WWE Uncooked Outcomes: Winners, Reside Grades, Response and Highlights From Oct. 23
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Credit score: WWE.com
The Judgment Day once more stand atop WWE Uncooked after Finn Bálor and Damian Priest defeated Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso to regain the Undisputed WWE Tag Group Championship, and so they celebrated accordingly Monday night time.
Priest was trying to make it 2-0 towards Uso in as many weeks after they battled within the night time’s principal occasion.
Was probably the most dominant faction in WWE capable of maintain its momentum or did Uso halt it simply in time for Crown Jewel on November 4?
Discover out with this recap of a present that additionally featured the return to Monday nights of social media megastar, Logan Paul, on the American Airways Heart in Dallas.
Match Card
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- Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest
- NXT Girls’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell
- Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn
- Alpha Academy vs. The New Day
- The return of Logan Paul
- A Judgment Day celebration
Introduced prematurely of the October 23 broadcast had been:
Judgment Day Promo
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- The response to Rhodes continues to be so particular. The man is perpetually over.
- “How does that really feel, guys, to get interrupted?” Rhodes requested, making gentle of the reserving trope.
- “At this level you are story’s gotta be that you just failed,” Priest informed The American Nightmare.
- Rhodes vs. Priest at Crown Jewel: A giant time premium reside occasion match for 2 guys who’ve been stellar in 2023.
Credit score: WWE.com
The Judgment Day have grow to be the lifeblood of Uncooked over the past yr and, predictably, they kicked off this week’s present with Finn Bálor and Damian Priest celebrating final week’s Undisputed WWE Tag Group Championship win.
It was short-lived as Cody Rhodes interrupted, and a match between he and Priest was made official for Crown Jewel. A beatdown ensued that ended with The American Nightmare struggling a leg harm by the hands of the faction and the returning JD McDonagh.
It was a scorching angle to start out the present that had followers in Dallas invested from the get-go.
Rhodes continues to be handled like the largest factor in skilled wrestling by followers, The Judgment Day look sadistic and manipulative, and Jey Uso was left to go it alone towards The Archer of Infamy within the night time’s principal occasion.
It was an efficient promo phase that highlighted high gamers and set the stage for Monday’s marquee contest.
Grade
B
High Moments and Takeaways
Alpha Academy vs. The New Day
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- Give us Gable vs. Kingston for quarter-hour and count on excellence. Their sequences right here had been a ton of enjoyable.
- The reverse worm from Woods is an entire new flex. It does not occur as easily as, say, Otis’ ahead shifting worm, but it surely’s critically spectacular nonetheless.
- The New Day going over was actually a choice. It is odd that Gable was a scorching babyface a number of weeks again and is now again to dropping in tag crew motion.
Credit score: WWE.com
Tag crew wrestling took heart stage within the night time’s first match as The New Day and Alpha Academy did battle, with every crew trying to inch nearer to a title alternative.
Monday night time, it was Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods who earned a hard-fought victory over Chad Gable and Otis.
The bout was actually robust, with some nice sequencing from Gable and Kingston. The tempo was near-perfect, the gang was into each groups and neither sacrificed its standing as babyfaces to get forward.
It was an excellent match, that includes wrestlers decided to win, with precise stakes. As professional wrestling ought to be.
End result
The New Day defeated Alpha Academy
Grade
B+
High Moments and Takeaways
NXT Girls’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell
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- Backstage, girls’s world champion Rhea Ripley confronted World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Mami manipulated and toyed with The Visionary, enjoying to his ego by making an attempt to persuade him to align with The Judgment Day by telling him he might be the world champion and high Roman Reigns. Rollins turned her down.
- Little issues like bringing in Lyra Valkyria to sit down ringside for Lynch’s title protection towards Hartwell assist elevate the importance of her title alternative on Tuesday’s NXT and appeal to viewers.
- Hartwell all the time impresses (pun supposed) in moments like this. She has earned extra of an expansive tv position. Hopefully, it comes her approach with the return of Johnny Gargano.
- Backstage, Xia Li attacked Candice LeRae with a smack to the face and issued a warning to her and Hartwell.
Credit score: WWE.com
On the eve of a hotly anticipated title protection towards Lyra Valkyria as a part of NXT’s Halloween Havoc, Becky Lynch defended her NXT Girls’s Championship towards the girl who by no means really misplaced the gold, Indi Hartwell.
The Man proved why she is the champion, although, withstanding a recreation challenger and tapping her out with the Disarmer earlier than issuing a number of phrases of knowledge to Valkyria at ringside.
This was an excellent, bodily match that examined Hartwell’s potential to hold with one of many high stars within the firm, and he or she handed with flying colours. It additionally served as an excellent precursor to Tuesday’s match between the Irish badasses.
Relating to reserving, Triple H has lengthy been adept at crafting segments that accomplish a couple of factor, or inform a couple of story, at a time. This was no completely different.
End result
Lynch submitted Hartwell to retain the title
Grade
B+
High Moments and Takeaways
Contract Signing for Deadly 5-Method at Crown Jewel
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- The WWE Universe actually does not like Jax.
- Judging from the pop that she obtained, the followers do like Ripley. Their response to her is that of a star, not in contrast to the massive pops reserved for Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
Per week in spite of everything hell broke lose between 5 of the highest stars within the Uncooked girls’s division, Uncooked common supervisor Adam Pearce hosted a contract signing that includes Nia Jax, Raquel Rodriguez, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and ladies’s world champion Rhea Ripley.
Predictably, a large brawl erupted between the possible challengers whereas the manipulative Ripley mockingly cheered them on from ringside.
Jax established dominance with an enormous Samoan Drop to Rodriguez, whereas Michael Cole and Wade Barrett put over the upcoming title bout at Crown Jewel to shut out the phase.
This was precisely what you anticipated it to be, however the added factor of Ripley proving herself to be a grasp puppeteer was a pleasant contact. The match at Crown Jewel, if given time, ought to be lots of enjoyable if nothing else.
Grade
C+
High Moments and Takeaways
Johnny Gargano vs. Giovanni Vinci
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- Gargano getting the “already within the ring” remedy whereas Imperium obtained the star entrance was actually a choice, whether or not there was any intent behind it or not.
Credit score: WWE.com
Beneath strict orders by Gunther to take out Johnny Gargano and never fail Imperium, Giovanni Vinci squared off with the previous NXT champion.
He didn’t succeed, although it was not with out interference.
Late within the match, Tommaso Ciampa returned and worn out Ludwig Kaiser. The distraction allowed Gargano to ship One Last Beat and rating the victory, avenging the loss to Kaiser from per week in the past.
As is changing into a theme with Monday’s present, this achieved a number of issues.
First, it highlighted DIY as Gargano and Ciampa reunite for a principal roster run that followers have wished for a very long time. Second, it continued to construct stress and dissension inside Imperium as Kaiser jockeys to be Gunther’s favourite, all whereas Vinci struggled to search out the approval and acknowledgment of The Ring Normal.
The place that second story heads from right here stays to be seen, however this was one other occasion of Triple H utilizing one phase to intertwine a number of tales.
End result
Gargano defeated Vinci
Grade
C+
High Moments and Takeaways
Logan Paul Returns to Uncooked
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- The boos for Mysterio are extraordinary. They fully drowned out his promo.
- Paul drew comparisons to Soiled Dom, which did not go down nicely with the gang.
- Paul taunted Irvin at ringside, recalling his rivalry with Ricochet from the summer season. It went over about in addition to you’d count on, with The One and Solely then taking out Paul. He leveled Mysterio with a working knee and added a capturing star press, just for the YouTuber to drag the NXT North American champion out of the way in which.
Credit score: WWE.com
There are some segments that may finest be described as a spectacle, and the sound of Dominik Mysterio becoming a member of Logan Paul within the heart of the ring Monday night time was an unforgettable expertise.
So loud was it that Mysterio was drowned out, his phrases barely audible as he and the social media megastar insulted his father, United States champion Rey Mysterio.
In the end, Paul made the error of bringing ring announcer Samantha Irvin into the fray, drawing the ire of her real-life fiancé, Ricochet, who fought off the heels to shut out the phase.
Outdoors of the response to Mysterio was the reintroduction of Ricochet, who has unfinished enterprise after being screwed out of a victory by Paul at SummerSlam. Count on to see him concerned on this storyline shifting ahead, culminating in a tag crew match.
Grade
A
High Moments and Takeaways
Natalya and Nikki Cross vs. Piper Niven and Chelsea Inexperienced
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- Inexperienced is such a magnetic performer, and it is nonetheless superb that it took WWE two tries to search out one thing of word for her to do.
- Backstage, Rhea Ripley disrespectfully interrupted The Miz venting to Adam Pearce and drew the digicam away from the previous WWE champion, furthering the concept he’s being handled like an afterthought.
Credit score: WWE.com
Natalya’s battle with Chelsea Inexperienced and Piper Niven over the WWE Girls’s Tag Group Championship continued Monday, although an harm to Tegan Nox pressured The Queen of Harts to look elsewhere for a companion.
Her resolution, Nikki Cross, proved to be extra problematic than something.
The enigmatic Cross was torpid, disinterested even, as Natalya took a beating and finally misplaced to her rivals.
It was the second week in a row that The Queen of Harts fell to the tag champs following her loss to Niven final week.
In the end, it might appear the reply is for Natalya and Nox to dethrone the heels or not less than strive at a pay-per-view or in a high-profile Uncooked match. Regardless of the case, it’s not less than an effort by the artistic crew to do one thing with the titles, which have been the one most underserved factor on WWE tv since their inception.
End result
Inexperienced and Niven defeated Natalya and Cross
Grade
C
High Moments and Takeaways
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
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- Extra bodily and calculating McIntyre is one of the best McIntyre.
- The Scot is so good that every part he does appears easy. He’s a freakish athlete, does issues guys his measurement shouldn’t be capable of, and he by no means appears gassed or crushed.
- Ripley appeared at ringside to distract Zayn, and McIntyre scored the win with the Claymore as they continued to spin the narrative that The Scottish Warrior could also be swayed by The Judgment Day.
Credit score: WWE.com
As if the thought of Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre was not interesting sufficient on paper, they delivered a match that lived as much as its potential whereas incorporating a screwy end that truly furthered a key storyline.
McIntyre and Zayn beat one another up in a bodily battle that left the latter’s chest swollen and welted.
Late, it appeared The Underdog From The Underground would rating the win however a distraction from Rhea Ripley and allowed McIntyre to take the victory as commentator Michael Cole insinuated she was giving the Scot a style of what might occur if he aligned himself with The Judgment Day.
The teases that McIntyre might flip to the darkish facet if it means defeating Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship and having fun with a run in entrance of precise followers have been nice, even whether it is pretty apparent that he will not, particularly with Damian Priest lurking with the Cash within the Financial institution briefcase.
McIntyre is just not ignorant. He is aware of what Ripley’s endgame is, understands he’s being manipulated. And whereas he may take any opening to defeat Rollins at Crown Jewel, he will not enable himself to fall into The Judgment Day’s lure.
End result
McIntyre defeated Zayn
Grade
B+
High Moments and Takeaways
Akira Tozawa vs. ‘Huge’ Bronson Reed
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- Backstage, The New Day and Alpha Academy had been all chummy like nothing occurred earlier within the night time. DIY interrupted and revealed they are going to face Imperium subsequent week. Tozawa then grabbed maintain of a Dallas Cowboys duplicate belt that proved precisely what the purpose of this phase was: An in-show advert.
- Rollins and McIntyre each vowed to not contain The Judgment Day of their title conflict at Crown Jewel.
- Subsequent week: Rollins vs. JD McDonagh, Candice LeRae vs. Xia Li, DIY vs. Imperium, and Ricochet vs. “Soiled” Dominik Mysterio.
Credit score: WWE.com
Overconfidence on the a part of new Alpha Academy scholar Akira Tozawa led to ache and struggling Monday as he was promptly put down by “Huge” Bronson Reed.
On the heels of a powerful displaying towards intercontinental champion Gunther, Reed earned a dominant victory that informed followers he’s nonetheless the identical harmful power of nature he was earlier than final week’s loss.
That the New Zealander made the present, was highlighted as he was and the commentary crew put him over as strongly as they did suggests he has a brilliant future beneath Triple H and the artistic crew.
End result
Reed defeated Tozawa
Grade
C+
High Moments and Takeaways
Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest
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- Should you want any proof of The Bloodline’s optimistic impact on WWE tv, it may be present in Jey Uso, who’s a bona fide principal occasion competitor due to it.
- Uso tried a tope suicida at one level, however Priest caught him and drove him into the commentary desk.
- Bálor has an “intense, private hatred” of Uso, in response to Michael Cole. However why? Simply because Uso is a babyface and the Irishman is a heel?
- Rhodes’ limp to the ring goes be a brand new GIF, and this author is thrilled about it.
Credit score: WWE.com
Damian Priest constructed momentum forward of his Crown Jewel date with Cody Rhodes, defeating Jey Uso in a principal occasion that was marred by interference from Finn Bálor.
A post-match beatdown by the heels gave approach to a triumphant return by a hobbled Rhodes, who fended them off with a metal chair and stood tall to shut out the present.
This was a strong match that noticed Priest proceed his latest string of victories with an enormous win over a reliable principal occasion star in Uso. There will likely be some who query beating Jey right here, but when the response he obtained previous to the match is any indication, his reference to the followers will likely be simply superb.
Rhodes vs. Priest is an enormous match and WWE was proper to focus on it right here. The way it will tie into the World Heavyweight Championship match at Crown Jewel between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre, and whether or not The Archer of Infamy makes use of his MITB contract to steal the title, stays to be seen.
End result
Priest defeated Uso
Grade
B
High Moments and Takeaways
Total Grade
12 of 12
Uncooked continued its latest scorching streak, with an overarching story within the type of a scheming Rhea Ripley approaching a number of high names and making an attempt to induct them into The Judgment Day.
Sprinkle in some strong in-ring work, logical storytelling and the damndest response to a heel this facet of the Nineteen Eighties, and you’ve got a present that is aware of it has to construct to Crown Jewel and did simply that with most of Monday’s artistic.
Grade: B+