Make FightsATW Your Preferred Combat Sports Source
Enjoy our boxing and wrestling coverage? Add Fights Around The World as a Preferred Source on Google so our latest stories can show up more often in your Top Stories.
Add FightsATW on GoogleWWE RAW was in Chicago tonight with a massive card filled with title matches, topped off by Cody Rhodes rematch for the world title he lost at Night of Champions. Sami defended his world title on RAW after Cody was successful in defeating Jey Uso on Friday Night SmackDown to earn the number one contender’s spot. However, many complained that Jey’s loss in the KOTR finals should have disqualified him from the match.
The Sami-Cody feud has been boiling over for some time, but with SummerSlam creeping up, it is anybody’s guess who walks into the 2-night event with the WWE world undisputed title. Aside from the world title match, the women’s IC title and men’s tag team titles were also on the line tonight.
SAMI VS…
The match was supposed to be Sami Zayn defending his newly won world title against Cody Rhodes; that was the plan. Unfortunately, Gunther got a hold of the number one contender at the start of RAW. The attack left Cody unable to compete as the medical staff refused to clear him, so the two GMs, Aldis and Pearce, had some work to do in finding a replacement.
Sami learned that despite Cody’s injury, he would still be defending the title, but it was not until later in the show that Aldis declared he had found someone to face the champ. It was weird that an SD GM could secure Punk’s services, but the fact that the WWE World Title was up for grabs offered some rationale.
The crowd popped as the big screen showed Punk making his walk-in from the parking garage of the Allstate Arena. The 12,000-plus fans were geared up to see Punk reclaim the WWE World Title in his hometown and, at the same time, stamp his place at SummerSlam.
There was a visceral distrust of Sami as the fans booed nearly every offensive play he made while cheering on Punk. There were many near falls in this one, and Sami hit a combo GTS + Blue Thunder Bomb in what seemed like the end until Punk fought back with literal lefts and rights.
The end of the match saw Punk land Sami’s Helluva Kick followed by the GTS for the win. Punk managed a surprise return to the ring after a brief hiatus, only to win the grandest prize in professional wrestling. Punk has now secured both the heavyweight title and the world championship since returning to WWE, but he could be headed to SummerSlam to face off against Cody Rhodes in a dream match that fans have been speculating over since they both returned to the company.
THE STREET PROFITS(c) VS THE VISION—Tag Team Titles
The Vision received their world tag title rematch against the team that defeated them for the titles just weeks ago, but there was much more at stake this time. The segment in the back started with Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, and Logan Paul being interviewed before Paul Heyman entered the frame.
Paul was not in a pleasant mood, and he ran down the entire group before telling them to go out to the ring and come back to him with gold or ‘don’t come back’ at all. The ultimatum placed considerably more pressure on the group, though Breakker and Theory were in the actual match, while Logan played the third-man role on the outside.
Logan attempted to help his fellow faction members win by introducing brass knuckles into the match, but that plan was quickly reversed as Montez Ford performed aerobatic maneuvers to keep them in the game.
It seemed like the Profits would retain after Dawkins managed to get his hands on the knucks just as Logan had the ref distracted and Theory in the corner begging for mercy. That is when Maxxine Dupri entered the ring from the crowd and hit Dawkins with a low blow, allowing Theory to capitalize for the win.
The Vision reclaimed their tag titles and were all smiles in the backstage area when they ran into Heyman, who downplayed their accomplishment as merely the ‘first step,’ though he did give some words of encouragement. The group thought he was referencing their title win, but Paul made it clear that he considered Dupri the MVP of the match.
OBA FEMI VS PAUL HEYMAN—PROMO BATTLE
Paul Heyman was busy tonight, but he made the most of every moment he had a camera pointed at him, including his powerful promo at the midpoint of tonight’s show. Heyman opened up the segment in the ring without Brock Lesnar, but his promo was mostly filler until Oba Femi made his way out to the ring with a full entrance.
Even with Paul sharing the ring with Oba, his promo was passionate and filled with nods to his historic run as Lesnar’s advisor. He spoke about Lesnar’s history in Hell In A Cell and tied it to his time as heavyweight champion in the UFC cage.
Oba Femi’s promo was powerful, but it was missing— the logic of choosing Lesnar over the world title shot is certainly one of them. The segment ended with as much excitement to see the two behemoths locked inside HITC.
SETH ROLLINS HAS A KNIGHT PROBLEM
Rollins kicked off RAW tonight with a crowd amped to see him but disappointed that Roman Reigns, Seth’s opponent for SummerSlam, was not in attendance. Rollins delivered a promo that seemed to back off the initial narrative established last week when he challenged Roman for his title at SS. Rollins made it clear last week that this match with Roman was the one to settle their rivalry, and perhaps the last chance they ever get to do so.
Tonight, however, Rollins was attempting to put the burden on Roman to prove he is the guy that occupies the current ‘top spot.’ It didn’t make much sense, but then LA Knight came out to muddy the storyline even further. He spoke about Roman and Seth like two prima donnas that have had an easier road than most, and Knight admitted that he does not have the time to catch up to those two by way of championship wins. He said that he is next up should Rollins defeat Roman, a sentiment that Rollins did not back down from as he relayed the guarantee that Knight could be ‘next.’
With the premiere of Unreal season 3 just weeks away, it is interesting to see creative capitalizing off a story that emerged from season 2. That said, there is not enough time to inject Knight into the story, and it would be unneeded anyway. Jimmy Uso came out to hit Knight with a super kick to close out the segment.
OTHER TIDBITS
– Sol Ruca successfully defended her women’s IC title against Raquel Rodriguez after The Judgment Day’s Perez and Liv Morgan interfered, though Iyo Sky came down to neutralize the ringside interference. Ruca hit her Soul Snatcher for the win.
– Next week, there will be a number one contender’s gauntlet match for the IC title involving Chad Gable, Rusev, Ethan Page, Dragon Lee, Dom Mysterio, and Je’Von Evans to see who faces Penta for the title. Gable and Lee faced off against Ethan Page and Rusev in tag team action as a preview for next week.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
