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Smackdown Live

Joe Tessitore has been hired by WWE and will join the Smackdown team. He will start during the summer.

Tiffany Stratton is out to celebrate her win at the M.I.T.B Bayley holds the Smackdown Women’s Title was out to chat with Tiffany but Nia Jax has entered the chat reminding her that she holds the Queen of the Ring and the right to face Bayley at Summerslam. Michin with a kendo stick cleared the ring, doing her best to keep Bayley safe. The match between Michin/Nia didn’t end well for Michin.

Barron Corbin has had a repackage teaming with Apollo Crews facing Angel/Berto. Carron was good

Byron had a chat with Andrade but Carmelo Hayes has stuck his nose where it doesn’t belong.

L.A. Knight is on his way to the ring. Knight has a contract for a United States title match at Summerslam

Cory and Wade talking about the appearance of John Cena at M.I.T.B. John announced his retirement from WWE. John will work as much as possible in 2025. Is there a possible 17th World Title on the Horizon for John? John has given it all he has got for the fans and I expect nothing less on his final run.

Naomi facing Blair Davenport.

D.I.Y who are recent Tag Team Smackdown winners facing A-Town Down Under in a rematch. Tommaso/Johnny successfully defended the titles but Bloodline interfered, taking out Tommaso/Johnny. Not sure what they want at this point. (Starting to hear rumours that Roman will return at Summerslam, will Paul Heyman be with him? )

Cody is on his way to the ring, Kevin is not there tonight but he has Randy Orton as backup. (The rumour is Cody facing Solo at Summerslam for the belt. (IMO, Cody won’t lose but Roman will show up to take out Solo.) I know its storyline but I have had enough of the bloodline for years. Summerslam can’t come soon enough. It’s never going to be a fair fight until Roman returns. At least Roman knew when to stop.

NXT: Heatwave

We close out the weekend in Toronto with NXT: Heatwave.

Vic Joseph and Booker T. are calling the action

All titles are on the line, I am hoping for a change or two but anything is possible on nights like this.

**MATCH 1 — The show is opening with a bang, as Wes Lee heads to the ring to take on Oba Femi. Oba outweighs Wes by 130 pounds. Oba is just so overpowering Wes, anything Wes tries, Oba stops him in his tracks. Wes has taken a beating but is still holding on. Wes has gotten Oba rattled. It’s good to see this match being allowed to tell the story, it’s a David/Goliath story. You knew going in it would take a miracle for Wes to pull this off. With respect to Wes, he gave everything he had in such a battle. (would love for Oba to get called up, how would he handle a match with Braun or Bronson?)

**MATCH 2 — Another great match as Kelani Jordan puts the Women’s North American Title on the line facing Sol Ruca. In my book, this is an even match. I really like both girls, I would love to see Sol win but will be happy either way. I know this is early but this very well could be the match of the night. What a battle, Kelani in the end would take advantage of the door being open. Congrats to Sol on such a great match.

**MATCH 3 — The NXT Tag Team Titles are on the line with Chase University going into battle against Nathan Frazer/Axiom. Vic said that Nathan was late to the stadium, Axiom was repaired to go it alone but Nathan did arrive. Andre came out of nowhere to save the match. This is one of the best tag team matches I have seen in NXT for a long time. Chase U left it all in the ring but Nathan/Axiom left with the belts.

**MATCH 4 — Roxanne Perez going into battle putting her Women’s NXT title on the line against Lola Vice. This match I can see getting down and dirty. I am not a fan of Roxy in the heel character, for me at least it has gotten old. The only reason she has not been moved to the main roster is that she holds a title. Roxy has just turned pure evil, and Lola with an injured wrist is doing all she can to hold on. Roxy just screamed at Booker/Vic to get out of the way. Roxy just pulled a pop Rox on the table. That was a hell of a match with Roxy getting the nasty win, this fued is not over I hope. It’s time for Roxy to be knocked down a few pegs.

**MAIN EVENT — Fatal Four-Way for the NXT Men’s Title with Trick Williams/Ethan Page/Shaun Spears/Je’Von Evans. Trick does not have to be pinned to lose the title. I can’t stand Ethan Page, the attitude and all. Could this be a set-up for a fued with Trick? I don’t think that Je’Von is ready but he has some real natural talent. In Fatal -4 -ways if you blink while watching you miss things. The ringside is a mess from all the destruction that has gone on. Ethan Page with the attitude that he is the best out there today and that he deserves everything handed to him on a platter. Well, The Fatal – 4 – way curse has struck again as somehow it was Ethan Page pinning Je’Von Evans for the win. It was a good match, the story was told with everyone getting their time in the spotlight. Trick just couldn’t get back in the ring in time to stop the pin from happening. Ethan Page is your new NXT Men’s Champion

Over on the countdown show, there was a Ladies’ Tag match with Karmen Petrovic/Arianna Grace taking on Jacy Jayne/Jazmyn Nyx. The most mix-matched pair in the locker room just beat the locker-room bullies. Karmen/Arianna with the win

Money in the Bank 2024

Taking place in Toronto, Canada

Trish Stratus is the guest host tonight.

19,858 in attendance

Your announcers for tonight are Michael Cole and with Cory Graves

Samantha Irvin is doing the ring announcing.

**MATCH 1 — Men’s Ladder Match for the ownership of the briefcase. The only way to win the match is to climb the ladder and take ownership of the briefcase. Jey Uso is on his way to the ring. (Cory just told Cole if he Yeet’s any harder he might pull something) Andrade is out next. L.A. Knight has joined the squared circle. Chad Gable on his way to the ring, he keeps looking over his shoulder. Carmelo Haeys is out next, (he has no chance of winning tonight) Drew is the last to enter, (the crowd screaming C.M.Punk) Because things change so quick, it’s hard to do a play-by-play here in the blog. What a hell of a match with Drew McIntyre getting the briefcase. The question is will he come in tonight and is CM Punk in Toronto? I feel for Jey, I wanted him to win.

**MATCH 2 — The Intercontentional Title is on the line as Sami Zayn faces Braun Brekker for War. It’s going to take everything that Sami has to retain. Same as the speed/experience but Braun has strength, speed and youth. Sami is the hometown favourite, with Braun as the bully(in my opinion). Sami is holding his own, Braun could have ended this 5 minutes in but they are letting this story be told. I have no clue how in the world Sami pulled that off, going to have to watch this match again. Sami is still your champ

**October 5th In Atlanta is BAD BLOOD. The first time is 27 years to the day this PLE returns.

Trish Stratus is out to chat with the crowd. She introduced John Cena who is heading for the ring. John has joined the crowd to announce that he will be retiring from WWE in 2025, from in-ring action. Wrestlemania 2025 will be John’s final event in his career. You can see that John is struggling as he speaks.

“The Last Time is Now” — John Cena

**MATCH 3 — The RAW Men’s Title is on the line with Damien Priest going to war with Seth Rollins. (Seth wins – Damien leaves Judgement Day, Damien wins – Seth can’t get a title match as long as Damien has the belt.) Look for Drew to cash in, Drew won’t be happy until he gets his hands on the belt. Here comes Drew, Damien still has the belt but is he going after Seth also, getting him out of the way. According to Sam, it’s now a triple-threat match, first one pinned is the winner. (CM Punk to the rescue, payback for Chicago) (I can see CM facing Drew at Summerslam) Damien just pinned Drew for the win. With an assist from Karma. (Thanks to CM, Seth is no longer able to challenge for the belt until it changes hands)

**MATCH 4 — The Ladies’ ladder match for the ownership of the M.I.T.B briefcase. Naomi is first out to the ring, Zoey Stark, Lyra Valkyria (she is my favourite in this match) Tiffany Stratton, Chelsea Green, Iyo Sky. The Ladies are giving it all they have. I have to call this the match of the night, “It’s Tiffy Time” Tiffany Stratton is the new owner of the M.I.T.B Briefcase.

You have to love the Michael Cole cam view of his reactions to the night’s events.

4 weeks from tonight is Summerslam

**MAIN EVENT — Bloodline facing Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton. This will be very nasty. As much as I would love for Cody/Kevin/Randy to win, I can’t see it happening. (6 man tag team at some point usually falls apart) Solo says that Roman will not return and that Solo will take care of Cody, getting the belt back. Once the Ref was taken out, it was on for young and old. I knew it was not going to end well, for Cody/Kevin/Randy. In the end, it would be Solo who would pin Cody. **For me, it was a poor match. Figured at some point that Cody would have to lose, that comes along with being a baby face. One of the chants tonight was “We want Roman” As much as I hated Roman as a heel, (they say if you have feelings for the character being portrayed, they are playing it well.)

Looking forward to the return of Roman, will he have Jimmy/Paul Heyman with him. The other return I am looking forward to is Rhea coming back to claim The Women’s Title. I hope it’s when Liv least expects it.

It was a good show, but the Universe was not as good as the crowd in France, they will take the cake for how loud they got, and there were times when the crowd cracked triple digits on the decibel meter.

See you tomorrow for NXT Heatwave

Final Smackdown before M.I.T.B

Sending Love and Prayers to Kevin Owens, his Mom is in the hospital and has been fighting like hell

Jey Uso in the ring, who has been joined by L.A. Knight cutting a promo for the Men’s Ladder match. Carmelo Hayes has been added to the mix. Slowly all the guys are coming out to the ring, next is Chand Gable, with Andrade not far behind. Can’t forget Drew McIntyre. Who is telling everyone who will listen that he has been screwed over and over and this case is his. No one will stop him from getting what he thinks he rightfully his, the Men’s World title. At the time of writing this, the Main Event is Damien Priest facing Seth Rollins.

Street Profits Facing Pretty Deadly — Prety Deadly tried everything to slow down the boys but in the end, Ford and Dawkins were too strong. The only positive I can say is that Pretty Deadly had pretty tights on.

Bianca/Jade facing Candace/Indi in a Women’s Tag match. Jade/Bianca is on the road back to getting another title match, getting the titles back that they never lost.

Bayley is in a match with Piper Niven. Bayley got the win but it was help from those ladies who are taking part in the Ladies Ladder match tomorrow. Nia Jax showed up beating the crap out of Bayley but it was Michin with the help of a Kendo stick got rid of Nia. Next Friday there is a match between Michin and Nia.

**MAIN EVENT — D.I.Y facing A-town Down Under for the Smackdown Tag Team titles. It’s getting nasty. It was on for young and old, but Johnny Gargano made Greyson Waller tap out. Congrats to D.I.Y

Final NXT before Heatwave

The show opens tonight with a street fight between Jiada Parker and Michin. This is a match that can get really ugly really quickly. Basically, anything goes. You must pin your opponent in the ring to win the match. They beat the hell out of each other. The ringside is a mess. I have no clue how Jaida hung on but she did for the win.

Tag Team Action — The New Catch Republic facing Hank/Tank. Pete and Tyler had their hands full but got the win.

Lola Vice/Roxanne Perez in the ring for a faceoff before Heatwave.

Izzi Dame was in a match with Brinley Reece. It was an ok match until Tatum Paxley showed up, and then it got weird. Izzi with the win.

Miles Borne from No Quarter Catch Crew facing Oro Mensah (banned from Heatwave) from Meta-Four.

Wes Lee facing Obi Fema for the North American Title. It’s his last time as long as Oba holds the title. To be honest, I am not sure Wes can pull this off but anything can happen.

Wendy Choo has done a repackage reminding me of Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. Wendy is facing newcomer, Carlee Bright.

Contract Signing for the Men’s NXT Title with Trick Williams, Ethan Page, Je’Von Evans and Shawn Spears. After all that talk, Trick and Je’Von out Ethan and Shawn through the tables in the ring used for the Contract signing.

Final RAW before M.I.T.B

Congratulations to Reha Ripley/Buddy Matthews who tied the knot recently. Also to Angelo Dawkins who recently got married.

This is the final show before travelling to Canada for Money in the Bank.

There are 2 more triple-threat matches to name the final entrants into the ladder matches.

The show is opening with Jey Uso. The fireflies are out in force. (I did read that he would be very happy to return the fireflies if needed. (The rumour is that Jey will win the match) Chad Gable is out to the ring. (Yeet is a slang word that means to throw) Chad ran his mouth and Jey took him out. Wyatt’s family stalking Chad.

Corey Graves sitting in for Pat who is away tonight with his family, Pat’s Father-in-law recently passed away.

Liv Morgan putting the Women’s World Title on the line against Zelina Vega. Dirty Dom and Rey are both at ringside keeping an eye on their respective ladies of the group. Dom tries to get Zelina to use a chair on Liv but Zelina uses it on Dom instead. Liv even used Rhea’s finishing move on Zelina. (Liv is definitely a heel in my book. I can’t wait for Rhea’s return. I have a feeling it will be when we least expect it. )

Rey Mysterio facing Dirty Dom in singles action.

Xavier Woods is in the ring facing Karron Kross. This can’t end well for Woods. OK, I spoke too soon, it was Woods with a sneak-inside cradle stealing the win.

Seth Rollins on the way to the ring. Cutting a promo for Sunday at M.I.T.B. Finn Balor is out talking to Seth, about how he does not like how things are changing. Seth just told Finn he is jealous that Damien has what he wants. Finn tried to take out Seth but in the end, it was Damien, who laid out Seth. (I can’t see Seth winning on Sunday but prove me wrong)

Triple Threat match for the Women’s M.I.T.B, final spot with Dakota Kai/Zoey Stark/Ivy Nile. With some help from the current women’s Tag Title holders (Alba Fire/Isla Dawn), Zoey Stark booked her ticket to Toronto.

Rey Mysterio facing Dirty Dom, I fully expect to see Liv Morgan sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong. Thanks to a comedy of errors, it was Rey that got the win.

Sami is in the ring cutting a promo for M.I.T.B. Sami is facing Braun Brekker. Braun has joined Sami in the ring. It did not end well for Sami.

Men’s Triple Threat Match for the M.I.T.B final spot. Drew McIntyre/Ilja Draginov/Sheamus. This can go any way. Drew will stop at nothing to win the match, and also to get the case if he does win. It was a hell of a match but it was Drew in the end with the hard-fought win.

Smackdown Live Notes

This week’s show is coming from Madison Square Garden in New York City

All hell has broken loose as Bloodline arrives heading to the ring and is met by Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes. (These 6 men are due to meet in a 6-man tag team at M.I.T.B

Ladies Triple Threat match for the right to enter the M.I.T.B Ladder match — Candice LeRae/Jade Cargill/Tiffany Straton. (I have read that Creative are looking at Tiffany Straton to win the briefcase) With approval from Nia Jax, Tiffany with the win. Thanks to outside interference from Indi Hartwell.

Santos Escobar/L.A. Knight/Logan Paul in a Triple Threat match for the right to enter the Men’s M.I.T.B ladder match. No clue why Paull is in this match, with already holding a belt. (It’s time for Logan to lose the belt and go away) Of course, here come the brass knuckles. L.A Knight with the win. Paul tried everything to make sure that Knight lost. There is one spot left which should be filled on RAW.

Second Women’s Triple Threat Ladder Match with Naomi/Blair Davenport/Indi Hartwell. Give Jade Cargill the assist Naomi is moving on. The final spot filled on RAW on Monday.

Next week, DIY takes on A-town Down Under for the Smackdown Tag Team Belts.

Bloodline has taken out Paul Hayman. Putting him through the announcer’s table. Solo has taken over the head of the table.

RAW Notes

Getting ready for Money in the Bank

The Miz is filling in for Pat McAfee.

Drew has shown up in the ring after he took out CM Punk. Bragging about what he did.

Braun Brekker is on his way to the ring. Facing Ludwig Kaiser. It was OK until Sheamus showed up, taking out Kaiser but Braun had the last word.

**Official — Sami Zayne defending the Intercontentional Title against Braun Brekker

Women’s Triple Threat qualifying match with Lyra Valkyria/Shayna Baszler/Kairi Sane, with the winner heading to the Money in the Bank Ladder, match. Lyra is heading to Toronto.

Braun Strowman/Bronson Reed/Chad Gable in a Triple Threat match with the winner moving on to the Men’s M.I.T.B ladder match. That match was rubbish, Judgement Day took out Braun, and Chad managed a win over Bronson Reed. Chad went hunting for Otis, Akira and Maxine trying to suck up, saying that things have changed, and he wanted them back.

Nikki Cross from the Wyatt 6 showed up, giving Cole a videotape. It was played on air, showing an interview between Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy. Bo talked about how much he missed his brother.

Women’s Tag match with Alba Fire/Isla Dawn facing Katana Chance/Keyden Carter.

Damien Priest/Seth Rollins are in the ring together cutting a promo for their match at M.I.T.B. Gunter joined the conservation, just wishing the best man to win. ( I am reading that the match between Gunther/Damien at Summer Slam is already set. I can see that Gunther will take the belt. )

Finn Balor/J.D. challenge for the Raw Tag titles currently being held by R-Truth/The Miz. Eventually, the match fell apart, Thanks to help from Dom/Liv Morgan Finn/J.D. took the titles.

**Rumour is that there is a plan in place for Rhea to return, even if she is not medically cleared. Also, possible rumour that Buddy Mathews could be returning with her. They are hoping for Rhea to return in time for the title match at Summer Slam

NXT Notes

Our Condolences to Roman Reigns on the loss of his Father and to Pat McAfee on the loss of his Father-in-Law

The show opens with a tag team turmoil with the winner getting a title shot at Heatwave. My favorite team, New Catch Republic is taking part. Rules are 2 teams start, once you have been eliminated by pin, submission or count out, the next team is out. Tyler/Pete with the win but now face Angel/Humberto. Tyler/Pete move on to face Anderson/Gallows. Tyler/Pete took care of them, now facing Chase University. It was a hell of a win but Chase University is heading to heatwave.

I can’t stand Ethan Page, need I say more.

Wes Lee facing Joe Coffee. With that win by Wes, he earns 1 final title shot at the North American Title that Oba Femi holds. If Wes loses, he can’t compete again for the title as long as Oba is holding it.

Tony D’Dangelo holds on to the Heritage Cup. Nathan Frazer gave Tony one hell of a fight.

Roxy had a match, beating Petra. Lola Vice was at ringside, after the match Lola joined Roxy in the ring but Lola knocked Roxy out, taking her title. Lola returned the title to Ava, telling her that she wanted a match at Heatwave.

The Men’s NXT Title match at Heatwave is now a Fatal 4 way

Fallout from Clash on Smackdown

One thing I am interested in seeing is the fallout from Cody’s match with A.J. Also is there a set-up for Cody facing Solo at M.I.T.B or will that match be at Summerslam. The only match we know for sure at Money is Seth Rollins facing Damien Priest for the World title that Damien holds right now. Rumour is that Creative is planning on Damien/Gunther at SummerSlam with Gunther taking the title.

Tonight’s show is in Chicago, CM Punk’s home city.

(Drew quitting WWE is storyline related. Also, Drew’s wife recently had surgery, it is a way of getting him off to be with her) Drew has shown up, beating the crap out of CM, he is being tended to by medical staff as they went to commercial.

Punk in the ring to open the show, OMG Paul Heyman just walked out. Paul basically told CM to run because Solo and his goonies were on the way. It was 3 on one until Cody showed up with a couple of baseball bats. Cody wants Solo one on on with everyone banned from ringside. This match is now official

Triple threat match for the ladies with Bianca Belair/Chelsea Green/ Michin. I have no clue but she played it right in a match like this. Bianca/Michin did all the work but Chelsea with the win. (this could keep Bianca free to join Jade to retake the Tag Titles.

Triple threat match for the guys with Tama Tonga/Carmelo Hayes/Randy Orton. This should be interesting. Carmelo Hayes with the steal of the year as he pins Randy for the win. In the second Men’s triple threat, with Bloodline taking out Kevin, it was Andrade getting the win over Kevin/Greyson Waller.

MAIN EVENT — Cody on his way to the ring, his entrance always gives me goosebumps. This is not going to end well, if it does, I will be surprised. Kevin told Cody he had his back, in turn, Cody reassured Kevin that he does have a plan and that it’s OK.

4th Member of the Bloodline has shown up as Jacob Fatu. This makes life interesting now. I can’t believe that I am about to write this sentence.

Roman, Where are you and are you seeing all of this?