Monday Night Raw – January 21, 2019: I Thought Fast Lane Was In March

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 21, 2019
Location: Chesapeake Energy Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

It’s the last Raw before the Royal Rumble and last week saw a pretty big change. Finn Balor has taken Braun Strowman’s place in Sunday’s Universal Title match and that means things are a lot more interesting in a hurry. I doubt something that big is going to change tonight but you never know. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the traditional Martin Luther King Jr. Day video, which absolutely never misses.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to get things going. Heyman sounds rather disgusted this week and talks about Finn Balor winning the title shot last week. Balor pinned John Cena, who them endorsed Balor for his win. Everyone got on their feet and said they believed in Balor, who is going into a Universal Title match.

Lesnar was ready for Braun Strowman and now he’s going to take that out on Balor. Finn is going to be sacrificed for believing that he can defeat Lesnar and for the sin of believing that he can take what Brock has. Here’s your spoiler alert: Balor will be destroyed for his sins and conquered by the conqueror.

This brings out Vince McMahon to say Heyman believes this one more than usual. Vince sees this as David vs. Goliath. See, one day David went out and ate every mushroom he could find and decided he could beat Goliath. Then Goliath beat David to death, but David was reincarnated as Finn Balor. Vince calls this hillbilly land (Heyman: “You’re speaking too fast for them Vince.”) and says no one should believe Balor can win.

This brings out Braun Strowman, much to Vince’s annoyance. Strowman says last week was the worst night of his life because of Baron Corbin, who cost him $100,000 and his Universal Title shot. That makes Lesnar a lucky man too because it means Strowman won’t be waiting for him on Sunday. He’ll be waiting after Sunday though and it’ll be time for Lesnar to get these hands. This brings out Balor, who says he earned the title shot last week by beating the best of all time in John Cena. Heyman: “Second greatest of all time after Brock Lesnar. Continue.”

Strowman chimes in again but Balor says to keep his nose out of it because Balor is going to do something that Braun never did. Lesnar leaves so Balor explains the story of David to Vince. No one bought what David was made of, just like Balor will do on Sunday. Vince tells Lesnar to hang on because we’ll have Strowman vs. Balor right now in a David vs. Goliath match. No Chance playing us to the break seems rather appropriate. Also, how long did it take for Vince to turn heel? My goodness.

Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor

Joined in progress with Balor’s dropkick not having much effect. Strowman knocks him to the floor for the running shoulder and it’s off to the nerve hold back inside. They head outside again and this time the running shoulder is countered with a Sling Blade. Back in and Balor grabs a sleeper to knock Strowman down. It’s too early for the Coup de Grace though as Strowman throws him off the top and down onto Lesnar for a belly to belly.

The bell didn’t ring and it’s Balor going back in to attack Strowman. A running flip dive takes Lesnar down and there’s another Sling Blade to Strowman. Balor dropkicks Lesnar through the ropes and dropkicks him into the barricade for a bonus. Strowman pulls Balor back inside but misses a charge into the post. The shot gun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace but Lesnar comes in with an F5 for the DQ at 7:46.

Rating: C. This was much more about the brawling at the end than the match and that’s fine. Balor needed some momentum heading into the pay per view, though having Lesnar come in for the DQ wasn’t the best idea in the world. I guess they didn’t want Strowman taking a pin, though that begs the question of why book the match in the first place.

Here are Lio Rush and Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Title celebration. Rush brags about how good Lashley is and says we’re having an open challenge (non-title of course), because Lashley fights for money. The lights are turned low so Lashley can pose until Apollo Crews comes out to interrupt. Apollo knows that Lashley is a stud but no one paid money to see Lashley pose.

Rush says that Crews doesn’t have the stature to do this but if he can beat Lashley in a pose off, he can have the match. Lashley poses but Crews dances into his pose. They do it again to the same result, followed by Lashley doing his most muscular pose. Lashley finally jumps Crews but gets sent outside. Rush is tossed on top of him to really hammer the point home.

Bobby Lashley vs. Apollo Crews

Non-title and joined in progress with Lashley powering him down. Crews is right back with a press slam of his own (dang) for the double knockdown. Crews makes the mistake of going after Rush though, meaning another gorilla press. That’s enough of a distraction for Lashley to spear him down for the pin at 2:45.

After Lashley’s win, Seth Rollins comes out for a staredown. Post break, Rollins says this day is about Martin Luther King Jr., including a quote talking about a man being measured by what he does when he’s surrounded by tragedy. That’s what Rollins has felt for the last few months because he now has his ring all around him. He’s going to Phoenix this weekend and winning the Royal Rumble.

It’s a long shot, but he’s betting on himself because of what’s inside his chest. This brings out Drew McIntyre, who says he can’t wait to take everything away from Rollins both tonight and on Sunday. If you had Rollins’ heart and put it in Drew’s body, the person would be unstoppable. That sounds like the setup of a match to me.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Joined in progress again with Rollins elbowing him in the face for two. Rollins sends him outside but the suicide dive misses, allowing McIntyre to put on an armbar. That delay lets Cole tell us that Cena is out of the Rumble with an ankle injury. I guess that’s how they get him back on the movie set. Rollins fights up but misses a charge into the post, allowing the armbar to go on again. Drew kicks him in the ribs to the floor and the reverse Alabama slam takes us to a break.

Back with Rollins hitting the Sling Blade but having the Buckle Bomb reversed. Rollins gets two off a hurricanrana and the Falcon Arrow gets two. The Stomp is countered but the Claymore is countered with a heck of a superkick for two more. They’re certainly trading the heavy shots so far. It’s McIntyre up first and he takes Rollins up for the super White Noise into another near fall. The frustrated McIntyre tries a clothesline but gets rolled up for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C+. This shouldn’t have been on Raw and I’m not sure I can go with the idea of McIntyre losing to anyone clean at this point. At least there’s a good chance that Rollins is winning the Rumble on Sunday so it would make sense to give him a win this big. The loss doesn’t do serious damage to McIntyre, but it doesn’t exactly help him either. Kind of a weird choice, though if they go all the way with Rollins it makes more sense.

The Revival (hey they’re still here) sucks up to Vince to get a title shot. Vince agrees, but this time we need a special referee. Someone like….Curt Hawkins. The Revival immediately starts sucking up.

Lucha House Party vs. Jinder Mahal/Singh Brothers

Dorado goes right after Jinder to start but gets driven into the corner. We hit an early chinlock but Dorado is quickly up. Sunil comes in and almost immediately allows the hot tag to Kalisto. The step onto the shoulders into a splash gets two on Sunil but a knee to the back puts Kalisto down. A kick to the head allows the hot tag off to Metalik so house can be cleaned. Metalik wastes no time in hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker….to pin Sunil at 3:22. Everyone is surprised by that pin, as they should be.

Rating: D. Were they just running short on time this week and needed to fill in some time? The match wasn’t anything interesting and I was half expecting Mahal to take a pin in there instead. The ending came out of nowhere and while I didn’t like how fast it was over, it did mean I didn’t have to watch it anymore so that’s an improvement.

Video on EC3.

Dana Brooke seems awestruck by EC3 and asks him a bunch of questions about his nutrition.

Here’s Elias for a song. He talks about what a great year it’s going to be until Baron Corbin interrupts. Corbin threatens to come beat him up so Elias wants the mic cut. Since Corbin isn’t in charge anymore, Elias gets what he wants. Elias goes on to sing about how much Corbin sucks and the fight is on. You know what’s next.

Elias vs. Baron Corbin

Joined in progress because opening bells are the enemy tonight. Elias hits Old School into an armdrag and clotheslines Corbin down before sending him outside. That means the slide underneath the ropes into the big clothesline but Elias is right back with the jumping knee to the face. A swinging neckbreaker gives Elias two but Corbin punches him in the throat, setting up End of Days for the pin at 3:33.

Rating: D. Another match that didn’t have time to mean much here, but I’ll certainly take a Corbin match going as short as possible. This feud hasn’t done anything for me, though it’s sad to see Elias fall so far so fast. He wasn’t going to be a big star with the rather simple gimmick, but this face turn and losses to Corbin have killed him.

It’s time for A Moment of Bliss with Alexa talking about the Women’s Royal Rumble. After listing off 21 names in the match so far, she brings out her former best friend and the odds on favorite to win: Nia Jax. Before Nia can answer who she would want to face with a win, Ember Moon interrupts to says he’s staking her claim right now. This brings out Alicia Fox to says he’s the captain of the division and navigating the ship towards Wrestlemania.

Mickie James comes out (much to Bliss’ annoyance) and says she’ll win. A fight breaks out and a bunch of other women come out, sending Bliss onto her chair to say ENOUGH. The fight breaks out again and heads to the back so Bliss announces herself for the Royal Rumble. This brings out Lacey Evans to say that was messy. She’ll be bringing class to the Royal Rumble, including taking care of the sawed off girly runt Bliss.

Titus O’Neil announces his introduction into the Royal Rumble when a production guy bumps into him. Titus isn’t happy as the guy leaves….and that’s it.

Ascension vs. Heavy Machinery

Otis spins Viktor around with a slam to start and it’s off to Tucker for a double headbutt. The Bushwhackers double knee to the head sets up the Caterpillar, followed by the Compactor for the pin at 2:12. Total squash and fun match that Heavy Machinery can do.

Tag Team Titles: Revival vs. Bobby Roode/Chad Gable

Roode and Gable are defending and Curt Hawkins is guest referee. Wilder and Gable start things off and it’s time to take over in the corner early on with a tag to Roode not counting due to a lack of grabbing a tag rope. Everything breaks down in a hurry and it’s stereo t-bone suplex to send Revival outside. Gable is backdropped onto Wilder but gets clotheslined down by Dawson as we take a break.

Back with Gable making the hot tag so Roode can clothesline away, followed by a spinebuster to Wilder. Dawson tries the Ultimate Warrior/Bobby Heenan leg trip on a suplex but gets caught at two. Wilder’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets the same treatment, as does Dawson pulling the trunks on a rollup. Dawson has had it and shoves Hawkins, allowing Gable to grab a rollup for a fast counted pin at 8:04.

Rating: C-. They had a story here and while I’m not sure if this is enough to keep the Revival happy, it’s still something that has been done as of late. Would it really hurt to give them the titles at some point? It’s not like Gable and Roode are anything special and they’ve been a team for all of a few months anyway. Not a bad match, but I just want to see the Revival get to do something.

Post match Hawkins gets beaten down until Zack Ryder runs in for the save to a rather mild reaction from the announcers.

Ronda Rousey says she doesn’t owe Sasha Banks a thing because Banks insulted her as soon as she got a Women’s Title shot. She’s the Boss’ boss, and she’ll prove it at the Royal Rumble.

Ronda Rousey/Natalya vs. Sasha Banks/Bayley

Before the match, Banks talks about Rousey not being around very long and being ready to stop her on Sunday. That sets Rousey off to the point that Natalya has to hold her back. Banks and Natalya start things off with Sasha getting in a cheap shot on Rousey to knock her off the apron. Rousey comes in to clean house and we take an early break. Back with Bayley coming in for a running knee to Natalya’s face. Sasha adds the Meteora for two but Natalya gets over for the hot tag to Rousey.

Banks slips out of a quick fireman’s carry and rolls Rousey into the Bank Statement with Natalya having to make a save. Bayley gets beaten up as well but takes Rousey into the corner for an ax handle to Rousey’s arm. That doesn’t seem to bother Rousey as she pulls Banks down into an armbar attempt. That goes nowhere so it’s back to Natalya for a suplex into the Sharpshooter. Everything breaks down and Banks slaps on the Bank Statement to Natalya for the tap at 7:41.

Rating: C. The match was as watchable as you would expect, but what matters here is I’m much more interested in seeing Rousey vs. Banks than I was before. Rousey showed some fire here and that’s what makes her matches that much better. I don’t think Banks will win the title, but I think there’s the tiniest chance that it could happen, and that’s what matters. Good job on that, and that’s what mattered most.

Banks and Rousey stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show felt fast and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Everything felt like it was happening at a breakneck pace and that gives it a benefit of never dragging. At the same time though, very little felt very good or even worth seeing, though I’ll take that over boring or dragging every week. The Rumble itself isn’t getting a lot of attention at the top, though that’s mainly because Seth Rollins is such a heavy favorite. The rest of the card is looking good though and that’s a fine way to go. Not a bad show, but it went flying by.

Results

Finn Balor b. Braun Strowman via DQ when Brock Lesnar interfered

Bobby Lashley b. Apollo Crews – Spear

Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre – Rollup

Lucha House Party b. Jinder Mahal/Singh Brothers – Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Sunil Singh

Heavy Machinery b. Ascension – Compactor to Viktor

Chad Gable/Bobby Roode b. Revival – Rollup to Dawson

Sasha Banks/Bayley b. Ronda Rousey/Natalya – Bank Statement to Natalya

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:

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So That’s How They’re Getting Out Of It

Someone is out of the Rumble.https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/john-cena-injury-mens-royal-rumble-match-question

John Cena is questionable for the Royal Rumble, which might be their way of getting Cena back on the movie set in time. Nothing wrong with that, and Cena put Balor over before he left. Kind of annoying to false advertise him, but I like this better than him just leaving again.

Royal Rumble Count-Up – 2013: We Didn’t Need To Do This

IMG Credit: WWE

Royal Rumble 2013
Date: January 27, 2013
Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 13,00
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jerry Lawler

Pre-Show: US Title: The Miz vs. Antonio Cesaro

Smackdown World Title: Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio

Big Show blocks the armbreaker with one arm and slams Del Rio down, sending him outside. Del Rio gets back in as Big Show gets a chair but the champion dropkicks him in the ribs to knock it out of his hands. A series of chair shots (crowd: “SI! SI! SI!”) has Big Show down but Alberto dives into a chokeslam for an eight count. We head outside again with Del Rio getting chopped to the floor with ease. This is a very slow paced match so far.

Send Slim Jims to the military!

Cena is ready for the Rumble because it means he can be champion again.

We recap Miz vs. Cesaro on the pre-show.

Tag Titles: HELL NO vs. Rhodes Scholars

JBL rants about Cole and Lawler hugging as Kane kicks Sandow in the face, knocking him out to the floor. The FLYING GOAT takes out the challengers but Cody low bridges Bryan to the floor to take over. Back in and a half crab has Daniel in trouble but he reverses into a small package to escape. Damien comes in again and drops an elbow for two before dropping the Wind-Up Elbow.

We look at the Royal Rumble Fan Fest which is another name for Axxess. This included a tournament of NXT wrestlers for a spot in the Rumble, won by Bo Dallas.

Royal Rumble

Everybody goes after Tensai to make a big cluster in the corner. That goes nowhere at all so Brodus Clay comes in at #13. We get a Tons of Funk preview before Goldust backdrops Cody to the apron, only to get pulled to the apron as well. Cody gets back in and sends Goldust into the post for the elimination and a lot of booing. Rey Mysterio is #14 to make the crowd happy again. Ziggler and Jericho get quick 619s and the top rope splash crushes Jericho. Things slow down a bit until we reach the halfway point with Darren Young at #15.

Coming Home ad for Wrestlemania. That still should have been Wrestlemania XXX.

Raw World Title: The Rock vs. CM Punk

Punk of course has Heyman with him. He charges right into the brawl and actually pounds Rock down into the corner. A quick Rock Bottom is countered but Punk is sent outside. Rock follows him outside and sends the champion into the barricade before loading up the announce table. Punk comes back with a shot to the ribs and puts the table back together in a great bit. Back in and Rock scores with more right hands to knock Punk to the floor again.

More choking follows and a knee to the back has Rock on the apron, followed by a springboard dropkick to send him outside. Punk tries a top rope ax handle to take Rock down but injures his knee in the process. Rock scores with some kicks to the knee but the champion easily sends him out to the floor to stop the comeback. Back in and Punk misses the springboard clothesline and reinjures the knee, giving Rock his opening.

A DDT gets one on Punk but he fights out of the Rock Bottom. The GTS is countered into a Sharpshooter attempt but Punk counters into the Anaconda Vice in a nice sequence. Rock rolls over into a cradle, forcing Punk to let go of the hold. Back up and tries the Rock Bottom but Punk counters into a rollup for two, only to be countered into a low seated Sharpshooter. Punk is next to the rope so naturally he takes thirty seconds to get the break.

Rock celebrates for about three minutes to end the show.

Ratings Comparison

Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show

Original: B

Redo: C-

HELL NO vs. Rhodes Scholars

Original: C

Redo: C

Royal Rumble

Original: C+

Redo: B

The Rock vs. CM Punk

Original: B

Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: A-

Redo: B

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/01/27/royal-rumble-2013-by-the-book-and-still-awesome/

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:

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Main Event – January 17, 2019: Something You Wouldn’t Have Expected

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: January 17, 2019
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

This is the kind of week where you need a recap. All kinds of things took place this week on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, meaning we could be in for a heck of a week on Main Event. I don’t think we actually will be, but there’s always the chance that they could surprise us. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Zack Ryder/No Way Jose vs. Curt Hawkins/Tyler Breeze

Time for this week As Breeze Turns. There’s something amusing about No Way Jose’s conga line still dancing as Breeze and Hawkins come out. An early Breeze distraction lets Hawkins get in a few shots but it’s quickly off to Jose, who gets beaten up as well. Ryder comes back in but walks into a suplex for two. Hawkins misses a split legged moonsault of all things and it’s back to Jose as everything breaks down. House is cleaned until Hawkins clotheslines Ryder for two. The Supermodel Kick gets the same with Jose making the save and hitting the pop up punch on Hawkins. The Rough Ryder finishes Breeze at 5:06.

Rating: D+. That’s as Main Eventish of a match as you’re going to see. These four have barely done a thing of note on Raw in months (if not years) and here they are in a short match on Main Event. Ryder still gets good reactions but I’m not sure how much of a future he has. The second half of that is true for just about everyone involved here and that’s pretty sad.

From Raw.

Intercontinental Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

Dean is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Before the match, Rollins says this is his last chance to win the title back and knock Ambrose’s teeth out. All that matters out there is what you do bell to bell and no one can do it like him. Dean offers Rollins a partnership against Lashley and gets sent outside for his efforts. Rollins dropkicks Lashley outside as well and hits a dive before punching Dean again.

Back in and Rollins gets double teamed to put him in trouble for the first time. Lashley hits a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner but a second charge misses, allowing Rollins to slug away. One heck of a spinebuster puts Rollins down and Dean sends Lashley outside. That’s enough of a delay to let Rollins clothesline Dean to the floor for a suicide dive to both. Rush tries to go after Rollins but has to bail to the floor instead. The chase is on so Lashley hits a spinebuster on Rollins and a belly to belly on Dean as we take a break.

Back with Dean hitting a clothesline on Lashley and forming a rather loose partnership with Rollins to keep him in trouble. That gives us the big staredown but they go with more stomping on Lashley instead. A shot with the steps puts Lashley down again and NOW it’s time for the big showdown. Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow for two with Rush coming in for the save because there are no DQ’s. Ambrose knocks Rush to the floor and gets superkicked, only to have Lashley come back in to steal two.

Dirty Deeds is broken up by Rollins’ springboard clothesline and there’s an enziguri to Lashley. Rollins adds the frog splash but Dean sends Rollins outside to steal the near fall. Ambrose and Lashley get together for a Doomsday Device on Rollins, who pops right back up. Rush offers ANOTHER distraction and gets Seth knocked outside, leaving Lashley to spear Ambrose for the pin and the title at 13:15.

Rating: C. It was exciting at times though I’m a little surprised by the title change. Lashley hasn’t really been doing anything of note but at least it’s something fresh. Ambrose didn’t have many people to feud with but it’s not like Lashley has that many more. Not a bad match, just a surprise ending.

From Smackdown.

Back from a break with AJ Styles in the concourse at the concession stand. Last week Bryan said these people weren’t healthy and happy but they look happy to him. Eat what you want if it makes you happy. If you want a hot dog, go get yourself one. These people are no different than the ones in Phoenix, where AJ is getting the title back. Off to the merchandise stand now, as AJ grabs some shirts and throws them into the crowd. Cue Bryan for the brawl until security breaks it up. More good stuff.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Dana Brooke/Ember Moon vs. Mickie James/Alicia Fox

Mickie grabs a wristlock to start and pulls Ember down by the hair four times in a row to keep control. Everything breaks down early on and it’s Brooke and Moon hitting stereo handspring elbows in the corner. A quick distraction lets Mickie take over on Moon as we get into the meat of things. That means chinlocks a go-go until Ember throws Fox down but Mickie is right there to break up the hot tag attempt.

It’s already back to Fox for something like Natural Selection for two, followed by Mickie’s hurricanrana out of the corner. Moon shrugs it off and brings Dana back in for an assisted Swanton of all things for two more. A blind tag brings Mickie back in though and it’s a big boot into the MickDT for the pin on Brooke at 6:49.

Rating: C. All things considered, not too bad at all here as Fox and Brooke were far better than what I would have expected here. The assisted Swanton was way more than what you would have thought the two would have done here and the match was really quite good. I don’t expect anything to come from this, but it was still fun while it lasted.

From Raw.

Here’s Braun Strowman to a rather strong reaction. Strowman talks about Lesnar being scared of him, including the time that he had to be saved at WWE World Cup (still not the name of the show). He’s getting the Universal Title at Chase Field but the only thing that Lesnar is getting are these hands. This brings out Baron Corbin, with Strowman reminding him that he got fired. Corbin says the people are going to listen to him and if he’s up there for five minutes, it’ll be longer than Strowman lasted against Lesnar.

The chase is on with Strowman heading to the back and throwing Sunil Singh over a table for not knowing where Corbin went. Strowman goes off to find Corbin and we get a quick song from Elias. The lyrics say he knows where Corbin went so here’s Strowman, who couldn’t possibly have heard the song from where he was, to hear Elias say Corbin is in the limo. Strowman finds a pipe and breaks the window before just ripping the door off. Vince comes up and isn’t happy with the broken door but doesn’t say anything.

Post break Braun can’t put the door back on so Vince says he’s a wrecking ball. That’ll be a $100,000 fine, which Strowman says is crazy. Vince doesn’t like being talked to that way, so the Universal Title match is canceled. Vince leaves so Strowman turns the limo over. Did Corbin ever get out of there?

And from later in Raw.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena

One fall to a finish and the winner goes to the Rumble to face Lesnar. Balor starts fast by heading up top for an early Coup de Grace on Corbin but gets pulled down into a chokebreaker for two as we take a break. Back with Corbin knocking Balor off the apron to keep the ribs in trouble. Cena hits a tornado DDT for two on Corbin with McIntyre making the save.

McIntyre comes back in and gets caught with some of Cena’s usual until Corbin makes a save of his own. Balor and Cena load up Corbin for a double superplex but McIntyre powerbombs them both down, only to get crotched on top by Corbin. That’s fine with Drew, who does his situp into a choke superplex as we take another break. Back again with Balor charging into the End of Days, leaving Corbin to take the Glasgow Kiss.

Cena goes up top but dives into a powerbomb from McIntyre for two. Drew and Corbin start stomping away until the good guys fight back. Cena takes Balor up top for the super AA with Corbin throwing him outside to steal two. Now it’s Corbin grabbing a chair to unload on Cena and McIntyre but Cena is right back with an AA. The Claymore takes Cena down but Balor hits a tornado DDT of his own on McIntyre. The Coup de Grace to Cena gives Balor the title shot at 19:13.

Rating: B-. They weren’t exactly hiding this one and that’s ok. Having Balor pin Cena after coming in injured and having already wrestled a match earlier in the night is about as strong of a push as you can give someone and it should suit him very well going into the Rumble. The match was entertaining for what it was and that’s all this needed to be.

Post match Cena says he believes in Balor and says he’s the next Universal Champion.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s amazing to see how much better Raw is when they actually do something. This week’s show was all about moving things forward and setting things up for the Royal Rumble, which is a show that they kind of need to put together in a hurry at the moment. The Smackdown stuff was its usual goodness, which made for a rather entertaining and quick show.

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

Wrestling Wars Podcast Episode #50

Yes we’re back, likely every Saturday going forward.

https://mightynorcal.podbean.com/e/wwp-50-the-big-return-aew-priscilla-kelly-and-the-royal-rumble/

And if you have any questions or topics you’d like to hear on the show, drop us a comment.

Royal Rumble Count-Up – 2012: One Of The All Time Great Endings

IMG Credit: WWE

Royal Rumble 2012
Date: January 29, 2012
Location: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Attendance: 18,121
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Booker T

The opening video is of course about going to Wrestlemania.

Smackdown World Title: Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry

Long video on Cena and all the stuff he does for WWE. The man is insanely committed to that company.

Divas of Doom/Bella Twins vs. Eve Torres/Alicia Fox/Tamina/Kelly Kelly

We recap Ryder getting hurt at the hands of Kane. This was during the period where Ryder went from one of the hottest things in the company and US Champion to a rag doll that Kane destroyed over and over and over in the span of a few weeks until his push was completely destroyed. Eve blamed Cena for Ryder having his back broken for some reason.

Kane vs. John Cena

BE A STAR!

Drew McIntyre vs. Brodus Clay

This is right after Brodus redebuted as the Funkasaurus so he was still a new character at this point. Brodus dances a lot, Drew punches him in the corner, Brodus headbutts him and hits the cross body (called WHAT THE FUNK) for the pin in about a minute.

Buy Slim Jims! For the troops!

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler

Punk finally gets his hands on Ziggler and puts on an abdominal stretch, complete with a wrapped toe and slicking back his hair ala Ziggler. Dolph heads to the floor and gets taken out by a suicide dive but shoves Punk off the top rope once they get back inside. Ziggler drops about eight elbows in a row and a jumping version gets two. We hit the chinlock with Ziggler cranking on the head way more than necessary.

Rating: B+. This took awhile to get going as we were all waiting on the Ace stuff. The feud would go on for weeks until Jericho finally showed up to give Punk someone with charisma to feud with. The near falls at the end were a lot better than Ace, but it occurs to me that this was pretty much the same match he had last year. Good stuff though.

Rumble by the Numbers:

30 Superstars

1 winner

31 Hall of Famers in the Rumble

21 main events those Hall of Famers have been in at Wrestlemania

695 entrants who have been eliminated

39 entrants eliminated by Michaels, a record (Kane is second at 35)

13 consecutive Rumbles for Kane

11 eliminations for Kane in 2001

194,107lbs that have been in the Rumble, or over 97 tons, or 430 Big Show

421,883 people who have attended the Rumble

62:12 Rey Mysterio spent in the Rumble in 2006, a record

3 wins for Austin

1 second that Santino lasted in 2009

2 women who have competed in the Rumble

1, the entrant that has produced the same amount of winners as #30 at two each

27, the entrant with more winners than any other at four

55 percent of winners that have won the title at Wrestlemania

Royal Rumble

Ricardo takes Cody down and pounds away before proposing an alliance with Foley of all people. They actually do team up and toss Gabriel, allowing Ricardo to do a CM Punk knee slide. We keep the comedy going with Santino at #9 and Ricardo runs from the Cobra. Santino beats on Ricardo and literally rolls him around the ring before pulling his trunks up and tossing Rodriguez.

Kofi Kingston is #11 and hits a double springboard clothesline before hitting a double Boom Drop. In at #12 is Jerry Lawler (Cole: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING???”) and he causes Miz to hit Cody by mistake. Lawler speeds things up and hits the middle rope punch with the lowered strap, only to be put out by Cody. Ezekiel Jackson is #13 and gets to do the usual power moves on each guy while the others lay around.

Jinder Mahal is #14 and the fans start chanting USA, even though the only two Americans in this match are Rhodes and Miz. Great Khali comes in at #15 and Mahal panics. Everyone gets chops and Mahal is out in just a few seconds. Jackson tries to pound away and is put out almost immediately as well. Hunico is #16 on that stupid bicycle of his and hits a spinning cross body on Miz and his Angle Slam on Cody.

Sheamus is #22 to give us some A level star power. Well maybe B+ level. Things speed up with Sheamus destroying everyone and tossing Kofi out. There are the ten forearms in the ropes to Cody and ten to Miz as well. The Zig Zag is countered and Road Dogg is another surprise return at #23. He gets to clean house for a bit and earns a “you still got it” chant. In far less than 90 seconds, Jey Uso is #24.

Rating: A-. This is one of those Rumbles that is great fun as you watch it live but it loses some steam on a second viewing. They spent a bit too much time on nostalgia and funny ideas here but they were still really good ideas. The ending with Sheamus and Jericho ROCKED and I have no idea why they never got to have a long PPV match. This is a really good Rumble but it never reaches that excellent level that some of them get to.

Sheamus celebrates a lot to end the show.

Ratings Comparison

Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Bella Twins/Divas of Doom vs. Alicia Fox/Kelly Kelly/Eve Torres/Tamina

Original: D+

Redo: D+

Kane vs. John Cena

Original: D+

Redo: D+

Brodus Clay vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler

Original: B

Redo: B+

Royal Rumble

Original: B+

Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: B-

Redo: B

Just like last year, not much difference here.

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Smackdown – August 19, 2004: One Of The Funniest Things I’ve Ever Seen In Wrestling

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 19, 2004
Location: Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

The Canadian adventure continues as JBL is still Smackdown World Champion and likely in line to continue feuding with the Undertaker. I’m sure you’re as thrilled as I am. Other than that Kurt Angle pinned Eddie Guerrero in a match that should set up a third match to settle things for good, though you never know with them. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s the limo to open things up with Orlando Jordan helping JBL out. This gives us one of my all time favorite visuals, with JBL wearing a halo around his neck with the cowboy hat sitting on top, above JBL’s head. The entrance takes forever as JBL can barely walk but he eventually (and very slowly) says he’s in tremendous pain. All the booing from these inferior Canadians are hurting his head but it’s ok if they want to chant JBL.

He won at Summerslam though and just like Martin Luther King, he had a dream. At his Hall of Fame induction, he wanted a clip of himself pinning Undertaker to introduce his speech. It wasn’t fair that Undertaker got himself disqualified so he didn’t have to pass the torch to JBL. We see some stills of the beatdown from Sunday (JBL: “Why are you people cheering that?”), which takes a lot of time as well.

JBL remembers seeing Undertaker’s evil face before passing out, which the fans seem to enjoy. After a quick rant about the American army protecting Canada, JBL says Undertaker will NOT be getting a rematch. This brings out Undertaker so JBL takes another minute or so to get out of the ring as he sells the heck out of those injuries. As JBL stumbles over a fan, Undertaker holds up the title because there MUST be a rematch.

It’s far better when JBL is played this way instead of bragging about everything he’s done over the years, which was just boring. This is actually entertaining and if we see more like this, he’s downright tolerable. It ran about fifteen minutes, but JBL selling his injuries made it worth the time.

Cruiserweight Title: Spike Dudley vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Spike is defending and has Bubba and D-Von with him. Scotty starts fast with some slams into an armbar, followed by a backdrop onto the other Dudleys. D-Von gets up and offers a distraction so Bubba can break up the Worm. The top rope double stomp is blocked by a raised boot and the very quick comeback is on. Bubba has to make a save after a superkick and the Dudley Dog retains the title.

Rating: D. We’re never going to get an explanation of why Bubba and D-Von are listening to Spike are we? It’s not the most interesting story in the first place and I don’t see it getting any better. The fact that it took all three to deal with Scotty 2 Hotty should tell you everything you need to know about the legs this story has.

Carlito Caribbean Cool is coming.

Raw Rebound.

As the announcers talk, two guys come up with a HEIDENREICH NEXT WEEK banner.

John Cena (in a Wrestlemania inspired Word Life shirt) promises to go up 2-0 on Booker T. next week. Spike Dudley comes in and doesn’t like the idea of Cena calling himself a champ. Cena says it looks like Dennis the Menace finally grew up. Now Spike needs some glasses though because he can’t see Cena. Bubba and D-Von come in for the beatdown.

Billy Kidman/Paul London vs. Chavo Guerrero/Jamie Noble

Non-title. Noble and London start things off with Paul’s front facelock not getting him very far. London gets thrown to the apron but slingshots back in with a headscissors, only to get his head clotheslined off. It’s off to Chavo for a front facelock of his own as the villains take over. Chavo hits a slingshot legdrop for two but London gets to his feet for a double knockdown. That’s enough for the hot tag to Kidman so house can really be cleaned. Everything breaks down and it’s a BK Bomb to Chavo, followed by a sunset flip but Jamie pulls Chavo on top. A grab of the rope is enough for the pin on Kidman.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, though I’m not sure on having the Tag Team Champions lose on Sunday and then lose again on Thursday. They aren’t the strongest champions in the world in the first place and it doesn’t seem like a great idea to have them lose twice in a row like this. Noble and Guerrero aren’t winning the titles so did you really need to do this on two straight shows?

Teddy Long sends Brian Hebner to tell John Cena that he’ll be facing a Dudley later tonight.

Here’s a disappointed Eddie Guerrero for a chat. He calls Kurt Angle out because we haven’t really determined the better man. This brings out Angle, who thinks Eddie is nuts for wanting to do this again. Angle is looking for action though and Eddie likes that idea, but Angle says no. Eddie says they’ve done this twice and are 1-1, so we need a rubber match. It’s true that Angle outwrestled him and no one has ever done it to him like that in his career.

Eddie wants Angle to shake his hand but Angle doesn’t buy it. Some persuasion gets Angle inside and Eddie says he’s telling the truth…..before punching him in the face. Luther Reigns comes out for the save until Rey Mysterio runs out to even things up. Eddie lying after convincing Angle that he’s telling the truth still works. It’s like Ric Flair turning on Sting back in 1995. You know exactly where it’s going but it’s still fun to watch because you want to see these people act like they’re supposed to.

John Cena vs. D-Von Dudley

Booker T. is on commentary. D-Von hammers away in the corner to start but Cena is right back with a hiptoss. They slug it out some more with D-Von elbowing him in the face for two more. A splash misses in the corner and Cena scores with a backdrop. Cena slugs away, knocks Bubba off the apron, and hits an AA (Booker: “NO! NO!”) for the fast pin.

Post match Cena says Booker has something of his, and next week they’re having the second match in their series.

Video on the debut episode of Smackdown, just shy of five years ago.

Rob Van Dam vs. Rene Dupree

Rematch from Sunday’s Heat match. They fight over a wristlock to start as the announcers talk about the wrestling history in this building. Van Dam kicks him down but misses the flip legdrop to give us a standoff. The corner shoulders and a monkey flip sends Rene down but he’s able to send Van Dam shoulder first into the post. An armbar keeps Van Dam in trouble as a pull of the hair gives Rene two.

The armbar goes on again as the announcers talk about underwater basket weaving and synchronized swimming. Rob pops up with a superkick and a bridging German suplex for two. Rolling Thunder hits raised knees and a good looking superplex keeps Van Dam’s back in trouble. Rob is fine enough to kick him in the face and hit the Five Star for the pin.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and one of Rene’s best matches to date. They kept it short and Rene’s offense, especially that superplex, looked rather sharp. Van Dam isn’t about to lose to Dupree, whose status is starting to fade fast. Rob might not be the top star in the company, but he’s still ahead of Dupree.

Post match Kenzo Suzuki comes in and lays out Van Dam. It still doesn’t make him interesting.

Theodore Long gives a tape to a production worker, followed by some holla holla holla lessons. This was oddly creepy with Long flirting with the production woman.

The $1 Million Tough Enough is coming. There’s someone involved in that and he’s awesome.

Long is in the ring and has a major announcement: he’s rehired the Big Show. As a bonus, he introduces the main event.

Kurt Angle/Luther Reigns vs. Eddie Guerrero/Rey Mysterio

Rey dropkicks Luther to start and it’s Eddie coming in for a suplex. It’s already back to Rey, whose crossbody is countered into a backbreaker to change control in a hurry. Angle gets two off a clothesline and it’s off to a chinlock. The impatient Eddie breaks that up in a hurry so Rey snaps off a headscissors. The hot tag brings in Eddie and Angle hides in the corner like a true coward.

Angle starts in on the ankle and knocks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Angle grabbing the ankle lock but Eddie rolls out in a hurry. Another leglock keeps Angle in control until a quick rollup gives Eddie two and a break. Reigns comes back in for a hold of his own and tags Angle after getting kicked away. That’s fine with Kurt, who cuts Eddie’s trip to the corner off with an overhead belly to belly. Eddie breaks up another suplex attempt and now it’s the hot tag to Rey so the pace can pick up.

A springboard seated senton gets two on Angle but the hurricanrana to Reigns takes bumps the referee. The 619 around the post knocks Angle silly and Reigns is knocked into position as well. Angle is back up with a chair to Rey’s knee though, sending Eddie after Angle with a chair of his own. With Angle gone, a low blow drops Reigns and it’s the Three Amigos into the 619 into the frog splash for the pin.

Rating: C+. Eddie and Rey were always fun to see together and that was the case again here. They gel together so smoothly and that was the case here. Reigns was kept to a minimum here and that’s the right idea for a match like this. Let the three masters do their thing and have him come in for the power stuff. That’s all it should be and it worked fine here, even if the match followed a pretty simple formula.

Post match Eddie and Rey celebrate the win but here’s Angle to pour paint on the low rider. Eddie is distraught to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Other than the hilarious JBL image, there wasn’t a lot going on with this one. There was some average at best wrestling and storyline advancement that feels like we’re just heading to rematches either on television or at No Mercy. The Smackdown half of Summerslam was only so good in the first place so this isn’t the most thrilling show in the world. Not terrible, but not exactly exciting.

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

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Best Of 2018: Promo Of The Year

IMG Credit: WWE

Shut up and talk. While the matches are important, it’s the promos that help build things up. The angles set things in motion but without the promos, the stories wouldn’t be able to hold up as well. There were some gems this year as promos shifted a bit more towards long formats and that made for a great year, both in WWE and NXT.

Before we get to the main list, a quick honorable mention to Shinsuke Nakamura’s “Sorry, no speak English”. It’s just one line so I hesitate to call it a promo, but I was in stitches.

Daniel Bryan Is Medically Cleared – Smackdown – March 20

This was all emotion and shock, as I didn’t believe it could actually happen. Bryan was back after so many years and you can imagine how long he had wanted to make this speech. It was perfectly done and something I never thought I’d see. Bryan is an underrated talker as he seems so genuine with what he says. That can make for a great promo and given that Bryan had this much emotion involved, it’s hard to get much better.

Roman Reigns Vacates The Universal Title – Raw – October 22

I’m not sure how to separate the real life aspects of this from the character work, but this was one of the best promos Reigns has ever given. That probably comes from all of the real emotions involved and it’s easy to see why. This is one of those game changing moments and while you can’t say Reigns sold anything, he spoke from the heart and it was an actually emotional moment.

The New Daniel Bryan – Smackdown – November 20

Remember when Bryan was supposed to not be great on the mic? This was another outstanding showcase for Bryan as he explained his heel turn to near perfection. Bryan ranted about the fans not being there for him after everything he did and saying that it was all about the end results, which has been a great mindset for a heel since wrestling began. Bryan’s incredible run continues in a way that few expected, as he somehow surpasses his work from eight months prior.

Samoa Joe Reads A Story – Smackdown – September 11

This is something I’ve seen done a few times before and I always like it. Joe had a book readyt o read AJ about how he was going to choke AJ out and become WWE Champion as AJ’s family watched. Joe is one of the best promos in wrestling as you believe everything he says (even after he lost a bunch of matches) and that can make these things all the more intimidating. The promos against AJ and his family were downright creepy and this was the best of them all.

But there’s one creepier thing.

Johnny Gargano Explains Himself – NXT – November 7

One of the best things a promo can do is take things outside the arena. There are only so many times you can look at the same sets and the same backstage areas before it stops working. Moving things elsewhere makes things feel special and that’s what happened here, as Johnny walked along the same path where he attacked Aleister Black weeks before. Johnny explained everything and showed us how deep he was sinking into the darkness. It made sense, it made me want to see more, and it made me believe that Gargano was actually evil. Magnificent work here and the promo of the year.

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

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Best Of 2018: Group/Tag Team Of The Year

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s been a much stronger year for this category, which is rather nice to see. It’s not so much more time being dedicated to the area but more that the teams and groups are getting so good that it’s hard to ignore them. There’s still work to do in WWE, but even what we got there was solid stuff. I’m not sure it’s enough to get around the rest of the wrestling world though.

Young Bucks

I’m still not wild on them a lot of the time but they’ve toned down the Superkick Party stuff a lot, which has led to some much more entertaining matches. The majority of their 2018 was spent on promotional work rather than anything in the ring, but it’s still been a good year with more of their crazy athleticism. While they’re not for me, I can certainly appreciate how popular they are and how entertaining they can be n the ring.

Undisputed Era

The Era is an interesting group as you have a team who has all the talent in the world but never quite breaks through to the next side. They won a lot of gold in 2018 with the North American Title for Adam Cole and the Tag Team Titles for Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong (plus winning a tournament they weren’t in). These guys could be on the main roster tomorrow and be fine, but for now we get more of their rather impressive NXT run, which isn’t a bad thing.

New Day

You kind of have to have these guys in here, even if they’re far away from their peak at this point. New Day has transcended the tag team division but they’re not to the point where you should split them up because there’s still a ton of value there. They have good matches, they’re entertaining on the mic (I still don’t get the pancakes) and they still move merchandise. They’re just fun to watch when they’re on their game, which is more often than not.

Bludgeon Brothers

I had the Bar written down in my notes before I started this and then realized that the Bludgeon Brothers had a better year in just about every way. The Brothers are a big power team and held the Tag Team Titles for a longer share of the year. They only lost the belts because Rowan got hurt and you could imagine them still holding them into the new year if that hadn’t been the case. This was the way to use Harper and Rowan that had eluded WWE for years and it’s nice to see them finally figure it out.

Usos

I know it’s a three team division on Smackdown and these guys only held the titles for the first third of the year, but for my money they’re still the best team in WWE and one of the best the company has ever had. There’s a natural chemistry there and the two of them work really well together. They’re getting even better too, which is almost hard to believe. Just move them to Raw already so they can have some fresh matches though. It’s really not that hard.

Lucha Bros

As good as WWE’s tag division was this year, this was a two team race and there wasn’t much doubt about it. Pentagon and Fenix are an interesting team as they’re awesome on their own but even better when they’re together. Like multiple teams on this list, you get so much stronger chemistry between actual brothers and that’s not surprising. It’s like these two think as one and that makes every match they have all the more entertaining. They’re great, and they’ve shown that everywhere they’ve gone.

But there’s a better choice.

LAX

The more I think about it, the more these guys impress me. They’re just so good and so fun to watch and like others, they keep getting better. This just isn’t something that you see happen with teams already on such a high level but LAX keeps doing it. Konnan is a great addition to the team for the talking part and they make a great combination. I love watching these guys and they’ve been by far the best thing about Impact all year. Go find their stuff with the OGz and the Lucha Bros as it’s some of the top tag wrestling I’ve seen in a long time.

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Ring of Honor TV – January 16, 2019: Evil Goes Incorporated

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: January 16, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

The post Final Battle shows continue and this time around one of the biggest draws is the television debut of Zack Sabre Jr. That’s quite the plus to have as he’s one of the most talented wrestlers in the world and someone who can be a star, especially in a limited quantity around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tracy Williams vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

They’re certainly starting fast. Williams is named Hot Sauce, which should tell you everything you need to know about him. I mean it doesn’t, but a nickname is supposed to do that. Sabre goes straight for the heavily taped shoulder but gets taken down into an armbar. That’s quickly broken with a nip up and it’s back to a cravate from Tracy before he stomps on Sabre’s ankles over and over.

Sabre can’t get up and Williams pulls on a leglock of his own. A rollup gives Williams two but Sabre gets hold on his head, which isn’t likely to go well. Sabre takes him down by the leg and spins the foot around, much to the fans’ cringing delight. Williams goes for a cross armbreaker but they get up for a standoff as we take a break. Back with Sabre starting in on the arm but Williams crushes his chest to put Sabre down. Sabre’s kicks to the chest set up another armbar, only to have Williams take him down with a suplex.

Williams scores with some forearms until Sabre takes him down into another leglock that probably has an awesome name. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker on Sabre and then a Texas Cloverleaf. Sabre slips out and gets a small package for two, followed by a heck of a shot to Williams’ face.

at once for the tap at 12:33.

Rating: B-. It was quite the display of technical submission skills and hard strikes, but one of the reasons Sabre’s best matches work so well is having him face someone who wrestles a different style. Williams is very similar to Sabre and it took away some of the interest. What we got was good, but Sabre can do a lot more.

Post match Sabre says anything Jonathan Gresham can do, he can do better.

Beer City Bruiser finds Silas Young and asks what’s up with the lack of communication. Young says they were never friends but Bruiser doesn’t get it. They fight next week. Good for Young, as the Bruiser is still mostly a waste of time.

Twisted Sisterz vs. Britt Baker/Madison Rayne

Rematch from a few weeks back. Holidead says she wants Madison to start and gets exactly what she wants, easily winning a test of strength early on. Madison tries to speed things up and a wheelbarrow victory roll gets two. Thunder Rosa offers a quick distraction and the now legal Baker gets kicked in the face for two more.

Back from a break with Baker still in trouble until a superkick puts Rosa down. It’s back to Madison to clean some house, including a cutter for two. Everything breaks down and Holidead clotheslines the non-sisters at the same time. A Backstabber gets two on Baker but Rosa dropkicks Holidead by mistake. Baker discus forearms Rosa into an enziguri, setting up a pumphandle overhead slam for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: D+. Well thank goodness they had the cool/unique team get beaten in their second match before they got over as a dominant team. We certainly need to push the former TNA champion and Baker, who has potential but is pretty bland in the ring. Another instance of having something more interesting available but going with the safer option, which has been a big problem for this division since it started.

Quick ad for Honor Club, featuring the Elite’s final match and subsequent beatdown.

Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending but before the bell, Kazarian brings a chair inside to chase them off. All four start throwing chairs and we settle down to the Briscoes tagging twice before doing anything else. Jay sends Sky into the corner and grabs a sleeper, allowing Mark to get in a few shots of his own. Since So Cal are good guys now, Kazarian is fine with standing on the apron as Sky fights off both champs at once. A suplex sets up a kick to the face for two but Sky comes back with a jumping knee, which is finally enough to bring Kazarian in.

That means a much faster pace, including a springboard Codebreaker to Mark. Everything breaks down and Sky hits a big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Mark hitting a high collar suplex on Kazarian to send him into the corner and put him in trouble, all at the same time. Kazarian fights back with a neckbreaker for two of his own and it’s already back to Sky. Everything breaks down again with Kazarian nailing a cutter on Mark and a pop up tornado DDT for two on Jay.

Sky saves Kazarian from a chair shot to the head and it’s the Rock Bottom into the Backstabber for a VERY near fall as Mark had to pull the referee out. The referee gets bumped and that’s enough for the chair shot to Sky’s back. Mark gets in another shot but instead of following up, the go after Kazarian for some reason.

That allows Sky to grab a victory roll for a VERY delayed two from the replacement referee, only to get caught with the Jay Driller. A top rope superplex into the Froggy Bow only gets two on Kazarian, who comes up with slaps to both of them. Redneck Boogey cuts off the disrespect and retains the titles at 12:19.

Rating: B. Good main event here as SCU goes out fighting as hard as they can. With the AEW news breaking there was no way we were getting a title change here but they were trying to do something entertaining in their last match. That was certainly a success too, and the match was a good way for them to go out.

Here’s Marty Scurll for a chat. People have been asking what’s next for him and it’s time to set some things straight. He’s been the top guy around here for a long time now so it’s time for him to win the top prize. Scurll is the #1 contender and wants the World Title….so here’s the Kingdom to interrupt. Matt Taven says he’s the real World Champion and right now, Marty has no backup when he’s surrounded. Marty agrees that his friends have left him, but he can still make new ones.

The lights go out and it’s Brody King and PCO making their debuts by standing next to Marty. The fight is on with King hitting a big piledriver and PCO completely topping it with the moonsault to the floor. Marty dubs the trio Villain Enterprises (makes sense as that’s what his shirt says) to end the show. Cool debut here, and Scurll is certainly the kind of guy who needs some muscle like this. Also, very well done for PCO to manage to get to something like this after everything he’s been through.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was better here and if you didn’t have such a bad idea with the women’s tag match, it could have been one of the better shows they’ve ever done. What we got here was a really solid wrestling show with a nice angle to wrap it up, which is certainly enough for a positive rating. Fix some of the issues in the middle and it’s great, but for now really good is more than enough.

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:

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