Welcome everyone to the 84th edition of Spandex and Suplexes: A Wrestling Review. I cover a week that saw the WWE WrestleMania Backlash PPV, the continued build to AEW Double or Nothing, and the NXT North American Championship on the line. Let’s get started.
Credit: WWE
Results:
1. Sheamus defeated Ricochet
2. Rhea Ripley (c) defeated Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
3. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode (c) to become the new WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions
4. Damian Priest defeated The Miz in a Lumberjack match
5. Bianca Belair (c) defeated Bayley to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
6. Bobby Lashley (c) defeated Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Championship
7. Roman Reigns (c) defeated Cesaro by technical submission to retain the WWE Universal Championship
Thoughts: Honestly, this PPV just kind of felt like it was “there”. Do not get me wrong, all the matches on the show ranged from good to great, with Reigns vs. Cesaro being My Match of the Week. Even the Priest vs. Miz match had good action even though the zombie stuff was very dumb. However, it felt like nothing of note changed in any of the storylines with the Mysterios winning the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships being the only thing on the show that felt like a “moment”.
Like I said before though, there were several matches that were highly entertaining with the highlights being Ripley vs. Asuka vs. Flair, The Mysterios vs. Roode/Ziggler, Lashley vs. McIntyre vs. Strowman, and the main event.
Credit: WWE
Results:
1. AJ Styles defeated Elias by DQ after interference by Jaxson Ryker
2. Angel Garza defeated Drew Gulak
3. Akira Tozawa defeated R-Truth (c) backstage to become the new WWE 24/7 Champion
4. Kofi Kingston defeated Randy Orton after interference by Xavier Woods
5. Natalya and Tamina (c) defeated Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler after interference by Alexa Bliss to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
6. Sheamus defeated Ricochet
7. Asuka defeated Charlotte Flair after interference by Rhea Ripley
8. Damian Priest defeated John Morrison in a Lumberjack match
9. Kofi Kingston defeated Bobby Lashley after interference by Drew McIntyre
Thoughts: Kofi Kingston being added to the WWE Title picture is a welcome one, even if it may not be for very long. Kingston adds a fresh new opponent for Bobby Lashley and with Kofi’s surprise win over The All Mighty, the former WWE Champion may soon have an opportunity to make Kofimania happen one more time. Most likely though, he will fall to Lashley with Bobby then going on to face The Scottish Psychopath one last time at the upcoming WWE Hell in a Cell PPV. Should these two titans clash inside the steel structure, I see McIntyre walking out of the cell as the new champion.
Overall, this was a good episode of Monday Night Raw with the highlights being Orton vs. Kingston, Ricochet vs. Sheamus, Asuka vs. Charlotte, and the main event.
Credit: WWE
Results:
1. Toni Storm defeated Zoey Stark
2. Jake Atlas defeated Cameron Grimes after interference by Ted DiBiase
3. Killian Dain defeated Alexander Wolfe
4. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde) defeated Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher after interference by Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson)
5. Sarray defeated Aliyah
6. Hit Row (Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Top Dolla) defeated Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari
7. Bronson Reed defeated Johnny Gargano (c) in a Steel Cage match to become the new NXT North American Champion
Thoughts: In an excellent cage match, Bronson Reed made history by defeating Johnny Gargano to become the new NXT North American Champion. While I personally wanted it to be Dexter Lumis to take the North American Title from Johnny Wrestling, Reed is good choice as well as he is one of the most talented up and coming superstars on the Black and Yellow Brand. With The Colossal One as the new champ, who will be the first to step up to try and take the gold from him? Based on Hit Row’s promo from earlier in the night, that person may end up being Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, who should be a great match up for the big man.
Overall, this was a good episode of NXT with the highlights being Storm vs. Stark, Legado Del Fantasma vs. Ciampa/Thatcher, and the main event.
Credit: All Elite Wrestling
Results:
1. Christian Cage defeated Matt Sydal
2. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston defeated The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens)
3. Hikaru Shida defeated Rebel
4. Serena Deeb (c) defeated Red Velvet to retain the NWA Women’s World Championship
5. Anthony Ogogo defeated Austin Gunn by referee stoppage
6. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) defeated The Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison) to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships
Thoughts: Four matches were made official for the upcoming AEW Double or Nothing PPV as Miro will defend the AEW TNT Championship against Lance Archer, The Inner Circle will take on The Pinnacle in a Stadium Stampede match, Sting and Darby Allin will take on Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page, and The Young Bucks will defend the AEW World Tag Team Championships against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston.
Miro vs. Archer should be a hell of a hoss fight between two monsters with The Best Man walking out still as the AEW TNT Champion. Stadium Stampede should be a lot of fun as I see The Inner Circle getting their revenge against The Pinnacle. Sting returning to the ring should be great stuff, though it will be interesting to see how he does in what is presumably a traditional tag team match as he was protected in his last match at AEW Revolution due to it being a cinematic match. Moxley and Kingston are an awesome duo and their match against The Young Bucks should be fantastic. I am hoping to see the two longtime friends get some payback against The Elite by taking the Tag Team Titles.
Overall, this was a good episode of Dynamite with the highlights being Christian vs. Sydal, The Inner Circle’s promo, the confrontation between Miro and Archer, and the main event.
Credit: WWE
Results:
1. Bayley, Nia Jax, and Shayna Baszler defeated Bianca Belair, Natalya, and Tamina by submission
2. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated King Corbin after interference by Rick Boogs
3. Dominik Mysterio defeated Robert Roode
4. Apollo Crews (c) defeated Big E, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens in a Fatal Four Way match after interference by Aleister Black to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Thoughts: Aleister Black is finally back in action! After weeks of cryptic promos about his “Dark Father”, Black made a surprise appearance at the end of a fantastic WWE Intercontinental Championship match as he attacked Big E, allowing Apollo Crew to pick up the win and retain his title. The question now is why has Black decided to target Big E? We will have to wait until this Friday to hear from the former NXT Champion to hopefully find out. With Big E now occupied, we will also have to see who will step up next to try and take the WWE Intercontinental Title away from Apollo. Kevin Owens is a good bet, though he still needs to deal with his Sami Zayn problem.
Overall, this was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown thanks mainly to the stellar main event.
That’s it for this week’s Spandex and Suplexes. I am looking forward to the follow up to Black’s attack on Big E this Friday on SmackDown. While you are here on Florida Geek Scene, be sure to check out the second episode of my spin off series, Spandex and Suplexes: The Interview Series, where I interviewed veteran pro wrestler, Randy Hogan. Until next time, I’ll see you at ringside!
Nicholas Slade
Nicholas grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien's books, watching Disney and Studio Ghibli films, and reading Marvel comics and Japanese manga. The superb storylines and characters ignited his passion for writing. He graduated from Full Sail University in 2015 with a BFA in Creative Writing for Entertainment. During his writing career thus far, Nicholas has had numerous short stories and articles published in an array of literary magazines and websites.
