We Run N.Y.
Royce Keys mentioned the numbers game before his match with Solo Sikoa. I paid it no mind because, well, he always does that. He also talked about calling the play while someone shouted about no one being safe. If you’ve seen one 946 promo, you’ve seen them all at this point.
Joke is on me apparently because 946 revealed a new member. And just like the last one, he’s from nowhere near the 946 zip code.
Cruz Montana.
That’s the main
story here as the match between Royce and Solo featured a lot of meat slapping but ultimately ended in a DQ, which led to a faction battle, which led to Cruz’s reveal.
I’m not sure how I feel about Cruz in the crew. He definitely fits the aesthetic and vibe they’re going for. But, once again, it’s another connection that isn’t immediate and probably won’t get explained. Plus like I said, the crew’s evolved from Oakland natives or people with tacit connections to the city to, well, anyone with an attitude. From a practical matter, it also instantly diminishes Cruz’s NXT beef at the moment, which is pretty serious. Shawn Michaels made it official that this is Cruz moving on up to the Eastside. Hell of a way to find out before his very personal match.
I’m ambivalent about it, which probably isn’t the best thing. Wrestling is supposed to make us feel and for me, this elicited a shrug with questions more than anything else. As always, I leave room for being wowed down the line.
That wasn’t all that happened as Raw went off the air. When Roman Reigns opened the show, he seemed dismissive towards his Crown Jewel match with Sami Zayn. That didn’t sit well with Sami. The Undisputed champ hit the ring and lit into Roman with the same passion he’s shown for multiple weeks. Sami is on fire right now and I fully agree with Geno that he got the better of Roman during their promo battle. When Roman clowned Sami for his WrestleMania match with Johnny Knoxville, Sami’s retort hit me in the gut: That match was memorable while Roman’s umpteenth match with Brock Lesnar came and went.
There’s so much passion when Sami speaks. Obviously he has more to gain in this match since Roman is Roman. I believe Sami when he says he’s tired of Roman taking him for granted or overlooking him. I believe him when he says he’s worked too hard for too long to have this moment mean nothing. I also believe there’s more psychology at work when he speaks than when Roman resorts to calling Sami a “little hoe.” Despite the crowd oohing and ahhing, that did nothing for me. It reminded me of what someone would do in high school when they got called out, had no good response, and resorted to name-calling and shock value.
It looked like Roman had the last word but Sami showed up after 946/718 had their way with The Bloodline. After nailing a battered Roman with a Helluva Kick, he screamed at Roman that he is the ball and Roman took his eye off said ball. Sami needed the upper hand on Roman so this was perfect. It opened up a vulnerability for the Tribal Chief as his attention is divided going into Crown Jewel. Can he focus on Sami with 946 looming in the back of his mind like a song he can’t get out of his head?
WWE established that Sami is a dangerous man when taken lightly.
- Chad Gable proved once again that he’s a machine in the ring. Even at less than 100 percent, he puts on matches that put a good number of cats in the territory to shame. He shows that with Ethan Page this week in a battle for his Intercontinental Championship. Now, this came with a caveat. Like I said, Chad didn’t come in at full strength. His neck injury became an important part of the match as it factored into the ending. That connection crystallized how smart this match was from beginning to end. The violence gradually increased as All Ego realized he might actually have to outwrestle the champ rather than using his usual tricks. That is, until he used his usual tricks. Earlier in the match, Ethan removed the padding from a turnbuckle. As the bout reached its crescendo, the former NXT champ pushed Chad into said turnbuckle neck first. The entire match built to that as the wear and tear on Chad’s neck and left arm became more evident the longer it went. That one push led to an Ego-Plex and a new champ. I loved the match but don’t understand taking the championship off Chad right now. Ethan isn’t even constantly on television, so it feels like there was no real build to the change. But they’re in Brooklyn, so they wanted something for people to talk about. I get it. I’m still not completely sold on All Ego but I’m curious to see what he does with the championship, even if I don’t think it was the right…play.
- Chump. That’s the first one that comes to mind when I think about Chelsea Green. She teamed with Tiffany Stratton and IYO SKY to take on Judgment Day’s treacherous trio of women. I liked the match itself a lot. It had a good flow with tons of action and every woman got a moment to shine. I just don’t understand why Chelsea took the pin, nor why Liv Morgan was the one to earn the victory from said pin. There’s a way to make Chelsea look vulnerable in a six-person tag without making her eat the L. This, combined with how she looked on the most recent SmackDown just makes me question WWE’s booking for someone supposed to be a champion.
- Cody Rhodes was dressed like a man ready to close an orphanage on Christmas Eve.
- I missed Randy Orton on SmackDown. Every reason why was evident on Raw. Randy interrupted the “circle jerk” as he called it when he made his way to the ring during John Cena’s announcement and belt unveiling for his Classic. Cody Rhodes is the Classic’s first invitee, so naturally John lavished praise on the guy who calls himself QB1 although I refuse to do such a thing. This was a great moment to put Randy back into the story because of his history not only with Cody but with John as well. Of course Randy would interject during a moment meant to stroke Cody’s ego. And of course he’d deliver menace on the microphone and add more emotional depth to the tale. This wasn’t just about him refusing to give up his spot as a pro wrestler like the guys he came up with, including Dr. Thuganomics; it’s also about his history with the Rhodes family. Randy reminded Cody he retired Dusty Rhodes in 2007. That fact definitely got under Cody’s skin, which is all Randy ever wants. Randy kept it simple: He ended Dusty’s career, and he’s ready to end Cody’s. My question remains: Is Cody truly ready to do the same if given the opportunity? Good back-to-back segments that flowed perfectly from one to another.
- Je’Von Evans’ beef with Bron Breakker continues. The Young OG partnered with Penta and Dragon Lee to take on The Vision. And Bron left him lying in the middle of the ring with yet another spear. The Vision picked up the W as Bron’s emotional tantrum keeps going. I do wonder where this ultimately goes. Do Bron and Je’Von square off in the ring? Does Bron ruin Penta’s cash-in attempt? The latter seems like the best choice for what is Bron’s ultimate issue. He’s mad he didn’t win the briefcase. He’s mad he didn’t defeat Oba Femi. He’s mad he’s not the guy or the next guy. Je’Von is a problem but Penta has what Bron wants.
- Jade Cargil, Michin, and B-Fab interrupted Bayley’s convo with GM Adam Pearce. He’s slowly but surely working his way from being the world’s worst and moving up to being “okay.” Bayley felt disrespected, she called them pathetic, and they returned the favor later with a three-on-one beatdown. After everything with Lyra and Damage CTRL before that, does Bayley have any allies left? She’ll need them.
Before the ending, this was a really solid episode. The ending took it up a notch. While I’m not sold on Cruz Montana as part of the crew, his entrance sparked an exciting ending that further upped the ante for Crown Jewel and Survivor Series.
What say you, Cagesiders?
