IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 14, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We only have three shows left before Takeover: Cardiff and I’m actually looking forward to what they have on tap. The show is looking better each week and odds are tonight we get another step towards Tyler Bate vs. Walter, which is showing some potential for greatness. The rest of the show should work as well so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Flash Morgan Webster

That Gallus theme is far catchier than it should be. If Webster wins and then Mark Andrews wins over Wolfgang (both at ringside) at some point in the future, the team is added to Takeover in the Tag Team Title match. They take their time to start with the fans behind Webster, as they should be. A sunset flip gives Webster one and he sends Coffey outside, with Mark coming up holding his hamstring. Andrews and Wolfgang tease a fight and the distraction lets Mark knock Webster down to take over.

Mark hits a full nelson slam (with the count almost happening before the audio has heard Webster landing because THIS WWE NETWORK UPDATE IS GARBAGE) for two and Mark sends him outside. A glare at Andrews is enough of a distraction for Webster to nail a suicide dive, followed by a moonsault press for two.

Mark can’t hit a jumping knee to the ribs but he can hit a kick to the side (seemed to be aiming for the head). A chokeslam gives Coffey two but Webster is right back up with is own kick to the head. Wolfgang’s distraction lets Coffey avoid the Swanton so Andrews takes Wolfgang out. Back in and Webster hooks a small package for the pin at 5:49.

Rating: D+. The interference was a bit annoying but at the same time, it makes for a better match than having the two of them have a regular match. It even makes more sense to have it go this way as Webster and Andrews are trying to get to the Tag Team Title match. It wasn’t bad, but Webster is better in a team than on his own.

Toni Storm is ready for Takeover because it’s going to be a big party in Cardiff. Toni: “You’re going to be there, I’m going to be there and I’m so sorry but what did you ask me?” She’ll be ready for Ray. I don’t think this is what happened, but were we supposed to think Toni was drunk or hungover there?

Jordan Devlin was about to be interviewed when a Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley brawl interrupted him.

Travis Banks vs. Kenny Williams

Noam Dar joins commentary. Great. Banks goes straight for the backslide for two but misses a stomp and gets taken down by the leg. Williams cartwheels away and it’s an early standoff. A jumping back elbow gives Williams one (Dar: “I would have won with that.”) but Banks is right back with a running dropkick for two of his own. Banks drops a knee for the same and the front facelock goes on. That lasts all of three seconds as Williams sends him into the ropes, setting up a sunset flip for two.

Williams misses a dive to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive. Back in and a top rope double stomp to the back (ouch) gives Banks two more but Williams is right back with a headlock driver for the same. Banks gets elbowed off the apron to set up a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by another top rope back elbow for two more. Banks is fine enough to hit the Slice of Heaven into the Kiwi Crusher for the pin at 5:36.

Rating: C. I still like Banks, though I’m not sure how far he’s going to be able to go given how high up the totem pole given how strong Walter is on top. They’re going to need someone to challenge whoever wins in Cardiff, but Banks might not be someone who can take that spot. Not with how many other potential stars there are on this show.

Dar mockingly applauds Banks as we seen to have something new.

Nina Samuels vs. Isla Dawn

Samuels pulls her down by the hair to start and gets a quick two before going to the cross arm choke. Dawn holds onto the ropes to avoid a whip and rolls Samuels up for two. They fight near the corner until Dawn is sent face first into the buckle. Some knees to the back give Samuels two and it’s a dropkick to the back for two. Samuels puts on something like an STF to stay on the back as the strategy is strong so far.

That’s broken up and Dawn hits a belly to back driver, followed by a knee to the face for two. Samuels gets sent to the apron but scores with a kick to the head to drop Dawn for two more. Dawn is back with a kick of her own, setting up the half and half suplex for two of her own. That’s it for Nina though as she grabs the fireman’s carry backbreaker to finish Dawn at 5:38.

Rating: C-. These two don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon but at least one of them got a win here. The women’s division has cooled off a lot in the last few weeks and there isn’t much to do as we wait on Storm vs. Ray to wrap up. They’re going to need some fresh talent in there and I’m not sure either of these two are going to be the next big thing.

We look back at last week’s Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey match, which went to a double countout.

At Takeover: Coffey vs. Mastiff in a Last Man Standing match.

We go to the Westside Xtreme Wrestling gym where Walter tortures some students. This is a wrestling school and all of these people are small like Tyler Bate. After making one of the students say his name is Tyler Bate. Walter challenges the real Bate to meet him next week.

Also next week: Imperium vs. the Hunt.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Kassius Ohno

Dragunov does the cool conducting the crowd entrance, which loses some spark because the timing is out of sync. Dragunov has to power out of a headlock to start and switches to a cravate. That’s broken up with a knee to the ribs and a loud chop, which just makes Dragunov’s eyes go a little crazier. The cravate goes right back on but Ohno sends him shoulder first into the post for the break.

Ohno pulls him back in by the arm and puts on the armbar. Back up and Dragunov gets thrown throat first into the middle rope, with a rather serious Nigel wanting him checked immediately. Ohno drops a leg for two and cuts off another comeback with a big boot. The nerve hold goes on to weaken Dragunov’s arm a bit more but a hammerlock suplex is reversed into a regular one for some rather enthusiastic applause.

Dragunov tries some running clotheslines but hurts his own arm. Since he’s a bit off, Dragunov tries it again but gets hit in the arm for his efforts. Nigel wants him to use the left arm so Dragunov does just that (always listen to British wrestlers), followed by another right arm clothesline for two. That was quite a few clotheslines, arm of choice aside. Ohno takes the leg out and stomps n the arm, followed by a powerbomb into a faceplant for two. For some reason Ohno mocks Dragunov, who kicks him in the head as a result.

Ohno is sent flying with a German suplex and rolls outside, meaning the suicide dive takes him down again. Back in and Dragunov sunset bombs Ohno (who initially glared down at Dragunov for thinking he could make that work). Ohno is right back up and shoves Dragunov off the top, allowing him to get in a posting for good measure. Back in and the rolling elbow finishes Dragunov clean at 15:00.

Rating: B. I think I’m going to need an explanation for this one. What in the world are they thinking by having Dragunov, who might be the most unique talent on the entire roster, lose to Ohno, whose sole job seems to be putting people over? I’m assuming they’re setting up a rematch so Dragunov can get his revenge, but Dragunov shouldn’t need to get revenge against Kassius Ohno. I really don’t get this and I was actually surprised when Ohno won, albeit in a rather bad way.

Overall Rating: C+. Bizarre choice for the main event aside, this was a well put together show which focused on several stories, all within the span of just under an hour. That’s what a show like this should be able to do: bounce from one story or feud to another without missing a beat and they came pretty close here. The wrestling wasn’t great for the first three matches, but a quite good (albeit confusing) main event brought the rest of the show up.

Results

Flash Morgan Webster b. Mark Coffey – Small package

Travis Banks b. Kenny Williams – Kiwi Crusher

Nina Samuels b. Isla Dawn – Fireman’s carry backbreaker

Kassius Ohno b. Ilja Dragunov – Rolling elbow

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: March 14, 2005
Location: Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We continue the march towards Wrestlemania with the first of two weeks in a series called Pick Your Poison. With this show and the next show, Batista and HHH will pick each other’s opponent, starting with HHH having to face Chris Benoit. That should be rather entertaining and we get to build up towards Money in the Bank as well. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Highlight Reel and Chris Jericho is sitting on top of a ladder. Jericho talks about how everyone wants to climb the ladder of success and become World Champion. He’s going to get that chance again at Wrestlemania when he wins the first Money in the Bank ladder match. Yeah it’s a difficult task but that is what Wrestlemania is about.

That brings him to his guest tonight: the man who challenged the Undertaker to Wrestlemania, Randy Orton. Jericho says this is a little harder than just RKOing the Fabulous Moolah because Undertaker is undefeated at Wrestlemania. Orton understands that a lot of people don’t believe he can beat Undertaker but he’s surprised a lot of people before. We hear some of Orton’s accomplishments and Undertaker will be surprised at Wrestlemania.

Jericho likes the idea of surprises and has a surprise of his own. His other guest is a man who has faced the Undertaker at Wrestlemania and he’s from right here in Georgia: Jake Roberts. Jake is looking rather….well I guess the word here would be horrible, so thankfully we look at some of his highlights over the years, including the Alice Cooper/Jimmy Hart deal from Wrestlemania III (where he lost), the blindfold match at Wrestlemania VII (where we all lost) and…..a match against Kamala from a Saturday Night’s Main Event?

Anyway, Jake talks about knowing Orton’s grandfather and father but he doesn’t know Orton that well. Now, in baseball, you hit a baseball, in basketball you hit a three point shot and in hockey, you play hockey. What matters in all of them though is timing. Jake knows Orton is a great wrestler because he was World Champion, but since he doesn’t have the belt anymore, he must have lost it.

Tonight, Jake is here to do a favor to Orton’s father. Jake needs to reintroduce Orton’s brain to his mouth because he’s talking out of elsewhere. In case you’re a bit confused, that didn’t make the most sense when Jake was saying it either but he’s a complicated guy. Jake says it’s all about respect so Orton talks about how facing the Undertaker is about leaving the ring with your soul.

Orton asks how Jake felt after being Undertaker’s victim at Wrestlemania VIII. When Orton beats Undertaker at Wrestlemania, he’ll make a bigger impact than Jake made in his entire career. Jake goes for the snake but has to give Orton the short arm clothesline. The DDT is reversed into the RKO though, with Jake taking it far better than I would have guessed. This worked well enough, Jake’s ramblings and disjointed promo aside.

Classic Hogan Moment: Hulkamania Is Here.

Kane vs. Christian/Tyson Tomko

Fallout from last week where Kane beat Christian but got hit in the face with a ladder shot from Tomko. Christian starts for the team and gets knocked down in a hurry. A whip into the corner finally slows Kane down and it’s Tomko coming in for some right hands to the face. Christian and Tomko take turns hammering Kane down but Kane pulls Christian face first into the post. The side slam plants Tomko and the top rope clothesline makes it even worse. The chokeslam finishes Tomko with Christian not being around for the last minute plus.

Rating: D. Nothing to see here as Kane almost squashed both of them in short order. Christian feels like he’s being tacked onto the ladder match and having him lose to Kane twice in a row isn’t the best way to fix things. Neither is likely to win the briefcase anyway, but did they need to have Christian look so worthless on the way there?

Post match Christian pulls out the ladder but Kane hits Tomko with it to make the statuses clear while busting Tomko open a bit.

Ric Flair sends Snitsky after Batista. I’m not sure if Batista is good enough for that one. It wouldn’t be Snitsky’s fault if he hurt Batista so badly that he was out of Wrestlemania. Snitsky says hurting Batista so badly would be ALL his fault. I don’t think they’re on the same page here.

Lita coaches Christy Hemme on defending against Trish’s kicks. William Regal and Tajiri come in for a demonstration, but Christy has to sign a Playboy to Tajiri. Regal: “He only reads the articles.” Christy tries her own kicks and Regal takes a low blow for the HILARIOUS payoff. Ok so it’s Regal so it is rather funny. Lita offers to get Regal some ice. Regal: “I NEED MORE THAN BLOODY ICE!” Lita tells Christy that wasn’t bad.

Marty Jannetty comes in to see Shawn Michaels, who thinks Marty needs a warmup before the match against Kurt Angle. That’s why tonight, for one night only, it’s a Rockers reunion.

Steve Austin highlight package for his Wrestlemania return.

Edge vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. Edge jumps Shelton from behind during the entrances and sends him into the steps. He does it again for a bonus and then hammers away inside with the referee having to drag Edge off. The referee is still cool with asking Shelton if he wants to have the match and Shelton says ring the bell. Edge sends him straight outside and we take a break twenty seconds in. Back with Shelton still in trouble as Edge isn’t quite as aggressive. To be fair you can’t be angry all the time. It’s just tiring.

Shelton is back with the top rope clothesline but can’t follow up. Shelton slugs away with a bunch of right hands against the ropes, which JR calls “Street Benjamin.” A backdrop and a running knee to the face set up the Stinger Splash but Edge moves. That’s fine with Shelton, who jumps right back off with a super sunset flip for two because he can do that. Edge’s powerslam gets two but the spear is blocked, setting up a Dragon Whip to bump the referee by mistake. Now the spear can connect but since there’s no referee, let’s go for a ladder. Cue Jericho to knock it into Edge’s face though and the exploder gives Shelton the pin.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but Shelton is starting to feel it out there with one big win after another. Edge can get all the more frustrated as he gets closer and closer to the big win, which almost has to be soon. Odds are we get Jericho vs. Edge out of this too so it’s a nice effort all around.

Rockers vs. La Resistance

Dig that old school music, though the lack of matching neon does hold things back a bit. Grenier and Marty exchange wristlocks to start with Jannetty grabbing a quickly broken armbar. A double hiptoss works a bit better for the French guys but Marty slides between Conway’s legs for the tag to Shawn and the tandem offense starts right back up. Stereo dives take La Resistance down again but Grenier low bridges Shawn to the floor to take over. A suplex gives Grenier two and we hit the chinlock.

Jannetty tries to come in, which just leaves Shawn to take a Hart Attack for two. Shawn punches Grenier down and throws the two of them into each other, allowing the tag off to Marty. A dropkick puts Grenier to the floor, with JR saying the mat isn’t covered with barbecue sauce. Shawn superkicks Conway as Marty hits the Rocker Dropper on Grenier for the pin.

Rating: C-. It was a nice little reunion here and that’s what makes something like this feel special. They didn’t overstay their welcome and they made it clear that this was a one off match. Not everything needs to be some big, epic return so having something that worked this easily and went pretty smoothly was a feel good moment. Now just get Marty through Smackdown before he self destructs.

Flair talks with HHH about the big Snitsky plan and seems to get HHH on board. When Batista gets beaten down, no one will remember HHH tapping out to Chris Benoit a year ago tonight!

Trish isn’t worried about Christy at Wrestlemania because she’s already ended Lita’s career. Maybe Trish should get a trainer as well. Like Hannibal Lecter for example, because she’s going to eat Christy alive (that’s a big pop). Maria thinks Christy looked impressive last week and gets beaten up.

Flair brags about Snitsky but wants him to be mean enough to hurt Batista. Cue Batista to say “Hey Ric.”, which sends Flair into a rant about how Batista can’t take anything away from HHH because HHH is the franchise. Batista smiles so Flair threatens to slap it off of his face. All Batista is coming for is the title. Flair was sounding like Mickey from Rocky here.

HHH vs. Chris Benoit

Non-title and Flair is here with HHH. The fans are right there with the YOU TAPPED OUT chants at HHH, who takes Benoit down in a bit of a surprise. Benoit wastes no time in trying for the Sharpshooter before pulling HHH away from the ropes in a crash. A headlock takes HHH down but it’s too early for the Crossface. HHH teases leaving but gets caught with a cheap shot to the face.

You don’t hit Benoit though as he’s right back with the chops and a suplex to put HHH outside again. Benoit gets knocked off the apron though and we take a break. Back with Benoit chopping his way out of the corner but walking into a spinebuster. Benoit knocks him backwards and goes up to, where he is promptly crotched right back down. The superplex drops Benoit for two but he’s right back with a catapult into the buckle, which JR says is not made of chocolate. First of all, being launched head first into chocolate can be painful. Second, get JR some dinner already as he’s talked about eating the ring twice.

They slug it out with Benoit getting smart by rolling the German suplexes. HHH gets back up and, you guessed it, more suplexes. The Swan Dive gets two so Benoit adds two more German suplexes but HHH grabs the rope for a breather. A hard whip into the corner drops Benoit but the Pedigree is countered into the Crossface.

The Flair distraction….does nothing as HHH doesn’t even tap behind the referee’s back. HHH rolls out and tries the Pedigree, which is reversed into the Sharpshooter. Flair tries to bring in the title and gets tossed, but it made Benoit release the hold. The low blow into the Pedigree gives HHH the pin.

Rating: B+. These two have some awesome chemistry together and it’s rare to see HHH beat him (though it wasn’t the first time as commentary kept talking about). Benoit is someone who could be reinserted into the World Title picture at any time and have a great match with anyone, making him as useful as almost anyone on the roster. This was one of the better TV matches in a long and they were both working very hard.

Randy Orton will be on Smackdown to sign the contract with Undertaker.

Wrestlemania rundown. That card is looking pretty awesome.

Here are Hassan and Daivari to make the same complaints they always make, this time because Hassan isn’t on Wrestlemania.

Christy stays with Maria while Lita goes off to run into Snitsky, who promises to finish what he started with her. Uh, what exactly did he start?

Batista vs. Gene Snitsky

Flair and HHH come out to watch and somehow Flair is the sweatier of the two. Snitsky tells Batista to try the shoulder but gets head faked and clotheslined. As usual, Batista is the smartest person on the show. A shout at Flair takes too long and Snitsky gets up a boot in the corner. Snitsky wraps the leg around the post and drops some elbows onto it for painful measure. The pumphandle powerslam gives Snitsky two so Batista kicks him outside. The comeback is on with some corner clotheslines and the spinebuster, which draws Flair in the DQ.

Rating: D. I said Batista is smart but he’s not a miracle worker. There is only so much that he can do against someone like Snitsky, whose one big move was used up in less than three minutes. This was another backfiring plan from Flair and HHH so Batista keeps looking strong, though the DQ would have been just about the same as a regular fall.

Post match Batista shrugs Flair off but the three villains all get in with chairs. Cue Kane to go after Snitsky so Batista can take out Flair as HHH leaves. HHH makes Batista vs. Kane for next week.

Overall Rating: B. This was a better show than they’ve done in a few months now with a good balance of wrestling and nostalgia, which you don’t get very often. Batista continues to look awesome and Wrestlemania could be a great card if everything lives up to its potential. Roberts and Jannetty were some rather nice surprises and fit in very well with the rest of the show. Very strong show as the build to Wrestlemania is clicking at the right time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan On AXS
Date: August 3, 2019
Location: Osaka Prefectural Gym, Osaka, Japan
Attendance: 5,555
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Rocky Romero, Chris Charlton

First of all, no I’m not doing this show regularly, just for the sake of time. Someone asked me to do a show though and since I can’t say no, here we are. This is from night 13 of the G1 Climax Tournament and that means we’re likely in for a bunch of big matches with some matches that earn some high praise. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi’s success throughout the tournament. The star power is sounding very high for this one.

All matches are from the A Block and a win is good for two points.

Bad Luck Fale (2 points) vs. Kenta (8 points)

Chase Owens is on commentary, Kenta would be Hideo Itami and Fale has Jado with him. The much bigger Fale grabs Kenta by the throat for the early choking, plus a Jado kendo stick from the floor. A trip to the floor means a whip into the barricade for Kenta and it’s Fale starting in on the back. Some shots to the head put Kenta down again but he’s back up with the tornado DDT across the top rope. The top rope clothesline drops the monster and a DDT gets two.

The springboard missile dropkick looked to come up short but Fale is knocked into the corner anyway. That means some running kicks to the face to keep Fale down and a top rope double stomp gets two. Fale is back up with a clothesline but Kenta reverses what looked to be a chokeslam into the triangle choke. Game Over (YES Lock) makes Owens tap but Owens has the referee. Jado comes in with the kendo stick but the distraction lets Fale get a rollup pin at 7:21.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here with Kenta having to fight against the odds and coming up shoot against Fale, who didn’t seem to be the greatest in-ring worker here. The big monster certainly looks different in New Japan but that doesn’t mean they’re the most viable option around. Kenta looked more comfortable here, though I’m still not seeing the superstar in him that we were promised for so long.

Lance Archer (4 points) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (4 points)

Both are part of Suzuki-Gun. Archer, a rather big guy at about 6’8, is a bit insane and runs/knocks over a bunch of people on the way to the ring. Sabre starts dodging the big boot attempts to start and the early frustrations might be setting in for Archer. A headlock is countered with Sabre’s signature twists but Archer nips up out of a top wristlock and throws him down. Sabre gets stomped and choked near the ropes as the big vs. small formula is in full swing so far.

Archer slams him down but misses a knee drop out of the corner, allowing Sabre go take him down into a grapevined ankle lock. Since Archer is rather tall he can reach the rope, which had to be a full eight inches away from him. We go to the sleeper on the giant’s back, but it feels a bit more dangerous since it’s Sabre putting it on. Archer slams him down and takes it to the floor, only to have Sabre grab the leg as Archer gets back inside. A guillotine choke is thrown off as well as Sabre just can’t find a way around the power.

Old School is countered with a crotching so Sabre tries a guillotine on top, which is thrown down again. Archer goes aerial with a crossbody but the chokeslam is countered into a triangle choke. The threat of a weird cousin of the Rings of Saturn is broken up with a long leg on the rope. A powerbomb gives Archer two but he has to power out of an armbar. Sabre starts kicking at the arms so Archer goes with a Black Hole Slam for two. The chokeslam connects and the Blackout (looks like a reverse Razor’s Edge) is loaded up, only to have Sabre roll him up for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: C+. I liked this a good bit. Archer is said to have had a career resurgence in this tournament and I can see why with a performance like this. Being his size in New Japan is going to keep him busy as they don’t have too many giants. The rope walk and some of the raw power are going to keep him relevant and this was a good David vs. Goliath story, which is one of the easiest ways to go about doing something. Even if David is a cocky pest that you want to see get kicked in the face.

Evil (6 points) vs. Will Ospreay (4 points)

Ospreay’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line. Ospreay goes for the wristlock to start and sends Evil outside. The teased big dive doesn’t launch as Ospreay flips back into the superhero pose as only he (and Ricochet) can do. Evil finds a chair and throws it in but Ospreay is ready for it and they go with the rapid fire shots to the head. Ospreay gets kicked down and a big clothesline puts him on the floor. The chair is wrapped around Ospreay’s neck and the other chair knocks the first one off for a spot that has to be a big scary to take.

Back in and Evil stays on the back and neck before grabbing the chinlock (nothing wrong with some basic psychology). Ospreay fights up and gets a Stunner for the breaker, followed by the running forearm to put Evil in the corner. Pip Pip Cheerio (Phenomenal Forearm) gets two but Evil suplexes him into the corner to bang the neck up again. Ospreay is right back with a running kick to the face to send Evil outside.

You know what that means and it’s a cartwheel into the no hands moonsault to the floor for the double knockdown. Back in and something close to Coast to Coast (Evil was on the apron with his head sticking in and close enough to the corner) connects for two. Stormbreaker is blocked (Kelly: “That’s a big a**.” It might have been “ask” but it’s a funny line otherwise.) and it’s an exchange of forearms for the double knockdown.

They slug it out from their knees until Evil hits Darkness Falls (a fireman’s carry into a sitout spinebuster) for two. Ospreay is right back with a spinning sitout powerbomb and he’s ready to pull his hair out on the kickout. Back up and Evil headbutts him but runs into a running Spanish Fly for another near fall.

The Oscutter (always cool) gets two more and you could tell the fans bought that as the finish. Stormbreaker is countered again so Ospreay hits the 630 kick to the head (Robinson Special) but the top rope Oscutter is countered into a half and half suplex. A second one knocks Ospreay silly and a huge lariat gives Evil two more. Everything Is Evil (STO) finally puts Ospreay down at 17:08.

Rating: A-. The near falls were awesome in this one and they built up the neck damage throughout the match. Ospreay is a great high flier and his size makes him that much more fun to watch. Evil has gone from what seems to be a gimmick character into a much more complete performer so I can more than live with watching these two again. Awesome match here with that near fall off the Oscutter stealing the show.

Kota Ibushi (8 points) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8 points)

Yeah this works. They go to the mat for an exchange of headlocks to start until Ibushi dropkicks him in the face. Tanahashi takes the leg and puts it back on the mat for a good old fashioned leglock. Ibushi finally makes it over to the rope and is right back up with a running kick to the face. A standing moonsault gives Ibushi two but Tanahashi is right back with a pair of dragon screw legwhips.

The Cloverleaf goes on until Ibushi makes the rope as Tanahashi is going with a pretty simple (yet intelligent) strategy here. The leg is wrenched around the ropes and Tanahashi goes up, only to get caught with a super hurricanrana for a pretty close two. Back up and Tanahashi tries a dropkick to the knee but Ibushi jumps over it and lands on Tanahashi’s chest for a double stomp in a sweet counter.

A lawn dart into the corner knocks Tanahashi silly and it’s a deadlift German superplex to make it even worse for two. Tanahashi throws a left hand and Ibushi gets VERY serious. That means more slaps, with these staggering Ibushi a bit. Some more almost put him down but Ibushi blasts him with a clothesline for the double knockdown.

The sitout powerbomb gives Ibushi two but the big knee strike is countered into a trio of Twist and Shouts (swinging neckbreaker). A Sling Blade gives Tanahashi two, only to have the High Fly Flow miss for the big crash. The Boom Ye (Daniel Bryan knee) connects for two so Ibushi kicks him in the head a few times, setting up the big knee strike for the pin at 15:56.

Rating: B+. Ibushi is one of those guys who has grown a lot over the years as he has gone from a guy who is best known for a lot of flips to someone who can pin Tanahashi clean without it being a shocking upset. You can tell Tanahashi is nowhere near what he used to be, but even a fairly damaged Tanahashi is still better than almost anyone in the world. Very good match here, though I liked Ospreay vs. Evil just a bit better.

Post match they’re both down with Tanahashi saying something to Ibushi.

Sanada (4 points) vs. Kazuchika Okada (12 points)

Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line and he’s undefeated so far. They stand around for a good while to start with no significant contact for the first minute. Sanada takes him down into an early armbar which is reversed just as fast. The headlock keeps things slow as they seem to be killing some time (thirty minute time limit here so the draw is an actual possibility).

The legsweeps into the covers for less than one each give us another standoff and things reset. Back up and commentary suggests that Okada isn’t taking Sanada as seriously as he should, just as Sanada hits a basement dropkick to the head. Okada blocks the Paradise Lock so Sanada elbows him in the face for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Okada up with an elbow of his own, followed by a DDT for two more.

Sanada gets knocked outside and a running kick sends him over the barricade. Another DDT plants him on the floor so Okada can chill in the corner for a bit. Okada hits a running kick to the face as the fans don’t seem pleased with him. Then we get an OKADA chant as the fans seem a bit confused here. Sanada comes back with his own dropkick to the floor and the slingshot dive takes Okada down again. Now it’s a SANADA chant, meaning I probably misheard the previous one.

Back in and the Paradise Lock works this time, allowing Sanada to hit the running dropkick for two more. One heck of a flapjack (always love that move) drops Sanada and we get a breather. It’s Okada slowly getting up and looking more serious as the strike off begins. Sanada takes him down and hits a basement dropkick, followed by a hard belly to back for two. Sanada’s springboard is countered into White Noise onto the knee and the top rope elbow makes it even worse.

The Rainmaker is loaded up, giving us the always cool zoom out shot. That’s broken up so Okada settles for the Tombstone but the Rainmaker is countered again. A hanging twisting neckbreaker drops Okada but Sanada is too banged up. The slow motion slugout from their knees goes on until they get up, with Okada telling him to throw the forearms at the neck. The uppercuts go to Sanada and Okada actually drops to a knee.

Back up and the Rainmaker is countered again but so is the Tombstone this time, with Sanada switching to something like a dragon sleeper. A tiger suplex gives Sanada two and a TKO gets the same. The moonsault misses but Sanada lands on his feet like a pro. Okada grabs the arm and hits the Rainmaker (which is still…..oh never mind), followed by another for no cover. A third Rainmaker is countered into one from Sanada, who goes back to the dragon sleeper.

This time though he swings Okada around by the neck (egads) before going into the full version with the bodyscissors. Okada fights up but Sanada pulls him back down to get it on again. The fans are WAY into this (as they should be) and Okada reverses into a rollup for two but Sanada grabs it for the third time with three minutes left.

Sanada finally lets go with two minutes left but the moonsault hits raised….legs. Not quite as impactful as knees but Okada just had his head cranked back for three minutes so his accuracy is a bit off. There’s less than a minute left and Okada hits the dropkick but the Rainmaker is countered into a pop up cutter. Back to back moonsaults finish Okada at 29:48.

Rating: A. Oh yeah this was awesome (killing off the dragon sleeper aside) with Sanada throwing everything he had at Okada to FINALLY beat him. This felt very similar to Roderick Strong trying and trying to beat Jay Lethal for the ROH World Title but always coming up short until he did everything he could to finish Lethal in the end. It was the same story here and again it’s one of those that is always going to work. Great main event with Sanada getting the biggest win of his career.

Post match Sanada talks about finally beating his rival (thank goodness for subtitles for a change) and even gets a spotlight to make it feel cooler. He lost to Okada in this building a year ago and it made him hate Okada. Now Osaka is his favorite place in Japan because he finally did it. Sanada says he’ll see us next time and he falls to the mat in happiness.

At the post match press conference, Sanada says that was his gift to the people at home.

A look at the updated standings wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A-. As usual, I can see why this is such a popular show and the action more than lived up to the hype. All three of the big matches felt like instant classics and while they might not mean anything for everyone involved at the moment, you got some great matches with commentary selling the whole thing all the way. Great show here and worth seeing if you get the chance.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: August 13, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the final night in Toronto and we’re already starting on the path towards Clash of Champions. As for tonight though, we have the first round of fallout from last week’s revelation that Rowan tried to take out Roman Reigns. Since Buddy Murphy was the one to tell Reigns the news, that means Murphy faces Reigns tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Kevin Owens to open us up and the fans are rather happy to see him. The cheers go on long enough that Owens has to pause before saying anything. Yesterday was five years to the day since he signed with WWE. Over those five years he has created and experienced things he will never forget. He’s been in the ring with people he’s looked up to for years and on Sunday he was in the ring with someone who calls themselves the Best in the World.

As inaccurate as that was, it was special because Owens’ family was ringside to see him in the ring. That Stunner will be with him for the rest of his life, but now it’s time to set his sights on the King of the Ring tournament. He has been a fan his whole life and he loved watching the tournament growing up. Winning the tournament would mean much as anything he has won so far in WWE. We get the usual list of great names to have won, including Owen Hart.

Cue Shane McMahon and Owens actually falls down onto his knees as the music hits. Owens: “Why? Why?” Shane isn’t happy with the loss but shows us a shot of Owens kicking him low on Sunday. Is that what it means to be a man? Owens isn’t going to be lectured about being a man by someone who was part of the Mean Street Posse.

Being a man is doing whatever it takes to keep your job, but Shane says Owens is nothing but a cheater. Owens will be wrestling later tonight but first, we need to see a clip of Owens attacking Elias with a chair. That’s going to cost Owens $100,000 and that does not sit well with him. He demands Shane reconsider, but Shane says nope and leaves.

Post break Owens goes into Shane’s office where he threatens him with a lawsuit if Owens hits him. Owens says we’ll make it 105 and throws a stool into a TV.

Charlotte vs. Ember Moon

Neither gets an entrance. Charlotte pulls her down by the hair to start and works on a headlock. An elbow to the face drops Moon again but she’s back up with a headscissors to try and change things up a bit. Charlotte gets knocked outside but Ember takes her down with a kick through the ropes.

The springboard dive connects with Charlotte, who sends Moon straight into the apron as we take a break. Back after what seemed like a longer than usual break with Ember holding her knee on the floor. That means it’s time for some knees to the leg but it’s too early for the Figure Eight. Instead Charlotte goes with a Liontamer for a JERICHO chant. Charlotte switches back to the knee with some cannonballs down onto it as she channels her dad.

Moon moves away from the last one and starts throwing knees. A kick to the chest gets two, followed by a bottom rope Codebreaker for the same. The Eclipse misses but so does the spear into the corner, allowing Moon to hit a superkick for two more. Charlotte is back up with the big boot though and it’s the Figure Eight to make Ember tap at 11:43.

Rating: B-. Moon is getting more entertaining in the ring but she still hasn’t had that big win. What worries me is that we seem almost destined for another Charlotte title feud, which she is likely to win because nine title reigns in four years just isn’t enough. Even if Bayley beats her, how long before Charlotte gets it back from someone else? It’s how things work with her and since there is little else for her to do, this is what we get.

Video on the Roman Reigns attacks and Buddy Murphy blaming Rowan.

Here are Rowan and Daniel Bryan for a chat. It’s clear that someone is out to get Reigns but neither of them had anything to do with the attacks. All that matters is Murphy is a liar but Bryan doesn’t blame him for what he said. Any one of you would cave if Reigns held you against a wall and Murphy had to give a name. The problem is Murphy gave the wrong name. The fans say Bryan did it and Bryan says that’s what’s wrong with society. A lie is spread all over social media and then it becomes the truth. They had nothing to do with it and tonight they’ll prove it.

Samoa Joe comes in to Shane’s office because he’s going to be facing Owens tonight. That could be interesting.

Aleister Black talks about the due sin around him, but he will soon find a way out for everyone in the locker room. All they have to do is knock.

Buddy Murphy vs. Roman Reigns

Roman doesn’t like being shoved in the face to start so he hits an uppercut. Murphy is right back with a jumping knee to the face for an early two and the stomping is on in the corner. They head outside with Reigns being sent into the barricade a few times so he throws Murphy hard over the announcers’ table. Murphy sends him into the steps though and comes back with knees off the apron as we take a break.

Back with Reigns fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a powerbomb out of the corner. Reigns hits the clotheslines in the corner and a big boot puts Murphy down. The spear goes into the post though and Murphy gets two off a rollup. Reigns is sent outside for the big running flip dive (which looked great) and the top rope Meteora gets two back inside. A Superman Punch out of nowhere gives Reigns two but Murphy hits a series of knees to the face. The brainbuster gives Murphy two and he goes up top, with a Superman Punch knocking him back down. Reigns hits a spear for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B. This felt similar to last night’s Cedric Alexander vs. Drew McIntyre match as a young star gets a chance on the show against a hard hitting big man. Ok so it sounds very similar but that’s a good idea when it makes for a strong match on both nights. Murphy looked like a star here, though I’m not sure why it took four months for his first match.

Revival is here to face New Day because they want to prove that things can be serious.

Xavier Woods is upset that he isn’t in the King of the Ring tournament but they don’t like the Revival saying they have ruined the tag team division. They’ve ruined their dinners, Christmas and that adult circumcision but never the tag division. Kofi isn’t worried about what he did to Randy Orton after their match on Sunday because he was protecting their family. As for tonight, he’ll be out there supporting his brothers.

Samoa Joe vs. Kevin Owens

Hold on though as Elias is the outside enforcer referee (with the 24/7 Title rules suspended for the match). Owens starts fast with a dropkick and a clothesline but Joe bails to the floor before the Cannonball. Elias won’t let Owens dive off the apron so Joe takes Owens down by the leg as we go to an early break.

Back with Joe charging into an elbow in the corner and getting dropped with a middle rope dropkick. The backsplash gives Owens two and the Swanton is good for the same. The Stunner is countered into a Koquina Clutch but Owens slips out. Now it’s the Pop Up Powerbomb connecting but Elias pulls the referee out at two. Elias gets in for the staredown so Joe can grab a rollup for the fastest three ever at 5:42.

Rating: C. The action was good while it lasted but my goodness I’m sick of the corrupt authority figure stacking the deck motif. I know the criticism is that we’ve seen it for years and that’s pretty accurate. This was the same thing that we’ve seen dozens of times with nothing really changing other than the people involved. The sooner we can move on from this stuff the better, because the horse has been dead so long it’s already compost.

Bryan and Rowan go into the locker room and tell everyone but Murphy to get out. Bryan gets right in his face and demands that Murphy admit that he lied. Rowan hits Murphy in the face and pins him against the wall, with Bryan wanting Murphy to admit that he lied. Murphy admits it and Rowan lets him go, but Bryan says he hates liars. That earns Murphy a trip into the garbage.

Video on King of the Ring.

New Day vs. Revival

Woods and Big E. for New Day here but before we’re ready to go, here’s Orton to talk about Summerslam. Kofi couldn’t beat him ten years ago and he couldn’t do it on Sunday so he snapped in front of his family. One day Kofi’s sons are going to grow up and Kofi is going to have to tell them that he couldn’t beat Orton. Kofi can have one more chance though: make this a six man tag. It seems to be on.

Randy Orton/Revival vs. New Day

Kofi and Orton start with Orton tagging out to Dawson before anything happens. A monkey flip and dropkick have Dawson in trouble and it’s off to Woods, with Big E. wheelbarrowing him into a splash for two. Wilder comes in and gets headscissored down for two but Dawson makes the blind tag. That’s fine with Woods, who rolls him up as well, only to have Wilder take Woods down by the arm. The armbar goes on before Wilder comes back in for one of his own.

Woods fights up and hits a discus forearm but gets taken into the corner again. Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Woods’ arm still in trouble and Dawson doing the rather tired taunt of mocking the clap. Another armbar is more his speed but Woods gets up and brings in Big E. for the house cleaning. The Warrior Splash hits Wilder for two as everything breaks down. Kofi dives onto Orton, leaving Woods to take the Shatter Machine for the pin at 11:53.

Rating: C-. The armbars got a bit repetitive after awhile and that made the match feel longer than it would have otherwise. You can see where they’re going with all six of them for Clash of Champions and that makes sense, as New Day doesn’t have any challengers on Smackdown at the moment. Maybe Kofi vs. Orton can be better the next time around too.

Post match Orton gives New Day an RKO each.

Roman comes in to see Bryan and Rowan, who have been conducting their own investigation. Next week, they’ll bring the one who did it to Reigns.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t as good as Raw but they moved things forwards on most accounts. That might not be the most thrilling in every case but at least they have a direction and aren’t as boring as they were before. Couple that with some rather good action (a trend as of late for both shows) and this was one of the better Smackdowns in a while. The shows aren’t perfect yet but you would have a hard time believing they were as bad as they were about six weeks ago. I’ll certainly take that change as the old ones were almost unwatchable. There’s more to do but the hard part seems to be over.

Results

Charlotte b. Ember Moon – Figure Eight

Roman Reigns b. Buddy Murphy – Spear

Samoa Joe b. Kevin Owens – Rollup

Revival/Randy Orton b. New Day – Shatter Machine to Kingston

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: August 12, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re done with Summerslam and the big story coming out of last night is Seth Rollins regaining the Universal Tile from Brock Lesnar. That opens the door for Lesnar to get the title back as it’s been long enough since he’s held it already. Other than that, almost everything seems to be open as we head towards Clash of the Champions in about five weeks. Why does that length of time make me smile so much? Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Rollins to get things going. He can’t believe he’s here because Lesnar is everything that he is touted to be. Lesnar is a freaking beast so we get a BEAST SLAYER chant, which sounded a lot like a HEATH SLATER chant at first. Last week he went somewhere he hasn’t gone before….and here’s the OC to interrupt. AJ says they wanted to be the first to congratulate Rollins, but he also wants to challenge Seth. That’s a yes, because Rollins doesn’t respect Styles anymore. They’re on for tonight. They shake hands and the Good Brothers tease a beatdown but smile instead.

The Street Profits like the sound of the champion vs. champion match but Dawkins is a little tired after last night’s after party. Sami Zayn comes in to say enjoy it while you can because this place will suck the soul out of you. It happens to everyone, including Rollins and Becky Lynch. Look at where they started and where they are now.

Dawkins asks if that happens to someone like Samoa Joe. Sami says of course it does and laughs about Joe’s reaction to Roman Reigns’ attack last week. Joe, who happens to be right behind Sami, sets up a match between the two of them. Maybe Sami can show that he’s more than Kevin Owens’ water boy.

The King of the Ring Tournament is back next week. I could go for that.

Long video on Roman Reigns being attacked.

Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe

Sami jumps him to start and gets choked out in 45 seconds.

Post match Joe says he forgives Roman Reigns after what happened last week but he does not forgive the fans who accused him of being behind the attacks.

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler

Not so fast as Ziggler comes out in street clothes and holding his ribs. Ziggler calls this part of his master plan, because he got speared so many times yesterday that he isn’t medically cleared. Then he jumps Miz and seems fine as we take a break. We’re joined in progress with Miz taking a knee to the ribs but slugging away with left hands. More left hands in the corner set up the YES Kicks and the running dropkick connects. Ziggler scores with the Zig Zag for a close two but Miz goes for the leg and gets the Figure Four for the tap at 3:49.

Rating: D+. It involved Ziggler in pain so I can smile at this in peace. On top of that the near fall was pretty good so at least there was some usefulness to this one. The problem is that it’s been done so many times and almost anything involving Ziggler feels like a bad idea at this point. Or for the last few years that is.

Post match Miz leaves but Ziggler says Miz isn’t even the best wrestler in his family. There’s enough trash talk to bring Miz back for the Skull Crushing Finale to shut Ziggler up.

Becky Lynch says she respects Natalya but she’s here to deal with anyone who didn’t respect her. Your smart play is to get her before she gets you. Game on.

Here’s Elias for a performance but he says he’s not going to wait around to be interrupted this week. Just get out here, whoever you are this week. No one comes out so he gives them a second chance but no one comes out again. Elias starts playing and it’s Ricochet coming out, with Elias’ annoyed face being pretty funny. Ricochet says there’s a very good reason why Elias keeps getting interrupted: he sucks. Elias wants a referee out here right now.

Elias vs. Ricochet

Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade

2/3 falls. Rey starts fast and tries the 619 but gets rolled up with Zelina Vega holding the feet for the pin at 24 seconds. Rey goes up to start the second fall and snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor. That’s good for two back inside but Andrade starts stomping away in the corner.

The running knees miss though and Rey hits a slingshot Canadian Destroyer, with Andrade going down a bit too fast and landing with a thud. The 619 misses off a Zelina distraction and Andrade grabs a small package for two more. Now the 619 can connect but a frog splash hits knees. The hammerlock DDT gives Andrade the win in two straight falls at 6:32.

Rating: C+. They had to cram a lot into a short match but that’s as big of a win as Andrade can get. You have to wonder how much longer Mysterio is going to be in the ring so having him put someone over this hard is the best use for him. Mysterio is a legend at this point and isn’t going to lose that status no matter what happens to him. Andrade looked like a star here and that’s what they were shooting for.

We get a Skype interview with Steve Austin, who was impressed by Rollins’ performance last night. Rollins had a great match but what impressed Austin was Rollins saying that he was giving everything he had and showing who he was. Austin told him to stick with it because you’re going to have good days and bad days. Oh and watch Austin’s new show tonight after Raw.

Mysterio is upset over his loss and seems ready to announce his retirement but just says “my family”.

The Street Profits are worried about Mysterio. Well Ford is at least as Dawkins is almost asleep. A mention of Nikki Cross makes him smile and Ford asks him who he has in the Women’s Tag Team Title match. Dawkins is too busy chugging water to answer.

Drew McIntyre says his issues with Cedric Alexander end tonight. It ends in Toronto, but not with a big feel good moment. Instead, it’s going to be a boot to his skull. Like, he’s kicking Cedric so hard that it’s going through the skin and muscle.

Drew McIntyre vs. Cedric Alexander

Both are going to be in the King of the Ring, which will have eight Raw names and eight Smackdown names. Cedric starts fast and kicks Drew outside for the big flip dive. Back in and Drew hits the running Razor’s Edge buckle bomb, setting up a chinlock. Drew throws him over his head and grabs another chinlock, only to have Cedric come back up with the Neuralizer. A running DDT gets two on McIntyre and Cedric sits him on top.

That’s not a good idea as Drew hits a super swinging sitout Rock Bottom for two of his own and they head outside. Cedric hits a Lumbar Check on the floor for nine so it’s a suicide dive, only to have Drew suplex him again. Back in and Cedric falls down before Drew can try the Claymore so it’s a small package to give Cedric two. A super Spanish Fly gets the same and they need a breather. Another Lumbar Check is blocked and Drew hits the Claymore, with Cedric flipping over backwards, for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: B. This might not have been the highest quality match in the world but it was one cool spot after another with Cedric coming close to winning more than once. They’ve turned Cedric into a star on this show as of late, which makes all the more frustrating when he sat round doing nothing for so long.

AJ promises to win.

Robert Roode vs. No Way Jose

Roode takes him into the corner to start but charges into a boot. The spinebuster plants Jose and the Glorious DDT is good for the pin at 1:22. Just a squash.

Paul Heyman doesn’t think much of Rollins winning last night and Lesnar gets NO rematch. This doesn’t sit well with Heyman, who storms into Lesnar’s locker room.

Revival vs. Lucha House Party

Dawson takes over on Dorado to start and makes him mock the LUCHA chant. Hold on though as here are R-Truth and Carmella to run away from Drake Maverick as the match is thrown out at about 1:05.

Post match the Revival hits a Hart Attack on Truth to win the title as co-champions. Kalisto springboards in with a missile dropkick but Wilder makes the save at two. Carmella puts Truth on top for the pin and the title before the pair vamooses again. In the back, Truth and Carmella get into a clearing with Truth declaring himself the 72 time champion. That’s more times than Ric Flair and John Cena combined! Elias comes up from behind them with a guitar shot to the back for the pin and the title.

We look at the Reigns attacks again. That was a heck of a car crash. The other car hit Roman’s so hard that Roman’s was fine when they came back from a break.

Here’s Natalya with her arm in a sling for a chat. She was in a fight last night but she wouldn’t change a thing she did or said to Becky and they’ll meet again. Last night after the show, she had a dream where her dad said he was proud of her. Her dad passed away one year ago….and here’s Sasha Banks for the first time since Wrestlemania.

She hugs Natalya and turns on her in nearly record time. The bad arm is sent into the corner and then the steps so here’s Becky for the save. Banks knocks her down with a right hand and gets in some chair shots to leave Becky laying. Graves rips Sasha apart for being selfish as the beating continues. Well Becky has been needing a top opponent so this is a good way to go.

Viking Raiders vs. Carter Mason/Sebastian Suave

Total destruction with the usual, capped off by the Viking Experience to Suave (Graves: “Thank goodness for socialized healthcare.”) for the pin at 1:35.

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are ready to defend their titles tonight because they’re fighting champions.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are challenging though there’s no Paige due to her needing neck surgery. Sane slaps Bliss to start and it’s a quick bulldog to take her down. Everything breaks down and the champs get knocked down on the floor as we take an early break. Back with Sane fighting out of Cross’ chinlock and getting over to Asuka for the hot tag. The hard strikes begin and there’s a release German suplex to Cross. A blind tag brings in Bliss for the DDT and a near fall on Asuka but it’s back to Sane without much effort.

An Alabama Slam looks to set up the Insane Elbow but Cross rolls to the floor. You don’t do that to Sane, who takes her down with a high crossbody. Now the Insane Elbow can connect for two with Bliss making the save. Asuka’s kick to Bliss hits post instead and Bliss does the always smart thing of dragging Cross to the corner, only to have Sane make a save. The distraction lets Cross hit the Purge to set up Twisted Bliss for the pin to retain at 8:46.

Rating: C-. The thing I took away from this was a line Cole said right after the pin: Bliss and Cross continue to dominate the women’s tag team division. This sounds ridiculous after they’ve won three matches in eight days, but that doesn’t make it any less accurate. The division is four teams at most and Bliss/Cross are as dominant as anyone else. It’s almost like the titles don’t need to exist, but that can’t change around here because reasons.

Rollins says he’s beaten Lesnar twice so he’s already better than AJ. On top of that, he already beat AJ at Money in the Bank and he’ll do it again tonight.

Video on the King of the Ring and how many stars have won it over the years.

Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

Non-title, the OC is here with Styles and Rollins has taped up ribs. Rollins starts fast by tying AJ in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick. An OC distraction lets AJ take it outside though and a belly to back faceplant drops Rollins’ ribs on the floor. Back from a break with AJ getting two off a suplex to send Rollins out to the apron.

The Styles Clash on the apron is broken up and Rollins sweeps the leg to send AJ into the apron. Back in and the Falcon Arrow gives Rollins two but AJ fights out of a reverse superplex. AJ charges into a superkick but Gallows breaks up the frog splash. While they aren’t caught, the OC gets ejected, only to come back in for the DQ at 9:21.

Rating: C+. This was fine and the ending was the way to go rather than having either of them take a fall of any kind. I was worried that we would see WWE make the titles look weak again but maybe they’re starting to learn their lesson. It’s better than having the same losses every week so hopefully things are changing a bit.

Post match the beatdown is on with Ricochet’s save attempt not working. The super Styles Clash is loaded up but Braun Strowman comes in for the real save. A pair of powerslams to Styles as Rollins isn’t sure what to think. Strowman picks up the title and hands it to Rollins before a handshake can end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The energy was back here and the show felt important for a change. That’s not the kind of thing you can expect every week (Sasha isn’t coming back and you can’t have a huge announcement like the tournament every time) but it was awesome to do it for a week. You can tell that Heyman’s influence has grown as some of the featured names are changing.

Ignoring the continued lack of Baron Corbin, it’s nice to see some other names getting a big push around here as sometimes you just need some fresh characters. I really liked this week’s show and it made me want to watch again next week. I can’t remember how long it has been since that was the case and hopefully it is a sign of things to come.

Results

Samoa Joe b. Sami Zayn – Koquina Clutch

The Miz b. Dolph Ziggler – Figure Four

Ricochet b. Elias – Top rope sunset flip

Andrade b. Rey Mysterio – Hammerlock DDT

Drew McIntyre b. Cedric Alexander – Claymore

Robert Roode b. No Way Jose – Glorious DDT

Revival vs. Lucha House Party went to a no contest when R-Truth interfered

Viking Raiders b. Carter Mason/Sebastian Suave – Viking Experience to Suave

Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross b. Kabuki Warriors – Twisted Bliss to Sane

Seth Rollins b. AJ Styles via DQ when the Good Brothers interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: July 16, 2007
Location: American Bank Arena, Corpus Christi, Texas
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This was a request and one of several shows I’ve been asked to do from this era. It’s one of the times that I don’t remember very well whatsoever, which is always a fun thing to see. We’re less than a month removed from the Chris Benoit tragedy and that means things have kind of reset a bit. This is the go home show for the Great American Bash so we’ll get some buildup for a not very important pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

HHH’s (who has been gone since January due to a torn quad) music starts us off but it’s King Booker and Queen Sharmell instead. There is one king around here and that is of course King Booker. Oh sorry. King Book-ah. However, there is someone who seems interested in a claim to the crown, which brings Booker to Lawler. Since Book-ah is the real king, Lawler must cease referring to himself as such. Lawler isn’t buying that as, you know, he’s been the King for thirty years.

That’s not cool with Booker, because a kingdom divided cannon stand. Lawler finally gives in and says he won’t call himself the King anymore, but Booker wants him to kiss the ring. Shockingly enough, that’s not happening so Booker orders Lawler. That’s enough to get Lawler to his feet so Book-ah punches him in the face, only to have Lawler get in a few shots of his own as we’re likely to have a match tonight. Nice segment, with Booker logically being annoyed at another king.

Ric Flair picks John Cena to beat Bobby Lashley at the Great American Bash. This seems to be a theme tonight.

Lawler looks ready to fight.

We look back at Umaga destroying Santino Marella last week to retain the Intercontinental Title.

Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Santino Marella vs. William Regal

Elimination rules with the winner getting a shot at Umaga on Sunday. Charlie Haas is here with Shelton. This is before Santino had become a comedy goof so he’s just a boring guy in trunks at the moment. Santino and Regal fight to the floor with Jeff fighting out of the corner until stereo crossbodies put he and Shelton down. Regal and Marella get back in with Santino punching Shelton down until Regal hits the knee trembler to get rid of Santino for the first elimination.

Jeff hammers on Regal in the corner but gets caught with an electric chair from Shelton. We take a break and come back with Jeff getting double suplexed, leaving Regal and Benjamin to argue over the pin. In an elimination match because they’re not that bright. Regal throws Benjamin down with a suplex and drops a knee on Jeff for two. A collision out of the corner puts Regal and Benjamin down so Jeff is back up to some VERY high pitched cheers. Benjamin gets kicked to the floor but Jeff misses the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The knee trembler misses Jeff though and it’s a Twist of Fate to get us down to two.

Benjamin is right back in with a top rope Blockbuster for two and the fans are rather pleased on the kickout. A Whisper in the Wind sends Shelton outside and Jeff dives onto Haas and Benjamin. The Swanton misses though because Jeff can’t keep the momentum going for that long. Shelton loads up a piledriver but gets rolled up to give Jeff the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C. Hardy was the only realistic winner here and a match against the monster should be a good moment. This just felt a little more energized than most modern matches and that made for a nice opener. The ans were completely behind Hardy here and it’s easy to see why he was going to get the rocket attached to his back very soon.

Edge isn’t sure on Cena vs. Lashley because he has no history with Lashley. He has history with Cena and can’t stand him, but he knows how tough Cena is. Cena retains.

Randy Orton has challenged Cody Rhodes to a match tonight and it’s time to kill a legend before it starts (Cody only debuted earlier in the month and hasn’t actually wrestled yet). Vince McMahon would agree these days. Orton is ready to destroy Dusty Rhodes on Sunday and wants him out there tonight for a preview.

Maria tries to make Santino feel better because he’s not a loser. Santino talks about watching Transformers and thinks he feels like he doesn’t belong here. Then she makes him feel better. Come spend the night with him and he’ll make her pancakes in the morning. She’s good with that.

Batista can’t decide but goes with Lashley. The fans are the winners though.

The bald Snitsky likes to hurt people as much as he likes to win matches. It’s weird but he can’t help himself. His opponents’ pain is his pleasure.

Snitsky vs. Val Venis

Val still had a job in 2007??? Venis gets a boot up in the corner to start but gets sent chest first into the buckle to put him in trouble. The pumphandle slam finishes Val in a hurry.

Post match Val gives him a second pumphandle slam. Commentary focusing on Snitsky’s bad teeth show you how far he’s going to go.

Cody is ready for his in-ring debut but knows he can never be a bigger star than his dad. You can’t RKO away Dusty’s legacy but as for tonight, Cody is going to make a first impression.

Lawler is in the ring with a bull rope for a preview of Orton vs. Dusty in Sunday’s Texas Bull rope match. The rules are explained with Lawler talking about how many horrible, violent things he’s seen Dusty do in these matches over the years. And then Orton comes out for his match.

Video on Orton being a psycho and punting various people in the head.

Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

This is Cody’s in-ring debut, which is almost hard to fathom. Dusty is out with Cody, as he should be. Cody gets in a left hand to the jaw to start but gets clotheslined down as the beating begins. Orton drops him ribs first across the top rope and Dusty is looking rather concerned, as he should.

The comeback is cut off by a snap powerslam and some forearms to the chest make it even worse. Orton grabs the chinlock for a bit until Cody fights up with right hands and a missile dropkick for two. That’s it again though as Orton grabs the backbreaker and Dusty’s emotional roller coaster continues. The RKO connects to finally put Cody away.

Rating: D+. This was a glorified squash as Cody wasn’t going to be any kind of threat. What kept my attention here was Dusty, who worked the crowd into a near frenzy, just by going through every possible emotion in a seven minute match. The look on his face when Cody was making his comeback and then getting the near fall sold the whole thing, because Dusty can sell you anything he wants without breaking a sweat. Not a good match, but great emotion.

Post match Orton loads up the Punt but Dusty breaks it up.

Steve Austin picks Cena but really isn’t sure.

Melina vs. Mickie James

Rating: D+. The women’s division was trying at this point and this was one of the better matchups they had, but what can you do in about three minutes? Candice wasn’t the most intimidating champion so they weren’t building to much, but they were certainly trying to get somewhere at this point so points for giving it a shot.

Smackdown Rebound.

Regal comes in to see Jim Duggan to talk about Jonathan Coachman liking Duggan’s board. This turns into a series of jokes about hard things going into Regal’s hand. Ron Simmons comes in for the joke, which is still funny.

Mick Foley picks Lashley because Cena has to lose at some point.

Carlito vs. Sandman

2007 was weird as this is fallout from Sandman caning Carlito last week. Sandman works on a wristlock for the token wrestling so Carlito slugs him down. The neck crank goes on until Sandman comes back for a slam, only to have Regal come in for the DQ (as Sandman caned him last week as well).

Duggan makes the save, setting up a nightmare of a tag match that I need to see.

JBL picks Cena for the experience.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Super Crazy

Rematch from two weeks ago when Kennedy ran his mouth too long and got pinned. Kennedy beat the fire out of him backstage last week to make himself feel better. Kennedy does his own entrance, while Super Crazy’s theme sums him up well: “I’M SUPER! I’M CRAZY! I’M SUPER CRAZY!”

An early shoulder puts Crazy down to start but he dropkicks the knee and hammers away in the corner. Kennedy punches him into the other corner and grabs an abdominal stretch to slow things down. With Lawler explaining that it hurts your abdominals, Crazy comes back with a slam and two of the three moonsaults. The third is broken up with a crotching though and a reverse superplex gives Kennedy the pin.

Rating: D. Well that was a big waste of a few weeks. Was there any need to have Kennedy deal with Super Crazy over the course of three weeks? Super Crazy was a jobber to the stars at best and that’s a lot less than what Kennedy should be doing. It was a nothing match too, as Kennedy won after shrugging off anything Crazy did. I don’t get this one and I think we’ll keep it that way.

Great American Bash rundown.

We look back at HHH tearing his quad in January. He’s coming back at Summerslam, apparently now as the Six Million Dollar Man (who was named Steve Austin on the show).

Coach is on the stage to moderate an in-ring podium debate between Cena and Lashley. Cena gets a very high pitched reaction. First up, we look at Cena getting speared during the recent contract signing. Cena is asked if he feels that his title reign is ending on Sunday, which is actually a year. It sounds like Cena is about to cry because that spear two weeks ago REALLY HURT. There’s no way he can win the match and the worst part is he never learned to read. Cena: “God bless America.”

That has to be a topical reference, though I get the “I award you no points” part. We get serious with Cena admitting that Lashley is more athletic than him, but he’s fought the best before. He’s won some and lost some but on Sunday, Lashley is getting Cena’s best. Lashley says if we want someone to hype the match, let Cena the hype man do it. He turns the podium over and says he’ll be ready to fight when Cena is done talking.

The fight is teased but Coach says this isn’t happening on his show. Lashley goes up the ramp but Cena says Lashley needs to be ready for the biggest match of his career. So he needs to get ready for Wrestlemania again? Cena knows that Lashley has a great resume and on Sunday he’ll put it to the test. Lashley comes back down and the fight is on to end the show. Good segment as they’re making Lashley feel like a real threat.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a weird look into the time capsule that was 2007. There were some rather strange characters and feuds in there, with stuff like Sandman, Super Crazy and Jim Duggan of all people getting TV time. Cena vs. Lashley felt like a one off match and while it felt big, it didn’t feel like it was going to be a game changed. The problem is that the Cena vs. Lashley stuff is just about the only good part of the entire show, which is from a completely forgotten time in the company’s history.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: August 8, 2019
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young

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

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Sarah Logan

Given that this is I believe their fifth match in eight or so weeks, you can see what I mean about the company’s lack of interest. They fight over a top wristlock with Logan pulling her down by the hair. Brooke is right back with some rapid fire shots in the corner but gets pulled throat first into the middle rope for two. A sliding knee gives Logan two and it’s off to the standing Cloverleaf. That’s broken up but it’s a suplex out of the corner to drop Logan again. The cartwheel splash gets two but Logan is right back with a German suplex. Not that it matters as Brooke hits an enziguri into the Swanton for the pin at 6:17.

Rating: C. What makes this even worse is that the match was pretty good for their standards, probably due to the amount of practice they have against each other. The problem is they’re just thrown out there exclusively, meaning they have no way to learn how to do anything but do the same match over and over again. Again, because Main Event is nothing.

From Raw.

Becky Lynch/Charlotte vs. Trish Stratus/Natalya

Yeah this could work to start. Becky tries the Disarm-Her early on but Natalya blocks it without too much effort. Natalya’s cross armbreaker is reversed into a rollup, with a lot of Ronda Rousey references. Charlotte tags herself in and goes for Natalya’s arm but gets sunset flipped for two.

There’s a big boot to Natalya and Charlotte wants to fight Trish. The neck crank goes onto Natalya instead and Charlotte teases a tag to Becky before going right back to Natalya. A loud elbow to the face staggers Natalya but she kicks Charlotte into the corner off of a rollup. It’s a failed Sharpshooter attempt instead of a tag though, only to have Natalya clothesline Charlotte down.

That’s still not enough for the tag, as Charlotte knocks Trish off the apron. Becky tags herself in so Charlotte hits her from behind and walks out. Natalya gets the Sharpshooter on Becky but a rope is grabbed in a hurry, but Natalya doesn’t let go for the DQ at 7:10. Trish was never in the match.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here with Trish only being teased before Sunday. I still can’t bring myself to care about Natalya in the role though and really why should I really? It’s hard to believe that she’s going to win the title and after all these years of being indifferent to her, what’s the point in buying it here?

Post match Trish breaks the Sharpshooter but gets shoved away.

Video on Brock Lesnar destroying Seth Rollins last week.

From Raw again.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a chat. Heyman is here to educate everyone here both live and at home and that means it’s time for some questions. Wasn’t Seth Rollins supposed to be the Beast Slayer? The Conqueror’s Conqueror? The one who had Lesnar’s number? Rollins is supposed to be the big hero for the new generation. We see a clip of Lesnar annihilating Rollins last week and badly damaging his ribs. Back in the arena, Heyman talks about the beating from last week being near criminal. Rollins is here in Pittsburgh tonight though, which makes Lesnar smirk.

Cue Rollins, limping badly and holding a chair for support. Rollins gets in and is kicked right in the ribs as Lesnar takes the chair away. That means a chair to the ribs and Rollins gets driven hard into the corner. The slow beating is on with Rollins’ charge being cut off with another knee to the ribs. There’s the F5 and Lesnar poses with the title. They seem to be building towards Rollins getting the title back on Sunday but I don’t buy it.

Back in the arena, Rollins is still in the ring but isn’t interested in a stretcher ride. Instead he grabs the mic and says he’s gotten to the point of asking himself if this is worth it. His answer is yes because this is all he has. He’ll be at Summerslam and he’ll beat Brock. He guarantees a win and very slowly hobbles to the back.

Video on the attacks on Roman Reigns that even have Samoa Joe worried.

From Smackdown.

Roman Reigns goes into the locker room and tells everyone to get out….except Buddy Murphy. Reigns saw Murphy there last week near the fork lift and wants to know if he did it. Murphy doesn’t know what Reigns is talking about so Reigns threatens violence. If Murphy knew who did it, he wouldn’t tell Reigns a thing. Reigns punches him in the face and throws him hard onto a table, still asking who did it. Murphy says Rowan did it and he didn’t see Bryan involved. We cut back to the ring where Bryan and Rowan don’t say anything to end the show. That was a little lacking, but points for going with something a bit different than expected.

Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins vs. Revival

This is what the Shane McMahon association gets you. To mess with you even more, somehow this is a Wrestlemania rematch from just four months ago. Hawkins and Wilder start things off with a headlock having Curt in some trouble. A headlock takeover breaks that up and it’s off to Ryder as commentary actually tries to break this match down, which is far more attention than you would expect it to get. Revival heads to the floor and it’s a double dropkick through the ropes to send us to a break.

Back with Ryder in trouble, including a double slingshot into the middle rope. The chinlock keeps Ryder in trouble and it’s an assisted suplex for two. Ryder’s suplex into a neckbreaker gets him out of trouble though and it’s back to Hawkins to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s a Shatter Machine to finish Ryder at 10:02.

Rating: D+. What even is the tag division anymore? These teams were literally fighting for the titles in front of 80,000 people four months ago and now they’re the warmup match for a show they’re rarely on. It’s a bad sign for what happens to tag teams and a good illustration of why a lot of indy teams would be nuts to come here.

We look at Dolph Ziggler accidentally signing to face Goldberg.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Natalya.

From Smackdown.

Kofi Kingston talks about getting here in spite of Randy Orton. He was starting to stand out in his feud with Orton but then Orton might have used his influence to hold him back. Now Kofi has succeeded no matter what and he has proven that he is worthy to be here. We see Kofi going back to Ghana to show how far he has come but he wants vindication by beating Orton at Summerslam.

From Smackdown one more time.

It’s time for the Kevin Owens Show with Owens wasting no time in calling out Shane McMahon. Shane comes out and has Greg Hamilton do the intro, which Owens cancels in a hurry. Owens has been asked a lot of things over the last few weeks, as the fans are wondering why Shane’s career isn’t on the line as well. The answer is simple: he’s a McMahon and can do whatever he wants. Owens has an appeal to Shane though: put up his career against Owens and give the fans what they want.

That’s not happening as Shane has Owens where he wants him. Shane talks about how he could beat Owens in a variety of ways but Owens calls him out for a lack of testicular fortitude. They’re ready to fight right now but here’s Elias for a distraction. They head outside with another Elias distraction earning him a Stunner on the announcers’ table. That’s enough for Shane to get in some shots from behind and turn the announcers’ table on him. Shane dropkicks a chair into his face to leave Owens laying. Shane got to talk here and it was like a terrifying flashback.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was nothing (shocking I know) but the build to Summerslam worked well with most of the big matches getting some attention. As usual, this show is much more useful when they focus on both shows at once and that’s what they did here. This was the kind of show that they need Main Event to be, since they aren’t going to use it for anything but a recap.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: August 7, 2019
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Alex Shelley
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

This seems to be a special episode with footage from Manhattan Mayhem. That means a World Title match between Matt Taven and Jay Lethal. They have some chemistry together so we could be in for a good match between the two of them. I’m not sure what else we’ll be seeing, but it could be all over the place. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s World Champion Matt Taven, in a Red Sox jersey, to open things up and for some reason we skip his walk down the aisle. Taven talks about how he won the title the last time he was in this city and tonight, he’s going to finish this rivalry with Jay Lethal. Kenny King came out and says he wants in this match and Taven would be happy to beat him as well. King approved but Lethal came out to start the brawl over how unfair this is.

Ian and Quinn McKay welcome us to the show and say the format is changing around here. If that means less of a time lapse, I’m all for it.

Lethal talks about how cool it was to ride to Madison Square Garden but then the ride back was the worst ever. He lost the title but didn’t get pinned or submit. His mindset upon coming back to New York: don’t leave without the title. This has aired before.

Taven is tired of people doubting him so tonight he’ll prove himself, again.

Clip of the Briscoes vs. the Guerrillas of Destiny at War of the Worlds with the Guerrillas stealing the Tag Team Titles.

Clip of the Briscoes winning the titles back at Manhattan Mayhem. The Guerrillas attacked the Briscoes after a match the next night, setting up one more match.

The Guerrillas talked about how the Briscoes don’t know who they are and they’re not waiting to get the titles back.

The rubber match, a Ladder War, will take place at Summer Supercard in Toronto.

Video on Rush vs. Dalton Castle III at Summer Spectacular. Castle wore a mask at Manhattan Mayhem and jumped Rush from the crowd, including giving him the Bull’s Horns.

Castle, who insists on being listed as Quinn’s FAVORITE guest, isn’t worried about karma coming back on him because he’s not afraid of Rush. He dances a lot and says it’s street pretzel time.

The next night in Massachusetts, Castle hit Rush low for the DQ. The rematch is in Toronto.

Rush was ticked off and promised violence in Toronto because it’s a No DQ match.

We get clips of Silas Young vs. Josh Woods vs. Tracy Williams vs. Shane Taylor in a Proving Ground match. Williams won by pinning Young (thanks to a Woods low blow), earning himself a TV Title shot at Summer Supercard. Williams and Taylor yelled at each other post match with Williams spitting on a handshake offer.

Williams talks about being the best technical wrestler in the world. He won tonight but didn’t beat Taylor, so he’ll take the title in Toronto. That spit on his hand just lit a fire underneath him.

Taylor thinks Williams is here because he can’t go anywhere else and that’s not cool. He wants Williams’ family to be there to see Williams let them down again.

Young waits for Woods outside and says Woods is learning, but he should have won. Woods has more to learn.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal vs. Kenny King

Taven is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. The champ bails straight to the floor to start, where he can trip Lethal to the floor for the brawl. King dives onto both of them and takes Lethal back inside for a hard clothesline. Taven comes back in for a discus lariat for two on King before throwing Lethal outside and hitting a DDT for the same.

Back from a break with a three way fight until King gets kicked in the head, only to come back with a double closeups for the triple knockdown. Lethal and King head outside so Taven hits a suicide dive onto both of them, followed by a no hands dive onto just King. Lethal is back in for a suicide dive to Taven, followed by two to King. Dang man what did King do to them?

Back in and Taven gets smart by going after King’s knee and putting on a Figure Four. Lethal tries to make the save with Hail To The King but King turns the hold over to make Lethal miss. With that broken, Lethal grabs a Crossface on Taven but King makes another save. King’s double springboard Blockbuster gets two on each of them. The Royal Flush is countered into a small package to give Taven two and the Lethal Injection gives Lethal the same on the champ. King is back up with a Lethal Injection and Royal Flush to Lethal but Taven hits the Climax and steals the pin on Lethal to retain at 13:03.

Rating: B. Good match here, as Taven can have a solid performance, though that all falls by the wayside as soon as he gets on a microphone. The addition of King didn’t do much here, unless they’re setting up a Lethal heel turn down the line as he can be annoyed at not getting his fair rematch. This was about as good as it could be with Taven and King involved so we can call this a nice surprise.

We run down the Summer Supercard lineup to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Oh I like this new format a lot. The main events have been a lot better as of late but I really didn’t need to sit through a bunch of lower to midcard matches to get to those main events. They’re much better off by having the hype packages to the Honor Club shows and then a featured match a week. ROH TV has never been anything important so scrapping the weekly format is the right call. Much better way to go here and it’s almost a relief in a way.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: August 9, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re still in Canada and in that weird period as the fallout from Slammiversary is over but it’s still way too early to set up Bound For Glory. Last week saw the continuation of Tessa Blanchard vs. OVE and the rise of Rhyno, who is back and feuding with Michael Elgin. I’m not sure what to expect this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Aiden Prince vs. Jake Crist

Prince is challenging and the fans are rather behind him. Crist gets sent outside early on but manages a kick to the face to cut off the dive. They fight on the apron with Crist hitting a Death Valley Driver to knock Prince silly. Back in and it’s off to a reverse Rings of Saturn to keep Prince in trouble, followed by a shot to the head for two. Jake chokes in the corner for a bit and plants him with a suplex for no cover. A spinning kick to the head gets two but Prince is right back with a middle rope tornado DDT.

The 450 hits knees to give Crist two more but Prince is right back up with a reverse hurricanrana for his own two. Crist heads outside and gets taken down by a dive, only to have Prince get superkicked out of the air when he tries another. Back in and Prince gets crotched on top but manages a suplex to get a breather. The 450 connects this time for another near fall and Prince goes up top, where he dives straight into a cutter to retain the title at 10:57.

Rating: B-. The action was good here and Prince made the most out of what is likely a one off shot. He felt much more like a local hero than a serious challenger but they still had a rather entertaining match with some good near falls. It’s also smart to have Crist get a win on his own to establish himself, because having OVE out there every time isn’t working.

Konnan gives Daga a pep talk before he teams with Ortiz tonight to challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Ortiz comes in and whatever he is drinking is blurred out. Daga seems to think that Ortiz isn’t serious enough. Blurred things go towards their mouths.

Taya Valkyrie isn’t happy with the idea of having to defend her title again.

Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin

Austin recently hit on Eddie’s wife, sending him over the edge but she didn’t seem to like Eddie standing up for her. Eddie knocks him outside to start and hits a slingshot dive as the beating is on in a hurry. Back up and Austin does his handstand on the apron into his kick to the chest to put Eddie down for a change. Since Eddie is a bit off though, he drops Austin back and face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Eddie hitting a suicide dive, only to have Austin get in a baton shot for two. Ace even busts out the playing card to cut Eddie’s finger. That earns himself a powerbomb so Austin begs off, asking what Alisha would think of this. That earns him the Boston Knee Party and a big beatdown draws the DQ at 9:54.

Rating: C. This was much more about Eddie being violent and insane than the match itself, which is a good way of doing things, though we’ve seen it happen a few times now. You can only have Eddie go nuts so many times before it stops working and I’m worried that we’re reaching that point.

Post match Alisha runs out to yell at Eddie and look down at Austin.

We look at Tessa Blanchard coming up short against Sami Callihan at last week’s Unbreakable, though Jake hitting her with the X-Division Title had something to do with that.

Fallah Bahh was having lunch earlier today when Moose came up to yell at him and call him fat. The fight was on but Moose threw something in his eyes and shoved food in his face.

Madison Rayne vs. Alexia Nicole

Kiera Hogan is on commentary. Madison takes her into the corner to start and looks rather confident. Nicole picks up the pace a bit and dropkicks her into the corner as Kiera doesn’t seem happy with Madison. A crash on the floor puts Nicole down but she drives Madison into the corner to break up a Koji Clutch. Madison has had it with this and hits CrossRayne for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: D+. Nicole tried a bit, though there is only so much you can get out of a match that is just a step above a squash. Madison vs. Kiera doesn’t have the most potential in the world and isn’t exactly interesting, though it’s still nice to see the company trying a few different stories that aren’t exclusively about the title.

Post match Kiera gets in to yell at Madison, though they do keep beating up Alexia in the process. Jordynne Grace runs in for the save.

The Rascalz are sad about not winning the Tag Team Titles. Wentz is very happy with seeing….someone in the hall. That someone sits down and it’s Rob Van Dam, who is WAY overdue for a cameo in one of these things. The Rascalz start beating each other up with Van Dam’s moves as he looks rather confused.

Knockouts Title: Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie

Rating: D+. There wasn’t time for much here as the interference cut things off in a hurry. This story is getting a bit confusing as things keep moving all over the place. It would seem to be leading to either Havok or Grace taking the title from Taya, but that has seemed to be the case for a long time now. The story is still going though and it isn’t boring, so continuing it isn’t a problem just yet.

We get a sitdown interview with Melissa Santos for an update on Brian Cage. Santos recently made their relationship public after a long time of trying to keep their personal and professional lives separate. That was getting to be too much though and things had to change. She can’t give much of an update on his medical condition, though he has been getting better, slowly.

The Desi Hit Squad shows up at a bar to insult the Deaners and a fight ensues. The Deaners get the better of it until Gama Singh’s distraction lets the Hit Squad get in beer bottle shots to the head.

Later, the Deaners are ticked off because the Hit Squad wouldn’t survive at their compound. Next week, they can fight in the ring. Why not at the compound?

Stone Rockwell vs. Nate Madsen

Rockwell takes him down and poses a bit, followed by a swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker. And never mind as here’s Rhyno to Gore Madsen for the DQ at 1:43.

Post match Rockwell tries to bribe his way out of a Gore to no avail. Rhyno wants Elgin out here right now so here he is, but he’s not happy with Rhyno trying something stupid. Elgin has put everyone in the hospital so this isn’t happening now. Rhyno isn’t cool with that so the fight is on in the aisle.

Austin brags about being the first person to get to Eddie Edwards. Now, he’s going to get his wife.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Abyss vs. Mick Foley in a Monster’s Ball match at Bound For Glory 2009.

The Desi Hit Squad agrees to face the Deaners, but if they win, the Deaners are their servants.

Sami Callihan is ready to become World Champion as they take over the entire company. First up though: destroying Tommy Dreamer. WELL OF COURSE THAT’S WHAT MATTERS MOST! Therefore, next week it’s Sami/Dave Crist vs. Dreamer/Tessa.

Tag Team Titles: Daga/Ortiz vs. The North

The North is defending and Konnan is out with Daga/Ortiz. Ortiz hammers on Page in the corner to start but Page punches him in the face as Callis says Daga and Ortiz could be the next Strike Force to LAX’s Can-Am Connection. Daga comes in but gets taken down by a cheap shot, allowing Alexander to come in for a slugout. A headscissors sends Alexander outside and that means a big flip dive from Daga.

Back in and Daga’s suplex gets two on Alexander but an assisted suplex from the champs puts Daga down for a change. The alternating stomps keep Daga in trouble and it’s a northern lights suplex into some right hands. Daga manages a German suplex for the hot tag to Ortiz so everything can break down.

A springboard tornado DDT into a splash gets two on Alexander. The top rope double stomp to the back sets up a Death Valley Driver for two more but Page is right back up to jump Daga. Alexander’s moonsault gets two but Daga is back up with a low superkick for two more as everything breaks down. Daga gets sent outside and it’s the alley oop spinebuster to retain at 10:36.

Rating: B-. It’s still good but not as good as some of the other North matches we’ve been seeing as of late. They’ve turned from what seemed to be just another midcard team to quite a good act. This was likely to be the big final showdown with LAX but Daga was fine enough for a one off replacement. Nice main event here.

Post match the champs leave so Konnan/Daga/Ortiz can shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit of a downgrade over the last few weeks but what we got here was good enough. They’re getting into a nice groove and that’s something that can make for a rather effective way to set up some stuff in the future. Some of the stories aren’t the most interesting but they’re being given time and some things are being allowed to develop. Keep it at this pace and we should be just fine for the near future.

Results

Jake Crist b. Aiden Prince – Cutter

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards via DQ when Edwards attacked Austin

Madison Rayne b. Alexia Nicole – CrossRayne

Nate Madsen b. Stone Rockwell via DQ when Rhyno interfered

The North b. Daga/Ortiz – Alley oop spinebuster to Ortiz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Summerslam 2019
Date: August 11, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

This is finally the end of the parade of summer shows and we’re going out with not quite a bang. The card hasn’t felt the most interesting but that has been the case for a long time now. Since two matches were added to the Kickoff Show earlier in the day, we’re up to a nine match card, which isn’t the biggest lineup in the world. I’m not sure what to expect from the results but the level of interest has some work to do. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan

Lorcan is challenging after earning the shot on Tuesday. Gulak dropkicks him in the corner to start and works on a wristlock before being shoved into a standoff. Lorcan does what he does best and chops away in the corner, only to get slammed legs first onto the ropes for two. Back from a break with Gulak holding a chinlock but Lorcan powers out again. The running Blockbuster gives Lorcan a break and they head outside with more chops keeping Gulak in trouble.

They head back inside with Gulak slapping on the Gulock out of nowhere but Lorcan gets a boot on the rope. The Cyclone Crash is broken up and it’s a double clothesline for the double knockdown. Gulak wins a slugout and slaps Lorcan in the back of the head over and over, setting up the Gulock but Lorcan backflips into a cradle for two. Lorcan is ticked off and grabs him by the face for some shots to the jaw. Gulak gets knocked into the ropes but grabs the ring skirt, with the distraction letting him get in a right hand to Lorcan’s throat. The Cyclone Crash retains the title at 8:46.

Rating: C+. There was something positive to be said about the intensity here as these two beat each other up for a few minutes. A title change never felt likely here as Gulak can be a long term champion and Lorcan isn’t the right choice to take the title from him, despite a hard hitting effort. This would have been fine as the only Kickoff Show match but since this is a big night, we need to go three times as long.

Kickoff Show: Buddy Murphy vs. Apollo Crews

Bonus match. Murphy hits him in the jaw for two to start and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Crews fights up for a big collision off the double crossbody and they’re both down. Crews’ enziguri sends Murphy into the corner and the standing moonsault gets two. The gorilla press is broken up and Murphy hits a Cheeky Nandos kick, setting up the running powerbomb for two of his own. Crews grabs a rollup for a breather and Murphy rolls outside. A moonsault misses and Murphy sends him into the steps….and here’s Rowan to jump Murphy for the DQ at 5:41.

Rating: C-. Crews was just a means to an end here and that’s better than having him do something of note. The Rowan interference makes sense and is probably only half of what we’ll be seeing from the big Smackdown angle tonight. Murphy getting a spot in a story is nice, but they might want to let him get a win or two so people have a reason to care about him.

Post match Rowan destroys him while demanding that Murphy keep his name out of his mouth.

Here’s Elias for a song because we haven’t done that in at least a week. This time, the song is about how he knows he’s in Toronto, mainly because local sports teams aren’t great. Cue Edge of all people and in a pretty big surprise, he hits a spear to drop Elias. That’s it, but it was a cool moment.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: IIconics vs. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

Cross and Bliss are defending after winning the titles on Monday. Bliss is dressed as Buzz Lightyear and Billie has a Maleficent headpiece. As Bliss points her arm laser at Peyton, Graves lists off every Toy Story reference that he can while threatening to drop his Bliss fan club card. Cross comes in to beat up Peyton, who gets in a blind tag so Billie can get in a cheap shot.

The chinlock goes on as I try to get my head around Bliss and Cross as faces, even for one night. A jawbreaker gets Cross out of trouble and it’s off to Bliss for Insult to Injury. Bliss stops to yell at Peyton and gets kicked in the face but Cross comes in to take care of Billie. Something close to a Widow’s Peak gives Peyton two, sending her into a panic. Bliss punches her in the face to calm her down and Twisted Bliss retains the titles at 6:11.

Rating: D+. This could have been on any given episode of Raw but the Toy Story references made it so much more fun. Granted me being a die hard Disney fan might have a lot to do with that but why let it get in the way of a good time? Bliss and Cross aren’t likely to stay faces beyond one night, but it’s not like anything else with these titles makes sense anyway.

The opening video talks about how these moments don’t come around often and you have to seize them. Tonight is about showing the world who we are.

We recap Natalya vs. Becky Lynch. Natalya won a title shot in a four way (which went on for nearly half an hour and was a complete disaster) and then went all evil/witchy in a rather ridiculous twist. Now it’s a submission match with one hold against another.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Natalya

Becky is defending in a submission match. Natalya has a Canadian flag for reasons of sucking up to the crowd. Becky knocks her into the corner to start and fires off kicks to the ribs as Renee channels her inner Bobby Heenan by talking about how everyone has been talking about this match. An early cross armbreaker doesn’t do much good for Becky but she shifts to a triangle.

The referee accurately says Natalya getting to the rope means nothing so they roll to the floor with Becky being driven into the barricade. Some kicks to the leg have Becky in trouble and the fans are rather pleased with Natalya. A suplex sends the leg into the rope and Becky’s kick is blocked for another snap across the rope.

Natalya gets the Sharpshooter while sitting on the top rope for a change of pace, even though I don’t think it should count since Becky is halfway outside (which is different than a rope break). That’s broken up and they head outside with Becky sending her into the announcers’ table and then the apron. Back in and Natalya hits a superplex for the double knockdown.

Becky is up first and grabs a Sharpshooter, because that’s how you get heel heat in Canada. Natalya kicks her into the corner for the break and grabs the Disarm-Her. With that not working, Natalya switches to the Sharpshooter but Becky crawls underneath the bottom rope. Back in and Becky reverses another Sharpshooter attempt into the Disarm-Her to retain at 12:25.

Rating: B. I was worried they might change the title there so it was quite the relief at the end. I’m over the stealing the Sharpshooter in Canada spot but it’s something you just have to expect. The problem now is who Becky faces next, because she’s pretty much out of competition on Raw, unless they let Bliss try to be a double champion. The match was the usual well put together Natalya performance but her lack of charisma is still staggering.

Trish Stratus is nervous and excited but she’s a Hall of Famer for a reason and thrives on pressure. The hardest part has been the waiting because she wants to prove to Charlotte that the older generation still has it. If Charlotte is the Queen, she is the Queen of Queens.

We recap Dolph Ziggler vs. Goldberg. Ziggler has decided that legends are taking too much time as of late and superkicked Shawn Michaels. This was treated as a horrible moment so Miz signed to face Ziggler….tomorrow on Raw. Ziggler signed the contract without reading it and gets to face Goldberg here instead. Goldberg not having the best reputation in Toronto back in the day is just a detail that WWE doesn’t care about.

Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler

Before the match, Ziggler says he’s the best thing in wrestling today and is about to prove why legends are worthless. Goldberg’s entrance is politely received at best, though the chants do start at the bell. A superkick gives Ziggler an early one and then another one but Goldberg hits the huge spear (with Ziggler doing the over the top sell that everyone was hoping for). The Jackhammer finishes Ziggler at 2:10.

Post match Ziggler says that was like getting hit by a baby and Goldberg doesn’t have the guts to fight him man to man. Goldberg comes back down and spears him again, Ziggler runs his mouth again and gets speared again.

Big E. and Xavier Woods fire Kofi Kingston up and bring him a surprise: Drake…..Maverick. Kofi isn’t amused so he turns it into his usual fired up promo.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Ricochet for the US Title. Ricochet won the title from Samoa Joe and then defended it against Styles. AJ lost, sending him to a heel turn and reunification with the OC, who helped him win the title. Tonight is Ricochet’s rematch.

During the entrances, we get the international row of announcers, complete with R-Truth and Carmella included in disguise as the…..Australian Canadians?

US Title: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

AJ is defending and has the OC with him. Ricochet is in a full body suit, complete with gloves (I believe it’s Nightwing inspired). They start fast with Ricochet sending him outside and walking over the OC’s shoulders for a running hurricanrana. Back in and AJ gets him tied up in the corner to take over with Ricochet banging up his knee. The leg holds and twisting begin but Ricochet is back with a spinning kick to the face.

Ricochet gets to the apron for a springboard and since he’s Ricochet, uses one leg for a clothesline. The running shooting star gives Ricochet two but AJ knocks him off the apron for a baseball slide. Back in and the fireman’s carry backbreaker gets two but Ricochet manages an enziguri for two. The knee gives out again so AJ goes for the Calf Crusher, which is reversed into an Anaconda Vice of all things.

With that broken up, Ricochet manages a twisting suplex for two but has to take out the OC. That’s fine with Ricochet, who knocks AJ off the top and, after kicking Anderson away, tries a Phoenix splash to the standing Styles. That’s not the best idea though as AJ catches it in the Styles Clash to retain at 11:57 (that was a great looking finish).

Rating: B. Ricochet is a fascinating case as he does stuff that is ridiculous but makes it believable because of who he is. That spot with the one legged springboard just made me shake my head because of course he can do that. It just makes sense and that’s not something that should work, but it just kind of does. I’m sure we’ll get some kind of a gimmick rematch at Clash of Champions and that should be fine with everyone.

Post match AJ sends the OC after Ricochet, meaning this feud must continue.

The Street Profits are fired up with Dawkins taking his shot at hitting on Nikki Cross. That’s broken up by a Ric Flair appearance, with the Profits being in awe. Flair and the Profits fitting together like a glove is both bizarre and completely appropriate at the same time.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ember Moon vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending with Moon being her handpicked opponent. Bayley takes her down to start and grabs a headlock but Ember starts in on the back. A seated bow and arrow has Bayley in trouble but Ember misses the springboard spinning crossbody. Bayley gets two each off a clothesline and superplex as they’re still going pretty slowly. Ember sends her to the apron but a charge is caught in a front facelock. The twisting Stunner rocks Ember again and the Tree of Woe elbow gets two.

Bayley goes Chicago with the Billy Goat’s Curse until Ember hits her in the knee for a break. A trip to the floor lets Ember load up the suicide dive, which is blocked with a forearm. Back in and Ember hits a super hurricanrana into a powerbomb spun into a Codebreaker (or close enough to one) for two more. Ember’s powerbomb gets another near fall but Bayley is smart enough to charge at the corner before the Eclipse. That means a super Bayley to Belly to retain at 10:04.

Rating: D+. This was just disappointing and felt like a bad Smackdown match instead of something that belonged on Summerslam. There was no reason for them to be fighting other than one challenged the other and that showed here. All of the mind games from the previous weeks were forgotten and it was just a bunch of moves back and forth with Ember showing some fire. Bayley just isn’t the most interesting champion and this showed the flaws badly.

We recap Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon. Shane is on another power trip and Owens is standing up for everyone who is sick of him. Tonight it’s Owens’ career vs. nothing, because Shane is smart enough to not put anything on the line.

Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens

Owens’ career is on the line. Hang on though as Shane brings out Elias as the special enforcer to ensure fairness. The chase is on early, with Elias offering a distraction for a near countout. They head outside again with Elias getting in Owens’ face again, nearly causing a DQ because Elias is an official.

Back in and Owens hits the Cannonball but another Elias distraction lets Shane strike away in the corner. The fans tell Shane that he sucks as he hits some jumping knees and a Russian legsweep for two. A DDT gets the same and Shane strikes a Bret Hart pose (Velveteen Dream did it better last night and LET’S TRY THAT SHARPSHOOTER! That’s countered into a sitout powerbomb but Elias’ latest distraction means no count.

Elias throws in the chair of temptation with Shane offering Owens a free shot. Shane slaps him but Owens still won’t bite so Shane hits Elias by mistake. A superkick into the Swanton into the frog splash but Elias pulls the referee out. Owens bumps both of them and unloads on Elias with the chair to get rid of him. Back in and the referee sees Owens nearly hit Shane with the chair but doesn’t see Owens kick Shane low. The Stunner gives Kevin the pin at 9:29.

Rating: D+. The match wasn’t very good but egads it’s nice to not have to worry about Shane dominating a show or beating a former World Champion every time he’s out there. They seem to have finally figured out that the super push was a bad idea and finally pulled the plug, though you can almost guarantee a rematch, maybe even inside the Cell.

We recap the attacks on Roman Reigns, plus Rowan being named as the attacker.

We look at Rowan attacking Buddy Murphy on the Kickoff Show.

Charlotte vs. Trish Stratus

The best of this generation vs. the best of the previous generation. The fans are behind Trish of course and sing O Canada for her as Charlotte powers things into the corner to start. A way too early Stratusfaction attempt doesn’t work so Trish switches to a springboard hurricanrana instead. Charlotte goes for the leg so Trish kicks her into the corner to start some confusion.

They head outside with Trish hammering away (Fan: “I am very Stratusfied right now!”) but Charlotte sends her into the barricade to take over. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by Trish’s neck being bent around the rope. Charlotte tries a belly to back suplex, which is reversed into a crossbody for two.

That just ticks Charlotte off so she….adjusts her boot. Charlotte misses the moonsault and gets caught with a facebuster and some chops. Trish charges into a boot in the corner so Charlotte goes up. You don’t do that to Trish who tries the Stratusphere, which is caught in a powerbomb, which is reversed into a super hurricanrana.

Just to mess with Charlotte, Trish grabs the Figure Four and even bridges into the Figure Eight for some good humiliation. A rope is grabbed but Trish posts her and gets two off Stratusfaction. Charlotte is livid and says this is hers as they chop it out. The Chick Kick gets two but Charlotte takes her down into the Figure Four. The Figure Eight makes Trish tap at 16:41.

Rating: B. Probably the match of the night so far with the very good storytelling as Trish tried to turn back the clock but just couldn’t overcome Charlotte. They started slowly as Trish shook off the rust and eventually got back to where she could hang, but it just wasn’t enough in the end. It lived up to the hype as well as it could have and was the first match of the night that felt like it belonged on a major show.

Trish gets the hero’s sendoff, as she should.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston. Kofi has finally gotten his chance at the top of the company, ten years after Orton held him down before. Orton says he sees Kofi as a fluke and is ready to take his title back. This has been the best part of the build so far because they’ve nailed the story by making you feel for Kofi having to work so hard getting here. Orton is trying and that makes him one of the better performers around.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton

Kofi is defending. They yell at each other to start with Kofi getting fired up early on. Kofi knocks him into the corner but Orton begs off in a heelish move. A shove sends Kofi outside and Orton sends him into the announcers’ table before taking it back inside for some hair pulling on the ropes.

An uppercut puts Kofi on the floor but he dives off the steps to knock Orton down for a change. Orton is right back up with a drop onto the announcers’ table as the fans are split again. Back in and Orton slowly hammers away but a top rope superplex is broken up. That lets Kofi hit a tornado DDT and they’re both down for a bit. Kofi’s dropkick knocks Orton down but Orton does the same to the champ.

The elevated DDT is backdropped to the floor and Kofi hits the big dive. Back in and a high crossbody gives Kofi two but the second elevated DDT attempt connects. Orton takes too long to go for the RKO and has to duck Trouble in Paradise. Kofi goes up but dives into the RKO….for no cover. Instead Kofi rolls outside in front of his family so Orton glares at them. Kofi snaps and beats the fire out of him as it’s a…..it could be a DQ or a double countout actually, though either one takes place at 16:24.

Rating: B-. This was rather slow paced and it made the ending didn’t do it any favors. Next up is likely a hardcore based rematch at Clash of Champions and that should be fine. Kingston doesn’t have much high level competition so having Orton win the title would make some sense. It might not be the most thrilling, but Orton hasn’t held the thing in years and is fine for a transitional champion.

Post match Kofi unloads with a kendo stick and hits Trouble in Paradise as Graves talks about Kofi’s greatest weakness being exposed.

We recap Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor. Bray has been out of the ring for about a year now but has been releasing Firefly Fun House videos, showing that he now has a split personality. The evil side is called the Fiend and attacked Balor, who demanded the match. Normal Wyatt warned him against this as the Fiend is hard to control.

Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor

Finn is all in white and Bray…..has a lantern with a man’s head around it and the light in the mouth. Broken Out In Love is now sung by a group of women and is even creepier than before. Bray, in the Fiend mask, runs Finn over to start as we get a YOWIE WOWIE chant. A clothesline to the back of the head sets up a neck twist and there’s the release Rock Bottom. Bray looks conflicted and tries Sister Abigail but the delay lets Finn hit a Sling Blade. The comeback is on but the Coup de Grace is countered into the Mandible Claw to give Bray the win at 3:29. That was a great ending with Balor just going limp to end it.

Rating: C+. The match was a squash but the presentation was a complete home run as Wyatt felt like a monster and something other worldy ala the Undertaker the original Mankind. That’s the kind of thing you only get once in a good while and Wyatt nailed it here. Keep this up and you’ve got a special monster on your hands for a very, very long time.

Post match the lights go out and Bray laughs, before we see a closeup of the Fiend. The lights come back up and he’s gone as Balor doesn’t know what hit him.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins. Seth beat him for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania but then Lesnar won Money in the Bank and took the title back at Extreme Rules. Since then, Lesnar has annihilated Rollins and injured him pretty badly, but Seth is willing to fight anyway because he wants his title back.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar is defending and he gets PYRO. Brock goes straight for the taped up ribs to start and hits the shoulders in the corner. The German suplex is escaped and the Stomp gets an early two. Brock bails to the floor so Seth hits a running knee from the apron. Back in and Seth flips out of another German suplex. Two superkicks look to set up the Stomp but Brock reverses into the F5 for no cover.

Brock swings him around by the rib tape and declares it punishment time, meaning it’s time to roll some German suplexes. They head outside with Brock hitting another suplex on the floor. Rollins manages to post him a few times and a springboard knee to the head connects. The top rope version misses and Brock hits the release German suplex. Heyman looking so happy is a great bonus.

The gloves come off and a waistlock goes on for a bit. Lesnar’s charge hits the post though and Seth kicks him to the floor. Two suicide dives connects but the third is caught for a hard ram to send Rollins into the post. Lesnar can’t follow up though and Seth knocks him onto the table, setting up the huge frog splash through it for the big crash. Back in and Rollins hits a top rope splash for two more, followed by the Stomp for the same. Another Stomp gives Rollins the title back at 13:26.

Rating: B-. Well I’m rather surprised. Having no titles changing hands until the ending was a bit of a tell tale sign, but I’m certainly not going to say that this is it for Lesnar. WWE likes going with this same idea far too often and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I’ll take Rollins as champion over Lesnar though, just for the sake of having a chance of something fresh.

Rollins celebrates, with more pyro, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The ending helped but it was one of only a few things that felt memorable about the whole show. Charlotte vs. Trish felt like a dream match, the Fiend is one of the best debuts I can remember and then you have the title change. Other than that, it was a rather lackluster show without much in the way of memorable moments. It’s not a terrible show but it’s one that people aren’t going to remember beyond a few more days. That shouldn’t be the case for Summerslam but maybe now we can move fully into the new era, which sounds like a very good idea after a long summer.

Results

Becky Lynch b. Natalya – Disarm-Her

Goldberg b. Dolph Ziggler – Jackhammer

AJ Styles b. Ricochet – Styles Clash

Bayley b. Ember Moon – Super Bayley to Belly

Kevin Owens b. Shane McMahon – Stunner

Charlotte b. Trish Stratus – Figure Eight

Bray Wyatt b. Finn Balor – Mandible Claw

Seth Rollins b. Brock Lesnar – Stomp

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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