IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 26, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

This one has gotten interesting in a hurry as the WWE is facing a horrible Coronavirus outbreak (I’m as shocked as you are) so it isn’t clear what we’re going to be seeing here. One thing is going to be the Boneyard match in its entirety, which will eat up over a quarter of the show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a tribute to the Undertaker, with a pretty awesome highlight package.

The roster is on the stage to chant THANK YOU TAKER.

We open with a look at Undertaker debuting at Survivor Series 1990. The nearly silent reaction is about as clear cut as you can get that it worked.

John Cena and Roman Reigns talk about how awesome Undertaker is.

From Wrestlemania XXXVI:

Undertaker vs. AJ Styles

They are in a graveyard for this one and there goes the gong as a hearse pulls up to the gate. The casket is pulled out by some druids and it’s AJ inside for a good surprise. Undertaker rides in on the motorcycle to Metallica and AJ talks about Michelle McCool digging the grave. Undertaker goes after him so AJ grabs a rock, only to get sent into an open casket. Undertaker punches through a window and cuts his arm open but throws AJ on top of the hearse anyway.

Some right hands knock him off the hearse and Undertaker has a seat while asking if AJ wants more. After Undertaker quotes Clubber Lang (“You want some more? I got a lot more.”), AJ throws some leaves in his face and gets in a low blow. Undertaker stands up after some right hands and knocks AJ down again, this time into a grave. Cue the OC as this has turned into a western.

A bunch of light comes out of a building and the walls come down to reveal a bunch of masked men. They surround Undertaker and do the eternally brilliant thing of attacking him one at a time. With that taken care of, Anderson and Gallows jump Undertaker but he isn’t about to be hit with a shovel. Instead Undertaker takes it back and beats them down, allowing AJ to break a tombstone over his back.

AJ hammers away and calls him an old man but breaks his fingers on Undertaker’s head. They fight through a wall and both lay on the ground sound like they’re dead. AJ says Undertaker is nothing but Undertaker flips him off and says come on. A shovel over the back puts Undertaker down in a grave and AJ goes to the machine with a barrel of dirt. Then a light shows up behind him and Undertaker pops up to beat on him some more. AJ climbs up a well placed ladder to get on the roof of the barn, so Undertaker makes flames come up to keep him in place.

Anderson and Gallows are up there too, with Gallows being thrown off. Anderson gets Tombstoned onto the metal roof and Undertaker chokeslams AJ off the roof. Undertaker climbs down and asks AJ what his wife’s name is now. They’re just getting started as Undertaker carries him over to the grave. AJ apologizes so Undertaker picks him up and says AJ put up a great fight. Undertaker hugs him and says most people wouldn’t have given him that kind of a fight. Undertaker turns to leave….and then knocks AJ into the grave. Undertaker gets in the machine and pours the dirt on AJ for the win at about 18:30.

Rating: A+. I don’t know what else you could have wanted from this match. This went so far beyond anything resembling sane or rational and went into complete insanity territory, making it one of the most entertaining things I can remember WWE doing in a LONG time. Of course it’s not good but that’s the point. This was entertaining, and that’s a lot more than you are going to get out of most Undertaker matches these days. Watch this and be prepared to laugh quite a bit, because it’s like Final Deletion but with production value.

AJ’s hand sticks out of the dirt as Undertaker gets on his bike. He throws up the fist so more fire comes up on the building and the Undertaker symbol lights up to end the show.

As we came back from commercials during the match, Edge, Christian, Bret Hart, Kane and Ric Flair talk about how awesome Undertaker is.

Back in the arena, King Corbin talks about how Undertaker left after a thirty year career of kissing up to the McMahons. Undertaker was a charter member of Vince McMahon’s special club, which is why he was around for thirty years. He has been stealing a living from this company for twenty years and now people are out here chanting THANK YOU TAKER. That’s why Corbin wants to leave Mark Calaway with this thought: you suck. Cue Jeff Hardy for the save, because, according to Cole, he has a long, storied history with Undertaker.

Steve Austin and Kurt Angle think a lot of Undertaker.

In the back, Hardy says the Mount Rushmore of WWE would be Undertaker’s face four times. He’ll beat up Corbin tonight because he has a degree from Deadman U.

Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross vs. Dana Brooke vs. Lacey Evans

The winner faces Bayley for the title at Extreme Rules. It’s a brawl to start until Cross rolls Bliss up for two and immediately apologizes. Bliss rolls her up for two as the other two are down on the floor. That lets Bayley and Banks insist that they would never turn on each other, even as Lacey throws Bliss into the barricade. Back in and Brooke’s cartwheel splash hits Cross for two.

Bliss comes in and gets caught with a handspring elbow in the corner. Lacey hits the slingshot bronco buster onto Bliss and Cross at the same time before taking Brooke down for right hands to the head. Brooke elbows Evans down though and hits a Swanton for two. Twisted Bliss misses Brooke so Cross dropkicks Brooke to the floor. Lacey hits the slingshot elbow for two on Cross but has to give Brooke the Woman’s Right. The distraction lets Cross roll Lacey up for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. Just a quick match to set up Cross as the challenger and that’s fine for a one off title defense. There is no reason to think she’ll win the title, which has been the problem for so many of Bayley’s title defenses for so long now. Then again, I’m sure they’re just waiting for the right time for Sasha. Totally happening any show now.

HHH and Shawn Michaels think Undertaker is alright.

New Day/Lucha House Party vs. Miz/John Morrison/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Big E. punches and elbows Miz to start and there’s the apron splash. Dorado adds a top rope splash but it’s off to Cesaro, who has to flip out of a powerbomb. An anklescissors takes Cesaro down and Metalik climbs onto Dorado’s shoulders for another splash. Cesaro powers him into the corner though and it’s off to Nakamura, who has to duck Trouble in Paradise. It’s quickly off to Morrison, who gets dropkicked down.

Nakamura takes Kofi down to the floor though and sends him into the Plexiglas. Everyone comes into the ring for a big staredown and we take a break. Back with Miz and Morrison working over Kofi until Big E. makes the save. Kofi finally gets away and brings in Metalik to start cleaning house. Metalik gets in a running sunset bomb for two and Dorado adds a top rope shooting star press for two. Everything breaks down and the Golden Rewind hits Morrison, followed by Metalik’s rope walk elbow to finish Miz at 11:10.

Rating: C+. They surprised me here as I would have bet on Nakamura and Cesaro pinning New Day to set up the pay per view title match. They can still go there but Lucha House Party getting the win is surprising. The division needs some more depth and there will always be room for some masked high fliers.

Corbin says he’ll beat up Hardy, even if he’s a student of Undertaker. What did that teach him? How to be an alcoholic jailbird?

Here’s Braun Strowman to talk about Bray Wyatt making him afraid. One night they were sitting in the swamp when Bray saw a snake coming out of the water. Strowman wanted to stomp it but Bray said that was his friend. Bray got face to face with the snake and it bit him, so Bray laughed. It was then that Braun knew he was facing something evil, so he started doing the devil’s work. And he loved every second of it.

We get one of the old Wyatt feed interruptions before Strowman talks about how he still has some of that evil inside him. Braun can’t keep living like this so let’s go back to the swamp. He’s either coming out of this a broken man or knowing that he beat evil. Then he can feed Bray to the alligators in the swamp. Bray’s laughter is heard and Strowman laughs with him.

There’s your cinematic match and there is also your latest Strowman segment that doesn’t make me want to watch him defend the title. I don’t want to see them in the swamp, I don’t want to see them fighting each other and I don’t really want to see Strowman. What is the big appeal here? “Hey, now look where we’re having a match!” Maybe find someone interesting enough that you don’t need to do all these bonuses?

Batista and Mick Foley talk about what it means to face Undertaker.

Jeff Hardy vs. King Corbin

Corbin elbows him in the face to start and Hardy is rocked early on. The slow stomping and shots to the back have Hardy down but he manages to knock Corbin outside. Corbin drops Hardy with a single shot to the face, only to have Jeff send him over the announcers’ table. Back in and the Whisper in the wind misses so Corbin sends Hardy shoulder first post into the post. Corbin mocks Undertaker’s kneeling pose and we take a break.

Back with the roster around the ring and Hardy fighting out of a chinlock. Corbin knocks him down again but gets sent into the corner, where he slides under the corner and decks Hardy with the running clothesline. The chinlock goes on again but Hardy jawbreaks his way to freedom. Some right hands into a basement dropkick gets two but one heck of a Deep Six gives Corbin the same. They head outside with Corbin crashing into the steps, setting up the Swanton to give Hardy the pin at 12:17.

Rating: C. Not too bad here but it felt like a low level house show semi main event. As weird as it is to have Hardy suddenly be Undertaker’s representative, it’s not like they had a much better option given their limited circumstances. Corbin getting beaten up is always worth a quick glance and it worked just fine here.

Post match Corbin jumps Hardy again but Big E. Braun and Matt Riddle all come in to take him down. A big celebration, with Undertaker appearing on the screen (Cole: “The most intriguing character in WWE history.”) and Jeff kneeling in respect, ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It was pretty clear that this was going to be a weird one coming in and they did what they could with what they had. They didn’t have much of a crew here and that is completely understandable. With so many people who aren’t going to be around for a little (or maybe a long) time, they did what they could have and focusing on Undertaker was a good idea. It felt like a half regular show and half tribute show and that…..I guess you could say it worked. It’s a weird week, but they didn’t have much of a choice.

Results

Nikki Cross b. Alexa Bliss, Dana Brooke and Lacey Evans – Rollup to Evans

New Day/Lucha House Party b. Miz/John Morrison/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Jeff Hardy b. King Corbin – Swanton

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/tessa-blanchard-released-impact-wrestling-world-title-vacated/

This company can’t catch a break sometimes.So believe it or not, Tessa didn’t act very nicely to her employers and more or less refused to do anything for months, including sending in promos the company requested from her.  With her contract expiring before Slammiversary, Impact had hoped to get one more match out of her where she would drop the title but that wasn’t going to happen.  Hence the release and vacating, which is something that had to happen.  It’s a shame that Tessa can’t just get along with someone as she is crazy talented, but doesn’t seem like someone who is ever going to work out long term.  There are always wrestlers like that, and unfortunately they tend to be some of the more talented when the camera is on.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: June 25, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

Things have changed a lot since last time around but this week’s show is another Superstar Picks, which probably takes about ten minutes to put together in the first place. These things have had some very nice surprises in there and it’s great to open up the memory banks every now and then. Let’s get to it.

No opening sequence this week, likely due to various images.

Jinny goes first, with this one from NXT, June 28, 2017.

Medics come out to check on a smiling Nikki to end the show.

Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith pick their gear colors. They’re ready to dominate the division.

Nina Samuels goes with this, from Wrestlemania II.

Tag Team Titles: British Bulldogs vs. Dream Team

Rating: B. Match of the night by far here with Dynamite taking one heck of a bump to end the match. The Bulldogs were a great team and they definitely deserved the titles and they did it in a tag match that went completely against the common tag team formula. Unfortunately it felt like it was much more about a way to get Osbourne on screen, which is only going to get worse.

Ridge Holland is ready to take NXT by storm.

Next week: more Superstar Picks.

Aoife Valkyrie goes around the world for her pick, from Beast In The East.

NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

Post match Itami and Japanese legend Tatsumi Fujinami come in to honor Balor but Owens refuses to shake hands. Balor gets a bit ovation as he celebrates.

Overall Rating: A. Yeah this worked, mainly as due to the worst match being the best match from that year’s Wrestlemania. The good thing is they could do this kind of show for months (just like they could do on 205 Live) and never repeat material, which is a good place to go for something like this. The profile shows and Hidden Gems are fine, but how many can they do? Open up the vault and have some fun. It’s not like you have anything else to offer right now.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

This was a hard one to put together and that’s with staying away from specifics.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-speakout-movement/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: June 24, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips

It’s title night as Keith Lee is defending the North American Title against Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor in a triple threat match. That’s big enough, but the bigger story is that the winner will be facing Adam Cole for the NXT Title in a title vs. title match in two weeks. And yes, that is the same night as the second week of AEW Fyter Fest. Let’s get to it.

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

Mauro explains the main event.

Cameron Grimes has attacked Damien Priest.

Here’s Grimes for a chat. He accuses Priest of no showing the biggest match of his career by faking an attack in the parking lot. That’s fine with Grimes though and he’ll accept a forfeit win. Cue the banged up Priest though and we’re ready to go.

Cameron Grimes vs. Damien Priest

Grimes jumps him before the bell and gets punched down with a single right hand. Priest stomps away but misses a charge in the corner. He’s fine enough for the big sitout chokeslam but the ribs are too banged up to cover. Grimes teases walking out but managed to send Priest ribs first into the apron. The Cave In on the floor rocks Priest again, though he manages to beat the count. Back in and the regular Cave In finishes Priest at 3:16.

Rating: D+. More angle advancement than match here as Priest wasn’t going to be able to do much of anything with the banged up ribs. They’re doing a good job with having Grimes rack up wins though and we could be in for something big if he is ever give a push a little higher up on the card. The talking alone will get him a long way.

Rhea Ripley wants the Women’s Title back. A slightly less disheveled Robert Stone comes in to say Aliyah has officially signed with him. He rarely gives seconds chances but he’s willing to give Rhea another shot. Rhea hits him low and throws him in a trashcan. Aliyah comes up and a match is made for later.

Back at the Catch As Thatch Can wrestling school, Timothy Thatcher shows how to torture more people.

Santos Escobar vs. Jake Atlas

Non-title and Raul Mendoza/Joaquin Wilde are with him. Atlas starts fast with a running crossbody before snapmaring Escobar into a chinlock. An armdrag lets Atlas hammer and stomp away as Escobar isn’t starting well. There’s a running headscissors but Atlas gets distracted by the goons, allowing Escobar to knock him to the floor.

Back from a break with Escobar grabbing the chinlock and then switching to a seated abdominal stretch. Atlas fights up with some ax handles to the chest and a standing moonsault gets two. Another distraction makes Atlas dive onto the goons, though he’s back up in time to get two off a bulldog driver. Escobar catches him on top though and the Phantom Driver finishes Atlas at 10;31.

Rating: C. This was more of a way to establish that Escobar can win matches without the mask but with the goons, which worked well enough. Atlas losing so soon was a little surprising but it would seem that either Drake Maverick or possibly Isaiah Scott is going to be the real threat to the title anyway. This got its point across without being all that great, which is fine.

Earlier today, Roderick Strong was still undergoing therapy with Dr. Kyle O’Reilly in a bad disguise to overcome his fear of car trunks. Strong thinks he’s ready and somehow finally recognizes Kyle. All four of them go outside and Strong gets in the trunk, which is immediately closed. The driver is told to pop the trunk and Strong gets out just fine. Tonight, he gets to face Dexter Lumis and he’s ready for that too. Well, maybe at least.

Malcolm Bivens and Indus Sher are ready for Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan.

Video on the North American Title match. All three of them want to be champion, but they also all want to get their hands on Cole and the NXT Title.

Video on Karrion Kross.

Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter vs. Raquel Gonzalez/Dakota Kai

Carter chops at the much bigger Gonzalez to start and gets powered down. Kacy comes in and it’s a double shot to the leg to send Gonzalez into the middle rope. Back in and Carter catapults Catanzaro into a Thesz press for two on Kai. A Gonzalez threat distracts Catanzaro enough for Kai to send her into the corner though and things slow down.

Cater makes a save off a powerslam and comes in to kick Kai in the face. It’s back to Catanzaro but the delay lets Gonzalez come in. Cater launches Catanzaro at Gonzalez, who powerbombs the heck out of her. Kai comes in with the reverse Rings of Saturn for the tap at 4:06.

Rating: C-. This was more a showcase for Gonzalez and that’s a good idea. She’s so much bigger than almost the entire division that she is going to stand out in a big way. That’s what she did here and while she’s fine as a bodyguard at the moment, she could be a nice enough force in the division in the future.

Post match Kai says she wants the Women’s Title.

Bronson Reed vs. Karrion Kross

Scarlett is here with Kross. Reed gets thrown around to start but pops up yelling with a kick to the head. They slug it out until Kross hits a northern lights suplex. A hard clothesline drops Reed again and it’s the Doomsday Saito into the Krossjacket to finish Reed at 2:19. Reed brought it for awhile there.

Adam Cole doesn’t care who he faces.

Mercedes Martinez is coming.

Rhea Ripley vs. Aliyah

Robert Stone is here with Aliyah. Rhea starts with the power but Aliyah snaps her throat first across the top. Aliyah’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air but she goes to the eyes for a break. Ripley powers her down again though and it’s a running basement dropkick for two. The Prism Trap goes on so Stone gets on the apron and throws in his shoe. The chase is on and Ripley rips off Stone’s jacket. Aliyah’s cheap shot fails and Riptide is good for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: D+. What else were you expecting here? I’m getting some good chuckles out of Stone being humiliated every single week as it’s certainly a different twist on the classic manager trope. It’s a funny idea and it’s not like anything is being hurt since it’s so low level. Ripley beat Aliyah in short order as she should have so it was entertaining all around. Not good mind you, but fun.

Roderick Strong vs. Dexter Lumis

Bobby Fish has to make Strong go to the ring. Strong bails to the floor to start and gets stalked around the ring by Lumis. The slow motion chase sees Strong hit the Plexiglas and that’s enough for Strong, who runs off for the countout at 1:47. They never made contact.

Post match Fish is annoyed and it’s made even worse as Lumis chokes him for a bit.

Robert Stone asks William Regal for one more match between Aliyah and Ripley. Regal agrees and makes it a handicap match, but Stone wants one more thing: if Ripley loses, she joins the Robert Stone Brand. Ripley pops in and accepts for next week.

Also next week: Mia Yim vs. Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai vs. Candice LeRae for the next shot at Kai.

Also next week: Strong vs. Lumis in a strap match.

North American Title: Keith Lee vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor

Lee is defending and the winner faces Cole, title for title, in two weeks. Gargano drops to the floor at the bell so Balor launches himself at Lee to no avail. That lets Gargano come back in for a failed rollup attempt, meaning it’s Lee running both challengers over in a hurry. Back from a break with Balor’s sleeper not doing much good on Lee, as he powers Balor into the corner.

Lee northern lights suplexes both of them at the same time and then taking them to the floor. Balor catches Lee with a Sling Blade though and Gargano hits a running flip dive off the apron. A double team sends Lee into the steps and we take another break. Back again with Gargano hitting the slingshot spear for two on Balor, who is right back up with a suicide dive to keep Lee on the floor. The Final Cut gets two on Gargano back inside and Balor goes to the corner….but Lee rises up next to him.

Lee slingshot crossbodies both of them down but Balor goes for Lee’s legs. That’s fine with Lee, who puts him in an electric chair but gets caught in a sleeper. Gargano superkicks Lee down and hits Balor with the One Final Beat for two. A tornado DDT plants Lee while also kicking Balor in the chest but Lee bails to the floor. Gargano hits a suicide dive on Lee but Balor blocks a second attempt.

1916 to Gargano on the floor is broken up by Lee’s Pounce (Why?) and it’s time to go back inside. The Spirit Bomb to Balor is countered into a stomp to the chest but Gargano superkicks them both. A rollup with feet on the ropes gets two on Lee, who hits the Big Bang Catastrophe on Gargano. Balor’s Coup de Grace save hits Gargano, so Lee adds another Big Bang Catastrophe to finish Balor at 19:42.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and I wasn’t sure who was going to win until the end, which is always a nice feeling. Lee winning is the right call though as he has been on such a roll as of late that it makes sense for him to have the big showdown with Cole. Balor can come later and Gargano feels like he is always going to be around, but it’s Lee’s time at the moment.

Post match Cole comes in for the staredown with both titles being held up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Outside of the main event, the wrestling was absolutely nothing worth writing home about this week. That being said, the point of the show was to get us ready for the next two weeks (with next week being announced as the Great American Bash as we came back from a main event commercial) and it did that well enough. I’m not wild on some of the matches we’ll be seeing, but they were set up properly and that’s what matters most here. Not a great show, but it did what it was supposed to.

Results

Cameron Grimes b. Damien Priest – Cave In

Santos Escobar b. Jake Atlas – Phantom Driver

Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez b. Kayden Carter/Kacy Catanzaro – Reverse Rings of Saturn to Catanzaro

Karrion Kross b. Bronson Reed – Krossjacket

Rhea Ripley b. Aliyah – Riptide

Dexter Lumis b. Roderick Strong via countout

Keith Lee b. Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor – Big Bang Catastrophe

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: June 24, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s a week before Fyter Fest but things might be shaken up a bit as World Champion Jon Moxley is missing this week due to Coronavirus fears. I’m not sure what that is going to mean for the future but we’ll worry about that if something else develops. I’m not sure what else to expect this week but they have a good enough track record to give me hope. Let’s get to it.

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

Wardlow vs. Luchasaurus

Lumberjack match with MJF here with Wardlow and the rest of Jurassic Express with Luchasaurus. They collide to start and Wardlow heads outside for some yelling at the lumberjacks. Back in and Wardlow hits a running shoulder to the ribs to send Luchasaurus outside. After a beating from the lumberjacks, Luchasaurus is fine enough to escape a suplex and fire some kicks to the ribs.

A suplex takes him down and it’s time to rip at the mask a bit. Luchasaurus comes back with a legsweep and the standing moonsault for two before heading up top. Wardlow is right there with him for a top rope superplex for his own two. A knee to the face doesn’t do much to Wardlow, who is right back with a running hurricanrana. That just earns him a Spanish fly and they’re both down.

Wardlow rolls to the ramp and Luchasaurus follows, where he is planted with a powerslam. Jungle Boy tries to interfere and gets throws into the pile of lumberjacks. Stunt dives onto everyone for going after Boy as Wardlow and Luchasaurus fight up the ramp. Brandon Cutler tries to get involved but gets tossed off the stage. Stunt does the same and gets the same result, followed by a Tail Whip to knock Wardlow onto the pile.

Luchasaurus shooting stars onto everyone as JR wonders when someone is going to try to win the match. Back in and Luchasaurus hits a chokeslam but MJF offers a distraction. Jungle Boy spears him through the ropes to the floor, allowing Wardlow to get in a low blow. The F10 finishes Luchasaurus 9:16.

Rating: C+. The spots were entertaining enough but there was only so much you can do with the focus being on the lumberjacks for some fairly long stretches. The ending keeps Luchasaurus safe and makes Wardlow look like a monster, but this was there for the sake of two monsters doing big spots on each other. That worked well enough and it was entertaining while it lasted.

Taz breaks down how Brian Cage does the Drill Claw. Hint: it involves being really strong.

After a rundown of what is to come tonight, Britt Baker sends Tony a note, asking for a diagnosis of Luchasaurus’ green tongue. She also now has a branded Plexiglas case around her special chair.

Hikaru Shida vs. Red Velvet

Non-title and Shida gets in an argument with Penelope Ford on the way to the ring. Ford gets in a slap but the referee won’t let Shida cane her. Running knee and Falcon Arrow finish Velvet at 13 seconds.

Post match Shida goes after Ford and the brawl is on. Shida even knocks down Kip Sabian and they’re finally broken up.

Earlier today, Cody and his very, very large entourage had a press conference for his TNT Title defense against Jake Hager. Arn Anderson talks about how Jake Hager wasn’t the right opponent for Cody at the moment but he wanted to fight him anyway. Cody is going to be ready to fight the tough monster. As for Cody, he sees the TNT Title as hope and talks about how he doesn’t like cosplay wrestling. Cody talks about the title not being complete and Hager finally arrives. They pose and who I believe is Hager’s wife throws water in Cody’s face. They’re done, after the completely realistic press conference.

Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss stop at a gas station where Joey goes inside to get food. Some guys bother Kiss and try to get in a fight with him, causing Joey, with Lunchables purchased, to come out for the save. They both could get used to this.

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela vs. Brodie Lee/Colt Cabana

Kiss snaps off an early headscissors and handsprings into a slap in the corner. Lee runs him over though and beats up Janela as well. Cabana comes in gets caught in a Hart Attack. Lee breaks up something close to a Muta Lock and the rest of the Dark Order offers a distraction. The confused Cabana adds a splash for two on Kiss and we take a break. Back with Janela getting the hot tag and Death Valley Drivering Cabana.

Kiss and Janela hit moonsaults off the top to take out Lee and Cabana. Back in and Cabana gets hit with a top rope splash from Janela, plus a 450 from Kiss. Lee makes the save but gets sent to the floor. Cabana reverse a Doomsday Device into a victory roll for two so Kiss dives onto the rest of the Dark Order. Lee kicks Kiss in the face but can’t quite catch Janela’s suicide dive. Back in and the discus lariat blasts Janela, allowing Cabana to get the pin at 9:11.

Rating: D+. The sloppiness was hard to ignore here with some spots clearly missing and other moments where someone was just standing there so someone could do something. Cabana having some success thanks to the Dark Order is interesting, but I’m not sure I can imagine him doing a full heel turn.

Post match the Dark Order leaves so here’s Lance Archer to jump Janela and Kiss. Jake Roberts says save it for someone more important.

We look at Shawn Spears using a loaded glove to win last night on Dark.

SCU vs. FTR

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian for SCU here and it’s Harwood working on Kazarian’s arm to start. Wheeler comes in to stay on the arm and everything breaks down in a hurry. Everyone falls out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Kazarian making the hot tag off to Daniels but Harwood cuts him off and suplexes Daniels onto Kazarian. The slingshot suplex, and a Four Horsemen pose, drop Daniels again. Kazarian grabs Daniels’ hands to block a sunset flip but Wheeler breaks it up. Wheeler keeps going by turning over a small package to give Harwood two.

Back up and Kazarian hits an Unprettier for two on Wheeler but Celebrity Rehab is countered into a catapult to send Daniels into the corner. The Veg O Matic gets two on Daniels but Kazarian is back in for the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for two on Harwood. Daniels hits a jumping knee to put Harwood on the floor but walks into the Goodnight Express for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B-. There’s something interesting about FTR being billed as this old school tag team but mainly doing more old tag team spots here in the middle of the usual lack of tags chaos. It was still entertaining, but I’m hoping we get some more of the actual, you know, tagging involved in a tag match. Good enough match though and FTR getting another win is a good thing.

Post match FTR talks about all the teams that they want to face in AEW, with the Young Bucks at the top of the list. Cue Butcher and Blade in FTR’s truck but here are the Lucha Bros behind them. Butcher and Blade issue a challenge for an eight man tag at Fyter Fest with the Bucks joining FTR and the match is accepted. The Bros beat FTR down with the Bucks make the save. Butcher and Blade and the Bros steal the truck.

Video on Kenny Omega and Hangman Page being oddballs. The Best Friends don’t know how Page and Omega can be best friends when they don’t even drink the same. Omega and Page aren’t best friends, but they’re a great team and that’s what matters. Page: “Them boys are good. I mean, we’re gonna whip their a**, but they’re good.”

Video on Brian Cage vs. Jon Moxley.

Brian Cage vs. Joe Cruz

Tazz is on commentary as Cage throws Cruz around to start and then curls the guy in his arms. There’s an overhead belly to belly as JR makes sure to get Cruz’s name in in case his family is watching. A toss powerbomb from the ramp to the ring plants Cruz again and the Drill Claw finishes at 1:23.

Post match Taz grabs his mic and asks where Moxley is. He finds him in the camera and yells about how Moxley his hiding at home with some fake excuse. Cage is taking the title at Fyter Fest and is more dangerous than anything Moxley has. Can Moxley stop the path of Cage? Taz got a little tongue tied in there a few times but he got the point across.

Cabana and Lee are happy with their win as Lee tells him how important it is to bounce back. Lee wants one more chance to show him what it means when they face SCU at Fyter Fest. Colt isn’t sure about that but seems to go along with the idea.

We run down the Fyter Fest card.

Baker sends Schiavone a note about Big Swole putting her in a dumpster for NINE AND A HALF HOURS but Swole is still the biggest piece of trash in AEW> Swole comes in but Baker laughs her off and has an appletini. Baker tells her to go steal someone else’s star power so Swole climbs onto the truck and pours trash onto Baker.

Santana vs. Matt Hardy

Ortiz is here with Santana. Moxley and QT Marshall missing the show due to the Coronavirus has been mentioned but there is no explanation for why Santana is taking Sammy Guevara’s place. It’s Broken Matt here, complete with Neo1. Santana drives Matt into the corner to start and actually gives us a clean break. As Baker is throwing trash at commentary (much to Tony’s annoyance), Santana gets backdropped to the floor. Matt presses Santana’s head against the post and literally opens his eye before whipping him into the barricade. Back in and Santana gets in a cheap shot and we take a break.

We come back with Santana flipping out of a side Effect and planting Matt with a spinning Rock Bottom. A Lionsault gives Santana two but he misses the frog splash (which would have missed even if Matt hadn’t moved), allowing Matt to send him into all of the buckles. The Side Effect gets one on Santana, with Ortiz shouting that Matt “WANTS YOUR FOOD!”. Another Side Effect gets two but Santana is back with a running Samoan driver. Santana cradles Matt for two but he reverses into a cradle to put Santana away at 10:54.

Rating: C+. Matt is another good example of someone who is a lot better when he drops the insanity and just wrestles. He does a lot of interesting stuff but he is still more interesting when he is himself. It worked for a long time and while I get that he wants to be creative, sometimes it’s better to just be yourself.

Post match Ortiz helps Santana beat Matt down until Private Party makes the save.

Here are Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho for a showdown. Jericho asks why the chicken crossed the road. To get to the other side of course. That’s a joke that people have heard before and while it was amusing at first, it becomes more and more annoying over time. Orange Cassidy is the chicken crossing the road joke and it’s ticking Jericho off (this sounds vaguely familiar but I can’t quite place it).

Jericho has watched some of Cassidy’s stuff and yes there is a unique presentation and like Brian Pillman said, you have to be different to make it in wrestling. Then Cassidy got out of his lane and messed with Le Champion. He better be the best Orange Cassidy he can be at Fyter Fest, and if he tries those kicks to the shin, Jericho will knock him out in thirty seconds. Cassidy better reach into his pockets and pull out a man sized miracle because Jericho is knocking the juice out of him at Fyter Fest. Jericho: “Now that’s a funny joke.”

Cassidy takes the mic, thinks about saying something, and lays it down. Now we get the slow motion shin kicks and the hands in the pockets. Jericho breaks Cassidy’s sunglasses and the fight is on with the two of them heading outside. They go into the stands and slug it out until Jericho swings a camera into his face. Cassidy fights back though and Superman Punches Jericho off a railing through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t as good of a show as they’ve been doing lately but as I’ve said before: if this is their bad show, they’re going to be just fine. They were focusing on some rapid fire build towards Fyter Fest here but with the top of the cards set, going through the undercard this fast isn’t a problem. The wrestling wasn’t as good this week, though that wasn’t the point either. Not a bad show at all, and I did get a chuckle out of Jericho thinking the same way I do. I guess IAmJericho? Anyway good enough show this week.

Results

Wardlow b. Luchasaurus – F10

Hikaru Shida b. Red Velvet – Falcon Arrow

Brodie Lee/Colt Cabana b. Joey Janela/Sonny Kiss – Discus lariat to Janela

FTR b. SCU – Goodnight Express to Daniels

Brian Cage b. Joe Cruz – Drill Claw

Matt Hardy b. Santana – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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: January 23, 2006
Location: Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Attendance: 7,900
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means it’s probably going to be time for a bunch of people to be thrown over the top in a big segment near the end of the show. Other than that we need Edge’s final night as champion before John Cena takes it back from him after three weeks. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video, in the form of a movie trailer, looks at Edge winning the title and his path of….well a lot of things actually, on his way to the Royal Rumble.

Here are Edge and Lita for the opening chat. Lita promises that Edge is on the way to Wrestlemania as champion because he won’t be a transitional champion. He’s no Iron Sheik or Mick Foley or someone who lost the title 16 times like Ric Flair. Ric is a walking joke, but he isn’t exactly walking right now. He isn’t here tonight and he is NEVER receiving another title shot. The WE WANT FLAIR chants start up as Edge talks about John Cena joining Flair at the back of the line soon. Edge is ready to win on Sunday so he and Lita can celebrate with mirrors on the ceiling and the spinning hydraulic bed.

Cue Cena to offer Edge congratulations on the movie trailer. See, Cena saw the trailer but he has a bootleg copy of the actual movie. Cena has a review of the movie, which is the classic Boy Meets Ho story. This means various ho puns about Lita until the boy goes to Miami for the Royal Rumble, where he takes the worst beating of his life. Then she falls in love with Hacksaw Jim Duggan, because….you get the idea. Lawler: “I’ve got to see this movie.”

Lita doesn’t know what Cena is talking about but knows Cena and Edge need to find partners for tonight’s main event. She knows Edge will have options but Cena will have to play with himself. Cena: “It’s great to see something coming out of your mouth for once.” Cena promises to win on Sunday.

Kane vs. Carlito

Calito ducks the big shot in the corner and hammers away so Kane goes with right hands and elbows. Kane charges into an elbow though and Carlito’s middle rope dropkick gets two. The tornado DDT is broken up and Kane starts snapping off the clotheslines. A legdrop gets two and the side slam sets up the top rope clothesline. The Tombstone is countered into a Backstabber for two and a springboard twisting Swanton gets two. The chokeslam is broken up with a thumb to the eye and Carlito hits him with a chair for the DQ.

Rating: D+. This didn’t do much to hide the fact that Carlito isn’t a threat to anyone in the ring. His big move got a non-close two on Kane and they moved on like it was nothing. I know he can talk but you need something to back it up somewhere and that just isn’t the case with anything he does in the ring.

Edge suggests Lita, ahem, convince someone to be his partner. She goes into Big Show’s locker room.

Some Carolina Panthers are here.

Lita tries to convince Big Show by taking off her shirt but Edge comes in to say she’s not finishing anything until after the match. That’s a no.

Trish Stratus is warming up when Mickie James comes in to freak out over Trish teaming with Ashley tonight. Trish can’t calm her down and Mickie leaves.

Coach says there is one spot left in the Royal Rumble and he’ll be taking it himself. Jerry Lawler doesn’t like that and, after calling Coach a skinhead, challenges him to a qualifying match. Deal.

Trish Stratus/Ashley vs. Victoria/Candice Michelle

Torrie Wilson is in the villains’ corner. Ashley and Victoria start things off with Ashley hitting a springboard ax handle (not bad) and bringing in Trish. That means a super hurricanrana to take Victoria down again but Victoria kicks Ashley in the head. A wheelbarrow splash gives Candice two but the slingshot flipping legdrop misses. Trish comes in to clean house, including a spinebuster to Victoria. With Trish and Candice fighting on the floor, Ashley high crossbodies Victoria for the pin.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure how many times they can have some combination of the same six women but they are certainly giving it every chance they can. Ashley looked better here than at any time in the ring so far. She still can’t do much more than spots, but she’s doing them with some confidence and that is a step forward for her.

Post match, Mickie runs in and jumps Ashley again. Trish and a referee can barely break it up.

Mama Benjamin is cleaning the locker room because it needs to be nice around here. Shelton comes in and says Shawn Michaels called him a mama’s boy. Mama says Shawn is just jealous, and she could whip Shawn’s mama too.

Video on Billy Graham, who has a book and DVD out. He’s also here, because he doesn’t hate Vince this week.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Shawn Michaels

Mama Benjamin is here too. Hold on though as here’s Vince McMahon to say that if Shawn loses here, he’s out of the Rumble. They trade hammerlocks to start until Shelton grabs a sunset flip for two. A headlock takeover takes Shawn over with a headlock and then he does it again to make his point especially clear. Back up and Shawn hits a chop and a clothesline puts Shelton on the floor.

Mama is checking on her boy but Shawn is back with more chops. They head inside again with Shelton springboarding in but stopping short of the superkick in a callback to their classic last year. A kick to Shawn’s head takes us to a break and we come back with Shelton hitting a suplex.

We hit the chinlock, setting up a Samoan drop for two more. The chinlock goes on again but Mama wants to see a whipping. The superplex attempt is broken up and Shelton runs the corner to kick Shawn in the head for a crash to the floor. We take another break and come back with Shawn slugging away, setting up the forearm.

Shelton runs the corner for a belly to belly superplex and connects with the Dragon Whip for two. Shawn hits another running clothesline and tunes up the band, only to have Mama offer a distraction. That means there’s no referee to count Shelton’s rollup, allowing Shawn to reverse into one of his own and grab the trunks for the pin.

Rating: B. It wasn’t their match from last year but that is a pretty high standard to reach. The Mama stuff has been toned down a lot since her debut and they are settling into more of a rhythm. The gimmick is still death for Shelton, but he was long past the point of having any significant value after the last five months or so.

Post match, Shelton tears a bit.

Edge and Lita pitch the main event spot to HHH. He’ll think about it.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Vince comes in to see Shawn, who wants to know why Vince has gone so psycho on him. Vince just wants to be happy, so he’ll spend some of his money on himself. For now though, he wants WWE to be more about sex, drugs and rock and roll. He offers Shawn a part in the decadence because he’s played the loving husband long enough. Shawn says no, but Vince seems to have a plan.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Jerry Lawler vs. Jonathan Coachman

Coach shoulders him down to start but misses a charge in the corner. There’s a suplex to Coach….and the Spirit Squad debuts, much to Lawler’s confusion. He doesn’t seem to mind though as he hits Coach and goes to the middle rope. The Squad offers another distraction though and Coach grabs a rollup for the pin. So there’s your introduction to one of the more infamous acts of the era.

Post match the Squad does a cheer in Coach’s honor.

Battle Royal

Big Show, Gregory Helms, Rob Conway, Lance Cade

This is a weird one as anyone who throws Show over the top is in the Rumble, but Show doesn’t have anything to win. Show cleans house and wins in a hurry in exactly the way you would expect.

Post match here’s HHH to say he’ll win the Rumble. Edge is on his own tonight because HHH is done with making stars. He’s going to Wrestlemania to win either World Title.

Lita offers to calm the nervous Edge down but he’s too worried about not having a partner. Someone comes in and Edge thinks they’re perfect. As usual, the person doesn’t say anything and isn’t seen.

Edge/??? vs. John Cena/???

The partners are…..Chris Masters and Ric Flair. Well the latter was about as obvious as you could get and that’s not a bad thing. Edge is nice enough to let Masters start with Cena as the WE WANT FLAIR chants start up again. Cena grabs a fisherman’s suplex on Masters and hands it off to Flair, getting rid of any possible mixed reaction for a little while. Flair chops Edge off the apron but gets slammed down by Masters.

Edge adds a suplex on the floor and stomps away a bit so Masters can get two. Flair’s chops don’t do much good and it’s a powerslam into a bearhug. Another gorilla press connects but Edge misses a top rope chop. The diving tag brings in Cena and everything breaks down. Flair chop blocks Masters to break up a Masterlock attempt and it’s the FU into the STF for the win.

Rating: C-. Standard main event style tag match here with the best logical ending they could have. If nothing else it makes sense to put Flair out there in Charlotte to let him do something simple. Edge being scared of Cena was exactly what you would expect of him and it makes Cena seem like even more of a threat to the title, if that is possible.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a weird show as the Rumble card is mostly set, leaving this show mainly focusing on enforcing what was made. There were a few minor changes, but it wasn’t a show that you needed to see. Shawn vs. Shelton was good, but there is nothing left but the Rumble for now and it’s time to get to Wrestlemania season.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: June 23, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur

We’re back to this show and that means it’s time to mix up the group of jobbers to have occasionally competitive matches against the mid to upper midcard stars. That can be a good thing but it can also get repetitive. They’ve tied in some slight storyline advancement though and that helps a bit. Let’s get to it.

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

Robert Anthony vs. Brian Cage

Anthony jumps him to start and gets powerbombed down. A superplex sets up the Drill Claw to give Cage the pin at 53 seconds.

SCU vs. David Ali/Musa

Christopher Daniels/Kazarian here. Daniels and Musa start things off with an exchange of armdrags and it’s an early standoff. Musa’s powerslam gets two and it’s off to Ali for a butterfly suplex. Musa makes the mistake of going after Kazarian though and walks into the Blue Thunder Bomb from Daniels. Now it’s Kazarian coming in for a heck of a clothesline, plus the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination on Musa. The Best Meltzer Ever finishes Musa at 3:32.

Rating: C-. SCU is always good for at least a decent performance and that’s what we got here. This wasn’t exactly competitive and it shouldn’t have been, as SCU are former champs and therefore shouldn’t have a problem against a makeshift team. That’s how this show should be going more often and it’s nice to see it take place in the first two matches.

Shawn Spears vs. Pineapple Pete

Spears shoulders him down to start and walks around a lot, allowing Pete to get up. Pete fights out of a top wristlock and sends Spears outside for a consultation from Tully Blanchard. Back in and Spears hammers away in the corner, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Tully has had it though and distracts the referee, allowing Spears to load up a foreign object in the black glove for the knockout shot at 4:59.

Rating: C-. Spears continues to not be much of note but at least he had a little something with the glove. Other than that though, he’s the same capable hand who doesn’t have much to offer other than that. Pete is fine for a cult favorite and that’s all he needs to be, especially around here.

Lance Archer vs. Griff Garrison

After Archer decks the production guy, Garrison hammers away to expected avail. The Pounce takes Garrison down but he steps up to Archer in the corner. A hard slam gives Archer two and he shouts about how AEW has no idea what is coming for them. Some running shots in the corner set up the Blackout and the EBD Claw is good for the win at 3:41.

Rating: D+. Garrison got in some offense here but it was ultimately a squash. I’ve liked the little I’ve seen from Garrison so far but it isn’t like he’s been around all that much. Then you have Archer, who did his monster thing here as he waits for his next feud, which could be a variety of people.

Post match, Archer chokeslams the production guy.

Dark Order vs. Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela

It’s Alex Reynolds/John Silver for the Order here. Reynolds uppercuts Janela to start but gets splashed and suplexed for one. Kiss comes in and gets knocked into the corner by Silver but pops back up with a hard right hand. Janela’s Russian legsweep into a backflip kick to the face from Kiss. Back up and Silver hits Janela so hard that he drops his mask, followed by a gorilla press into a cutter for two.

Reynolds grabs the chinlock but Janela fights up and ducks a shot in the corner, allowing the hot tag to Kiss. A running Downward Spiral gets two on Reynolds as everything breaks down. Janela is sent outside and Reynolds picks him up for a brainbuster, with Silver diving through the ropes to hit Janela at the same time. Janela comes back in with a double Blockbuster, plus a fireman’s carry to Reynolds. Kiss steps on Reynolds’ back and adds the splits splash to finish Silver at 7:42.

Rating: C. Match of the night so far but that might be due to the extra time. Janela and Kiss aren’t a terrible team, though they aren’t going to get beyond the midcard no matter what they do here. It’s not a great match or anything, but it’s nice to have something a little more competitive than a three minute squash.

KiLynn King vs. Mel

This is Mel’s (you might remember her from the Nightmare Collective) first match in several months. King applauds a bit to start but gets powered into the corner. Mel’s wristlock is countered but she blocks an armdrag with straight power. Mel tosses her down with ease and stomps away before kicking King in the head. A shot to the face gets King out of trouble though and she scores with the second armdrag attempt. King chops away against the ropes but misses the middle rope dropkick. Mel grabs a choke spinebuster for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: D+. This was little more than a squash but there is something about Mel that gets your attention. It was more of a showcase for her than anything else and that worked out well, but there is only so much you are going to get out of something like this. The division could use some more depth given the injury issues though and Mel could shore things up a bit.

Scorpio Sky vs. Lee Johnson

The go with the standing switches to start with Sky taking him to the mat into a front facelock. Back up and Sky holds onto the ropes as Johnson drops to the mat, setting up an Oklahoma roll for two. A dropkick puts Johnson down again and Sky drops some knees into the back. The backbreaker gets two but Sky misses an elbow and gets caught in the Blue Thunder Bomb (third time tonight) gets two. Johnson misses a charge into the corner though and it’s a TKO to give Sky the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C. Maybe it’s just having Sky in there but I had a good time with this one as both guys looked good. Sky is someone who can have a fine match with anyone and Johnson got some offense in here. Not bad at all and I wouldn’t have expected this from a match that only got five minutes.

Luther/Serpentico/Max Caster vs. Jurassic Express

Caster shoves Stunt down to start and dances a bit so Stunt strikes away and hits a running knee to the chest. Some YES Kicks in the corner set up a running dropkick. Boy comes in to act as Stunt’s launchpad, plus to hit a running knee for two on Caster. Serpentico gets the tag and also gets a running hurricanrana from Boy for two more. Luther and Luchasaurus come in….and Luther tags straight back to Serpentico.

A wheelbarrow suplex plants Serpentico and it’s back to Boy, who is tossed at Luther for a Downward Spiral and two more. Express hits a trio of splashes for two on Caster with Luther making the save and pulling Caster into the corner. Luther comes in for a belly to belly on Stunt before running him over with a clothesline.

Caster is willing to come back in and gets kicked in the head almost immediately. That means Luchasaurus can come in and clean house, including the Extinction to Caster. Luther slams Stunt onto the cover for the break but then bails from the threat of Luchasaurus. Stunt, with some help, chokeslams Caster and Boy grabs an STF for the tap at 8:35.

Rating: C-. For the most part, the key to any Express match is how many Stunt shenanigans we have to sit through and they kept them more limited here. I still don’t know why Luther is supposed to be a threat to Luchasaurus or why I should want to see them fight, but Luther has a nickname so he must mean something.

Orange Cassidy vs. Peter Avalon

The Best Friends don’t even bother to stick around for this one. Avalon takes Cassidy’s sunglasses to start and works on a headlock before taking him to the mat. The hands go into the pockets and Cassidy shimmies out of a waistlock. The no hands nip up lets Cassidy get the sunglasses back, but he is sent to the floor for some flirting with Leva Bates.

Avalon dropkicks him through the ropes and hits a slingshot dive, followed by some right hands inside. A leg lariat gives Avalon two and a butterfly suplex is good for the same. Cassidy is back with rams into all four buckles, causing Avalon to do a Curt Hennig bump out of the corner. The tornado DDT gets two on Avalon but he rolls through a high crossbody for two. Back up and a Superman Punch finishes Avalon at 5:45.

Rating: C-. See, now this is something I can go for a bit more from Cassidy because he did something different. It wasn’t the same shtick that we see almost every single time and, while it was just Avalon, it shows that he might be a threat to Jericho if Jericho isn’t ready. Avalon isn’t great most of the time but he was working hard here.

Quick Dynamite preview takes us out.

Overall Rating: C-. There were some decent matches in here and while you don’t need to watch the show (as is almost always the case), they did a better job with keeping it shorter. An hour and twelve minutes is still WAY longer than a show like this needs to be, but it’s also a heck of a lot better than an hour and a half plus. Not too bad here, but just stick to Dynamite.

Results

Brian Cage b. Robert Anthony – Drill Claw

SCU b. Musa/David Ali – Best Meltzer Ever to Musa

Shawn Spears b. Pineapple Pete – Loaded left hand

Lance Archer b. Griff Garrison – EBD Claw

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela b. Dark Order – Splits splash to Silver

Mel b. KiLynn King – Choke spinebuster

Scorpio Sky b. Lee Johnson – TKO

Jurassic Express b. Luther/Max Caster/Serpentico – STF to Caster

Orange Cassidy b. Peter Avalon – Superman Punch

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 19, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We’re in for a somewhat historic moment here with what is going to probably be Jack Gallagher’s final WWE appearance. I don’t know if anyone is going to notice that he is gone but it is something that does at least show WWE is willing to cut people over the SpeakOut situation. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oney Lorcan vs. Chase Parker

Matt Martel is in Parker’s corner. Parker takes him down to start and slaps Lorcan in the back of the head. That earns Parker a headlock and a toss into the corner with Lorcan saying bring it on. Some chops out of the corner have Parker in trouble but a Martel distraction lets Parker jump him from behind. Lorcan’s arm is wrapped around the rope and the armbar goes on, followed by the armbar. That’s broken up in a hurry and Parker dives into an atomic drop. The Blockbuster finishes Parker at 5:03.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but at least Lorcan got a win. I’m not sure what the appeal is of Ever Rise but at least they put the brakes on them a bit here. Lorcan and Burch are a solid team who can be swapped up or down the card as necessary. They’re above Ever Rise though and that was on display here. Well at least half of it was.

Post match Ever Rise jumps Lorcan and Burch, but here are Malcolm Bivens and Indus Sher to beat down Lorcan and Burch instead.

Video on Santos Escobar and company.

We go back to NXT where the trio took out Drake Maverick.

Jake Atlas vs. Jack Gallagher

Atlas works on the arm to start but Gallagher kicks him in the ribs to slip out. A cartwheel gets Atlas away though and he gives Gallagher a little bow and there’s an armdrag to annoy Gallagher again. Gallagher is right back to the arm though and the cockiness goes up in a hurry. Some shoulders and strikes in the corner put Atlas down and we hit the double arm crank.

Gallagher’s dropkick to the back gets two but he can’t get a cross armbreaker. The abdominal stretch works a bit better until Atlas suplexes his way to freedom. Atlas grabs a jumping neckbreaker for two but Gallagher is back with a guillotine. A rope is grabbed, as is a snap German suplex on Gallagher, followed by the Rainbow DDT for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. And that’s the last you’ll ever see or hear of Gallagher in WWE. It was a good thing to see Gallagher lose on the way out and Atlas is someone who can go somewhere in the division. Now do something with him instead of letting him languish in one nothing match after another around here.

Overall Rating: C. It seems that they have finally figured out that having something, even a tiny something, around here is better than just having matches for the sake of having them. While I have no interest in seeing Indus Sher or Ever Rise, it’s better than nothing and I’ll take that over what we were getting. They’re trying to give me a reason to care so at least it’s a step up.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 18, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

It’s the rare half Main Event as there won’t likely be anything from Smackdown this time around. Not only has Backlash come and gone, but Raw was a packed show with all kinds of things going on. That makes for some interesting highlight choices, though I’m almost scared to see who might be relegated to Main Event with Paul Heyman out of power. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Shane Thorne

Carrillo starts with a fast crossbody and knocks Thorne outside in a hurry. Back in and a springboard is broken up with Thorne sending him hard into the corner. There’s a kick to Carrillo’s back for two, followed by the neck crank. That’s broken up as well and Carrillo hits a spinning kick to the head. A missile dropkick into a moonsault finishes Thorne at 5:19.

Rating: C-. Another quick one here with Carrillo being a little more acceptable in the short form like this. They didn’t bother trying to do anything too special here, but it’s not like you’re going to get anything out of a Main Event opener anyway. Just don’t have Carrillo try to do anything character wise and he’ll be fine.

Video on the Intercontinental Title tournament.

Video on AJ Styles beating Daniel Bryan in the tournament finals.

We look at Drew McIntyre retaining the Raw World Title over Bobby Lashley at Backlash.

From Raw.

Raw World Title: MVP/Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre/R-Truth

McIntyre is defending and Lashley or MVP can pin either McIntyre or Truth to win the title. Drew drives Lashley into the corner to start and it’s a Glasgow Kiss to rock Lashley in a hurry. Lashley goes with the power and starts elbowing McIntyre in the head, allowing the tag to MVP. Drew gets to clothesline Lashley outside and hits a neckbreaker on MVP, but Truth tags himself in.

A suplex sends Truth into the corner and it’s off to Lashley to send Truth into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Truth kicking MVP down and making the hot tag to McIntyre to clean house. McIntyre suplexes MVP and hits the top rope shot to the head for a bonus. The Futureshock connects with Lashley making a save. Lashley’s spear to Truth goes into the steps and the Claymore hits MVP….but McIntyre tags in Truth. A Rocket Launcher pins MVP at 9:12.

Rating: C. This felt like it could have been a fine house show main event around the horn for a few weeks and that’s not bad for a quick TV match like this one. They were playing up the drama but it wasn’t exactly easy to buy early in the third hour on Raw. Still though, what we got was good enough for a short deal.

Andrade vs. Ricochet

Did these guys wander onto the wrong show? Zelina Vega is here with Andrade. Ricochet gets caught in an armbar into a headlock to start, with Andrade driving him into the corner. Back up and Ricochet snaps off a headscissors but hurts his knee on a springboard. Andrade kicks the knee out on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Andrade cranking on a half crab and then wrapping it around the rope. Ricochet is fine enough to snap off a rollup for two but it’s right back to more leg cranking. Back up again and Ricochet kicks him away, setting up the top rope hurricanrana. The running shooting star press gets two but Andrade kicks the leg out again. A snapmare sends the leg into the ropes and it’s the hammerlock DDT to give Andrade the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C. The match was better than the usual efforts around here due to the star power, but my goodness what has happened to Ricochet? How do you go from one of the brighter futures on the show to this in the span of just a few months? He’s a lot better than this but for some reason this is as good as he can get. The matches and charisma are there, but not the chance, which is what matters more than anything else.

From Raw.

Here’s Randy Orton to open things up. He talks about seeing Edge’s intensity back in January and knew that he needed to save Edge from himself, just like Edge saved Orton back in the day. Orton knows he’s the greatest and doesn’t need the WWE Title to prove it. He owes Edge a thank you though, because Edge reignited a fire to be the Legend Killer. Orton wishes Edge was here to see him face to face but he’s in a hospital having his muscle reattached to the bone. He’s heard that Edge is going to be cleared in July…..of 2029. Maybe their paths can collide again, say in nine years?

Cue Christian of all people to say Edge’s redemption is not done. Orton injured him but Christian knows that Edge will be back. Orton thinks Christian wants one more match but Christian says no way because he isn’t medically cleared. There is a way around that though: tonight, Christian vs. Orton, unsanctioned. Orton turns his back on him and says the offer expires at the end of the night. If Christian says no, it proves that he’s nothing more than a coward.- Christian doesn’t say anything as Orton leaves.

And from later in the night.

Randy Orton vs. Christian

Unsanctioned…and here’s Ric Flair before the match starts. Flair has talked to Edge and he isn’t cool with this happening right now. Christian takes the mic and says he has to do this so the bell rings….and Flair hits Christian low. Orton hits the Punt on Christian and, after looking like he regrets it a bit, gets the pin at 1:01. I’m curious about where this could be going, but Flair and Orton reuniting doesn’t do much for me.

Post match Orton says he didn’t want this to happen and asks why Christian is here. Medics check on Christian and Orton says he didn’t want to finish Christian….but it’s Christian’s fault. He interrupted Orton a few hours ago and now this is what he gets. More glaring ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This could have been worse but the lack of Smackdown can only give you so much material here. Ricochet vs. Andrade on Main Event is still a weird thing to see on this show but at least they did some stuff that was different enough. Now if only the regular television could get better as we go forward, which is often the case with this show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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