Posted on 4/29/125 by Bob Magee
Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Paul Heyman segment
Rollins’ music hit, and the crowd popped. They cheered as
all three men hit the ring. They sang Rollins’ song and sang
along with his catchphrase.
He said he knew there were people who still wanted to cheer
for CM Punk. That actually brought a lot of booing until a
small number of people chanted for Punk. That seemed to
catch them a bit off guard. Rollins mentioned Roman Reigns
next, and he was cheered.
Rollins said the fans were looking at the future of the
industry. The future wasn’t Punk, Reigns, John Cena, Jey
Uso, or Cody Rhodes. The future, alongside Heyman and
Breakker, ran through Seth Rollins. (There was also a lot of
barking for Breakker.)
Sami Zayn interrupted. Zayn said they’ve been friends a long
time and wanted to tell him to his face that this was a lot
of crap. Rollins had talked all that trash about Punk and
Reigns for years, while noting that the only thing they had
in common was Heyman. Zayn wondered how Rollins was any
different.
Zayn used to think Rollins really did hate those two men,
but maybe he was just jealous. Maybe he just wanted to be in
the position they were in. Zayn called it hypocritical for
Rollins to think he had to be at the centre of the industry
and compared it to the Bloodline.
Rollins said this was nothing like the Bloodline, but Zayn
said it was just like the Bloodline, because Rollins had his
wise man on one side and his little dog on the other. Zayn
warned Breakker to stop looking at him, or else he’d get his
head kicked in. They got face-to-face until Rollins calmed
things down.
Rollins said this was the future, and Zayn could be with
them or against them. That wasn’t meant to be a threat, but
if he stood in their way, he was a target. Rollins didn’t
want that for Zayn. He offered to have Heyman pull some
strings and get Zayn moved off of Raw so he didn’t get
caught in the crossfire. Rollins earnestly told him to think
about it because they would need an answer by the end of the
night.
(They’re a heel group, but the crowd certainly didn’t treat
them like that. The only heelish thing about Rollins so far
is that he doesn’t like two babyfaces, Punk and Reigns, but
we already knew that.)
********
Ripley entered ahead of break, Perez entered during the
break.
Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez
This was their second match ever, with the first happening
in NXT in 2022.
They played cat and mouse early until Perez chucked her ring
jacket at Ripley’s face and chop-blocked her. Perez
maintained control by working the leg, but Ripley caught her
flying crossbody attempt and hit a fallaway slam. Some
children chanted, “This is awesome,” a couple of minutes
into the match after not much happened.
Perez regained control during a break and kept targeting the
leg. Ripley fought back while selling her leg and hit a
Razor’s Edge and a sliding knee for two.
Giulia walked out to distract Ripley while Perez cradled her
for two. Perez followed with a double knee drop for two.
Ripley went after Giulia, who was just standing there, and
Perez tried to use the distraction, but Ripley fought her
off.
Ripley went for Rip-tide, but Guilia chop-blocked her from
behind for the DQ. Cole wondered what they were trying to
accomplish.
Iyo Sky ran out to a big reaction to make the save, repaying
the favour from last week. The heels outnumbered Sky, but
Ripley came back in to chase them off.
Match result: Rhea Ripley defeated Roxanne Perez via
disqualification (11:49)
*******
Judgment Day segment
Finn Bálor excitedly welcomed JD McDonagh back (and acted
like they hadn’t seen each other since the moment their
segment ended last week). As they caught up, Liv Morgan
interrupted to ask if everything was cool and wondered why
they weren’t getting ready for their match.
Bálor was surprised to learn he had a match tonight.
McDonagh thought Morgan had already told him that they had a
match against the War Raiders. Morgan wasn’t sure Bálor
would like hearing that since it wasn’t a title match. Bálor
was happy to have the match, but wanted them to keep him in
the loop next time.
********
Jackie Redmond interviewed A-Town Down Under during the
break. Austin Theory put over the Kansas City Chiefs, while
Grayson Waller congratulated the Philadelphia Eagles on
beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Waller informed them
that he had a singles match next week. Theory was surprised
and upset to learn this.
Logan Paul / Jey Uso segment
Paul wondered why he was getting booed after beating AJ
Styles at WrestleMania. He called the fans victims of
circumstance because they were from Kansas City. They didn’t
know what greatness looked like. They were so stupid to
think a true legend would look like their current world
champion, Jey Uso. Paul said he’s done everything there is
to do in the industry except win a world title.
Jey Uso interrupted. Jey said he wasn’t about to hand over
the world title he worked 15 years to get to some punk-ass
YouTuber. Watching Gunther beat his brother to a bloody pulp
lit a fire under him that was never going out. “This title
is not given, it’s earned—and it’s mine.” If Paul wanted it,
Jey invited him to take it.
Paul mocked his Yeeting and said he sounded stupid. Paul
planned on taking the title, while Jey would crash out,
screw up and lose it faster than he lost the
Intercontinental Championship.
Jey laid him out with a superkick, and the crowd popped.
Jey was good here, and he got a superstar reaction.
********
New Day joined commentary for the next match. Cole liked
Xavier Woods’ haircut because it was the same as Alicia
Taylor’s. Woods said he had the hairstyle way before she
did.
The War Raiders vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh (w/Carlito)
Woods said we were only impressed by Ivar’s offence because
he was “fat.” Kingston tried to say he was big-boned, but
Woods made sure to call him fat repeatedly. Woods said Bálor
had a lot of abs, while Ivar was ab-sent. Cole said he
should’ve been in the roast. (The last bit happened during a
break.)
Ivar made a comeback after a break, as Woods continued to
make cracks about his weight. Woods was impressed by his
moonsault, though. Ivar went for the moonsault but took too
long while looking over at New Day, so Bálor moved out of
the way.
McDonagh tagged in and wiped out the Raiders with an Asai
moonsault. McDonagh followed with a moonsault in the ring,
but Erik broke up the cover. Ivar hit a double handspring
elbow as Woods continued to mock him. Kingston said he can
easily do that move.
Ivar grabbed Bálor and chucked him into New Day at ringside
as they continued to talk trash. Woods actually caught
Bálor, so Ivar tackled them all to the ground.
Carlito tried to distract the referee to help his team, but
Penta suddenly appeared and dropped McDonagh off the top
rope (as payback for last week). Erik and Ivar followed with
War Machine for the pinfall win.
Match result: The War Raiders defeated JD McDonagh & Finn
Bálor (10:34)
********
Otis met with Zayn backstage, but left after Heyman entered.
Heyman said he and Zayn were OG Bloodline. Zayn said that
might be true, but Heyman blew that all up after what he
did.
Heyman said Rollins viewed himself as the vanguard of the
industry’s future, and Breakker was his dog at the gate.
Breakker was demanding a match with Zayn, and they couldn’t
say no to that because Bron was the key to their plans.
However, Rollins held Zayn in such reverence that if he
accepted a trade to SmackDown, he would get a pass.
Heyman already spoke to Aldis. If Zayn accepted Rollins’
offer, he would face the winner of John Cena vs. Randy Orton
for the title. Heyman urged him to think about his future
and his family. He said Zayn could live in the future or die
with the past. (Zayn seemed to be taking this under
consideration.)
********
Jeff Passan and Ryan Blaney were in the crowd.
There was a video package of Becky Lynch’s turn last week.
They added a ton of fake booing that did not happen.
Becky Lynch / Lyra Valkyria segment
Lynch entered to a mixed reaction. She said Bayley was
tragically taken out of her WrestleMania match, but there
wouldn’t be any murder mystery or weeks-long who did it. She
examined the footage and found the culprit — “It was me! I
did it!”
Lynch was amused with herself until people booed. She told
them not to act like she was the bad guy. Bayley has
attacked her nonstop since 2019. Bayley never apologized to
her.
Lynch said Bayley forgot what this industry was all about.
She begged for people to like her while she wore everyone
else’s shirts and danced to their songs. Bayley wondered why
she wasn’t a bigger star, but she saw a bigger star when
Lynch walked out at WrestleMania.
Lynch moved on to Lyra Valkyria. She said the friend of her
enemy was her enemy. Valkyria would not be in this business
if not for her. Lynch had high hopes for Valkyria, but Lynch
watched at home while she cozied up to the woman she’s been
fighting for six years. Lynch called her a loser for tagging
with Bayley.
Valkyria interrupted. She said many women in the back warned
her about Lynch. Bayley was the first. Valkyria didn’t want
to believe them. She was caught up in the fairytale dream of
winning the tag titles with Lynch at Mania.
It took Valkyria too long to realize it, but after three
consecutive Man-handle slams last week, she realized who
Lynch was—and now she would pay for it. Valkyria entered the
ring, but Lynch bailed. (Some fans were giving Valkyria the
What treatment, but she got them on her side by asking if
they wanted to see a fight.)
Valkyria tried to egg on Lynch by reminding her that she
beat her the last time they wrestled. Lynch said she would
only wrestle when it mattered, and Kansas City didn’t
matter. Valkyria wasn’t surprised, so she suggested
Backlash. Valkyria also put her title on the line because
she knew Lynch wouldn’t accept otherwise.
Lynch said she would make the title matter, just like she
made Valkyria matter. Valkyria told her to shut up. Valkyria
made herself matter. She would be a better person than
Lynch, and she was already a better wrestler.
Lynch started ranting, so Valkyria attacked her, but Lynch
bailed through the crowd. It seemed like the segment was
wrapping up with Valkyria posing on the stage, but Lynch
dropped her from behind.
********
Aldis met with Penta backstage. Aldis didn’t appreciate
Penta getting involved in the match earlier. Aldis let him
off with a warning because he didn’t want to fine him. Aldis
let him know he would be wrestling McDonagh next week. (Why
weren’t the heels admonished for interfering last week?)
Chad Gable (with Ivy Nile) mocked Penta for dropping the
ball at Mania. Gable said his favourite part was watching
his useless brother Fénix lose to El Grande Americano. Penta
dropped him with a kick and told him not to mess with the
Lucha Bros.
********
There was a Rusev video package. He left WWE and fell into
the abyss. He fixed himself while he was there. He realized
he should no longer fight for a woman for a flag. He was
free to crush people, not because he was told to, but
because he wanted to.
Non-title match: NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs.
Ivy Nile (w/Chad Gable)
Vaquer hit Devil’s Kiss to the delight of the crowd. Nile
blocked it earlier, which the crowd didn’t appreciate. After
a break, Vaquer did it again. Vaquer hit a Meteora in the
corner, but Gable put Nile’s feet on the rope.
Vaquer confronted Gable, but Nile dropped her with a German
suplex outside the ring. Nile hit another one in the ring
for two. Nile went to the top, but Vaquer hit her with
headbutts before hitting a superplex for a nearfall. The
crowd chanted, “This is awesome.”
Nile countered Vaquer’s finisher with a uranage for two.
Vaquer trapped Nile in the ropes and hit a superkick. Vaquer
followed with a dragon screw and SVB for the pinfall win.
This was a pretty good TV match. The crowd liked Vaquer.
Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Ivy Nile (9:33)
********
Aldis met with AJ Styles until they were interrupted by Liv
Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Dominik Mysterio. Morgan
apologized in advance for tanking the ratings because she
needed time off to film a big Hollywood movie. Aldis granted
her the time off and said it was already taken care of.
Dom wanted time off, too. Aldis wondered why, and Dom said
he was the IC champ and he could do what he wanted. Aldis
said no. Being the champion meant working more often.
Dom suggested he find a retirement home for Styles and
wondered if he broke his hip, like his deadbeat dad did.
Styles said no, but offered to break something else.
Judgment Day left, while Dom held up his belt so Styles
could see it. Styles had an idea, and Aldis already knew
what it was.
********
Karrion Kross met with Zayn. Kross said Zayn had a big
decision to make and hoped he made the right one. (Kross
wore his hair like Zayn. He did not get the big reaction he
got last week.)
********
Pat McAfee promo
McAfee cut a promo while standing on the announce table.
McAfee said a lot of people have forgotten who the hell he
was. He’s had such a successful career on the microphone
that even he has forgotten who he is. He looked in the
mirror and realized he was still that dog that was born in
the East Hills of Pittsburgh to a truck driver who lived
paycheck to paycheck to paycheck.
He was not handed a lot in this life, but he was blessed to
have a lot of friends. He went from being a bum to being
someone known in every city in the country. He wasn’t
better-looking than most folks, but he had things he hoped
people remembered him by.
When he was six feet under, he hoped people would speak
about how hard he worked. He received a lot and gave back a
lot. He gave millions of dollars back to his community. To
children’s hospitals across the country, military
foundations, homeless shelters, and LGBTQ communities.
He wanted people to say he left the world better than when
he entered it. Most of all, he wanted people to say he was a
loyal motherf—ker. (This was censored.)
There was one man who was with him from the beginning, the
greatest of all time, Michael Cole. People chanted for Cole.
McAfee had no other option than to protect his boy when that
Austrian asshole attacked him. McAfee dropped an f-bomb
again when addressing Gunther. He called out “SmackDown’s
version of Adam Pearce.”
Aldis entered. Aldis said Pearce might like chaos to reign
supreme, but he wasn’t in charge tonight. Aldis told him to
be professional. McAfee wanted Aldis to lift Gunther’s ban
so he could fight him ASAP. Aldis said no. The two of them
were too valuable as assets to the company.
Aldis had a proposal: a sanctioned contest inside the ring.
(I assume that’s what McAfee was asking for in the first
place.) Aldis proposed a singles match at Backlash. McAfee
accepted and threw down the mic.
********
Jey Uso met with Zayn. Jey knew he would make the best
decision for himself. Zayn thanked him and they hugged.
The camera stayed on Jey for a while until Logan Paul
punched him out.
********
There was a quick segment with Sky and Ripley. Ripley wanted
Sky to know she didn’t need her help, and Sky quipped,
“Looked like you did.” (Sky will be on tomorrow’s NXT.)
Next week on Raw:
Rusev vs. Otis
Penta vs. JD McDonagh
********
Seth Rollins / Sami Zayn segment
Rollins entered alone and called out Zayn. Rollins tried to
reason with him. Zayn may not like Heyman and Breakker, but
Rollins and Zayn were friends. Zayn celebrated with Jey last
week because they were friends.
Rollins said nobody was better suited to lead them into the
future than him. It hurt that Zayn didn’t believe in him.
The business tore friendships apart. They’ve both
experienced that. He wondered how many true friends they
could still count on. Zayn was one of Rollins’ true friends.
Rollins turned to Zayn for advice when his baby girl was
born.
Rollins wanted to return the favour by giving Zayn advice
that would save his life: Take the way out. Take whatever
Heyman offered him. If Zayn didn’t believe in him, bad
things would happen, and Rollins didn’t want that.
Zayn said he was sorry if he had hurt him as a friend.
Everything he said about them was true. They were real
friends outside of the business, as were their kids.
However, Zayn knew Rollins was playing games with what he
said in the ring.
Zayn admitted that Rollins was better than he was at doing
that. Rollins knew what card to play because Zayn confided
in him over the years about the one thing that nagged at
him. The one thing he wanted was the WWE Championship, and
now Rollins was dangling that in front of him. Zayn was
never one to run away.
Zayn said Rollins talked about hurt feelings, but Zayn
wouldn’t just stand there while his friend threatened him.
He didn’t care if he was a target because he’s been a target
many times before. But Zayn wouldn’t dare be blackmailed or
threatened.
Zayn fired up and insisted that he would become a world
champion one day, but it would not be due to a favour; it
would be because he did it the right way. Zayn said, “So
buddy, as a friend, I respect you. I love you. But this is
me telling you to go to hell.”
Rollins hung his head as Bron’s music hit. Bron entered in
his gear, and I guess we’re having a match.
Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker (w/Seth Rollins & Paul Heyman)
Zayn wrestled in jeans. They went to break after Bron hit a
leaping clothesline off the apron and over the announce
table. Zayn fought back just in time as they returned from
break and hit a sunset flip powerbomb off the ropes for two.
Zayn followed with a tornado DDT for two.
Bron came back with a Frankensteiner, but Zayn blocked a
spear and hit an exploder in the corner. The crowd cheered
as Zayn set up for a Helluva kick, but Bron cut him off with
a spear.
Rollins watched stoically from ringside the entire match.
Rollins nodded at Bron, who hit Zayn with another spear.
Rollins told Zayn to take the deal, but Zayn told him to go
to hell. Zayn pulled himself to his feet but ate a third
spear.
Zayn fell out of the ring, and the referee called for EMTs.
As they checked on Zayn, Bron ran around the ring and killed
him with a fourth spear. Jamie Noble tried to plead with
Bron, but Bron told him to back off.
Bron tossed Zayn back in the ring, but the ref covered Zayn
and called off the match. (Fans kept chanting, “One more
time.”)
— Rollins told Bron that tonight was his first lesson. Zayn
made his bed, and now he had to sleep in it. Rollins stomped
Zayn. Rollins, Heyman, and Breakker stood tall as the show
ended.
This was meant to push Rollins more as a heel, but of
course, the fans sang his song. The crowd did cheer for Zayn
during the match, but it looks like it’ll take a lot more to
turn them completely against Rollins and his group. They
might want to start by changing his music.
Match result: Bron Breakker defeated Sami Zayn via referee
stoppage (12:33)