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WWE Night of Champions 2023: The ‘Bloodline’ Breaks Down as Roman Reigns is Left Shocked, Seth Rollins & Asuka Win Title Belts

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: WWE

The demise of the ‘Bloodline’ is now truly underway, after the closing bout at WWE Night of Champions streaming Saturday on Peacock.

The WWE returned to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for this event which featured numerous titles on the lines and the crowning of the winner for the new WWE championship.

Let’s recap what went down for the triple main event.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa 

The crowd was firmly behind Zayn and Owens, in particular because Sami is a wrestler of Syrian descent and he has never taken part in any of the WWE’s Saudi Arabian shows, due to the relationship between Syria and Saudi Arabia. With the tensions died down between the two countries, Zayn got the opportunity to wrestle in front of family and in the Middle East.  When his entrance music played, Sami entered dressed for the culture he was performing for in all white.

While the crowd was red hot for Zayn and Owens, they also jeered Roman Reigns who has now held the WWE Universal Championship for 1000 days. The uber-villain played right along with the fans, egging them on, as only he can.

Courtesy/Peacock

As the teams went back and forth, the referee got knocked out, when Reigns speared him by mistake. With no official, the Usos appeared and went on the attack of Owens at ringside.  Later in the ring, the brothers and former tag champs, set Zayn up for a double superkick, but the kicks landed on their younger brother, Solo Sikoa, by mistake.  Not seeing what had fully transpired, The Tribal Chief was losing his temper and started pushing Jey and Jimmy around.

Fed up, Jimmy landed a superkick on Reigns which knocked him down to the mat. Jey was conflicted by the actions of his brother, but Jimmy landed a second superkick on Reigns.  That left Owens open to deliver a stunner to Sikoa. Then, Zayn followed it up with a Helluva kick.  A new referee showed up in time and counted 1, 2, 3 as Zayn pinned Sikoa.  As the Usos walked back up the ramp and backstage, Jimmy was trying to assure Jey, that they did the right thing, while Roman Reigns was left stunned as Sami and Kevin celebrated retaining their belts.  The storytelling in this match was brilliantly executed by all involved.

Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins vs. AJ Styles

Courtesy/Peacock

The finals of the new World Heavyweight Championship Tournament were on tap for the opener of Night of Champions featuring two of the best wrestlers in the world, Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins and AJ Styles.  Who would win the new belt?

As Seth and AJ battled back and forth, ultimately it was the Visionary who was battling his ‘injured knee’ sustained in who hit Styles with a Pedigree before ultimately delivering a Stomp for the pin and the win. Triple H came to the ring and presented Rollins with the belt as the newest of champs for the organization.  If anyone deserves a belt around their waist it’s Rollins, who has not held a title for over four years. Just how this title will remain relevant is yet to be seen.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

Courtesy/Peacock

The third piece of the triple main event included the question of just how would Rhodes wrestle the ‘beast incarnate’ with one arm having supposedly been broken during a beatdown by Lesnar on RAW?

Throughout the match, Rhodes had his arm wrapped with a brace, which he eventually used to hit Lesnar with. However, in the end, as many predicted, the WWE creative team had to find a way in the storytelling to even up the series between Cody and Brook to 1 win each.  How did they do it?

Late in the match, Lesnar put Rhodes in a Kimura Lock. However, in the first attempt, Cody was able to escape it. The second time Brock applied it, Rhodes eventually passed out and the referee called for the bell and named Brock the winner. Look for the rubber match in this feud to be forthcoming.

Bianca Belair vs. Asuka

Courtesy/Peacock

In their match at Wrestlemania 39, it was clear that Asuka was the crowd favorite, even though she was the heel going up against Belair. Now, in a rematch at Night of Champions, Asuka has become even more heinous with her ‘mist’ than ever before. Going into the match, Belair held the RAW Women’s Championship for a record 420 days, but her title reign was about to come to an end.

At first, Asuka tried to mist Belair in the face, but she missed her target. Avoiding that calamity, Belair continued to fight back, while Asuka played dirty.  Then in a clever move, Asuka blew the mist from her mouth on to her fingers, while the ref’s back was turned and she was on the ropes. When Bianca hoisted Asuka over her head, the challenger rubbed her misted-fingers in the champ’s eyes and down she went.  After kicking the EST in the head, Asuka was able to secure the pin, ending Belair’s incredible reign. While Asuka celebrated, Belair was left outside the ring with ‘stinging’ eyes, and no medical attention to help her.  Will we see a heel turn by Bianca Belair, coming out of Night of Champions? Stay tuned.

In other bouts …

Rhea Ripley defeated Natalya (on her birthday no less) which amounted to nothing more than a squash match.  Ripley showed her strength and easily won over the birthday girl in a few minutes to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Gunther retained his Intercontinental Championship defeating Mustafa Ali, as the crowd rooted for Ali who is of Pakistani and Indian descent.

Trish Stratus, with the help of Zoey Stark, got the victory over Becky Lynch.  Stratus reminded us of her in-ring skills, while this story has been hard to swallow. Adding Stark to the mix, gives Stratus a pal, so we can only assume she will tag team with Trish … or Stark will be the next to feud with “The Man” Becky Lynch.

Courtesy/Peacock

Overall, nothing topped the final match of the night featuring Reigns, Zayn, and the Bloodline, for the pure theater of it all.

So, what did you think of WWE Night of Champions 2023? Share your thoughts and favorite matches via the comment section. But first, take a look at what went down when Jimmy Uso kicked Roman Reigns.

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THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now

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Bill and Katie

The future isn’t looking so bright for longtime loves Katie Logan (Heather Tom) and Bill Spencer (Don Diamont), when on the Wednesday, November 11 episode Katie wants Bill to leave and give her some space, and to stay away from her!

Katie explains she wanted none of this, but now her insecurity and fear of Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Bill has made it impossible. Bill pleads his case, “I was just trying to help” by speaking with Brooke. Katie tells him, well he didn’t, far from it, it’s all backfired in his face.

Bill insists to Katie that everything he did was for her and her sisters. Katie isn’t buying it. In her mind, Bill has always wanted to stick it to the Forresters. So what changed? She then asks him point blank, if he is still attracted to Brooke? Bill says “no,” but Katie said she wishes she could believe him. He tries to explain that him getting together with Brooke was to broker peace between the Logan sisters.

Katie

Courtesy/CBS

THE TRUST IS BROKEN

Katie speaks to how she is building her own company, making something of herself, and Bill says to her, “You don’t have to lose the people that you love to prove that you can win.”

Next, Katie is convinced Bill was flirting with Brooke because he texted Brooke a Stallion emoji (she has a point, no?). That reminded Katie of the worst time in her life when he was having an affair with her sister!

She points out how Brooke destroyed her life and took Will away from her and he was sent to boarding school, so why shouldn’t she strike back? Bill tries to point out again, that Katie is going to lose her sisters. But, a defiant Katie fires back, “If they can’t accept me for who I am … so be it!”

Next, Bill says he doesn’t buy it and becomes very emotional calling his wife, “my Katie”.  However, now in a puddle of tears, Katie says those words can’t fix everything. Seeing he is not getting anywhere, Bill walks towards the door and says, “I will hate being apart from you, but I’ll do it for you.”

He vows to never stop fighting for them. Katie’s says, “Goodbye, Bill.”  The music swells, Bill exits, and Katie crawls into a ball on the couch in a dramatic overhead shot to end the episode.

Photo: JPI

WEDDING BELLS?

In the same episode, it should be noted that Taylor (Rebecca Budig) asked Deacon (Sean Kanan) to re-propose to her, and this time she accepted.

It looks like Taylor or Deacon are headed down the aisle at some point, but not so fast, because Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) was flirting with Deacon, and she won’t take this news lying down.

Check out the emotional scenes featuring Heather Tom and Don Diamont below.

Now weigh-in: were you touched by the moments when Bill left his house to give Katie the space she says she needed over her feelings of betrayal by her husband and her sister, Brooke? How does this all end? Will Katie end up destroying everything in the process on her way to the top? Will she have a mental or physical crisis in days to come? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section.

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Dancing with the Stars

DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced

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In what could only be the stunner of this season of Dancing with the Stars, the Tuesday night, November 1o episode saw one of the heavy favorites Jenna Dewan and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy eliminated right before next week’s all-important semi-finals for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Week 9 was Grammy night, where the contestants performed routines related to the Grammy Awards with songs that have either won or been nominated for the music industry’s highest prize.

After each couple performed their usual routine, they had to dance a second time vs, another couple doing the same dance style. Only Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned immunity from having to participate in it.

Dancing with the Stars

Photo: ABC

THE RESULTS

When all was said and done during the results portion of the show; the following couples were deemed safe and will dance another day: Shum Jr. and Johnson, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.

That left former Y&R actress Tatyana Ali (ex-Roxanne) and Jan Ravnik and Dewan and Chmerkovskiy in the bottom two. It was then revealed that Jenna and Val would be going home. The ballroom fell silent and Dewan said her “thank you’s “in the most gracious way about her dance journey.

Dewan is a dancer, having worked professionally with the likes of Janet Jackson (who also popped up in a special message to her former back-up dancer in the episode) while currently being an actress, and appearing as a series regular on The Rookie. Chmerkovskiy has been controversial figure all season especially after being suspended one week after comments made towards judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

BREAKING THEIR SILENCE

This begs the question: did America want the couple gone, because they had an unfair advantage with Dewan’s dance prowess, or did the show want the couple booted off too?

Later, Jenna and Val broke their silence on the elimination to Extra. Chmerkovskiy shared “It’s’ definitely a sad result. I thought we had a great season.” Dewan admitted, “I know this was a particularly tough week for a lot of the online noise … but I know that we went out there and had the best time of our life.”

Val is married to pro dancer, Jenna Johnson, who remained in the top slot on the leaderboard during the competition with Harry Shum Jr. However, she also had a bad week breaking her nose in rehearsal!

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and next day on Hulu.

So were you happy, or sad to see Jenna and Val voted off of Dancing with the Stars? Of the remaining couples who do you hope make it from the semi-finals to the finals and hoists the Mirrorball Trophy? Weigh-in via the comment section.

 

 

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Recaps

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’

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Heather Tom

Six-time Daytime Emmy winner, Heather Tom, while not taking the gold at the recent Daytime Emmys for Lead Actress, which would have been a record-breaking victory for an actress; should be prepared that in 2027, she has to be near to a lock take that award home!

In the last few months Michael Fairman TV has named her weekly performances as Power Performance of the Week, and for the week of November 2-6, she has done it again!

How did she earn the honors? Well, quite simply, this version of Katie Logan that is being written and portrayed beautifully, has given the character infused live, a backbone, a woman so tired of being put-upon and wronged, that she is firing back in such major ways that her own family doesn’t recognize her behavior.

Katherine Kelly Lang

Photo: JPI

KATIE AND BROOKE HAVE A SEISMIC SHOWDOWN

Longtime viewers of The Bold and the Beautiful can make a very compelling case that the behavior is justified. Then, on the November 4 episode, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Katie have another major confrontation. Katie is irate that Brooke phoned Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) in an effort to help Bill get through to her to back off the way she is destroying Forrester Creations, in what appears to be Katie’s poaching of the design team, and her ramped up vendetta against Brooke.

However, let’s not forget, Brooke and their sister, Donna (Jennifer Gareis) disowned Katie from the family just a few months ago too! Now in this showdown, Katie rips into Brooke after Brooke attempts to reason with her. Brooke even pulls out the “Stormy” card, reminding viewers that Katie has Storm’s heart. She snipes, “Do you really think he’d be proud of you right now?”

In that moment, Katie chokes up and is struck by that statement, but defends her actions and says Storm would be proud of her. Brooke goes in on if Storm would approve of the way she has gone about building her Logan fashion house design team, which to many seem like cutthroat tactics, Brooke even tells her “Bill is worried.”

Katie snaps after that comment and begins to show her disgust and emotional wounds from how Brooke slept with Bill years ago, especially when she goes in on the the text message Brooke sent to Bill and the use of a stallion emoji. Brooke claims it meant nothing, but Katie shuts her down and shuts her up! Reminding her sister, how she destroyed everything.

Heather Tom

Photo: JPI

KATIE NEVER FORGOT HOW BROOKE SLEPT WITH BILL

Brooke reminds Katie that she had postpartum depression at the time, and she “pushed” her and Bill together. Katie begins to cry, “How could you not know something was profoundly wrong?”

Katie says while she was suffering, Brooke was off in Aspen having sex with Bill. She says of her sister, “You take what you want, and it doesn’t matter who gets hurt and whose life gets destroyed.” She then snipes what was her sister’s excuse the second time?

Then, in the masterful moment in the performance, as sister Donna walks into the showdown, Katie warns Brooke to not EVER talk to her again about morality, or ever accuse her of stealing anything from her, when “You are the master!”

BROOKE’S PAST WILL ALWAYS BE THROWN IN HER FACE

Next, Katie throws down the line Stephanie Forrester called Brooke all the years of their feud, “You are just a slut from the valley.” She punctuated it to both her sister, “We all know she’d sell her soul for a little male attention.'”

Katie tells Brooke she will never apologize to Bill, adding, “And I will never forgive you for this. I am so done with you, and if you’re going to stand next to her (aimed at Donna), then I am done with you too.” As the scene came to its conclusion, Katie told Brooke and Katie to, “stay away from me, stay away from my family, and stay away from Bill.”

Throughout all the scenes, Heather Tom displayed why she is one of the fiercest actresses in daytime drama. This storyline has afforded Tom the opportunity to show all of Katie’s inner rage built over years as she finally lets it out on those who wronged her. For anyone who has been made to feel the weaker sibling in a family, Tom is showing the cause and effect of what can happen to someone after years of feeling put down.

For all the reasons stated above, Michael Fairman TV names Heather Tom our selection for Power Performance of the Week. You can check out part of Heather’s emotional turn in the video clip below.

Now let us know, do you agree with our pick of Heather Tom for the Power Performance of the Week? What do  you think about how Katie is being written in this storyline? Do you think Heather has secured the Lead Actress Emmy in 2027? Weigh-in via the comment section.

 

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