Ring Of Honor TV – August 28, 2019: At Least There Wasn’t A Shoe
IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling
Ring of Honor
Date: August 28, 2019
Location: Mattamy Athletic Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McCay, Ian Riccaboni
The slow decline of this show and possibly the promotion continues as they try whatever they can to get Matt Taven over as World Champion. This time around it means Alex Shelley as the veteran challenger with no chance of winning the title. It’s not like they have anyone else that Taven hasn’t already beaten, other than Rush, who seems to be the one to take the title off of him. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
We look at Shelley injecting himself into the World Title picture.
Clips of Alex Shelley/Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham beating the Kingdom at Mass Hysteria when Shelley made Marseglia tap.
Shelley is ready to take the title from Taven in Toronto.
We look at Tasha Steelz pinning Angelina Love twice in a row but needing Kelly Klein to save her from the Allure.
Clips of Klein retaining the Women of Honor Title over Steelz at Summer Supercard. Angelina jumped them both after the match. Just put the title on her already and get it over with.
Klein jumped Angelina in the back.
Lifeblood is ready for Villain Enterprises. Again.
We see Flip Gordon attacking Tracy Williams, which seemed to cost Williams the TV Title match later in the night.
Taylor is tired of not being promoted as a big star.
Highlights from Ladder War in Toronto with the Briscoes defending against Guerrillas of Destiny, which has to be clipped due to violence. It certainly does look carnagey.
The announcers give a quick Top Prospect Tournament preview.
Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley
Taven is defending and OF COURSE we have all the time in the world for him. They go to the mat to start with Taven holding a headscissors until Shelley blows his nose on him for a standoff. It’s back to the mat for a rollup on Taven and they stare at each other again. That works so well that they do it again for yet another standoff. A third rollup into MORE STARING lets Shelley do some pushups as they’re staying in first gear.
Taven bails to the floor to change things up a bit before coming back in for….another rollup for two. Back from a break with Shelley’s Sliced Bread off the post attempt being shoved through a table as something finally happens. Shelley dives back in to beat the count so Taven hits a backbreaker for two. The back is bent over Taven’s knee, followed by a butterfly backbreaker for two more. A Liontamer makes the back even worse but Shelley makes the rope in a hurry.
Taven goes with a rolling neckbreaker for two but Shelley is back up with a slingshot DDT onto the apron for the double knockdown. Sliced Bread onto the barricade rocks Taven, who pops right back up with the dive over the barricade. Back in and Jay White’s Blade Runner gets two on Taven, followed by a pair of superkicks. Sliced Bread gets two more but Taven hits the Climax. The cover is countered into a rollup to give Shelley two but Taven knees him in the head and hits the Climax to retain at 15:22.
Rating: C+. The ending got better but all of the stuff with both guys’ backs being banged up just came and went. Taven’s seemingly never ending title reign continues with another pretty good but not great match. The problem is everything in between as the whole thing just keeps going, whether or not anyone wants to see it continue. Shelley never felt like a real threat to the title, but that is the case a lot of the time when Taven defends.
Overall Rating: C-. Well at least they finally moved forward to a slightly newer show. That being said, having the show focus on Taven isn’t an interesting way to go and I don’t quite see things getting much better. The whole company is searching for bright spots these days and that has been the case for a long time now. The problem is they’re getting further and further apart and that’s not going to work in the long term. The show wasn’t bad, but it isn’t something that makes me want to keep watching. Given their attendance issues of late, that is the case for a lot of people.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
NXT – August 28, 2019: As Good As It Gets
IMG Credit: WWE
NXT
Date: August 28, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness
We’re down to three weeks to go before the big switch over and tonight we have what might be the last title match on the hour long version. That would be the Street Profits defending the Tag Team Titles against the Undisputed Era as the Era’s quest for all the gold continues. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Quick look at tonight’s title match.
Opening sequence.
Io Shirai vs. Cami Fields
Shirai hits a running dropkick at the bell and loads up what looks to be a package piledriver. Cami backdrops out but Shirai lands on her feet and hits another dropkick. The moonsault gets two with Shirai pulling her up, followed by something like a reverse Koji Clutch to make Fields tap at 1:43.
Post match Shirai pulls out the kendo stick but Candice LeRae makes the save.
Video on Kushida.
Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic
Hold on as Lee has to conduct the crowd for an OH BASK IN HIS GLORY chant. Lee shrugs off some kicks to the ribs to start and hits a big shoulder. That just earns him the cyclone boot but Lee blocks a suplex attempt and hits him in the face. Lee gets sent to the apron but Dijakovic won’t let himself go face first into the buckle. Instead Lee hits a slingshot crossbody for two, followed by one heck of a lariat for the same. They fight to the apron with Lee spinebustering him down onto the apron, but this time Lee isn’t settling for the countout.
Dijakovic gets in a boot and Lee heads outside again, meaning it’s a big running flip dive (Nigel: “If he flies, he flies.”) because OF COURSE HE CAN DO THAT. Back in and Dijakovic tries a top rope flip dive but Lee catches him in the air. The powerbomb is countered as Dijakovic backflips out, setting up the toss suplex. The moonsault gets two on Lee so they head up top, with Lee busting out a super Spanish Fly. This time it’s Lee going up and, after elbowing Dijakovic off the top, getting superkicked in the leg to bring him back down. Feast Your Eyes finally finishes Lee 11:19 for the standing ovation.
Rating: A-. It might not have been the highest quality or anything like that, but this had more HOW DID THEY DO THAT moments than anything I’ve seen outside of some crazy lucha stuff in a long, long time. I was sitting here wondering how in the world they could keep doing these big spots and then they just kept doing it. This was incredible stuff and I had as good of a time watching it as I’ve had in probably a year watching a regular TV match.
We get a career retrospective on Johnny Gargano, who seems ready to leave. We start with a look at DIY’s success before moving on to the split, the matches with Andrade and then the classics with Ciampa, capped off by him finally winning the NXT Title in the match with Adam Cole. If that had been the finally victory over Ciampa, it would have been an all time feud. We also see part of his big farewell after Takeover: Toronto.
Shane Thorne comes up to commentary and asks why we’re talking about Gargano and not his win streak or his devastating kicks. Focus on the present people.
We look back at Mia Yim going after Shayna Baszler last week.
Mia begged William Regal for another title shot and was told no because she already had her chance. Fair point.
Here are Shayna and the Horsewomen for a chat but Rhea Ripley of all people shows up and takes the mic, saying Shayna hasn’t beaten her b****. The trio bails.
Video on Pete Dunne, who wants the North American Title and will break anyone who tries to stop him.
Next week: Jordan Myles vs. Adam Cole for the NXT Title.
Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era vs. Street Profits
The Profits are defending after pinning the illegal man at Takeover. The fans want the smoke as Fish grabs a wristlock on Ford to start. O’Reilly comes in for a headlock and some spot calling, one of which seems to be bringing in Dawkins to take O’Reilly down. Everything breaks down for a bit with Ford hitting the crazy high dropkick and getting tossed onto Fish for two.
Ford gets taken into the corner for the hard strikes from O’Reilly, with the leg being twisted around the rope to make it even worse. A cannonball down onto the leg is broken up but O’Reilly pulls the leg down so Fish can hit the slingshot hilo. Ford gets back up and manages to get over for the tag to Dawkins, who cleans house. A spear gets two on Fish but O’Reilly is right back with Chasing the Dragon for a rather near fall.
O’Reilly grabs the kneebar until Ford makes the save and everyone is down. We get the four way slugout until Dawkins hits a Sky High on Fish. The Rock Bottom into the frog splash (from Dawkins for a change) gets two on O’Reilly with Fish making the save. Ford hits a running flip dive but misses the real frog splash. Dawkins’ spear hits a raised knee and it’s High/Low to Ford for the pin and the titles at 11:31.
Rating: B. Good match here with the Street Profits going down in a hot one. The Era getting the titles back might not be the most exciting way to go but it comes at the end of a reign that saw the Profits grow up before our eyes. They went from the fun, goofy team to actual stars on this show and that’s how you make someone matter. They’ll be fine with the entrance alone and if their matches keep getting better, they could be quite the force for a long time.
The rest of the Era comes out to celebrate to end the show.
Overall Rating: A+. Yeah that’s probably higher than it should be but who cares. I had a blast watching this whole thing and it was one of the best, most entertaining hours of TV I can remember in a long time. There wasn’t a single bad thing on the entire show and it set up a few very interesting things down the line. I’m almost scared of where things are going on USA but they’re going out with a heck of a taping and one of the best shows I can remember them doing.
Results
Io Shirai b. Cami Fields – Reverse Koji Clutch
Dominick Dijakovic b. Keith Lee – Feast Your Eyes
Undisputed Era b. Street Profits – High/Low to Ford
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
NXT UK – August 28, 2019: They Need To Work On Go Home Show
IMG Credit: WWE
NXT UK
Date: August 28, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness
It’s the go home show for Takeover: Cardiff, which feels like it was announced a very long time ago. Last week’s show saw Tyler Bate and Walter have their big showdown, which makes me wonder what is left for this week’s show. The good thing is I have some confidence that they could pull this one off so maybe we’re in for a strong last show. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Tyson T-Bone
Dragunov’s music is still awesome. T-Bone grabs a headlock and runs Dragunov over with a shoulder. That earns him a knee to the face and a backsplash (make sure you get in your backsplash) so T-Bone is back with a right hand. The armbar goes on with Dragunov giving T-Bone the crazy eyes.
T-Bone slaps on a nerve hold instead, which lasts as long as any standard nerve hold. Dragunov fights back with the collection of clotheslines and a German suplex, but a second attempt is knocked down with a right hand. A missed charge sends T-Bone’s shoulder into the post and it’s a top rope backsplash to crush him. Torpedo Moscow gives Dragunov the pin at 5:38.
Rating: C-. How in the world is Dragunov not on Takeover? Normally I would ask how in the world he isn’t a heel but with that kind of intensity, it’s easy to see why he’s cheered so soundly. You can imagine him turning heel somewhere down the line though as he could be a heck of a monster heel despite his size. Just don’t have him lose to Kassius Ohno of all people again.
Video on Toni Storm’s path to the Women’s Title and Kay Lee Ray wanting to take it from her. Ray has made it personal, including bringing up their past friendship and Toni’s dad walking out on the family.
Jack Gallagher asks the fans who is the better British wrestler: Kassius Ohno or himself? Ohno pinned him despite the foot being underneath the ropes, so he’d like a rematch next week.
Joseph Conners vs. Oliver Carter
Nothing to get you in the mood for a big show like a Joseph Conners match. Carter is from Ghana but lives in Switzerland for a pretty unique mix. Some early strikes set up a backdrop to Conners, who is tossed outside in a fast start. Back in and Conners pulls him down by the hair and forearms away at the chest. Conners runs him over for two as the fans are trying to get into this. Carter fights back with more shots to the face and scores with some top rope knees to the chest. An overhead belly to belly into a kick to the face gives Carter two but he misses a Lionsault. Don’t Look Down finishes Carter at 6:26.
Rating: D+. Carter is someone with some potential as he looks fine and had some good fire, but my goodness what do they see in Conners? He’s been around since the beginning of the show and is little more than a gatekeeper, so he wins here? Conners has been one of the few true misses since the promotion debuted and this match could have fit into any spot in his history. The matches aren’t even that bad but they’re so uninteresting that I was checking the clock to see how much longer it could possibly go.
Takeover rundown.
Cesaro says he’s coming to Cardiff to take a more hands on approach.
Video on Piper Niven vs. Rhea Ripley. They meet next week.
Kenny Williams vs. Jordan Devlin
Feeling out process to start with Williams taking him down by the arm, followed by a backdrop and a clothesline to the floor. That’s enough for Devlin but Williams isn’t letting him walk so easily. Devlin sends him back first into the barricade though and it’s a suplex back inside to bang Williams up even more. With Devlin saying that he isn’t breaking a sweat, it’s another shot to Williams’ back.
Devlin kicks him in the back and says he’s the ace to Kenny’s joker, which brings Williams up to hit Devlin in the face. Another kick to the face gives Williams two but Devlin is back with a shot to the ribs. They head to the apron but Devlin can’t get a Spanish Fly to the floor. Back inside and Williams hits a great looking top rope elbow to the face. Devlin counters a charge into a wheelbarrow suplex (fans: “YOU KILLED KENNY!”), followed by a Spanish Fly for two.
What looks like a super Regal Roll is countered into a springboard hurricanrana to bring Devlin back down and a wheelbarrow faceplant gives Williams two more. Williams gets sent chest first into the buckle though and Devlin hits a moonsault onto the back for another near fall. Devlin has had it with this and pulls Williams in for the Saito suplex and the pin at 12:33.
Rating: B-. Williams is good for a completely passable if not above average performance every time he’s out there and you have Devlin who is one of the best all around performers on the show. The problem is that this felt like the least important match since the previous one, which has been the case for the entire show. Devlin could be a big deal around here but they keep putting him in matches like this one and it’s getting repetitive.
Long video on Tyler Bate vs. Walter, with Walter winning the UK Title and forming Imperium to go after British Strong Style. Walter injured Pete Dunne so Bate is fighting for the team’s honor. And the title.
Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans to complain about Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews qualifying for the Tag Team Title match by winning singles matches (fair point). Cue Gallus and Webster/Andrews for the big brawl to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. Oh this didn’t work. Other than a few parts here and there, this felt like they ran out of ways to build up Takeover last week and threw everyone not on the show out here to fill in time. It’s a perfectly watchable nearly hour long show but it took a lot of the energy out of the build to Takeover. The show itself is all that matters, but what we had here wasn’t working in regards to setting up Saturday.
Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Tyson T-Bone – Torpedo Moscow
Joseph Conners b. Oliver Carter – Don’t Look Down
Jordan Devlin b. Kenny Williams – Saito suplex
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
Monday Night Raw – March 28, 2005: The Home Stretch
IMG Credit: WWE
Monday Night Raw
Date: March 28, 2005
Location: Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas
Attendance: 7,300
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania and odds are that means a lot of final pushes towards the show. You might see less action than usual as well as WWE won’t be wanting to risk any unnecessary injuries before the biggest night of the year. Batista and HHH are going face to face tonight so we’ll see where they go with their last chance. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Chris Jericho is in the ring for the Highlight Reel and of course there is a ladder in the middle with the briefcase above it. Jericho talks about making history by becoming the first Undisputed Champion and he’ll do it again by winning the first Money in the Bank ladder match. He knows what it feels like to be World Champion and he wants to feel it again. That brings him to his guests: Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin.
Jericho says the three of them are kind of friends but he’ll do whatever it takes to win the briefcase. That’s fine with Benoit, but what isn’t fine is Jericho saying he wants to win more than anyone. Shelton interrupts to say that he’s never been World Champion but he’s the only one with gold right now. Cue Christian and Tyson Tomko to say that they’re all lame and that Christian is winning on Sunday. Christian asks what will happen when he gets his first World Title shot. Shelton: “Probably get your a** beat by Batista or HHH.” That was funny.
Christian takes credit for winning two ladder matches at Wrestlemania so here’s Edge to interrupt. He had something to do with those wins but on Sunday, he’ll be winning his third on his own. Edge doesn’t want to hear about Intercontinental Titles or broken necks because he’s done all of that. He’ll do whatever it takes to win the title so Benoit lunges to start the brawl.
Chris Jericho/Shelton Benjamin/Chris Benoit vs. Tyson Tomko/Christian/Edge
Joined in progress with Christian coming in to hammer on Jericho in the corner. Jericho grabs a suplex and brings Shelton in for two off a very fast running shoulder. Benjamin fights out of the corner without much effort but Tomko catches him with a Boss Man Slam. The villains start taking over on Shelton as Lawler explains the details of the MITB contract. That sounds like old hat now, but explaining that someone could cash in on an injured champion at a moment’s notice was a new concept back then.
Shelton powers over to the corner but the referee doesn’t see it and the trouble continues. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Shelton fights up for a double clothesline. The diving tag brings Benoit in for a quick suplex into the Sharpshooter with Christian having to save Edge. Therefore, Benoit German suplexes Christian over and over but Edge crotches Benoit on top. A superplex brings the bloody Benoit (busted open off a headbutt to Tomko) down and we come back from a break with Benoit covered in blood.
He’s also fighting out of a chinlock and getting elbowed in the face for two with Benjamin making the save. Benoit is fine enough to headbutt Christian off the top and hit the Swan Dive, setting up the real hot tag to Jericho. Everything breaks down and Edge spears Tomko by mistake, only to have Shelton Dragon Whip Benoit by mistake. The exploder plants Christian but Tomko hits a heck of a big boot on Shelton. Jericho doesn’t mind and puts Tomko in the Walls for the win.
Rating: C+. This was your standard “get (almost) everyone in the big match in this match for a preview” and the talent in there made it worked. Tomko was a good enough Kane substitute as he was only in there for the power stuff. The good thing about having this much talent is you can throw them into any combination and get a nice match, which is what they had here.
Post match Christian brings in the ladder but here’s Kane to take everyone out.
When Harry Met Sally Wrestlemania trailer.
Eric Bischoff comes in to see Batista and makes him promise a lack of physicality when he and HHH face off tonight. Bischoff can’t afford an injury, so Batista says HHH shouldn’t get injured. Batista promises to not start anything tonight, but he’ll finish anything HHH starts. That’s enough for Eric, but he comes back to ask about Batista’s used car salesman last week. Bischoff brings up Batista’s movie trailer and thinks he could be a Hollywood star (the man knows talent). Batista appreciates that and thinks Bischoff reminds him of someone in Pulp Fiction. That would be the Gimp.
Trish, Christy (in a dress, with Lita), arm wrestling, Christy wins after delays, Christy wins a rematch, Trish nails Lita in the leg. Every one you’ve ever seen of these things.
Classic Steve Austin Moment: the beer truck.
Here’s Randy Orton for a chat. We see a clip of him attacking Stacy Keibler last week, earning Orton a mixed reaction. Perhaps from fans who are glad Stacy is gone? Last week, Stacy hesitated when Orton asked if he could beat Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Orton isn’t waiting because you’re either with him or against him and he wants no distractions. Undertaker is undefeated at Wrestlemania because everyone is beaten before they get into the ring. His future involves a Hall of Fame plaque, which says he beat Undertaker at Wrestlemania. The Undertaker is a legend but Orton is a legend killer.
The lights go out and we see a video counting down the Undertaker’s victims at Wrestlemania over the years. These Wrestlemania videos are always well done and they played a big part in making the Streak feel so important. Back in the arena, the posts catch on fire and Orton is scared to death on the floor. These segments have been good, but I’m not quite buying Orton as a threat after how far he’s fallen in the last few months.
Post break Kane comes up to Orton and sees through his confidence. Kane was lucky to escape two Wrestlemania matches against Undertaker. Orton says he knows what he’s getting into but Kane says Orton needs to prove that he isn’t scared of Undertaker. He has six days to prove it. So there’s a Smackdown segment.
Tag Team Titles: Simon Dean/Maven vs. La Resistance vs. William Regal/Tajiri
Regal and Tajiri are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Dean and Maven hit a double hiptoss on Tajiri to start so Regal comes in for a double elbow to Maven. La Resistance make their own save so Dean can hit a swinging neckbreaker on Regal. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Grenier gets in a cheap shot from the apron but Regal is right back with a snap bell to back suplex. The hot (though you wouldn’t know it by listening) tag brings in Tajiri for a bunch of kicks, including a big one to pin Maven and retain the titles.
Rating: D. So that didn’t do much. These four were thrown on the show because they had nothing to do at Wrestlemania (save for maybe being in the battle royal), which doesn’t seem to matter despite Regal and Tajiri being champions. I know they’ve been around forever, but would dropping them be the worst thing? Just for now? Other than house show matches, do they really serve an important purpose?
Bischoff tries to convince HHH to stay calm tonight but HHH says Bischoff is forcing him into the ring tonight. HHH will stay calm but if Batista blinks at him in the wrong way, it’s on. These segments feel like filler but what else are they going to do on this show? Promote something else for Wrestlemania?
Smackdown Rebound.
Muhammad Hassan vs. Shawn Michaels
Hassan and Daivari do their usual stuff before the match and it’s a bit more over than usual in Texas. Hassan goes with a knee to the ribs to take Shawn down early and hammers away with right hands. Back up and Shawn is smart enough to stomp on Daivari’s interfering fingers as we take a break.
We come back with Shawn’s back in trouble as Hassan’s offense continues to not be impressive in any way. A back elbow gives Hassan two and the chinlock goes on. There’s a hard whip into the corner to hurt the back even more as they’re managing to kill a Texas crowd in a Shawn Michaels match.
More whips into the corner have Shawn’s back in more trouble and the USA chant proves Hassan’s point all over again. The camel clutch (loose, to be countered version) is broken up with a grab of the ropes and the fans….don’t seem to care. Shawn’s comeback is on with the atomic drop into the forearm into the nipup into the top rope elbow. Sweet Chin Music is loaded up for a very long time but Kurt Angle runs in for the DQ.
Rating: D. This was a great example of what happens when you’re just not that good. Hassan tries but his whole appeal is his gimmick, which isn’t that good either. It’s such a one note promo and idea and while it can work in small doses, we’ve heard the same promo about prejudice time after time. Then he gets in the ring and is so boring that there is no reason to care about anything he does. Even Shawn couldn’t lift him up so who else can make it work?
Post match Angle hits Muhammad by mistake and Shawn fights him off, sending Angle into the crowd as security comes out.
Bischoff tells security to be ready for the Batista vs. HHH brawl.
Wrestlemania Taxi Driver trailer.
Bischoff is in the ring to moderate the big showdown so here are HHH, Flair and Batista. HHH gets to go first and takes his time (shocking) to call Batista ungrateful. After everything HHH has done for him, this is how Batista repays him? No one knew who he was before he met HHH and now Batista is a star.
This goes on and on (shocking) until Batista gets to talk about how he’s going to win on Sunday. He does make sure to throw in some compliments to Flair, because we must praise Flair. Batista promises to take HHH out on Sunday so there goes the table. HHH slaps him in the face (so much for Bischoff’s warning) and security has to be dispatched, leaving Batista standing tall to end the show. That was about as uneventful as you could get, with Batista doing everything he has done before and HHH saying everything he has said before. It changed nothing for Sunday, but the match has been set for so long now that it doesn’t matter.
Overall Rating: D. I wasn’t into this one as they basically shut down everything for some of the same builds toward Sunday, which we’ve covered extensively in the last few weeks. The six man was good but that’s not enough to carry things. This was what happened when the big show is already set and has been for months now. I’m no more interested in watching Wrestlemania than I was before and I felt like I needed to get through this show more than enjoying it and that’s not good with six days to go.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
Smackdown – August 27, 2019: Score One For Easy E
IMG Credit: WWE
Smackdown
Date: August 27, 2019
Location: Raising Cane’s River Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton
The first round of the King of the Ring wraps up tonight and it’s getting pretty clear that Raw is the favored side. The talent pool just feels deeper over there as this show is going to include Shelton Benjamin getting a first round match. Maybe that would have been interesting fifteen years ago but it doesn’t quite work right now. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with the same video on Roman Reigns’ attacks that we saw last night.
Reigns promises a response to Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan in the ring tonight.
Here’s Kofi Kingston for a chat, but first we see a video on Randy Orton’s attacks since Summerslam. Kofi has heard Orton calling him stupid but who got knocked out last week? Now Orton is trying to turn this personal and he’s bringing in the Revival to help him out. That means Orton is seeing the look when you mess with Kofi’s family so Kofi is ready for Clash Of Champions. Kofi starts the hip thrusts but Orton appears on screen to say STUPID over and over.
Earlier today, Orton was in his hotel room when someone knocked on his door and slid a letter underneath. Normally he doesn’t reply to fan mail but this one was different. It says that Orton is hurting Kofi and he needs to stop hurting him every night. Kofi isn’t just his hero because Kofi is his daddy. It’s from Kofi’s son Kai, and Orton realized that he is staying in the same hotel as Kofi’s family. Maybe he should pay them a visit. Kofi charges to the back and the fight is on in the gorilla position, with Kofi getting hit with the hanging DDT onto the concrete. Kofi is out cold and medics are requested. That was certainly a great THUD.
Post break, Big E. assures us that Kofi will be ready for Clash of Champions but after his match with Orton tonight, Randy might not be.
Recap of the first round of the King of the Ring.
King of the Ring First Round: Ali vs. Buddy Murphy
The winner gets Elias next week. Ali starts fast with a running hurricanrana to put Murphy on the floor. The running flip dive doesn’t work as Murphy catches him with a running knee to the face and we take an early break. Back with Ali catapulting him chest first into the corner and hitting a pop up dropkick to put Murphy on the floor again.
Murphy is right back with a shot of his own and that means the big running flip dive, which is quite the landing given Murphy’s size. Back in and Ali ducks the top rope Meteora, setting up the reverse hurricanrana for a close two. Murphy comes back with another knee to the face and a brainbuster for two of his own. The fans deem this awesome as the slugout is on, including Ali’s spinwheel kick. A tornado DDT from the apron back inside plants Murphy and Ali’s 450 is good for the pin at 9:09.
Rating: B. I can see why these two are the choice for the dark match so often. They beat the heck out of each other and it’s easy to cheer for either of them. That being said, it’s probably not a good sign for Murphy’s future if he’s losing clean in the first round of the tournament. Being able to have that kind of a match will keep him around for a long time though and he should be fine, albeit maybe not as fine as he looked last week.
They do the big respectful handshake.
Ember Moon comes up to Bayley, who seems to be worried about Charlotte. Moon doesn’t want to talk about Summerslam but also doesn’t want to hear about Charlotte being the face of the division. It’s all about bringing everyone up, so here’s Lacey Evans to say Bayley is bringing the title down. Egads it’s like the return of the summer. Bayley against Evans tonight.
Here’s the Miz to address Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn attacking him last week. Nakamura is a champion and Sami is a hanger on who couldn’t make it in the ring himself. Nakamura may be the King of Strong Styles but Miz is the man who made the Intercontinental Title relevant and he can do it again. The challenge is made for Clash of Champions but here’s a laughing Sami to interrupt. Sami says Miz still doesn’t get it because he has liberated Nakamura.
Instead of the King of Strong Style, Miz is the King of Soft Style. Miz throws out the challenge to face Sami right now but that’s a no. Miz goes after Sami but Nakamura jumps him from behind as Sami talks about how awesome the artistry is. Kinshasa against the LED board leaves Miz laying. Sami: “AHAHAHAHA!” They get inside with Sami talking about Miz’s lack of respect for artistry, setting up another Kinshasa.
Kevin Owens comes in to see Shane McMahon but finds Elias playing the guitar instead. There is no Shane tonight (yet his roving office was set up) so Owens leaves.
Bayley vs. Lacey Evans
Non-title. Lacey takes her time removing the glove but her cheap shot is blocked. An armbar doesn’t work very well for Bayley as Lacey slams her way out of it and kicks away in the corner. They head outside with Bayley hitting a running clothesline but here’s Charlotte for a distraction.
Back from a break with Bayley hitting a middle rope crossbody but getting caught in….a layout DDT I think? Lacey slams the arm onto the apron and the slingshot Bronco Buster gets two. A dropkick to the back gives Bayley a breather and some clotheslines have Lacey rocked. An Indian Deathlock of all things has Lacey….in the rope about two seconds later.
Lacey knocks her down again and hits a good looking spinning moonsault for two. Charlotte is NOT impressed as Bayley goes outside and manages a suplex off the barricade. Back in and Bayley gets more aggressive, including a knee to the head. The Bayley to Belly gets two so Bayley hits it again and drops the top rope elbow for the pin at 14:28.
Rating: C+. They had some time here and the match was entertaining enough but they still can’t get out of Charlotte’s shadow. Even if Bayley retains the title at Clash of Champions, how long before Charlotte gets a rematch and wins the title again anyway? They don’t have anything else for her to do though and this is about as good as they’re going to do.
Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan aren’t leaving until they get an apology from Reigns.
Randy Orton vs. Big E.
Big E. isn’t playing and knocks Orton outside early on. Orton is thrown into various things, including over the barricade. Back in and Big E. does the spanking abdominal stretch, which isn’t exactly playing into the angry theme. Some hard running clotheslines keep Orton down as it’s completely one sided so far. Big E. misses the apron splash though, with his face bouncing off the apron in a nasty landing.
Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Big E. dropping him onto the table to even things up and it’s time for the belly to belly suplexes. Cue the Revival for a distraction and cheap shot from the floor, setting up the RKO to give Orton the pin at 8:43.
Rating: C. One of these days, WWE is going to open their eyes and see what they have in Big E. and strap a rocket to his back. Or at least they should, because there is almost nothing that he can’t do. The idea here was to have Orton continue to take out the New Day and while the idea of “Kofi can’t do it by himself” is played out, at least they’re actually doing something about it to set things up. If nothing else, the Revival should get the titles out of it.
Post match Orton and the Revival hit the super RKO.
Chad Gable is ready for his King of the Ring match when Shelton Benjamin comes up. Shelton can’t see him because he’s short.
We look at the weekend’s 24/7 Title shenanigans.
Elias is sitting on the throne and says none of the previous winners will be able to wear the crown like he can. But what would a bunch of Louisiana people understand about that? Cue Owens to jump Elias and hit the Stunner in the ring. Cue R-Truth to steal the title but Drake Maverick breaks it up and gets the title for himself.
King of the Ring First Round: Shelton Benjamin vs. Chad Gable
The winner gets Andrade next week. Shelton hits a spinebuster for a very early two and whips him hard into the corner for the same. One too many short jokes wakes Gable up though and he hits a running flip neckbreaker. A scary looking German suplex drops Shelton on his head but he’s right back up with a hard clothesline. Gable knocks him off the top but misses the moonsault, allowing Shelton to knee him in the face. Shelton’s powerbomb is countered into a very fast sunset flip for the pin at 3:43.
Rating: B-. That was a heck of a sub four minute match as they were hitting each other rather hard and packed a bunch into so little time. I was surprised that it was such a short match as it felt like something that would have needed twice as long. If nothing else, maybe we don’t have to listen to the short jokes anymore because that’s about as bad as you can get.
Here’s Roman Reigns for the apology to Bryan and Rowan. The two of them appear on screen with Bryan demanding his apology. We see a video of the forklift attack and Rowan is shown pushing some of the crates onto Roman. Bryan slaps him in the face, shouting about how he hates liars. With Rowan gone, Bryan comes to the ring and says he trusted Rowan for almost the last year and now he has been betrayed. Bryan comes to the ring and says he didn’t know what happened but it’s a spear to put him down to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a show with storyline developments and nothing bad throughout the show. What mattered here was getting things ready for Clash of Champions while also moving things forward in various places, including the main event and King of the Ring. I had a really good time with this show and it flew by for a nice plus. Very good show and easily the best of the Bischoff Era so far.
Results
Ali b. Buddy Murphy – 450
Bayley b. Lacey Evans – Top rope elbow
Randy Orton b. Big E. – RKO
Chad Gable b. Shelton Benjamin – Sunset flip
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
Monday Night Raw – August 26, 2019: They’re Going In A Dangerous Direction
IMG Credit: WWE
Monday Night Raw
Date: August 26, 2019
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young
The King of the Ring continues tonight but we also need to start the build towards Clash of Champions. The show is in less than three weeks and there is barely anything set up so far. That needs to start changing tonight and odds are it will, including a likely Universal Title match between Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Here’s Sasha Banks for a chat, but first we see a recap of Banks attacking Natalya (twice) and Becky Lynch. To be fair Natalya kind of earned it. So why did Banks do it? She worked so hard to get where she is over the years and then took her Wrestlemania paycheck to take a much needed vacation. That was the same Wrestlemania where Becky main evented the show for so much more money without putting in the work. Sasha is back because she runs the division because she is the talk of the division. Now she’s back to deserve all the glory but here’s Natalya for the brawl. Officials and agents need some time to break it up.
The Street Profits hype up the show, including listing off everyone in the Tag Team Turmoil #1 contenders match. Dawkins: “What is a Tag Team Turmoil match????” Ford: “Graphic please.” The winning team gets a title shot and ALL OF THE SMOKE.
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre
The winner gets Samoa Joe in the quarterfinals next week. Ricochet wants to wear the crown like his heroes and Drew has a seat on the throne. Drew doesn’t care about former winners because they were all disappointments. He’ll change that though. Ricochet gets thrown around to start but Drew gets tossed to the floor for the middle rope moonsault.
Drew is out of the way so it’s a standoff, only to have Drew side slam him onto the barricade. Without putting Ricochet down, it’s a side slam onto the steps as we take a break. Back with Drew working on the back some more but a missed charge in the corner sets up a kick to Drew’s head. A springboard missile dropkick puts Drew on the floor and it’s the big twisting dive over the top to wipe him out.
Back in and the reverse hurricanrana is countered into the reverse Alabama Slam to give Drew two, with the fans reacting to the kickout. Ricochet gets in a rare power display by catching a corner splash, only to have Drew hit the suplex toss (I guess he wasn’t impressed). Ricochet’s springboard clothesline sets up the running shooting star for two but Drew punches him in the face. Well that’s what you get for trying this flying stuff.
They head outside with Ricochet diving off the steps and getting headbutted out of the air for his efforts. Back in and the Claymore is countered with a superkick but Drew clotheslines the heck out of him. A sitout powerbomb gets two so Drew tries to take him up top, only to get shoved down. The Recoil off the middle rope knocks Drew silly though and the 630 sends Ricochet to the next round at 12:51.
Rating: B. This was a great example of power vs. heart with Ricochet winning clean in the end. They’re getting dangerously close to making him into a star, though I have a bad feeling that we’re going to see him lose to Baron Corbin in the Raw final. We’ll worry about that later though and just enjoy a heck of a match here with Ricochet continuing to be pushed as a big deal.
We look back at Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman winning the Raw Tag Team Titles.
Rollins says he’s ready to defend two titles at Clash of Champions but Strowman is looking at the Universal Title. Strowman wants to know who is getting the title shot and Seth gets the idea in a hurry. Rollins accepts the challenge for Clash of Champions. Note: the graphic says this took place last week but Strowman says they won the titles last week.
King of the Ring Tournament First Round: The Miz vs. Baron Corbin
The winner gets Cedric Alexander next week. During the entrances, Miz talks about all the things he’s won in the ring and says this is the first step to becoming King AWESOME. Corbin slugs away at him but gets knocked to the floor, only to have him drive Miz into the barricade. Back in and we get the slide under the bottom rope into the clothesline as Graves and Renee argue over Corbin’s merits.
We come back from a break with Miz knocking Corbin down and hitting running knees in the corner. The chokeslam is countered into a DDT for two so Corbin tries the slide underneath the ropes. That lands Corbin in the Skull Crushing Finale for two (dang it he’s winning, mainly because his head didn’t seem to hit the mat), followed by the End of Days to give Corbin the pin at 10:00.
Rating: C. The match was pretty good but they’re going to give Corbin his mega push whether we like it or not and there’s no way around it. This is a lot better than what we had to put up with from Corbin over the summer but that doesn’t make it good. Corbin switching to a tank top doesn’t make him interesting but that doesn’t matter to WWE because they see him as a star because…..I would say I’d love to know why but the reasoning could scare me.
Post match Corbin puts on the crown and sits on the throne, saying that there was a poll of WWE fans, saying ANYONE but Corbin for the winner. Corbin laughs it off by saying that he’s accomplished everything on his own and soon we will be hearing ALL HAIL KING CORBIN. Thank goodness we got that riveting promo.
The OC isn’t happy with having to be in an eight team Tag Team Turmoil match tonight. They run this turf.
NXT to USA announcement, a mere six days after it was first announced because they waited until Tuesday morning for whatever reason.
We look back at Rey Mysterio teasing retirement but being stopped by Dominick. Mysterio is back with an update next week.
Bayley vs. Nikki Cross
Non-title. For some reason Bayley had her entrance before the NXT and Mysterio videos. Why bring her out like that if it’s just going to be a bunch of standing around that cools the crowd off? Renee and Graves start fast here as Bayley sends Nikki to the floor, only to get sent into the apron a few times. The bodyscissors has Bayley in trouble so Cross can yell at her about being mean to Bliss. Bayley gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs but she is right back with a suplex. The ribs get banged up again but Bayley is fine enough to hit a running knee to the face. The top rope elbow finishes Cross at 4:01.
Rating: D+. Well that happened, and none of it matters as it feels like a bunch of waiting around to get to the Charlotte title win. That’s the problem with having someone as dominant as Charlotte and it’s crippling there rest of the division. This match made it seem like they were building to Bliss vs. Bayley though and that’s not a place anyone needs to go again. In addition to that, we never need to have Graves vs. Young taking over a match like they did here because that was getting a lot more focus than the match.
Strowman is ready to win the US Title to go with his Raw Tag Team Title and then the Universal Title.
Tag Team Turmoil
Winners get a title shot at Clash of Champions. War Raiders are in first and B Team is in second (out of eight total teams) with Erik getting beaten down in the corner early on. That doesn’t last long though as he powers Dallas into the corner for the tag to Ivar. House is cleaned and the Viking Experience gets rid of the B Team at 1:20.
The OC is in third and some double teaming puts Ivar down early. They head outside with Ivar hitting a suicide dive, only to take out Erik and Anderson at the same time. The brawling continues and the referee disqualifies both of them 3:25. That’s as good of a way as you can have to get rid of the Raiders. They stay in the ring to stare at each other as Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode are in fourth and Lucha House Party in fifth.
We’re back from a break with Dorado enziguring Ziggler and making the hot tag to Metalik. The handspring elbow connects with Ziggler and it’s the rope walk dropkick for two. A sunset flip gets the same on Ziggler but he superkicks a handspring out of the air to get rid of the House Party at 10:05. Revival is in sixth with Ziggler headscissoring Dawson down in a hurry. That should be a near fall but the referee is COMPLETELY out of position, with Graves and Young yelling at him over it.
Dawson fights up and a top rope knee/backbreaker combination gets two on Ziggler. A waistlock keeps Ziggler down and Dawson ties him in the ropes for some kicks to the face. Dawson’s slingshot suplex gets two as I can’t help but smile at the old school feels here. An elbow to the face gets Ziggler out of trouble and everything breaks down with what looked to be a tornado DDT not quite working. They keep going though with Dawson hitting a brainbuster on Ziggler but Dolph isn’t legal. That lets Dawson hit the Glorious DDT to eliminate Revival at 15:58.
Ziggler’s neckbreaker is good for the same and it’s off to the chinlock. Tucker fights up and gets the tag to Otis so house can be cleaned. The Caterpillar is broken up so Otis splashes both of them in the corner, meaning NOW the Caterpillar can connect (Renee: “MAKE MAMA’S DREAMS COME TRUE!”) for two with Roode making the save. Ziggler breaks up the Compactor with a superkick though and the Zig Zag sends Otis and Roode onto Tucker. The Glorious DDT sends Roode and Ziggler to Clash of Champions at 26:56.
Rating: D+. YES! YES IT IS ZIGGLER GETTING ANOTHER PAY PER VIEW TITLE SHOT! ON THE SAME SHOW WHERE CORBIN IS LIKELY TO WIN KING OF THE RING! AND YES! THE FALLOUT IS GOING TO BE GOING AGAINST MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO WANT TO WATCH IT!!! WHY CAN THESE PEOPLE NEVER LEARN THEIR LESSONS?????
Long video on Roman Reigns’ attacks, which seems to be the same video with new footage added at the end.
Total Divas is back in October, featuring Ronda Rousey.
Sasha Banks vs. Natalya
Natalya, with a bad arm, comes straight at her to start and they brawl to the floor early on. Back in and Natalya keeps hammering away, setting up a heck of a release German suplex (Sasha landed hard) for two. Banks tries to get to the floor and manages to wrap the bad arm around the post. A whip into the timekeeper’s area and then the post has Natalya in trouble. The arm gets pulled around the middle rope but Banks misses the running knees in the corner. The Sharpshooter doesn’t work and Banks gets in the Bank Statement, complete with pulling the bad arm around Natalya’s throat for the tap at 4:00.
Rating: C+. This was short but they packed a lot into the time they had with Sasha looking like a killer. She comes off like a threat to Becky Lynch at Clash of Champions and that’s what’s been lacking over the last few months. Banks brings the star power, but how long is it going to be before she brings another headache if she doesn’t get the title?
Post match Banks comes back and hooks the Bank Statement again.
AJ Styles isn’t worried about facing Strowman tonight, even if the OC is barred from ringside. Tonight, he’s giving Strowman what he deserves: nothing.
Cedric Alexander vs. Cesaro
Cesaro wastes no time in knocking Alexander into the corner so Cedric starts the flips into the anklescissors. The suicide dive is blocked with an uppercut though and a gutwrench suplex gets two. Cedric gets in a big boot and the springboard Downward Spiral puts Cesaro on the floor, setting up the big flip dive. Back from a break with Cesaro working on the knee but Alexander is fine enough to hit a Michinoku Driver for two.
The knee is too banged up for a springboard though and Cesaro kicks the knee out again. The apron superplex sets up a half crab on Alexander, who gets over to the rope without much trouble. Cedric’s standing Spanish Fly gives him two more but it’s back to the half crab to stay on the leg. With that broken up, Cesaro tries an ankle lock but gets rolled out, setting up the Lumbar Check to finish Cesaro at 10:55. That should damage the knee even more but not quite in WWE.
Rating: B-. They told a nice story here, with some of Cedric’s selling issues aside. What mattered here was giving Cedric momentum going into next week though, as he needs to look good before Corbin finishes him in the tournament. I’m not sure how well that’s going to go, but at least they’re doing something to make it seem like a bigger deal, much like Cedric.
Video on the 24/7 Title changes over the weekend.
Ziggler and Roode say they’re drawn to each other because of shared greatness. They belong together and they’ll become Raw Tag Team Champions, which will be glorious.
The Street Profits talk about the Rollins/Strowman situation but Dawkins is too worried about the after party on Bourbon Street. He has a Mardi Gras mask and beads ready too. Strowman appears and scares them before they can make their pick for the main event.
Video on the Firefly Fun House and the debut of the Fiend.
US Title: AJ Styles vs. Braun Strowman
Styles is defending and the OC is barred from ringside. Strowman throws him over the top almost immediately and it’s time for the running shoulders around the ring. Back in and the Phenomenal Forearm is countered into a chokeslam for two with AJ having to put his foot on the rope. A big boot puts AJ on the floor and we take a break. Back with AJ grabbing a sleeper to take Strowman down to a knee. That’s broken up with a ram into the corner but AJ chop blocks the leg in a smart move. A Lionsault gives AJ two and it’s off to the Calf Crusher in a logical move.
Strowman powers out of it and knocks AJ down again but a missed charge sends Strowman shoulder first into the post. AJ hits Strowman in the back to send the referee outside, allowing a low blow to take Strowman down. A chair is brought in but Strowman hits the powerslam, only to have the OC come in for the beatdown. Strowman fights back with the chair but AJ does the old Eddie Guerrero drop down. The referee says he HEARD the chair shots (that opens up a good number of historical gaps) and that’s a DQ at 9:56.
Rating: C. They did what they could to protect Strowman here and while “I HEARD CHAIR SHOTS” is quite the stretch given how deaf referees have seemed over the years, it’s about as good as you can get outside of the OC running in for the DQ. The match was fine enough and I’m glad they didn’t change the title here as it would be a bit much for one show.
Strowman cleans house and holds up the US Title to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t too bad with Ricochet vs. McIntyre being quite the match, but seeing more Ziggler/Corbin pushes didn’t do much for me. Clash of Champions is going to be an interesting night if they do things one way but it has the potential to be a show where the fans aren’t happy and don’t get much of what they want coming out of the night. This show didn’t make me all that confident, though they have a few weeks to straighten things out.
Results
Ricochet b. Drew McIntyre – 630
Baron Corbin b. The Miz – End of Days
Bayley b. Nikki Cross – Top rope elbow
Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating Heavy Machinery
Sasha Banks b. Natalya – Bank Statement
Cedric Alexander b. Cesaro – Lumbar Check
AJ Styles b. Braun Strowman via DQ when the referee heard chair shots
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
Impact Wrestling – August 23, 2019: Go West Old Wrestlers
IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling
Date: August 23, 2019
Location: Oceanview Pavilion, Port Hueneme, California
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis
We’re out of the northeast for a change and in this case it’s for a special show called Cali Combat. Impact has a tendency to make their bigger shows pretty good as they know how to do the all action events, but I’m not sure how well that is going to work this time around. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening recap.
Opening sequence.
Michael Elgin vs. Rhino
The ring is especially small here. Rhino goes with the power game to start and shoulders him to the floor as the fans start a WAR MACHINE chant. Back in and a running shoulder in the corner has Elgin in more trouble but he’s on the floor again before the Gore can launch. Elgin nails an enziguri for his first shot and it’s time to unload in the corner. A collision gives us a quick double knockdown but Elgin is back up with a release Rock Bottom out of the corner.
The twisting Swanton misses though and the comeback is on, including a spinebuster to give Rhino two. Elgin’s bridging German suplex gets the same as the power brawling continues. A piledriver plants Elgin for two more and a superplex makes it even better. Elgin kicks the Gore away and they fight to the floor for the double countout at 11:37.
Rating: C. Not much to this one but you can almost guarantee a rematch, likely with some kind of a stipulation, to be set up for next week or the week after. Elgin has dropped a good bit as he goes from fighting Brian Cage for the World Title to Rhino, but Impact has always seen Rhino as a big deal so it’s not like Elgin has been banished.
Post match the fight continues until referees break it up.
Post break Elgin says this isn’t over. Rhino comes in to brawl some more.
The announcers preview the show.
Tag Team Titles: Reno Scum vs. The North
The North is defending. Luster the Legend headlocks Ethan to start and then runs him down with a shoulder. The bigger Luster cranks on the arm and it’s Thornstowe coming in with an ax handle. Alexander comes in for a swinging Texas Cloverleaf of all things and it’s the chinlock to take us to a break.
Back with Alexander stomping Thornstowe down in the corner and handing it off to Page for a spinning backbreaker. A shot to the face allows the tag off to Luster for the big power comeback, including a spinebuster for two on Alexander. Everything breaks down with Page’s suicide dive taking out Luster. That leaves Thornstowe to get crotched on top, setting up the toss Alabama Slam for the pin to retain at 11:25.
Rating: C. That’s one of the better Scum matches as the team continues to be the most “well they exist” pairings I can remember in a long time. They’re not horrible by any means but they’re still just two guys who have a name and unique chants from the fans. I guess they work very cheap as Impact keeps bringing them back in, despite not being much of a team either way.
Ace Austin is banged up so Alisha Edwards helps him get his shirt off. Ace confirms that the bandages (they must be Ace Bandages) are from Eddie Edwards but Alisha leaves for her match. The chicanery continues.
Madison Rayne tries to smooth things over with Jordynne Grace, who shouldn’t be associating with some newcomer. Grace doesn’t need her help, just like she didn’t need Rosemary’s help last week either.
Havok vs. Alisha Edwards
Alisha, in gear featuring a bunch of checkered flags in a Sparky Plugg tribute, hammers away at Havok but her crossbody is shrugged off. Havok tosses her around and chokes on the ropes as we talk about Moose insulting Ken Shamrock’s bare knuckle boxing company. Alisha gets in a bulldog, only to get Tombstoned for the pin at 3:33.
Rating: D. Havok is a monster but Alisha continues to be someone who is just there week in and week out. The story with Ace vs. Eddie could be something but Alisha is about as far up the food chain as she is going to get in the ring at the moment. She was cannon fodder here and without some big changes, I don’t know if I see that changing anytime soon.
Post match Ace comes out to check on Alisha so here’s Eddie for the chase….right into a chokeslam from Havok as Ace leaves with Alisha.
Su Yung appears on screen, speaks gibberish, and is gone.
Sami Callihan blames Dave Crist for the loss last week so tonight he’ll handle Tommy Dreamer himself. Yes, Dreamer is getting a main event out of this whole thing. Sami is coming for the World Title when he’s done with Dreamer. Why do I have a bad feeling that’s going to take a long time?
Moose tells Ken Shamrock to meet him in Las Vegas because while Ken is a fighting legend, Moose is a five star athlete.
X-Division Title: Rich Swann vs. Jake Crist
Crist is defending and kicks Swann in the face at the bell. Swann is fine enough to block a suicide tornado DDT on the floor and a 619 from the apron connects. Back in and Swann gets superkicked out of the air, setting up the early chinlock. Swann gets sent outside and dropped onto the apron for two and the chinlock goes on again. That’s switched into the reverse Rings of Saturn but Swann is back up with a rolling clothesline.
Some rapid fire strikes send Crist outside, where Swann flips off the stage to kick him in the face again. Back in and Crist plants him with a Death Valley Driver so Swann comes back with a swinging neckbreaker. The middle rope 450 gets two on Crist so Swann loads up the Lethal Injection, which nearly takes out the referee. That’s enough of a distraction for Crist to grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 8:43.
Rating: C+. These two are some of the best things going in Impact today with both guys knowing exactly what to do and how to have an exciting match. Now the lack of selling or psychology hurts a lot but that’s not what the point of something like this is. Swann seems almost destined to move up to the main event scene, or at least he should be. Jake calling himself the Golden Draw and getting on Sami has potential down the line too so this could be more interesting later.
Tenille Dashwood is coming. That’s a good signing.
The Desi Hit Squad go to the Deaners’ farm for WACKY COMEDY. The Deaners put them in overalls, which Raju seems to like. Gama slaps him in the face and more on this later. This feels like it’s straight out of 1986 WWF.
Flashback Moment of the Week: Ken Shamrock wins the NWA World Title on the first show.
Taya Valkyrie promises a big title defense next week as she comes up on the longest title reign in Knockouts Title history.
Trey Miguel vs. Willie Mack
Trey starts with the Running Man and dances up off a hard shoulder. A Samoan drop into the standing moonsault gives Mack two as the fans aren’t sure who they like more. Trey’s double springboard wristdrag is blocked with raw power and some running forearms in the corner put Trey down.
The running Cannonball connects but the Stunner (how Kevin Owens of him, though it might be more Willie Mack of Owens) is countered into a rollup to give Trey two. Trey wins a slugout and goes up top, where he slides between Mack’s legs to set up a Cheeky Nandos kick. The 619 around the corner connects, only to have Mack come back with the Stunner for the pin at 5:26.
Rating: C. Mack is similar to Swann in that he seems ready to move up the card at a moment’s notice but it seems like every time he gets ready, he’s put back down into a match like this. Keeping him winning is a good sign for his future though and it’s certainly better than having him sitting around doing nothing.
Tommy Dreamer says Sami Callihan is one of the bad people in wrestling and he can’t wait to beat Sami up tonight.
Next week: Rhino vs. Elgin, falls count anywhere.
Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan
No DQ because of course. Sami charges at him to start and gets punched in the face as they quickly head to the floor for the brawling. A ring bell shot to the ribs each take us to a break and we’re back with the two of them on opposite aprons for a staredown. Dreamer uses a kendo stick for Sandman’s (more stealing) White Russian legsweep but Callihan gets in a chair shot.
Then it’s time to go hybrid with a stick shot to the chair to keep Dreamer in trouble, followed by pulling the stick across Dreamer’s mouth. Neither can hit a DDT so Callihan shoves him onto the chair for two instead. Something close to a Conchairto has Dreamer in agony so Sami takes a bow (I’d throw money at him). Dreamer comes back with the Dusty Rhodes punches and Bionic Elbow for two and it’s trashcan time. And for a bonus, ladder time.
Sami hits him with both of them but Dreamer catapults him into the trashcan in the corner. The DDT gets two on Sami, who grabs Tommy by the crotch. The drop toehold sends Dreamer into the open chair and it’s time to put a piece of wood between two chairs. Dreamer gets in a piledriver for two but a middle rope elbow only hits ladder. Some kendo stick shots set up the piledriver through the wood to finish Dreamer at 15:28.
Rating: D+. Commentary tried to make this feel like a big deal but how many times has someone beaten the hardcore legend Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore style match? The match was exactly what you would have expected because it’s all Dreamer can really do these days and it’s supposed to be important because Dreamer has been around for so long. That’s not exactly working, but I’m sure the old ECW fans can explain it better than I can.
Post match the beatdown stays on until Tessa Blanchard runs in for the save with a baseball bat. Jake Crist runs in to take Tessa out to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. The show wasn’t the worst they’ve done but at the same time it didn’t exactly make me want to see what they’re doing next. This was an episode designed to set up something for the future but it didn’t do the best job. Sami can be a good choice for a top heel but the lack of Cage being around and having the show feel more like the Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion Raws aren’t helping things. It’s not completely terrible as there was some decent action, but the storytelling needs some work.
Results
Michael Elgin vs. Rhino went to a double countout
The North b. Reno Scum – Assisted Alabama Slam
Havok b. Alisha Edwards – Tombstone
Jake Crist b. Rich Swann – Rollup with a handful of trunks
Willie Mack b. Trey Miguel – Stunner
Sami Callihan b. Tommy Dreamer – Piledriver through a board
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
New Book And E-Book: KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews
It’s a strange time for WWE. 2003 was one of the darkest years the company has ever seen from a creative standpoint and a lot of that was due to how things went on Monday Night Raw. You can only run things into the ground in the same way so many times and that limit was reached several months before 2004 begins. Something has to go a little bit differently on the flagship show but that has been the case for a long time now and nothing has changed. Maybe things can turn around this time.
In this book, I’ll be looking at every Monday Night Raw from 2004 and seeing how things went throughout the year. 2004 is remembered as a year with some fresh names getting a chance to shine after going around in circles for so long and now it is time to let them have a chance. The question though is how well that exactly went. Each episode will be broken down match by match and segment by segment. Included will be analysis and ratings for the shows to see why the year is remembered so poorly.
The book runs over 340 pages and is available on Amazon both in a physical paperback for $9.99 or an e-book format for $2.99. In case you don’t have a Kindle, there are plenty of FREE apps you can get from Amazon for pretty much any electronic device, all of which are available at this link.
You can pick up the book from Amazon here in paperback and here as an e-book.
And from the UK Amazon here in paperback and here as an e-book.
Or if you’re in another country with its own Amazon page, just search “KB Raw 2004” and it should be the first thing to come up.
Also you can still get any of my previous books on the Intercontinental Championship, Monday Night Raw from 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003 and the first half of 2014, Monday Nitro from 1995-1999, In Your House, Summerslam, Starrcade, ECW Pay Per Views, Royal Rumble, Saturday Night’s Main Event, the WWF and WCW pay per views from 1998, Wrestlemania, WWE Grab Bag and Clash of the Champions, NXT Volumes I, II and III at my author’s page here.
I hope you like it and shoot me any questions you might have.
KB
Main Event – August 22, 2019: 6/10
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: August 22, 2019
Location: XCEL Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Renee Young, Byron Saxton
Things are starting to get interesting in WWE again as the King of the Ring Tournament kicked off this week, plus we move closer to finding out who attacked Roman Reigns. The World Title pictures are both getting into some interesting territory as well. Now let’s see how Main Event messes it up. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Dana Brooke vs. Sarah Logan
Counting this show, these two have fought on six of the last ten Main Events (and they were in a tag match two weeks before that). Feeling out process to start, because these two don’t know each other well enough yet. Brooke sends her into the corner for the handspring elbow and the cartwheel splash gets two.
Logan is right back with some rolling suplexes for two and goes nuts with right hands near the corner. That’s not cool with Brooke, who is right back with her own forearms in the corner and on the mat. She shouts about hating Logan, which you almost have to after facing her so many times in a row. The Swanton hits knees but Brooke small packages her for the pin at 4:25.
Rating: D+. Normally I would say something like NOW NEVER FIGHT AGAIN but maybe if I don’t, we can get something new. It amazes me how we can’t possibly have anything other than these two fighting more often than not as there are so many people on the roster. It’s not even like the matches are any good, though they did throw something in here with the aggression.
From Smackdown.
King of the Ring First Round: Elias vs. Kevin Owens
Non-title. Elias’ music now has his catchphrase at the start and sounds like him singing. Owens doesn’t waste time in clotheslining him out to the floor but Elias walks away before the big flip dive. A whip sends Owens into the barricade but he’s right back with the Cannonball for two. Cue Shane to watch from ringside as we take a break. Back with Elias holding a chinlock and throwing in a rake to the eyes for a bonus. Owens fights up and gets caught with a jumping knee to the face for two.
Rating: C. This story just won’t end. I’m not sure why it needs to keep going, but WWE certainly sees value in having Shane do the same stuff he’s done for months now. I’m sure we’ll see a rematch, possibly all the way at Hell in a Cell for a rematch from two years ago. The match was just waiting around for Shane to reveal the shirt, because that’s the only way it could have ended.
Long recap of Roman Reigns being attacked, along with the involvement of Buddy Murphy, Rowan and Daniel Bryan.
From Smackdown again.
Reigns comes in to see Bryan and Rowan to find out who is under the hood. The hood comes off and it’s….someone who looks like Rowan plus twenty years. Nothing is said to end the show. So I guess Murphy was confused and thought it was the Rowan lookalike, who we’ll have explained to us later? That’s certainly a different way to go with things.
Video on Sasha Banks returning last week.
From Raw.
Natalya has just seen the WWE doctor again but needs to rant about Sasha for interrupting her last week. Cue Banks to jump Natalya again and send her into an anvil case. Banks: “Go to h*** Nattie. And tell your daddy I say hi.” That was a good line. There’s something hilarious about Natalya trying so hard to be serious and just getting destroyed every week because people don’t care about her.
Lucha House Party vs. Eric Young/Robert Roode
Mexico vs. Team Canada with Kalisto as the odd man out. Commentary mentions the history between Roode and Young as Dorado’s flying mare takes Young into the corner. A headscissors sends the Canadians into each other and we take a break. Back with Young punching Dorado in the face for two and Roode breaks up the tag to keep Dorado in the corner.
The chinlock doesn’t last long as Young lets go to knock Metalik off the apron. The hot tag goes through a few seconds later and Metalik comes in with a middle rope dropkick for two on Roode. Metalik’s rope walk elbow is nearly botched as he almost loses his balance but Roode is there to shake the ropes and bring him down. The Glorious DDT finishes Metalik at 8:38.
Rating: C-. This was looking like a nice little tag match so I wonder how good the full version was. Main Event has those weird commercials that come in the middle of nowhere and they never feel like they’re supposed to be in there at the moment. Roode and Young would be fine enough to reform as a lower card tag team, but it’s not like that’s likely to happen.
We look at Randy Orton and the Revival injuring Xavier Woods’ leg on Raw.
From Smackdown.
Here’s Randy Orton to open things up. After a clip from last night’s attack on the New Day, Orton talks about Kofi cheating to get out of a fight with him at Summerslam. But Kofi isn’t done yet because Kofi is stupid. Last night was fun but here’s New Day’s music, with Kofi sneaking in from behind with Trouble in Paradise to drop Orton. Kofi grabs a chair and wraps it around Orton’s ankle but here’s the Revival for the save. That’s fine with Kofi, who cleans house with the chair as the villains run.
From Raw.
Tag Team Titles: Seth Rollins/Braun Strowman vs. OC
The OC is defending and has AJ with them. Strowman runs Gallows over to start and it’s off to the taped up Rollins to work on Gallows’ arm. Anderson comes in but a quick tag brings Gallows back in, meaning Rollins has to knee him to the floor. A running kick to the head puts Anderson outside as well but the numbers catch up with him.
That means Gallows gets to drop Rollins ribs first into the barricade a few times and we take an early break. Back with Anderson hitting a spinebuster on Rollins, but Anderson gets knocked off the top. That means the Blockbuster, but Rollins bangs up the ribs again. With the hot tag near, Gallows is smart enough to post Strowman and cut him off. Gallows comes back in as everything breaks down, with Rollins getting to clean house again.
A low bridge puts Gallows on the floor, leaving Anderson to take the Falcon Arrow for two. The numbers catch up with Rollins again as AJ crotches him on top but it’s Strowman back up to run over AJ and Gallows. Back in and Rollins rolls over for the hot tag to Strowman and it’s time to wreck things. Rollins cuts Styles off with the Stomp and Strowman hits the running powerslam on Anderson for the pin and the titles at 12:04.
Rating: B-. Good match here with a surprise ending and that’s not a bad thing. This seems to be the way to set up the Strowman vs. Rollins match next month so odds are we’ll be seeing the OC get the titles back pretty soon. It’s a booking trope that has been done for years and it’s going to work fine enough here.
Overall Rating: D+. Main Event is kind of amazing in a way. Some times it can be a nice recap show with a passable match in there, but at times it goes absolutely nowhere with the same warmed up match that we’ve seen time and time again. Then you have this show, which is somehow a mixture of both. I know the wrestling means nothing but would it really hurt to do a minor story in here? With the 485 writers they have, no one can be asked to do the three minutes of storylines that this show would have? Or just let the wrestlers do what they want? Impossible it seems, and I’m not sure why.
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: