Posted on 3/03/126 by Bob Magee
Date: March 2, 2026
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
The Big Takeaway —
CM Punk and Roman Reigns had their latest war of words.
Reigns got the last word in their first encounter, while
Punk got it here. After Reigns threatened to retire Punk,
Punk threatened to bury Reigns next to his father.
Also, Penta won the Intercontinental Championship.
**********
Show Recap —
There was a full recap video of all four matches at
Elimination Chamber, plus the debut of Danhausen (no crowd
reaction included, of course).
CM Punk and AJ Lee, Judgment Day (minus Finn Bálor), and
Gunther arrived at the arena.
They abruptly cut to Paul Heyman as he led Logan Paul and
Austin Theory to the ring. Heyman wasn’t interested in
starting the show the same way as always. So he gave us a
talking segment. Heyman said, “I hate to piss on everyone’s
parade, but excuse me while I whip this out. We are here to
talk about Seth freakin’ Rollins.”
Heyman hated Rollins and his song. He said Rollins stole the
credit for co-founding the Vision. He stole the credit for
co-founding the Shield. He didn’t deserve credit for the
Shield, but that wasn’t Heyman’s problem. Rollins stole the
Elimination Chamber and the WrestleMania main event from
Logan Paul.
Heyman said Rollins thieved oxygen from every human being on
the planet that was worthy of living, and Mr. Lynch
(Rollins) was not one of them. They planned on stomping
Rollins’ ass the next time he stepped into a ring. That
wasn’t a spoiler—that was a personal guarantee from the
Vision.
Theory grabbed the mic to cut a useless promo. Fans drowned
him out with “You suck” chants, and he responded, “Rollins
ain’t in the ring right now, so you can’t chant that,” which
is not a good comeback. Paul was pissed because he had
eliminated three people in the Chamber, and the last person
to do that was Brock Lesnar.
Paul called out Rollins, but he got Adam Pearce, who was not
interested in hearing them complain. Pearce also accused
them of taking out Jey Uso last week. Heyman didn’t
appreciate that. Heyman remarked about Rollins, but Pearce
said he would deal with Rollins personally because he wasn’t
cleared to compete.
If you thought they were done with the masked men, you were
wrong. Three different masked men appeared in the crowd, and
they were chased away by the two idiots, Theory and Paul, as
well as Pearce’s security.
That left Heyman alone in the ring. A fourth masked man
appeared in the aisle, now abandoned by Pearce, who also
fell for Rollins’ trick. Heyman pleaded with him as a fifth
masked man appeared behind Heyman.
Rollins unmasked and hit Heyman in the back with a steel
chair (like he did to Roman Reigns). Rollins curb stomped
Heyman as the crowd went wild. Rollins left through the
crowd as medical staff checked on Heyman.
Heyman was dragged away during a break, and his face was
covered in fake blood. After the break, Theory and Paul ran
to check on Heyman as he was being loaded into an ambulance.
Paul left to get their car while Theory remained.
Theory wanted the ambulance to leave, but it didn’t. Theory
checked on an SUV that pulled up, thinking it was Paul, but
it was actually Jimmy Uso. Jimmy punched Theory and tossed
him into some equipment boxes. Jimmy checked on the
ambulance driver, who was LA Knight. Knight said he’d take
great care of Heyman, and he drove off.
********
Gunther vs. Dragon Lee
Dragon Lee attacked Gunther from behind during his entrance.
He blindsided Gunther a few weeks ago, got beaten up, and it
happened again here. Gunther fought him off and gave him a
back body drop into the timekeeper’s area.
The match started during a break, and Gunther dominated
throughout the break, when they came back from break, and
through a second break. (Dragon got a brief flash of
offence, but Gunther blocked his dive attempt and cut him
down with a chop.)
Dragon fired back in time from them to return from break. He
hit an enziguri and a low dropkick, but Gunther cut him off
with a powerslam and hit two consecutive powerbombs. Gunther
covered Lee and had it won, but lifted him up at the two
count.
Gunther rolled Lee outside the ring before powerbombing him
into the edge of the ring and onto the announce table.
Gunther could have taken a count-out win, but he left the
ring to try another powerbomb, but Lee countered into a
sunset flip. Lee followed with a suicide dive and Operation
Dragon.
Lee almost won by count-out, but Gunther slipped back in at
nine. Lee managed to drop Gunther with a clothesline (after
trying unsuccessfully a few times earlier).
Lee fired up and went for Operation Dragon again, but
Gunther caught him in a sleeper. As they started going down
to the mat, Gunther ripped Lee’s mask off (and you could see
his face for a split second). Lee immediately tapped out as
a result.
Match result: Gunther defeated Dragon Lee (14:19)
This was pretty fun by the end. Dragon Lee firing back after
getting powerbombed on the apron and the table was a bit
much, though. The crowd was into this, and it already seems
like a much better crowd than they’ve had the past few
weeks.
********
Asuka admonished Kairi Sane backstage until Sane was stunned
into silence. AJ Lee walked by and checked on Sane, who was
frozen and staring out into space until Asuka called her
away. AJ made her way to the ring.
AJ Lee segment
Lee said she wasn’t sure how they got here. She returned to
snatch the pretty hair off Becky Lynch’s big-ass head, but
she wound up snatching her title. There was a modest, “You
deserve it” chant.
She said the fans thought she could still go. They believed
in her and had her back for a decade. They remembered her
when some people wished that they would forget. They made
her believe that she could still fight the very best.
That’s exactly what Lynch was. She was the best of the best,
but Lee beat her. Lynch gave her the fight of her life—and
she had the scars to prove it—but she proved to herself she
could still be championship material. She was still who she
thought she was. But now that “Becky boo-boo” was behind
her, WrestleMania was ahead of her.
She wanted to be a fighting champion. It’s been 12 years
since she won a title, and she wouldn’t waste any time. She
called on anyone who wanted a shot because she planned on
defending the Intercontinental Championship the next time
she stepped into the ring.
********
The Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable) wished Penta
luck on his IC title match, but said he’d be first in line
for a title match if he won. Penta was cool with this.
El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and the other two
confronted the Original after Penta left. Kaiser referenced
their upcoming match on the next AAA show on March 14th.
Gable wanted to fight tonight, but would gladly face Bravo
or Rayo instead.
Liv Morgan promo
Liv Morgan cut a pre-taped promo on Stephanie Vaquer. She
said Vaquer didn’t know anything about her or her struggles.
But Vaquer was right about her being privileged. She got
signed to WWE when she was 20 years old, while Vaquer was
rejected in her first tryout. She had the best of the best,
while Vaquer grew up with mud hut wrestling in flea-infested
rings. That all happened because Morgan was a star.
Morgan didn’t dwell on her past as Vaquer did. Despite
everything that’s happened, she sees some of herself in
Vaquer. She was hard-working, talented, and a great
champion. So Morgan would give her something at WrestleMania
—the privilege of facing the Liv Morgan.
********
Original El Grande Americano vs. Rayo Americano (w/ El
Grande Americano & Bravo Americano)
Gable Americano had control until a Kaiser Americano
distraction allowed Rayo to hit a dive and take control
through a break. Gable fought back in time for them to
return from break. Gable tried ripping off the masks of
Bravo and Rayo, but the distractions allowed Kaiser to hit a
headbutt. Rayo followed with a running headbutt and a diving
headbutt for a nearfall.
More distractions and more interference led to a schoolboy
and nearfall for Bravo. Gable came back with a Chaos Theory
suplex for the pinfall win.
Match result: Original El Grande Americano defeated Rayo
Americano (10:10)
It’s about time they move on from this gimmick for Gable. I
know Kaiser has a good thing going in AAA, but the American
crowds aren’t into this anymore, and Gable in particular
feels miscast. Not to mention the other two guys.
********
Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez played darts backstage. Morgan
suggested that Rodriguez challenge AJ Lee for the IC title,
win the belt, and go into Mania as champion. Rodriguez liked
that idea (and acted like she never thought of this).
Dominik Mysterio was stressed out about his title defence.
JD McDonagh said they had his back. Finn Bálor entered the
room. He wasn’t happy about the result on Saturday, but he
was at peace with it.
Dom said they could now focus on his title match. Bálor said
this was something he had to do on his own, like he said
last week. Dom simply meant that he wanted to celebrate with
them post-match. Bálor said they could count on him to
celebrate together.
*******
Rusev and Oba Femi segment
After a clip of Oba Femi beating The Miz on SmackDown, Rusev
marched out through the crowd and stood on the announce
desk. Rusev was tired of hearing about Femi and called him
out for a fight right now.
Femi entered the ring and told Rusev to join him. They
traded right hands, and Femi got the better of it, but Rusev
avoided a chokeslam and hit consecutive kicks. Femi dropped
him with a chokeslam anyway and clotheslined him out of the
ring.
********
Bayley and Lyra Valkyria spoke backstage. They had one of
those conversations that makes you wonder if they ever talk
outside of the show. Bayley was frustrated that they both
missed out on the Chamber, and she felt stuck.
Valkyria didn’t want to see Bayley miss Mania again. She
suggested that Bayley go after AJ Lee and her title. Like
Rodriguez earlier, Bayley somehow never thought of this
idea. Valkyria told Bayley to go talk to Pearce and get a
title match. Bayley was about to leave, but she recalled
costing Valkyria her IC shot with Lynch, so she invited
Valkyria to join her.
Bayley and Valkyria walked to Pearce’s office, which
happened to be around the corner. Iyo Sky left his office
the moment they arrived, and she was not in a good mood.
********
Jimmy Uso vs. Austin Theory
This ended quickly by DQ. Jimmy set up Theory for a splash
through the table, but turned his attention to Paul, who
slipped into the ring. Jimmy attacked Paul as the referee
watched. Theory tried to save Paul but was tackled by Jimmy,
and the referee finally called for a DQ when Paul attacked
Jimmy from behind.
— The Vision hammered away on Jimmy until Jey Uso’s music
hit. Jey appeared from behind (like Rollins earlier) and
slid a crutch to Jimmy. They attacked Paul and Theory with
crutches and laid out Theory with a 1D.
Match result: Jimmy Uso defeated Austin Theory via
disqualification (2:41)
They don’t want Theory to lose, but they’re afraid to have
him beat anybody.
********
Danhausen approached Pearce backstage. (He only received a
modest pop, but at least he wasn’t booed.) Danhausen said he
debuted to thunderous applause, so he had a list of demands
written on a napkin. He wanted a blimp, his face on all the
trucks, a Hall of Fame induction this year, a personal
assistant, and a Triple H pointing photo. Pearce asked why
the napkin was soggy. Danhausen said it fell in the toilet.
Judgment Day walked by, and Pearce took the opportunity to
bail so they could deal with Danhausen instead. Danhausan
was happy to see them, but didn’t know McDonagh’s name.
Danhausen also liked the look of Dom’s IC title belt.
Danhausen cursed Dom, and they laughed him off. But when
they turned their attention back to Danhausen, he was gone.
********
Rhea Ripley interview
Jackie Redmond interviewed Rhea Ripley, accompanied by Iyo
Sky, on the stage. Ripley said it’s been a whirlwind couple
of days. Losing the tag titles on SmackDown sucked. It
especially sucked because Sky meant a lot to her, including
being her best friend. Ripley thanked her for always being
there for her and pulling her out of a dark situation.
Sky said Ripley did the same for her. Sky said Ripley won
the Chamber and showed everyone why Mami was always on top.
Sky told Ripley she would be fine on Raw and told Ripley to
go handle her business and win the title at WrestleMania.
They hugged. (In fact, they held each other the entire
segment until the end.) Ripley said she would win the title
for Sky.
Ripley told Sky to hold down Raw because she was headed to
SmackDown on Friday to see Jade Cargill face-to-face, and at
WrestleMania, she would leave as champion. Sky leaped into
Ripley’s arms.
********
Next week on Raw in Seattle:
Women’s Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender’s
Gauntlet Match: IYO SKY, Lyra Valkyria, Bayley, Raquel
Rodriguez, Asuka and Ivy Nile
Oba Femi vs. Rusev
********
Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) (w/ Finn
Bálor & JD McDonagh) vs. Penta
Penta hit a flip dive, and they went to break one minute
into the match. (I wish I kept track of how many times
that’s happened in a Penta match.) Bálor and McDonagh
watched peacefully while seated at ringside. Penta took too
much time staring them down, which allowed Dom to take over.
Even Michael Cole noted this was Penta’s own fault.
Dom cut off Penta’s comeback attempt after a break and hit
an Edge-o-matic. (Cole had a new name for it, but I’m not
sure what he said.) Dom went for three amigos, but Penta
countered the last suplex into one of his own. Dom cut him
off again, this time with a DDT onto the apron. After Dom
used a dive to take out Penta outside the ring, Dom also hit
a running crossbody, sending them both over the barricade
and into the timekeeper’s area. (Cole said Penta was once
again staring over at Bálor and JD as this happened.)
During a break, Dom tied Penta’s mask to the bottom rope and
stomped away at him. (For whatever reason, they always seem
to do this spot to Penta, and sometimes Dargon Lee, only
during commercial breaks. It’s happened multiple times.)
Penta fought back in time for them to return from break
(again). Penta hit a superkick with Dom trapped upside down
in the corner, followed by a backstabber for two. Penta went
for a Destroyer, but Dom countered into a Michinoku Driver
for two.
Dom went for a frog splash, but Penta blocked it and snapped
his arm, followed by a Penta Driver for a close nearfall. A
frustrated Penta repeatedly booted Dom in the corner until
the referee made him stop. Penta tried driving Dom into the
corner, but Dom ducked, and Penta went shoulder-first into
the post.
Penta sold like he was hurt, so the ref checked on him as
Dom told McDonagh to grab the ring bell hammer. McDonagh
grabbed it, but Bálor stopped him, and the fans cheered. As
McDonagh and Bálor argued, Penta wiped them out with a dive.
Back in the ring, Penta set up a Destroyer, but Dom tripped
him onto the middle rope. However, Penta ducked a 619 and
hit a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. Penta is the
new champion. The crowd was happy.
— Penta posed with his new belt as fireworks went off.
Match result: Penta defeated Dominik Mysterio (16:24)
This was the right call here. Penta was long overdue for a
win like this, and frankly, Dom isn’t much of a champion.
********
Roman Reigns and CM Punk main event segment
Roman Reigns entered. He told Indianapolis to acknowledge
him. They did. Before he could say anything else, CM Punk
entered. They both got big reactions.
Punk asked why Reigns why he was mean-mugging him. Punk was
just feeding his ego and acknowledging him. Punk hoped
Reigns would say more than “acknowledge me” because they pay
a lot of money for one of Reigns’ dates, and that could’ve
been a tweet.
Reigns asked “Phil” if his tweet (following Elimination
Chamber) hurt his feelings because, for a champion, Punk had
thin skin.
Punk said the tweet didn’t hurt his feelings. He didn’t care
what people tweeted. He didn’t hold grudges about what
people said about him on podcasts (like Reigns did). Reigns’
tweet was accurate, though, because Punk was tired. It was a
good thing Punk had bags under his eyes because he had to
carry Reigns’ bullshit all the way to WrestleMania.
Punk said they had history here in Indianapolis. This was
where the Shield debuted and where Punk brought him to the
dance. Reigns corrected him because Punk only brought in the
other two, not him.
Punk said they remembered things differently. But if Punk
didn’t pick him, Reigns certainly picked Punk for the main
event of WrestleMania. If you ask the fans, they’d tell you
he (Punk) already won. The last time they were face-to-face,
Reigns told him that he hated him. Now, Punk said, “I got
you right where I want you. I made you this emotional lady.”
(An odd thing to say, but not the first time Punk’s had a
line like that.) Punk said he was in Reigns’ head—as empty
as it was.
Reigns reiterated that he hated Phil. But if he didn’t have
the title, Phil wouldn’t even be on his radar. Reigns said
we brought Phil back to entertain the 30- to 40-year-old
virgins who lived with their parents. To sell a few t-shirts
and maybe draw a house in Chicago. But not to be the
champion. That was too much responsibility and power for
Punk. It was above his paygrade.
Reigns said we can’t trust Phil because he is a liar. He
lied to the people. He has them thinking that he was having
a good time, that he was a leader, that he was smiling as he
made every town, hanging out with his cousins (the Usos).
But we knew the truth. His cousins told him all about Phil’s
bitching and moaning. He wasn’t CM Punk—he was just a punk-
ass bitch.
Reigns would end Punk’s backup plan (his WWE return) at
WrestleMania. After taking his title, Reigns would put him
on a John Cena retirement tour. They would make as much
money off Punk as they could until they sent him to NXT,
where Punk would teach the next generation until they sent
them to the main roster so the Tribal Chief could snatch
everyone of them.
Reigns was about to leave, but Punk pulled him back. Punk
said they weren’t done. Punk wondered who Reigns meant when
he kept saying “we” because he was all alone. Alone on his
bus, alone in his room. His cousins weren’t with him. The
Shield couldn’t help him. The wiseman was gone because Punk
took him away. This all illustrated Reigns’ entire career:
“You chasing me.”
Punk was the champion, and Reigns was in the main event
because Punk was in the main event. This was Punk’s show. He
was in the locker room and hanging out with the Usos while
Reigns was alone. Reigns could hate him all he wanted, but
Reigns would not disrespect him.
Punk took particular offence to Reigns saying he would
retire him. Because now, Punk said, he wouldn’t just beat
Reigns at Mania, he’d bury him. “And then you won’t be all
alone anymore because I’m going to bury you next to your
father.”
Punk slammed the mic down and left as Reigns was left
speechless.