I know I’m a bit behind on these but some things never change.

We’ll start with the sentimental one in Gene Okerlund. I was saddened by this one as Okerlund was one of the most prominently featured names in my wrestling childhood, but I didn’t realize just how big of a deal he was to so many people. The special includes all kinds of great clips with some incredible history, showcasing just how versatile Okerlund was.

That’s what the documentary focuses on more than anything else: how good Gene was at his job. He was able to take anything and make it work, while never backing down from the person he was interviewing. Okerlund really was the best ever at what he did and if you’re a fan of old school wrestling, it’s more than worth your time to see just how good he really was at something so important to wrestling.

Then we had Nigel McGuinness, which was much more of a new experience for me. I knew of McGuinness from his time in Ring of Honor and TNA but I didn’t know just how good or big of a deal he was. Nigel was one of the best at his time and the matches I’ve seen from him were really good. It’s pretty safe to put him on the list of greatest What If’s in WWE history, as he could have been a top player.

The other interesting thing here though was seeing how good he really was with everything related to broadcasting. It’s clear that he loves this stuff and can do anything in wrestling if he’s given the time. The part with Daniel Bryan sending him a text the day he won the World Title in WWE, meaning the night after Nigel retired, was amazing and some of the real emotion that you can’t manufacture.

Check out both of these are they’re more than worth your time.

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 6, 2004
Location: Kay Yeager Coliseum, Wichita Falls, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Somehow this is the go home show for Unforgiven, which I didn’t realize somehow. That means it’s time to get ready for Randy Orton’s first Raw World Title defense against HHH, which I’m sure will be completely encouraging. Other than that…well there isn’t much because there’s not much else to talk about other than that one match. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of HHH vs. Randy Orton. Like anything else matters.

Opening sequence.

There’s a cage around the ring and Eric Bischoff is inside with a table in front of him. Tonight it’s HHH vs. Eugene inside the cage and Bischoff is looking forward to his nephew being destroyed for good. The cage is raised as we move onto something else: Edge has a torn groin which is keeping him out of action for four to six weeks, meaning the Intercontinental Title is vacant.

Bischoff pulls a blanket off the table to reveal the title but here’s Christian to interrupt. He thinks he’d be a great choice for a new Intercontinental Champion but here’s Jericho to interrupt (must be a Canadian thing). Jericho is ready to fight for the title right now. Bischoff says they’ll do that at Unforgiven instead, which is fine with Jericho. He wants something added though, and the fans should be allowed to have a say.

Bischoff offers a cage match but Christian says that doesn’t work for him because Jericho already injured him in a cage match. Christian’s offer is a no countout match and the fans aren’t thrilled. Christian: “THEY’RE SAYING BOO-YAH!” Jericho gets to the obvious solution: a ladder match, with Bischoff agreeing. The fight is on with Tyson Tomko running in to save Christian from the Walls. Longer than it needed to be, but this is the best choice for a match they could have had.

Batista/Ric Flair/La Resistance vs. Chris Benoit/William Regal/Tajiri/Rhyno

Benoit and Flair get things going, which is about as good of an idea as you can get. The chop off in the corner (you knew that was coming) goes to Benoit, who backdrops Flair for the Flair Flop. Tajiri comes in and kicks Conway but everything breaks down in a hurry. Back from an early break with Flair chopping at Regal in the corner (a trend for him) but Regal reverses and hits a backdrop (the exact same sequence that Benoit did). Rhyno comes in for a running shoulder to Flair in the corner before knocking La Resistance off the apron.

Batista gets in a cheap shot from behind though and Conway takes over. Conway gets two and demands that Rhyno stay down, even throwing in some swearing for an evil bonus. It’s back to Flair and a double clothesline puts both of them down. Conway gets the tag and Benoit gets one as well, even if he had one leg in the ring at the time. What a Canadian cheater. Said cheater throws German suplexes all over the place, allowing Rhyno to come back in fr the Gore to Batista. With everyone else outside, Benoit drops the Swan Dive on Conway, setting up the Sharpshooter for the win.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match with a nice combination of two feuds into one match. Tajiri continues to be barely functioning and I hope he gets ready on Sunday as the title match has been well built over the last few weeks. It’s always nice to see these feuds getting mixed together as you get some fresh matchups, which is a good way to keep things from getting stale.

We recap the Diva Search segment from last week. I didn’t know we could still discuss that.

Smackdown Rebound.

Randy Orton is ready for HHH and this Sunday, he knows he’s going to be coming in as the underdog after facing Kane tonight. We get a HHH caveman impression and Orton recaps their feud so far, including a clip of Orton costing HHH a win over Eugene last week. Now, the three most dominant letters on Raw are now RKO. Orton stumbled through a lot of this promo.

Trish Stratus comes up to see Lita and won’t let her go by. We get the jokes about Lita being, ahem, easy I guess you would say until Lita promises to come after Trish once she’s had the baby. More jokes ensue so Lita says keep it coming. Lita leaves and Trish doesn’t seem impressed. She turns around and runs into Nidia, who yells in Spanish. Trish: “I’m sorry I don’t speak German.” Nidia throws a drink on her instead.

Trish Stratus vs. Nidia

Non-title with Trish still covered in juice. Trish takes her down with an early pull of the hair but Nidia slugs away in the corner as Trish’s shirt is tearing more and more. A quick trip to the floor goes to Trish but Nidia is right back with an elbow to the face. Nidia hammers away in the corner….until her top breaks, allowing Trish to kick her in the head for the pin.

Rating: D. Nidia can’t be much longer for the company at this point but she seemed to be getting better here. She could do some stuff in the ring well enough and is already better than some of the women in the company. With more time, she could have turned into a perfectly competent wrestler. The match was short and not terrible, so that’s quite the step up.

Bischoff is happy that HHH is going to destroy Eugene tonight and has set up a party for later. HHH wants nothing to do with the party because the real celebration will come Sunday after he wins the title back.

HHH vs. Eugene

Inside a cage and HHH has banged up ribs. HHH jumps him behind to start and sends Eugene into the cage. The scared Eugene makes his comeback with the usual right hands and ax handles but HHH cuts off an escape attempt. Eugene’s head is bounced off the cage a few times and we have some blood. HHH’s sleeper is reversed with a ram into the cage and they’re both down.

Eugene goes for the door but HHH makes a save and sends him into the cage over and over as the violence is really cranking up. The Pedigree connects for no cover as HHH goes up instead and drives a knee into Eugene’s arm for what seems like a break. HHH finally walks out for the win.

Rating: D-. HHH did his job last week (all it took was the World Champion interfering) so this was his time to shine again. He got to beat up and injure what used to be a fan favorite (before HHH took away all of Eugene’s momentum) and make it look like some big deal. It was a really boring match too as Eugene’s hope spots weren’t believable and it didn’t feel big even once.

Post match HHH slams the door on Eugene’s arm. I’m not wild on how we got here, but Eugene going away for a month or two is the best thing that could happen to him right now.

Coach is rather pleased with Bischoff getting his way and talks to Edge about being stripped of the title. Edge would rather lose while fighting injured than have it taken away from him. He’s coming back and dealing with Bischoff. So are we already dropping the heel turn?

Kane makes Lita watch a clip of him injuring Shawn Michaels. At least they’re acknowledging that, as it makes the match feel a lot less random. Kane promises to do the same thing to Orton tonight. HHH won’t like that. It’s his job to conquer these young kids.

Unforgiven rundown.

Tyson Tomko vs. Chris Jericho

Christian is out with Tomko but Jericho chases him to the back early on. Tomko uses the distraction to kick Jericho down and we hit a very early chinlock (that really shouldn’t be necessary so soon). Back up and Tomko misses a charge into the post so Jericho takes him down by the knee. Christian comes back with a ladder, allowing Tomko to nail Jericho in the head for two. Another distraction lets Tomko grab a reverse F5 for the pin, which was totally necessary before Sunday’s title match.

Post match Christian hits him with the ladder a few times and poses on top, just like everyone does.

It’s Diva Search time with Stacy Keibler hosting and a covered table in the ring. Before we get to the elimination, it’s time for some arm wrestling. Christy beats Amy, Carmella beats Joy, Christy beats Carmella. As a reward, Christy gets to throw a bucket of chili on all of them. See it’s funny because they’re good looking and in evening gowns but get covered in chili. Amy is eliminated.

Eugene has a separated shoulder and his career may be over.

Randy Orton vs. Kane

Non-title and Kane drags Lita to the ring with him. Orton sends him into the corner to start before heading outside for a chase. That’s enough to catch Kane with a dropkick and some forearms to the chest in the corner (like the ten right hands, but with Kane facing the buckles for a change). Kane kicks him in the face and goes to grab a chair but Lita grabs it as well. That’s enough of a distraction so Orton can get in a low blow for the DQ.

Post match HHH comes out and wants the cage lowered, so here’s Bischoff to say this is continuing as a cage match. We take a break and come back with Kane sending Kane into the cage and pounding away with right hands. A powerslam cuts off Orton’s comeback for two, followed by a hard clothesline for the same. Orton hammers away again so Kane grabs a side slam to stop him again. A top rope crotching sets up the backbreaker to put Kane in trouble for a change and Orton cracks him in the head with the chair. The RKO connects and Orton, after kicking the cage door into HHH’s face, walks out for the win.

Rating: D+. So there’s the second cage match of the night and it wasn’t exactly thrilling. At least Orton won here instead of getting beaten down so HHH could stand over him again. The fans aren’t really cheering for him though and that’s a bad sign as his title reign is just getting started.

Post match Evolution jumps Orton, who fights them off with a chair. Kane gets back up though and Orton bails to end the show. That’s a big reason why Orton isn’t getting cheered. Since winning the title, here’s what he’s done on Raw: beaten down, spit in HHH’s face and ran, helps Eugene win, beats Kane and runs away again. He’s not getting destroyed every week, but for the most part he’s either getting beaten down or running away. The face turn was out of nowhere in the first place and having him run away (logical, but not the most inspiring) so much isn’t helping things.

Overall Rating: D+. The show went by fast and that’s rather impressive given how Unforgiven is a completely one match show. Tonight was almost all about HHH vs. Orton, which doesn’t bode well for Sunday. Adding the ladder match was fine as they had to deal with an injury and that’s all they could do given the circumstances. Other than that though, I’m really struggling to come up with something I’d want to see at Unforgiven. I’m worried about Sunday’s show, but this one wasn’t exactly much to see in the first place.

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: February 5, 2019
Location: Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Elimination Chamber and unlike Raw, we actually have some stuff set up for the pay per view. That includes the Smackdown World Title match, meaning we have some singles matches between the six competitors to get through for the next two weeks. Those start tonight so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Stephanie McMahon suspending Becky Lynch last night and getting attacked as a result.

Here’s Charlotte to say she hopes Becky gets better in time but if not, she’s 100% healthy and would love to face Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania. Cue Becky through the crowd, with Charlotte saying the fan better have a ticket and that she needs to stop stealing Roman Reigns’ entrance. Charlotte mocks Becky’s limp but here’s an angry HHH to cut them both off. After telling Becky to get out and go see the doctor, HHH gets in Charlotte’s face and tells her to get out. Becky says she doesn’t trust any of this but HHH says get cleared by the doctor and go to Wrestlemania.

HHH goes to leave but Becky asks how Stephanie is after she got punched in the face. He doesn’t seem phased because he sees it in Becky’s face: she’s just looking to be a martyr who is trying to find a way out of this whole thing. That’s why she came to Raw just before Survivor Series. She knew it was a suicide mission and then came out blaming the doctor.

HHH continues his reverse psychology by saying Becky is doing it again. Maybe that’s why she won’t go to the doctor: the knee is fine and she’ll be stuck in the match with Rousey and be exposed as the fraud that she is. That earns him a slap to the face and the fans are right back behind her again. Becky leaves through the crowd again.

They’re doing something interesting here by going with the idea of getting inside both women’s heads where they might be scared of losing, which is a lot more interesting than the physical stuff they could do. This is a different way to go about doing things and if they can sell it right, it’s the best way to go.

Good Brothers vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev

Fallout from Nakamura and Rusev both getting pinned by R-Truth last week. Lana is at ringside and still in a walking boot. Gallows shoulders Nakamura down to start and it’s quick off to Anderson, who gets kicked in the head. Rusev tags himself in and everything breaks down in a hurry, with Anderson dumping both villains to the floor for a flip dive.

Back from a break with Nakamura hitting the reverse exploder on Anderson but charging into a spinebuster. That’s enough for the hot tag to Gallows for the running splash in the corner, followed by a chokebomb to put Nakamura on the floor. He’s right back in to break up the Magic Killer on Rusev so it’s a Rocket Kick to Nakamura. Rusev is back in for the Machka Kick to finish Anderson at 7:13.

Rating: D+. Just a quick match here as Rusev and Nakamura have both gone from popular faces to the new foreign heel tag team. Why that’s the best possible option isn’t clear, but I’m sure WWE thinks its better than bringing in that Rusev Day shirt money or giving the fans something to cheer for.

Mustafa Ali says what if he beats Randy Orton tonight. Or what if he wins the Elimination Chamber.

Paige shows us a clip from Fighting With My Family.

The Usos are ready to win the Tag Team Titles back. We’ve got a guy with daddy issues in Miz and a guy whose dream was to win the Tag Team Titles in Shane McMahon. Next week, McMizTV is turning into the Uso Penitentiary.

Randy Orton vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali gets a jobber entrance. During his own entrance, Orton says he doesn’t care who is in the Chamber because he doesn’t see names. Orton chops away in the corner to start but Ali tells him to bring it on. That just earns him a clothesline down and a look on his face that makes it seem to be a big mistake. They head outside with Randy dropping him onto the announcers’ table, followed by the snap powerslam. Orton hits the top rope superplex as this is completely one sided so far.

Back with Ali still in trouble and Orton grabbing a chinlock. Ali finally fights up and hits a dropkick to send Orton outside. Another dropkick sends her over the announcers’ table, followed by a running crossbody. Back in and Ali scores with some superkicks into the rolling X Factor for two. Ali loads up the tornado DDT, head fakes Orton as he goes for the RKO counter, and hits the tornado DDT for two in a smart move. The 054 is loaded up but Orton gets to his feet and pulls him off the top, straight into the RKO (in one motion) for the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C. This was looking bad to start but got a lot better down the line. At the same time though, Ali was getting squashed to start and then made a comeback in the end. Ali didn’t win, but at least he got in some offense and had a comeback. Eventually he needs to win a big singles match though or the spark is going to go out.

We look at the replays and come back with Samoa Joe choking Orton out (that felt natural for a change). Ali gets kicked outside for a bonus. Joe goes to leave as Daniel Bryan and Rowan come out for a staredown.

Post break Joe says he’s going to go much further at Elimination Chamber when the night will end with him as champion.

Bryan and Rowan are in the ring for a chat. Daniel gets smart by sucking up to his home state fans, saying they know we need change. Everyone tries to fill their void with one bad food after another and the good people of Washington see that he’s fighting an uphill battle. That’s why he created this new title, which is now a symbol for change. Rowan talks about people who think like them are considered dangerous because of their ideas.

The fans give him the WHAT treatment but Bryan isn’t happy. People try to silence him because he isn’t a corporate champion. He’s the planet’s champion, which is why he’s in the Elimination Chamber, which he shouldn’t be involved in. Bryan knows what it takes to survive the Elimination Chamber and we get a video on the match.

Back in the arena, Bryan says WWE wants to take the title from him and put it back on a leather strap. The people and the planet need him as champion though, and the fans certainly seem to agree. This was fine as Bryan knew he wasn’t going to get booed in his home state and didn’t go hardcore against the fans in a smart move.

Jeff Hardy doesn’t like the idea of Bryan disrespecting the title. AJ Styles comes in and says Jeff’s recent history should keep him from being the guy talking about the title’s legacy. Jeff says the REAL AJ Styles can’t beat the NEW Daniel Bryan. They’ll finish this inside the Chamber.

Carmella/Naomi vs. IIconics vs. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville

Before the match, Carmella and Naomi promise to be fabulous in winning the titles. The IIconics have worked to get here and the titles would be the icing on the cake. Mandy and Sonya are the real team around here and have been inside the Chamber before. They may now be called Fire and Desire. Mandy bails from Carmella to start so it’s off to Naomi for a sliding lariat to Peyton.

Back from an early break with Carmella in trouble as the IIconics start stomping away in the corner. Mandy comes back in to cut off a crawl over to Naomi and it’s off to an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and it’s back to Naomi, sending Mandy bailing over to the corner. Naomi cleans house and it’s an accidental tag to bring Mandy back in. Peyton has to be beaten up as well, leaving Mandy to hit the sitout Pedigree for the pin on Naomi at 6:15.

Rating: D. Well the Fire and Desire name is dumb, but at least we now have the six teams in the Chamber and the match itself should be entertaining. Mandy beating Naomi advances their own story but it’s not like the blowoff match is going to be in doubt. At least they did something here though and that’s better than I was expecting.

Zelina Vega calls Rey Mysterio a fable and a myth of the past. Last week Andrade destroyed a legend like he needed to do. The legend of Andrade begins with Mysterio’s end.

Video on Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham, Alabama for Black History Month.

We recap the opening segment.

Video on Asuka.

Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan

Non-title. Bryan starts fast and kicks away at the ribs in the corner but gets caught with the swinging clothesline. The running dropkick slows Jeff down though and a second one makes things even worse. We hit the surfboard for a bit before Jeff sends him outside for the clothesline off the steps…but Rowan is waiting on him. The distraction lets Bryan trip him up, sending Jeff into the steps and us to a break.

Back with Bryan working on the arm until Jeff fights back with a dropkick into a legdrop between the legs. The Twist of Fate is broken up with Bryan getting backdropped to the floor instead. There’s the running clothesline from the apron but Bryan is right back with the YES Kicks. The big kick is countered into the Twist of Fate though and the Swanton connects but Rowan pulls Jeff out for the DQ at 10:45.

Rating: C+. This ended earlier than I was expecting but it’s certainly better than having things go really short. Bryan vs. Hardy is certainly a big time match and worthy of a pay per view main event, but there’s only so much you can get out of a ten minute match with a DQ finish.

Post match Bryan grabs the LeBell Lock, drawing in Samoa Joe to post Rowan and choke Bryan out. Cue Orton for the brawl, followed by Mustafa Ali for a suicide dive. Another one to Rowan earns Ali a claw slam onto the announcers’ table. Now it’s AJ Styles, with music, for the slow walk to the ring.

AJ cleans house and points at Bryan for what seems to be the end of the show, even as there are three minutes left. After a few replays, AJ poses and we cut to the back where Bryan rants about doing everything out there because he’s the best. No one is getting this title because he’s going to be WWE Champion forever. It’s what the planet needs!

We cut back to AJ for one more pose as that match must have ended way early.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s not a very good show, but it’s amazing how much better things are with something to build towards. Just having a main event at the pay per view helps a lot, even if the match feels like a stopping point before we get to Wrestlemania. You can’t have both Elimination Chamber and Fastlane as rest stops there though, so having a match like this helps. The rest of the show was hit or miss, but this show was an easy watch and that’s a great distance ahead of where Raw is right now. Oh and where was R-Truth? He wins the US Title and defends it one week but can’t make the show the next?

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev b. Good Brothers – Machka Kick to Anderson

Randy Orton b. Mustafa Ali – 054

Fire and Desire b. IIconics and Naomi/Carmella – Lifting sitout Pedigree to Naomi

Jeff Hardy b. Daniel Bryan via DQ when Rowan interfered

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: January 30, 2019
Location: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We’re still in Blackpool and that means we could be in for some fun stuff. The fallout from Takeover is still in effect and we’re probably on the verge of seeing Walter make his in-ring debut. He’s a heck of a monster and if he does things well, he can be the top star around here in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Walter, who makes his debut tonight.

Opening sequence.

Dave Mastiff vs. Jay Melrose

They trade shoulders to no avail to start so the huge Mastiff goes with a crossbody to really take over. Melrose is right back up and grabs the beard (NOT COOL!) to hammer away. An armbar doesn’t get far on Mastiff so they trade forearms to no effect. Melrose blocks a suplex though and it’s right back to the armbar. Of course he can’t fireman’s carry the huge Mastiff, who crashes onto him and hits a running backsplash. A German suplex sets up the Cannonball to finish Melrose at 4:59.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here, though well done by having Primate (just call him that and drop the Melrose thing) get in some offense. Mastiff having to fight through some adversity is a nice touch and the match was far from bad. They need something for Mastiff to do though and this is only going to do so much for so long.

We look back at Zack Gibson and James Drake becoming the first Tag Team Champions.

Video on Xia Brookside.

Here are Gibson and Drake for a chat. The fans still hate Gibson, who talks about how they told everyone they would win. They stole the show in Blackpool because they were focused on their goal. You can take your shoes off and wave them all you want but they are Grizzled Young Veterans and Tag Team Champions. This brings out Sid Scala, who says their first title defense will be in Phoenix against Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan. Sounds good to me and it’s a match that makes perfect sense.

Walter vs. Jack Starz

This is Walter’s in-ring debut and he starts with the chops. They head outside for a drop onto the apron as Walter is already looking like a monster. Back in and a knee to the face sets up a heck of a powerbomb to complete the squash of Starz at 2:30. Walter not only looks like a star but he has the all important star power, which is lacking around here.

Post break, Trent Seven yelled at Walter, who was backed up by Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel. They’ll be his friends, though he didn’t seem interested.

Jinny vs. Kasey Owens

Owens hangs upside down in the ropes during her entrance for a nice touch. Jinny easily takes her down by the arm to star and scratches her nails into Kasey’s arm. There’s an ax kick to the back to keep Owens in trouble but she pulls Jinny into a bodyscissors for a nice counter. That’s countered into an ankle lock but Owens is in the rope in a hurry. They forearm it out until Owens avoids a charge in the corner.

Jinny takes her outside anyway and sends Kasey ribs first into the barricade, followed by an abdominal stretch back inside. You know a regular abdominal stretch isn’t enough though as Jinny scratches the ribs for a bonus. Jinny puts on a modified surfboard before just kicking her in the back. Kasey is right back with an armbar over the ropes, which can only last for a few seconds. Back up and Jinny pulls her out of the corner with the Makeover for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: D+. The fingernails stuff was a good idea as Jinny looked vicious but it still feels like she’s having trouble breaking through to the next level. That being said, Jinny vs. Storm is a big rivalry in Progress and it would work just fine in NXT as well. Owens was fine, though just another person who doesn’t stand out on a big roster.

Earlier today, Rhea Ripley demanded her rematch with Storm in Phoenix, which takes place in three weeks.

Next week: Walter vs. Mark Coffey.

Moustache Mountain vs. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel

Bate and Barthel start things off in the traditional battle over the wristlock. It’s a headlock to put Barthel in control so Bate walks on his hands to escape. He’s not only big and strong but he’s agile. Barthel grabs an ankle so Bate pulls himself up and flips away again. An armdrag into an armbar has Barthel in more trouble so it’s off to Seven to stay on said arm.

Aichner comes in and starts uppercutting in the corner but Seven takes him down for Bate’s middle rope assisted Swanton. Seven is back in again and it’s a blind tag to bring Barthel back in for a pop up faceplant. We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a backbreaker from Aichner for two. It’s off to a bodyscissors to keep Bate down, triggering the comeback and a diving tag off to Seven. A powerbomb out of the corner rocks Aichner and it’s a sitout slam for two on Barthel.

The dragon suplex/clothesline combination is broken up and it’s an enziguri into a rollup for the near fall on Seven this time around. Barthel is sent outside and knocked off the apron by a missed charge from Aichner, leaving Seven to hit the Seven Star Lariat for two more. It’s back to Barthel to clean house until a Stunner cuts him off. Everything breaks down and a double Liger Kick takes the villains down. The dragon suplex/clothesline combination gets the pin on Barthel at 13:07.

Rating: B. I’m not much of a Barthel fan but this was a heck of a match with both teams looking great. The Grizzled Young Veterans are a great team and now we need some teams to come after the titles. Either of these two would be fine though having Moustache Mountain as the first challengers would make sense. Very good match here with all four feeling it.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s another show where the main event carried things and there’s nothing wrong with that. They had a good hour of television here and things are looking good going forward. Walter alone made this worth seeing and with the proper build, his eventual showdown with Pete Dunne could rival some top level NXT matches.

Results

Dave Mastiff b. Jay Melrose – Cannonball

Walter b. Jack Starz – Powerbomb

Jinny b. Kasey Owens – Makeover

Moustache Mountain b. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel – Dragon suplex/clothesline combination to Barthel

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: January 31, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Percy Watson

It’s one of the final shows in Phoenix as we deal with the Royal Rumble fallout. That means a lot of recapping from the main shows, even though there isn’t much to talk about. I’m sure Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch will be prominently featured, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lucha House Party vs. Singh Brothers/Jinder Mahal

Mahal doesn’t even get the Main Event main event spot anymore. Dorado and Mahal start things off with Mahal muscling him up for a somewhat impressive suplex. We hit the required chinlock until Dorado fights up for a standing Lionsault onto Sunil. Everything breaks down and the House Party gets to take turns beating up both Singhs.

As usual, Mahal has to come in and clean up their mess, this time with another chinlock and some stomping in the corner. Sumir comes back in for another chinlock but Metalik fights up and makes the tag to Kalisto. A bunch of kicks to the head have Sunil in trouble and it’s the Salida Del Sol into the shooting star to give Dorado the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D-. This was a nuisance to sit through as there was no way the Singhs and Mahal are going to be a major threat to the Lucha House Party and everyone knew it. Kalisto alone can hang with Mahal and the Singh Brothers are more of a liability than an asset. This felt way longer than it was and that’s hard to do in a match that isn’t even six minutes long.

We look at Becky Lynch winning the Royal Rumble and then challenging Ronda Rousey for Wrestlemania.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Becky to open things up. A lot has been happening in Phoenix and while the first part of the Rumble didn’t go well, she didn’t fold after a loss like Rousey. She’s coming for the title and is very proud of moving from the pre-show of last year’s Wrestlemania to this year’s main event. The fans cut her off with a YOU DESERVE IT chant before Becky says that she saw doubt in Ronnie’s eyes last night and now she’s going to break Rousey’s arm at Wrestlemania. If Rousey doesn’t walk into Wrestlemania believing that, she’s going to be carried out knowing it.

That’s a great line but here’s Charlotte to interrupt. Charlotte is proud of Becky, who somehow won the Royal Rumble without being in it. Maybe Becky learned something from her after all, because Charlotte brought her to the main event. Becky slaps her in the face and leaves, only to have Charlotte chase her down for the attack. Charlotte whips her into the barricade and the bad knee gets banged up again. Agents break it up in a hurry. It’s pretty clear where this is going and that’s fine.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Daniel Bryan, sporting a black eye, to change the WWE climate. He asks who won on Sunday, and after waiting for the BECKY chants to die down, Bryan says the people and their children all won. Bryan is the planet’s champion and now someone has seen the light. That person came out for the greater good on Sunday, so here’s Rowan, carrying a bag over his shoulder.

Bryan praises Rowan as an enlightened man of the Earth and his intellectual peer. However, Bryan calls himself a hypocrite because he carries around this title. A trashcan is brought into the ring as Bryan calls the title a symbol of both excellence and excess. This title was made from a cow who did nothing wrong, and Bryan thinks she should be called Daisy. Bryan thinks Daisy had the ability to feel immense job, but she didn’t get to feel it long enough. The title is thrown into the title because it’s trash. Fans: “GOODBYE DAISY!”

Rowan pulls out the new title, which is rather….wood looking. The new title is made of hemp and carved from an oak, with the fans being more interested in the hemp. This brings out AJ Styles, who asks if Bryan smoked the prototype of that belt…..and here’s Randy Orton to cut them both off. Back from a break with Jeff Hardy in the ring and Mustafa Ali coming out.

Before he can say much, Samoa Joe comes out to say he’s here to put a champion to sleep. Jeff can pretend that he’s at an AA meeting and shut up while Joe is talking. Ali got choked out last week, and Joe wants to know how Wendy is doing. The fight is on as Bryan shouts that he’s going to be champion forever because no one is getting a title shot. HHH pops up on screen to announce Bryan defending the title in an Elimination Chamber match next month to end the show.

B Team vs. Ascension

Viktor shoulders Axel down to start and we take a very abrupt break. Back with Axel getting a hot tag to clean house and getting two off a PerfectPlex. The belly to back suplex into a neckbreaker finishes Viktor at 1:57 shown. Clearly a lot was cut.

From Raw.

Here’s Seth Rollins to open things up to a very strong reaction. After a BURN IT DOWN chant, Seth talks about putting his heart into everything last night and that’s why he won. Now he gets to stand in this ring and say that Seth Freaking Rollins is going to the main event of Wrestlemania. Rollins promised himself that he wasn’t going to do it, but he has to point at the sign man. Now though, Rollins has a choice to make. He can go to Smackdown and challenge his longtime friend Daniel Bryan, or he can go to Suplex City.

With a SETH FREAKING ROLLINS chant going, Seth says it’s going to be a decision he needs to think about. This brings out HHH to say Rollins got to point at the sign and would have been disappointed if he hadn’t. HHH has been there before and it’s why he challenged Rollins to step up a few weeks ago. The Royal Rumble was designed to put thirty athletes in the ring and see who is best. Rollins, who may be crying, did that, but now he needs to know what he’s doing at Wrestlemania. That’s what he can decide tonight, because Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar are going to be here tonight. Fans: “SLAY THE BEAST!”

And from later on Raw.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for Rollins’ pick. Heyman calls it easy to make decisions when you only have one option. Rollins’ only choice is to fight Daniel Bryan because all other roads lead to the Beast. This brings out Rollins for the staredown with Lesnar and Rollins starts slugging away, including a Stomp attempt, which is countered into an F5. Brock hits a second through fourth, followed by a fifth on the title. Rollins asks if that’s all Brock has and picks himself up, meaning it’s a sixth F5 to end the show with Rollins not picking anything yet. You know, because it’s such a mystery.

Overall Rating: D+. The original wrestling was nothing to see here (as usual) but we’re getting closer to the biggest show of the year and the Royal Rumble was a major part of that. If we can get things to pick up a bit as we move closer to New York, the show might actually get watchable. As it is now, we have the matches presented to us with the hope that things aren’t too bad. Pretty lame show, with Wrestlemania not looking great at the early stages.

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 4, 2019
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

It’s Stephanie time. Last week Becky Lynch challenged Ronda Rousey for Wrestlemania and this week Stephanie will indeed be here to add her thirty five cents to the whole thing. I’m not sure what the point of this is but I’m sure it’s to give a rub or a blessing or something to the match. Or just so she can say she was involved. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Stephanie in the ring because she can’t wait any longer than that. Becky’s entrance cuts her off though, complete with a limp. Stephanie shows us a clip from last week’s showdown with Rousey, with Ronda talking about the bad knee. Back in the arena, Stephanie talks about the knee, with Becky says she’ll fight anyone and the doctors aren’t looking at her.

That’s not cool with Stephanie, who won’t let Becky compete without an examination. Becky doesn’t think Stephanie has ever struggled for a thing because she’s a daddy’s girl who was handed everything but wants to stop Becky from fighting for everything. No one is stopping her from Wrestlemania and that includes Stephanie.

That sounds like a liability to Stephanie because the knee can’t hold the match back. If Becky won’t get evaluated, she’s suspended until further notice. Stephanie does suspend her so Becky knocks her down with one punch. The knee gives out when Becky goes for the Disarm-Her so she beats up agents and goes for Stephanie again. Becky still can’t walk properly so she limps up the ramp.

Post break Becky is limping through the back when she runs into Ronda Rousey. Ronda talks about being a professional and has a pay per view to sell. What Lynch did out there didn’t help anything. Why can’t they just let Ronda snap on her instead of reading these awful lines that no human would ever use?

Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Non-title. Liv bails to the floor to start before coming back inside, only to get thrown down again. Back in again and Liv taps to the armbar at 1:26. Barely a match.

Post match Rousey grabs the mic and says the fans are booing her so she wants someone to do something. Like Sarah Logan.

Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Logan

Non-title with Logan driving her into the corner to start, earning herself an armbar attempt as we take a break. Back with Logan countering a triangle choke and powerbombing Rousey into the corner. Rousey takes her down into an arm trap and hammers away, setting up the armbar for the tap at 4:50. Most of it was during the break but this was another dominant performance.

Post match, Ruby Riott looks up at Ronda and gets on the apron. Ronda says come on but Ruby bails instead.

In the back, Ruby says she can beat Rousey but it’s going to be for the title. Right now, her friends need her so Ronda can wait.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles despite recent championship failures. They’ll make history at Elimination Chamber. Alicia Fox and Nikki Cross come in to say they’ll win instead.

Heavy Machinery vs. Revival vs. Lucha House Party vs. B-Team

One fall to a finish and the winners get a title shot at some point. Metalik and Dorado for the House Party here. Axel and Metalik start things off as Cole points out that the same kind of match was used on Smackdown. Dorado comes in for an armbar on Wilder, followed by a German suplex from Knight. It’s off to Otis for a spinning slam as everything breaks down.

Machinery cleans house without much effort and the House Party hits some dives. Back in and the ode to the Bushwhackers sets up a double stomach bump to Dawson. For some reason Dawson is thrown over the top instead of covered as we take a break. We come back with all four still in the match and Dawson putting Metalik in a chinlock.

That’s broken up and it’s off to Dorado for a dropsault to the Revival, followed by the double Golden Rewind. Otis tags himself in and starts cleaning house with Otis nailing the Caterpillar. Wilder breaks up the Compactor though and Dawson tags himself in, only to get rolled up by Dallas for two. Not that it matters as the Shatter Machine finishes Dallas at 11:59.

Rating: C. The match was fun with Heavy Machinery getting to shine again, though there isn’t much else to say here. I’m assuming Revival gets the titles to make them happy, but it still feels pretty slapped together. Revival doesn’t seem to belong in a four way, but at this point I think they’ll take whatever they can get.

Curt Hawkins tells Zack Ryder that they’ll be in the ring next time. Hawkins says maybe they will be if Ryder has another partner, but Ryder doesn’t want to hear that. Last week they spelled his name wrong, but they’re going to end this losing streak together. Hawkins: “Maybe then they’ll get your name right.”

Various wrestlers shake Kurt Angle’s hand.

Here’s Angle to talk about everything he’s accomplished in his career. He tore the house down with Shawn Michaels and soiled the ring with milk in one of the greatest segments in Raw history. No matter what though, he’s always had the fans to tell him he sucks. Fans: “YOU SUCK!” Angle: “Thank you….I guess.” The Three I’s have turned into Three D’s: defeat, doubt and depression. Angle has lost a lot lately and he knows he can’t beat Father Time.

This brings out Baron Corbin, who says this speech needed to take place at the Hall of Fame. Corbin calls Angle old and broken down so Angle threatens to break his ankle. This brings out Drew McIntyre to talk about Angle tapping to his own ankle lock. Tonight, Portland needs to get its cameras ready because the two of them are putting Angle down for good. The ring is surrounded but here’s Braun Strowman for the save. House is cleaned with the villains running through the crowd.

Wrestlers talk about Rosa Parks.

We look at Seth Rollins winning the Royal Rumble and then taking a beating from Brock Lesnar.

Women’s Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Nikki Cross/Alicia Fox

Cross and Fox jump Banks on the stage until Bayley makes the save. The villains get the better of it again and Banks is still down. She was rumored to be injured so this sounds like a way to write it off. We’re joined in progress after a break with Bayley hitting a sliding lariat on Fox before it’s off to Cross. Bayley beats both of them up at the same time with a crossbody getting two on Fox.

A belly to back gets two on Fox and there’s another one to Cross. The Stunner over the middle rope drops Fox but a Cross distraction lets Fox hit an ax kick (looked like a Fameasser) for two. Cross grabs the chinlock and then gets two off a bulldog. They head outside with Banks pulling Bayley out of the way of a charge, sending Cross into the post. Back inside and Bayley rolls Fox up for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: D+. There wasn’t much that could be done here as Bayley was on her own due to Banks being injured. Bayley did her thing, which was only so good and there’s nothing wrong with that all things considered. Banks could be healed up for the Elimination Chamber and if that’s the case, everything is fine. Also, at least Fox took the pin.

We look back at Elias attacking Jeff Jarrett and the Roadie last week.

Tonight: Angle/Strowman vs. Corbin/McIntyre.

Apollo Crews is worried about Angle competing tonight. Rezar and Drake Maverick come up and tell Apollo to admit that he’s scared. Apollo makes short jokes and a match seems teased.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Elias

Roadie, in a Portland Trailblazers jersey, handles the intro, apparently making Jarrett a member of the New Age Outlaws for the night. Jeff does his intro but Roadie wants to finish last week’s song. I love With My Baby Tonight so I can’t complain too much. Elias finally cuts them off to say that song hasn’t aged well. Elias wants to show us what a real entertainer can do so Jarrett channels Razor Ramon by telling Elias to bring it. The fight is on outside and we take an early break.

Back with Elias punching away but Jeff gets in his own right hands. Elias’ jumping knee to the face gets two and we hit the chinlock. A suplex sets up another chinlock but Elias needs to go after Roadie instead. Jeff slugs away for a breather and we get the strut into an enziguri. Roadie gets knocked down again, setting up Drift Away for the pin on Jarrett at 7:50.

Rating: D-. I’m still not sure what the point of this was and I don’t think WWE does either. At least they went with this in a relatively short match on Raw instead of on a pay per view, but it’s not like there was much o a demand here. At least Elias won and they didn’t do something a lot dumber like having Jarrett win or knock him silly. Bad match of course, but why expect something else?

Post match Roadie jumps Elias for a distraction so Jarrett can guitar him down.

Dana Brooke apologizes to Natalya but starts yelling, eventually setting up a match for next week. Natalya had her headphones in and didn’t hear a thing. Uh, funny I guess.

We recap the opening sequence.

Finn Balor says the Irish are stubborn by nature and he’s not going to be held down by a bully like Lashley. He’ll take the fight to Lashley, just like he did to Brock Lesnar.

Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is defending. Actually hang on a second as Rush is in gear and Lashley has a microphone. Balor is banged up so we’re not seeing a mouse vs. a Mack truck tonight. Lashley brings up Balor losing last week because he can beat Lesnar in a ring, an octagon or in his sleep. Balor needs to find someone closer to his size so tonight he has Lio Rush. If Balor entertains him enough, we might have a title match later.

Finn Balor vs. Lio Rush

Before the match, Lashley kicks him in the bad ribs and drives some shoulders into the ribs in the corner. Rush is fine with the advantage and stomps away in the corner to start. Balor fights back and sends Rush outside, only to have Lashley grab the foot. That’s enough for an ejection, only to have Rush hit a suicide dive to send Balor into the barricade. Back from a break with Rush holding an abdominal stretch, which doesn’t last all that long. Balor knees him in the face for the break and scores with an enziguri.

It’s too early for the Coup de Grace though as Rush crotches him on top for a super hurricanrana into a near fall. Something like another abdominal stretch is reversed into the real thing from Balor. It’s so strange to see Balor as the bigger and stronger guy. The Sling Blade drops Rush again but the ribs give out on the 1916 attempt. Rush misses the Final Hour though and it’s the Coup de Grace for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C-. Not too bad here and another great reason to have people like Rush as managers and talkers: you can throw them in there to work a match every now and then and it’s not like anything is going to be lost. Rush is a regular wrestler and not a manager who can do some moves, meaning you can do this and be just fine. Balor vs. Lashley at Elimination Chamber should work, especially if Balor finally wins a title.

Post match Lashley hits the ring so Balor bails.

Here’s Paige to introduce a clip from Fighting With My Family.

It’s time for a Moment Of Bliss with special guest EC3. Bliss certainly seems impressed with EC3 and gets straight to the big question: Raw or Smackdown? Before he can say anything though, it’s Nia Jax and Tamina interrupting because……someone help me out here. She says no one cares about the answer or this weird dating show they have going on. We should talk about Nia’s amazing week where she broke boundaries by entering the Royal Rumble (which was last week with boundaries that had already been broken) or when the two of them qualified for the Elimination Chamber.

Maybe she’ll fill in for Lynch at Wrestlemania next. Cue Dean Ambrose (Jax: “How dare you interrupt my interrupt.”) to say it’s obvious that Jax has a huge crush on me. Renee: “Oh.” She’s not the first person to deal with his raw animal magnetism but don’t ever come near him again.

As for Alexa, who is this EC3 guy? Before EC3 can say anything, Dean knocks the mic out of his hand and then won’t let EC3 answer any questions? Dean: “Where are EC1 and EC2? You look like a Creed fan. Why do you hang out backstage like some mute Chippendale dancer?” EC3 punches him in the face (Renee: “I’m going to have to work on those interview skills with him.”) and walks to the ring.

EC3 vs. Dean Ambrose

EC3 hits a quick right hand and drops the EC3 elbow but Dean takes over in a hurry. We hit the chinlock but Dean breaks it up in a hurry and hits his forward DDT. A quick jackknife cover (with Dean pretty much just laying there) gives EC3 the pin at 2:27.

Angle almost didn’t bring his gear tonight but something told him to. He’s not fighting alone tonight and he’s glad Strowman is on his team.

Mojo Rawley laughs in a mirror and still seems crazy. It’s all on us now.

Kurt Angle/Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre/Baron Corbin

Angle German suplexes Corbin early on and it’s Strowman running McIntyre over on the floor. That leaves Angle to grab the ankle lock on Corbin, who kicks away pretty easily. Back from a break with Angle in trouble as Corbin slaps on a chinlock. Angle fights back with some right hands and a whip into the corner but Corbin slides underneath the ropes while tagging out at the same time.

That’s enough for Drew to come in and kick Angle in the back of the head to keep the good guys in trouble. Drew hits an Angle Slam of his own and the ankle lock goes on. That’s rolled through and Angle runs over for the tag to Strowman. House is cleaned in a hurry but Corbin avoids a charge to send Strowman outside, meaning it’s a ram into the post.

Back in and Strowman fights up without much effort and tries a double suplex. It’s only a suplex to McIntyre though as Corbin gets more of a neckbreaker. The next hot tag brings in Angle for the German suplexes as everything breaks down. Strowman, illegal, beats up Corbin….and that’s a DQ at 12:14. I do appreciate those random enforcements of various rules.

Rating: D+. Remember when McIntyre was supposed to be getting a huge push? This is far from the worst thing in the world for him to be doing but it’s also not exactly thrilling. Angle is pretty clearly wrapping up his in-ring career which is a good thing, though it’s still not easy to watch him wrestle like this when he’s so far past his prime.

Post match Strowman runs Corbin over but walks into a Claymore over the barricade. The steps are thrown inside but Strowman gets back in for the save with a chokeslam onto the steps for both of them.

Overall Rating: D. I’m not sure if WWE realizes this, but we’re less than two weeks away from Elimination Chamber and there are three matches made, with zero of them coming from Raw (one has Raw wrestlers involved, but it’s co-branded). This felt like any given show but you would think they could add in a match or two instead of having everything done next week. So much of this came off as filler and that’s not a good sign two weeks from a pay per view and two months from Wrestlemania.

Results

Ronda Rousey b. Liv Morgan – Armbar

Ronda Rousey b. Sarah Logan – Armbar

Revival b. B-Team, Heavy Machinery and Lucha House Party – Shatter Machine to Dallas

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Alicia Fox/Nikki Cross – Rollup to Cross

Elias b. Jeff Jarrett – Drift Away

Finn Balor b. Lio Rush – Coup de Grace

EC3 b. Dean Ambrose – Rollup

Drew McIntyre/Baron Corbin b. Kurt Angle/Braun Strowman via DQ when Strowman attacked Corbin

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: January 30, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

We’re still in Phoenix for the followup that came before the big show. This should be a much more laid back night with just the dark matches from Saturday’s Takeover, which should be a good bit of fun. The ton of recaps should help speed things up a bit too. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Takeover if you need a recap.

We open with the customary long recap of Takeover. Not everything gets attention here though, including the lack of anything on the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Io Shirai/Kairi Sane vs. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke

Mauro dubs the nice team the Sky Pirates, thereby winning the world. Shafir, in what looks like a protective face mask, gets taken down by Shirai to start. It’s off to Kairi (to a BIG reaction) to face the much taller Duke, who wants a test of strength. Things turn into a bit of scrapping with Sane getting the better of it and bringing Shirai back in for a double dropkick to the back of the head. Shafir offers a distraction though and Duke kicks Shirai’s knee out to take over.

The double teaming begins with Shafir flipping Duke over into a kick to the ribs. A butterfly stretch keeps Shirai in trouble and a butterfly suplex gets two. Shafir grabs a guillotine choke so Shirai climbs the ropes into something like Sliced Bread for the break. That’s enough for the hot tag to Sane as the pace picks up in a hurry. The Interceptor cuts Shafir off and the sliding forearm in the corner keeps her in trouble. A pop up elbow hits Shafir and the Insane Elbow is good for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: C+. Duke and Shafir are still very green and need a lot of ring time (totally understandable as they’re still really new) but WOW the Pirates looked awesome here. They work so well together, have a cool name and gimmick, and looked dominant in their win. Push the heck out of these two.

Video on Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano.

Johnny promised a Match of the Year and a win, both of which he delivered. Winning feels great.

Video on Bianca Belair vs. Shayna Baszler.

Belair says being un-de-fea-ted is a mindset instead of wins and losses. Oh good grief we still have to hear that line? As for Sam Roberts saying Belair didn’t deserve to be in the match, Belair pushed Shayna to the limit.

Video on the War Raiders vs. the Undisputed Era.

The Raiders say the Era earned their respect but the era is over. Their reign starts now.

Video on Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno.

Riddle says the win wasn’t the point here. This was about making a mark by beating Riddle until he gave up. Ohno was broken tonight and that’s going to happen to anyone who tests him.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black, including the pose with Johnny Gargano after the match.

Paul Heyman praised Ciampa on Twitter.

After the show ended, Velveteen Dream, Ricochet and Adam Cole got involved to turn it into a big six man brawl which spread backstage. This set up Halftime Heat’s six man tag.

Video on NXT names in the Royal Rumbles.

Forgotten Sons vs. Street Profits

Cutler and Blake for the Sons here and the Profits have some Harlem Heat inspired gear for a cool touch. Dawkins and Blake start things off but everything breaks down in a hurry with Blake being backdropped onto Cutler on the floor. Back in and Cutler gets flapjacked onto Blake as it’s all Profits so far. Cutler finally grabs a backbreaker on Ford, followed by a belly to back for two. Blake drops a knee to the back and a buckle bomb into raised knees stays on the back.

Another backbreaker draws Dawkins in for the save, allowing Ford to send both of them outside. A missed top rope splash sends Blake into the mat and there’s the hot tag to Dawkins. Everything breaks down as Dawkins cleans house, including Ford hitting a crazy high flip dive onto Blake. Ford gets serious with a sip from the cup, setting up a Doomsday Blockbuster for two as Blake makes a very good save. Jaxson Ryker makes a save of his own so Dawkins stares him down, allowing Blake to hit his own dive. Back in and the Memory Remains (reverse DDT/double stomp) combination finishes Dawkins at 7:18.

Rating: C. I still dig the Street Profits but I’m not sure how much value the Sons have. Granted winning some matches means a lot more down in NXT so just having them win a few matches here and there could do some good. The Raiders are going to need some challengers so the Sons could be fine for a one off. Nice energetic match here, though I could have gone with a different result.

Overall Rating: C. Obviously the wrestling didn’t matter than much here but this isn’t your normal NXT. We’ll get back to the regular kind of shows next week with some of the bigger names coming back and the road to New York beginning. The wrestling here was fine with the Sky Pirates being a great addition, though I’m not sure who they can fight. Anyway nothing show here, but that’s to be expected.

Results

Io Shirai/Kairi Sane b. Marina Shafir/Jessamyn Duke – Insane Elbow to Shafir

Forgotten Sons b. Street Profits – Memory Remains to Dawkins

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

Halftime Heat
Date: February 3, 2019
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Shawn Michaels, Vic Joseph

So since the four hours of content enough yesterday, we’ll take a look at this quick show here, which is comprised of one match from the NXT crew. That’s not the worst idea in the world, and since it’s just a quick thing that isn’t even half an hour, it’s hard to get too annoyed over the whole thing. Let’s get to it.

Aleister Black/Velveteen Dream/Ricochet vs. Adam Cole/Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa

There’s no waiting around here as we get straight to the match. Makes sense as this match is literally the only thing on the show. Dream of course is in football themed gear, because that’s how he rolls. Johnny and Ricochet start things off and I begin to smile. Johnny’s headlock doesn’t last very long as Ricochet nips up and flips to his feet to counter a hurricanrana. The always good dropkick has the fans into things even more, which is quite the feat.

Cole comes in so Ricochet spins around him as well before handing it off to Black. The strikes start fast and it’s off to Ciampa, who is fast/smart enough to duck. Dream gets the tag and runs Ciampa over as they’re certainly moving out there. With Dream down in a three point stance, Ciampa blasts him in the face to take over for the first time. Dream goes to the air for some ax handles though and the villains bail to the floor, leaving the other three to strike their poses.

Back in and Gargano hits the slingshot spear to take over on Dream but a superkick takes Cole down. Dream is holding his knee but manages to tag in Ricochet anyway, meaning the kicks and flips are back on. The Gargano Escape is escaped and Black comes in for the sliding knee to the face. There’s the middle rope moonsault to the floor as they haven’t stopped so far. Ricochet dropkicks Ciampa to the floor and there’s the big flip dive, with Ricochet jumping over Gargano’s slingshot sear attempt.

The fans (including Oney Lorcan and various other wrestlers sprinkled here and there) are rather pleased until Cole gets in a superkick to Black to slow things down again. Johnny adds the slingshot DDT to Ricochet but Dream kicks him down for two more. Ricochet has to fight off Gargano and Cole, which actually works for a bit until Cole superkicks his moonsault out of the air (with some pinpoint accuracy in a great visual).

Everyone slugs it out, pauses for a minute, and then slug it out again for a strong reaction. Gargano hits a reverse hurricanrana on Ricochet, leaving Dream to suplex Ciampa (and himself) to the floor. Cole’s middle rope Canadian Destroyer (still waiting until WWE realizes that’s a piledriver) for a crazy close two on Ricochet.

The villains surround Ricochet for a double superkick/running knee to the back of the head combination with Black having to make another save. Dream comes back in and says bring it, only to walk into a double superkick. Black breaks up the Fairy Tale Ending and there’s Black Mass to Gargano. Another hits Cole and it’s the Dream Driver into the 450 into the Purple Rainmaker for the pin at 16:15.

Overall Rating: A-. It’s just one match so there’s no need to do a rating for the match and the show as a whole. This was VERY entertaining stuff as all six were working hard and had a fun match, which gave you something a little better than a Maroon 5 concert. The right person got the pin on the right person, making this not only a lot of fun, but well done. I could go for more things like this, if nothing else just for a quick surprise.

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: September 2, 2004
Location: ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

This feels like the big non-PPV month edition of the show with a huge main event in the form of Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle in a 2/3 falls match, which should blow off their feud once and for all. Other than that we have more between JBL and Undertaker, which is likely going to give us a title rematch at whatever the next pay per view is going to be. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video focuses on Angle vs. Guerrero, as it certainly should. It really has been a great rivalry.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Booker T. for a chat. Booker is sick of everyone going around chanting CENA no matter where he is. Last week he tied to score in the series and we get a clip of the second match. That wasn’t it though, as Booker won the third match over the weekend, only needing a pull of the jean shorts to take the lead. Booker rhymes a bit but here’s Rey Mysterio to cut him off, giving us a great bugged out eye look.

Rey thinks Booker must be sick of the John Cena chants and might prefer the 619 version. A fight is teased but here’s Kenzo Suzuki to interrupt. Kenzo says 619 is an American area code and since Rey isn’t from America, he is a liar, liar, pants on fire. That’s not cool with Suzuki, who is a real American with a smile like Tom Cruise. Rob Van Dam comes in and jumps Suzuki, only to have Rene Dupree jump him to keep things even. Theodore Long comes out to make a six man tag for right now.

Booker T./Kenzo Suzuki/Rene Dupree vs. Rey Mysterio/Rob Van Dam/John Cena

Booker is in street clothes. We’re joined in progress with Cena planting Suzuki but a Booker distraction breaks up the Shuffle. It’s enough to allow Booker to come in and hammer away before handing it off to Dupree. That’s fine with Cena who ax handles him down and brings in the fresh Van Dam. Dupree gets kicked down and it’s time for an early standoff.

Booker comes back in for some more success but, possibly not being so comfortable wrestling in business casual, hands it back to Dupree for a chinlock. The hold lasts as long as you would expect as it’s off to Rey for the springboard spinning crossbody. Rey breaks up the French Tickler and Van Dam comes back in as everything breaks down. A 619 into Dropping the Dime finishes Dupree.

Rating: C-. Kind of a bland match but it was a better idea than the same singles matches that we’re going to see time after time. The problem here though is the villains, as neither Dupree or Suzuki are even remotely intimidating or imposing. Neither is a threat to Mysterio or Van Dam, meaning these matches aren’t the most enthralling.

We see the ending of Angle vs. Guerrero at Wrestlemania.

Long comes up to Paul Heyman in the back and wants to see Heidenreich. That’s not possible as Heidenreich is behind a locked door due to public safety. Long can dig that, but Heyman is personally responsible for Heidenreich’s actions. After attacking Josh Matthews last week, Heidenreich is being fined $5000, which is Heyman’s responsibility. Oh and no checks, as Heyman isn’t the most reliable when it comes to money. Heyman: “Holla holla holla to you too Mr. Long.”

We look back at Billy Kidman hitting the shooting star press on Chavo Guerrero last week with his knee hitting Chavo’s head. In unseen footage from last week, we see Chavo being tended to by medics. He was unconscious for five minutes and very hazy for twenty more.

Jamie Noble comes up to Kidman in the back, saying Kidman should be gone after what happened last week. Kidman thinks Jamie sounds afraid and doesn’t exactly seem apologetic.

Carlito Caribbean Cool is coming and you better be cool.

Billy Kidman/Paul London vs. FBI

Non-title and it’s Nunzio and Johnny Stamboli for the Italians. During their entrances, the FBI talks about how they’re a bit weary of the shooting star as well. Nunzio’s advice: don’t play dead or you’ll be dead. London wastes no time in kicking Nunzio out to the floor but everything breaks down in a hurry. We settle down to Johnny backdropping London with ease as Tazz explains why Johnny is called the Bull. Something about him being strong.

The comeback doesn’t take long and the hot tag brings in Kidman, who is suddenly dangerous. A headscissors takes Nunzio down and a neckbreaker gets zero as Johnny makes one of the fastest saves of all time. Johnny gets knocked outside with London hitting a flip dive to the floor, leaving Kidman to dropkick Nunzio down. Kidman goes up…but has a crisis of confidence and can’t launch. Instead he climbs down and tags London back in, allowing Nunzio to grab a backslide for the pin.

Rating: D+. I can certainly appreciate turning something that happened organically into a storyline, but this is the second time the champs have lost a non-title match to a very low level team. The division is hardly deep in the first place and having your champions, who work well together, lose to teams like this is a bad idea, especially so frequently.

Post match Kidman isn’t sure what to do but here’s Heidenreich to beat up both champs. Just in case they had something left in the tank. The beatdown goes on for a long time with Heyman having to come in and calm things down.

Long sends a referee to get Heidenreich because the fines are increasing. Torrie Wilson comes in to say she’s nervous about Big Show coming back. Does anyone remember that story? Long says this is a different Big Show, because he’s attended anger management. As you might guess, Torrie isn’t convinced.

Orlando Jordan vs. Charlie Haas

JBL, now without the halo, because you heal faster after having one of those ripped off before you get beaten up, is out for commentary. Haas takes him down without much effort but the referee rather annoyingly walks between them, allowing Jordan to spear him down. Jordan unhooks a turnbuckle pad before going with a kick to Haas’ ribs. Haas ducks a high crossbody and gets caught in a high collar suplex for two. Jordan gets desperate and goes for the turnbuckle, sending Haas into the exposed steal. A neckbreaker (kind of a reverse Twist of Fate) finishes Haas.

Rating: D. You have to establish Jordan as the lackey but that wasn’t exactly the most thrilling way to do it. Then again, nothing about Jordan has ever been described as thrilling and that was on full display here. At some point, the lack of talent is going to catch up with you and that’s the case with Jordan. He’s just not very good and there’s no way around it.

Post match Jordan distracts the referee so JBL can hit the Clothesline.

Ivory, Linda McMahon and Big Show are at the Republican National Convention. Show could not look less interested if he tried in the most entertaining part of the night.

Dudley Boyz vs. Hardcore Holly/Billy Gunn

Spike is here with Bubba and D-Von and slaps Holly before the bell. It doesn’t seem to matter as Gunn shoulders D-Von down to take over early on. Bubba offers a trip though and D-Von nails a quick clothesline. Some elbow drops get two but Gunn gets in an elbow of his own, allowing the hot tag to Holly.

The crowd reaction is about what you would expect but Holly plows ahead anyway. Everything breaks down and Spike pulls D-Von out of the way of a charge. Bubba charges into an elbow in the corner and gets caught with a top rope bulldog, only to have Spike come in with a title shot to the head, giving Bubba the easy pin.

Rating: D. And that’s Gunn’s last match in WWE for over eight years. I know he got a very nice midcard push at one point, but how far can you go with a name and theme song of Mr. A**? The answer would be a lot higher than expected, but there’s only so much you can do with what he had. He certainly had a great career, especially in tag team wrestling, and the Hall of Fame induction is coming one day. I was never much of a fan though and watching him back after the Attitude Era hasn’t been a lot of fun. Gunn did well for himself, but he must have a headache from hitting that ceiling so hard.

Clip of the end of Guerrero vs. Angle from Summerslam.

Carlito is still coming. Nothing has changed in the last thirty five minutes. At least it’s a different vignette, but it doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a weaker version of Razor Ramon.

Raw Rebound.

Smackdown Throwback: Big Show and Brock Lesnar break the ring. I know it’s been done again since but that’s still an incredible sight.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle

2/3 falls. They go with the amateur grappling to start with Angle naturally getting the better of things. Eddie spins out of a front facelock and we get the first of what will likely be multiple standoffs. Angle goes with an armbar so Eddie picks the ankle for the break. The technical stuff continues with Angle grabbing a headlock, plus a handful of hair for a bonus. Back up and Eddie grabs a headlock but this time grabs the singlet to match the cheating move for move.

Angle isn’t happy so Eddie grabs it again to start setting in the frustration. He is however smart enough to take the singlet down, causing Cole to dub this a chess match. Tazz: “You take your clothes off when you play chess?” Angle gets his singlet pulled down and it’s time to take a breather as Eddie lays across the top rope. Back in and Eddie dances a bit before grabbing a waistlock, only to have Angle get in a clandestine low blow to take over. Eddie kicks him low right back, earning himself a DQ for the first fall.

We take a break and come back with Angle getting two off a suplex. Angle slaps on the waistlock until Eddie suplexes his way to freedom. You don’t suplex with Angle though as a belly to belly takes Eddie right back down for two. The chinlock goes on (with Angle ripping at the face like a villain should) for a bit before Angle rolls the German suplexes. The Angle Slam is loaded up but Eddie reverses into a rollup to tie things up in a hurry.

We take another break and come back with Eddie caught in another waistlock. Eddie snaps up and hits a hurricanrana but can’t follow up. Angle’s right hand just fires Eddie up and the comeback is on. The first Amigo is countered into a German suplex but the Angle Slam is countered into a DDT. Eddie goes up for the frog splash and of course it’s Angle running the corner for the belly to belly superplex.

Yet another German suplex is countered into a roll into the buckle, allowing Eddie to hit Three Amigos this time around. Cue Luther Reigns to distract Eddie from the frog splash though, allowing Angle to roll out of the way. Another Angle Slam sets up the ankle lock (first time in the match), which Eddie rolls through into a ref bump. Instead of doing the smart thing though, Eddie dives onto Reigns and grabs a chair.

Some weak shots abound, setting up Eddie laying down and throwing the chair to Angle. Naturally the referee sees it and yells as Eddie lays on his side and waves before dropping back down. That’s such an easy joke but Eddie makes it work. The referee keeps yelling so Reigns chairs Eddie in the knee, setting up the ankle lock for the tap.

Rating: B. It’s good and something close to a greatest hits collection, but it really didn’t hit the top gear that you might have expected. The match wasn’t quite a classic but what we got was very good. It looked rather crisp and it was so nice to have Angle hold out on the ankle lock until the end. Thirty minutes at this level is nothing to sneeze at and Eddie even has a door open for one more match if necessary. It’s a fitting end to the feud as they called back to previous matches and had a good match of their own right here.

Post match Reigns lays Eddie out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event is certainly good, but the rest of the show was a great example of how boring things can be around here right now. The tag division in particular looked awful and there isn’t much aside from Eddie vs. Angle and Booker vs. Cena, which isn’t enough to carry the show week to week. It’s enough this week, but I don’t think they can count on thirty minutes from Angle and Eddie every single time.

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

https://mightynorcal.podbean.com/e/wwp-53-ambrose-to-aew-royal-rumble-reactions-daniel-bryan-the-vegan-hero-and-more/?fbclid=IwAR3pEh-EyygL4O46KjK-WBD5YKd1GpCEQdsxtvyKa294DNW6P9HBsVXoCYs

NorCal and I talk about the week in wrestling, including Dean Ambrose being announced as leaving, the new Daniel Bryan belt, Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch and much more.  Check it out.

Also, if you have anything you would like us to discuss, let us know.  This can be anything modern, old school, indy or anything wrestling related.  Drop us some questions in the comments.