IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: December 26, 2018
Hosts: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for a Best of 2018 show and, in a statement I never thought I’d say about any non-NXT show, where do you begin? There was some outstanding material on 205 Live over the last year and a lot of that could be packed into this show. You could have your pick of the matches here and that’s not something I’d have bet on a year ago. Let’s get to it.

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

The hosts welcome us to the show and talk about Drake Maverick arriving to set up the Cruiserweight Title tournament.

From Wrestlemania.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

The title is vacant coming in, Drake Maverick is at ringside and Ali is SubZero for some reason. Cedric shouts a lot and they shake hands for the sake of good sportsmanship. An exchange of shoulders goes to Cedric so Ali snaps off a hurricanrana for our first standoff. Back up and Cedric flips away to grab a headscissors, followed by a dropkick for two. Ali gets sent to the floor and taken down by a big flip dive but there’s no commercial, despite the announcers sounding like they were sending us to one. Nice change of pace for once.

Back in and we hit a waistlock to keep Ali down and a high backdrop gives Cedric two. Another waistlock and a knee to the ribs keep Cedric on target as he certainly has a game plan. Cedric plants him with a Spanish Fly and counters a tornado DDT by crotching Ali on top. With Ali stunned, Cedric goes up as well but gets caught in a super Spanish Fly, which even impresses Cena. The 054 is broken up with a shove to the floor and now we go to the inset ad for Rousey’s debut. At least they didn’t show this in the stadium, which would have almost been just as annoying as showing the whole thing.

Back with Cedric getting caught in a reverse hurricanrana and now the tornado DDT connects. The 054 hits this time but Cedric gets his foot on the ropes. Another 054 attempt misses and Alexander elbows him in the head. Ali gets elbowed down again and the Lumbar Check gives him the title at 12:18.

Rating: B-. This was a lot less competitive than I remember it being as Alexander dominated from the beginning and ran over Ali save for a little flurry near the end. Alexander winning is the right call and I’m glad neither of them went heel here. They both looked good but Ali was a step behind what he usually does here. I had a good time with it and Cedric winning is a feel good moment. That’s all you could ask for here.

Cedric talks about how special that was because his family, including his daughter, got to see it. Winning the title was amazing but it hurt even more to lose it at Super Show-Down.

Time for some New Year’s Resolutions.

Hideo Itami: respect me or he’ll break your face.

Akira Tozawa wants the Cruiserweight Title back.

TJP is going to get Drake Maverick fired.

Noam Dar wants a nice, stable relationship with anyone not named Alicia Fox.

Mike and Maria Kanellis are going to use the power of love to ruin lives.

Video on Lucha House Party.

Video on Buddy Murphy.

From Super Show-Down.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy

Alexander is defending but Murphy is the hometown boy. The confident Murphy shoves him in the face and gets two off an early knee. Cedric has to bail to the floor so Murphy hits a huge flip dive over the top. Back in and a top rope Meteora gets two more as Alexander is writhing in pain. A kick to the arm gets two more and we hit the chinlock.

The fans are entirely behind Murphy (well duh), even as he puts Alexander on top but charges into a running Michinoku Driver for two. The springboard spinning Downward Spiral (third time in one form or another tonight) sends Murphy to the floor with Alexander hitting his own running flip dive.

Back in and Cedric puts him on top but gets caught in a sitout powerbomb for two more. A jumping knee to the face looks to set up Murphy’s Law but Alexander reverses into a rollup for two. The Lumbar Check gets two, which is one of the only times that’s ever happened (Alexander’s bugged out eyes are a great touch). The springboard clothesline is countered with another knee to the face and Murphy’s Law is enough for the pin and the title at 10:30.

Rating: B-. That was the only option they had here as there was no reason to not change the title. Alexander has held the title for months now and isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. They can switch the title back if they really want to, but this was the only choice they had and thankfully they figured that out.

Murphy says he isn’t losing this title so he might as well retire as champion. If you don’t like that, do something about it.

Top Ten Moments of 2018:

10. Tony Nese powerbombs Lio Rush to the floor.

9. Roderick Strong’s debut.

8. Mike and Maria Kanellis’ debut.

7. Cedric Alexander suplexes Drew Gulak to the floor.

6. Noam Dar returns.

5. Lio Rush’s debut.

4. Akira Tozawa’s top rope backsplash to break up a surfboard.

3. TJP steals Lucha House Party’s masks.

2. Drew Gulak turns on Brian Kendrick.

1. Mustafa Ali’s 450 through Hideo Itami through a table.

Drew Gulak wants to fix 205 Live from glorified stuntmen.

We look at Mustafa Ali becoming #1 contender on October 31.

From Survivor Series.

Cruiserweight Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

Murphy is defending. Ali hits him in the face a few times but gets tossed into the corner. That just earns Murphy a hurricanrana to the floor, meaning it’s a big flip dive to take him down. Ali goes up top again but Murphy shoves him all the way into the barricade for a great looking crash.

Back in and Murphy hammers away at the head and we hit the chinlock. Ali fights up and hits a dropkick but the rolling X Factor is countered with a big toss to the floor. That means the running flip dive from Murphy but Ali is right back with a spinwheel kick to drop Murphy. Now a hanging DDT can connect for two on the champ but the 054 is countered with a shove off the top.

Murphy loads up the announcers’ table but Ali is right there with a Spanish Fly off the table to the floor. That gets a rather hearty 205 chant and Murphy keeps the fans’ interest with back to back powerbombs. Murphy’s Law is countered so Murphy knees him in the face, setting up Murphy’s Law to retain at 12:20.

Rating: B. This was the usually awesome Ali match but the loss took away so much of the energy they had built up. I’m really not sure what the point was in having Ali lose again here but that’s been the case for him every single time. It’s a shame that he’s stuck on 205 Live where no one gets to see how good he really is.

Ali credits 205 Live with sending him to Smackdown. The brands have changed but the flight doesn’t. He might be back one day though.

Maverick needs to announce a new #1 contender and he has an idea. There will be three qualifying matches over the next two weeks with the winners advancing to a fatal four way title match at the Royal Rumble. Next week it’s Kalisto vs. Lio Rush and Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak, followed by Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami in two weeks.

Overall Rating: B. It’s kind of amazing that the Best of 205 Live doesn’t feature any 205 Live. That being said, the stuff we got was outstanding as the big matches from this division are as entertaining as you can find at the moment. They crank up the action every time they’re on the card and the matches have gotten better and better every time. There’s some great stuff here and the Best of format is a better choice than the weekly shows. Really fun show here, which is the point of something like this.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 27, 2018
Host: Josh Matthews

It’s the second half of the Best of 2018 after last week’s show was about as easy of a sit as you could find. There’s enough stuff from the year to fill in four hours but I didn’t see anything all that great last week. There’s enough solid stuff to fill out the card though and that’s enough for something like this. Let’s get to it.

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

As usual I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches.

Opening sequence.

Josh welcomes us to the show and promised the top matches of the year tonight, as voted on by the fans.

Fenix talks about being considered the best in the world and how he can’t wait to face LAX at Homecoming.

From Impact, July 5.

Rich Swann vs. Fenix

This could be good. Feeling out process to start with Swann doing about eight nipups in a row to get out of a wristlock. That’s fine with Fenix who bounces on the top rope to send Swann outside. You wouldn’t be able to do that. The fans chant for both these guys as they miss kicks and trade forearms for a standoff. Swann gets kicked to the floor but avoids a dive, setting up a dropkick off the apron to put Fenix down.

Back in and Fenix gets caught on top, banging up his knee in the process. The knee is fine enough to moonsault into an armdrag though as these two just don’t stop. There’s the big flip dive to the floor but Fenix misses a moonsault back inside. Of course he keeps backflipping though and cutters Swann for another close two.

Fenix’s Lethal Injection is countered with Swann standing on his hands (of course) so Fenix has to try it again, this time connecting for a double knockdown. Back from a break with a chop off until Swann gets two off a fisherman’s buster and a middle rope 450. Fenix is right back with an over the shoulder sitout Tombstone for two of his own, followed by a Muscle Buster spinning into a driver for the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B. Well that was awesome. They didn’t try to do anything else here other than taking two high fliers and have them throw out one cool move after another. Fenix is as good as anyone right now and Swann could hang with him, making this a very entertaining match. The four way at Slammiversary should be a blast.

Video on LAX vs. the OGz.

LAX can’t believe how far they went against each in the street fight.

From Impact, August 16.

LAX and the OGz meet in the actual streets (or maybe a parking lot) with a bunch of people behind both teams. Konnan and King agree that just the wrestlers themselves fight and the OGz lay the belts down. Since this isn’t an actual match, I’m assuming the belts aren’t on the line. Hernandez gets sent into a fence and beaten with a plastic sign by Ortiz but King sends one of the unnamed goons in with a fork.

Homicide and Santana fight with the fork but Santana gets out of a Gringo Killer on the concrete. Ortiz breaks a broom over Hernandez’s back and Santana hits Homicide with something King accidentally throws him. Hernandez comes back in with what might have been a bottle and Border Tosses Santana onto the pile of people.

King throws in a rope to hang Ortiz but Santana is back in with some kind of club and LAX takes their belts back. With the OGz down, King gets in Konnan’s face and shouts that he’s leading LAX down the wrong path. He yells about Konnan doing something to him fifteen years ago and begs Konnan to knock him out. Konnan swears and does exactly what King requests to end the show.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t taking anything else from Taya Valkyrie. Taya may be a lot of things, but she’s nothing more than Johnny Impact’s wife.

Now we get to the Top 5 Matches of the year with #5 from Bound For Glory.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya is challenging and has new gear, making her look like an old school Natalya cosplayer. Tessa works on a wristlock to start and the fans are behind the champ. A headscissors takes Tessa down and Taya kicks her in the head in the corner. Taya gets in a not great spear to put Tessa on the floor but a neckbreaker onto the apron has Taya in trouble. Back in and a Codebreaker out of the corner gives Tessa two but it’s way too early for the Buzzsaw DDT.

Taya is right back with some Spanish shouting and running knees in the corner. A guillotine choke with a bodyscissors has to be broken up by a Tessa dead lift and the fans chant something in Spanish that is completely ignored. They slug it out and the Buzzsaw DDT is broken up again but Taya can’t hit Road to Valhalla. Instead Taya chokeslams her down to set up a moonsault.

A stomp sets up the STF but Tessa is too close to the ropes. The referee stops to FIX THE RING SKIRT, meaning there’s no count off the Road to Valhalla. It’s a delayed two, meaning Tessa is right back up with the Buzzsaw DDT for two of her own. Taya is back up again so Tessa sends her face first into the middle buckle, setting up Magnum to retain the title at 10:44.

Rating: C+. Nice power brawl here with Tessa finally having someone who can go move for move with her. The ending was the only way to go as Taya hasn’t been around in the better part of six months so changing the title was almost out of the question. Now you can build someone else up to challenge Tessa for the title, because the division has been all but cleaned out at the moment.

#4. From Redemption.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix

Aries is defending. We hit the trash talk to start (well duh) and it’s Aries starting fast with a bunch of chops all around. Remembering that they’re brothers, Fenix and Pentagon send him outside but Pentagon is right back up with a Sling Blade. Aries is back in and getting kicked in the face soon thereafter, followed by a jumping cutter to Pentagon.

A smart Aries steals the near fall and grabs the Last Chancery, only to have Fenix springboard in with a missile dropkick for the save. Pentagon heads outside and it’s Fenix chopping the heck out of Aries. For a change of pace, Aries chops the head out of Fenix. Aries gets two off a forearm as it sounds like one of the announcers is opening a can. Pentagon comes back in and gets bulldogged for two, followed by the Last Chancery with Fenix making another fast save.

That sends Pentagon outside so Fenix throws Aries at him, earning his brother a hurricanrana. Fenix isn’t about to be shown up though and busts out a corkscrew plancha to the floor to drop them both again. Back in again and Fenix drops a Swanton for two on Pentagon, who pops up to German suplex both guys. He can’t quite break Aries’ arm though as Fenix makes a save. Now why wouldn’t he want the World Champion taken out?

Pentagon beaks up Aries’ running corner dropkick and Backstabs his brother for two. This time it’s Fenix getting back up with a superkick to Aries but Pentagon’s Fear Factor (package piledriver) gets two with Aries making another save. Pentagon is fine enough to block a suicide dive so Aries sends him into the crowd instead.

Back in (again) and the 450 hits both challengers, including Pentagon taking some hard knees. That’s enough for the two of them and it’s time for the brother double teaming, including a double superkick. Pentagon lays Fenix out though and snaps Aries’ arm. The Fear Factor gives Pentagon the pin on Aries and the title at 16:15.

Rating: B. Good match here and that’s all you can ask for in a big time main event. The surprise title change isn’t shocking enough to be too far and you can probably pencil in Pentagon dropping it no later than Slammiversary. That being said, it’s really cool to see Pentagon getting some more exposure like this as he’s been a gem to watch down in Lucha Underground. Strong main event here.

LAX wants to go back to the hallowed grounds for Homecoming to face the Lucha Bros.

#3. From Slammiversary.

Tag Team Titles: OGz vs. LAX

Street fight and LAX is defending, though I thought this was non-title. LAX comes through the crowd and Konnan meets them on the ramp to say go to it. Hernandez shrugs off the beating but can’t hit the Border Toss to the floor. Instead Santana dropkicks Homicide off the apron and it’s some dives (with the camera missing one) to drop the OGz. A pair of tables are set up in the corner while Homicide puts up one on the floor against the barricade.

Hernandez starts cleaning house and Ortiz gets choked with a chain. The big dive over the top has Santana rocked as Hernandez flashes back to the SuperMex days. More metal shots to the head put Hernandez down and Homicide actually walks into a suplex. Yes that was in fact a wrestling move. The OGz take over again without much effort but Santana superkicks his way out of trouble.

Back in and Hernandez pulls Santana out of the air, followed by a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. Ortiz is back up with the trashcan lids to the head and it’s ladder time. A flip dive into a Lionsault onto Hernandez onto the ladder has Hernandez down and the Street Sweeper gets two on Homicide. Santana hits a big flip dive to put Homicide through a table at ringside but they’re not done.

Back in and a running Death Valley Driver puts Homicide through a table. It works so well that Ortiz loads it up but Hernandez gives him a Border Toss through the other table. Santana is back up this time with a superkick as Konnan goes after King. Homicide loads up the Gringo Killer but stops to spit at Konnan. The distraction lets Konnan throw a bag of tacks to Santana, who THROWS THEM AT HOMICIDE for what could be a terrifying result. A slam and frog splash put Homicide away at 13:55.

Rating: B. This was exactly the kind of match it should have been, meaning it was barely wrestling and was instead the wild weapons brawl that showed off the violent hatred. You can almost guarantee a rematch and the OGz getting the titles at one point, as they certainly should. I liked the match a lot, though it didn’t hit the level I was hoping it would reach.

Johnny Impact wants to beat up Brian Cage in Nashville. As usual, this company doesn’t know how to make World Title matches personal.

#2. From Bound For Glory.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Austin Aries

Aries is defending, Taya, Moose (in the King outfit again) and Killer Kross are here and we get Big Match Intros. Johnny goes for a takedown but gets caught in a guillotine choke with Aries grabbing the ropes for some illogical reason. Aries gets taken down by a choke as well and the fans chant 205. Impact changes plans by slugging away and knocks him to the floor with a dive to follow.

Back up and Aries tries to whip him into the barricade but Johnny jumps up with one foot on the barricade and the other on the apron for a moonsault. You know, because he can just do that. They head back in with Aries pounding away and glaring over at Taya. That earns him a rolling slap to the face but Aries knocks him down again and lays on the top rope. Some hard knees in the corner look to set up the Flying Chuck, only to have Aries knock him out to the floor. A springboard corkscrew crossbody gives Impact two but Aries is right back up with a Last Chancery attempt.

That doesn’t work either so Impact hits the Flying Chuck for two more. Impact takes him up top but gets shoved down, setting up a middle rope hurricanrana. The neckbreaker over the middle rope connects but Aries takes way too long going up (out of character for him) and gets caught in a super Spanish Fly.

The Countdown to Impact misses (Does it ever hit?) so they fight to the apron with Aries hitting a Death Valley Driver for a sick crash. Aries’ 450 gets two so it’s time to yell at the ref. A superkick sets up Starship Pain for two as Aries has to grab the rope. The roaring elbow sets up the corner dropkick and the brainbuster to knock Impact silly but he’s still fine enough to get a boot on the ropes.

Taya celebrates so Aries yells at her, allowing Impact to grab a backslide for two. The Last Chancery is broken up and they slug it out until Aries hits a suicide dive to send Taya into the barricade. That’s too far and Impact kicks Aries in the head (with the camera on Moose laughing) and gives him a brainbuster of his own. Starship Pain is good for the pin and the title at 21:00.

Rating: B. The ending was the right call and they beat the heck out of each other, making this a rather strong main event. Now the problem here is the Taya stuff, which while making it feel personal, came off as forced. It was like they didn’t have enough in the story to make it work so they wedged that in there at the last second, almost like Aries’ heel turn against Jeff Hardy in 2012. It worked for the match, but it would have been better as part of the build over a few weeks, not a few days.

Sami Callihan knew his match would be #1 and then he’ll do it again at Homecoming.

#1. From Slammiversary.

Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr.

After some yelling, they get to the kicking each other in the face. Pentagon scores with a Sling Blade for the first real offense and it’s time for the chops. Sami opens his vest and wants the best shot. The ensuing chop brings Callihan to his knees and a face that says how bad of an idea that was. He’s fine enough to take it outside for a water bottle to the head but they both chop the post.

Pentagon slaps him down as the announcers mention that this has relaxed rules. I know that’s expected and understood, but it’s nice to be officially told. Callihan posts out some spikes of all things and starts gouging at the head, drawing some much needed blood (just kind of necessary in a match like this). That’s fine with Pentagon, who knocks a spike back into Callihan’s head. With nothing else working, both guys grab a chair and beat the fire out of each other, earning a FIGHT FOREVER chant.

There is blood everywhere and Pentagon chairs him down again. The armbreaker is broken up so Pentagon chairs him down for the second time in a few seconds. Cue the Crists to take a shot each, allowing Callihan to throw some powder. Pentagon breaks the ref’s arm instead so there’s no one to count the Pentagon Driver.

Rating: B-. This needed to be a few minutes shorter but it also needed to be a little away from the previous match as having two violent brawls in a row wasn’t the best idea. Pentagon winning was really the only call here given how big of a star he is on the indy scene at the moment so it’s hard to argue with the ending. Give Sami something to bring him back to earth and OVE can go insane again.

Overall Rating: B. That was #1? Really? The match wasn’t all that great and the fans think that it’s the best of the year? There were some odd choices on this show but there’s only so much complaining you can do about something like this. The wrestling was good and the LAX vs. OGz stuff is as good as it got all year and the Homecoming card looks great. Hopefully they can get in a good go home show, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they don’t quite make it. Anyway, good 2018, though it wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #36
Date: December 21, 2018
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re back to the taped shows this week after a really strong live debut. The big story this week is the first and final battle between Tom Lawlor and Simon Gotch, which will happen to be no holds barred with no ropes. It’s almost time to get ready for Superfight, which is almost a guaranteed World Title change. Telegraphing it that much isn’t the worst thing in the world if you can make the story work, which they’ve done well so far. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Salina de la Renta and Ricky Martinez to get things going. Salina says this place is surrounded by old men and “broke a** marks” but it’s ok because this is Konnan’s city. This brings out Konnan to a huge reaction to all Ricky Martinez Ricky Vega because his name doesn’t matter that much. Salina is just a bruja (witch) and promises to take away everything from Salina, including the World Title from Low Ki. More Spanish is spoken and the fans are happy as Konnan wraps it up.

Opening sequence.

Next week: Konnan vs. Low Ki for the World Title.

Kotto Brazil was attacked in a nightclub where Ricky Martinez was present. No word on his condition but he’s hurt.

We look back at Teddy Hart winning the Middleweight Title last week.

We get another H2 video from the Hart Foundation where Teddy and Brian, holding cats, talk about horrible people like Tommy Dreamer and Barrington Hughes. Dreamer cheated and the referee was probably paid off. Teddy is the most dangerous animal on the planet of wrestling….and he throws his cat into a moonsault with the cat landing on his feet. So the target moved because a moonsault is supposed to land on your stomach?

Tommy Dreamer/Barrington Hughes vs. Brian Pillman Jr./Davey Boy Smith Jr.

This seems impromptu with Dreamer wanting Pillman to start but getting Smith. Dreamer avoids an early legdrop attempt but gets slammed for his efforts. It’s off to Hughes, who is really starting to feel like a joke more than anything else. Smith can’t slam him (well duh) so he bounces off of him in an even dumber move. Pillman comes in and charges right into an elbow to the face, followed by a double version with Dreamer’s being the only half that connects.

That’s about it for the non-Canadian offense though as Pillman knocks Dreamer down and Smith slaps on a chinlock. We get down into the more traditional heel beatdown, including the delayed vertical suplex for two. Dreamer finally scores with a running cutter out of the corner for a breather and the tag brings Hughes back in to keep the pace slow. A belly to belly gets two on Pillman and Smith gets run over to make things even worse for the team. The ECW chants begin but Pillman cuts Dreamer down with a low blow using the cane. That’s enough to set up a small package to finish Dreamer at 7:03.

Rating: D+. I still don’t care for Dreamer getting this much time but it’s a lot better if he’s losing. Hughes continues to be a guy who seems to be more of an attraction than anything else, but again I can live with it if he’s in the right spot on the card. That’s the case here as he was little more than a big guy there with Dreamer, which is about as good of a role as he can have.

We look back at Rush beating Rich Swann and getting in a fight with LA Park last week.

Rush, in Spanish, promises to wreck Park because he’s the best in Mexico.

El Hijo de LA Park vs. DJZ

Park has Salina de la Renta with him. DJZ takes him down without much effort but Park flips out of a headscissors without much effort. The stereo front flips gives us a standoff to some nice applause. They shake hands but Park decks him with a clothesline like a true villain should. A superkick (with a camera cut seemingly designed to hide a miss) sends DJZ outside and the fans chant in Spanish. Park crotches him against the post and the fans want one more. That’s just not nice but Park does it anyway, this time on the barricade.

Back in and DJZ scores with a jawbreaker so Salina offers a distraction, allowing Park to hit some belt shots to the back. A rolling German suplex gives Park two but DJZ is right back with a running Codebreaker to put Park outside again. Back in and Park gets in a shot of his own, setting up the suicide dive to knock DJZ onto the entrance platform. They go up top at the same time with DJZ hitting a crazy super hurricanrana but Salina throws in the cane. That’s enough for Park to hit a scary over the shoulder piledriver for the pin at 6:29.

Rating: C. There were some good spots here and Park needed the win a lot more. He really hasn’t done anything of note in MLW other than ride his father’s coattails, meaning he needs to get somewhere himself. Nice match here, with Salina being the perfect villain and DJZ being way better than you would expect.

Konnan talks about coming from Miami though he very rarely wrestled here. He’s held titles before and it would be an honor to hold the MLW World Title. It’s strange hearing him speak so normally.

Andrew Everett vs. DJZ

Everett headscissors him down and calls Dezmond a Rascal. Back up and Dezmond slaps him in the face before hitting a loud dropkick. A snapmare into a Lionsault gives Everett two and Dezmond is rather slow to get up. Everett misses a charge in the corner though and gets superkicked in the back of the head. The 619 around the post lets Dezmond go up top but he misses some kind of a flip.

An enziguri in the corner misses as well as Dezmond seems a few steps off here. He keeps leaning on the ropes and Bocchini notices it too. Everett’s German suplex is blocked so he settles for a Pele. The spike hurricanrana gets two and the fans think Everett sucks. Dude it’s not that bad. Everett takes his sweet time heading up top so it’s a standing moonsault into the Pele to bring him back down. Dezmond is fine enough to hit the Final Flash for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C-. It was clear that something was wrong with Dezmond and that’s not something I’m going to hold against him. They hit some big spots in such a short time and that made it more entertaining. Yeah it was slow, but if one of them was injured there’s not much else they can do. That’s a shame too as this could have been a heck of a high flying match.

Video on Low Ki vs. Konnan.

Lawlor is sick of Gotch and is choking him out tonight.

We recap Lawlor vs. Gotch. Lawlor was becoming a bigger star so Gotch took Salina’s money to take him out before Lawlor gets to the World Title match at Superfight.

Simon Gotch vs. Tom Lawlor

No ropes and anything goes with a win coming by submission or knockout. Low Ki is on commentary to make things better. They go straight to the mat with Lawlor not being able to get a rear naked choke. Instead Gotch takes him down into a near armbar with the fans loudly booing.

A trip to the floor (which looks out of place here) lets Gotch send him into various things but Lawlor wins the slugout. Gotch suplexes him back into the ring, followed by a knee to the head. Lawlor wins another slugout with a kick to the head but Gotch knees him in the face a few times. The Gotch piledriver is countered and Lawlor slaps on the rear naked choke for the knockout at 5:41.

Rating: D. While I can appreciate them trying something new, this wasn’t what they should have gone with. The no ropes thing didn’t add much outside of a cool visual and even though Gotch scored a few good shots, they didn’t make me think that anything surprising was going to happen. It needed more time to be effective and a gimmick that played to their feud better, though some of the strikes looked awesome.

Post match Lawlor says he’s wanted Low Ki for the last seven months because the World Title is all that matters. Lawlor calls out Low Ki for running from him and leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a weird show as the stuff they were doing wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t work at the same time. What there was though was effort, and I’ll always take that. It’s a case of the company trying but not exactly connecting, which means they have some hope going forward. Just kind of a miss here, though I could see a lot of fans liking it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: December 20, 2018
Host: Scott Stanford

This one is a little bit late because of the holidays but given the high likelihood of this being nothing but a recap show with nothing going on as far as original wrestling, I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal. It’s a hectic time for WWE and this show isn’t really high on their priorities list. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Stanford gives us a quick welcome from the studio and yeah this is all recaps.

From Raw.

We waste no time with Vince coming out to open things up. He knows everyone is wondering what is going on with Monday Night Raw and tonight we’re going to find out. One of the reasons that Raw has been on the air for 25 years is they change with the times and despite one man’s brilliance and creativity, he can’t do it by himself anymore. He can do it without the fans…..and here’s Stephanie McMahon.

Before anything can be said though, here’s HHH, with Cole pointing out that he put NXT together. We’re still not done yet though as here’s Shane to complete the wrestling side of the family. The fans cheer for Shane but Stephanie gets to talk (of course), saying they haven’t been doing a good job of running their shows. They’ve let middle management run the company so tonight, they’re off to a fresh start. HHH: “The days of absentee management are over.” Starting tonight, they’re taking back Raw and Smackdown and it’s time for a lot of fresh things, such as faces, stars and matchups.

As of now, the fans are the authority. Vince says that as long as we give you more of what you want and less of what you don’t, WWE will always be then, now and forever. They seem to be done but here’s Baron Corbin, who is booed out of the building. Corbin says those were some great words, but the word that wasn’t mentioned was “fair”. What happened to him last night wasn’t fair, and that’s why we need to have a conversation.

Back from a break with Corbin in the ring with the bosses and the fans booing him even more. HHH: “If you keep doing that, it’s hard for him to speak.” You get the idea I’m sure. Corbin keeps getting booed even more, but he eventually gets to say that it’s not his fault the wrestlers aren’t responding to his motivational tactics.

Last night wasn’t fair because Braun Strowman wasn’t supposed to be there so he wasn’t prepared. HHH gets to the point and says Corbin wants his job back. Corbin says that’s exactly right but it’s a quadruple negative. Actually hang on, because Vince thinks they might all be wrong. Corbin can have a match right now and if he wins, he gets to be permanent GM. All he has to do is beat this man.

Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle

Heath Slater is guest referee and sweet goodness we’re lucky that Angle completely forgave Stephanie for ruining his life and job oh…..just a few months ago with no repercussions? Angle punches him down and we take an early break. Back with HHH saying that this is actually a handicap match.

Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews/Chad Gable/Bobby Roode/Kurt Angle

So it was just a practice run when they did this last night? Corbin tries to go after all of them to start and it goes as well as you would expect. An attempted escape doesn’t work and Slater fixes a turnbuckle while the beating is on. Cue Shane again to say that this is No DQ. Slater joins in and everyone grabs a chair to destroy Corbin even more. Everyone hits their finisher and Angle gets the pin at 9:05.

Rating: D. Well, it was slightly different than last night as there was no Finn Balor to get involved here, nor was there Strowman to stand on Corbin’s chest for the pin. This was the first half hour of the show being dedicated to the bosses and Corbin, and that’s been the biggest problem on Raw in recent weeks. This did nothing we didn’t see last night and after sitting through a four hour pay per view, that’s not a good start. There was no reason for this not to be a squash either, as Corbin should have been slaughtered in about thirty seconds, not the better part of ten minutes doing the same thing they did last night.

Post match the fans want tables so one gets brought in, with Corbin taking an Angle Slam through one.

From Raw again.

Here’s Dean Ambrose, with the gas masked guards at his side. Corey: “There had to be some sort of big celebration in the Ambrose house last night.” Renee: “Of course there was but do you think I’m going to tell you about it?” Ambrose said you all should be bowing down to him because he did what he promised to do last night. Not too long ago Seth Rollins had two titles and now he has none. Dean isn’t done though and he’s going to destroy Rollins once and for all.

As for now though, Seth can come out here right now and tell Dean that he’s right to his face. There’s no Seth, so Dean makes a non-title open challenge for Rollins instead. There’s still no Seth, so let’s have an Open Challenge for the Intercontinental Title for anyone not named Seth Rollins.

Intercontinental Title: Dean Ambrose vs. Tyler Breeze

Ambrose is defending of course and this is indeed something different, after only an hour of waiting on anything fresh to happen. A running clothesline puts Dean on the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dean in control and stomping at the ribs before slapping on a chinlock. An enziguri (becoming way too popular around here) gives Breeze two and Dean misses a charge into the post to give Breeze another near fall. There’s the Beauty Shot and a high crossbody for two more. The Unprettier is broken up though and Dean hits Dirty Deeds for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: D+. It had a nice bit in the middle where Breeze got in some offense but this was another boring match and just a quick stop on the road to another Rollins vs. Ambrose match, which completely fits the “fresh” description on the show. After last night, I never need to see them fight again but you know we’re getting it several more times. Lucky us indeed.

Post match Ambrose calls Rollins out again and here he is, as one of the people in the gas masks. Now that might not make a lot of sense given what Dean offered him before the match, but I guess Rollins would rather get in a few shots than a match.

Video on the new NXT callups.

From Smackdown.

Here’s a ticked off Becky Lynch to open things up. She’s not cool with meetings so it doesn’t matter what Shane said. It doesn’t matter who is running the show because it’s all about someone delivering Ronda Rousey to her right now. She didn’t come this far to have a ladder turned over so it’s time to fight. This brings out Charlotte instead, to say that Becky can take a number. Say perhaps the number two, because she’s in line behind Charlotte to get at Ronda. Becky says the days of pretending to be behind Charlotte are over, but Charlotte thinks the days of Becky looking up at her will be then, now and forever.

Cue Asuka to say forget Ronda because she’s the champion. Becky and Charlotte call her a paper champion but here’s Vince McMahon for a very rare Smackdown appearance. Vince doesn’t want to hear complaints because anything goes in a TLC match, including Rousey interfering. As for tonight, Asuka is defending her title against….someone to be named and here’s Naomi to interrupt, with Vince getting in some dancing of course. We’ll have that title match right now.

Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Naomi

Naomi is challenging with Becky and Charlotte at ringside. They fight over a wristlock to start as the announcers recap the elimination of automatic rematches. Naomi takes her down and gets in a kick to the back until Asuka grabs an armbar to slow things down. The armbar goes on in the corner as well but Asuka takes too long yelling at Becky and Charlotte.

That’s enough for Naomi to get in a super Russian legsweep and we take a break. Back with both of them on the floor and Naomi hitting a spinning kick to the face from the barricade. Naomi takes it back inside for a bunch of kicks but the split legged moonsault hits knees. The Asuka Lock is broken up so Asuka pulls her back, only to get rolled up for two. The Rear View gets two but another Asuka Lock retains the title at 12:30.

Rating: C. There wasn’t any drama here but that wasn’t what they were going for. The point of this was to give Asuka a win over someone who has some credibility and that’s what they did well enough. The question now is who gets the Royal Rumble shot and ultimately the Wrestlemania shot, which is what really matters most.

Post match Asuka stares down Charlotte and Becky.

From Smackdown again.

Mustafa Ali/AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan/Andrade Cien Almas

Joined in progress with Bryan tagging out so Ali can elbow Styles in the head for two. AJ is right back with the drop down into the dropkick and it’s off to Ali for a dropkick of his own. Bryan comes in for the kicks to the chest in the corner and an abdominal stretch to keep Ali in trouble. The rolling X Factor sends Bryan outside but Almas and Zelina Vega are there with the tranquilo pose to block the dive. AJ isn’t having that though and backdrops Ali onto Bryan as we take a break.

Back with Ali having to slip out of a Liontamer but Almas comes in for a running kick to the back of the head. Bryan comes in for the YES Kicks (with Almas handling the chanting), followed by the running clothesline to keep Ali in trouble. A surfboard into a dragon sleeper makes things even worse and it’s back to Almas for more kicks. Almas turns him inside out with a clothesline but the moonsault into a moonsault hits Ali’s knees. That’s finally enough for the diving tag off to AJ and the pace picks way up.

AJ gets two off a neckbreaker and the Calf Crusher has Bryan in trouble. Almas makes a save but the hammerlock DDT is broken up with Almas being sent outside. Ali slips off the steps but manages to turn it into an acceptable enough hurricanrana. Bryan’s running knee is countered into the moonsault reverse DDT and it’s back to Ali for a tornado DDT. AJ takes out Almas with the Phenomenal Forearm….and the 054 finishes Bryan at 17:39. Ali seemed to land on Bryan fairly hard but Bryan seemed ok.

Rating: B. Well that’s how you put someone over as a new talent and Ali is a good choice. He’ shad some incredible matches on 205 Live and I’m really glad to see him get rewarded for it. If nothing else, that might give more people a reason to head over to that show. If Ali can use it to get a big boost, other people can too. Also, it makes sense to move a high flier or two up rather than leave them on 205 Live. When you have someone who can do the flying like Ali, it shows off even more as there aren’t many on the roster doing that stuff. This should get Ali a one off title shot and that’s not bad for his second match on the main roster.

We see the last bit of the women’s gauntlet match from Raw to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: C. It’s not like I can really get mad at this. I know some of you were really wanting the same tag match with the nothings of Main Event again but even they need a holiday every now and then. This was just a longer form recap of the week in WWE and that’s perfectly fine given what they were facing here. Can you imagine sitting through the entire double tapings of Raw and then having Apollo Crews vs. Curt Hawkins on top of it? This was nothing, but that’s fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

You’ve probably seen this before.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-without-much-feeling/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 26, 2004
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Now you might not believe this, but it’s a HHH night as he gets another (yes another) World Title shot, this time in a sixty minute Iron Man Match. Normally I would say that this has to be it for HHH’s time near the title but you know that’s not going to be the case. Other than that I’m sure we’re in for a night full of the Diva Search girls because they dominated last week’s show. Let’s get to it.

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

And yeah we open with the Diva Search girls being introduced in the back as Julia is eliminated. She’s the good looking blonde one in a revealing outfit who smiles a lot. Totally different from the good looking blonde ones in revealing outfits who smile a lot. After she’s gone, Coach says that tonight, their task is to verbally seduce a WWE superstar. Oh geez is THIS show.

Video on the Iron Man match, which is either the same video from Vengeance or very similar, with a bonus part about tonight at the end.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Edge, Tyson Tomko, Sylvan Grenier, Robert Conway, Stevie Richards, Hurricane, Maven, William Regal, Rodney Mack, Randy Orton, Tajiri, Rhyno, Rosey, Val Venis, Chuck Palumbo, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Kane, Batista, Ric Flair

Edge gets the first entrance and we see about a dozen people in the ring. Since JR is slow at times, he seems confused as to why Edge is here as well. Eric Bischoff comes out to say the winner gets the World Title shot at Summerslam. Minor note here: the wrestlers didn’t know why they were in the ring or what they were fighting for. Venis was very happy about the news and looked fired up to get a shot. That’s the kind of realistic reaction that you don’t get in today’s overly scripted world. Or maybe he’s just a better actor.

Jericho and Tomko start fighting before the bell and it’s Evolution jumping on Regal for the first elimination. Edge and Jericho clothesline Tomko out and a spear puts Palumbo (He still has a job?) down, followed by a toss out. Jericho walks into the RKO and Evolution tries to get rid of him with Edge making a logical save. We take a break and come back with a very excited JR telling us that Venis and Hardy were put out during the commercial at Kane’s hands. Matt came back in to get after Kane but couldn’t get rid of him. Maybe that’s why Lita cheated on him.

Back to live action with Hurricane being thrown out and Rosey eliminating Mack and Richards. Jericho gets sent to the apron and low bridges Rosey so Edge can dropkick him out. Tajiri saves Rhyno from Au Revoir and kicks La Resistance out. For some reason Tajiri tries the Tarantula on Kane and gets eliminated for his stupidity. Kane powerslams Maven and Flair goes up, with Edge slamming him down instead of knocking him off due to reasons of Flair is too old to take a bump like that.

Another spear hits Kane but he sits up next to the ropes. We take another break and come back with no extra eliminations, meaning it’s Batista, Orton, Flair, Edge, Jericho, Maven, Rhyno and Kane as this is certainly getting some time. Kane starts cleaning house and shrugs off Flair’s chops, setting up a good chokeslam. We get the required battle of the bulls with Batista and Kane with a spinebuster taking Kane down.

That earns him a Gore, to one heck of a reaction. There’s a good lesson there about protecting a move, as Rhyno hasn’t won a big match in forever but the Gore is still viewed as devastating so people still buy it. Maven throws Flair out but Rhyno Gores him as well. That’s it for Rhyno though as Batista throws him out and we’re down to six. Everyone gets together to eliminate Kane and Orton drops Maven ribs first onto the top rope for an elimination.

Edge and Jericho get rid of Batista, with Orton seeming to see what happened and not doing anything about it. The partnership doesn’t last long though as Jericho tosses Edge and we’re down to Jericho and Orton. A spinebuster takes Jericho down and a catapult puts Jericho on the ropes but he gets back in. Orton saves himself as the fans are behind Jericho (well duh).

Some skinning of the cat lets Jericho get back in (Orton: “Mother******!”) and they fight on the apron. The slugout gives us some near eliminations with both guys having one leg go near the floor. Orton gets back in but scores with an RKO over the middle rope, followed by a dropkick for the win. Just like at Wrestlemania, Orton seems shocked that he won, which makes sense given how young he still is.

Rating: B-. They did well with this as the action was good and, as tends to be the key to battle royals, the extra time allowed the drama to build up. You can only get things going so well when the match is ten minutes long and that wasn’t an issue here. Orton winning is a nice surprise, as you absolutely have to try someone new at some point and with the long Intercontinental Title reign and rematch out of the way, there isn’t really anything else for him to do but move up to the main event.

And now, the Diva Search girls get twenty seconds each to verbally seduce…..Kamala. This results in some horrible acting (yeah I know), Kamala shouting and slapping his stomach a lot, and the girls wondering how they got talked into this. Michelle goes first and says Kamala could teach her a thing or two and…..oh dear how many of them are left? Christy asks if she can show him how a body slam works because she’s new at wrestling.

Camille says he has beautiful hands as there isn’t a lot of seducing going on around here. Maria asks Kamala if he knows what verbally seducing means. Maybe he knows it better than any of the girls so far. Maria: “Is that what you do? You pound your belly?” Tracy does lines from the Nutty Professor and laughs a lot. Carmella laughs too and says that Kamala is so hot, sounding like she’s about to cry.

Chandra screams upon seeing Kamala and pulls at her top a bit. Amy, in a tied off Hines Ward jersey to a big pop, promises that she would rock Kamala’s world and dances against him a bit. Finally (thank goodness), Joy thinks Kamala is from Hawaii and asks to slap his belly. Joy: “Do the WWE dance.” That was the most grueling 7:33 of my life and THIS IS GOING TO KEEP GOING FOR HOW MANY MORE WEEKS??? This is the kind of thing that would embarrass me if a non-wrestling fan saw me watching it and that’s about as low as you can get. Side note: did any of these people know who Kamala was? Like, any one of them?

Smackdown Rebound. I’ve never been so happy to see JBL.

Clip of some WWE personalities at the Democratic National Convention in Boston for another voting drive. Nothing wrong with that, even though Linda McMahon is there. Hearing Stacy Keibler talking about the economy is….weird.

Diva Search. Swimsuits. How to vote. More time wasted. Each one of them gets their own phone number for the voting as this eats up even more time.

Flair and Batista congratulate Orton on his win until HHH comes in. Orton is ready to face him for the World Title at Summerslam and wishes him good luck tonight, which HHH eventually accepts. He doesn’t need luck though.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Chris Benoit

HHH is challenging in a sixty minute Iron Man match. After a rules explanation (with overtime promised in the event of a draw), we’re ready to go with a lockup around the ring. HHH gets in a slap to the face as the feeling out process continues. Benoit’s headlock is countered into a top wristlock with Benoit bridging back up (always cool) but not being able to get the Crossface.

That’s enough for HHH to take a breather on the floor as the time filler is completely acceptable here. Back in and the threat of a Pedigree has Benoit running for the ropes as a random HHH chant starts up. Benoit can’t get the Crossface so he settles for another headlock. The Crossface sends HHH running outside again as we’re five minutes in.

Benoit goes after the knee this time with a legdrag and some cannonballs down onto the leg. HHH gets a boot up in the corner and hits a DDT to cut Benoit off. The Pedigree is countered into a Sharpshooter attempt which is countered into the Crossface as we’re ten minutes in. HHH tries to roll out but gets rolled up to put Benoit up 1-0 with 49:50 to go.

Benoit – 1, HHH – 0

Back from a break with Benoit holding a chinlock with 46:15 to go. A snap suplex gives Benoit two and a German suplex gets the same. The abdominal stretch goes on as I wait for the Wilbur Snyder reference. HHH finally gets it over to the ropes and hiptosses Benoit over, sending him back first onto the apron. Back in and a heck of an Irish whip into the corner puts Benoit (bleeding from the mouth) down.

Another whip is reversed to flip HHH over the corner and there’s the dive through the ropes with Benoit crashing hard into the barricade. We take another break with both guys down on the floor and come back with about 37:00 minutes left. HHH blocks a Sharpshooter attempt so Benoit softens up the knee a little bit more. Benoit channels his inner HHH with a modified Indian deathlock, which suits him far better than HHH.

The Figure Four keeps the knee in trouble until HHH makes a rope. A hot shot onto the turnbuckle rocks Benoit for a delayed two with 33:00 to go. Benoit rolls the German suplexes and goes up but misses the Swan Dive. The Pedigree ties us up with….well there’s no clock but I’d assume about 31:00 to go.

Benoit – 1, HHH – 1

Benoit is down on the floor and HHH knees him back off the apron as we hit the halfway mark. HHH drops the still injured chest onto the steps and gets a countout with 28:45 to go.

HHH – 2, Benoit – 1

We take a break and come back with 25:21 to go as HHH whips him chest first into the buckle for two. HHH hammers away some more as King talks about voting for his favorite Diva. During a World Title match with the champion in trouble. Because WWE of course. Anyway HHH kicks him in the back and hits the spinebuster for another fall at 21:54 to go.

HHH – 3, Benoit – 1

We take another break and come back with Benoit hiptossing his way out of an abdominal stretch at 18:29. The Pedigree is countered into a failed Sharpshooter attempt. That works so well that they do it again, this time with the hold going on. HHH holds on for over a minute before finally tapping with 15:40 to go. That was some nice drama before the tap.

HHH – 3, Benoit – 2

HHH takes a breather on the floor so Benoit keeps him there with a baseball slide. Back in and the Crossface has HHH in more trouble but this time he gets a foot on the rope. Benoit slaps it on again and HHH taps to tie us up at 12:03 to go.

HHH – 3, Benoit – 3

With the score tied, Flair and Batista come out as we take what should be the final break. Back with 8:30 to go and HHH throws Benoit outside. A knee to the face keeps Benoit in trouble and Batista posts him behind the referee’s back to earn his keep. That’s enough to bust Benoit open and he’s thrown inside for two. HHH hammers away in the corner with 6:00 left. Some rolling German suplexes have HHH in trouble but the referee gets bumped.

The Crossface goes on so Evolution comes in, with Flair throwing in a chair so HHH can crack Benoit in the head. There’s no referee to count so HHH asks Benoit if he’s ok and covers with 4:30 to go. Cue Bischoff with a fresh referee for three straight near falls, drawing Flair back up to the apron. HHH throws the other referee to the floor and it’s Batista and Flair coming in to destroy Benoit again.

Eugene comes in for the save and of course he can beat up Flair, Batista and HHH on his own. Bischoff gets knocked off the apron with 2:30 to go and Eugene chairs HHH down. Benoit crawls over and, with Eugene throwing the referee back in, takes the lead with 6 seconds left and of course wins 4-3. That chair shot knocked HHH cold for over two minutes.

Rating: B. Normally you would think that there would be a lot to talk about in an Iron Man match but that’s not really the case here. It was just an extended version of any HHH vs. Benoit match. In other words, it’s entertaining and a good match, but it’s not like we haven’t seen any of this before. That leaves one thing to talk about it’s not good.

Eugene is completely done as a character as he’s gone from using his comedy style to beat up Rob Conway (fine) to beating up HHH and a mostly fresh Batista and Flair at the same time. Last week Benoit himself got his head handed to him by Batista and Flair is Flair, but Eugene can beat them all up without breaking a sweat? That’s the kind of thing that someone like Hogan, Austin, Rock or Cena should have trouble doing but Eugene did it here with almost no problem. That not only defeats the purpose of the character but goes WAY too far, and it’s going to be even worse when he faces HHH at Summerslam.

Eugene poses on the announcers’ table and a bunch of replays set up HHH glaring at Eugene to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There are pretty much three segments on this show, giving you two strong matches that set up the Summerslam main event (plus at least one other match) and both of them were more than fine enough. The problem is the Diva Search stuff, which isn’t funny, isn’t likely drawing any extra fans, and is just showing how worthless these non-wrestlers really are.

The Raw women’s division isn’t great, but it serves a purpose that helps a wrestling show. This stuff is fan service that fills in time, which isn’t good for someone who wants to watch some wrestling around here. Keep those things to one minute segments and do the rest of the stuff on the website if you just have to have it. Last week on Smackdown, Kurt Angle fired four women for having no talents inside the ring. Now we have to see ten more complete for one spot for probably the next two months? That’s our big segment for the summer? I’m so thrilled. Anyway, good show this week, but fast forward through the Diva Search.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 26, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

It’s the last show of the year and this time, it’s not going to be a Best Of show, which you almost expect at this point. Instead we have a Tag Team Title defense with the Undisputed Era defending against Heavy Machinery in what feels like a farewell match. Still though, it should be a good, entertaining match so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video previews the title match and the four way match for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title.

Opening sequence.

Io Shirai vs. Bianca Belair vs. Lacey Evans vs. Mia Yim

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a shot at Shayna Baszler at Takeover: Phoenix. It’s a big brawl to start with Belair and Yim being sent outside with Shirai hitting a big dive onto both of them. Yim and Shirai come back inside for a double dropkick to Evans and the double teaming begins. As expected, Yim eventually clocks Shirai so Evans takes Yim down and gets two off a slingshot elbow.

Shirai gets back up with Evans kicking her in the ribs as Belair is waiting to actually do anything so far. She finally comes back in and picks up Shirai, who she swings into Evans for a knockdown. Evans drops Belair just as well and punches Shirai for two. Belair puts Shirai in a torture rack with Evans making the save and arguing with Belair over whose time this is. Yim comes back in again and causes another Evans vs. Belair argument. A belly to back suplex gives Yim two on Belair but Shirai springboards in to dropkick Evans down.

Belair spears Shirai and all four are down at once. Back up and Shirai rolls Belair up, followed by a very high missile dropkick for two more. The Women’s Right drops Yim for two with Shirai making a very last second save. Shirai’s moonsault hits Evans for two and this time it’s Belair making a save with the hair whip. The KOD finally puts Evans away to give Belair the title shot at 9:13.

Rating: C+. That wasn’t exactly the biggest surprise in the world as Belair has been built up as the biggest star around here. There was a chance of Shirai winning but Belair makes the most sense and could have a heck of a match against Baszler. I can’t imagine Belair winning the title yet but I also can’t imagine her losing, which can make for some interesting results. Very energetic match here with some good near falls.

Mitch Taverna vs. Jaxon Ryker

Ryker unloads on him to start as we have no commentary for some reason. Mitch’s face is rubbed into the mat and Jaxon drops him throat first across the top rope. A slingshot release powerbomb gets a very nice reaction from the crowd and Taverna is done at 1:56. Not a word of commentary all match.

Video on Velveteen Dream, talking about how great his first year was and how much better the second will be. We also hear about a bunch of legends (Hogan, Michaels, Cena, Angle and more) who have all praised him, which is a smart way to go for something like this. Dream on.

We look at Tommaso Ciampa helping Johnny Gargano win the cage match last week against Aleister Black, with Ciampa smiling and Gargano being confused.

Ciampa says he’s a man of his word but sometimes he feels like a broken record talking to a wall. It turns out that someone has been listening this entire time. Johnny Gargano listens and follows his lead, which got him a pin over Aleister Black. So where does that leave Johnny? Well he can’t have another shot at the NXT Title, so he should challenge for the North American Title. Imagine: two kids come into NXT without contracts and go to every hotel room and on every car ride and then they leave Takeover: Phoenix with both titles. Imagine the possibilities.

Next week: the Year End Award nominees.

Tag Team Titles: Heavy Machinery vs. Undisputed Era

Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly are defending for the Era and Heavy Machinery has been undefeated for six months. Knight wrestles O’Reilly down to start so it’s off to Strong, who walks into a hiptoss. Dozovic comes in and isn’t about to take an Irish whip into the corner. Instead it’s Strong going into the corner and a hard clothesline gives Knight two. Belly to belly suplexes keep the champs in trouble until Strong goes after Knight’s knee. A toss to the floor has Knight down again and Kyle starts kicking away on the floor.

Back in and Knight manages to backdrop Strong over the top and out to the floor but O’Reilly gets him with a dragon screw legwhip. Palm strikes to the head keep Knight in trouble but he gets to the ropes to get out of an armbreaker. The Angle Slam gives Strong two and he grabs a leglock with Knight trying to crawl over for the tag. In a smart move, O’Reilly pulls the two of them away but, of course, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later.

The Caterpillar elbow crushes Strong and the Hoss Toss is even worse for O’Reilly. Knight misses a moonsault (nice one too) but Strong misses a running knee in the corner. It’s back to Dozovic to turn Strong inside out with a clothesline for two more. Dozovic gets caught up top and it’s a mini Tower of Doom to superplex/powerbomb him down with Knight having to make another save. A forearm/jumping knee combination gets two more but High/Low is enough to retain the titles at 11:31.

Rating: C+. Fun match here as Heavy Machinery gets to ride off to the main roster where they can be an entertaining act. They’re one of the best surprises of the year and there was no reason to change the titles here. I’m not sure who is going to take the titles from the Undisputed Era but around here, it could be interesting to see as opposed to the main roster where it’s more a case of “who cares”.

Overall Rating: B-. They’re clearly in Takeover mode now with two matches set and multiple others being built up. They could go a few directions for those matches and that makes things all the better around here. What we already have looks great though and if it’s even close to what the previous editions have been, Phoenix is going to rock.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Mia Yim, Lacey Evans and Io Shirai – KOD to Evans

Jaxon Ryker b. Mitch Taverna – Slingshot release powerbomb

Undisputed Era b. Heavy Machinery – High/Low to Dozovic

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 26, 2018
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

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

Opening sequence.

Zack Gibson/James Drake vs. Jay Melrose/Mike Hitchman

The latter team is better known as Primate and Wild Boar. Why are their names Mike and Jay? Gibson doesn’t exactly get a hero’s welcome here. Hitchman rolls away from a wristlock and Gibson is already annoyed. A pull of the hair is enough to bring in Drake but Hitchman hits a quick backsplash to the back to take over.

Melrose comes in to a nice reaction but gets sent outside for a slingshot/backbreaker combo. Back in and Gibson hits the chinlock as the villains start taking over with shots to the ribs. A missed charge allows allows the hot tag back to Hitchman for the house cleaning, including a powerbomb to Drake. That’s about it though as the Ticket to Ride finishes Hitchman at 4:53.

Rating: C. I’m rather impressed that they’ve managed to keep Gibson and Drake together for so long as Gibson is a far better heel than anyone else on the show. Drake isn’t bad at all but they feel like an actual team instead of Gibson with Drake tagging along. Gibson is better in just about every facet of wrestling, but they’re a good team and that’s a very positive thing.

Post match Gibson says they’re the best tag team in the world and have won everywhere they’ve gone. Gibson rants about the Liverpool fans turning their backs on him as soon as he had his first success. They took to the internet to say Gibson is…..I think he said woolyback. They’re the best tag team in the world and soon to be recognized as NXT UK Tag Team Champions.

Moustache Mountain is ready to go to Blackpool and win the Tag Team Titles. Wolfgang and Mark Coffey are the speed bump on the road but it’s not stopping them. That match is next week.

Dave Mastiff vs. Josh Morrell

Before I can say this match isn’t likely to happen because Eddie Dennis is going to interfere, Dennis comes out and jumps Josh, meaning no match. This is an oddly entertaining feud and I want to see the rematch.

Joseph Conners doesn’t like new toys because he used to be one. Now he wants to break some of those toys. Yeah I still don’t care.

Mark Andrews vs. Marcel Barthel

Barthel was on the regular NXT a few times and looked good. Andrews has to fight out of a wristlock to start and tries a headlock, only to have Barthel flip over his back into a hammerlock for a sweet counter. Back up and it’s an armdrag to put Barthel down, followed by a hurricanrana. A headscissors is countered into a faceplant and Barthel nails a running knee to the face for two.

The stomping in the corner sets up a sliding dropkick to the face so Barthel stops for some posing on the middle rope. Barthel gets two off a running uppercut in the corner and we hit the chinlock. Andrews fights up with some chops and a jumping enziguri, but Barthel rolls away before the standing moonsault. Andrews follows him out and hits a dropkick off the steps but here’s Fabian Aichner for a distraction.

It’s enough to give Barthel a small package for two so Andrews grabs a quick Stundog Millionaire. Fall to Pieces misses and Barthel throws him outside for a running knee from Aichner. Back in and Barthel hits a fisherman’s belly to back suplex (with Andrews being flipped onto his face) for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: F. This match was supposed to be designed to introduce Barthel and make him an interesting character and in that regard, it completely failed. It was long, slow, and didn’t make Barthel look like he could have beaten Andrews without help. I don’t want to see Barthel wrestle again and almost anyone could have been better. Absolutely terrible here and easily the most boring match on the series so far.

Barthel and Aichner pose together after the match. Aichner is better than that.

Video on Toni Storm winning the Mae Young Classic and earning a title shot, which she’s using at Takeover: Blackpool.

Video on Travis Banks.

Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending. Purrazzo hits a pump kick at the bell and a headscissors into an armbar has Ripley in more trouble. A quick rollup gets two on Ripley and Purrazzo ties her up in the middle of the ring for a running dropkick to the hip. Ripley has had it and sends Purrazzo outside for a drop onto the apron.

Back in and a delayed vertical suplex gives Ripley two, followed by a bodyscissors to stay on the ribs. Purrazzo fights up so Ripley kicks her right back down and grabs the standing Texas Cloverleaf. A rope is grabbed for the save and Purrazzo sends her outside for a dive from the apron. Back in and the Lethal Combination sets up a Koji Clutch to keep Ripley in trouble.

Ripley rolls out and hits a faceplant to put Purrazzo in trouble again. Purrazzo is sat on top but slips out, only to have Ripley block a sunset bomb. Instead Purrazzo kicks the knee out and hits a release German superplex. It’s time for the slugout with Purrazzo grabbing a flip Downward Spiral (with Ripley rolling forward to land on her back) for two more. Ripley is fine enough to hit Riptide to finish Purrazzo (with some shouting in her face on the cover) and retain at 12:21.

Rating: B-. This started slowly but got a lot better by the end. The important thing here was Purrazzo felt like she could win, which is hard to pull off when you have what should be a pretty obvious ending. I liked the match more than I was expecting to and Ripley is still getting really good at the little things, like the trash talk at the end. Good main event here and a nice surprise.

Post match Ripley beats on her some more but Toni Storm runs in for the save. Respect is shown between Toni and Deonna to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. That middle match killed the show horribly as there was only so much you can do when there’s a ten minute wreck in the middle of the show. The main event helped a lot though and Gibson is a treat to watch as he gets an entire crowd hating him all over again every single week. This show worked well enough, but that big anchor held it down far too much.

Results

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Jay Melrose/Mike Hitchman – Ticket to Ride to Hitchman

Marcel Barthel b. Mark Andrews – Belly to back fisherman’s suplex

Rhea Ripley b. Deonna Purrazzo – Riptide

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 26, 2018
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Christmas is over and that means it’s time for the good things to come to an end. Therefore, it’s back to a double shot of NXT UK, though that should be coming to an end early next month. We’re also in a new taping cycle and that means Zack Gibson might be….egads….cheered around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Sid Scala is in the ring and introduces Johnny Saint for an announcement. The big announcement is that on January 12, it’s NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. This brings out Toni Storm (with a rather different hair style) who says that she’s lived here in Liverpool for four years now. Also, as the winner of the Mae Young Classic, she can have a title shot anytime she wants. Therefore, she’ll be taking that at Takeover. Saint approves to wrap the segment. Nothing wrong with this and they were done in short order.

Kenny Williams vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin is on this show more than anyone else. Williams sends him outside in a hurry and a springboard back elbow to the jaw knocks him outside. A dropkick through the ropes is countered with a drop onto the apron and it’s a reverse chinlock back inside. Williams’ comeback is cut off by a release Rock Bottom but his standing moonsault hits knees. Back up and Devlin gets dropkicked in the back, followed by a kick to the chest for two. A wheelbarrow rollup is countered into a half nelson suplex for two on Williams and Ireland’s Call gives Devlin the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C-. As usual, Devlin is the kind of guy that they should want to push but at the same time, he’s already lost to Pete Dunne, which makes this a little less interesting. Devlin has gotten a lot better and I buy him as a big villain, but I can’t imagine seeing him face off with Dunne again, at least not so soon. That doesn’t leave him much left to do and that’s a problem.

Post match Devlin says don’t bet against him.

Marcel Barthel debuts next week.

Scala and Saint are in the back for a chat about what’s coming up at Takeover. Rhea Ripley comes in to say she wants to defend the title next week. They go into their office and come back out a few seconds later, saying she can defend against Deonna Purrazzo next week.

Dan Moloney vs. Eddie Dennis

Moloney goes right after him to start but gets thrown down for his efforts. That earns him a toss to the floor and Moloney follows him out with a hard elbow to the face. The spinning backbreaker onto the apron makes things worse but here’s Dave Mastiff to jump Dennis for the DQ at 1:13.

Post match Dennis bails before the Cannonball can hit him. Moloney isn’t happy with Mastiff costing him a match so Mastiff knocks him into the corner for the Cannonball. I’m still trying to get my head around someone like Mastiff as a face.

Ligero thanks Scala for an opportunity tonight against Joe Coffey. Gallus comes in and Joe says tonight is about a step towards his NXT Championship. Scala also gives Wolfgang and Mark Coffey a spot in the Tag Team Title tournament against Moustache Mountain.

Zack Gibson takes James Drake on a tour of Liverpool to explain how important the city is to England. He’s Liverpool’s #1 but as soon as he became a success, the city turned on him. They’ll be Tag Team Champions.

Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone vs. Jack Starz/Tucker

T-Bone shoves Starz down to start so it’s quickly off to Tucker for a double dropkick. Tucker gets thrown down onto his face and Huxley comes in for a running knee to the stomach. It’s already back to Starz to fight off both monsters with a double knee to the ribs, followed by T-Bone’s right hand for the pin at 2:43. Total squash and I still don’t care for Huxley and T-Bone at all.

Isla Dawn agrees that her last match wasn’t the best performance against Rhea Ripley. She’s ready to rise back up again though and become champion. Jinny comes in to say no one cares about her.

Ligero vs. Joe Coffey

The much bigger Coffey drives him into the corner and we actually get a clean break. Coffey takes him down and pulls at the horns but Ligero ties himself up in a ball. That goes nowhere so Ligero tries a sunset flip to no avail. A faceplant sends Coffey to the outside but he blocks a Sliced Bread off the steps. Instead Coffey tosses him into the barricade for a running headbutt to the ribs for a unique shot.

Back in and the full nelson goes on, followed by a double underhook neck crank to keep Ligero in trouble. Ligero knees his way out of some vertical suplexes and sends Coffey outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Ligero hits a top rope cannonball, followed by a springboard Sliced Bread for two. That would be the big spot that served as Ligero’s last chance to win here.

Coffey hits another running headbutt to the back and a pop up powerslam gets two. Ligero’s top rope hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb into a Boston crab but Ligero makes the ropes. A rollup gives Ligero two but he springboards into the discus lariat to give Coffey the pin at 10:08.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t expecting this to turn into a competitive match again after Ligero’s big offense but it worked out rather well here. Ligero is a good choice for a luchador like this as he can do all the flying but being from England is more than enough to make the fans care about him. Coffey is a good choice for a monster villain, though every time he’s out there he shows low unimportant Mark and Wolfgang really are.

Overall Rating: C+. The two matches in the middle weren’t exactly required viewing but the first match gave us another step forward for Devlin and the main event was good. Having a goal like the Takeover card is going to help but this show still isn’t one of the better things that WWE does. Getting it back down to an hour a week will help them a lot though and it’s not like this show is terrible by any stretch. I’m just not connected to it and that hasn’t changed in the slightest.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Kenny Williams – Ireland’s Call

Eddie Dennis b. Dan Moloney via DQ when Dave Mastiff interfered

Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone b. Jack Starz/Tucker – Right hand to Starz

Joe Coffey b. Ligero – Discus lariat

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 25, 2018
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Now this one could be interesting as we have a taped show airing on Christmas night. The big main event is Shinsuke Nakamura defending the United States Title against Rusev in a match that has been teased for a few weeks now. Other than that it’s going to be fallout from the McMahon’s announcement last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are R-Truth and Carmella as Santa and an elf. Truth says they’re here because the reindeer were getting tired. You know the reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Tito, Jermaine. They start a seven second carol break but here’s Daniel Bryan to interrupt. He’s not having this when he wants to be at home with his family because this is NOT the real Santa Claus.

Bryan exposed the real AJ Styles and now he’ll reveal this man as a fraud. He talks about how everyone’s materialistic desires are causing environmental disaster, meaning there will be severe global warming that could melt the North Pole, meaning there will be NO MORE SANTA CLAUS. Bryan calls Truth’s career a joke, but Truth says he’ll take the title from him after winning the Royal Rumble.

That doesn’t work when Truth can’t even count to thirty. Truth insists that he can: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven second dance break!” The beatdown is on in a hurry and Bryan puts him in a heel hook. Some stomps set up another heel hook and Truth is left laying. That’s how you make Bryan hated: have him beat up one of the purest faces on the show.

Mustafa Ali vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Almas dropkicks him into the corner at the bell and stomps away with more aggression than usual. A belly to back suplex has Ali in trouble but he snaps off a hurricanrana. That earns him a toss to the floor and we take a break. Back with Ali hitting the rolling X Factor for two but missing a superkick and getting elbowed in the face. Almas ties him up for the top rope double stomp but Ali punches away on the top. A shove knocks Almas off the top but he backflips onto his feet (cool). The running knees miss in the corner though and Ali hits his running DDT. The 054 finishes Almas at 8:35.

Rating: C. They packed a good little bit into this and Ali winning was the right (and obvious) ending. Ali is getting a big push and at some point he’s going to get a shot at Bryan in what should be a really good match. That being said though, what the heck are they doing with Almas? He’s got every tool you could need and the reputation to back them up but he can never win anything. I don’t get it, and I don’t think Almas does either.

Samoa Joe hopes Jeff Hardy had a good Christmas. Maybe Jeff could make up for some of the time that he spent ruining everything. Last week Jeff said he was a strong man but Joe saw something in his eyes. It was clear: Joe has become Jeff’s new addiction.

Usos/Good Brothers vs. The Bar/Sanity

New Day (with Big E. covered in oil) comes out to do commentary at their own table. Sheamus kicks Anderson in the ribs to start so Jey comes in to start on Cesaro’s arm. The fast tags continue with Dain coming in to drop Jimmy as we take a break. Back with Jimmy in a neck crank and Wolfe adding some stomps.

A standing moonsault gives Wolfe two and Sheamus comes back in for the chinlock. The comeback and hot tag don’t take long though as it’s off to Gallows for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and a series of shots to the face is capped off with Gallows superkicking Cesaro into the Magic Killer for the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C-. Too many people and not enough time to make it work here but it was fine enough while it lasted. I’m glad to see the Good Brothers getting a bit of a push, just because they’re something fresh. This division is dying for new talent and it’s very nice to see someone getting a chance.

NXT callups video.

Some people congratulate Ali on his win. Shelton Benjamin welcomes him to the roster but Bryan jumps Ali from behind, saying he doesn’t deserve to be here.

It’s time for MizTV, with the Best in the World trophy in the ring with him. Miz wastes no time in bringing out Shane McMahon as his guest. Shane says the new mandate from the company is to listen to the fans (less than 24 hours after Baron Corbin main evented Raw) so Miz brings up Paige being removed from power. That’s dropped in a hurry so Miz says there are four McMahon’s (three and a HHH actually) in power so Shane should have more time to form the best tag team ever with Miz.

See, this is all about Miz’s father. Miz lists off his resume and says he’s never heard his father say he’s proud of him. Then it was the Best in the World, where his father said that Shane was something else. Miz’s dad usually likes the high fliers so Miz was confused. Shane is the kind of guy who will put his life on the line and that got Miz’s attention. Miz needs to team with Shane to make his father proud and Shane should do it since this is the land of opportunity. Shane agrees, but says Miz better not screw him. They hold up the trophy to wrap things up. I’m scared of where this is going.

Rusev is very happy because it’s Christmas, Rusev Day, and his birthday. That’s why tonight, we’re having a much more handsome United States Champion.

Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe

Joe starts with the power but Jeff kicks him down, setting up Hardiac Arrest in the corner. One hard shot to the face drops Jeff again though and we take a break. Back with Joe knocking him down again and grabbing an abdominal stretch. The neck crank goes on for a bit and triggers the comeback with Jeff hitting the basement dropkick, followed by Whisper in the Wind for two. Joe gets sent outside for a running clothesline from the apron but Jeff starts driving knees into Joe’s head against the barricade and that’s a DQ at 8:20.

Rating: D+. This was an angle more than anything else and that’s fine. I’m curious where this is going and it seems to have lit a fire under Hardy that hasn’t been there in a long time. Joe is the perfect antagonist for something like this as his promos have been outstanding. I’m not sure who wins in the end or where it’s going, and that’s a nice issue to have.

Post match Jeff stays on him until the referee breaks it up. Joe chokes him out and gives him the crazy look.

Shinsuke Nakamura is going to retain the title.

Fighting With My Family trailer.

The Usos are in the back but Jey goes off on his own. Jimmy runs into Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, who point at the mistletoe above them. Naomi shows up and throws a shoe to scare them off. Jimmy and Naomi kiss under the mistletoe.

US Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev

Rusev is challenging. Nakamura, in a full body suit again, takes Rusev into the corner to start but gets taken down by some running clotheslines. An early triangle choke sends Rusev bailing to the floor and we take a break. Back with Nakamura grabbing a cravate to keep Rusev in trouble. A suplex gets Rusev out of trouble but Nakamura kicks him right back down. The stomps on the back of the neck have Rusev in more trouble and Nakamura grabs a chinlock. Rusev gets up and heads to the apron but gets kicked outside as we take another break.

Back again with Nakamura getting two off a knee to the head. The front facelock goes on for a few moments until Rusev throws him off without too much trouble. Rusev gets two off a spinwheel kick and another kick to the face gets the same. They head outside with Nakamura sending him into the steps and hitting a middle rope knee to the face back inside.

Kinshasa is countered with the Machka Kick for two but Nakamura grabs another triangle. This one lasts a bit longer until Rusev eventually throws him off. Rusev misses a charge into the post and a knee to the head gives Nakamura two. A lariat turns Nakamura inside out and another Machka Kick gives Rusev the pin and the title at 22:45.

Rating: B. It’s about nine months late but I’m that Rusev finally won the title back. He’s been over all year and has seemed to be going in circles for months now. Nakamura continues his near downward spiral after all that time doing nothing, despite being US Champion for five months. Good match here, but these two are going in opposite directions.

AJ Styles runs into Vince McMahon in the back, where Vince asks who AJ is. AJ lists off his monikers but Vince wants to know why AJ wasn’t wrestling in the house that he built. Vince wants the real AJ Styles and knows that AJ has a tormented soul. If AJ can harness his aggression, the animal inside him can get out. That’s what Vince wants to see so he slaps AJ, who beats Vince down. Agents break it up and Vince seems very happy.

Overall Rating: C+. Another good show here, even if the audience is going to be minimal again. It won’t be as bad as Raw from last night but this is still not a show that a lot of people are going to see. The wrestling was good though and I like where some of the stories are going. Again, it’s almost remarkable how much more together Smackdown seems than Raw, which has been the case for months now.

Results

Mustafa Ali b. Andrade Cien Almas – 054

Usos/Good Brothers b. The Bar/Sanity – Magic Killer to Cesaro

Samoa Joe b. Jeff Hardy via DQ when Hardy attacked on the floor

Rusev b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Machka Kick

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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