War Pigs
This will be short. I mean it this time. Mostly because there’s not much to say. The big two developments from Raw’s final segment: Jacob Fatu is back (!) and Roman Reigns challenged Royce Keys to a lovely night in Houston. Wine, dancing, and WarGames.
This came after the two squared off in the middle of the ring. Royce challenged Roman to meet him in the middle of the ring and acknowledge him (more on that later). Roman showed
up, acknowledged nothing, and Royce copped to not being a man of his word. He didn’t come alone. Roman didn’t either. As 946 arrived in the ring, The Bloodline set fire to 946’s transportation: a white cargo truck. Royce’s reaction made it seem like they lit his Aston Martin on fire with his parents sitting inside. Poor white cargo truck. We’ll always have that time Jaida Parker looked menacing stepping out of the passenger side and the rest of the crew walked out of the trailer.
Jacob emerged during this moment, looking like a man well-rested after surviving attempted vehicular homicide. With his help, The Bloodline finally evened the odds against their newfound nemesis crew. I loved the crew brawl although I cackled when Jacob, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, and Solo Sikoa strolled to the ring while 946 pummeled Roman. Jeff Hardy is still the champion when it comes to preening to the crowd instead of protecting family, but these four almost challenged his reign.
Royce accepted Royce’s challenge, which makes it official. And it’s about time because this was always going here.
B-Sides
- Penta might be the coolest cat in WWE. The briefcase that shoots pyro, the strut, the suits. It all contributes to the whole.
- I mentioned that because Penta and Je’Von Evans made their triumphant entrance as your new World Tag Team Champs. This was the usual babyface “hail the conquering heroes” promo. Which means it was only a matter of time before a heel interrupted it. Enter Bron Breakker, a man obsessed with destroying these two, not with the titles. He’s also very preoccupied with Oba Femi, the guy who played a big role in The Vision becoming former tag champs. Bron called Oba’s name and, of course, The Ruler came running. Well, not exactly running but you get the picture. Bron wanted him and Oba happily obliged. The match started almost immediately. The story wasn’t the match because there’s no way either of these men were taking a pin at the moment. That actually made me less invested in the match since I saw the non-finish coming. The Vision interfered when Bron using the brass knuckles didn’t work. Shock! They ganged up on Oba, the new tag champs made the save, and it looks like a trios match is coming one of these days.
- I was ready to talk all about the triple threat between Rey Fenix, Chad Gable, and Big Cass to determine Ethan Page’s new challenger. I even had a whole thing written in my head complaining about Chad taking the pin when Big Cass’ big ass is right there. But before Rey got the chance to celebrate his victory, 946 struck. They did what big, bad groups usually do to mid-carders when making a point to a much bigger threat. It is crazy seeing three guys who just fought for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship get treated like ants fighting a pair of boots. Even the nWo had the good sense to take out cruiserweights or guys not vying for titles. Either way, I appreciated them wrecking people all to draw out Roman. I only wish it went further. Roman agreed to meet Royce Keys because 946 beatdown three guys he doesn’t care about? Hijack the show. Make Adam Pearce sweat and get security involved. Tie GM Adam’s hands so that he pleads with Roman to square up with Royce. I just don’t buy that Roman would give in because Big Cass, Rey Fenix, and Chad Gable caught hell.
- Bayley defeated Michin in a very solid match between two wrestlers I love seeing wrestle. But the match was prelude to setting up more Survivor Series violence. Jade Cargill and B-Fab getting evil with Bayley post match brought out Charlotte Flair, Tatum Paxley, and Alexa Bliss. But their presence inspired Fatal Influence to drop in for violence. As it turns out, Jade and her Baddies created an alliance with Fatal Influence. Jade and Jacy Jayne teaming up has volatile potential. Seriously, their egos could fill three football stadiums. And I’m not talking about stadiums built in the ‘80s or ‘90s either. Imagine three AT&T Stadiums. They could also stay on the same page long enough to succeed because as of now, it’s six against four. Bayley and Charlotte need more horses if they want to battle.
- Who would assist IYO SKY in her war against Judgment Day?! Would she even find a partner? Turns out she did and the answer was Becky Lynch. Smart pick narratively since Becky has tons of unfinished business with this crew, specifically the Women’s World Heavyweight Champion Liv Morgan. I really liked this match. It wasn’t the most exciting match of the night but it was just dope wrestling in a tag match that showcased both teams well. It also set the stage for the not-too-distant future. IYO pinned Raquel for the W (despite Liv’s interference during the match), and Becky challenged Liv to a title match. Props to Becky for taking the low hanging fruit by calling Liv the “greatest coward of allllll time.” It was an obvious insult but sometimes obvious is the right way to go. GM Adam flustered Judgment Day when he informed them IYO gets her shot at Raquel’s title next week, while Becky gets her title match at Survivor Series. Flustered Judgment Day is my favorite Judgment Day.
- It seems like we’re quickly moving on from everything between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. Cody addressed the crowd dressed like someone ready to purchase land and build a data center on it. He told them he loved punting Randy in the head. And then he pivoted to Team USA vs. Team Mexico at Survivor Series. I gotta admit, it was weird hearing a crowd cheer Cody saying he loved kicking Randy in the head and possibly putting him on the shelf. The crowd likes what it likes so it’s not a diss to them. It just threw me for a loop. Maybe it’s a South Carolina thing. No offense to all you wonderful South Carolinians reading this recap. Back to Team USA vs. Team Mexico in a match I can only assume is for the right to name the Gulf of Mexico whatever they want to, we know Dirty Dom will not be a part of either squad. His dad dissed him, Cody dissed him, and he has nowhere to go. CM Punk however is fully on board with representing the United States. Punk threw his hat in the ring and Cody gladly accepted. Rey Mysterio did some recruiting of his own and acquired Penta’s services. That’s where the intrigue starts. Guess who Cody pitched to join his squad? Pleas don’t say Rey Fenix. The answer is Je’Von. The newly minted tag team champions will stand on opposite sides in a couple of weeks. That might be the most fun part of that match.
Solid Raw. Not spectacular or always the most exciting, but solid wrestling and a lot of setup for Survivor Series. That’s the job and they accomplished said job.
