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With Survivor Series only a few days away, there’s been a void left for Rhea Ripley’s team going into War Games. As one of her teammates was found brutally attacked, it has created the mystery of who was behind the attack and more importantly right now, who will replace her. Being one person short, this has caused some tension among the members of Team Rhea. A match between Bianca Belair and Nia Jax would decide which team would obtain the women’s advantage at War Games. By the time that match was over, we would get an idea of who would fill the void left on Rhea’s team.
Considering that person is someone Bianca has no love lost for, it will make for another interesting story to tell in the women’s War Games match. In addition to that, we had Damien Priest once again get the better of Gunther in brutal fashion, a non-title match that ended in a wild brawl, a sense of optimism for Team Roman heading into Survivor Series, and a very heated argument between Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. As the go-home Raw for Survivor Series, it succeeded in building anticipation for it.
Gunther vs. Damien Priest
Latest Developments
Ever since Gunther lost to Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel, he has noticeably been acting differently. The first sign of this change in behavior was when he oddly said in an interview the following Monday that he along with Ludwig Kaiser needed to do better. Damien Priest then became number one contender for his World Heavyweight Championship that same night, which has since only made his problems worse. Over the last two weeks, Priest has constantly pointed out how much Gunther has lost his aura and how he knows deep down that Priest can beat him. Gunther not only backed down from Priest two weeks ago, he was also knocked down by Priest backstage last week following a failed attack from behind.
This week, Gunther opened Raw with an interview in the ring with Jackie Redmond. As Jackie asked him what his response was to what Priest had been saying about him, Priest interrupted before he could even speak. Priest continued to get inside Gunther’s head by stating the reason he’s been acting differently lately is because he’s never had to deal with a problem like him, adding that that problem was going to take his title this Saturday. As Gunther acted as if he was going to leave, he turned around and hit Priest in the head with a microphone. When the beating continued outside the ring, Priest knocked Gunther into the ring post and then proceeded to hit him with a Razor’s Edge through the announce table. Priest stood over Gunther as he raised the title up in the air and then threw it down on him to end the segment.
Analysis
For it being the final segment between Gunther and Damien Priest before their match, this really delivered. The story between these two has been played out perfectly over the last few weeks and has made for a strong build heading into Survivor Series. Priest laying out Gunther through the announce table with a Razor’s Edge was the ultimate final blow to set things up for this Saturday. The way this has all been built up has made this match feel like a big deal in a way that their Summerslam match didn’t feel like going into it. Out of any PLE match Gunther has had on the main roster, none of them have ever had a storyline with as much substance as this one.
As last week’s segment didn’t feel as impactful because it happened backstage, this week’s more than made up for it. Even though it won’t be the main event, the storyline for this match has been a prime example of how to set up a main event level match for a championship. When this match was first made official, it seemed as if it would just be another title match. Now with Survivor Series a few days away, it’s become one of the main reasons to watch the show. Regardless of who wins (although in a way it’s clear who will), there’s not enough good things to say about the chemistry between these two.
Grade: A
Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Sheamus
Latest Developments
Several weeks ago, Bron Breakker and Sheamus fought to a draw on an episode of Speed. To determine a decisive winner, the two battled each other once again last week with Bron’s Intercontinental Title on the line. Despite it being a classic match, the people were robbed of a clear winner as the match was cut short due to outside interference from Ludwig Kaiser. Kaiser clotheslined Breakker and then hit Sheamus with a brutal drop kick against the steel steps. Taking advice given to him from Gunther earlier that night about being his own man, Kaiser’s interference was his way of making people take notice of him.
This week, Breakker and Kaiser went one on one in a non-title match. This match was very physical as when the two were outside the ring, Breakker missed a Spear and his sternum hit the edge of the announce table. Like last week, this match also ended in disqualification due to Sheamus attacking Kaiser outside the ring.This led to all three men brawling with each other and security coming out to separate them. An angry Adam Pearce then appeared to announce that Breakker, Sheamus, and Kaiser would face each other in a triple threat match at Survivor Series for the Intercontinental Title.
Analysis
After the way last week’s match ended, this was the natural direction to go in. With the performances these three men have put on recently, they deserve to be featured on a show as big as Survivor Series in a title match. Although the match between Kaiser and Breakker was more of an angle than a match, the one part of it that stood out was Breakker hitting the edge of the announce table after the missed Spear. While some may complain about another disqualification finish, it only made sense in order to set up this match. The brawl between the three of them after the match was chaotic, fun, and made for a nice preview for what we will see Saturday.
With the Survivor Series card as stacked as it is with two War Games and a World Heavyweight Championship match, this triple threat match has the potential to be one of the standouts. This is especially a great spot for Kaiser to be in as this will mark his first solo match at a PLE. Although he probably won’t win the title (at least not now), this match will be his chance to establish on a big show that he has much more to offer than just being Gunther’s sidekick. Any match involving any of these men is usually good, and to throw all three of them together will make this one of the best Intercontinental Title matches of the whole year. With the talent in this match, this triple threat could potentially be ranked on the same level as the one between Gunther, Sheamus, and Drew McIntyre from WrestleMania 39.
Grade: B
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The Bloodline Saga
Latest Developments
Over the last few weeks, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Jimmy & Jey Uso have struggled to find a fifth man for their team for War Games. After several refusals from Seth Rollins, the four of them went into a confrontation last Friday on Smackdown with Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tamma Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Bronson Reed still a man short. The confrontation was interrupted with the familiar words “ladies and gentlemen” as the returning Paul Heyman would appear. Heyman stated that War Games wouldn’t be five versus four, but it would be five versus five. “Cult of Personality” then played throughout the arena and CM Punk would come out as he taped his fists, entered the ring, and helped Roman’s team fight off Solo’s team to end the show.
This week, Sami, Jimmy & Jey were backstage being interviewed by Cathy Kelly. Sami mentioned that considering their history and from what they had all been told, Roman and Punk were going to sit down and talk this Friday on Smackdown. While Sami did question whether they could all trust Punk, Jimmy assured him that they could because Heyman said so. Jimmy continued by stating with Heyman and now their fifth man, all they needed was Jey to defeat Jacob Fatu on Friday to give their team the men’s advantage for War Games. Jey ensured he would whoop Jacob’s ass and come Saturday; they were going to war.
Analysis
Although Seth Rollins being the fifth man on Roman’s team seemed like a foregone conclusion, CM Punk being that fifth man instead spices things up. The return of Paul Heyman on Friday was a nice surprise as it felt like we wouldn’t see him until Survivor Series night. However, having him come back sooner to introduce Punk was a better idea as it adds a lot more anticipation to the match as opposed to it all remaining a mystery. Seeing Punk and Roman share a ring for the first time in over a decade was a sight to see, and it’s going to be interesting to hear what they have to say to each other in their talk this Friday. Also, with this year’s Survivor Series being the one-year anniversary of Punk’s return, it was only right that he would be a part of this match.
One person on Raw that was noticeably missing was Rollins. Even though he refused to be on Roman’s team multiple times, Punk now being on the team instead is likely going to set him off. With his noticeable absence this week, there’s a strong chance that he could play a factor in the outcome of War Games on Saturday. Another person to watch out for is Heyman as considering that Jimmy said that they could trust Punk because Heyman said they could, it could mean that Heyman is up to something. With the personalities involved and how long this has all been building, this feels like the biggest main event for a Survivor Series since 2016.
Grade: B
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods
Latest Developments
Over the last few months, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods have just not been able to get on the same page. Ego trips and miscommunications have led to countless losses and arguments between the two. Two weeks ago, Kofi got upset at Xavier for interfering in his match with Pete Dunne, which caused him to lose the match due to the distraction. When Kofi was talking to Alpha Academy backstage last week, Xavier interrupted and then insulted Alpha Academy before challenging them to a match against him and Kofi for this week.
After watching a promo package hyping up their upcoming 10-year anniversary before the match, Xavier and Kofi agreed to squash their issues. That truce would be short lived as Xavier unnecessarily tagged himself in as Kofi was about to start the match, which led to Alpha Academy winning the match within one minute. The quick defeat would result in a very heated argument between the two that went from the arena to backstage, in which Xavier pointed out that Kofi was too afraid to go after the WWE Title until Xavier came along, and that he only became champion because of him. Kofi responded by saying the reason Xavier was never a world champion like he and Big E was because he was never good enough, and that wasn’t his fault. Xavier then came back and reminded Kofi how when he was handed Kofi-mania, he pissed it away on a silver platter in six seconds to Brock Lesnar. As the two then got into each other’s faces, they said see you at the anniversary before walking away.
Analysis
This was hands down the best segment between Kofi and Xavier ever since they started teasing tension between them. Even more than that, this segment was the highlight of the whole show. With their 10-year anniversary coming up next week, all of this really set the stage for it. Considering how heated and intense the argument got between them, their split is now inevitable if it wasn’t inevitable before. Kofi and Xavier took every low blow at each other that they could, even mentioning Kofi’s six second loss to Brock Lesnar. With how long this has all been building, their 10-year anniversary must be the main event segment next week.
For as long as they’ve been together and for how much their success has opened the door for other black wrestlers in recent years, it is going to be sad to see the New Day split officially happen. Despite how sad it will be, the way it has stretched out over the last few months has been one of the best parts of Raw. In 10 years, they’ve literally done all they can do as a team and now it’s time to see what the next chapter is for them. Even though he wasn’t advertised, there’s no way they can do a 10-year New Day anniversary without Big E somehow being involved in it. While next week is when we will more than likely see everything implode, it still feels as if this story is strong enough to continue into WrestleMania season.
Grade: A
Team Rhea vs. Team Liv
Latest Developments
Last Friday on Smackdown, Jade Cargill was found unconscious on the hood of a car with bruises all over her face. With the attack, she has now been taken out of War Games with no timetable of when she will return. This week, Team Rhea had to figure out who Jade’s replacement would be. As Naomi suggested Bayley, Bianca Belair was dead set against it due to their history. The two of them and Iyo Sky argued until Rhea Ripley interrupted and said it didn’t matter who the fifth member was as long as they carried their weight and left Liv Morgan for her. An angry Bianca then criticized Rhea’s leadership skills and then told her and the rest of the team to figure it out as she had a match to get ready for.
In the main event of Raw, Bianca went one on one with Nia Jax to decide which team would have the women’s advantage for War Games. The two had a good match that at one point even saw Bianca bench press Nia from the top rope. Later, Nia hit Bianca with a Samoan Drop on the announce table. As the referee was distracted due to counting out Bianca, Bayley pulled Nia down onto the exposed turnbuckle and whispered to Bianca to take advantage. Bianca then hit Nia with a 450 Splash, picked up the win, and smiled at Bayley as the show ended.
Analysis
Jade being taken out the way she did created two mysteries, those mysteries being who took her out and who would replace her on Rhea’s team. With the ending to this match, it pretty much seems like one of those mysteries has been resolved. Even though Bayley has been a babyface since the Royal Rumble, Bianca has still given her the cold shoulder at every turn. With Bayley coming out to help her the way she did, it seems now as if the two are headed for a truce. While it seemed even before Jade’s attack that Bayley would find her way into the match somehow, the attack was a creative way of getting there.
With Jade being out apparently with a legitimate injury, Bayley as her replacement was the most logical route to take. If for some reason Jade ends up missing WrestleMania, it could open the door for the dream match between Bianca and Rhea to finally happen. Considering that there was some tension between the two of them on Raw Monday, that tension could end up playing into the War Games match and beyond. For as randomly thrown together as this whole match felt a few weeks ago, the latest developments with Jade’s attack and Bayley being included have added much more intrigue to it. For all the personalities and stories going into this War Games match, another factor to keep an eye on is a potential Money in the Bank cash in from Tiffany Stratton.
Grade: B+
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(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com. You can also send live event results and news tips to pwtorch@gmail.com. Also, we’re always looking for volunteer contributors to help us round out of coverage of the pro wrestling scene.)
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