IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 25, 2005
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Attendance: 10,500
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Jerry Lawler

We’re over in England this week for the go home show for Backlash. I’m not sure what to expect this week, but you can probably bet on a slow form HHH promo where he talks about how incredible the Pedigree is. Other than that, we need to get ready for the pay per view, which isn’t the strongest card so far. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Coach is here after JR got beaten up last week.

Here’s Batista to open things up for a change. He’s here to honor a great man who gives his body to the business. That would be Jim Ross, who managed to do last week what it took Batista two years to do: beat HHH. Batista even puts on JR’s hat for a visual which works more than it should. Why didn’t JR tell us that he had wrestling skills? JR beat a ten time World Champion last week and that means a JR chant.

Cue HHH so Batista gives JR his hat back because things are getting serious. HHH talks about how serious this is, so Batista says he’ll defend the title against JR at Backlash instead. Since HHH can’t get a joke, Batista shows us the clip of JR getting the pin last week and raises his hand. HHH’s jacket comes off and the fight is almost on but HHH bails instead. The JR stuff was amusing and Batista needling HHH is always funny.

JR takes over for Coach on commentary.

We recap Viscera helping Trish last week and earning some, ahem, favors, in return.

Viscera and Trish Stratus are out to dinner together, though Viscera has to apologize for being late because he was buying condoms (and it’s about a ten pack). More on this later, thank goodness.

Chris Jericho vs. Sylvain Grenier

Grenier starts fast with a flapjack so Jericho chops away, only to get suplexed right back down for two. The chinlock goes on a minute in, because Grenier can’t go more than a minute without a chinlock. Jericho fights up with some forearms and the bulldog, followed by the enziguri. Conway gets in the distraction though, only to have Jericho slap on the Walls for the fast win. Just a step above a squash but at least they didn’t do anything ridiculous.

Post match the double teaming is on but Shelton Benjamin runs in for the save. Jericho isn’t exactly grateful so Shelton gives him a t-bone. Kind of a mixed message there no? Shelton: “WHO’S YOUR B**** NOW???”

Back at the restaurant, Trish thanks Viscera for what happened last week so orders bangers and mash in a Cockney accent. Viscera tells her that he is a banger who likes to mash, so Trish calls him the horniest guy on the planet. Viscera orders an entire page of the menu.

Christian and Tyson Tomko are in the back when Ric Flair comes in and tells Christian to take care of Batista tonight. Don’t worry though because Christian has this and he doesn’t need HHH’s help. The fans seem rather pleased by this one. A fight nearly breaks out but Tomko gets rid of Flair.

We look at Backlash tickets going on sale.

Here are Christian and Tomko for a chat. After saying Canadians are smarter than Brits, Christian talks about how he won’t have any problems doing what HHH can’t do: beating Batista with a real finisher. Then he’s heading to Smackdown to beating the Ali G ripoff John Cena, because that’s how he rolls. Cue Kane to beat up Tomko as Christian runs off.

Lita can’t wait for Trish to finally get what she deserves.

Christian is hiding from Kane and asks Flair for some help. HHH comes out but rather angrily tells Christian that they can talk business.

And now, the Masterlock Challenge, because it worked so well last week. The money is offered (pounds instead of dollars), the plant is pulled from the audience, and Masters wins. This takes several minutes.

In the back, Coach asks how long it is going to take Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan to self destruct. Shawn doesn’t buy it because they have big egos after they’ve done it all. Coach is tossed out and Shawn introduces Hogan, who introduces Gene Okerlund for the formal interview. Shawn talks about looking around the locker room last week and needing someone to fight with him. That’s why he asked about Hogan two weeks ago right?

Hogan talks about the Hall of Fame and the fans wanting one more match. After hanging out with Big Ben and eating some tea and crumpets, he had to give the fans what they wanted and deal with Muhammad and Daivari. So what are you gonna do? Shawn not being able to tear the shirt is funny at least. Just a quick hype interview for the big tag match.

Here are a bunch of Divas with Christy Hemme saying they’re here to party. They call out the ladies of the Daily Star, with Lawler rather approving of their status as Page Three girls. I can get that as they’re rather fetching, but would anyone like to have a match anytime soon? We’re over an hour into the show and we’ve had one match which didn’t even last three minutes.

They’re all here to promote William Regal’s new book (which is incredible) so here he is in person, with Tajiri as a bonus. Regal is at his hammy best here, soaking in the home country cheers and encouraging them a bit. Dancing ensues but here are Hassan and Daivari to cut them off. As Regal’s eyes bug out, Hassan accuses England of being a follower of all things America. Challenge, accepted.

Muhammad Hassan/Khosrow Daivari vs. William Regal/Tajiri

Non-title. Joined in progress with Regal beating up both of them so the villains take a quick breather on the floor. Tajiri comes in for a standing moonsault onto Daivari but it’s quickly off to Hassan to take over on Regal. The slow beatdown ensues as we see a pro Waylon Mercy sign in the crowd. Daivari gets two off a neckbreaker but it’s a collision with Hassan for a double knockdown. Regal kicks Daivari away and the hot tag brings in Tajiri for the rapid fire kicks. The Downward Spiral plants Tajiri though and Hassan knocks Regal down on the floor. Daivari’s guillotine legdrop finishes Tajiri.

Rating: D. And that pretty much ends anything Regal and Tajiri could do with the titles. The best thing that can be said here is that Regal, the hometown boy who has a book coming out and is a champion, didn’t take the fall in this non-title match which could have had any other team putting Hassan and Daivari over. I know the tag division doesn’t mean anything, but I’d love to hear how this was the best solution they had.

Post match the beatdown stays on with no Hogan to make the save, because that interview earlier was backstage in another country.

Back at the restaurant, Trish asks Viscera what his name means. It means inner organs, but his outer organ works just fine. Trish is scared off so she offers to knock Christy Hemme out so Viscera can do whatever to her. As we move past that as fast as possible, Viscera asks her to dance and destroys a tray of dishes by mistake. Viscera: “Uh, check please?”

Edge vs. Val Venis

Edge jumps him before the bell and kicks Venis in the face as we get one of those awesome British chants that I can’t understand. We’re already on the chinlock as the fans switch to a HARDY chant. Val fights up with a hot shot and clothesline as the fans just go away for the comeback. A half nelson slam looks to set up the Money Shot but Edge gets the knees up. The spear finishes Venis.

Rating: D. Just a quick match here and it wasn’t very good. It’s almost strange to see Edge win a regular match like this as Venis could have been anyone here. This doesn’t really do much to set up Edge vs. Benoit on Sunday but it was nice to throw a little curve in there for a change.

Post match Edge puts on a leglock and ignores the chants for Matt. Edge switches to a Crossface for some salt rubbing until Benoit comes in for the save and brawl.

HHH, Christian and Flair come in to see Coach, who is now guest referee. Flair will be guest timekeeper and HHH is going to be Christian’s problem solver as the old trope is brought up again. HHH won’t let Coach call Eric Bischoff to confirm everything.

Viscera and Trish have drinks, with Viscera having some mouthwash (which he swallows). Hang on though as Trish slaps him, saying he gets nothing if he doesn’t destroy Kane first. That’s cool with Viscera, but he wants a little down payment. Trish flashes him and his eyes bug out.

The Diva Search is coming because we’re that lucky.

Christian vs. Batista

Non-title with Coach as referee, Flair as timekeeper and HHH at ringside. Batista isn’t wasting time this week and starts throwing Christian around with ease, including a trip out to the floor. Back in and Batista sends him into the corner for some kicks to the ribs, followed by a heck of a whip into the corner. Batista hits a powerslam but hang on as Coach has to tie his shoe. HHH gets in a low blow and a thumb to the eye as we take a break.

Back with Christian choking on the ropes and getting two off a splash. The chinlock doesn’t last long as JR rips into Coach for general purposes. Christian’s springboard dropkick gets two more but Batista fights up, only to get choked by Flair. Christian sends him throat first into the rope and a neckbreaker gets two.

The comeback is on in a hurry with clotheslines and the powerslam but a Flair distraction cuts him off. Christian gets caught in an electric chair but Coach hurts his shoulder. Batista beats everyone up and tosses HHH, setting up the Batista Bomb on Christian. Coach is out so Batista grabs the hand to slap the mat for three, which counts here.

Rating: D+. It wasn’t quite Austin vs. Love but it did the job well enough. Christian isn’t quite ready to break through the glass ceiling but they would be a little nuts to not send him to Smackdown to go after Cena’s title. The seeds have been planted and it wasn’t going too far to see him in this match.

Post match Batista beats up HHH and Flair but walks into a Pedigree. HHH posts and shouts a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was a rather different kind of show and it didn’t work out that well. The wrestling was barely there for the first half and then it became clear that Sunday is just a two match show. The tag match is going to be more about nostalgia and a one time moment while the main event is a rematch from a not great original match. That doesn’t sound like the best show, which is probably why it’s such a forgotten event. Pretty bad show here, but it could have been a lot worse.

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

Smackdown
Date: September 24, 2019
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Now this could be interesting, and by interesting I mean a show that is going to be nothing more than a commercial for next Friday. Therefore, I’m not sure how many angles you would want to set up as next week is going to be the big introduction. In other words, this could see some culminations, but it could also see a bunch of standing around while we wait for the show that matters next week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Erick Rowan turning on Daniel Bryan for suggesting that they were equals. Last week, Luke Harper and Rowan beat down Bryan and Roman Reigns.

Here is Rowan for an opening chat. Rowan calls that recap a thing of brilliance before explaining that the crowd sees him as less than human. Now though, might makes right so Reigns and Bryan know that he’s right. That’s why everyone is afraid, so here’s Bryan to quite the positive crowd reaction. Bryan wastes no time and demands a fight right now. Here’s a referee and we’re on.

Daniel Bryan vs. Erick Rowan

Bryan goes right for him to start but gets knocked outside for a crossbody. Back in and Rowan hits a spinning kick to the face and we take an early break. We come back with Bryan getting powerbombed into the post and having to dive back inside to beat the count. A dropkick to the leg takes Rowan down though and Bryan wraps the knee around the post a few times.

Another dropkick sends the knee into the post but Rowan is fine enough to catch him in something close to a Jackhammer for two. The bearhug works on Bryan’s back and a jackknife gets two more. We take another break and come back again with Bryan reversing a powerbomb attempt into a sunset flip for two and sending Bryan outside. The suicide dive is blocked so Bryan posts him instead, setting up the missile dropkick to the back.

It’s full on face mode Bryan as he kicks away to the shoulder and the big one actually connects to the head for once….and one. The Iron Claw is countered into a guillotine choke and then the LeBell Lock draws in Luke Harper for the distraction. Bryan dives onto him as well but Harper pops up, allowing Rowan to pull Bryan over the top with the Iron Claw, but Bryan’s foot gets tied in the rope for one of those accidents you can only get in wrestling. Everyone gets together to get Bryan out of the ropes so another Iron Claw can give Rowan the pin at 17:58.

Rating: C+. Rowan is getting a rather strong push at the moment and that’s something you don’t see very often. Sometimes you just need to do something new and pushing the Bludgeon Brothers as main event monsters is an idea that could go somewhere. I like what we’ve seen so far and the tag match should be pretty good.

Post match Harper and Rowan load up the table but it’s Roman Reigns coming out for the save. The brawl continues with Bryan getting back into it and hitting the running knee on Harper. Reigns spears Rowan down and the good guys stand tall. Bryan seems to have hurt his leg on the running knee (could be due to the rope thing) but slaps Reigns’ hand away as he tries to offer some help. Bryan grabs a mic and issues the challenge for the tag match, presumably for next week. The fans give that quite the YES.

Video on Brock Lesnar.

We get another sitdown interview with Michael Cole talking to Kofi Kingston. After explaining how to put your hips into his name, Kofi talks about how you can’t really train for Lesnar. He’s beaten a bunch of the best in WWE already though and he can beat Lesnar too. Kofi is glad to be at the forefront of the move to FOX and is ready to defeat Lesnar and retain the title.

Here’s Chad Gable for a chat. Yeah he lost in the King of the Ring finals, but he’s not done fighting. Cue Mike Kanellis, who isn’t here to cut him short. He’s here to prove to his wife that size does matter.

Mike Kanellis vs. Chad Gable

Gable suplexes him to start and hits Rolling Chaos Theory to set up the ankle lock for the tap at 23 seconds.

Post match here’s Elias on screen to say hey shorty. Gable has inspired him to write a song about Gable being an underdog, who happens to be short. It’s because Gable is short. IT’S FUNNY!

We recap Carmella stealing the 24/7 Title from R-Truth.

Charlotte runs into R-Truth and asks about Carmella, who is teaming with her tonight. Truth: “I don’t know anyone named Carmella, and I especially don’t know anyone named Carmella.” Carmella comes out and ensures Charlotte that she is focused.

The announcers thank USA for having them.

Charlotte/Carmella vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Banks works on Carmella’s arm to little effect to start and Graves gets distracted by Carmella dancing. Carmella gets sent to the floor and goes ribs first into the barricade so Bayley can yell at her about how she hasn’t changed. Back in and Carmella dives over for the tag to Charlotte so house can be cleaned. The Figure Four goes on but Banks makes the save with the Meteora. That’s fine with Charlotte, who hits an over the shoulder Stunner. The Figure Four is broken up again and Carmella tags herself back in for some superkicks. A headscissors is countered into a Bank Statement to make Carmella tap at 5:18.

Rating: C-. Totally standard tag match here with Carmella taking the fall as she should have. There wasn’t much to be seen here as Charlotte gave Bayley a lot of trouble and we should be getting a rematch next Sunday. Banks was kept strong as well and it’s not like Carmella losing means anything as her comedy stuff will keep her going for a long time.

Post match Truth has to carry Carmella to safety from the invading women’s locker room. Banks and Bayley keep up the beatdown but Becky Lynch makes the save.

Ali vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title. Ali starts fast by dropkicking Nakamura to the floor for a SCARY suicide dive, with Ali landing on top of his head. Thankfully he’s right back up and hits a high crossbody for two but Nakamura sends him head first into the post and we take a break. Back with Ali hitting a few kicks to the head, setting up the rolling X Factor. Ali dropkicks him down for two more but Nakamura is right back with the sliding German suplex.

Kinshasa is superkicked down for two and the reverse exploder is countered into a rollup for the same. The tornado DDT puts Nakamura down but Sami Zayn pulls him away from the 450. That’s fine with Ali, who dives over the referee to take Nakamura down. Ali makes the mistake of going after Sami though and runs into Kinshasa for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C. Ali is going to kill someone with those dives one day but he makes the matches fun to watch with the heart he puts into them. I’m glad they didn’t go with the champ getting pinned, though I’m not sure who is going to challenge Nakamura for the title next week. It’s not like they’re going to win the title anyway.

We recap Kevin Owens getting fired and suing Shane McMahon as a result.

Big E./Xavier Woods vs. B Team

Axel dances at Woods to start and gets dropkicked in the face for his efforts. Some stomping in the corner works a bit better for Axel and we hit the chinlock. Dallas gets two off a DDT but it’s time for the B Train, with Big E. joining in. The distraction lets Big E. get the tag and the Midnight Hour is good for the pin at 2:30.

Post match Big E. goes over to celebrate with some San Francisco 49ers.

Mandy Rose is proud of being on the cover of Maxim Australia and hands out some magazines. Sonya Deville tells her to focus on their match. They run into Otis, who takes a selfie with Mandy and takes a magazine. Tucker comes up to ask what he’s doing but seems to approve of the magazine instead.

Oh hey the Warriors still exist. Mandy gives Graves an autographed copy of Maxim and he won’t let Saxton see it. Asuka kicks Sonya down but Sana comes in and gets knocked outside. That lets Mandy hold up the magazine, with Kairi kicking it away. Back in and Sane snaps off a headscissors to put Mandy in the corner but Sonya gets in a cheap shot. Sane is fine enough to get over for the hot tag to Asuka and house is cleaned in a hurry. The kick to the face gets two on Mandy as everything breaks down. Asuka drops Mandy with another kick and the Insane Elbow is good for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: D+. Totally run of the mill match here and it’s nice to have the Warriors back. That being said, it’s another case of throwing various matches out there and setting up title matches, though it’s not like I have any reason to believe that WWE is seriously going to push the Warriors.

Here are Shane McMahon and a bunch of lawyers to deal with Kevin Owens’ lawsuit. Now, Shane can fight this in court and use his resources to ruin Owens’ life. Or Owens can drop the lawsuit and be reinstated, with Shane getting rid of the $100,000 fine as well. Shane offers him a handshake but Owens calls him an idiot.

The idea of the lawsuit makes him sick because Owens wants Shane out of the locker room period. That’s what everyone has wanted for so long: seeing Shane get fired. Owens wants one final match: career vs. career and let’s make it a ladder match. For some reason Shane’s mic is cut off but he says you’re on. No date is given.

We cut to the back for a very last second Becky interview, where she says she’s ready for Sasha in the Cell. Sasha comes up from behind and sends Becky face first into a conveniently placed piece of cage, which she then rams into Becky’s ribs to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. There was some energy to this one but as expected it was more about setting the table for later than anything major on this show. That being said, by this time next week, no one is going to remember this show at all because it’s a whole new world next Friday. At least they set some things up for next week and next Sunday and the show wasn’t that bad. Just mostly skippable, which is a status I can accept.

Results

Erick Rowan b. Daniel Bryan – Iron Claw

Chad Gable b. Mike Kanellis – Ankle lock

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Charlotte/Carmella – Bank Statement to Carmella

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ali – Kinshasa

New Day b. B Team – Midnight Hour to Dallas

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: September 23, 2019
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re in kind of a strange place this week as next week will be one of the busiest and most important that WWE has ever seen. Based on all of those changes, this week’s show doesn’t mean as much, but WWE is trying to make it interesting by having a #1 contenders match for a World Title match next week, even though the title is on the line next Sunday. Let’s get to it.

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

The Then Now and Forever video is taken over by the Fiend, sending us into a recap of last week’s issues between Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins.

Here’s Rollins for an opening chat. Last week he was attacked by five people and then the living embodiment of a nightmare was right next to his face. There’s a monster waiting for him next week but he’ll do what he always does: survive and prevail. Cue Braun Strowman, who doesn’t like Rollins saying he prevailed over him. Rollins says Strowman can do something about it and a match seems to be made for tonight. They’ve been getting better at these opening sequences. There was a recap before Rollins came out and they were in a commercial by 8:12. If you have to do these talking segments, at least make them fast like this.

Good Brothers vs. Viking Raiders

AJ Styles is here with the Brothers. Erik throws Anderson around to start and Ivar comes in for a knee to the head. The slam drops Ivar onto Anderson so it’s off to Gallows for a change. AJ gets in a cheap shot on Ivar so Gallows can take over and that’s an ejection. Cue Cedric Alexander to jump AJ and we take a break.

Back with Ivar fighting out of the corner and handing it off to Erik to strike away. Everything breaks down and the springboard clothesline/German suplex combination is broken up by Anderson. The Boot of Doom hits Erik for two but the Magic Killer is broken up. Ivar comes back in and the Viking Experience is good for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C+. This was all about having two teams hit each other rather hard for ten minutes and that’s all it needed to be. The Raiders almost have to be next in line for the Tag Team Titles as there is no one left to stand in their way other than the champs. Other than the AOP, who is supposed to stop them?

Robert Roode promises to win the five way and become GLORIOUS next week.

Michael Cole has a sitdown interview with Becky Lynch. First up, why would Becky want to face Sasha Banks inside the Cell? Becky loves the idea of Sasha being on a hot streak because she can’t make history on her own. Yeah Banks has been in the lone Cell match in women’s history but she lost. Who cares if Bayley is going to be running around ringside? Becky wants Sasha at her best, because Becky certainly will be.

Rusev vs. EC3

The fans want Lana and commentary makes it clear that Rusev isn’t the father of Maria Kanellis’ son. EC3 goes straight at him to start and gets knocked back without much effort. Some suplexes send EC3 flying and the jumping superkick sets up the Accolade for the tap at 1:41.

Rey Mysterio doesn’t think it’s impossible for him to win the #1 contenders match tonight. Thanks to Dominick he’s still here and now he has a chance. Tonight’s match is dedicated to Dominick.

Sasha Banks vs. Nikki Cross

Bayley and Alexa Bliss are here too. Sasha drives her into the corner to start and hits the running slap, only to get run over with a shoulder. Back up and Banks gets in some shots to the face, setting up an armdrag into the armbar. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Nikki goes with a crossbody for two.

They head outside with Nikki grabbing a sleeper until Sasha drops backwards for the crash (nasty looking one too) and we take a break. Back with Nikki sending her to the apron but getting kneed in the face. A slingshot Meteora gives Banks two but she misses a charge in the corner. Nikki hits some forearms and a bulldog out of the corner gets two.

Sasha is right back with a twist of the leg but Nikki sends her outside and hits a running crossbody off the apron. With Banks still staggered, Nikki ties her in the ring skirt and hammers away, followed by the Purge back inside. Bliss and Bayley get in a fight though and the delay lets Banks roll through a high crossbody into the Bank Statement for the tap at 15:33.

Rating: C-. That was a good bit longer than it needed to be and well done for making a champion tap out twice in two weeks. There really was no one else that could be put in this role whatsoever and the best result was to have the champ lose again. The match was only hurt by the length, though to their credit they never seemed to run out of things to do, which is more than some people can say.

The OC is annoyed so AJ is going to win the five way tonight.

Brock Lesnar is back next week.

The Street Profits hype up the five way before talking about Ricochet being accused of being the father of Maria’s son. Cue Miz to make two announcements: his second daughter was born last Friday and next Monday, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan will be on MizTV.

We see Brock Lesnar returning and challenging Kofi Kingston for the first Smackdown on FOX. Kofi accepted and got F5ed.

Lacey Evans vs. Ember Moon

Lacey throws a napkin at her and gets knocked down in a hurry. Ember sends her to the apron but gets caught with the slingshot dropkick to get knocked outside. Back in and we hit the chinlock for a bit as Natalya is watching backstage. The slingshot Bronco Buster gets two more and it’s back to the chinlock.

Back up and the Woman’s Right is blocked, allowing Ember to hit an enziguri to start the comeback. Lacey gets sent outside but gets Ember hung upside down by her feet above the floor. That’s fine with Ember, as she pulls herself up and kicks off the apron into an Eclipse on the floor. After that awesome move gets two, Lacey breaks up the regular Eclipse with the Woman’s Right and finishes with the Sharpshooter at 5:14.

Rating: D+. The Lacey vs. Natalya feud has all the legs of a bowling ball but that has never stopped WWE before. Why I would want to see a rematch between them is beyond me and I don’t even know why Lacey is doing this after their previous matches. That Eclipse was awesome though, even if Moon continues to flounder.

Natalya says if Lacey wants a rematch, she better be ready to tap out.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House, with Bray hanging pictures on his Wall of Friendship. This one is blank and Bray says there is always room for one more. Huskus and Ramblin are fighting over a Seth Rollins action figure because they’re such big fans of Seth. Bray says you have to share because if you love something so much, it can make you weak. He knows what it’s like to be abandoned by those you love most. Ramblin doesn’t want the Fiend to hurt Seth, but Bray says the Fiend doesn’t like to share. The two of them can though, so Bray breaks the figure in half. Sharing is caring and he’ll see you in h***.

R-Truth and Carmella run to the ring with the Mob not far behind. Carmella says hang on though and grabs the mic. They need a break because this has been going on for four months now. Truth isn’t worried because his clown friend is giving them a ride to Derry, Maine. Carmella says she can’t do this anymore….and rolls him up for the pin and the title. What took them so long to get there? Renee: “Graves! You can finally consummate the 24/7 Title!” Cue the women’s locker room so Truth gives her a ride out of the arena. The regular Mob isn’t sure what to do. Graves: “Great night to be me.”

Bayley and Sasha Banks give the terribly scripted speech about beating Becky soon.

Sami Zayn gives Shinsuke Nakamura a pep talk before the five way but Nakamura shushes him.

Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable

Corbin has a new crown and cape (which looks like the Barbarian’s version from about 1991), plus a remixed entrance song. Hold on though as Corbin has to get in some short jokes before the bell. Gable’s waistlock is thrown outside and we’re in the very early chinlock. Gable is back up with a spinning armdrag and a flip neckbreaker to send Corbin outside. One heck of a toss over the barricade sees Gable knocking out some security guards and we take a break.

Back with Corbin getting two off his under the rope clothesline and the chinlock goes on again. Gable fights up and hits a middle rope crossbody but Corbin sends him into the corner for a running clothesline. Corbin makes sure to soak in the booing and point at his crown and cape though as he is slowly getting this heel thing. Another sliding clothesline is cut off by the Liger Kick and a few more connect in the corner.

The moonsault is broken up with a crotching and a chokeslam gets two. For some reason Corbin goes to the middle rope but lands throat first on top, allowing Gable to hit a German suplex. This time the moonsault connects for two and the ankle lock goes on. Corbin can’t make the rope (which he’s next to) so he grabs the scepter and knocks Gable silly for the DQ at 14:55.

Rating: B-. Not as good as last week’s match but this extends the feud and makes Gable look like he has a future. Corbin is getting a lot better at the heel stuff and has gotten better over the course of the tournament. Again: he has always had a place around here, as long as they don’t go into complete overkill with him.

Post match Corbin lays Gable out with the scepter a few more times.

We get another AOP sitdown interview with the two of them promising to show us who they are. They get up and go into the hallway to beat up two people (one of whom looked like Heath Slater) before going back into the dark room and saying that’s who they are.

Rey Mysterio vs. Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles vs. Robert Roode

Non-title, elimination rules and the winner gets a Universal Title shot next week. Sami Zayn is here with Nakamura for a bonus. Roode heads straight to the floor to start so Ricochet and Rey hit a headscissors each, allowing Rey to roll him up for one. Instead of going after each other again, it’s a pair of dives to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Ricochet kicking Nakamura in the face but missing a dive to the floor, allowing AJ to clothesline him down. Roode throws Rey outside for the inadvertent sliding splash to Ricochet, leaving AJ and Roode to glare at each other. As the TNA chants begin, they decide to beat up Ricochet instead, only to turn on each other seconds later (well duh).

Nakamura gives Ricochet a gordbuster and knees him in the head but Ricochet flips out of the reverse exploder. Ricochet knocks him to the floor and gets the showdown with Rey. Cue AJ to break that up pretty quickly though, only to get dropkicked down instead. The Recoil hits Roode but Ricochet walks into Kinshasa for the first elimination at 9:45. Back from a break with Mysterio getting the worst of a Tower of Doom and Roode covering everyone for two each.

Nakamura hits the middle rope knee for two on Roode and a sliding knee gets the same on AJ. Rey is back up with a 619 to Nakamura but AJ suplexes Rey on the apron. The Phenomenal Forearm gets rid of Nakamura at 17:44 and the Glorious DDT finishes Styles at 18:03. We’re down to Roode vs. Mysterio and the fans come alive for Rey. The Glorious DDT is countered but the 619 is cut off with a spinebuster for two. Rey is right back up with the 619 into the springboard splash for the pin and the title shot at 20:04.

Rating: C+. The match was fun and Rey winning is a safe pick. He’ll have a good match with Rollins and even if he loses, it’s not like it’s going to hurt anything. It helps that Rey has the slightest glimmer of stealing the title as Wyatt beating him to win the title would work as well. Good match and a better result so nicely done.

Rollins says congratulations to Rey and he’s ready to face both Mysterio and Fiend next week because that’s what he does.

Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title. Strowman starts fast by running Rollins over with the referee having to check on him. Rollins gets knocked to the floor in a heap and we take a break. Back with Rollins fighting out of a bearhug and dropkicking the knee. The Pedigree is easily broken up and Rollins bails to the floor.

For once Rollins is smart enough to avoid the charging Strowman by jumping over the barricade, though Strowman is fine enough to throw him down anyway. Back in and Strowman charges into some boots in the corner and then the post for a bonus. Seth wraps the leg around the post and hits a pair of frog splashes for two.

A suicide dive doesn’t knock Strowman down so Rollins hits a second to take him down. For some reason Rollins tries a third and stumbles a bit, allowing Strowman to chokeslam him onto the apron. The running powerslam hits on the floor so Strowman loads up another one in the ring….and there go the lights. They come back on with Strowman in the Fiend’s Mandible Claw for the DQ at 12:30.

Rating: C+. I liked what we got well enough and I’ll take Strowman winning via DQ and getting knocked out over Rollins pinning him again and taking away even more of Strowman’s status. The Fiend interference isn’t shocking but that doesn’t make it a bad idea, as taking out someone like Strowman is a little more impressive for him.

Post match Strowman is out as Rollins cowers in the corner, even screaming a bit as the Fiend crawls to him. Strowman gets up so Fiend claws him down again and glares a lot as the lights go out to end the show with more laughter.

Overall Rating: B. Strong show here with mostly good wrestling throughout and a nice segment at the end to make the Fiend look even more intimidating. That’s what they have to do with so little time between pay per views and at this point, he almost has to win the title. Other than that, things are building towards next week, which should be a heck of a time for WWE. Now if only they can live up to the hype/pressure for once.

Results

Viking Raiders b. Good Brothers – Viking Experience to Anderson

Rusev b. EC3 – Accolade

Sasha Banks b. Nikki Cross – Bank Statement

Lacey Evans b. Ember Moon – Sharpshooter

Chad Gable b. Baron Corbin via DQ when Corbin used the scepter

Rey Mysterio b. Robert Roode, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet – Springboard splash to Roode

Braun Strowman b. Seth Rollins via DQ when the Fiend interfered

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: September 19, 2019
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin

It’s time for another incredible use of an hour as I have no idea what to expect from this show. Things aren’t the most interesting at the moment as we’re just off of Clash of Champions and on the way to Hell in a Cell, meaning the rapid fire turnover continues. That could mean anything around here, so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, looking straight at the Titantrong.

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose

Well at least it isn’t Brooke and Logan. Rawley throws him around to start but Jose hits a dropkick in the corner. A trip to the floor lets Rawley clear his head and he drops Jose throat first across the top to take over. Jose’s discus forearm starts the comeback and a clothesline out of the corner puts Mojo down. The high crossbody gets two but Jose misses a charge into the corner, setting up the Alabama Slam to give Rawley the pin at 4:42.

Rating: C-. Jose was trying here, as tends to be the case, but what are you expecting when you’re against Rawley? I’ve always liked Rawley but this heel stuff has been a nightmare since day one. There’s nothing to him and I have no idea what they see in him from this style. The Hype Man wasn’t great but it was a lot better than this.

We see a few seconds of Baron Corbin beating Chad Gable to become King of the Ring.

Clip of Gable taking out Corbin on Smackdown and destroying the throne and robe.

Clip of Sasha Banks and Bayley taking out Nikki Cross until Becky Lynch made the save. This set up Banks vs. Lynch in the Cell for the title.

From Smackdown.

Kevin Owens arrives and sits in the crowd. Shane McMahon is on his way to the ring to deal with this but gets served with papers. Shane isn’t happy with them and goes to the ring without saying anything.

Post break here’s Shane, with the papers, in the arena. He calls out some security but tells Owens to come into the ring. Security is ready but Shane tells Owens to come in and has security leave (Then why have them in the first place?). The papers are the largest wrongful termination lawsuit in history, saying that if he is fired, he will receive $25 million.

They argue over the merits of the case, with Owens saying that Shawn fined him for attacking Elias when Elias was serving as a referee. Then Shane did the same thing to him last week, after Owens swallowed his pride and tried to get rid of the initial fine. Owens knows that he needs to hit Shane in the wallet, which is what he is going to do. With this case, he’ll be able to tell Shane that he is fired for a change. You know what might make Smackdown better? Not arguing over money and lawsuits all the time.

Video on Ricochet.

We look back at Luke Harper returning to take out Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Daniel Bryan for a chat. He hears the DANIEL BRYAN chants but points out that a lot of those same people were accusing him of being behind the attacks on Reigns. Bryan may be a lot of things, but he is not a liar. Rowan is still his friend, and here he is in person. Rowan doesn’t like what Daniel is saying, because it was always about Bryan. It makes Rowan feel disrespected so Bryan tells him to do something about it.

Cue Luke Harper to jump Bryan from behind and the beatdown is on. Roman Reigns comes out for the save but gets beaten down as well, including a powerbomb against the post. Security gets taken out and the announcers’ table is loaded up. A double spinebuster through the table destroys Bryan to end the show.

Lucha House Party vs. EC3/Eric Young

Kalisto/Gran Metalik for the House Party here and I still love EC3’s entrance. Young headlocks Metalik to start but the flipping is on in a hurry. The rope walk high crossbody gives Metalik two and it’s off to Kalisto for the rolling kick to the head. There are the double dives and we take a break. Back with everything breaking down and Metalik flip diving onto EC3. The Salida Del Sol finishes Young at 5:24. Not enough shown to rate but they chopped the heck out of this one as it ran about seven minutes live.

Stills of Kofi Kingston retaining the Smackdown World Title at Clash Of Champions.

From Smackdown (again).

Post match here are Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar with Heyman doing his intro and Lesnar making him get in the ring to say it. Lesnar is here to stand in the way of Kofi’s title reign because it’s a bad day for the New Day, yes it is. The challenge is made for October 4 on the first Smackdown on FOX. Kofi accepts because he’s not that bright at times. The ensuing F5 seems to back that up. Yeah Lesnar is winning the title and as annoying as it is, I get why they’re going that way.

Stills of Seth Rollins retaining the Universal Title over Braun Strowman at Clash and getting beaten down by the Fiend after.

From Raw.

Seth Rollins vs. Robert Roode

Non-title and Dolph Ziggler is here with Roode. Feeling out process to start with Roode armdragging him into an armbar. That lasts as long as any average armbar and Roode hits him in the ribs to take over. Roode knocks him off the barricade so Ziggler can get in a cheap shot and we take a break.

Back with Roode still on the ribs before sending Seth outside. This time Ziggler’s interference is cut off with a superkick and the comeback is on. The springboard knee misses but so does Roode’s spinebuster. That means Rollins can hit a Falcon Arrow for two, followed by the Buckle Bomb. The Stomp looks to finish but Ziggler comes in for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here as Ziggler just won’t go away and kept popping in here, despite not being the most intriguing presence in the world. I can appreciate not having a new champion lose though, even if it’s to the World Champion. Just don’t let Ziggler and Roode (or at least Ziggler) around Rollins much longer and things should be fine.

Post break the OC comes in for the 5-1 beatdown but Kane (in full gear and mask) of all people makes the save to a huge pop. Chokeslams abound as I try to imagine masked Kane without hair. There is something amusing about the costume coming complete with a huge wig….and there go the lights. The Fiend is here and it’s a Mandible Claw to Kane. Fiend crawls over to Rollins and a minute long Firefly Fun House logo, with the colors changing, the graphic going upside down and the voice sounding rather evil, ends the show. Good ending, with the mind games and evil continuing.

Overall Rating: D. Another week and another bleh Main Event with nothing of note and the original matches being even worse than usual. It didn’t help that the regular TV shows were pretty bad this week, leaving us without many highlights. We did however manage to get in the Shane McMahon segment instead of any significant part of the King of the Ring though, because WWE knows its priorities.

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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 20, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

I’m pretty sure this is the final show in Mexico and that might be the best thing for everyone involved. These shows haven’t been the most consistent with a cross between horrible and entertaining enough. Tonight is all about LAX, who are having their farewell match before heading off to AEW. Let’s get to it.

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

Instead of the usual opening sequence, we get a nice retrospective on Santana and Ortiz, which is more than deserved.

Opening sequence.

OVE vs. Tessa Blanchard/Rob Van Dam/Rhino/Tommy Dreamer

Street fight so the slugout is on in a hurry. Sami and Van Dam are left alone in the ring with Rob kicking him down and hitting Rolling Thunder. Tessa and Jake take their places with Tessa crotching him in the corner to take over. The running Codebreaker out of the corner puts them both on the floor so it’s Fulton coming back in to slug it out with Rhino. With Rhino not having the best luck, Dreamer comes back in and hits a cutter on Fulton, who pops back up with a big boot.

Dave gets backdropped onto the pile at ringside and Tommy follows with the fall (there was a lack of diving) off the top. Van Dam hits his own flip dive, leaving Sami vs. Tessa inside. Another cutter drops Sami but Dave superplexes Tessa onto the pile again. Back in and Rhino no sells a suplex from Sami and it’s time for the parade of people knocking each other down with one shot. Tessa tornado DDTs Fulton but he’s right back up with a gorilla press so Jake can come in off the top with a big cutter.

Dreamer and Van Dam bring in a kendo stick with Rhino sliding in a table for a bonus. Before Dave can go through it though, Sami low blows Dreamer and Rhino. Dreamer grabs Sami with a groin claw though and Rhino Gores Dave through the table. The Five Star hits Jake and Tessa puts on the Crossface with the kendo stick to make Jake tap at 9:49.

Rating: C+. Not bad here with the ECW people being rather unnecessary supporting stars for Tessa. In theory this should set her up for the X-Division Title shot at Bound For Glory while the ECW people do….whatever it is that they do when they’re not on Impact. It was a pretty entertaining match, but I can’t help sighing whenever the ECW guys show up.

Ace Austin shows up in a wheelchair and neck brace but promises to be here for Alisha Edwards. He smirks at the camera after she leaves. This is another example of a story that would be over as soon as anyone involved watched the show.

We see LAX’s first Tag Team Title win.

The North is ready to celebrate LAX leaving, and they even have a pinata.

The announcers preview the show.

Alisha Edwards vs. Taya Valkyrie

Non-title. Alisha mocks Taya’s gyrating entrance and gets taken down for some right hands to the head. Cue Ace in his wheelchair as Taya chokes in the corner. Alisha manages to send her into the corner and hits a basement dropkick, followed by a Downward Spiral for two as John E. Bravo put Taya’s foot on the rope. Ace pops out of the chair and does his handstand on the apron into the kick to Bravo, with Alisa somehow not seeing any of it. Taya gets in a cheap shot and hits the Road To Valhalla for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: D. This story isn’t doing much for me whenever Eddie isn’t involved as Alisha isn’t all that good. Taya needs a big time opponent for Bound For Glory and I’m not sure who that is going to be. There are a lot of possible options but none of them really stand out above the others. The bigger problem though is Alisha looking rather ridiculous to not get what is going on, as apparently NO ONE in the company has told her a thing about what is going on in the ring and backstage.

Post match Alisha checks on Ace.

The North is looking for people to join their party (with Alexander no selling the whole thing). They run into Rob Van Dam and Rhino, the latter of whom rips up their pinata. I think we have our new #1 contenders.

Gama Singh introduces Mahabali Shera as the newest member of the Desi Hit Squad.

Mahabali Shera vs. Cody Deaner

Shera drives him straight into the corner and starts hammering away, followed by a neckbreaker to keep Cody in trouble. Cody slugs away and hits a suicide dive onto the rest of the Squad, only to dive into a chokeslam back inside. A World’s Strongest Slam ends Cody at 2:47. Shera looks great now but the Squad’s entire gimmick of being from India is still not enough to make me care.

Classic LAX moment: the street fight with the OGz.

We get what looks to be a glitch as Melissa Santos pops up with headphones in her ears, looking like she’s ready for a Skype interview before disappearing after about a second.

Rascalz vs. Australian Suicide/Toxin/Arez

The Rascalz jump the not quite named luchadors to start and hit stereo suicide dives. We settle down to Trey wristdragging Australian into a dropkick to the floor. Toxin comes in for a bunch of flips into a brainbuster to send Trey outside, with Dezmond flipping in to strike away. Arez comes in for a backbreaker on Dezmond so Wentz comes back in for a springboard spinning crossbody.

The Rascalz are sent outside for a big corkscrew dive from Toxin, followed by dives from the other two. Back in and the Rascalz are fine enough to hit a Burning Hammer/top rope double stomp combination to Toxin but Australian makes a save with a moonsault. A superkick into the push moonsault finishes Australian at 4:38.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that is always going to work because it’s such pure insanity that is just entertaining. I’m not sure who the Rascalz will be fighting at Bound For Glory but it better be someone rather big, as the team deserves a high profile match. They don’t seem to get that around here, but they should be getting one.

Moose is walking the streets of Mexico City and looks for a fight. He finds and wins one while shouting for Ken Shamrock.

Various wrestlers (including Tommy Dreamer of course) are in Las Vegas for Brian Cage’s bachelor party. More on this later.

We get a sitdown interview with Tenille Dashwood, who is happy to be here because she hasn’t faced a lot of the Knockouts. She wrestled Taya Valkyrie in Taya’s first match and it went badly for Taya. Now it’s all about her.

Jessika Havok vs. Su Yung

No DQ. Havok has a staple gun and jumps Su during the entrance to start the fighting in a hurry. Su gets in a few shots of her own but Havok follows her outside. Old School on the barricade is easily broken up and it’s time for a ladder to be brought in. Su grabs a hanging Pedigree and dodges a charge in the corner to send Havok into a chair. Yung grabs the staple gun and stabs Havok in the….somewhere, setting up a cannonball off the apron. The bloody glove is loaded up but Havok Tombstones her for the pin at 6:07.

Rating: D+. This feud hasn’t been interesting since the start as it’s been so all over the place that it’s hard to keep track of why they’re fighting in the first place. Or maybe it’s just not interesting enough to make me want to keep track of the thing. Yung was interesting when she came in but they booked her like any other Knockout for so long that the impact is long gone.

Post match Su pops up and Mandible Claws Havok before pelting a chair at her head. They fight to the back with a quickly edited brawl up a stairwell. Havok grabs a rope and hangs Su over the stairs….and we see the legs hanging as we have our latest murder.

And now, Melissa Santos’ bachelorette party with the Knockouts attending and Taya making it all about her. Joey Ryan shows up as the stripper and I’ve seen more convincing acting on Total Divas.

Cage’s bachelor party includes him eating a bunch of cheat foods. Dreamer: “This is kind of turning me on.”

Classic LAX: Barbed Wire Massacre III vs. OVE.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Shane Douglas vs. Raven in a hair vs. hair match from 2003.

Next week: Johnny Swinger.

Bound For Glory rundown.

LAX vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Everyone shakes hands to start as they’re all friends here. Santana and Swann start things off and it’s an early trip to the mat for a standoff. They both flip out of hurricanrana attempts so Swann hits a dropkick for the first real offense. Santana takes him into the corner though and it’s Ortiz coming in for the rapid fire double teaming. Ortiz slaps on a Boston crab but it’s quickly back to Santana, who gets armdragged into the corner.

It’s off to Mack, who gets double dropkicked for his efforts. Mack and Swann are fine enough to run Santana over and put him in trouble for the first time. Ortiz gets caught in a Samoan drop so the standing moonsault can connect for two. Back from a break with Ortiz being caught in the wrong corner for more chops. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Ortiz jawbreaks his way to freedom.

Ortiz manages to drop Mack though and it’s a double knockdown for a breather. The hot(ish) tag brings in Santana for a running kick to Mack’s chest as everything breaks down. Ortiz comes back in off a blind tag and an assisted powerslam gets two. Everything breaks down and a reverse Razor’s Edge/top rope flipping neckbreaker plant Santana for two more.

A dragon screw legwhip drops Mack and a powerbomb puts Swann down but Santana can’t cover. Two more powerbomb get two on Swann but somehow he’s fine enough to slip out of the Street Sweeper. The super hurricanrana sets up Mack’s frog splash for two, followed by a bunch of kicks to Santana’s head. The handspring cutter into the Stunner into the Phoenix splash into the frog splash finish Santana and LAX at 18:38.

Rating: B. This worked well and that shouldn’t be surprising in the slightest. LAX has been one of the best teams in the world for a very long time now and it is no shock that they can have a very good match with a team as good as Swann and Mack. They deserve the big sendoff and that’s what they got, as the AEW Tag Team Titles are next up.

The locker room comes out to send LAX off.

Su Yung wakes up in the hospital. Apparently she’s murder proof.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helped but it’s clear that there are a lot of things on this show that aren’t working. It feels like so many of the stories are just thrown together with no direction in mind and they’re hoping for the best. Bound For Glory is looking ok at best, as we spent this week with two Tommy Dreamer segments, the ECW guys being set up as title contenders and a case of murder before a nice sendoff. That’s as all over the place as you can get and while they still have time, it’s not making Bound For Glory look great.

Results

Tessa Blanchard/Rob Van Dam/Rhino/Tommy Dreamer b. OVE – Crossface with a kendo stick to Dave Crist

Taya Valkyrie b. Alisha Edwards – Road To Valhalla

Mahabali Shera b. Cody Deaner – World’s Strongest Slam

Rascalz b. Toxin/Arez/Australian Suicide – Push moonsault to Australian Suicide

Jessika Havok b. Su Yung – Tombstone

Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. LAX – Frog splash to Santana

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: September 17, 2019
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Dio Maddin, Vic Joseph, Aiden English

Things might be starting to wrap up around here as the show’s future isn’t clear due to Smackdown moving to Fridays. There is a chance that 205 Live continues there, but HHH has made it clear that the show is going to be more integrated into NXT, as it should have been all along. I’m not sure what to expect here, but we do need a new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Sunday’s Cruiserweight Title match with Drew Gulak retaining the title over Humberto Carrillo and Lince Dorado.

Opening sequence.

Lince Dorado vs. Ariya Daivari

Daivari talks trash to him to start, saying that he could have made Dorado champion. Dorado sends him outside for a pair of dives to start and there’s a running hurricanrana off the barricade to make it worse. Back in and Dorado has to bail out of the shooting star press but the knee is banged up to let Daivari take over.

The chinlock goes on but the knee is fine enough for a springboard spinning crossbody for two on Daivari. Dorado’s comeback is countered into a quickly broken sleeper so a springboard backflip kick to the head puts Daivari down. A high crossbody gives Dorado two but Daivari crotches him on top. The Iconoclasm gives Daivari his own two but Dorado is back up with a superkick.

Two Super Crazy style moonsaults connect until Daivari grabs a Rock Bottom for two more. The hammerlock lariat is countered and they trade some rollups for two each. Daivari gets the better of a slugout and puts him on top, which just seems like a bad idea. The superplex attempt is broken up and it’s the shooting star press to give Dorado the pin at 12:16.

Rating: C+. These two went back and forth and it was entertaining enough. Daivari has gotten that much better just because he isn’t talking all the time or being the standard rich heel. It seems that the story between these two is done as there is no reason for them to keep fighting, but that has never stopped things around here before.

We recap Tony Nese snapping on Oney Lorcan a few weeks back, setting up their match tonight.

Lorcan promises to hurt Nese worse tonight. Then he’s coming for the Cruiserweight Title again.

Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick

During the entrances, Kendrick says he’s been looking forward to showing Gallagher what respect looks like. Gallagher takes him to the mat for some early arm bending, until Kendrick winds up on top for two. Back up and Gallagher does his handstand in the corner to stop Kendrick again and they head outside with Kendrick being whipped into the barricade. Gallagher wants Tozawa gone….and there’s a kendo stick shot to the back to disqualify Kendrick at 3:05.

Rating: D+. Well that….kind of happened. I’d assume this sets up a No DQ rematch next week on what could be the last show, which makes sense as this story has been building up for a long time now. It’s a rather understated feud but it’s certainly there, so maybe we can get something out of it to wrap things up nicely.

Post match Kendrick beats on Gallagher with the stick and even chokes him with it. Tozawa breaks it u but Kendrick beats him down with the stick as well.

Humberto Carrillo says he’ll get another chance and win the Cruiserweight Title.

Oney Lorcan vs. Tony Nese

They go straight to the slugout on the mat until Lorcan forearms him in the back to take over. Right hands in the corner have Nese in more trouble and they head outside. Nese is fine enough to send him into the barricade, followed by a slam through the announcers’ table. After a dive to beat the count back in, Lorcan gets kicked in the face for two.

A hard whip into the corner gets the same and it’s a one armed delayed suplex to stay on the back. We hit the bodyscissors, followed by a shot to Lorcan’s throat. Nese misses a springboard though and Lorcan snaps off some chops. The running Blockbuster puts Nese on the floor and Lorcan sends him hard into the barricade.

That works so well that Lorcan does it again and throws Nese back in for a rather hard clothesline. The pumphandle slam and half and half are both countered, with Nese hitting a double stomp to the chest for two. Lorcan slips out of the sunset driver and a running uppercut puts Nese on the floor again. Hold on though as here’s Drew Gulak for a distraction, allowing Nese to roll Lorcan up and grab some trunks for the pin at 15:22.

Rating: C+. Nese and Gulak being back together isn’t the most thrilling story in the world, though they are at least suggesting that it’s a ruse by Nese to get closer to Gulak and get the title back. I’m not exactly waiting to see what is going on for Tony Nese and Lorcan losing again doesn’t instill me with confidence. Fine enough match, but there was a firm ceiling on the amount of interest.

Overall Rating: C. If 205 Live is coming to an end after this month, I really don’t think I’ll mind all that much. The show can be outstanding at times, but how often is it something like this, where it’s just a match that comes and goes with nothing all that great to the whole thing? It’s still an entertaining enough show, but it’s the kind of show that I wouldn’t miss most weeks. With so many other big things going on, a very minor league show with a hit and miss record isn’t the most interesting thing. I’ll watch it as long as it’s around, but they need to find something a little more thrilling than what they have 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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 18, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McKay, Ian Riccaboni

I’m not sure what to expect from this show anymore as it has gone from one match a week to a few matches a week to one really big match a week and it’s hard to say what to expect. Odds are it’s more from the Atlanta tapings and that….could mean a variety of things, which tends to be the case around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Clips of various Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises matches.

Clips of the Briscoes vs. the Rock N Roll Express for the Tag Team Titles in Nashville. The Express didn’t die so we’ll call that a moral victory. It did seem to be a hot match.

Marty Scurll says he’s on top of the wrestling world but can’t help being frustrated over Bandido. He doesn’t need to hide behind a mask like Bandido.

Bandido yells in Spanish.

Clips of Angelina Love beating Sumie Sakai thanks to some hair spray to the face.

Kelly Klein is ready to beat Love at Death Before Dishonor.

Shane Taylor is ready for Mark Haskins and Flip Gordon.

Rhett Titus has been thinking about what Kenny King said and he’s going to treat every match like his first and last.

Rhett Titus vs. Shaheem Ali

Titus goes straight to the armbar to start but Ali flips up in a hurry. A headlock on the mat works a little better for Titus as it takes a full five seconds before it’s broken up. An elbow to the jaw has Ali bailing into the corner but he’s fine enough for a slam and a splash for two. Titus’ high crossbody gets the same and we take a break.

Back with Titus flipping out of a belly to back suplex and throwing Ali down with a belly to belly. A northern lights suplex gives Titus two more and he wins a chop off for a bonus. Ali gets dropkicked to the floor and has to counter a slingshot dive into an overhead suplex. The frog splash gets two so Ali tries it again, with the sequel only hitting mat. Titus nails a cyclone boot for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: D+. This one just happened and that’s about as good as I can get about it. What exactly are you expecting from a Rhett Titus match? He hasn’t meant much since the All Night Express and I don’t exactly see this “I really love wrestling and my family” run as being much better. Maybe he can get somewhere with it, though his career path so far would suggest otherwise.

Matt Taven talks about losing his hair to Rush in Mexico City a year ago. He owes Rush a thank you for that because it inspired him to be better. Now nothing happens unless he says so because he is Matt Taven.

Next week: Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises. Again.

Bandido vs. Marty Scurll

The fans are VERY into both of them here. We get a handshake, with Bandido being nervous but going through with it, earning some applause from Scurll. Marty wrestles him to the mat to start and an early standoff takes us to a break. Back with Marty “accidentally” poking him in the eye, though Bandido is fine enough to superkick him outside. Scurll hits his own superkick on the floor to take over and he even heads into the crowd for a quick bow.

Back in and a slingshot into an arrogant cover gets two on Bandido as the fans are eating Marty up here. There’s a surfboard double knee stomp to slow Bandido down and the knee gives out on a gorilla press attempt. The knee is fine enough for a springboard spinning crossbody and a cutter puts Marty on the floor for a big flip dive. Back from another break with Marty suplexing him for a double knockdown.

A tornado DDT looks to set up a chickenwing but Marty settles for a pumphandle Ghostbuster for two more instead. The chickenwing is broken up again so Marty snaps off a half and half suplex instead. Bandido is right back up with a shot to the face and they’re both down for a breather.

Marty teases a chop off before punching Bandido in the face, only to have a middle rope hurricanrana countered into a buckle bomb. The 21 Plex is countered so Bandido hits a standing shooting star press for two instead. The superplex moonsault World’s Strongest Slam plants Marty but he’s fine enough to pull Bandido into the chickenwing. That’s broken up so Marty hits Black Plague for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. Sometimes the solution is to just have two popular guys do a bunch of stuff to each other for twenty minutes and let the fans go nuts. That’s what they did here and the match was a blast as a result. They didn’t need to go any more complicated than that and we can get one more big team match between the groups next week, because that’s what works best around here. I’ll take it over whatever else we can get and it should be another fun match, just like this one.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, these shows pretty much just jump from one week to the next with very little way of knowing if next week’s is going to be any better or worse. This one was fine enough with a good main event, and that’s often enough to carry them week to week. They need to get to Death Before Dishonor already though so something can happen, though I have no idea where they are supposed to go after that, which has been the case for a very long time 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

Relentless
Date: June 4, 2016
Location: Oak Street Gym, Torrence, California
Commentators: Christian Cole, Todd Keneley

I’m finally finishing up a set of DVDs I bought (just as another set is almost delivered) with another show from Pacific Coast Wrestling. One of the earlier DVDs was their first event and while this is their third, I skipped over the second after their lackluster offering last time. It’s a pretty small looking indy company, but maybe things can get better with a little more experience. Let’s get to it.

Quick welcome from the announcers.

Opening sequence.

Joe Graves vs. Hammerstone

Hammerstone would go on to bulk up (though he’s big here) and become a pretty awesome power guy in MLW. Graves is fresh off beating Timothy Thatcher in a rematch at the second show. They shake hands to start and Graves bails into the corner for a bit. With that out of the way, Graves takes him down for a quick choke, followed by a crucifix for two. Graves cranks on the arms until Hammerstone makes it over to the rope for a much needed break. Hammerstone tries to pick up the pace so Graves bails to the floor, only to get taken down with a baseball slide.

Just because he can, Hammerstone hits a big flip dive to drop Graves again. An overhead belly to belly on the floor makes it even worse for Graves as Hammerstone is getting to show off here. Back in and we hit the abdominal stretch with Hammerstone slapping the side for some added effect. A reverse AA into a GTS sends Graves to the apron, where he grabs a half nelson suplex to drop Hammerstone for a change.

Graves’ crossarm choke doesn’t last long either as Hammerstone slips out and hits an enziguri. The pace picks up with Hammerstone nailing a superkick and a big boot for two. Graves is right back with a German suplex for the same, followed by something like a triangle choke to make Hammerstone tap at 10:59.

Rating: B-. You could see the star power in Hammerstone here as he had a ton of energy and his power stuff looked good. Graves has the wrestling/submission skills to look like a killer and that made for a nice match here. This was already better than most of the matches on the first show so they’re off to a much better start.

Graves says that he proved himself against a man worthy of being his partner. He’s banged up but he won and now he wants the soon to be established PCW Title.

Video on the Almighty Sheik vs. Douglas James in tonight’s main event.

Reno Scum vs. Los Luchas

These teams fought in the GFW Tag Team Title tournament so this won’t be as fresh. Thornstowe and Zokre start things off with Phoenix grabbing Thornstowe from the apron like a rudo would. I mean they’re technicos but they did it anyway. Thornstowe’s dropkick puts Zokre down but Phoenix is right there with a double 619. Scum bails to the floor for a breather until Luster comes in. That’s fine with Phoenix who sunset flips him for two but Thornstowe pulls Zokre to the floor.

That leaves Phoenix to get beaten up in the corner with Luster dropping a headbutt for two. We go old school with a Pit Stop before the chinlock goes on to keep Phoenix down. A You Can’t See Me moonsault hits Phoenix and a bunch of people in John Cena shirts are VERY pleased. Phoenix hits a dropkick to get a breather, allowing for the hot tag to Zokre for a springboard clothesline to Thornstowe.

Scum bails to the floor but a slingshot dive is caught. That’s fine with Zokre, who flip dives onto all three for the big knockdown. Back in and Phoenix misses a moonsault, setting up a toss cutter from Thornstowe. Zokre comes in as well with a Blockbuster onto Star’s knees for two but it’s Poetry in Motion into a double stomp to the back of Star’s head. The Scum Stomp (top rope Stomp) finishes Star at 9:01.

Rating: C+. These teams have always felt low rent but they had a nice match here and that’s more than I would have bet on. They’re getting ready for the Tag Team Titles so it makes sense to have a nice match here. Scum is likely to get a title reign sooner rather than later and that makes sense for a promotion like this.

In the back, Scum brags about their win and want a shot at the Keepers of the Faith.

Kevin Martenson vs. Timothy Thatcher

Martenson is a little odd, including standing on his head and clapping his feet together during his entrance. Thatcher has the New World Symphony for his theme music, which would later be used by Walter. The fans are behind Thatcher here, as they probably should be. Martenson heads to the floor at the bell because he’s a little out there, followed by a standoff back inside as we hear about Martenson being part of a southern California faction called Vermin.

Thatcher can’t get very far with a pull of the leg but goes with something like an STF to bend Martenson in a disturbing way. With that broken up, it’s off to a modified surfboard as Martenson gets bent even more. Back up and Martenson manages a quick suplex into the corner to bang up Thatcher’s leg and take over for the first time. The leg gets tied in the ropes for a kick to the knee , allowing Martenson to chill on the barricade for a bit.

Back in and Martenson stays on the knee by slamming it into the mat but a springboard is broken up with an uppercut. Martenson is right back with a double stomp to the chest and a kick to the face for two. The required Sharpshooter goes on but Thatcher slips out and goes to a Fujiwara armbar. A rope is grabbed so Martenson slips out and grabs a rollup, with rope, for the pin at 13:05.

Rating: C. The ending felt rather out of place after a long match focused on the leg, but it does make sense after Martenson couldn’t win with the submission stuff and Thatcher was starting to come back. Martenson cut things off before Thatcher could get that far so while it does make sense, it came out of nowhere. Martenson is one of those CRAZY characters who is off before the match and then wrestles a completely logical match the rest of the way, which kind of defeats the point of the whole character. Thatcher was good as usual, though it’s weird to see him as a face.

Almighty Sheik vs. Douglas James

This is Sheik’s first match with traditional rules. Before the match, Sheik’s manager MK takes credit for Sheik being officially ranked around here, though he should be ranked #1. See, Sheik is awesome and all that jazz and James is going to lose. James is a bit small but has a ju-jitsu background. They start slowly until an early dropkick puts Sheik on the floor. Douglas gets him into a chase for a bit and you can see Sheik getting frustrated.

Back in and Sheik’s bearhug is broken up with some jabs to the face. That’s fine with Sheik, who throws it outside and whips James into the barricade to start the brawling. James gets draped across the top but since the referee is with MK, Sheik gets in a chair shot to the back to make it worse. The bloody James is sent back inside and Sheik bites the cut to showcase some blood hungriness.

James gets in a crossbody and a dropkick but gets sent hard outside again. Sheik goes to get a chair but manages to hit a fan with it first, possibly knocking the chlorophyll out of him. For some reason the commentators start impersonating Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone and Tazz as James goes back inside and dropkicks Sheik into the referee. The frog splash hits the referee so the ensuing superkick gets no count. Sheik is back up with a powerbomb and the camel clutch finishes James at 10:01.

Rating: D+. Not bad but nothing more than a way to establish Sheik as a big time heel. That has been known since the promotion debuted but they needed to make it clear against someone other than MVP. James is a rather small guy and while Sheik isn’t a giant, he’s a lot bigger than James and it wasn’t the most impressive looking win.

Ryan Taylor vs. Scorpio Sky

Taylor is just a guy in trunks. Feeling out process to start with Sky countering a headlock takeover with a headscissors. Back up and Taylor spins him around into a rollup for two and it’s another standoff. Sky takes him down with a test of strength but can’t break Taylor’s bridge. They trade armdrags and it’s another standoff so they can both stand in the corner. Taylor takes him down and uppercuts him in the corner, setting up a jackknife cover for two as they’re certainly taking their time here.

Sky gets knocked outside and it’s a suplex onto the apron to really put him in trouble for the first time. Taylor drops him throat first across the barricade and that’s nearly good enough for a countout. Sky’s right hands don’t get him anywhere and Taylor knocks him right back down. It’s time to work on the arm but Taylor lets go to talk trash, allowing Sky to punch him in the knee.

The arm is so banged up that Sky can’t even whip him into the corner, so it’s a suplex into the corner to rock Taylor instead. Some running knees in the corner set up a Side Effect for two but Taylor is right back with a doomsday Saito suplex for two of his own. Sky gets dropped on his head with a bridging belly to back suplex and Taylor walks around a bit to let him remember what planet he’s on.

As you might have guessed, Sky pops up with a running knee to the face for two and a dragon screw legwhip makes it even worse. More rapid fire kicks to Taylor’s leg in the corner put him down but the good leg is fine enough for a kick to Sky’s head. Taylor tries it again but gets reversed into something like a Figure Four for the tap at 18:25.

Rating: B-. The time helped here as they were able to let the story build up with more work on the limbs and then the submission to end it. Taylor kept running his mouth instead of following up when he had the chance and it made for a good match. Sky is so smooth in the ring and can work with anyone, which makes me rather pleased to see him get the push that he has gotten as a result.

Jeff Cobb vs. JR Kratos vs. Willie Mack

A running double dropkick puts them both down with Cobb rolling to the floor. Kratos is fine enough to hit a running kick to the face and Mack is outside as well. One heck of a big dive to the floor takes both of them out and Kratos is the only one left standing. Cobb is down but wakes up enough to catch Kratos’ dive off the apron. Everyone is down on the floor again until Mack throws Cobb over the barricade.

Mack blasts Kratos with a chair but all three head back to ringside. Kratos gets driven into the barricade and then inside again, though he’s fine enough to catch Mack on the top with a jumping knee. Cobb comes back in and swings Kratos around into a German suplex in a scary display of power. That leaves Mack and Cobb to slug it out with Mack getting the better of it, only to have Kratos grab a piledriver for two.

For your WHAT THE HECK spot of the match, Mack hits a Wasteland on both of them at once, setting up the standing moonsault for two on Cobb. Mack gets sent outside so Cobb can hit the unnamed Tour of the Islands on Kratos. The Stunner drops Cobb though and the Chocolate Thunder (fire) driver gives Mack the pin at 15:18.

Rating: B. This was the kind of hoss fight that never gets old no matter how many times you see it. Mack deserved the win for that double Wasteland alone and thankfully that’s where they went. Cobb, who is arguably the most successful of all of these three, did the least here but when the only moniker you have is Mr. Athletic, you’re only going to get so far. Either way, it was a heck of a fight and that’s exactly what they were shooting for here.

The five and a half minute highlight reel wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B+. This was roughly 174x better than the previous show as it was almost all action without the long form promos that were clearly meant to fill in time. It runs less than two hours and the only not so good match is Sheik vs. James, which even served its own purpose of getting Sheik over. I liked this a lot better than I thought I would and it’s actually a heck of a show. Check this out if you have the chance.

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: Major League Wrestling

War Chamber
Date: September 14, 2019
Location: Nytex Sports Center, North Richland Hills, Texas
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another big event here, though this one was not broadcast live. This time around it’s a big team gimmick match, which is really just a one ring WarGames. It’s Contra vs. Team Lawlor this time around, which should help set up the next challenger for Jacob Fatu’s World Title. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Contra running roughshod over MLW, including taking the World Title from Tom Lawlor. Now it’s Low Ki/the Von Erichs/Lawlor vs. Contra in War Chamber, which is the most logical move you could have as the bigger feud of the Hart Foundation vs. the Dynasty isn’t a violent feud and wouldn’t fit.

Leo Brien vs. Blake Banks

Brien was one half of the Dirty Blondes, who I always liked. Now he seems to be a roughneck cowboy type and kicks Banks in the face to start. A toss by the ears makes it even worse and Brien finishes with an Oklahoma Stampede at 1:27. I approve.

Post match here are Salina de la Renta and LA Park to beat up both the referee and Banks so Salina can introduce Park. She gets straight to the point: Park is cashing in his Golden Ticket at Superfight in November.

We recap the Hart Foundation stealing Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s car and finding something in the glove compartment which got Teddy Hart a match with Friedman.

Hart is at a hockey rink in Calgary and talks about what he learned from the game. He played a lot of sports, including being a professional badminton player, but nothing gets him fired up like going to Dallas to beat up the Hart Foundation. When Alexander Hammerstone gets back from Japan, he’ll pay for his crimes against the Foundation.

Kevin Von Erich and his sons go to the sight of the former Sportatorium, with Kevin talking about the history and significance of the building. It was so hot there that he took his shoes off in the back and liked the feeling so much that he kept wrestling that way. They all take a pebble from the ground as Kevin talks about how amazing it is to have his sons follow in his footsteps. This was really cool and you can tell how much it means to Kevin.

War Chamber

Tom Lawlor, Low Ki, Ross Von Erich, Marshall Von Erich

Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Simon Gotch, Ikuro Kwon

It’s WarGames but with one cage and barbed wire over the top instead of a roof. The first two will start for five minutes before the team who won a coin toss earlier today gets a two on one advantage for two minutes. After those two minutes, the team that lost the coin toss evens things up for two minutes. You alternate until all eight are inside and then it’s first pin or submission to win. Kevin Von Erich is at ringside for a special bonus.

Simon Gotch and Marshall Von Erich start with Contra having won the coin toss earlier. Marshall knocks him into the corner to start and hits a Cannonball as the fans are rather behind the Von Erichs. A sliding lariat sets up a headlock takeover as David is coaching from ringside. There’s a suplex as they’re keeping it in first gear so far, as they should be doing. A front facelock has Gotch slowed even more but here’s Samael to make it 2-1.

That means Marshall gets taken to the mat but he manages to forearm his way to freedom without much effort. The beatdown is on again until Tom Lawlor is in to even things up (a bit before two minutes but close enough). It’s time to start whipping people into the cage as the clock speeds up again to bring in Jacob Fatu to make it 3-2. Tom and Marshall are waiting on him for the double teaming, earning themselves a Samoan drop and a swinging release Rock Bottom respectively.

There’s a handspring moonsault to Marshall for good measure and it’s complete destruction at Fatu’s hands alone. Samael bites Lawlor’s ear for a bonus until Low Ki ties it up again. House is cleaned as Marshall tries to hold Fatu back, leaving Low Ki to beat people up. Samael is busted bad as Fatu sends Lawlor into the corner to take him down again. With the ring getting full, here’s Kwon to make it even worse and complete Contra. Things go back and forth without much of note until Ross evens it up so that the match can “officially” start.

Ross cleans house with a hurricanrana to Gotch and a running boot in the corner to Fatu. That earns Ross a trip into the cage and Samael chokes Ross with some tape. Lawlor and Fatu slug it out in the corner as Contra starts taking over completely. Samael suplexes Ross for two but Ki is back up with elbows to Kwon’s head.

Due to reasons of insanity, Samael goes up top but gets stopped by the wire and comes back down. Lawlor and Fatu are the only ones left standing so Lawlor charges at him in the corner for a running shot to the face. The fans get behind the Von Erichs again and almost everyone is knocked down at the same time. Samael kicks Ross low but stops to yell at David, allowing Marshall to hit him from behind.

Lawlor has Gotch in a Muta Lock as Fatu hits a pop up Samoan drop on Ross. With everyone else down, Low Ki takes Samael up top so they can try to put each other in the barbed wire. Samael gets the worst of it but here’s a masked man to try and climb the cage. David Claws him down and the fans are VERY happy with that one.

Kwon saves Samael with the red mist to Lawlor and Fatu nails the double jump moonsault for two as Low Ki saves. The Von Erichs are both up though and it’s a Claw to Gotch, with a Doomsday Device to make it even worse. The Claw goes back on and you’re not getting out of that in Dallas as Gotch is pinned at 30:18.

Rating: B. It was long (very long) but it didn’t feel long and that’s a good sign. These guys beat the heck out of each other until the ending and it felt like the war that it was supposed to be. Gotch losing doesn’t mean a thing as Fatu is the member of the team who actually matters. I’m not sure who goes where from here as there isn’t much of a point in having this feud continue, so it’s time to do something new. Unfortunately that means LA Park, but you knew that was coming.

A lot of replays and celebrating end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was almost literally a one match show but that one match was quite good and the rest of the show was more than good enough. It would seem to be time to start the build towards Superfight now and that could be an interesting path for MLW, as they have a lot of ways to go, including a bunch of stuff that wasn’t covered here. Very good show, mainly because of that one single match. Now follow up on it.

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

Smackdown
Date: April 21, 2005
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 17,258
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

The search for a #1 contender continues with Booker T. vs. Big Show for the final spot in the #1 contenders triple threat match. The other, and likely more interesting, story is the issues between Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, who are still the reigning Smackdown Tag Team Champions. For now at least. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

WWE Championship Series: Big Show vs. Booker T.

JBL, with the now former version of the WWE Title, is on commentary. Booker’s wife Sharmell is in the front row. Hold on though as here’s Kurt Angle, which doesn’t sit well with JBL. Kurt stares at JBL and then joins commentary as well. Booker’s waistlock doesn’t get him anywhere as JBL goes on one of his great rants about how unfair this whole thing is. Angle mentions being a four time WWE Champion, with Cole bringing up the gold medal. Angle: “That too.” Some shots to the knees have Show down but he uses the good leg to kick away in the corner.

The standing legdrop gives Show two as Angle comes to the realization that he would face JBL one on one if no one wins here. Oh here we go. As JBL yells about Angle being bald, Show cuts off the comeback with a superkick. The big boot misses though and Show crotches himself on the ropes. The Book End gets two and a Cactus Clothesline puts both of them on the floor. That’s enough for Angle and JBL to get up and beat them both down for the double DQ.

Rating: D+. This was all about the story instead of the match itself, a lot of which was missed for the sake of showing commentary. You can see the four way coming from here because heels never learn in WWE but at least the commentary was entertaining until we got to the finish. Show is already back to where he was before his comeback though and that’s a bit sad to see.

Post match Show and Booker clear the ring and here’s Theodore Long to say not so fast. As expected, next week will now be a four way #1 contenders match, because this company can’t even go through three matches without changing the format of a series it created. As for tonight, tag match playa, holla holla holla!

It’s time for Carlito’s Cabana, with the fans behind Carlito in a bit of a surprise. We’re in New York City and that’s not cool. He has no problem with spitting part of the Big Apple in their faces because he doesn’t like it here. Earlier today, he was walking the streets and saw hundreds of kids with no chance of growing up to be cool. New Yorkers are known for losing their cool, which brings him to his guest tonight, who is the opposite of cool: Eddie Guerrero.

The fans are VERY behind Eddie here as Carlito brings up Eddie’s absence last week when MNM laid Rey Mysterio out. We see a clip, but Eddie threatens to do some violent things to Carlito if he says cool again. Eddie would like Rey to come out here right now for a chat so here he is. A lot has changed in the last year with Eddie going from holding up the WWE Championship in this building a year ago and now….this. Eddie has become clouded and selfish and it cost Rey a shot at the WWE Championship.

Instead of focusing on what he doesn’t have, Eddie is focusing on what he does have: his health, and his family, like Rey. They shake hands but here are MNM on the screen. Melina wastes no time in issuing the challenge but Eddie wants them to say it face to face. They say they’re happier back here, and step aside to reveal Eddie’s low rider. Spray painting ensues and Eddie rants in Spanish.

During the break, Eddie and Rey went to the car and the title match is on for tonight.

The returning Matt Morgan, now with a stutter, says he isn’t nervous because he commands attention. And that would be it for Morgan’s chances at going anywhere in WWE.

Orlando Jordan tells the Bashams, who are about three feet from him, to get over here right now. He wants them to help him beat up John Cena tonight to soften him up for JBL. Jordan leaves and Danny says he’s getting sick of this.

Matt Morgan vs. Brett Matthews

Morgan thinks Matthews is laughing at him so the destruction is on in a hurry, including a big boot. A side slam sets up a suplex into a Rock Bottom (later named the Hellevator/Nightmare Pendulum) gives Morgan the pin in a hurry. Matthews would later change his name to something that stuck a little better: Zack Ryder.

John Bradshaw Layfield/Kurt Angle vs. Booker T./Big Show

Booker and JBL stare at each other to start but Show comes in before anything happens. That means the big overhand chop and a headbutt as Show does his usual slow paced offense which looks effective enough. With JBL knocked down and out to the floor, it’s off to Angle, whose headlock is carried into the corner. Booker comes in for a headlock and cleans house without much effort. The side kick takes too long though and it’s time to roll some German suplexes.

Angle low bridges him to the floor and it’s Booker in trouble for a change. A whip into the corner sets up a waistlock with a grapevine to keep Booker down and Angle gets some near falls. JBL holds Booker down for some Angle stomping and a belly to belly makes it even worse. The rib work continues with a bodyscissors but Booker gets up and grabs a DDT. The hot tag brings in Show to clean house and run everyone over but the Angle Slam cuts him off. Show is back up and grabs a chokeslam on JBL as Angle walks out on the match. The ax kick and the chokeslam finish JBL.

Rating: D+. Totally standard main event tag match here with Angle showing some intelligence because this means nothing in the long term. They aren’t hiding the obvious ending to next week’s match and that’s acceptable enough here, though JBL vs. Cena again isn’t the most thrilling prospect in the world.

Here’s Heidenreich for a chat. He’s been here for a few days now and has even made a few friends. He would like to bring out one of those friends right now, so here is the Brooklyn Brawler (who has theme music). Heidenreich reads a poem about him, which basically says the Brawler is here. The Brawler isn’t impressed and says that was embarrassing.

The only more embarrassing thing was when the Yankees choked against the Red Sox last year in the playoffs. That was so embarrassing that Brawler takes off his shirt to reveal a Red Sox shirt. Now, he is the BOSTON BRAWLER, earning himself a beating from Heidenreich. I remember the Brawler doing this and it very well might be more memorable than anything Heidenreich did in his career.

We look back at MNM ruining the low rider.

Tag Team Titles: MNM vs. Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero

MNM is challenging and we get the very cool paparazzi entrance (another one which was incredible in OVW, especially with Superstar as their theme song). The brawl is on before the bell with Eddie backdropping Nitro to get things going. Mercury is sent outside as well, with Cole declaring it a tag team clinic about thirty seconds in. Back from a break with Rey dropkicking Nitro down and Eddie nailing the slingshot hilo.

A Nitro distraction lets Mercury knock Eddie off the apron though and the champs are in trouble for the first time. Mercury grabs an abdominal stretch, which is broken up in a hurry for the hot tag off to Rey. That’s fine with Nitro, who fireman’s carries him into a gutbuster from Mercury to take over again. Eddie comes back in anyway as everything breaks down. Rey loads up the 619 but Melina distracts Eddie, allowing MNM to hit their elevated DDT for the pin and the titles.

Rating: C. I’ve always liked MNM and this is a good way to start them off in a hurry. It’s not a great match or anything but they advanced the Eddie vs. Rey story and made some new stars in the tag division at the same time. That’s a rather nice use of ten minutes and a much better debut than the Heart Throbs had on Raw.

Post match Eddie shoves Rey down and goes to leave but Rey shoves him down on the floor and leaves by himself.

Raw Rebound. I wouldn’t remind people of that show.

MNM has a photo shoot by their limo and Melina is very pleased.

John Cena vs. Orlando Jordan

Non-title. Before the match, Cena, in a Babe Ruth Yankees jersey, says he’s hearing the sounds of New York and lists off some boroughs to make the crowd happy. Cena talks about how New York is built on tradition and that makes it special. New York knows how to adapt and overcome, which he will do here. Dude it’s Orlando Jordan. You could win this match without taking the jersey off. Jordan only has one Basham here and that isn’t going to end well.

Jordan gets in an early shoulder but gets punched in the corner. Doug Basham offers a distraction so Jordan can hit a DDT, which is probably about it for his big time offense. Cena comes back but gets sent shoulder first into the post so Jordan can hammer away. The bearhug is broken up with a shot to the head and a suplex puts both of them down. Back up and some clotheslines have Jordan in trouble as Cena initiates his finishing sequence. Doug has to take an FU and as the referee gets rid of him, cue Danny to belt Cena in the head. Jordan’s top rope elbow gets two and, after dropping Danny, Cena finishes with the FU.

Rating: D. What were you expecting here? Jordan isn’t interesting and isn’t worth watching but he’s here almost every single week and we have to watch him have one bad match after another. There was no way that Cena was losing here and it was a matter of time until Cena beat him. They didn’t spend too much time on it, but any time spent watching Jordan feels like an eternity.

Overall Rating: D+. The wrestling was not good here but the storytelling made up for a lot of it and that’s what matters more. The Eddie vs. Rey stuff is a very good story and I’m digging how they’ve made one logical step after another. That is the case with JBL vs. Cena as well, though that one isn’t as interesting. It wasn’t a great show here, but they’re setting things up and you can see where it’s going.

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