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Add FightsATW on GoogleWWE Monday Night RAW was live from the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, as the lucha libre tournament began, with the winner to face Roman Reigns for his heavyweight title on an episode of RAW in Mexico City on September 14th. The news sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe© as social media speculated about how this would all be booked after last week’s tease, which saw Rey Mysterio Jr. grab Roman’s ear as the show faded to black.
With the tournament brackets announced, the 8-man tournament kicks off with Penta and Rey Fenix as the early favorites to meet in the finals. Still, there is plenty of talent packed into the tourney as the focus on Triple A continues to amplify with both Worlds Collide and the two-night TripleMania 34 events on the horizon.
SOLO NO MO… NOW HE HAS THE FANS WITH HIM
The show kicked off with The Bloodline drama that has spanned both Monday and Friday’s shows, and the narrative has not changed in the slightest—The Bloodline want Solo to fall back into the fold while Solo remains reluctant. The scene was not all that different from what we have already seen in the dynamic between Jey and Solo, and yet the face rising in popularity with every appearance somehow keeps the schtick fresh with his funny remarks.
It is not just Solo’s change in demeanor that fans are resonating with right now, but to borrow a phrase from the U.K.—he is ‘taking the p*ss’ out of The Bloodline, namely Jey Uso. Jey’s “Yeet” era has faded in popularity, but it still makes for a great time in front of the live crowd. Still, Solo has taken shots at Jey’s gimmick, completely undermining him as a serious competitor.
Jey challenged Solo to a match with the stipulation that if he wins, then they will all be Bloodline members together, again. The entire premise feels obsessive on Jey’s part, but Solo accepted, though not before making fun of Jey’s lack of ‘bang’ and even getting the audience to participate in the mocking of Jey. After the segment, Jey was confronted by Jacob Fatu and his brother Jimmy, who made it clear that this was getting weird and that Jey’s energy was coming across as a ‘revenge move’ rather than a move made on behalf of Roman.
Solo got into the ear of LA Knight during a backstage interview; the “YEAH” man was not happy about a tournament to face Roman for the HW title being limited to Luchadores. Solo warned him about The Bloodline’s relentless pursuit of having ‘bad actors’ fall in line.
MAIN EVENT: JEY USO VS SOLO SIKOA
The sold-out Scope Arena was all-in for the battle of Solo’s soul as he fights for his right to be an individual, something that Jey might be jealous of and thus desperate to bring Solo back to his background role. It was interesting how the match played out because while it was nothing new—we have seen these two fight before—seeing Solo work his schtick as a face made it feel different in places where he previously felt stifled.
Jimmy came out to interfere, and Solo delivered a spike on him to his own downfall as Jey used the opportunity to pick up the pinfall win. Jimmy laughed at Solo outside of the ring, making a hand gesture that suggested it was time to ‘come back home’ as the credits on RAW appeared.
LUCHA LIBRE TOURNEY
The tournament to crown a #1 contender for Roman’s HW title commenced with the first match of the first round. The tournament is already causing headaches for Rey Mysterio Jr., GM of Triple A, for the bracket decisions, namely Dom Mysterio. Dom and Dragon Lee wrestled in singles action based on Dom being left out while Lee holds a spot. Rey pushed back by pointing out that ‘unearned opportunities’ are likely responsible for Dom’s entitlement.
The non-tourney match might not have any implications, but Dragon Lee pulled off the upset, so, at the very least, it builds momentum for the Luchador while continuing Dom’s downfall narrative. In the post-match, Big Cass beat down Lee before Je’Von Evans came down to try and make the save. In the end, Big Cass big booted Evans into the mat to close the segment standing tall for the second week in a row.
PENTA VS LAREDO KIDD—ROUND 1
Mysterio decided that this tournament would start with a bigger bang than Jey could deliver with all ten fingers loaded, so they sent Penta and Laredo Kidd—one of the best luchadores on the planet—to tear down the house. The match left a bit to be desired considering these were limited by ‘TV parameters.’
Penta won the match and advanced to the second round, where he will face either Psycho Clown or La Parka, though he has remained a favorite to win the entire tournament among fans and pundits alike.
OBA FEMI AND BRON BREAKKER—BIGGEST MATCH IN WWE?
The love affair storyline between Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri continued with a singles match between Theory and Tazawa, but it was all just a distraction to the bigger storyline brewing. Theory beat down Tazawa in the post-match, where Bron Breakker decided to join in on the ‘cuck-down’ propagated onto Tazawa.
That is when Oba Femi came to the rescue… sort of—he took a full entrance complete with the lights and poses, and while it looked cool, you must question whether he was making ‘the save’ or whether he was deliberately attempting to strike a chord with Breakker. Oba took Theory out with a single uppercut before making his way to the ring.
Oba stood atop the ring apron, took off his beads, and then stood one-on-one in the ring with Breakker before WWE officials quickly broke up the scene. It was mayhem just seeing them tease this showdown, and after the segment, Breakker found Paul Heyman. He asked Paul whether he thought Oba was the future of the company, and Paul gave him a ‘non-answer’.
This could be one of the biggest matchups in WWE if (and it is a big if) they pull the trigger before 2027. WWE typically spreads out their attractions around this time of the year, and with Triple A taking some resources, the company might feature this program as a main draw for Survivor Series. That said, it would also make sense for WWE to take their time with this one, considering the success of the El Grande Americano(s) Mask V Mask storyline, which took forever to play out and ended up being incredibly successful.
OTHER TIDBITS
– Gable challenged Rey Mysterio JR for his own IC title after a respectful interaction towards the end of the show. Gable said he would speak to Pearce, so an announcement should follow soon.
– Sol Ruca and Iyo Sky defeated The Judgment Day’s Roxxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez
– Bianca Belair delivered a healthy baby boy and shared the news on social media. They ‘debuted’ the name: Romeo Leonardo Allen Crawford for fans. FightsATW wishes her a speedy recovery and hopes to see her back in action soon, as she is able.
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