IMG Credit: WWE.com

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 19, 2004
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means one final push for Shawn Michaels vs. HHH, which is always going to get more attention than the match the show is named after. Hopefully it’s a little better than last week’s build which droned on and on without actually adding anything. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Coach is in the back with a bunch of wrestlers who will be in the Royal Rumble on Sunday. Since he’s in charge tonight, Coach is going to have a battle royal tonight with the winner getting the number thirty spot. However, you have to qualify for the battle royal by winning your regular matches tonight. If there is any interference, you’re out of the Rumble entirely. Reason #1 why Coach is better at this than Bischoff: this took less than three minutes rather than the ten it would have likely taken Bischoff in the arena.

Opening sequence.

Booker T./Rob Van Dam vs. Christian/Matt Hardy

The Matt Facts are back and it turns out that he loves Mongolian BBQ’s and his counter tops are all granite. That could help for future gifts. Rob flips over Matt to start and scores with a spinning kick to the face for an early two. Booker comes in to punch Christian a bit and a backdrop makes things even worse. A trip from the floor lets Matt pull Booker outside for a beating, allowing Christian to grab the neck crank. Makes sense after the Tombstone last week. Matt comes in with a neck crank of his own as JR and King critique Booker’s rap song.

The fans tell Christian that he sucks and they seem very pleased when Booker kicks him out of the air. Van Dam comes in off the hot tag and a standing moonsault gets two on Matt. Rolling Thunder hits knees though and Matt puts his feet on the ropes for two of his own. The villains try a double backdrop so it’s a double ax kick from Booker, setting up the Five Star to give Van Dam the pin on Matt, putting Booker and Van Dam in the battle royal.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match to put some fan favorites into the main event tonight. Christian and Matt are a pretty random team but it’s not like Booker and Van Dam have anyone else of note to beat. Granted it’s not like the match means anything as it’s all about the main event anyway so it’s hard to get too annoyed.

Remember how WWE hyped up Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner last week? Well now Test has been added to make it a triple threat.

Chris Jericho vs. Rene Dupree

Coach is on commentary. Dupree gets in an early hiptoss to set up the French dancing, only to have the fans start up a Jericho chance. Dancing haters. Jericho dropkicks him outside but Dupree dropkicks him out of the air back inside. They exchange abdominal stretches and more dancing just annoys Jericho. He knocks Dupree away and does his own dance, setting up the bulldog into the Lionsault. Dupree’s knees are up and a Death Valley Driver gets two. Not that it matters as the Walls make Dupree tap without much trouble so we’ll see Jericho later tonight.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much better Dupree is when he has someone like Jericho out there to walk him through a match. Believe it or not, one of the best of all time is capable of putting anyone into a good match and that’s what happened here. Jericho’s face turn is starting to take hold and that should be a good thing going forward.

The Friends and Supporters of Mick Foley air their Foley isn’t a hardcore legend ad, which is still funny.

Christian asks Jericho to use his Survivor Series favor to get into the battle royal but that’s not happening. That sounds like something that’s going to matter later.

Video on HHH vs. Shawn Michaels, who used to be best friends but then HHH became all evil. Then they had a long feud with some traded wins and then Shawn pinned him on the last Raw of the year but it didn’t count. Now we’re having a Last Man Standing match. Now why does that need such a long recap?

Rico vs. Mark Henry

Rico wastes no time in spanking Mark and even throws in a kiss to Teddy Long. Back in and Henry runs him over, setting up the nerve hold. Rico fires up with some kicks but misses something off the top. The World’s Strongest Slam sends Henry to the battle royal.

Flair gives Evolution a pep talk for Sunday.

Classic Royal Rumble moment: Maven eliminates Undertaker in 2002.

Kane vs. Spike Dudley

Spike tries to come off the top and gets choked a lot. More choking in the corner has the referee pulling Kane off so Spike shoves the referee, who thinks Kane did it. That’s a DQ to send Spike to the battle royal.

Kane wrecks Spike post match.

House show videos.

Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner vs. Test

Test gets double teamed to start and the beatdown is on in a hurry. A double clothesline drops Test and Steiner and Goldberg punches away at Steiner in the corner. Test gets in a cheap shot from the floor though and Steiner gets two off a belly to belly suplex. There’s a double suplex to Goldberg but he avoids a clothesline, which hits Steiner instead.

The gorilla press powerslam plants Steiner but draws Test back in for the save. Test and Steiner argue over who gets to pin Goldberg until Steiner sends Test outside. A hot shot sets up the Steiner Recliner, only to have Test break it up. The spear and Jackhammer end Test, putting Goldberg in the battle royal.

Rating: D. Pick a triple threat that follows the exact same formula that we’ve seen dozens of times. There was no need to make this a triple threat but if it was to protect us from having to see Steiner go one on one, he can’t get out of here fast enough. Also, what would it say if Test is brought in to protect you?

We get a new Mick Foley ad, calling him a coward and a scared little girl. Randy Orton is a fearless superstar though.

Austin watches the ad, shakes his head, and rides through the back on the ATV very fast, nearly running over Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade.

Wrestlemania recall: the Brawl for All with the hilarious Bart Gunn knockout.

Here’s Austin for a chat. Austin gets straight to the point: Foley walked out of the company and then wouldn’t come fifteen minutes to the arena last week. That’s not the Foley that Austin knows and used to ride up and down the road with every night. They used to take the cheapest rental cars to the cheapest hotel rooms where they used to see who could make Diamond Dallas Page crack first. That’s not the Foley that Austin remembers so he wants Foley at the Rumble to beat up Orton once and for all. Austin toasts Foley, hoping that he’ll do the right thing.

Video on the launch party for the Originals CD. I could see the appeal of getting to meet Austin, Jericho and Trish among others.

Molly Holly and Trish get catty until Christian takes Molly’s place. He and Jericho had a great time last week on the road trip and Christian has some pictures on his phone to prove it. Jericho seemed to have some fun with a few good looking women. Trish was the last thing on his mind. Christian looks at his phone one more time, reminding him of the midgets.

Lita vs. Jazz

Not a battle royal qualifying match. The fans are already cheering for Lita so Jazz takes her down to the mat for some crossface shots. A monkey flip into some right hands have Jazz in trouble but she gets in a dropkick to the back of the head. Jazz’s chinlock doesn’t last long as the announcers ignore the match to talk about Foley. A spinning belly to back suplex sets up the reverse Twist of Fate but Long offers a distraction so Jazz can roll her up (with tights) for the pin.

Rating: D. That finish is getting very old and I don’t see things getting much better in the women’s division anytime soon. The fact that I saw Molly with the title about ten minutes ago and couldn’t remember who the champion was isn’t a good sign. They’re just going from feud to feud with no apparent direction and that gets old.

Hurricane is used to being the underdog and he’ll do it again tonight. He believes in himself though and that’s going to take him to the main event of Wrestlemania. That was a fired up promo.

We recap Foley not showing up last week.

Randy Orton vs. Hurricane

Non-title. Orton wastes no time in pounding Hurricane in the back, followed by a heck of a clothesline for two. A dropkick sets up a cravate but Hurricane fights up with a quick clothesline. Something like a reverse neckbreaker gets two on Orton and the high crossbody is good for the same. And never mind as the RKO ends Hurricane, wrapping up a short match with a lot packed in.

Post match Evolution comes out to gloat so Rosey comes in to keep an eye on his friend. The beatdown is on so the Dudleys make the real save but Orton saves Flair from going through a table. Coach comes in to yell and goes through it instead.

Henry talks trash to Jericho, who accuses him of eating moose vomit. Those are fighting words, with Henry promising to leave his “stank” on Trish. Henry: “And my stank smells good.”

Battle Royal

Rob Van Dam, Booker T., Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Mark Henry

Spike is injured so we’re down to six men instead. Goldberg wastes no time in cleaning house until everyone gets together to beat him down. That includes a Five Star Frog Splash but Booker dumps Van Dam. Jericho gets rid of Booker seconds later, leaving Jericho and Orton to both skin the cat. Henry starts throwing people around and knocks Goldberg down but can only send Jericho to the apron.

A missile dropkick puts Henry down and Jericho dropkicks Goldberg’s knee out for good measure. Orton and Henry get together to toss Jericho and we’re down to three. Goldberg tries to fight back and spears Henry down but Orton makes the save. Instead Orton tries to do it himself so Goldberg knocks Henry out with a hard shoulder. Cue the rest of Evolution so Goldberg throws Orton onto the two of them for the win.

Rating: D-. Yeah that was pretty bad, with the win basically guaranteeing that you have no chance to win on Sunday. Goldberg is a good enough choice for the final spot as he can come in and wreck a few people before someone throws him out in the setup to a big angle. This was little more than a formality, though Orton did feel like he had a chance of winning.

Overall Rating: C. This was almost a stand alone show and it was very smart to not have Shawn Michaels and HHH on the show. There’s no need to waste time on that match after we spent so much time on it last week. The Rumble itself needed some build and it got the focus tonight, making this a better show than recent weeks but still nothing great.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 20, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re less than two weeks away from Best in the World and that means it’s time to start setting up some of the lower matches on the card. Well at least that would be the case most of the time but around here you never know because Ring of Honor doesn’t always announce a lot of its card until the weekend of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The Bullet Club is ready for Los Ingobernables de Japon because Los Ingobernables couldn’t sell out an arena in thirty minutes like the Club did.

Opening sequence.

Chuck Taylor vs. Kenny King

Chuck offers a handshake but pulls it away because he’s kind of a jerk. They finally do shake hands and King motions a bunch of hugs to the crowd. A headlock slows Chuck down to start and King runs him over with a shoulder, meaning it’s time to dance. Chuck runs him right back over and it’s time for some Kentucky dancing. They share a hug and Chuck teases jumping him to no avail. More dancing sets up another hug but this time Chuck belly to belly suplexes him to take over.

Back from a break with Chuck missing a middle rope moonsault and Kenny slugging away. Chuck gets sent outside for a dive but let’s stop for King to take a picture with a fan. I mean, he’s not ready to take it so we’ll come back to that later. King mostly misses a high crossbody but gets two anyway. That’s enough for Taylor to send him outside for a dive and NOW we’ll take a picture with the same fan. A Falcon Arrow gives Chuck two and a stuff piledriver is good for two more. King is right back up with the Royal Flush for the pin at 11:37.

Rating: C-. I’m not big on this style of match as they were just trading moves on each other until one of them hit their finisher for the win. It wasn’t terrible or anything but it’s nothing that I’m going to remember in about five minutes. Taylor has grown on me though and he’s nowhere near as bad as I used to find him.

We look back at the Briscoes attacking the Young Bucks a few weeks back.

The Briscoes aren’t happy with being asked why they’re going down the dark road. The Bucks are the best in the world at selling shirts and making Youtube videos, but they can’t take the titles.

Video on Shane Taylor.

Here’s Shane in the ring to call out Josh Woods. He had Woods beaten in Florida when King Mo interfered. Now Taylor is going to beat Woods up faster than Derrick Rose pops his ACL.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Taylor wastes no time in knocking Woods to the floor with the power, followed by a big headbutt on the outside. A big Cannonball crushes Woods against the barricade and a legdrop on the apron sends us to a break. Back with Woods reversing a powerslam into a sleeper but Taylor throws him down. The referee gets in the way and Taylor knocks Woods out with a right hand for the pin at 5:33. Not enough shown to rate but this was pretty much a squash.

Bullet Club vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Cody, Hangman Page, Young Bucks, Marty Scurll

Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Evil, Sanada, Bushi

Dalton Castle is on commentary and we’ll look at him for the first few seconds of the match. Cody and Naito start things off with Cody striking his pose and Naito doing his eye opening deal. Naito sends him outside and rolls into the pose, which of course is cheered to high Heaven around here. That’s too far for Cody, who throws a bunch of chairs around. Scurll tags himself in to face Bushi so let’s go back to Castle, who is holding the title upside down.

Ever the evil one (though not Evil), Bushi grabs the beard so Scurll goes for the fingers. That sets up a showdown between the Bucks and Bushi/Evil with the fans not being sure what to do. Ian talks about the teams fought in Osaka, even though Evil and Sanada lost the titles there but came out with them here. Nice try at least. They stare each other down and it’s eventually all ten in the ring for a big staredown. The referee tries to keep order (get that man a raise) but the brawl breaks out anyway with the Bucks taking over (you’re kidding me) by way of dives and dropkicks.

Scurll kicks Sanada in the face so Page can hit a running shooting star to clear the ring. Cody does the Rise of the Terminator pose to annoy the fans but Takahashi cuts him off with a Darryl shot. Everyone else gets Darryled until a double superkick takes him down, followed by a big rope walk flip dive to Evil and Sanada. The Meltzer Driver is broken up and Evil chops a chair into Matt’s face as we take a break.

Back with things having settled down a bit as Matt superkicks Sanada down. The hot tag brings in Scurll to slug it out with Takahashi but he can’t quite get the chickenwing. Instead it’s the Ghostbuster for two but Takahashi kicks the heck out of Scurll, allowing the hot tag to Evil. Sanada comes in for a bonus, meaning Nick can have extra targets to beat up. The Bucks grab the stereo Sharpshooters but get broken up in short order. Cue Punishment Martinez to fight Page into the back though and we take another break.

Back again with Los Ingobernables cleaning house for a change and a quadruple basement dropkick rocking Matt. There’s a Destroyer to Matt and the Magic Killer gives Bushi two with Nick pulling the referee out. Even Bernard the Business Bear offers a distraction so Bushi mists him for good measure. Scurll hits Cody with the umbrella by mistake and Naito adds Destino…..but it doesn’t matter as the Bucks come in with a bunch of superkicks. The Meltzer Driver ends Bushi at 16:37.

Rating: C+. And that’s why the Bucks get on my nerves: the Road Warriors weren’t pushed as this unstoppable. The Bullet Club, who are having problems, haven’t been a team as long, and are down a man due to Page being gone, is in trouble but DON’T WORRY because the Bucks are here for a bunch of superkicks. In other words, absolutely nothing in the first sixteen minutes mattered because the Bucks are going to come in and almost literally beat up the other team by themselves. What’s the point in even watching a match if there’s no reason to think anything else is going to happen? Good match with an annoying ending.

Cody checks on Bernard and pours water on the mask.

A Best in the World rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. That ending really rubbed me the wrong way and took me out of a lot of the good things that the show had going for it. While still good, this was really all about the main event and that match was really not working for me because of the last few seconds. They did a better job of setting up some stuff for Best in the World, but so much of the TV still feels like they’re filling in time because they don’t have anything else to do outside of their one big match. That’s been a problem for so long around here and it’s getting tiresome.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 20, 2018
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another slow down week as we’ll be looking at what happened this past Saturday plus the two matches taped before Takeover went on the air. Therefore it’s not going to be the most important show in the world, but after everything WWE has had going on this week, a little break sounds like just the ticket. Let’s get to it.

Here are Saturday’s results if you need a recap.

In Memory of Vader.

We get a highlight package from Takeover, with a crawler of tweets about Vader’s passing.

Opening sequence.

It’s always a little jarring to see the big arena for NXT.

Dakota Kai vs. Bianca Belair

Belair throws her around to start but takes a kick for an early two. A suplex takes Kai down for two and Belair is rather cocky about this level of dominance. With Kai not being able to fight her off, we hit an abdominal stretch to keep Belair in control. That goes nowhere so Belair tosses her down again, only to have Kai come back with some running kicks in the face. A hard forearm to the jaw takes Kai down though and the sitout torture rack faceplant finishes Kai at 6:03.

Rating: D+. This was nearly a squash with Belair running over Kai and not even blinking during the destruction. That’s what this match should have been, as Belair looks to have all the potential in the world. Let her run with that and see how far the natural athleticism can take her. At the moment, it looks quite far.

Video on Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream. That was awesome.

Ricochet says he showed tonight that the spotlight belongs to him.

Velveteen Dream says Dream Over.

Video on Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross.

Baszler, along with two more of the Four Horsewomen, say you defeat chaos by putting it to sleep. Baszler: “And still.”

Video on Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan.

Aleister Black is too banged up to talk.

Video on Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Undisputed Era.

Lorcan and Burch are upset that they lost but glad that they got here.

Long recap of Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano.

EC3 isn’t sure why he wasn’t on Takeover but that won’t happen again. He goes into Regal’s office and demands to face EVERYBODY.

War Raiders vs. The Mighty

TM61 of course, with a better name. The Mighty, now in matching tights, jump the Raiders to start but Rowe demands that the match start anyway. Rowe cleans house and Hanson throws him into Thorn in the corner. Fallout is broken up and Miller gets two with his feet on the ropes. It’s Rowe in trouble for a bit until he runs Thorn over, allowing the hot tag off to Hanson. Everything breaks down with Hanson using the size advantage to clean house with reckless abandon. Fallout ends Miller at 4:33.

Rating: C-. That wasn’t much more than a squash and that’s what War Raiders should be doing. They’re bigger and stronger than any team around and having them flatten a team with some success like The Mighty is as good of an idea as they could have. There’s a real chance that the Raiders are going to be in the title hunt sooner rather than later, and really that’s what they should be doing.

Overall Rating: C. As usual, this was just a rest stop on the way back from Takeover and there’s nothing wrong with that. The wrestling was there to warm the crowd up and prevent them from having to put together a full show between Saturday and today. The recaps were a nice touch and as usual this is one of those shows that helps new viewers if they watched Takeover on a whim. Exactly what this show should have been.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Dakota Kai – Sitout torture rack faceplant

War Raiders b. The Mighty – Fallout to Miller

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

That’s a rough one for me as I was always a big fan.  He was one of the best big men ever and an absolute monster.  His match with Sting at Starrcade 1992 is one of my favorite matches ever and it’s a shame that he didn’t get the WWF Title in 1996.  At least he’s not in pain anymore.

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 19, 2018
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Percy Watson

It’s grudge match night around here as we have a triple threat match between Buddy Murphy, Mustafa Ali and Hideo Itami. Two weeks ago Itami attacked both men during their match and now they want to take him apart. That should make for a fun match and barring anything ridiculous, should set up Itami as the next challenger to Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Title. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video recaps Itami’s attack and how we got to tonight’s triple threat.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak vs. Lince Dorado

So I guess we’re not done with this feud. Jack Gallagher is in England for the UK Championship Tournament so it’s just Brian Kendrick in Gulak’s corner. The Gulak pinata is back and it’s now called Penelope. They fight over arm control to start and there are a low of people disguised as empty seats. Gulak takes him to the mat with a test of strength but Dorado fights up into a sunset flip for two. A middle rope anklescissors sets up a moonsault press for another near fall as Gulak can’t get anything going early on.

Frustrated by being flipped around over and over, Gulak hits him in the face to take over but a rollup sends Dorado through the ropes in a crash. Back in and Gulak goes for the mask, yelling at the referee that he wants to see who it is. As usual that’s too far for a luchador so he’s right back up with some dropkicks. The Golden Rewind gets two but Kendrick offers a distraction so the Gulock can get the submission at 8:02.

Rating: C. They’ve done a good job of setting Gulak as a monster around here and that’s one of the best things that can be done. It’s also interesting that the Lucha House Party can win on their own but seemingly has no chance against Gulak. It makes him look that much more impressive, which is all that matters in the entire feud. In other words the team is good but Gulak is better, meaning everyone wins.

Drake Maverick tells the referee to be careful in the main event tonight when Itami comes in. He wants respect but Maverick tells him that it works both ways.

Here’s TJP, with a mic, for a match. He’s not happy with Maverick because he’s not getting to be in the main event every week. Instead, he’s out here with some guy who doesn’t even get to mention his name. After some more insults, the guy punches TJP in the face, earning himself a kneebar for a rather hard sell job. No match of course.

Lio Rush has officially been signed and will debut next week.

Next week: Gulak/Gallagher/Kendrick vs. Lucha House Party in an elimination match.

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy vs. Hideo Itami

They all circle to start until Murphy and Ali glare Itami to the floor. It’s Murphy going out after him so Ali hits a big flip dive onto both of them. Back in and Murphy starts punching them both to take over with raw size and power. Ali is back up to send Murphy outside but Itami cuts off the dive with a knee to the ribs. That’s enough to set up an early chinlock, meaning Itami can demand more RESPECT.

Itami lets it go and kicks Murphy off the apron before kicking Ali in the back so he won’t feel left out. It’s Murphy coming back in though and that means a kick to his back as well. Murphy kicks Itami right back and they trade them again, followed by some head to head growling. Itami gets the better of it and does the RESPECT ME thing again, because that’s half of his character. Ali comes back in and gets his head taken off with a clothesline, followed by a German suplex for two.

Murphy sends Ali into Itami, knocking him off the apron and setting up a sleeper on Ali. In other words, we’re firmly in the two in, one out formula that dominates these matches. With that going nowhere Itami comes in with a sleeper on Murphy, which is broken up in short order. Ali tries the rolling X Factor on Murphy but gets thrown into the air, only to come down with the X Factor on Itami instead (cool spot). A tornado DDT gets two on Murphy and everyone is down due to head trauma/exhaustion.

Ali is up first but the 054 is broken up with a hard crotching. They tease the Tower of Doom but (thankfully) go with Murphy kicking Ali in the face and then loading Itami up for a powerbomb, which is spun down into a DDT for two more. Ali gets up first and superkicks Murphy down but dives into Itami’s kick to the face for another triple knockdown.

Murphy powerbombs Itami but gets kicked down on top of him, setting up a 450 onto both of them at once. Ali can only get two on Itami with Murphy making a save. That’s enough for Murphy and Ali to head outside with Ali hitting a C4 off the announcers’ table for the really painful landing. Back in and a hesitation dropkick gives Itami two on Ali, so it’s time to pull off a turnbuckle pad. Another running dropkick into the exposed buckle is finally enough for Itami to pin Ali at 15:53.

Rating: B+. This was much, much better than I was expecting with all three working very hard to put on a heck of a performance. They played up the idea of Ali as the heart, Murphy as the muscle and Itami as the ruthless one who will hit you so hard that you can’t get up. The match was a lot of fun and had all three looking great. Itami needs to be the next challenger, especially after getting a win like this one.

Overall Rating: B. As tired as I am of seeing Gulak N Pals vs. Lucha House Party, that main event was great and TJP is getting better and better every week. They’ve got some stuff going on here but it’s becoming more and more clear that Alexander needs to lose the title in a hurry. He’s just not the charismatic star of the show, which leaves him on pretty equal footing with everyone else. That needs to be fixed, and then things might be able to start picking up. I mean, they won’t because it’s 205 Live, but at least it’s a possibility.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 19, 2018
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re past Money in the Bank and that means it’s time to get things going towards Extreme Rules. Smackdown isn’t wasting any time in that area as we have a five man gauntlet match tonight with the winner getting a shot at AJ Styles at the pay per view. Other than that it’s hard to say what we might be having this week so let’s get to it.

Here are Sunday’s results if you need a recap.

Paige welcomes us to the show and recaps Sunday. Tonight is the gauntlet match, which she explains as well.

Here’s Carmella to get things going in the arena. Carmella talks about having self esteem issues when she was growing up because she never felt good enough. Then she started writing her own story and she saw something in herself that no one ever saw. Everyone out there needs to look in the mirror and repeat these words: Mella is MONEY! Why would someone like her ever have self confidence? She’s been moon walking and trash talking since she was a baby so everyone needs to just give up. Carmella brags about all of her accomplishments, which she has done completely on her own.

Cue Asuka, or at least James Ellsworth in Asuka gear. Ellsworth says no one was ready for Asuka and offers some praise to Carmella, saying she’s better than several women, including Trish, Lita, Rousey, and Mother Teresa. Now it’s the real Asuka, without robe or mask, coming to the ring to take Ellsworth down. Carmella uses the distraction to deck Asuka and wrap things up. I’m so glad they brought Ellsworth back for this role when there are probably a dozen people on the roster with nothing to do.

Billie Kay vs. Becky Lynch

Before the match, Peyton does her Becky impression and says that she’s a loser. Becky punches her outside to start and Billie starts trying to hide, earning herself a forearm to the face. A good posting cuts Becky off though and we take a break. Back with Becky fighting out of a chinlock and getting kneed down anyway. Peyton adds in a knee to the head for two but Becky is right back up with the Bexploder. Billie misses a charge and gets knocked to the floor. A crossbody off the apron takes Royce down, leaving Billie to get caught in the Disarm-Her for the tap at 7:43.

Rating: D+. Becky winning is always a good thing and once the Asuka rematch is over, she would be a good choice to take the title from Charlotte. Of course that’s assuming they don’t just have Charlotte get it back and put us right back where we were after Wrestlemania. The Iconics will be fine as their talking is more than enough to keep them at their standard level and that’s not a bad place to be.

We look back at Shinsuke Nakamura hitting Jeff Hardy low last week.

With his back to the camera, Hardy talks about how Nakamura lost on Sunday and goes into a medical explanation of what Kinshasa did to him last week. Nakamura’s actions made him super focused and now his eyes are open, with Jeff turning to reveal some black and white face paint, including over his eyelids. He opens his eyes to reveal nearly colorless pupils, because Jeff is weird that way.

The announcers hype up the debut of Sanity.

We see Sanity’s shadows in the back with Eric Young saying the chaos has arrived.

Daniel Bryan is ready to face three of the best Smackdown has to offer and the Miz. He even asks Renee Young if he’s ready and gets her to say YES.

Sanity vs. Usos

Before the match, the Usos say they look like the Ultimate Warrior on Sesame Street and talk about how many things you need to be great around here. If Sanity wants to talk about chaos, welcome to the Uso Penitentiary. Sanity jumps the Usos before the match and the beatdown is on. No match.

Shinsuke Nakamura says it wasn’t fair that he lost because the referee didn’t count in Japanese. He’s not worried about Jeff Hardy.

Tag Team Titles: Anderson and Gallows vs. Bludgeon Brothers

The Bludgeon Brothers are defending. Joined in progress with Rowan hammering away and superplexing Gallows for two. A splash gets the same and we hit the fists into the sides of Gallows’ head. Gallows finally stops a charge in the corner with a boot and superkicks Harper for good measure. The spinebuster gives Anderson two on Harper but a Rowan distraction sets up the swinging Boss Man Slam for two more. Gallows gets sent into the barricade and the assisted sitout powerbomb ends Anderson at 6:00.

Rating: C. Well that happened. It was better than their match on Sunday due to how much of a faster pace they kept but it’s not like the ending here was in any doubt. Anderson and Gallows have nothing going on at the moment because WWE doesn’t know how to book more than a few teams at once. They certainly can do a bunch of multi-man matches though, which is where we’re immediately going.

Daniel Bryan comes out for the main event, has a weird staredown with the Bludgeon Brothers, and goes to the ring without further incident.

Gauntlet Match

Five people involved and the winner gets Styles at Extreme Rules. Daniel Bryan and Big E. get things going with Bryan going straight for the knee. The surfboard with a dragon sleeper has Big E. in early trouble but he snaps off a belly to belly and Bryan is in trouble in a hurry. There’s a splash on the apron and we take a break.

Back with Bryan missing the Swan Dive and getting caught in an over the shoulder backbreaker. Bryan fights up and hits his running clothesline, followed by the top rope hurricanrana. The running corner dropkick is blocked with a clothesline and an over the shoulder backbreaker into a regular backbreaker has Bryan in even more trouble. A Brock Lock goes on but Bryan reverses into a failed YES Lock attempt.

The triangle choke is countered but Bryan counters the powerbomb to smash Big E.’s knee into the mat. Bryan tries to speed things up a bit so Big E. sends him to the apron for the big spear through the ropes in a major crash. Back in and Big E. goes shoulder first into the post, setting up the running knee for the pin at 11:38. Samoa Joe is in third and we take a break.

Back again with Bryan getting chopped in the corner, followed by a snap powerslam for two. The powerbomb into the Boston crab into the STF into the Crossface keeps Bryan in trouble but a rope is grabbed. The dragon screw legwhip puts Joe down and Bryan wraps his knee around the post. Joe’s knee is fine enough for the backsplash and we take another break. We come back again with Bryan, whose chest is beet red, escaping the Koquina Clutch and sending Joe outside for the running knee from the apron.

The missile dropkick drops Joe again and it’s time for the YES Kicks. An enziguri sends Joe into the corner but he’s smart enough to bail to the floor before the running knee. Bryan tries the baseball slide but goes right into the Koquina Clutch. Joe keeps an eye on the count but Bryan slips out and dives back in for the countout win at 28:19. Hang on though as here are the Bludgeon Brothers for the assisted powerbomb. Cue Miz for a Skull Crushing Finale to get rid of Bryan at 29:19. Since we’re not following any rules here and that’s not a DQ for the Brothers attacking Bryan, it’s Miz vs. Rusev for the title shot.

Back from what should be the final break with Rusev kicking Miz in the head for two, sending Miz backing off. A fall away slam gets the same but Miz sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes. We hit the chinlock for a long while until Rusev powers up. A kick to the head sets up another kick to the head for two on Miz but he’s right back up with some YES Kicks of his own. The short DDT gives Miz two more, only to have Rusev kick him down and grab the Accolade for the tap out at 44:20.

Rating: B. Well that’s certainly a surprising result and one that I rather like. I would have bet on Samoa Joe but it’s nice to see Rusev FINALLY getting a chance at something, even if he winds up losing in his title match. At the same time though, I have no idea where they’re going with Bryan vs. the Bludgeon Brothers as it’s not like anyone really fits as a partner at the moment. Maybe they’ve got a surprise in mind, but I hope that doesn’t somehow mean Miz and Bryan teaming up as wacky partners. Anyway, good ending and a long match that didn’t feel long.

Post match AJ comes out and stares Rusev down before dropping Aiden English to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show overall here as it’s very nice to be away from anything resembling Money in the Bank. They’ve already got a big match set up for Extreme Rules and you can see where they’re going with some other stuff. This might not have been a great show but it sets them up for a few fresh things and that’s more than I can say for most of the last month plus.

Results

Becky Lynch b. Billie Kay – Disarm-Her

Bludgeon Brothers b. Anderson and Gallows – Assisted sitout powerbomb to Anderson

Rusev won a gauntlet match last eliminating the Miz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

https://wrestlingrumors.net/breaking-wwe-releases-big-cass/

There has to be a big story behind that.  He wasn’t THAT bad and he was in a pay per view match two days ago.  It’s even odder when he was just back from a major injury two and a half months ago.

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: June 13, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s time for a new season and it’s going to be a very new one. The promotion managed to survive to a fourth season, albeit on a much smaller budget and in a new building. It’s not clear what will have changed but things are certainly going to be different. Last season ended with Dario Cueto being shot and Pentagon Dark as Lucha Underground Champion. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of the end of last season, including Pentagon Dark becoming the new Lucha Underground Champion and Dario Cueto being shot. As he was dying, he reached for his phone and called his dad.

And now, Dario’s funeral! There are only two people there: Winter (the man who shot Dario) and Dario’s father Antonio…..who is Dario in a gray wig with a cane. It’s hard to mistake that voice. Anyway Antonio is now fully in charge of Lucha Underground and has move out of the Temple because of the people who attacked Dario there. That’s cool because Antonio has a place he used to run shows. Winter reminds him that the wrestling is just a cover for their real purpose. War is coming. Antonio takes the key from Dario, meaning Matanza will be released.

The new Temple is a little brighter and the ropes are blue and yellow for some reason. Other than that, everything looks about the same so it’s not the biggest change.

In the new Temple, we get a ten bell salute to Dario, which is interrupted by Antonio. He throws the picture of Dario out of the ring and promises that we will likely be crowning a new champion tonight…..IN AZTEC WARFARE!

Back from a break with two of the three Trios Champions the Mack and Killshot in the ring with Antonio. The three of them will be in Aztec Warfare but since Dante Fox is missing, Killshot and Mack are starting the match at #1 and #2. Whoever #3 is will be their new partner as the new Trios Champions. Well that’s certainly starting fast.

Lucha Underground Title: Aztec Warfare

Pentagon Dark is defending in a 20 man Royal Rumble with pinfall or submissions only for eliminations. The Mack is in at #1 and Killshot is in at #2 but before they start, Son of Havoc is in at #3, making him their new championship partner. The new champs brawl to start with Havoc dropkicking Mack to the floor but not out. Joey Ryan is in at #4 and immediately handcuffs himself to the top rope. The entrants speed way up as Mr. Pectacular (Jesse Godderz) is in at #5.

The champs waste no time in beating the heck out of him but Killshot rolls Mack up for the first elimination. Pentagon Dark is in at #6 and we take a break. Back with Sling Blades dropping everyone but Ryan, who uncuffs himself to avoid horrible pain. A rollup gets rid of Ryan and a package piledriver into Havoc’s shooting star gets rid of Killshot. Tommy Dreamer (ERG!) is in at #7 and it’s time for the weapons because that’s how Dreamer has to do things. Pectacular is gone and it’s Dreamer vs. Pentagon in the hardcore showdown. Mariposa is in at #8 as Dreamer ties Pentagon in the Tree of Woe for the running dropkick.

With Dreamer heading to the outside, Pentagon dives over the top but gets knocked out of the air. Havoc cutters Mariposa for an elimination and Dreamer gets dropped on some thumbtacks on the steps. That’s good for a pin back inside and it’s Vinnie Massaro in at #9. He gets a pizza delivered on the way to the ring, making sure to shove the delivery guy down. Knowing Lucha Underground, the pizza guy is a future champion. Pentagon hits the Pentagon Driver to get rid of Massaro as it’s Hernandez in at #10, giving us Son of Havoc, Pentagon and Hernandez.

A quick snap of the arm gets rid of Hernandez in about thirty seconds, leaving Havoc to take the Backstabber to leave Pentagon alone. Johnny Mundo is in at #11 for a heck of a showdown as we take another break. Back with Johnny chopping him down as….no one is here at #12.

That was supposed to be Angelico but he’s nowhere to be seen so it’s Ricky Mundo, with a creepy doll, taking his place. The fans don’t like Pentagon getting double teamed but Ricky keeps looking at the doll. Johnny gets his attention so Ricky rolls him up for two. That earns him a kick to the face so Johnny can get the easy elimination. Fenix is in at #13 and that should pick things up a bit.

Johnny breaks up Fenix’s opening springboard with a chop so Fenix just bounces onto the top rope and springs back up to take them both down again. Fenix hits a big dive and it’s Jeremiah Crane in at #14. A slam onto a chair gets two on Fenix and it’s Mil Muertes in at #15. He runs over everyone so everyone goes after him, capped off by Fenix’s top rope double stomp to the back for the pin in less than a minute. Unfortunately that means no more Catrina and it’s Daga in at #16.

A suplex backbreaker has Mundo in trouble but Crane dumps Daga because Heaven forbid someone who isn’t a big name gets to showcase themselves. Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Striker: “A living breathing lucha legend.” No.) is in at #17 and Pentagon uses the distraction to hit a Pentagon Driver on Crane for the elimination. Chavo suplexes Fenix for the pin (Fenix deserves better) and dives over the top onto Pentagon. Daga comes back in and is eliminated in short order by Mundo. King Cuerno (POP) is in at #18 and gets to kick a bunch of people in the face.

The big suicide dive drops Pentagon and it’s El Dragon Azteca Jr. in at #19. Mundo gets planted with a tornado DDT and here’s Kobra Moon (Daga’s manager) to send Vibora (not in the match) to chokeslam Mundo. Marty Martinez is in at #20, giving us a final group of Pentagon, Mundo, Guerrero, Cuerno, Dragon Azteca and Martinez. Actually hang on as Vibora Tombstones Mundo so Marty can get the easy pin.

Back from a break with Azteca charging into a chair to the head, setting up Chavo’s frog splash for the elimination. The final four all get inside with Pentagon kicking away until Cuerno knees him out of the hair. Chavo is back in with a Gory Bomb to get rid of Cuerno but a low superkick gets rid of him as well, leaving us with Martinez vs. Pentagon. Marty likes getting chopped really hard but knees Pentagon in the face for two.

A curb stomp gets two more but the Backstabber out of the corner gets Pentagon out of trouble. Marty bites his fingers and hits the double underhook implant DDT for an even closer near fall. Pentagon gets up a superkick out of the corner and hits a middle rope Canadian Destroyer. The package piledriver retains the title at 43:21.

Rating: C-. That….was not very good. The eliminations came WAY too fast and I never bought Pentagon as being in any real danger. It went flying by with the timing being horrendous, making even the Royal Rumble look good by comparison. Some of the names felt like a big deal but Mil Muertes, the big bad of season 1, can’t even last two minutes here? That’s really all they’ve got? I get that they need to rush some eliminations, but don’t fly through one of your best matches this fast.

Pentagon breaks the arm to break in the season. Antonio comes out again and says he’s not Dario, so Pentagon won’t have to fight again right now. Instead we’ll wait to next week when he defends against Matanza.

Overall Rating: D+. I have to downgrade the thing a little bit, just for how bad that wig looked. I understand the idea behind putting one of your big, blow away matches on to jump start the season but it doesn’t have the same impact when I could go for a memory jobbing on who a lot of these people are and why I care about them. Save this for later and it can have a better impact, though I can at least see the thinking here. I really doubt this is indicative where the season is going, as Lucha Underground is about the long form storytelling rather than the individual shows. Not a great start, but it’s just a start.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #9
Date: June 15, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

It’s time to change things up a bit this week with the first ever Tag Team Champions being crowned. This has been teased for a little while and it’s something that could add in a new dynamic to the show. There are several ways to go with the titles, but there’s a good chance that a surprise team walks out with the belts. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Colonel Robert Parker is giving the Dirty Blonds some strategy for the Tag Team Title tournament. They’re not overly worried.

Opening sequence.

We hear about Battle Riot coming to New York City, which seems to be a 40 man Royal Rumble.

Earlier this week, Brody King tried to collect Salina de la Renta’s bounty on Shane Strickland in a parking lot. This meant shoving Strickland over and that’s about it.

MVP isn’t worried about Maxwell J. Friedman, whose mouth has written a check that his mouth can’t cash. Friedman is going to be taken to school and MVP is going to be his teacher. When Friedman is done, it’s time to go after Sami Callihan and his get along gang.

MVP vs. Maxwell J. Friedman

Before the match, Friedman calls MVP the Jabronin Ronin. Friedman hides in the ropes to start so MVP forearms him in the back and hits a belly to back. A running boot in the corner is blocked though and it’s a poke to the eye like you should be seeing from a villain. Friedman cranks on an armbar and we take a break.

Back with MVP throwing some right hands and the Ballin Elbow connecting for no cover. There’s a fisherman’s suplex for two and the Playmaker connects, drawing out Callihan and company. MVP dives onto the trip, allowing Friedman to get in a low blow, followed by a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin 7:34.

Rating: D+. Friedman is a pretty simple, basic character and that’s all he needs to be. He doesn’t have the best in ring skills but he’s not the worst either, putting him right in the middle on a show full of others who happen to be right in the middle. MVP is the same guy he’s been for years, meaning I’m still not much of a fan.

Ad for Battle Riot, explaining that it’s a Royal Rumble with pins and submissions with the winner getting a World Title shot anyplace anytime. Confirmed for the match: Jake Hager, Barrington Hughes, Jimmy Yuta and Pentagon Jr.

Barrington Hughes doesn’t like the idea of a bounty on someone who is just doing his job.

Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, with Cade saying he’s the captain. This goes as well as you would expect.

Simon Gotch vs. Parrow

This is Gotch’s $250 challenge, with Parrow only having to last five minutes to win. Parrow is a good sized guy who we’ve seen before and part of the Stud Stable. Gotch kicks him in the face and the 6’4 300lb Parrow bounces back with a shoulder to send Gotch outside. Back in and a chokeslam is countered into a kneebar but it’s too close to the rope. Tom Lawlor gets in a cheap shot with what looked like a shoe, setting up the rear naked choke to put Parrow away at 1:55.

Post match the Dirty Blonds come out for the save.

Brody King, a bounty hunter with a big beard, challenges Strickland for next week.

MLW CEO Court Bauer calls in and says the match is on for next week.

Elimination rules and anything goes with the titles vacant coming in. TBD is Cade/Yuta of course. It’s WCW rules with one person from every team in at once but everything breaks down in short order. The brothers are sent to the floor and TBD get backdropped at the same time. TBD dive into stereo superkicks but the Blonds pull Pentagon and Fenix outside. That just means stereo flip dives from TBD, followed by Brien’s own flip dive from the apron.

We settle down (kind of) with Cade getting caught in a double whip spinebuster for two as Yuta makes the save. Brien starts in with some suplexes and a backsplash to Fenix for two but Cade is back in for a tornado DDT. A top rope elbow from Yuta and a frog splash from Cade are enough to put Brien away and get rid of the Blonds at 4:28.

Back from a break with all four down in the ring until Cade pops up for some chops to the Bros. A double superkick rocks Yuta and he’s tied up in the Tree of Woe. With Cade seated beneath him, Pentagon gets launched into the two of them, only to have Yuta pop up with a kick to Pentagon’s leg for two. TBD go up top for a double missile dropkick on Fenix and Yuta’s German suplex gets two more. Pentagon comes back in and tells Cade CERO MIEDO. Cade: “I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!”” Eh good for a laugh.

The Sling Blade gets two on Cade and a Codebreaker is good for the same. Something resembling an Angle Slam gives Yuta two but Fenix dives in with a dropkick for a great looking save. An over the shoulder sitout Tombstone plants Yuta for another near fall but Cade is right back in with a handspring Codebreaker.

We haven’t had a dive in awhile so Cade nails a suicide version, leaving Yuta to eat a rolling dropkick to the face. Cade is back in with a hurricanrana to set up the elbow/frog splash combination for two more. As you might have expected though, Cade hits Yuta and calls him stupid as a result, setting up a superkick into the Pentagon Driver for another near fall. A spike Fear Factor on Yuta is enough for the pin and the titles at 16:07.

Rating: C+. It was a fun and wild match but if it’s the first time the titles are going to be decided, I could have gone for some more actual tag team wrestling instead of just a bunch of spots. Now that being said, what we got was an entertaining match in the lucha style and it’s the right call to give Pentagon and Fenix, who have been two of the stars of the show, the titles in the first place.

Salina busts out the Patron (thankfully sans Alberto) as the celebration is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show that they needed to get done with the Tag Team Titles being something that can help them later on. They got the first champions right and that’s what matters most here, plus the match itself was entertaining. I’m actually looking forward to seeing Strickland again next week and that’s why you have someone like him in the top spot: he’s an attraction and feels like a big deal, which is what you want in a champion.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 18, 2018
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s finally the night after Money in the Bank and therefore we now need to deal with the fallout of the briefcase. In this case that would be the men’s briefcase, which was won by Braun Strowman. However, we now have to wait for Brock Lesnar to grace us with his presence, which may not be until the build to Summerslam. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey with Rousey having the title won until Alexa Bliss cashed in to win the title.

Kurt Angle is in the ring to introduce Bliss, whose title is sitting on a table. He hands her the title and announces that Nia is cashing in her rematch at Extreme Rules. Bliss thanks the fans for giving her the opportunity to rub it in our faces, which draws a WE WANT RONDA chant. It’s all about Bliss now so cue a ticked off Ronda but Angle gets in her way. Alexa laughs all of this off because everything she did was perfectly legal.

It’s obvious that Ronda is upset because the stories were all about Bliss last night. Now, Rousey is just irrelevant. That’s enough for Rousey, who runs over Angle and hits Bliss in the back with the briefcase. She beats Angle up with it as well and takes out some referees for good measure. One heck of a powerbomb drops Bliss through a table.

Post replays, Angle suspends Rousey for 30 days.

Post break, Rousey promises to be back in thirty days to take care of Bliss, champion or not.

Here’s Seth Rollins to talk about how far Elias took him last night. That’s what Seth wanted though, because it’s what it means to be the Intercontinental Champion. Let’s keep that going right now with an OPEN CHALLENGE.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler is challenging and there goes some of the energy. Rollins knocks him to the floor and we take a very early break. Back with Ziggler throwing him back inside and kicking at the knee. A whip into the corner turns Seth upside down for two and we hit the chinlock. Rollins fights up….and the USA Network goes out. The feed comes back in a commercial so we eventually come back to Ziggler taking the Fameasser.

A superkick gives Rollins two but Ziggler heads up top. Rollins catches him again and rolls through a high crossbody. The buckle bomb connects but Drew McIntyre offers a distraction, allowing Ziggler to roll him up with tights for the pin and the title at 18:26. Too much was missed by the outage but this was the same match you would expect from these two.

Post match Rollins yells at Ziggler and gets taken out by McIntyre.

McIntyre and Ziggler say that’s the first of many because they’re not like everyone else.

Bobby Roode vs. Curt Hawkins

Hawkins tries a backslide for two but gets caught in the Glorious DDT to make it 204 losses in a row at 43 seconds.

Stills of the men’s Money in the Bank match.

Here’s Braun Strowman to list off all the things he’s done, including playing a cello. This briefcase is the greatest though because he snatched the contract away from seven other men. Now all Brock Lesnar has to do is show up and Strowman will cash in. Cue a banged up Kevin Owens to say he wants to congratulate Strowman. That’s why he was trying to get everyone to side against Strowman: no one could stop him on their own.

Owens talks about how they could be a team together because Sami is out injured and Strowman had to get a ten year old to team with him at Wrestlemania. Maybe they do something for each other and then later on, Owens gets a title match at the new champion? Strowman shakes his hand and then loads up the powerslam but Owens bails. That’s a good feud for Strowman until Lesnar gets back.

Sasha Banks is upset in the back when Bayley comes in. She knows what Sasha is doing because she’s playing the ladder match over and over again in her head. Sasha admits that Bayley is right and agrees to team up to face the Riott Squad tonight. It’s a new beginning for them.

Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt vs. Heath Slater/Rhyno

Non-title but hang on a second as the B Team pops up on screen, doing some rather good impressions of Matt (Axel) and Wyatt (Dallas, who can sound eerily like his brother). Dallas says screw this because they’re the B Team and can beat anyone. They turn the lantern off but can’t figure out how to leave.

Matt and Bray are stunned so Slater and Rhyno jump them from behind. It’s a brawl to start until a Twist of Fate is blocked. Matt gets knocked into the corner but avoids a top rope right hand from Slater. The Side Effect allows the hot tag off to Bray for the running crossbody. Everything breaks down and the Kiss of Deletion ends Slater at 3:20.

Rating: D. Nothing match but it was a reason to have Matt and Bray in the arena for the goofy promo. Matt and Bray aren’t great champions but when they have the same teams around to beat up every few weeks, there’s only so far they can go. The B Team isn’t good but they’re at least funny, which is more than you can get from many teams today.

We recap Ronda snapping. That was a heck of a powerbomb.

Baron Corbin brings a phone to Angle so he can talk to Stephanie McMahon. Angle isn’t exactly thrilled and seems ready for a long lecture.

Back from a break with Angle still on the phone. He hears some big news and promises an announcement for tonight, but has to run something by Corbin first.

Jinder Mahal vs. Chad Gable

Before the match, Mahal says everyone must embrace change. If you let go of your anger, you will experience Shanti (which he talks about before his rocket push began last year). Mahal snaps at the bell and beats on Gable, who takes him down with some amateur stuff. A suplex drops Mahal on his head and a dropkick puts him on the floor. Back in and the moonsault gives Gable two but Mahal boots him in the face. The Khallas gives Mahal the pin at 2:28.

The Riott Squad breaks stuff in the back.

Special Olympics video.

Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Liv Morgan/Sarah Logan

Morgan and Bayley start things going with Liv driving her into the corner for the early tag off to Logan. Banks tags herself in and elbows Morgan in the face, only to have Bayley tag herself right back in. A Thesz press and some right hands have Logan in trouble and the Squad is down as we take a break. Back with the hot tag bringing Sasha in as everything breaks down. The double knees in the corner have Morgan in trouble but Logan gets in a cheap shot and Morgan rolls Banks up (with trunks) for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: D+. Just a match here but at least they’re going to be getting to the latest version of this split so they can finally have a match already. Banks taking the fall is fine here and it’s cool to have the Riott Squad getting somewhere for awhile. They need something to do, but at least they’re finding out how to play the characters better.

Post match Bayley tries to console Sasha but gets shoved down as Banks walks away again.

Back from a break with Sasha walking through the back and Bayley chasing after her. Banks doesn’t want to talk to her and the fight is on with Bayley being sent into a catering table.

Here’s Angle in the ring to announce that Lesnar will be defending his title again soon. Before he can announce any details here’s Roman Reigns to interrupt. Reigns says the next challenger is right in front of him. He wants to be the champion who defends the title every single week and Angle seems to agree, but here’s Bobby Lashley to interrupt. Lashley, after fumbling the name of who he’s talking about, says he’s seen Reigns try to beat Lesnar for three years now.

It’s time for Reigns to step aside so someone who can beat Brock beat Brock. Lashley can beat Reigns too but Angle says they both have a point. They’ll be having a multiman match at Extreme Rules for the title shot with more names being announced later. Cue the Revival of all people to say they’re tired of people demanding things all the time.

They want a match with Reigns and Lashley right now because a win over these two great singles wrestlers will catapult their careers to the next level. So in other words, we’re building to another multiman match for a future title shot? AFTER FIVE WEEKS OF MONEY IN THE BANK BUILD??? THAT’S REALLY THE BEST THING THEY CAN COME UP WITH???

Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley vs. Revival

Reigns punches Dawson in the face to start and holds Dawson in place while arguing with Lashley. Dawson has some more luck with Lashley, meaning he gets in a single kick to the ribs before a pair of spinebusters put Revival down. A quick end around lets Dawson chop block Lashley and something like the Demolition Decapitator gets two. Dawson’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Lashley fights up and brings in Reigns to clean house. Superman Punches rock both of them but Lashley tags himself in and spears Wilder for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: D+. Bring back jobbers. Like please, bring them back so I don’t have to see something as painful as seeing the Revival treated like this. We have the B Team doing their comedy stuff while the best tag team NXT has ever had is stuck here doing jobs to push two people in a multi man match. I’m so glad NXT exists for just such an emergency.

Angle and Corbin run into Finn Balor, who wants to be in the #1 contenders match. Corbin laughs at him and a fight seems imminent but Owens comes in to say calm things down. Balor laughs at Owens for not realizing what’s right behind him, because Strowman is right there. Strowman says he’s here to look after Finn, and a tag match seems imminent.

AJ Styles is on the cover of WWE2K19.

We recap Angle’s rocky night.

No Way Jose vs. Mojo Rawley

Jose, with his neon green gear, punches Rawley down to start and dances. Back up and Rawley knees him in the ribs and hammers away. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Jose gets two off a flapjack. Rawley’s right hand in the corner sets up the fireman’s carry faceplant for the pin at 2:41. I could go for more of Rawley.

Post match Mojo says it’s about staying focused, not hyped.

Banks is leaving when Bayley comes up to her again and says she’s not done with her. Sasha drives away and Bayley throws a water bottle at the car.

Here’s Elias with his hair down to sing about how awesome he is and ask fans to wonder what would Elias do. He wants to be in the match at Extreme Rules and says his new catchphrase a lot.

Rollins says the loss is on him and invokes his rematch clause for next week.

Finn Balor/Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin/Kevin Owens

Owens is banged up but still able to take Balor into the corner for some kicks to the ribs to start. It’s off to Strowman though and the power begins, even with Corbin taking off his vest to make things serious. With the villains knocks to the floor, Strowman picks Balor up and throws him onto the two of them for a crash as we take a break.

Back with Corbin holding a chinlock before handing it off to Owens for one of his own. A backbreaker just hurts Owens’ knee so Corbin comes back in to punch Balor in the ribs. Balor gets sent to the floor and tries a springboard on the way back in, only to get knocked out of the air. The Deep Six gives Corbin two and it’s back to Owens. The beating continues until Strowman comes in without a tag, splashes Corbin, and throws Balor into the corner for the tag.

Strowman starts chasing Owens around the ring as he tends to do but this time Corbin dives off the apron to take him down. Everything breaks down and Strowman drops Corbin with a shot to the chest. The chase goes on again and this time Strowman plows through Owens to put him into the timekeeper’s area. The Coup de Grace is broken up though and the End of Days puts Balor away at 16:42.

Rating: D+. That would be your Coliseum Video random tag team match of the week and I’m not sure what the point is in having Corbin get the pin. The match felt like leftovers from the Money in the Bank build, which isn’t exactly inspiring stuff. At least they didn’t have Strowman take the fall, but I hope he’s not downgraded now that he has the briefcase.

Overall Rating: D. This show was on a roll to start with the hot Rousey angle and then fell down a hill with one not great angle and match after another. It felt like they were still out of steam from Money in the Bank and it showed here. I’m interested in some of the things we have coming up and Lesnar coming back, hopefully to drop the title and leave for good, has me intrigued. It just felt like they were trying to do too much here and it hurt the show a lot.

Results

Dolph Ziggler b. Seth Rollins – Rollup with a handful of tights

Bobby Roode b. Curt Hawkins – Glorious DDT

Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt b. Heath Slater/Rhyno – Kiss of Deletion to Slater

Liv Morgan/Sarah Logan b. Sasha Banks/Bayley – Rollup to Banks

Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley b. Revival – Spear to Wilder

Mojo Rawley b. No Way Jose – Fireman’s carry faceplant

Baron Corbin/Kevin Owens b. Finn Balor/Braun Strowman – End of Days to Balor

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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