opponents. Ang jumps off LSG's back and lariats Josh. Ang kick combos LSG and pumping knee him in the chin. Ang flips over his back and upkicks him from the apron. Ang backdrops him and rolls him up for 2.

Ang lifting flatliners LSG for 2. Serp superkicks Josh in the gut. Serp russian legsweeps him into a grounded octopus. Ang trips LSG from the mat and does a spinning reverse figure four on him. Ang taps him out.

Thoughts: It was average. Angelico's team won as expected here. It went a little longer than it needed to since the result was never in doubt.

The Frat House (Preston Vance, Griff Garrison and Cole Karter) vs The Dark Order (Evil Uno, John Silver and Alex Reynolds)

The Frat's have Bernard the Business Bear (A man in a bear costume), Jacked Jameson and some pledges with them. Ian Riccaboni complains about the bear.

John and GG lock up. John side headlocks him then shoulders him over. John armdrags then dropkicks him. John back body drops GG then Cole and then Vance. Uno gets in. He chops GG and running back elbows him. GG knees him in the gut and bangs his head off the buckles. Vance hits mounted corner punches on Uno.

Uno rakes his back and hits a boot flurry in the corner. Vance pump kicks Uno out. The Frat's boot Uno outside. GG flying corner splashes Uno then running facekicks him for 2. Uno's pants are sliding down and we get a good shot of his crack. Uno takes a double facekick then a Cole dropkick.

Cole boots Uno then hits punches. Uno neckbreakers him. Uno knees Vance in the face and ddt's him. Alex comes in and running back elbows GG then running euros him. Alex cravateplex's Cole. Alex gets a 2 count on GG. Alex tope con hilos The Frat's outside. Alex top rope crossbodies GG for 2. Alex back elbows him then GG facekicks him. GG takes a double team ending in a german and a pin attempt.

Cole jumping knees Alex. Vance spinning lariats Coe on accident. Uno spinning lariats Vance. Cole is held up in the air and flipped over. John then pins Cole.

Thoughts: It was an okay tag here. They kept this moving and there were a lot of hard strikes here. I liked this.

Deonna Purrazzo does a promo. She says ROH has given her a place to win, learn and lose. She says it taught her to fight for what she wanted. She says the girls she started this division with 10 years ago could never imagine they would have a Pure Title. She says she outlasted them all. She says she's a former ROH Women's champ and the first Pure champ. She says she's the foundation of women's wrestling in ROH. She says she hopes Queen Aminata step up next.

Zayda Steel vs Rachael Ellering

RE waistlocks and wristlocks her. Zay wristlocks her. RE takes her down by the wrist. Zay trips her and side headlocks her. RE waistlock takedowns her. Zay side headlocks her and RE shoulders her over. RE wristlocks her. Zay uses the ropes to flip out of it.

Zay flying headscissors her. Zay corner euros her then step up knees her. Zay snapmares her and basement dropkicks her for 2. RE lariats her down. RE chops her down. RE hits corner spears and gutwrench suplexes her. RE sentons her for 2.

RE slams her. She goes for a senton, Zay is supposed to roll out of it but isn't fast enough. Zay neckbreakers her. RE misses a corner charge. Zay pump kicks her. RE forearms her and cross-legged suplexes her. RE black hole slams her.

RE misses a corner charge and Zay spins into a ddt on her. Zay pins her.

Thoughts: Zay looks good but she's still not that good in the ring. They had some sloppy moments here and I can't say Zay impressed. But it's ROH, no one will really see it and it's a good place for a girl at her level.

The Swirl talk. Lee says they both lost in flukes at Final Battle. Blake Christian throws something. He says it should have been him vs Bandido. He says he's been chasing him and Band dodged him every single time. He says Band's arm got him out of action for a while. He says he will take his other arm next time and his ROH Title.

Jay Lethal vs Nathan Cruz

They shake hands and Cruz boots him off of it. Cruz hits forearms and bangs Jay's head off the buckles. He euros him. Jay struts then punches him. Jay hiptosses him into a cartwheel into a dropkick. Jay grabs the leg and Cruz ropebreaks.

Cruz stun gun's Jey and neckbreakers him for 2. Cruz hits mounted shots then knee drops him. Cruz pulls Jay's neck forward. Cruz then chinlocks Jey. Cruz sleepers him. Jay hits elbows to the gut. Cruz slingshot backdrops him for 2.

Jay rolls him up for 2 off a missed charge. Jay backslides him for 2. Jay la magistral's him for 2. Jay goes for the figure four and is cradled. Jay dragon screws him then figure fours him. Cruz surprisingly ropebreaks.

Cruz pop-up throws him then Jay superkicks him. Jay hits a lethal injection and pins him.

Thoughts: I liked it. Cruz isn't anything too special but he did okay with some basic stuff here and they had a competitive match. Jay was pretty smooth as always here and moved well.

Diamante and Billie Starkz vs Deonna Purrazzo and Madison Rayne

Dia and BS hit their opponents on the handshake. Dia is pushed into BS and MR double dropkicks them. DP lariats BS then powerbombs her. DP armbars her and it is broken up. Dia ddt's DP on the apron over the 2nd rope. Dia elbow drops DP then hits mounted shots.

DP's head is banged off of BS' foot. BS sleepers DP and DP rolls her off. BS spin kicks her and they double clothesline each other. MR hits shots on Dia then cutters her for 2. MR step up enzugiri's BS. DP hits euros on MR. MR hits a double cutter.

DP boots BS in the gut. DP russian legsweeps BS and goes for the armbar. DP taps her out.

Thoughts: It was a much quicker bout that I expected. I figured we'd get 10 minutes minimum here and instead we got half of it. It just wasn't long enough to be much. DP submitting BS should lead to something.

Athena yells at BS after.

Red Velvet is interviewed. She says she beat Mone at Final Battle, the #1 wrestler in the world. She says that makes her #1. She says the kitchen is officially open.

Hechicero vs Josh Woods

JW is taken down and they trade submission attempts on the mat. Hech twists his ankle and Josh tries a pin off of it. They trade pin attempts. JW offers a handshake and Hech dropkicks him in the knee. Hech short ddt's him. Hech hits a corner lariat then splits JW"s fingers.

Hech bangs JW's ankle off the mat and does a figure four variation. Hech hits mounted corner punches and an elbow to the face. JW springboard knee's him in the face. JW hits running corner attacks. JW overhead suplexes him for 2.

Hech legdrops JW's arm. Hech step up knees him in the corner. JW does a botched gutwrench suplex on Hech. JW knees him in the face for 2.
Hech spinning knees him then sunset flips. Hec rolls him into a grounded octopus submission and submits him.

Thoughts: It was shorter than I expected. We all knew Hech was going to win here but I expected a bit this to get a lot more than it did. We got technical wrestling to start then they moved into doing various moves. I thought it was average

Adam Priest, Dalton Castle, The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd) & Tommy Billington vs. MxM TV (Johnny TV, Mansoor & Mason Madden) & The Premier Athletes (Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese)

The faces get jumped in the aisle as they enter. Turbo punches JTV down in the ring then hits a backdrop. JTV throws Truth out then Taya Valkyrie, Mark Sterling and Denali beat up Truth outside.

Mansoor hits Truth in the gut and blocks his tag. Mansoor spinebusters him. Mansoor and JTV miss tons of moves on Truth. Dalton is tagged in. Dalton hits shots on the heels then spinning suplexes Mansoor, JTV and Nese. Dalton is pushed into Adam. Madden leg lariats Dalton. The Runners slam Madden together then do a double elbow drop. MxM hit stereo superkicks on The Runners. Mxm pose and are dropkicked out by Tom and Adam.

Adam ddt's Tony. Taya and Sterling get on the apron. Sterling, Denali and Taya are ejected by the ref. Nese takes a lariat + german combo and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was a rushed tag. They just didn't get much time and had to hustle the whole way through because of it. What we got was okay but far from what it could have been.

We get a Shane Taylor Promotions promo after Final Battle. Bravo says they don't care about the fans cheering for them or being upset about their winning. Dean says he only cares about championships, checks and cheeks? Shane says he cares about making history and all the people standing here right now. He says he gave a d@mn about us before anyone else did. Shane says they did something no superstar, hall of famer or legend could do in 6 years - they made Scorpio Sky and Top Flight interesting. Bravo says they are leaving ROH with two options - run or hide. Dean says it's because STP is outside.

ROH Women's World Television Title Proving Ground Match - Red Velvet vs Lacey Lane

They said Lane is repping The Phillippines.

They lock up and let go. They wrstilock each other. Red takes her down by the wrist and legdrops the arm. Lane takes her down, sits on her back and pretends to ride her like a cowboy. Lane gets a 2 count on her. Red rolls her up for 1. Red rolls her up again for 2. Red backslides her for 2.

Lane side headlocks her. Lane shoulders her over and gyrates. Red flying single leg dropkicks her. Lane goes out. Lane bottom rope springboard basement dropkicks her for 2. Red is on the 2nd buckle and Lane dropicks her possibly in the crotch for 2.

Lane running facekicks her. Lane springboard legdrops her for 2. Red forearms her and spin kicks her in the head. Red meteora's her from behind on the 2nd rope. Red misses a corkscrew kick then Lane superkicks her. Lane does a death valley driver into a legdrop for 2.

Lane chops Red in the chest. Red superkicks her. Red does a short forward rolling driver on her and pins her.

Thoughts: This was a lose-lose booking wise. Lane is new and doesn't need to lose and Red just won the title and doesn't need to lose. Lane naturally lost. However, Lane looked decent here and brought some energy to this. Lane has stepped up her game since coming to AEW/ROH and hopefully they reward her for it.

Death Riders (Daniel Garcia & Wheeler Yuta) vs Aaron Solo & Willie Mack

Solo shakes hands with Yuta. DG knocks Mack off the apron and stomps him outside. Yuta back elbows Solo down. Yuta suplexes Solo. Yuta 2nd rope elbow drops him for 2. Yuta is back body dropped over the top. Solo sends DG out. Marina Shafir gets in the ring. Solo is tied up in the ring skirt and pounded on by the heels.

Yuta and DG do TMDK's limb work swapping spot. Solo suplexes DG. Yuta and DG get in. Mack lariats Yuta and spinning heel kicks DG. Mack hits corner splashes on his opponents. He corner cannonballs DG then high spinebusters Yuta. Solo is tagged in. He top rope double stomps Yuta for 2.

Mack stunners DG. Yuta basement dropkicks Mack. Yuta rolls up Solo with the tights for 2. Solo corkscrew kicks him. Solo takes corner attacks. Yuta takes a hart attack from the 2nd rope then Yuta tope con hilos Mack outside. Yuta top rope splashes Solo. DG does his dragon tamer on Solo and submits him.

Thoughts: It was another rushed match here. Mack has gained a bunch of weight and he was heavy to begin with. The Death Riders won here as expected and did some new double team moves here. It was essentially a squash.

Komander & SkyFlight (Dante Martin, Darius Martin & Scorpio Sky) vs. Shane Taylor Promotions (Carlie Bravo, Lee Moriarty, Shane Taylor & Shawn Dean)

Kom cartwheels out of Lee's wristlock. Lee armdrags him. Lee flying headscissors him but Kom headflips out. Kom double boots Lee out of the corner, rope walks and does a seated flip into an armdrag. Lee flips out of the armdrag. They then stand off.

Dante and Bravo go at it. Dante armdrags him into an armlock. Sky 2nd rope foot stomps Bravo's arm. Darius dropkicks Bravo then armdrags him into an armlock. Dante butt drops Bravo's arm off a leapfrog. Dante flips over Bravo using the ropes. Shane headbutts Dante then lawn darts him into the 2nd buckle. The heels beat up Dante outside.

Shane throws Dante back in. Shane hits mounted forearms on Dante. Dante's arm is worked on. Bravo eye pokes Dante. Dante is hit with a double punch. Dean hits punches on Dante then knee drops him. Bravo chinlocks Dante. Dean then chinlocks Dante. Dante dropkicks Dean.

Kom is tagged in. He walks off of Dean's shoulders and armdrags Lee. Kom does rope tricks and diving headscissors Lee. Kom spinning ddt's Lee for 2. Brvo superkicks Dante. Bravo is jumping knee'd on a springboard then he is slingshotted into a Dante cutter. Kom rope walk ssp's Bravo and pins him.

Thoughts: This got a little more time than some of the other bouts but not quite enough to let everyone get some decent sized sections in. Kom winning makes sense since he's fighting Lee soon but it counteracts them coming off hot from the PPV. I also don't love the established STP losing to a less established group. What we got was fine but again, not as good as it could have been.

Overall thoughts: It wasn't a good episode. There were too many matches and not enough time, even though they had an hour and forty minutes to use here. Less time meant the matches weren't as good and meant we didn't see much of various people in the larger tag matches. If you were looking for things to be followed up on from the PPV, this wasn't really it either. We also had the usual squashes which were not that interesting and just made the show longer. I'd give this a 5 out of 10 and wouldn't recommend it. This show could have been a 7 out of 10 if they just gave the wrestlers time to wrestle.

WWF Championship Wrestling 1/14/1984

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/wwf-championship-wrestling-171984.html

Mean Gene Okerlund and Vince McMahon are on commentary. Joe McHugh is the ring announcer.

We start the show off with Mean Gene Okerlund interviewing Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund. He calls them a tag team dream. Hulk is asked how it feels to team with Bob. Hulk said he had goosebumps when he returned and says Hulkamania is already running wild. He said he's been training with and made friends with Bob. He says Bob's intensity sikes him out and says they are ready for any challenge.

Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund vs Tiger Chung Lee and Mr. Fuji

Bob and Lee go at it. Bob is backed up in the corner and goes between Lee's legs. Bob wristlocks Lee. Hulk elbows Lee's arm then writlocks him. Lee hits some shots. Fuji gets in and hits Hulk in the gut. Hulk reverses the wristlock and takes Fuji down by the arm.

Lee gets back in and Hulk hammerlocks him. Bob comes in and does more wristlocks. Hulk then kimura's Lee. Lee hits shots to Hulk's gut then chops him. Hulk fires up and stares him down, no selling his shots. Lee beg off and Hulk hits punches in the corner. Lee does a nice upside down bump in the corner. Hulk then atomic drops Lee for 2.

Hulk kimura takedown's Lee. Bob wristlocks Lee then Lee chops Bob's arm. Lee kicks the arm. Fuji chops Bob and then armlocks him. Lee sticks his hand in Bob's armpit. Bob rolls out of Fuji's wristlock and upkicks him. Hulk is tagged in. Hulk hits a jumping knee on Fuji. Lee tags in and Hulk hits a nice clothesline on him.

Hulk slams and legdrops Lee. Hulk then picks up the pin.

Thoughts: It was a fast paced match with a ton of wrist and arm locks. Hulk was really moving well here and did more technical stuff here than he would do in the next 10 years. Lee and Fuji didn't come off looking that strong here but this is The Hulk Hogan Show. They didn't get to do a lot but they did alright with it. Hulk had a nice jumping knee and a stiff clothesline. I think is the one and only time Hulk and Bob teamed together and poor Bob had to know he was getting replaced as the top dog.

Sgt. Slaughter vs Mike Dorsett

They lock up. Sarge knees him, clubs him and throws him on a slam. Sarge clubs him more then stomps him. Mike's head is banged off the buckles then he gets punched. Sarge hits a standing dropkick then a kneedrop.

Sarge has a pin opportunity but pulls him up. Sarge clubs Mike more then elbows him in the back of the neck. Mike is catapulted into the buckles. Mike hits some shots and rakes Sarge's eyes when he gets nowhere. Mike bangs Sarge's head off the buckles. Sage clubs back and drops Mike gut first on the top. Sarge hits a hard lariat. Sarge then puts him to sleep with a cobra clutch and wins.

Thoughts: Now this was a good squash. Sarge hit a nice dropkick early. Mike couldn't get anywhere with him so he eye raked him. Sarge then got mad and beat the crap out of him for it. Sarge was trim here and moving well too.

Sarge then lariats Mike after.

Mean Gene Okerlund does interviews and says Hulk Hogan is the new WWF champ.

Ivan Putski is interviewed. Ivan is told about the $30k battle royal. He says it's a dangerous situation and says there could be broken bones and teeth. He says he's out for the $30k and can pay his income tax with it. Gene then says it's "$50,000". Ivan says he's ready and will do everything to get that $50k. He says he will invite his Polish army after.

Fred Blassie and The Iron Shiek come in. Fred says Ivan can't even count to $50k. Freddie says Shiek will always be the champ and says Gene and the commission pulled a "ranzy danzy" on him. He says he will now make amends. He says they will win the battle royal and get the title back from Hulk. Shiek talks in his language and Gene says, "can't you speak English?". Gene then says we are out of time.

Tito Santana is then interviewed. He says he watched the LA Raiders win the Super Bowl and now he can win the battle royal. He says there's a lot of money involved. He talks in Spanish. He says there's a lot of danger involved in the battle royal but he will give it all he's got.

Andre the Giant is interviewed and we are told he was on David Letterman this week. Andrew says it's nice to go to the Olympic Auditorium. He says he hopes the ring is strong enough to hold 20 guys. Gene says there will be 6,000 lbs in the ring. Andre says he will fight for the money but the people call him the king of the battle royal's and he will try to win again.

Thoughts: That's some big news right there. Hulk is the new champ yet didn't wear the title in his match. I have a feeling some of this was lost to local promos as this show is the LA feed and the date of this show suggests it was 9 days before Hulk won the title. I've tried to make sense of it and I can't.

Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka vs "Butcher" Paul Vachon

They lock up and PV hits shots to the head. PV clubs him then rakes his back. Snuka gets some shots in and PV boots him. PV chokes him in the corner and eye rakes him. PV then rakes Snuka's back. PV hits shots on Snuka then chokes him.

PV chinlocks him on the ropes and the ref makes him break. Snuka hits some punches and jumping headbutts him. Snuka top rope diving headbutts him and gets the pin.

Thoughts: Paul was nasty here just raking Snuka's eyes and back the whole time before Snuka came back and got the quick win.

Victory Corner

Robert Debord is the host and David Schultz is this week's guest.

Dave says the competition is here. He says he turns his TV on and sees people like Andre, Backlund and The Samoan's. He says there's competition here and he's looking for it. He says he walks around the streets, the bars and the honky-tonks looking for people to fight. He says when he comes home, he dreams of meeting the wrestlers one at a time and determining who is the best. He says they've got a title everyone wants. Dave asks him why he's so quiet and Rob basically says they have to go. Dave accuses him of being the type of guy to cut him off and Rob says he's right.

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff vs Miguel "Hercules" Vasquez

Roddy Piper is managing Paul. Paul and Piper rip up Snuka poster and Paul takes a while to get in. The crowd chants "Paula".

They lock up. Paul backs him up on the ropes and cleanbreaks. Paul elbows him in the head then punches him in the gut. Paul slams him and elbow drops him. Paul hits an elbow drop off the buckles. Paul hits a piledriver and wins.

Thoughts: It was all squash here with Miguel getting little in before going down. It took Paul as long just to get into the ring as it did to beat Miguel.

The Magnificent Muraco vs. SD Jones

They lock-up and let go. Muraco clean breaks him in the corner then armdrags him. SD headscissors him and they stand off. They lock up again and SD shoves him on the break. SD slaps him on the ropes and they trade punches. SD hits a couple of shots in a row.

SD side headlocks him. Muraco trips him and both fall backwards. Muraco stomps him then punches him in the head. Muraco knocks him over then knee lifts him. SD hits shots to the gut and the head. SD misses a corner charge. Muraco climbs the buckles, puts his knee in SD's chest and drives him into the mat. SD suplexes him but Muraco beats him to the cradle attempt and pins him.

Thoughts: The first half of this was a bit boring but picked up near the end. SD had some nice punches and the finish was something different.

Jose Luis Rivera vs. Tony Colon

This is a pretty low level match that you don't see a lot. Jose backs Tony up on the ropes and lets go. Ton backs him up on the ropes, misses a shot and goes over the top. Tony misses another shot off the break and takes armdrags.

Jose side headlocks him then kimura takeovers him. Tony grabs a leg and is monkey flipped. Tony begs off. Jose snapmares him. Jose is whipped into the ropes but jumps over them. Jose bangs Tony's head off the buckles then Jose dropkicks him. They botch a fireman's carry slam twice then Jose airplane spin drops him. Jose then pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't that good. They botched the finish twice and Jose didn't look that comfortable on offense.

Overall thoughts: Backlund and Hulk got a win in maybe their only tag match together. Hulk was moving well and did more technical wrestling than he would for the rest of his career. Sarge and Mike Dorsett had a nice squash. Hulk was announced as being the new WWF champ despite him not technically winning the title until 9 days later. The rest of the show was just squashes with the Rivera/Colon squash not being good at all. It's a historically significant episode but it was all short matches and some interviews. I wouldn't recommend this one.

Thursday, December 11, 2025

TNA Impact 12/11/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/tna-impact-1242025.html

We are in El Paso, TX.

Frankie Kazarian comes out. He says he retired JDC at Final Resolution and kept the TNA Title. He says he will lead TNA into the era of AMC. He says he will need Walter White to step aside. He says nothing makes him smile more than a room of angry marks. He says everyone in the crowd would sell their mother to be in the position they are in. Kaz says he's their king and he's the TNA champ for a long time. H tells the crowd to get used to it.

Mike Santana comes out. He asks how he could be mad at him? He says Kaz took and seized an opportunity. He said Kaz did what he said he would do and he respects it. Mike says of course he's p!ssed. He says he wants him to stay alert as the target is on his head.

Mike says next week it's Team NXT vs Team TNA in a tag match. He says NXT is why he's not the champ. He says when he gets in the ring with them, he will win the match and pull his trigger on the target. He says it'll be Kaz vs him at Genesis for the TNA Title. Kaz says he doesn't agree to it. He says the title will come back to where it belongs. The announcers then say Mike has a contractual rematch.

Team NXT does a promo. King says the rumors are true and TNA won't die. He says Matt Cardona will go anywhere with a wrestling ring to get a whiff of what they have. He says Matt is nothing more than a glorified backyard wrestler. Igwe says The Hardy's are the same. He says The Hardy's will be stuck in the cage with them. Jensen says the most dangerous person is the one with nothing to lose. Jensen says they have nothing to lose and everything to lose in the cage. Stacks says he warned Santino and he stuck his nose in his business. He says Santino may be a good authority figure but he's a horrible father. Stacks says they will get what they want in the cage and continue the takeover of TNA.

We see clips of the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge on NXT. We also see Ava talked about the #1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match.

Winner gets the advantage in the cage match - Matt Cardona vs Lexis King

They lock up. Matt backs him up in the corner. They shove each other and Matt hits armdrags. Matt armlocks him. King chops him in the corner. Matt double knees him out of the corner and 2nd rope dropkicks him. Matt dropkicks him through the ropes. King bangs Matt's arm over the top rope and throws him shoulder first into the corner. King stomps the arm and kicks him in the back.

King armlocks him and drops Matt's arm on the top rope. King codebreakers the arm for 2. King foot chokes him in the corner. Matt lariats him. Matt flatliners him. Matt hits forearms in the corner. Matt hits a broski boot for 2.

King superkicks him, arm throws him down and hits a kitchen sink from behind for 2. King grabs his cane. Stacks comes in and Matt hits radio silence on him. King rolls up Matt and pins him.

Thoughts: The finish was lame here with Stacks running in and somehow the ref not seeing it. King mostly worked the arm here but sadly didn't follow up on it for the finish. This was better than I expected but a finish involving the arm would have really sold me on it.

Stacks beats up on Matt after and King hits Matt with his cane in the arm. Steve Maclin comes down and makes the heels run.

Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside do a promo. Lee talks in Chinese for some reason. Xia says Final Resolution was emotional and intense. She says they push each other and are still The Angel Warriors. Lee says they fight for honor and respect each other.

Robert Stone, Crawford, Tessa and Mil Moore walk in. They rip them. Tessa says she's a former Knockouts champ and World's champ. She says she's done things they can only dream about. Xia says they can't disrespect them and ask for a title match when she lost to The Iinspiration. Tessa says if they need to beat them both to shut them up, that's what they will do.

The Elegrance Brand (Heather and M By Elegance)Myla Grace and Harley Hudson

George Iceman comes out with a gift. He rips the crowd. He says he has a gift from the heavens and says to welcome Heather and M By Elegance. HBE and M then are dressed like elve's and bring gifts with them to the ring.

The heels tease the faces with gifts and try to hit them with it. Myla and HH hit forearms on them. HH shoulders over HBE. She slams her then Myla basement dropkicks her for 2. HH side headlocks HBE. HH is tripped and M step up sentons HH's back for 2.

M boots HH in the corner and foot chokes her. M suplexes HH. M starts holding and selling her ankle. M misses a step up senton. Myla comes in. She hits lariats on the heels and lariats her. Myla spin kicks HBE in the gut and sitout twisting underhook rops her for 2. Myla is lifted for a code red on M.

George gets on the apron with a gift. HH hits George in the head with it and it gets stuck on his head. Myla backrolls HBE but M pulls HBE back and HBE pins HH.

Thoughts: It was a short one. I liked Geore getting hit with the present. When Myla looks like the best wrestler in the match, that should tell you how the quality of this was. M randomly sold her ankle for a bit but then just walked it off I guess.

TNA Injury Report

Matt Cardona is out with a shoulder injury. Mustafa Ali is day to day with abrasions. JDC has is questionable with hip and joint pain. Santino is cleared from a jaw injury.

Rich Swann is interviewed. Gia asks if First Class is done. Rich says the only thing first about First Class was AJ putting himself first. He says they were in the back of a plane and he thought he could be a threat due to his size. He says he asked him if he thought about being a wrestler. AJ says he told him he was having a tryout. Rich says he couldn't be happier and says they could be the tag champs. He says he was told he's a snake and he found out the hard way. He says he's done being talked down to and disrespected. He says First Class is over and he'll be d@mned if he's held down by him. AJ then hits him from the side. AJ puts his foot on his head and asks if he's held down now. He says he was always first class and says if you're not first class, you're last.

Winner Gets X-Division Title Shot - Jake Something vs BDE vs Dezmond Xavier vs Jason Hotch vs Ryan Nemeth vs Cedric Alexander

Mustafa Ali is on commentary.

Ryan tries to make a team with Jake. Jake stands on his foot and forearms him down. Jake is ganged up on. Jason rolls up BDE for 2 then superkicks him. Jason takes a spin kick into a german. Dez headscissors Ced. He flips over him and they end up doing a stand off. They shake hands and Jake shoulders both over. Jake shoulders Ryan and BDE over. Jake bodyblocks Jason down.

Jake is hit with a double superkick. BDE codebreakers Jake. Ced chops Jason on the rails. Ryan neckbreakers BDE. Dez cutters Ryan. Dez chops, kicks, snapmares and basement dropkicks Ryan. Dez rolls up Jason for 2. Jason rolls into a neckbreaker on him.

Ced dragon screws Jason. Jason rolls him up for 2. Ced michinoku driversh im for 2. Ced hits chops on Jake then Jake slams him. BDE's springboard is caught by Jake. Jake curls him then fallaway slams him.

Jake corner splashes BDE and lariats him. Jake corner spears BDE. We go to break and return. Jake is hit with a double powerbomb. Ced and Dez trade forearms. Jason corkscrew kicks Dez. Ced topes Jake outside.

Jason asai moonsaults outside. Dez hits a flying space tiger outside. Ryan flying lariats BDE. Ryan mocks Mara Sade. Ryan jumping pendulum ddt's BDE for 2.
Ryan grabs a chair. Mara Sade comes down and grabs the chair. They fight for it. Mara superkicks him and drops him. Dez misses a 450 off the top. Jason M. Bison stomps Dez. Ced standing spanish fly's Jason for 2. Jake bodyblocks Ced. Dez handsprings into a pele kick on him. BDE os cutters Dez for 2. BDE top rope frogsplashes Jake. Ced lumbar checks BDE and pins him.

Thoughts: I was fine with this. It was a fast paced spotfest but they didn't go too far with it and ended it before it got old. I don't know where Ryan and Sade's thing is going and I don't know if I want to find out. Ced winning as a bit of a surprise.

The System talk. Brian says their recruitment process continues on and they will find out if SInner and Saint trust the system. JDC says he will bring it to Eddie at Genesis. Eddie says he wouldn't want it any other way.

Santino talks to Arianna Grace. Kazarian asks Santino about Mike Santana activating his rematch clause. He tells him to fix this. Santino says he agrees and says Kaz should have other challengers. Santino says they will have a battle royal to find a challenger. Kaz says it'll be at Genesis, right? Santino says it'll be on Impact. Kaz says he knows AMC heavily requested it so he's okay with it. Santino says it's in 3 weeks, not 5 weeks. Santino says he has to pick a contender for the AMC show. Team NXT walk in. They ask what he will do about Cardona being injured and Santino needing a replacement. Stacks tells him to do the right thing and make it a 4 on 5. Arianna Grace slaps him and tells him to watch his mouth.

The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers) vs Sinner and Saint (Travis Williams and Judas Icarus)

Judas side headlocks Eddie. Eddie atomic drops him and chops him down. BM flying knees Judas down for 2. Judas flying forearms BM. BM is double teamed and it ends with a senton on him. Trav spinning toe holds BM and bangs his foot off the mat. Judas grounded cobra twists BM.

BM michinoku drivers Judas. Eddie back elbows Travis then belly to belly suplexes Judas. Trav double boots Eddie out of the corner. Eddie backpack stunners him for 2. Judas rebound lariats BM. Eddie chops Judas down. Trav handspring lariats Eddie. Eddie takes a double team in the corner then he takes a backdrop + sitout powerbomb combo for 2.

Trav and Eddie trade forearms. BM crossbodies Trav then hits a hard lariat. Eddie shining wizards Trav and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a fast paced match and it was fine. They kept things moving here and Sinner and Saint got a decent amount of offense in to keep it competitive before going down.

The Hardy's come out to talk. Matt says it feels good to be here and he can feel Eddie Guerrero around here. Matt says it's time to put an end to the TNA vs NXT war. He says they will fight in the cage next week.

Jeff says it's good to be back here. He says they need someone on their team in place of Cardona who loves TNA as much as they do. Matt says they need to defend the TNA locker room. Matt says 2026 will be TNA's biggest year ever. Jeff says he will make Team NXT shut up for good next week.

The Righteous come out. Vincent introduces himself and Dutch. Matt says they know who they are but don't know why they are here. Vincent says they aren't here to hurt him. He says thye admire them and idolized them. He says they are gods walking amongst mortals.

Dutch says it's an honor to be in the ring with them. The fans chant for The Hardy's. Dutch says they aren't here to replace them but are here because of them. Vincent says they don't see them as opponents, they are coming grateful. He says they changed tag wrestling forever. Vincent asks if he looks like someone they can trust?

Matt asks if they came here to interrupt them. Vincent says yes. He says he wishes them luck in their big cage match next week. Dutch says they will be watching because they want to see the ascension to the immortals The Hardy's are destined to become. Dutch says he's righteous. Vincent says for them they are many.

Thoughts: Yeah, I don't know what this was about but I'll assume it's leading to something and I'll see how it plays out.

Santino Marella and Arianna Grace on on the stage. Santino says Matt Cardona can't wrestle in the cage match. He said he had to pick a substitute. He says he will be the replacement for him.

Dog Collar Match - Dani Luna vs Indi Hartwell

Indi puts the collar on. Dani yanks her and pounds her without having her own collar on. Indi whips her with the chain and lariats her. Indi then puts the chain on Dani.

Dani yanks the chain in Indi's face and hits punches. Dani ties the chain round Indi's mouth and lariats her from behind. Dani forearms her down. Dani pulls Indi into the ropes with the chain. Dani lariats her against the ropes. Indi clotheslines Dani with the chain.

Indi double axe handles her off the apron. Dani's head is banged off the apron edge and she is sent into the steps. Indi side slams her inside for 2. Indi boots her in the side of the head. Dani tries to run but can't. They tug of war and Dani is sent into the apron edge. Indi is then pulled throat first into the middle rope.

Dani wraps the chain around Indi's face. Indi hits shots on her and we go to break. We return from break. Dani trips her and gets a 2 count. Dani pulls Indi backwards into the post. She then ties her to the post with the chain and pulls. Dani whips her with the chain. Dani facekicks her outside. Dani pulls Indi into the post. Indi then pulls her into the post.

Indi clubs on her outside. Dani is busted open and bleeding a bunch. Indi punches her. Indi hits punches on her. Dani sits up top and Indi facekicks her down to the apron. Indi pulls her off the top into a spinebuster.

Dani single leg dropkicks her for 2. Dani's face is covered in blood. Dani grabs powder but Indi stops her from using it. Dani pushes Indi into the ref. The ref is down. Dani hits a luna landing on Indi and pins her.

Thoughts: They spent a little too much time using the post but I did like this otherwise. It was a constant tug of war over the chain and they wrestled appropriately for the match. Dani getting busted open big also helped put this over as a brutal match. This beat my expectations. Indi always seems to do so much better in gimmick matches than regular matches.

Overall thoughts: The talking segments didn't really hit here with the opening segment not accomplish much and The Hardy's segment being a total waste of time. The second half had some good wrestling which helped this out including a solid dog collar match main event and a nice 6-way match. They really pushed the TNA vs NXT feud here too which may end next week. I'd give this a 6 out of 10 mostly for the main delivering and the 6-way being fun. It was an okay show overall.

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