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Hello everyone, sorry again about last week but a large power outage hit my area and I couldn’t cover the episode. Many thanks to Jeremy for being so understanding. CM Punk will be on hand, because Chicago I guess. Drew McIntyre quit on Monday so we’ll see if he shows up at all to torment Punk in his hometown. The Wyatt Tribute Band, known more as the Wyatt Sick6, debuted on RAW and I’m personally still a little conflicted about this whole thing but tonight they could show up on Smackdown to make their presence felt again. Elsewhere on the card it’s time to start qualifying for Money in the Bank, so we’ll have Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller vs. Andrade in one match with Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga vs. Carmelo Hayes in the other. WWE has filed to trademark Caesar Sikoa so one has to imagine Solo Sikoa will get a name change as he keeps looking to take over the Bloodline and we’re still waiting on Jacob Fatu who will probably be going by Talla Tonga, again that’s assuming the legal filings bear fruit. But with respect to the Bloodline stuff, Cody Rhodes will be on hand and we have to assume more hostilities are coming between those parties. We could have LA Knight vs. Logan Paul tonight in at least some kind of confrontation. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are no longer tag team champs so we’ll see what’s in store for both of them going forward. Bayley has to deal with Nia Jax, and bless her that’ll be a tall order. AJ Styles is in limbo again after quitting against Cody Rhodes, Tiffany Stratton hasn’t been seen much over the last month, Baron Corbin is on this roster so he’ll show up somewhere and some point as well. We’re on the heels of the PPV so let’s see what narrative seeds get planted tonight.

First a recap of Clash at the Castle, specifically Drew and his issues with CM Punk and how that led to Drew “quitting”.

To the ring and here comes CM Punk. Punk gets a mic and does the cheap pop routine then says he’s grateful to be on live TV and feel the pressure associated. Promising to do your best and walk out champion in front of your people is pressure, and Punk still wonders before coming out here if he can handle the pressure. He promised himself and everyone else over a decade ago that he’d walk out of Chicago WWE champion, he could have messed that up any number of ways but didn’t. He thought he might have needed more security in Glasgow because the people were going to attack him, but he ruined everyone’s day and got away clean. For months Drew McIntyre kicked him while he was down, and that meant he kicked Chicago too. Well Punk got up and chose the Chicago way, he went to the hospital so he sent Drew’s career to the morgue. He always planned on this, but he didn’t expect it to be this easy. Drew quit, couldn’t take the pressure. He wanted to make bad things happen to Drew tonight, but Drew took his ball and went home. Now out comes Paul Heyman to introduce himself as he heads to the ring, he’s not here to disrespect Punk but because he just got here and admits to running late. Heyman puts over Punk and their relationship, despite Heyman being the wise man to Roman Reigns the Tribal Chief, he called Punk his best friend. Tonight he’s here in an urgent situation, and the crowd gives the usual “We want Roman” chant. Punk says Heyman is the only guy who could hijack his promo and get the crowd to chant for Roman, then he invites Heyman into the ring. The two men hug and Heyman is a little misty as they break and he says he needed that. Heyman is out here because he heard on the radio that Chicago is CM Punk’s town. And that pissed of Solo Sikoa. Because Solo, Heyman has to barely spit out the words “head of the table”, every town is Solo’s town. He came out here to warn that when Punk is cleared anyone will find out they’re in the ring with the best in the world, but if Punk doesn’t leave here right now they’re coming out for him. There might be extra security around this place, that’s for anyone who wants to cause trouble but not the rogue Samoan’s and Tonga’s out for blood. Heyman asks please for Punk to leave. Punk realizes Heyman is serious, because Solo and the Tongan’s are going to try and jump Punk in Chicago. Solo’s music hits and Heyman looks like he’s watching a car wreck as Solo and the Tongan’s show up. Solo has a mic and says if Punk wants to be on his show in his city the two options before him are to pay respect to the Bloodline, or they hurt him so badly he never gets cleared to wrestle. Punk asks Heyman what the favor was if he does Heyman this favor, and Heyman asks Punk to take him with him when he leaves. Heyman looks like he’s going to cry at any minute. Punk acknowledges the fact that the Bloodline isn’t here, it’s fake Usos and a cosplay Tribal Chief. Well that’ll start things off, Solo, Tonga, and Loa head into the ring but here’s Cody with a baseball bat and one for Punk to diffuse the situation. Cody has a mic and says if Solo wants to try and be Head of the Table he’ll just be the second of those Cody’s beaten, so why don’t they settle this tonight. There’s plenty of people on hand and Solo seems amenable to taking on Cody one on one. Heyman’s acting really made that segment, he’s been the MVP of this chapter of Bloodline stuff because no one else around this story right now has his character work.

Commentary then runs down the Money in the Bank qualifying matches.

Bianca Belair is at gorilla getting ready, Jade shows up to send her good luck but she’ll be talking about their tag team title rematch. Belair is focused on qualifying for MITB, the titles can happen after that. Then Belair heads to the ring and we head to break.

Post break we get confirmation of Cody vs. Solo in the main event tonight. That’s just going to be a shmoz by the end but it could be good.

Cody walks in the back and finds Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Randy asks if he’s sure he doesn’t want them with him tonight. Cody says Solo’s not ready and they’ve both got qualifiers tonight. Randy leaves and Owens warns that they’ve always got a plan, Cody says he’s sure Solo has a plan but Cody has a better one.

Match #1 – Money in the Bank Qualifying Triple Threat Match: Bianca Belair vs. Michin vs. Chelsea Green

Green gets ping ponged by both Belair and Michin then flops and rolls out of the ring. Belair shoulder blocks Michin down then runs into a punch from Green. Michin shoves Green out of the ring then Belair avoids a Michin dropkick. Green trips up the handspring spot for Belair then pulls Michin out of the ring and smacks her. Belair decks Michin then Green as well. Michin doesn’t take kindly to that and they start trading blows for a while then Green hits a suicide dive onto both of them, even she seems surprised that worked as we head to break again.

We come back to a modified Tower of Doom spot in the corner, Green naturally taking the worst of things. Belair and Michin resume hitting each other, Belair counters a hurricanrana into an attempted powerbomb, Michin rolls through with a Sunset Flip for a 2 count. Eat Defeat from Michin then Green rolls up Michin for 2. Green avoids another Eat Defeat, then Michin avoids Unpretty Her. Michin tries the Styles Clash, and hits it but Belair breaks up the pin. Some kicks from Michin to Belair, the crowd with a “this is awesome” chant that is totally undeserved. Belair hits a German suplex on Michin then a Kiss of Death but Green shoves Belair out of the ring and steals the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Chelsea Green won in 7:16

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: They tried and this definitely over delivered relative to expectations, and Green winning is a slightly odd call but I’m not complaining. Belair in MITB seems unnecessary at this point, the woman can get into the title picture whenever she wants which makes Green slightly more of a viable pick here because Michin is just treading water.

In the back Blair Davenport walks up to Bayley and says she’s looking forward beating Naomi next week then using the briefcase on Bayley.

Solo is staring daggers at Heyman in their locker room. Heyman says he doesn’t want to leave, and Solo says before he leaves he should make sure the Tongans know something about Randy and Owens but the audio cuts out so we don’t hear. Solo reminds Heyman they need to have a talk after Heyman handles that message delivery. Heyman, still looking like a hostage, heads out and we head to break.

We come back to a recap of the Grayson Waller Effect talk show from last week with them and DIY.

In the back Kayla talks with Waller, he puts over Austin Theory who isn’t here, and he will dedicate the wins here and in the ladder match to Theory. DIY walk up to interrupt things but some noise breaks this up and we see that Drew McIntyre has jumped CM Punk in the loading dock. Drew hauls up a bloody Punk and carries him through the back on his shoulders, we follow his path for a bit and everyone gets out of his way as Drew walks into the arena through gorilla position. They stop on the entrance stage and Drew drops Punk like a sack of potatoes. Drew kneels beside the fallen Punk and takes his bracelet, Nick Aldis comes out and Drew shoves him away. Aldis and agents check on things as Punk does a stretcher job and we head to break.

We come back and recap what just happened, in case you missed it. Then we switch to Punk getting in the ambulance and it driving off.

To the ring, here’s Tama Tonga getting into the ring. Carmelo Hayes is already in the ring and only Randy Orton gets the full entrance.

Match #2 – Money in the Bank Qualifying Triple Threat Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Tama Tonga vs. Randy Orton

Randy and Tama stare down, Hayes allows them to do that for a moment then they both jump Randy and stomp him down in the corner. Then Tama shoves Hayes off and Hayes rolls him up for 2. Randy now fights back with uppercuts and sends Tama out of the ring. Hayes breaks up a back suplex on the table, so Randy tries it on him but now Tama breaks up and they both beat down Randy for a bit. Again Randy fights back and hits Tama with the table spot, then one for Hayes as well to send us to break.

Tama is working over Hayes in the ring as we come back. Sliding clothesline to Hayes gets 2, then he grabs a chin lock to mock Randy. Hayes fights free of the hold and lands some kicks then La Mistica as a facebuster for a 2 count. Tama fights back with a backbreaker but Randy breaks up that pin. Randy with strikes to Hayes and Tama, then fires up with clotheslines to Tama and a snap powerslam. Hayes is on the top rope but Randy punches him up there then climbs up with him and looks for a superplex which connects. That gets a 2 count for Randy as Tama breaks up the pin and grabs a sleeper hold but Randy slings him off. Tama with a flurry of punches but Randy thumbs his eye only for Hayes to then catch Randy with a Codebreaker and Tama hits his Flatliner to follow up. Tama and Hayes then fight over who gets the pin and that settles into a brawl between them. Hayes flips out of a back suplex then Randy gets both men on the apron for a double hanging DDT. Randy sets for the RKO on whoever gets up first but Tonga Loa runs in and gets punched down, and Owens runs into attack Loa. Randy then sends Tama out of the ring but Hayes then grabs a School Boy on Randy to get the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Carmelo Hayes won in 9:31

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Another solid outing for the younger Hayes and he was the obvious pick here, Randy and Tama have another thing going and Hayes has done some bonkers stunts in ladder matches before.

Post match we get a recap of the Wyatt Sick6 and their debut on RAW las Monday which sends us to break.

We come back to LA Knight heading to the ring to a significant pop. Knight has a mic and wants to talk to us, he then immediately calls out goofy haired Logan Paul and tells him to bring the US title with him. No sign of Logan and Knight says this has to be a joke, he looked Logan dead in the eye and said he wanted a shot at the belt but Logan said no. Knight was told Logan would be here tonight to handle this but apparently not. He tells Logan that times is running out, next week he’ll be qualifying for MITB. He keeps going for a bit but Santos Escobar interrupts him. Escobar with Spanish and Knight cuts off his music, he doesn’t care about Escobar he cares about Logan. Escobar tells him to shut up, and he calls Knight delusional for chasing Logan like this. Well next week Escobar will deal with Knight in their qualifying match. Knight mocks his lack of response from the crowd and warns that he’s beaten Escobar every time he had to. Escobar tries to attack Knight but Knight drops him with a Blunt Force Trauma. Now Logan attacks from behind and posts Knight then clocks him with the knock out punch. Next week we’ll get Knight vs. Logan vs. Escobar in a MITB qualifier.

After this break our other qualifying match tonight.

Post break Waller gets in the ring, Andrade is already there and Owens will get his entrance. If the pattern from the previous matches holds this means Andrade will win. Owens is jumped during his entrance by Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, they stomp him down on the entrance stage but here’s Randy with a chair to chase them off. Because Owens is a man he limps to the ring and asks Randy to make sure the others stay out of this.

Match #3 – Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Andrade vs. Grayson Waller

Waller attacks Owens and his bad leg right away but Andrade clobbers Waller with a spinning back elbow for a near fall. Andrade dives onto Waller on the floor but Waller shoves him into the apron then hits a sliding clothesline but Owens with a clothesline to Waller then a follow up senton. Owens heads into the ring with Waller, he goes up top but Andrade pulls him down and they brawl on the apron for a bit before Waller joins the apron part. Andrade chops the heck out of Waller then everyone trades kicks and Owens clotheslines Andrade into the ring. Owens then gets back dropped on the apron but Andrade flies over the top rope to crush Waller from the apron to the floor with a sunset powerbomb, nice spot, which sends us to break.

We come back to all three men trading strikes from their knees in the ring. Owens and Andrade fight up and trade chops then Andrade with elbows but Waller lands an elbow of his own then a jumping knee to Owens. Andrade sends Waller into the second turnbuckle then rallies the crowd to hit double knee strikes to Waller and Owens as well but that only gets 2 on the cover to Owens. Owens fights back with strikes then he and Andrade just start a hockey fight before Waller hits a double rolling Flatliner but can’t find a pin on either man. Waller wants A-Town Down but Owens fights free only to get his knee swept out. Andrade attacks Waller and sends him to the apron. Waller heads up top but Andrade chops him then climbs up there with him. Andrade wants a superplex, but here’s Owens for the traditional Tower of Doom spot. Owens up top and hits a Swanton Bomb on Andrade but his knee means the cover is slow enough that Andrade is able to kick out at 2. Andrade avoids a pop up powerbomb, Owens avoids The Message and hits a Stunner but Waller pulls Owens off of the pin and attacks the leg then hits a DDT on the floor. Waller with a rolling attack in the ring but Andrade counters into The Message which gets the pin on Waller.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Andrade won in 9:55

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: These matches have all been at least passable, I give this one the edge because Owens has great selling to bring a psychological consistency to this. Also getting the jobbers entrance has been good luck tonight.

As Andrade celebrates we get a recap of Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles from Clash at the Castle and the Bloodline attack to Cody post match.

In the back Cody walks as we head to break.

Post break Tiffany Stratton mocks Michin for losing tonight. Michin mocks her for hiding behind Nia Jax then Michin slaps the crap out of her. That prompts Jax to shove Michin into the lockers.

Next week Jade vs. Tiffany vs. Candice LeRae for a MITB spot, also Naomi vs. Blair Davenport vs. Indi Hartwell in another MITB qualifier, plus as already mentioned Logan Paul vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar.

Kayla is in the back and gives an update, Drew will be on RAW in some capacity and no word on Punk beyond spending the night in a local hospital.

To the ring and here’s Cody Rhodes, and we get another break after his entrance.

Post break Cody waits in the ring for Solo Sikoa. Solo is at gorilla with Heyman, Heyman says he did Solo’s bidding and the Tongan’s took care of business. He tells Solo he’s breaking commandments, Roman promised Heyman that Punk wasn’t going to be bothered and Solo wasn’t to deal with Cody personally. Solo tells Heyman to stop, but because he loves Heyman he’s telling him Roman is not coming back. Heyman looks like you just ran over his dog as Solo heads to the ring and Heyman stammers that can’t be true.

Match #4: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa w/ Paul Heyman

They stare each other down, then Cody with a flurry of strikes but Solo cuts him off with a right hand. Cody sends Solo out of the ring then hits a suicide dive. They brawl around the ringside area and Cody sends Solo into the ring steps not once but twice. Back into the ring Cody stalks Solo but here’s Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga to end the match.

OFFICIAL RESULT: 1:40

Rating:
Thoughts:

All three men attack Cody but here come Randy and Owens to even the numbers and we’ve got a big brawl. There’s still 5 minutes left as Randy hits Tama with an RKO. Solo is left alone and he begs off in the corner but then he smiles as Jacob Fatu comes from the crowd and lays out everyone. They actually call him Jacob Fatu on commentary as the Samoan Werewolf runs wild on everyone. He crushes Owens with a Samoan Drop onto the ringside steps. Fatu then spears Randy into the barricade and heads into the ring to trade punches with Cody. Cody sends Fatu out of the ring but Fatu pulls him out and hits a Uranage onto the apron. Fatu with a headbutt to Cody then he dismantles the commentary table, puts Cody on it then climbs the ropes and like the madman he is flies with a Splash through Cody and the announce table. Jacob Fatu just handed Owens, Randy, and Cody their backsides basically by himself. Fatu and Solo embrace in the ring, even Tama and Loa look shook as Solo and Fatu pose. Everyone fears the Samoan Werewolf, and the Bloodline 2.0 pose to end the episode.