Monday Night Raw
Date: September 8, 2025
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

So the big deal coming out of Smackdown is the return of AJ Lee, who is back to help her husband CM Punk against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. That should all but guarantee a mixed tag at Wrestlepalooza and there is a good chance we’ll get something out of the four of them here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Rollins/Lynch vs. Punk, with Lee showing up on Smackdown in Chicago to the hero’s welcome for the big save.

Lynch doesn’t want a camera on her.

Corey Graves references Wade Barrett being on vacation, which surprises him as he heard something about Barrett being exiled over the weekend. Points for referencing rumors.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going, with Jimmy Uso popping up next to him for the entrance. The team comes out and we get an encore of the entrance as the fans are glad to have them back together. Jey brings up the Vision, or in particular, the Bronnies. Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, with Breakker being so annoyed that he can barely speak. Reed has to hold him back and wants the fans to acknowledge their Tribal Thief. Reed promises revenge for what happened to Paul Heyman but Jimmy calls them PB&J&J Security.

They mock Heyman, including calling him the Orca (which pops Jimmy), but then get to the point: the tag match is set for Wrestlepalooza. The Usos are ready to fight right now but here is LA Knight to brawl with Reed and Breakker. That doesn’t go so well so the Usos are right there with the stereo dives for the save. The good guys clear the ring, with Knight shoving Reed into Jey by mistake. The villains bail, but Jey and Knight get in an argument.

LA Knight argues with Adam Pearce and says if he wanted to go after Jey, he would have done it on his own. He wants one of the Bron’s tonight, and he’ll even take LeBron James, Bronnie Jr. or Charles Bronson. It doesn’t even matter if he wins or loses, because he just wants to get his hands on one of them.

AJ Styles vs. El Grande Americano

Styles dropkicks Americano through the ropes and hammers away on the floor before going inside. A running clothesline sends Americano right back to the floor and we get the opening bell. Tessitore: “After all that, we get a bell!”. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but here is another Americano to grab the leg, allowing the original Americano to send Styles into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Americano grabbing a chinlock and then putting on a front facelock. That’s broken up and Styles suplexes him into the corner, followed by a torture rack bomb for two. Americano grabs his hand and runs the corner for a Blockbuster (that was nice) for two. Styles slips out of what looked like a Styles Clash but the other Americano gets on the apron. Cue Dragon Lee to take out the other Americano, leaving Styles to roll the original into the Styles Clash for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: B-. Americano (the original) had some impressive spots in there and the ending sequence, with Styles rolling through into the Clash looked very good. I’m curious to see where this multiple Americanos goes, as it’s an interesting story and the reveals of who is underneath the masks could go in a few ways. Nice match here, and it’s nice to see Styles getting a pin.

Nikki Bella interrupts Iyo Sky and Adam Pearce. Stephanie Vaquer is apparently out of the contract signing but she’ll be around for the title match at Wrestlepalooza. The Kabuki Warriors interrupt and Bella isn’t happy, saying she was talking to Sky. Asuka vs. Bella is set up for tonight. Sky shakes her head.

Video on AJ Lee.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Roxanne Perez is here too. Valkyria kicks at the leg to start and gets swung around by the neck for her efforts. Back up and Valkyria kicks her out to the floor but Rodriguez knocks her out of the air. The twisting Vader Bomb crushes Valkyria for two and we take a break. We come back with Valkyria getting two off a sunset flip but getting caught in something like a Boston crab (with Rodriguez laying on Valkyria’s back and pulling on her legs).

That’s broken up and Valkyria hits something like a jawbreaker, followed by a tornado DDT for two. Rodriguez is back up with a slingshot Jackhammer (or close to it) for two of her own. A slightly delayed sunset bomb plants Rodriguez for two but Valkyria’s back won’t let her get a fireman’s carry. Perez interferes and gets taken out but Rodriguez catches her on top and hits a Tejana Bomb for the pin at 12:41.

Rating: C+. You could see Rodriguez getting tired near the end, which makes you wonder why you would put her out there in a match like this. I’m still not liking Valkyria losing this much, but at least she has whatever is coming with Bayley next. Rodriguez getting a win is a good thing, though maybe find a better style for her.

Penta and the War Raiders exchange pleasantries but Penta talks to Adam Pearce, saying he wants the Intercontinental Title. Pearce doesn’t say no but Rusev comes in to say he wants a title shot. Penta gets in his face and a match is made official.

AJ Styles thanks Dragon Lee when Jimmy Uso comes in, looking for Jey. Cue Jey, who is ready to leave, but Jimmy says they need to be there for LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed. Jey isn’t happy with Knight and says this is about them. Jimmy says Jey is sounding like Roman Reigns, with Jey saying sounding like himself isn’t working. Jey leaves.

Here is AJ Lee, wearing the Women’s Intercontinental Title. Lee says in case you weren’t here ten years ago and were confused as to why your millennial parents were very excited on Friday, here name is AJ Lee and she is your favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler. She’s David Starr? She retired ten years ago and hung up her Chuck Taylors and thought she would never wear jean shorts that were two sizes too small.

During the ten years away, she went on a mental health journey (we pause for a THERAPY chant) and things were going well….but then things started changing. She can live with the idea of her husband fighting Seth Rollins or Drew McIntyre, but it’s a different thing when he’s in the ring with someone like Becky Lynch. Lee thought they would get along as they’re both rebels, leaders and bestselling authors, though yes she did do it first. But then Lynch had to go and motorboat her Lee’s husband and….here is Lynch to interrupt.

Lynch says this isn’t about Lee’s husband and she rants about how great she really is. The fans boo and Lynch says she’ll have to go to therapy after this. Fans: “THERAPY!” Lee: “I have some names I can give you.” She forgot she was wearing the title and Lynch takes her sunglasses off, revealing a black eye. Lee: “Was that from one of my tiny fists?” Lee lays the title down for her but Lynch insists that she isn’t a chicken. Lynch: “You listen to me, you Jersey trashbag weirdo.”

Lynch says this had nothing to do with Lee until CM Punk got involved, but where is he? She brings out Seth Rollins instead, who says that Lee can give Lynch the title back. Lee says Lynch can come get it, while risking another black eye, or she can agree to a mixed tag. Rollins says he’s going to come in and get the title (Lee: “Thanks for mansplaining that. Everyone loves that.”) but Lee jumps in front of it.

Cue CM Punk to go after Rollins, who escapes and agrees to the match at Wrestlepalooza. Lee kisses the title and throws it to Lynch. This was Lee’s big return speech and she absolutely still has the adorkable nature that makes her stand out. It comes off as her being herself and while I can absolutely see why it doesn’t work for everyone, it makes her feel as authentic as anyone in WWE most of the time.

Bayley talks about how she needs to make this better because Lyra Valkyria was the last person she wanted to hurt. She’s hurt a lot of people over the years but they deserved it, so she isn’t sure how Valkyria can forgive her when she can’t forgive herself. The voices start talking to her again but she insists she’ll make it right.

Penta vs. Rusev

Rusev shrugs off some chops to start and hammers away, followed by a hard clothesline. Penta is able to send him into the corner and grabs a Backstabber for a fast two. They head outside with Rusev missing a charge into the steps and we take a break. We come back with Penta hitting a Sling Blade but here are New Day and Grayson Waller for a distraction. The distraction lets Rusev grab Penta, who escapes and hits a big flip dive onto Kofi Kingston and Waller. Back in and a quick Code Red gives Penta two so he goes up, only to dive into the Machka Kick for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. The interference helped, but Penta losing again isn’t a great sign. Rusev is about what he’s been for most of his time in WWE, meaning that he’s good at what he does, but it’s only so interesting. Penta feels like he has a lot more potential, but feuding with New Day and Waller isn’t a great path.

We look back at John Cena vs. Sami Zayn on Smackdown, with Brock Lesnar running in to lay both of them out.

Jimmy Uso comes in to see LA Knight, who explains that what happened earlier was an accident. Uso seems to accept it and says they have beef with the Vision tonight. Knight says there is no WE because the Usos keep costing him. If Uso wants to help, don’t help, because Knight is doing this himself.

Nikki Bella vs. Asuka

Bella rolls her up for two to start as Kairi Sane is rather pleased on the floor. Back up and Asuka pops off a knee to the face before she chokes a bit in the corner. A forearm and spinebuster give Bella two but Asuka bails out to the floor. Asuka hides behind Sane and kicks Bella down as we take a break. We come back with Bella avoiding a middle rope kick to the face and hitting one of her own. Asuka hits her in the head but can’t get the Asuka Lock. Instead Bella is back with an Alabama Slam for two but Asuka kicks her in the head. The Empress Impact sets up the Asuka Lock and Bella taps at 10:20.

Rating: C. Asuka was carrying things here as it’s clear that Bella is pretty much limited to just her signature stuff. It’s far from the worst match, but egads Bella feels so wedged into everything these days and it’s rough to watch. Thankfully she didn’t win here, though I was more than a bit terrified of where this was going.

Judgment Day is happy with Raquel Rodriguez’s win and are ready for Roxanne Perez to do it next week. Dominik Mysterio comes in, saying he’s been getting ready for his AAA Mega Title shot this Friday. Was he off with El Grande Americano? The team thinks Americano wants something in return, but Mysterio says it wouldn’t happen if they didn’t get banned last week. Mysterio storms off, with Perez off to talk to him.

The Kabuki Warriors come up to Nikki Bella, who doesn’t think much of them. Rhea Ripley comes up and asks if there’s a problem. Ripley asks about Iyo Sky and Asuka leaves, with Sane staying until Asuka summons her. Sane has been a gem in these segments.

LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed

Bron Breakker is here too. Knight slugs away to start and gets knocked outside. Back in and Reed misses a sitdown splash, allowing Knight to clothesline away. One heck of a clothesline drops Knight and the pace slows, with Reed doing the Roman Reigns point. Back up and Knight knocks him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes, followed by a quick posting.

We take a break and come back with Reed choking away on the ropes but he misses a charge into the buckle. Knight stomps away in the corner but gets dumped over the top for a big crash. Reed misses a charge though and gets caught with a dive off the barricade. Back in and Reed runs him over but misses a splash, allowing Knight to drop the top rope elbow. Breakker’s distraction breaks up the BFT though and the Jagged Edge finishes Knight at 11:36.

Rating: B-. Good match here, with Reed using the numbers game to win again. That’s the kind of thing that makes sense, as you can have various people show up after the match. Knight needs to win some more matches though, as while he’s in the main event scene, he’s mostly just the jobber to the stars at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jimmy Uso runs in for the save. That fails miserably but Jey Uso is back for the real save. Jey gets Super Speared down though and the Tsunami is loaded up. Knight makes the save with a chair…and Jey spears him down to end the show. Well that shakes things up a bit.

Overall Rating: B-. The Uso attack at the end is a good idea and very well could set up a bit match with Knight sooner or later. Other than that you had the rather awesome AJ Lee segment to set up the mixed tag. Wrestlepalooza is looking rather stacked and I’m wanting to see what we get there, with this show being a good way to help getting it ready. Just tweak some things here and there and this show is much better, but it did a nice job of getting the pay per view ready.

Results
AJ Styles b. El Grande Americano – Styles Clash
Raquel Rodriguez b. Lyra Valkyria – Tejana Bomb
Rusev b. Penta – Machka Kick
Asuka b. Nikki Bella – Asuka Lock
Bronson Reed b. LA Knight – Jagged Edge

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 15, 2008
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re on the way to No Mercy and that means it’s time to start putting the card together. In this case that means figuring out what is coming, though the Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels feud should give you a pretty good idea. First though, Jericho has to get through CM Punk in a steel cage. Let’s get to it.

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

The cage is lowered.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending in a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. Punk hammers away to start fast and whips Jericho into the corner, allowing Jericho to try a quick escape. That’s immediately cut off so Punk goes up, with Jericho pulling him back down. The running knee and bulldog look to set up the GTS but Jericho makes the rope. Punk is fine enough to send him into the cage and we take a break.

We come back with Jericho holding an ankle lock of all things before switching to the Walls. Punk’s crawl gets his hands and a leg out of the cage but Jericho pulls him back in and slams the door on Punk’s head. The Lionsault hits a raised knee though and Punk kicks him down, only to miss a running knee in the corner.

They fight onto the top of the cage and then crash back down to give Punk two. Jericho sends him into the cage and goes up, with Punk grabbing an electric chair for the big crash back down. Punk goes for the door but Jericho dives at him and winds up on the apron. A headbutt staggers Jericho…and he falls out to retain the title in a bit of a call back to Muraco vs. Snuka.

Rating: B. Good, hard hitting fight here as Jericho escapes again, with Punk basically beating himself. It’s a clever way to keep both of them going, as Punk got his rematch and didn’t so much get beaten as much as Jericho got lucky. At the same time, Jericho gets to move on, likely to his next showdown with Shawn Michaels.

Batista is watching.

Mike Adamle is talking to Kelly Kelly in the back when some annoying guy comes in to introduce himself. Dolph Ziggler or something. With that out of the way, Chris Jericho comes in and Adamle says it’s time to focus on No Mercy. Jericho doesn’t like that and says Adamle needs to take care of him better, even offering to explain it in his office.

Kane is in a mask but explains that he had to remove it. That was for all of the people but it got him nothing. Now people ridicule him and he doesn’t like that. He wants to hurt Rey Mysterio, who doesn’t have the courage to unmask. Everyone wears a mask because they don’t like themselves. When he attacked Mysterio, he was attacking everyone. Evan Bourne comes in and says he wants to see Mysterio beat Kane. That doesn’t seem to bother Kane, who laughs a lot.

Candice Michelle vs. Jillian Hall

Hall sings some Elvis on her way to the ring and after the break, cranking up the shrieking extra high this week. Beth Phoenix is here to watch as well. Michelle grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and is promptly planted hard. Hall pulls on the hair to keep Michelle down and we hit the full nelson. Michelle fights up and jumps over her in the corner, hitting a kind of Edge-O-Matic (nice) for two. The Candywrapper finishes Hall off.

Rating: C-. The Edge-O-Matic was nice and you can see that Michelle is trying, but it’s still only getting her so far. I’ll certainly take someone at least trying to get better though and Michelle is doing just that, which is partially why she’s getting the attention. WWE is trying to find someone new for the women’s division so they might as well try it with Michelle.

Post match Phoenix comes after Michelle and gets dropkicked.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Tommy Dreamer

JBL slams him down and drops an elbow, followed by a big boot. Dreamer gets a boot of his own up in the corner and grabs a neckbreaker, only to walk into the Clothesline From JBL for the fast pin.

Post match JBL says he isn’t leaving the ring until he talks to Mike Adamle. Post break JBL is still waiting and explaining that he should be #1 contender but gets Randy Orton instead. Orton talks about his recent champions evaluation, which is why he cost CM Punk the World Title. JBL isn’t much of an upgrade, though Orton’s shoulder is almost better and he’s coming for the title. Then there will be a champion on Raw with some credibility…so cue Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix.

Marella mocks Orton for being hurt all the time, just like his dad. On the other hand, Marella’s father is always healthy! Except for having herpes. Orton: “You expect me to respond to that?” JBL wants an apology from Orton because JBL knocked Batista out cold with one shot last week. Cue Batista to interrupt, quoting Barack Obama to suggest that Phoenix is a pig. Marella says Phoenix squeals but Batista promises to beat all of them up. Marella: “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

Batista apologizes and offers Phoenix a title shot when he gets the belt back too. Mike Adamle pops up on screen to say he’ll make his official decision on a #1 contender later tonight. Batista takes out JBL and Marella but Phoenix slaps him in the face. That earns her a spinebuster onto Marella

In the back, Orton passes Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and Manu, with some glares being exchanged.

Kofi Kingston/Jerry Lawler/Charlie Haas vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase/Manu

Haas is Jim Ross this week so naturally he’s fat, talks about football, and pitches barbecue sauce. And yes, the fans are quiet for the dumb joke. Kingston headlocks Manu to start before slipping out of a slam and hitting a dropkick. Rhodes comes in and gets dragged into the corner for the tag to Lawler (the fans still like him), who fires off some dropkicks.

Rhodes knocks him down though and grabs the chinlock, only for Lawler to fight up and bring Haas in for some snap jabs. Everything breaks down and Haas hits a splash as everything breaks down. DiBiase avoids a charge into the corner and the cobra clutch Russian legsweep finishes fast.

Rating: C-. Hey did you know that WWE likes to make fun of Jim Ross every single chance they get? It’s the most one note joke imaginable in this situation and that’s not something you want to see. Well unless you’re Vince McMahon of course, which is why this kept happening. The match was just a way to get Lawler on the show, which was fine, though the fans’ lack of a response to Haas as Ross told you all you needed to know.

Smackdown Rebound.

JBL comes in to see Chris Jericho, who cuts him off and brings up JBL costing him the World Title last year. Jericho brings up the impending stock market crash and brags about being the champion. No, he won’t put a good word in for JBL to get the title shot.

Jamie Noble vs. Paul Burchill

Katie Lea is here with Burchill. Noble stomps him down to start fast but gets uppercutted into the corner. Back up and Noble slingshots into a cross armbreaker for the fast tap.

Post match Layla comes out to apologize for last week. She’s so sorry for taking that long to get away from Noble, because now she has found a man worthy of her. This brings out William Regal, who says Layla wanted nobility rather than Noble.

Lance Cade is meeting with Mike Adamle when Batista comes in, wanting to be #1 contender. Cade says Batista isn’t #1 contender and gets slammed into a wall.

Kane vs. Rey Mysterio

Kane throws him into the corner for a right hand to start before pulling a springboard hurricanrana out of the air. Mysterio slips out but is quickly choked on the rope to stop that just as fast. We take an early break and come back with Mysterio fighting out of a chinlock The elbow misses for Kane and Mysterio hammers away in the corner, only to be sent back first into the post.

Kane stomps him down in the corner but misses a charge, allowing Mysterio to hit the sitout bulldog. Mysterio sends him into the corner and hits the enziguri to set up the 619. That’s cut off with a hard clothesline and Kane stomps away in the corner….for the DQ, as Mysterio manages to survive.

Rating: C. This wasn’t some big epic showdown but it wasn’t supposed to be. What matters is having Mysterio back in the ring so he can fight back against Kane, though he’s probably going to need some help. For now though, it’s the start of what will likely be a bigger story, as WWE would never pull the plug on Kane being a monster or anything.

Post match Kane stays on Mysterio until Evan Bourne runs in for the save.

Dolph Ziggler introduces himself to Chris Jericho and Lance Cade but only gets a handshake from the latter.

Here are Jericho and Cade in the arena for the announcement of the next #1 contender. Jericho talks about how neither JBL nor Batista are worthy of a title shot, so they should face off at No Mercy and he gets the winner immediately thereafter. That’s two matches for one of them but that’s how he won the title at Unforgiven. Cue Mike Adamle to say he thinks that’s fair and they will have a #1 contenders match and will face the champion in the future.

Jericho asks what he means by “the champion” because he’ll be the champion. Actually hang on though, as there is someone else who has pitched a title shot, which he will receive at No Mercy. Cue Shawn Michaels, who says they have fought in a variety of matches, so what else can they do to each other? There is one more that he can do and it will allow him to hurt Jericho and win the title. He asks some people to help him out so they bring in a ladder, with Michaels climbing up to make the match official to end the show. Yeah I’d say that works.

Overall Rating: C+. The whole point of this show was setting up a title match at No Mercy and while Michaels was the fairly obvious pick, they did a nice job of setting him up as something of a surprise at the end. Throwing in the ladder matkes it even better and it should be a heck of a match. The rest of the show was the hit and miss stuff you expect from Raw, but the cage match and closing segments made it work well enough.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 1, 2025
Location: La Defense Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re still in Paris after yesterday’s Clash and that means it’s time to start the build towards Wrestlepalooza. While you can pretty much pencil in the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar showdown, they’re going to need something else to fill in the gaps. With less than three weeks before the show, those gaps can be filled starting this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Paris if you need a recap.

We still have the awesome Eiffel Tower set.

Long Clash In Paris recap.

CM Punk is waiting for Seth Rollins to arrive after getting screwed out of the title. Adam Pearce is fine with it.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. Uso isn’t happy and says he isn’t going to run it back tonight. He has some medical tape around his waist but he is running last night back. The Vision attacked both he and Roman Reigns and you never put your hands on his family. Uso wants the Vision out here right now but gets LA Knight instead. Knight says he should be the World Heavyweight Champion but instead he stands here a loser, just like Uso.

Some people claim that Uso lives in his cousin’s shadow. Knight doesn’t know anything about that, but Seth Rollins lives in his wife’s shadow. They could have taken Rollins out last night and the three challengers could have fought it out, but Uso screwed that up because he doesn’t understand. Knight is sick and tired of being left laying and not being World Heavyweight Champion. If Uso doesn’t get that, Knight can get him up to speed real quick.

Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to interrupt with Knight being ready to go. Breakker says that the only thing we should be concerned about is Paul Heyman’s health after Roman Reigns choked him out. The fans chant for Reigns but Breakker says it means that Heyman isn’t here to tell them what to do. Reed brags about the beating they gave Reigns because the vision didn’t include him. It doesn’t include Knight and Uso either, so they’re next. Knight says he and Uso can do this later so the tag match seems set for tonight.

We recap the issues between Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors.

Sky tries to make peace with the Warriors and….it seems to work.

Judgment Day vs. Kabuki Warriors

Asuka and Perez start things off with Asuka knocking her to the floor. It’s already off to Rodriguez, who gets pulled into a quick choke. The Octopus hold is quickly escaped so it’s off to Sane for some double kicks. The choke over the ropes has Rodriguez in more trouble and it’s back to Perez, who gets taken down with a headscissors. That’s broken up though and Perez takes Sane outside for a whip into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Perez splashing Sane in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Asuka to strike away until Rodriguez hits a clothesline. Perez adds a spinning knee to the back of the head before Sane and Rodriguez fight to the floor. The Asuka Lock is countered into a rollup for two before Asuka hip attacks Rodriguez back outside. Perez can’t hit Pop Rox and they seem to get a bit lost, with Asuka’s spinwheel kick barely making contact. The Asuka Lock finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. I’m wondering if something went wrong in the end there because the match was sharp for the first ten minutes and then absolutely fell apart at the end. It wouldn’t surprise me if Perez was hurt as she was stumbling a bit before the weird spinwheel kick. Either way, good match otherwise and if someone was hurt at the end, the last few moments are more than excusable.

Adam Pearce announces that it’s Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky for the title in three weeks at Wrestlepalooza.

Finn Balor vs. Dragon Lee

JD McDonagh is here with Balor. The fans are rather into this as Balor takes him down by the arm to start. Balor drops him with an elbow to the face but Lee is back with a springboard wristdrag out of the corner. The slingshot dropkick gets two and Balor is sent to the floor for the running flip dive as we take a break. We come back with Lee fighting out of a headlock and kicking Balor in the face. The sitout powerbomb gives Lee two but Balor pulls him off the top. The Coup de Grace finishes Lee at 9:48.

Rating: B-. Pretty simple and to the point here with Balor getting a nice reception. I’m not sure what he is going to be doing anytime soon, save for maybe feuding with Dominik Mysterio, but at least he’s still that smooth in the ring. On the other hand you have Lee, who has sunk incredibly far at a remarkable rate. I’m not sure if it was the unrealistic expectations or the pressure on him, but it hasn’t worked to say the least.

Nikki Bella meets Iyo Sky but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Bella isn’t pleased and leaves, with the Warriors saying they helped Sky win at Summerslam so they’ll see her at Wrestlepalooza. Sky doesn’t seem happy.

Dominik Mysterio wants Judgment Day to help him against AJ Styles but Adam Pearce bans them from ringside.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

Penta sends Waller and Kingston to the apron to start but it’s too early to Canadian Destroy Woods. The Raiders take the villains down on the floor and Penta adds a dive as we take a break. We come back with Erik in trouble and Woods getting to strut a bit. Erik fights his way out of trouble and brings Ivar in to fire off the seated splashes in the corner. Waller avoids one of said splashes though and everything breaks down. Waller tries his rolling Stunner and gets knocked silly. A belly to back suplex/splash combination crushes Woods and the Canadian Destroyer finishes at 8:48.

Rating: C+. New Day and the Raiders just feel like they’re nothing at this point, even with New Day’s rather funny heel antics. There is no heat for either team and they come and go (when the Raiders are actually around that is) without much changing. It’s nice to see Penta win, but this was a pretty cold match for some prominent names.

Rhea Ripley wants the Women’s Title back but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. They don’t want her around Iyo Sky but Ripley doesn’t get what’s so bad about it. Asuka says stay away from Sky and repeats her name before pushing Ripley. That doesn’t work for Ripley but Asuka leaves, even as Kairi Sane isn’t sure what to do.

Roxanne Perez asks Adam Pearce why she’s not in the Wrestlepalooza title match. Pearce points out that she and Raquel Rodriguez just lost but he’ll think about it after Wrestlepalooza. Lyra Valkyria comes in and gets into an argument with Rodriguez and Perez. Judgment Day leaves and Pearce tells Valkyria that Bayley will be back soon. Valkyria: “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?” She wants a match with Judgment Day so Pearce makes it for next week. Uncertain hand gestures ensue.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

Styles is challenging and gets a crazy strong reception. Strong enough that it’s STILL GOING after a break, with Styles just soaking it in. Mysterio jumps him to start and the bell rings, with Styles fighting back to send Mysterio outside. The big dive connects and we take an early break.

We come back with Styles striking away, including the sliding forearm to set up the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. A headscissors out of the corner sends Styles to the floor and Mysterio drops him with a baseball slide. Mysterio’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table though and we take another break. We come back again with an exchange of forearms until Styles grabs a neckbreaker for two.

The Styles Clash is countered into the Mullet O Matic (oh that’s amazing) for two and Styles is sent into the post. The Michinoku Driver gives Mysterio two more and the Three Amigos into the frog splash gets the same. Back up and a quick Styles Clash connects but Mysterio gets a boot on the rope. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but cue El Grande Americano with the loaded headbutt to the ribs. Mysterio drops the frog splash to retain at 16:05.

Rating: B. Odds are this moves us into Styles vs. Americano, which is an interesting change of pace. At the same time, Mysterio is going to need a fresh challenger and there are more than a few names available. For now though, Mysterio outsmarts the veteran again, which is a pretty nice accomplishment. Not as nice as that ovation Styles received, but still good.

We look back at Roman Reigns beating Bronson Reed last night but getting laid out by the Vision after the match.

LA Knight is ready to do whatever it takes to get the World Heavyweight Title. If that means going through Jey Uso, so be it. Cue Uso, who says they’ll make this work and loads up the catchphrase, but Knight says the four letters, one word is YEAH.

Rhea Ripley is with CM Punk in the back but Adam Pearce comes in to say Seth Rollins is in the building. Pearce doesn’t know how, but Punk is going to go handle him. Pearce: “And what does that mean?”

Video on Rusev, who is happy with his win with his win over Sheamus.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He wants Seth Rollins out here right now and gets Rollins…….’ wife. Becky Lynch says she might not be the man Punk was looking for but she’s the man he’s dealing with her. Punk says he’s not doing this and wants Rollins out here but Lynch isn’t going to let him leave. Lynch has heard Punk berate Rollins, who is the greatest man she has ever known.

Punk calls Rollins a coward, but Lynch says that Rollins is everything Punk isn’t. Lynch: “He’s hot, he’s jacked.” Punk: “You’re delusional.” Lynch: “He doesn’t interrupt me.” Punk isn’t the voice of the voiceless but the poster child of apathy. These people didn’t get her to the main event of Wrestlemania because she did it herself. She goes on about how she and her husband are in the middle of a revolution.

Rollins is a visionary, a revolutionary (Punk covers his ears) and she’s the greatest ever so Punk needs to get out of the ring. The fans chant for AJ Lee and Lynch has to remind them that AJ doesn’t work here. Punk doesn’t think much of that but reminds her that 30,000 people think he’s the best in the world. They chant his name no matter where he is or what he does but he didn’t see Lynch and Rollins on all of the recent live events. Rollins hides behind everyone, including his wife, who may be the Man but she married a bum.

Cue Rollins on the stage so Punk goes around Lynch, with Rollins leaving. Lynch gets in a heck of a slap and then slaps him in the shoulders a bunch before calling Punk pathetic. Punk promises to make her regret that and leaves, with Lynch says she already does because of all the grease on her hands. Lynch mocks Punk as he leaves but Punk can’t bring himself to do anything about it and storms off. This was very good as Lynch can hang with Punk on the mic, but dang they better deliver AJ Lee after all this, as no one, even Rhea Ripley, would feel as important.

Post break Punk is leaving but gets cut off by Adam Pearce. Rollins has left but Punk asks where Smackdown is this week. That would be….Chicago, and Punk is very pleased. Pearce, not so much.

Jey Uso/LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker

It’s a brawl to start with Reed dropping Knight with a headbutt. Breakker works on Uso’s bad ribs and we take an early break. We come back with the ribs still in trouble but Uso gets over for the tag to Knight. House is cleaned until Breakker offers a distraction, with Knight being sent outside for a whip into the steps. The fans chant for Reigns as Knight is taken back inside for an overhead belly to belly.

Knight fights up but Breakker pulls him down into the chinlock. Back up and Reed charges into an elbow in the corner, allowing Knight to knock him down. Uso comes back in to clean house, including the running Umaga Attack to Breakker. The spear drops Breakker again but the Superfly Splash is broken up. Reed takes Knight down on the floor and Uso comes back in, where Breakker gives him the Super Spear for the pin at 14:01.

Rating: B-. There is something fun about watching monsters like Breakker and Reed run through people like Uso and Knight. Breakker and Uso have put together a nice rivalry and it fits to see Breakker pin him again. The vision is getting to be more dominant and I’m not sure who is next to come after them, though Roman Reigns will be back in a few months, likely for WarGames.

Post match the beatdown is on again, with Knight’s save being cut off by a Super Spear. Another one drops Uso and the Tsunami connects but Jimmy Uso runs in with a chair for the save. Usos vs. Breakker/Reed works for me.

Overall Rating: B. The crowd helped carry this one and the talking segments were just as good to back up some solid enough wrestling. There are different directions possible for the bigger stories, but Punk vs. Rollins (hopefully only one more time) and Usos vs. Reed/Breakker should be great. Throw in the possibility of AJ Lee coming back to a massive reaction to face Lynch and it’s all the more interesting. Good show here, with the crowd being their usual awesome selves.

Results
Kabuki Warriors b. Judgment Day – Asuka Lock to Perez
Finn Balor b. Dragon Lee – Coup de Grace
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Canadian Destroyer to Woods
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Frog splash
Bron Breakker/Bronson Reed b. Jey Uso/LA Knight – Super Spear to Uso

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 25, 2025
Location: BP Pulse Live, Birmingham, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in England as the company is getting ready for Sunday’s Clash In Paris, meaning this is a rare afternoon show in the United States. The big appeal of this week is Roman Reigns starting the show after challenging Bronson Reed last week. If nothing else, he might want to get his shoes back so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s extreme rules match between Jey Uso and Bron Breakker, which included a huge brawl and a bunch of interference.

Here is Roman Reigns to get things going, with the fans being VERY impressed and giving him a variety of cheers, including IF YOU LOVE ROMAN STAND UP. After an ACKNOWLEDGE ME, Reigns says that he has big plans for this year and next year, but he has to be realistic. It might feel like old times with the fans being so loud for him, but it isn’t the same anymore. He isn’t the same anymore. Fans: “YES YOU ARE!” Reigns says Cody Rhodes predicted it a year or so ago, which has the fans booing. Reigns: “Interesting.”

The Vision (the fans boo, which Reigns understands) is trying to take everything from him, which earns a F*** SETH ROLLINS chant (which Reigns takes a second to understand). He doesn’t have a Bloodline, which means a YEET chant. Reigns is extremely proud of Jey Uso, who has earned everything he has, including his title shot in Paris. Reigns’ time will come…and here is Paul Heyman to interrupt, along with Bronson Reed.

Heyman introduces Reed and talks about how he became Reigns’ Wise Man five years ago this week. The fans do their singing Roman Reigns chant, which Heyman turns into a Bronson Reed version. Heyman says Reed is going to beat some respect into Reigns, who doesn’t seem to agree. Reed talks about how Reigns may be college educated, but he needs a history lesson. Reigns’ tribe is civilized but Reed’s isn’t. Reigns paid for his tattoos while Reed earned his. Reed is the Samoan that Reigns’ family warned him about. Reigns: “This guy’s Samoan???”

That means Reed belongs to him, so he can have one more change to return the shoes, apologize for wasting our time, and acknowledge him. That won’t happen, so Reigns is ready to fight. Security and agents come in and Reed gets in a splash but can’t take more shoes. Reigns gets back up and they brawl to the back as we take a break. Heck of an opening segment here, with the crowd being way into the whole thing and boosting it up.

Judgment Day is looking for Dominik Mysterio (ignore him being in the background of the start of the shot), who is talking to El Grande Americano. Mysterio says he’ll catch up with them later and things seem ok enough.

Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh

Finn Balor is here with McDonagh. Lee takes over to start so Balor gets up on the apron, which is enough for an ejection before he can do anything. Well that sounds like an overly aggressive referee. That’s enough for Lee to go up, only to get dropkicked out of the air as we take a break.

We come back with Lee fighting up after a superplex (during the break) and hitting a REALLY scary sit out powerbomb (McDonagh landed on his head and Graves popped up to his feet on commentary) for two. The top rope (actually from the post this time) tree of woe double stomp connects but here is Dominik Mysterio. Cue AJ Styles to jump Mysterio and Operation Dragon finishes McDonagh at 8:45.

Rating: C+. That powerbomb was terrifying for a second and thankfully McDonagh’s massive head is ok. Other than that, the Judgment Day’s issues continue, which has been the case for a good while now. I’m curious to see where that goes, while on the other hand, Lee is not exactly interesting whatsoever as he’s just kind of there most weeks.

LA Knight likes the idea of working with CM Punk to take out Seth Rollins, but it’s all about Punk getting the title back. It’s feast or famine and the rations are limited. Only Knight is going to be well fed and tonight, he’s facing Bron Breakker, who will be knocked back to factory settings (that’s a great line…I think).

Rusev is ready to hurt Sheamus in Paris.

Judgment Day isn’t happy with Dominik Mysterio, so he tells Finn Balor to deal with AJ Styles tonight. Raquel Rodriguez tells Roxanne Perez to get ready for later.

Penta vs. Kofi Kingston

Grayson Waller is peddling a petition to ban the Canadian Destroyer as Penta hammers away to start. Kingston catches him the corner and hits the middle rope splash to the standing Penta’s back for two. The middle of the ropes Vader bomb is broken up and Kingston heads outside as we take a break.

We come back with Penta in trouble and Kingston dropping him for two, leaving Xavier Woods annoyed at ringside. Penta misses a running enziguri in the corner but settles for a flat foot suplex to bring him down. The Penta Driver gets two so Penta flip dives onto the New Day. Back in and Woods offers a distraction, allowing Kingston to hit Trouble In Paradise for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to make of New Day at this point. They’ve been doing the in mourning thing for a long time now but there isn’t much of anything for them to do. If they aren’t going to go after the titles and there is no one for them to feud with otherwise, what are they supposed to do next? It’s entertaining stuff, but the Big E. split feels like it was a lifetime ago at this point.

Video on Iyo Sky’s issues with Rhea Ripley and the Kabuki Warriors.

Sky thanks Ripley for helping her last week but explains that the Warriors aren’t happy with her. She thinks the two of them should keep their distance. Ripley understands and says it’s ok. Sky appreciates the understanding and they hug, with the Warriors in the background, not looking happy.

Video on Naomi’s pregnancy announcement.

Stephanie Vaquer is told she is the #1 contender but the title match can’t happen in Paris as the title is technically vacant. She’ll still get the title match and Adam Pearce has an opponent in mind, but he needs a week to set everything up. Vaquer isn’t happy but she understands.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. The fans don’t like her, but she talks about how important this place was to her career. Her WWE tryout was right here in Birmingham….and it was a dump then and it’s a dump now. Speaking of dumps, Nikki Bella thinks she can just call her out like she’s some loser like Birmingham soccer teams. She’s not some dog who responds to a whistle.

Cue Bella to interrupt, saying Lynch might not be a dog but she’s acting like a little b****. Lynch says she isn’t going to listen to Broken Neck Barbie, but Bella says she paved the way for people like her. Bella brings up that Lynch was Charlotte’s sidekick and that seems to touch a nerve, as she says a lot of people say she’s the greatest of all time. Bella calls Lynch out for disrespecting the people, sending Lynch into a rant about how the British have been oppressing the Irish for hundreds of years.

Lynch doesn’t like Bella insulting her or suggesting that she has no testicles but agrees to giver her the title shot. It’s going to be in Paris though, because Lynch isn’t wrestling in a city like Birmingham. Bella says that no matter how great Lynch is, the Bella name will always be more famous. As I try to digest how dumb that statement is, a brawl is teased with Lynch bailing out to the floor. The feud is fine, but this was a good illustration of why Bella shouldn’t be talking for long stretches. It felt like a heel promo from the heroine and that’s a weird way to go.

CM Punk talks about LA Knight calling him hungry. He’s beyond hungry because he’s obsessed with getting his title back. If he has to cripple all of them and use their blood to paint his masterpiece, so be it.

Sheamus talks about Rusev being the superstar comeback no one was asking for because Rusev has lost his passion. Things started to chance though, because Rusev has been acting like his old self. Now we’re getting the old Rusev and that’s what Sheamus wants, but Sheamus is the one who brought it out.

Roxanne Perez vs. Rhea Ripley

Raquel Rodriguez is here too. Perez rolls away to start but Ripley hammers away in the corner. That’s enough for Perez to roll outside, where she rams Ripley into the apron a few times. Back in and Ripley picks her up, with Perez bailing right back to the floor. This time Perez goes after the knee to take over and chop blocks Ripley back inside. A DDT on the knee and a Lionsault get two on Ripley and we take a break.

We came back with Rodriguez breaking up a Razor’s Edge, allowing Perez to snap off a super hurricanrana. A cartwheel knee to the back of the head but Ripley is fine enough to hit the Razor’s Edge. Ripley’s big boot gets two but Perez goes back to the knee. Pop Rox is countered and Ripley headbutts her into Riptide for the pin at 10:40.

Rating: B. It’s weird to say it but Ripley needed the win. She’s been in a weird place for a long time now, as she’s one of the biggest stars around but there is only so much she can do these days. Ripley was already Women’s Champion for over a year so getting the belt back only means so much. They need to find something for her to accomplish, but at least she got a win here.

Post match Perez and Rodriguez go after Ripley, with Iyo Sky running in for the save. Ripley approves.

Seth Rollins wants to see Bronson Reed crush Roman Reigns in Paris. As for tonight, Bron Breakker is making sure LA Knight doesn’t make it to Paris. This is everything the Vision has dreamed of and so much more.

Iyo Sky checks on Rhea Ripley’s knee and says she owed her for last week. Ripley is appreciative and leaves, with the Kabuki Warriors coming in to yell at Sky. Kairi Sane tries to calm Asuka down and Sky pleads her case but Asuka doesn’t want to hear it. Asuka leaves and Sky asks Sane to trust her, but Sane says she’s sorry and leaves.

AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor

Balor starts fast by kicking him out to the floor before losing a chop off in the corner. The Phenomenal Forearm is broken up and Styles crashes out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Styles in trouble but hitting a swinging backbreaker to get a breather. The Pele Kick drops Balor and the sliding forearm connects. The backbreaker onto the knee connects but Balor is back up with a Sling Blade. Balor misses the Coup de Grace though and the Styles Clash finishes for Styles at 8:05.

Rating: B-. These two work well together as they’ve done this so many times over the years. The good thing is that Styles gets some momentum before what is likely going to be another Intercontinental Title shot. The Judgment Day’s issues continue and that is likely going to come to a head sooner than later.

Jey Uso isn’t sure who he should trust going into Clash In Paris but Roman Reigns doesn’t get why he’s so unsure after all these years. Reigns says Uso has helped enough people over the years so it’s time for him to smash everyone for himself. That’s just Reigns’ perspective though, and Uso has to go do what he thinks is right.

Bayley still has the voices in her head and now she’s getting annoyed at them. The voice says “we are successful because we believe in ourselves.” Then another voice complains about how the first voice is an idiot and insecure. The real Bayley tells them to both stop and gets annoyed.

Lyra Valkyria talks to Adam Pearce, saying she’s worried about Bayley. Valkyria wants someone to check in on her and Pearce says he’ll handle it. Judgment Day comes in, with Dominik Mysterio wanting Pearce to deal with AJ Styles. Pearce begrudgingly agrees and gives Styles an Intercontinental Title match with Mysterio next week. Finn Balor is rather pleased and Mysterio calls Pearce “Charles Xavier.”

Clash In Paris rundown.

Roman Reigns jumps the Vision in the back and Superman Punches Bronson Reed. Security quickly breaks it up. LA Knight runs in to jump Bron Breakker and they brawl into the arena

LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker

We’re joined in progress with Breakker in trouble in the corner as Knight stomps away. Breakker fights up and hits the rather fast running clothesline. That’s enough for Breakker to finally get his shirt off and he snaps off a suplex, only to get punched in the face. Knight hits a clothesline into a Russian legsweep, followed by another clothesline to the floor. Knight’s dropkick through the ropes connects but Breakker sends him into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Knight fighting out of a chinlock but missing his jumping neckbreaker out of the corner. The super Frankensteiner gets two but the spear is cut off with a kick to the face. Breakker tries what looks to be a fireman’s carry but they slip a bit (Graves sounds really nervous about what that could mean), with Knight landing on his feet for a reverse DDT. Knight’s superplex sets up a top rope elbow but here is Seth Rollins for a distraction. The Super Spear gives Breakker the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. As usual with anything involving the Vision, this was about waiting for the interference. Knight is pretty much a full fledged main eventer these days and that’s nice to see, but this was another loss when he needed to get a win. Yeah he beat Rollins at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but it’s ok to give him another win.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Jey Uso coming in for the save. The Vision beats Uso down but CM Punk comes in for the real save. That’s enough for the Vision to bail, with Rollins having to hold Breakker back. Punk, Knight and Uso get in a fight (Rollins: “They’re doing it for us.”) with Uso standing tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the overall nature of the show, which was all about getting everything ready for Paris, though there were pieces I didn’t care for as much. Between Knight losing again, Bella’s promo and whatever New Day is doing, there were some significant rough parts to the show. At the same time, the fans were more than enough to carry things up a notch, as they always are when the fans are overseas. Good show here, but it needed some tweaks.

Results
Dragon Lee b. JD McDonagh – Operation Dragon
Kofi Kingston b. Penta – Trouble In Paradise
Rhea Ripley b. Roxanne Perez – Riptide
AJ Styles b. Finn Balor – Styles Clash
Bron Breakker b. LA Knight – Super Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 18, 2025
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re under two weeks away from Clash In Paris and the big story coming out of last week is that CM Punk, LA Knight and Jey Uso are all getting a title shot against Seth Rollins, which doesn’t have the Vision overly happy. The rest of the show is probably starting to come together and that should start getting developed even more this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event tag, which set up the four way World Title match at Clash In Paris.

Here is the Vision to get things going. We’re in Philadelphia so Paul Heyman brags him status in this city and how no one is greater than him around here. That makes him the GOAT, but the Vision is full of GOAT’s. Heyman praises each member of the team, including the one who took Roman Reigns’ shoes.

After insisting that they’re chanting PAUL E. rather than OTC (and the fans switch chants in a hurry), Heyman talks about how many times Seth Rollins has taken Reigns out. Before Rollins can speak, cut Jey Uso in the crowd, with some fans saying YEET in a great moment. He’s not afraid of any of those people, including Bron Breakker. Rollins accuses Uso of disrespecting Breakker’s family, including calling his dad and uncle FATA****!

Breakker is ready to go into the crowd but Heyman cuts him off and goes into an amazing rant about how people used to handle things in a Bingo hall not far from here. He lists off some ECW greats, including “the late great Tommy Dreamer. Yeah I know he’s not dead yet but he should be!” Breakker: “HE’S STILL ALIVE???” After one of the hardest laughs I’ve had in a very long time, it seems we have an Extreme Rules match tonight. That line about Dreamer was hilarious, as was Breakker getting annoyed at Uso allegedly mocking his family. Good segment here, with Heyman’s love of ECW shining through.

We recap Iyo Sky’s issues with the Kabuki Warriors last week.

Sky and the Warriors seem to make amends, but Sky wants to do this by herself.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Iyo Sky

Rodriguez powers her around to start, including an early headscissors. Sky snaps off a headscissors but Roxanne Perez trips her from ringside, allowing Rodriguez to hit a heck of a big boot. We take a break and come back with Rodriguez missing the spinning Vader Bomb, allowing Sky to hit the missile dropkick. Rodriguez blocks the running knees in the corner though and gets caught with the spinning Vader Bomb for two.

A hard clothesline gets two more but Sky is back with a tornado DDT. Sky dives onto Perez and then does the same to Rodriguez…who pulls her out of the air. Rodriguez drops her hard onto the apron but the Tejana Bomb is countered into a headscissors into the corner. The running knees in the corner set up Over The Moonsault to finish Rodriguez at 10:20.

Rating: B-. Sky can work well with anyone, but Rodriguez has turned into quite the star in her own right. She is figuring out how to do the power game rather well and that was on display here. Good match, with Sky showing that she can win on her own and overcome the odds, which won’t sit well with the Kabuki Warriors.

Post match the beatdown is on until Rhea Ripley makes the save.

CM Punk interrupts LA Knight in the back and suggests and alliance until Clash In Paris. Knight doesn’t buy this at all because of their fight last week and says he’ll win the title. Knight: “YEAH!” Punk: “No.”

We look back at AAA TripleMania XXXIII.

Rhea Ripley checks on Iyo Sky in the back, with Sky being grateful for the help. The Kabuki Warriors come in to yell about how they can’t help her but Ripley can. Sky yells at them to stop arguing and runs off screaming. Asuka tells Ripley to stay out of their business.

Xavier Woods vs. Penta

Penta strikes away to start but Woods cuts him off rather quickly. Woods shouts CERO DINERO and drops him hard onto the apron as we take an early break. We come back with Woods kicking him in the head for two but Penta hits the Sling Blade. A backbreaker sends Woods outside for a big dive, followed by a slingshot dropkick back inside. The Penta Driver is countered into a reverse suplex to give Woods two. The Honor Roll is countered into the Penta Driver for two, with Kofi Kingston putting the foot on the ropes. Back up and the Canadian Destroyer finishes Woods at 9:48.

Rating: C+. Good enough stuff here, though WWE has seemed to completely give up on the idea of New Day being a regular team and turning them into…whatever they are now. It does help that Penta is getting a win, though I’m not sure what he is going to be doing anytime soon. Just find something for either of them to do though, as they’re big enough stars to have something better than this.

We look at AJ Styles costing Dominik Mysterio the Mega Title.

Dominik yells about Styles when Rey Mysterio comes in to mock him.

Judgment Day vs. Dragon Lee/Mr. Iguana

Non-title and Dominik Mysterio is here with Judgment Day. Lee and McDonagh lock up to start with McDonagh backing him into the ropes. Some chops in the corner have McDonagh in trouble but Lee misses a charge into the corner. Balor comes in to take over on Iguana and snaps off a suplex for two. That doesn’t get him very far as everything breaks down, with the Judgment Day being sent outside. Big flip dives take them down and we take a break.

We come back with McDonagh getting caught in a sitout powerbomb for two. Iguana comes back in and uses the puppet to take over, including a big dive to the floor. Lee plants Balor but gets caught with the Sling Blade. Back up and Mysterio distracts Iguana, allowing Balor to hit the dropkick to the back. The Coup de Grace finishes at 10:05.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, as it’s nice to have the Tag Team Champions actually doing something involved with a tag team match. It’s not like they have anyone else to come after the titles so just have them face a random lucha team. If nothing else, I’m sure WWE will make some money off the Iguana stuff so it could be far worse.

Post match the beatdown is on but El Hijo del Vikingo (AAA Mega Champion) comes in for the save. Vikingo goes after McDonagh but gets caught with a belt shot to the back. The villains stand tall.

We look back at Becky Lynch beating Maxxine Dupri and attacking Natalya last week.

Lynch denies attacking Natalya and says she was provoked. Tonight, Lynch will prove herself.

We get another video from Bayley, who still seems to be going insane, with a voice talking about how she hasn’t been making sense in a long time. Bayley starts talking back to the voice, which seems to want her to be evil. She isn’t sure what she needs, but the voice offers her a hug.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Natalya vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending and Natalya has the Academy with her. Natalya tries the power to start and they’re quickly on the floor. That’s fine with Lynch, who sends the arm into the post and we take a break. We come back with Lynch working on an armbar until Natalya does the powerbomb counter that is used fairly often. Natalya hits the discus lariat for two but Lynch goes right back to the arm. The Disarm-Her retains the title at 7:41.

Rating: C+. As usual, it’s fine from a technical perspective, but was there going to be any drama over Natalya taking the title? She doesn’t win titles these days and Nikki Bella is already waiting in the wings for Lynch. At least they didn’t make this into a long, stretched out match, as there was no reason to go in that direction.

Post match the beatdown is on but Nikki Bella runs in for the save.

Sheamus talks about his rivalry with Rusev, who interrupts and wants to fight again. Adam Pearce comes in to make the match for Clash In Paris in a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook. Rusev says he’s going to beat the Irish curse out of Sheamus and Pearce needs a drink.

CM Punk comes in to see Jey Uso and says he has Uso’s back tonight. Uso says no disrespect but he’s got this himself. Punk says he’s just trying to get Uso to Paris but Uso doesn’t want to owe anyone any favors. Everything seems to be cool but Punk seems to think Uso is making a mistake.

Here is Naomi to make a big announcement about the future of the Women’s Title. She says this is hard for her and shows us a clip from Stephanie McMahon’s podcast, where Jimmy Uso reveals what was expected to be the announcement: Naomi is pregnant. Adam Pearce is ready to take the title from her but Naomi says this isn’t going to happen because her hormones are jumping and she isn’t giving him s***.

She tells him to get to stepping and thanks Big Jim for loving to Netflix and chill (there’s a BIG smile at that line) because otherwise, she would have beaten up the women’s division all year. The fans chant YOU DESERVE IT and Naomi seems to be touched. Naomi: “On the bright side, I guess the Bloodline continues baby!”

We get quite the maniacal laugh and an OTC chant before Naomi lays the title down. The division has nine months and some change, but she’ll come back and win the title again, even if she’s breastfeeding at the time. Whomever has the title next, proceed with caution. It’s sad to see the title vacated when Naomi is doing such great work, but this is far more important than anything she’s doing in the ring.

Judgment Day doesn’t know where Dominik Mysterio is but find him talking to El Grande Americano. Mysterio tells the team that he’s just making sure the team always stays on top. Everyone else is fine with this, but Finn Balor doesn’t seem to like it.

Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker

Extreme Rules and Paul Heyman is here with Breakker, who comes out with a shopping cart full of weapons. Uso slips away from the power to start and hits a clothesline to send Breakker legs first onto the shopping card, which is about as dumb of a thing as I’ve seen in wrestling in a LONG time. Uso takes a good while to give Breakker a chance to make sure his leg is ok while setting up a table.

The suicide dive hits Breakker and we take a break. We come back with Breakker seemingly ok and the ring full of weapons. A chair is loaded up in the corner but Uso sends him into it instead. One heck of a Steiner Line drops Uso though and Breakker drops him ribs first onto two open chairs. The clothesline over the announcers’ table connects as well and we take a break.

We come back with Breakker hitting the super Frankensteiner but spending too long taking the straps down. Uso’s spear gets two and another spear into the Superfly Splash connects, only for Bronson Reed to pull the referee (AND STEAL HIS SHOE!). LA Knight runs in for the save but Seth Rollins cuts him off.

Cue CM Punk to brawl with Rollins, who gets jumped by Knight. Rollins escapes the GTS though and sends Punk into Knight, who crashes through a table at ringside. Punk shrugs it off and chases Rollins through the crowd, leaving Breakker to pull out another table. That takes a good while….and Roman Reigns is here. The spear drops Breakker and a Superfly Splash puts Breakker through the table for the win at 20:26.

Rating: B. This was the kind of wild brawl that it should have been, with all of the interference and violence making for a main event that was better than I was expecting. It did feel extreme with a lot of ECW overtones (without going too far) and Uso getting a big win on his way to the title shot in Paris. At the same time you have Reed stealing another shoe, which is more of a crime than anything else, but it’s rather funny anyway.

Post match Reed tries to get some more shoes but Reigns tells Reed that he’ll see him in Paris. Cole thinks that means Clash In Paris, though he isn’t sure to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. What mattered here was they got the momentum going on the way to Clash In Paris. The main event was about doing some wild brawling to hype up the four way at the pay per view, which worked well. The rest of the show was kind of messy, but they’re hyping up the Paris show and the next Worlds Collide at the same time. Get through next week and we should be fine, though Clash is pretty one sided on the Raw half. If they can keep the four way hot through next week though, it very well could work out.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Raquel Rodriguez – Over The Moonsault
Penta b. Xavier Woods – Canadian Destroyer
Judgment Day b. Dragon Lee/Mr. Iguana – Coup de Grace to Lee
Becky Lynch b. Natalya – Disarm-Her
Jey Uso b. Bron Breakker – Superfly Splash through a table

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 8, 2008
Location: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with Unforgiven and the big story on the Raw side is that Chris Jericho jumped into the Scramble match but also won the World Title. That isn’t going to sit well with a lot of people, including Shawn Michaels, who beat him last night. CM Punk never made it into the match as Randy Orton kicked him in the head, which is going to require some revenge. Let’s get to it.

Here is Unforgiven if you need a recap.

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going and he is rather pleased with himself. Last night, he faced a hypocrite named Shawn Michaels. Jericho takes his shirt off to show what Michaels did to him last night. It makes Michaels a hypocrite to have whipped Jericho like a dog and the people loved every second. What did Michaels even win though? It was an unsanctioned match so Michaels won nothing, but Jericho won something.

Last night, Jericho could barely stand up but he took CM Punk’s place and won the title. Batista was so close to winning the title but Jericho outsmarted him. Cue Mike Adamle, who says that Jericho stepped up to the plate last night, but Punk didn’t lose the title either. Punk isn’t here tonight, but he’ll get his rematch for the title next week in a cage. As for tonight, Jericho can face Batista.

Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James

James is challenging and Candice Michelle is at ringside. Phoenix wastes no time in taking her outside for a ram into the post before working on the arm back inside. A lifting armbar is countered though as James sits on Phoenix’s shoulders, followed by a neckbreaker. The Thesz press lets James hammer away but they seem to mistime something in the corner. Phoenix grabs a quick Alabama slam to retain.

Rating: C. There is only so much that can be done here, as they didn’t have much time. Phoenix using something other than a Glam Slam for the win was a nice change of pace though, as it gave a bit of a surprise. James losing clean isn’t a good sign though, as there isn’t much of a shot for her to get the title back anytime soon.

Phoenix and Michelle stare each other down post match.

Layla and Jamie Noble are in the back, with Noble begging her to be in his corner tonight. Layla calls that a surprise but he has a real surprise for her: Jillian Hall singing “Layla”. That doesn’t go so well, but Layla will be out there anyway. Promises of Olive Garden are made.

Jamie Noble vs. William Regal

Layla is here with Noble. Regal hammers away in the corner to start but gets taken down by a quick headscissors. That doesn’t work for Regal, who knocks him down and drops some knees, which have Layla cringing. Another knee to the head gets two but Noble is back up with a dropkick. That earns him a running knee to the head to give Regal a quick win.

Post match Regal says this kind of thing only happens in fairy tales and then leaves with Layla, who does look back at Noble on the way out.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Charlie Haas

This week, Haas is dressed as….JBL, meaning he’s in the trunk of JBL’s limo. Haas talks about being a big Texas blowhard who loves to hear himself talk. He does JBL’s Texas two step and JBL glares at him rather hard. JBL: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” JBL doesn’t like being disrespected like this and then walks out for the countout.

Post break JBL finds Batista talking to Kelly Kelly, who both find this funny. JBL says he and Batista are both main eventers and Batista should get why this is terrible. Batista says JBL and Charlie Haas have nothing in common, because Haas actually won tonight.

Rey Mysterio says he had to take some time off after Kane attacked him. He’s standing here though because Kane didn’t kill his spirit. Even though he’s always an underdog, he is no one’s victim.

Rey Mysterio/Evan Bourne vs. Miz/John Morrison

Bourne and Morrison go into the corner to start before Bourne snaps off an armdrag. Mysterio comes in to stay on the arm but Morrison kicks him down to take over. It’s off to Miz to work on Mysterio’s right arm (that looks so wrong) until Mysterio fights up and brings Bourne back in.

A top rope Meteora and an assisted moonsault get two on Miz but he knocks Bourne off the top. Morrison’s chinlock slows things down but Bourne manages to send them into each other. The much needed tag brings Mysterio back in to pick the pace back up including a 619 to Morrison. Air Bourne gives Bourne the pin.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with Mysterio giving Bourne a rub in a win. I can’t imagine them being a full time team, but Mysterio giving his approval to any new high flier is a useful tool. Miz and Morrison are the kind of guys who can get their momentum back without much trouble so the loss won’t hurt them.

Post match Kane appears on the Titantron to say he is facing Mysterio next week. Then Mysterio will see why he’s a victim, and Kane holds up his old mask for a weird moment.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat. Orton talks about how bad it is when you have a title in your grasp and have it taken away. He’s not talking about CM Punk, but rather himself. Orton lost his title because of an injury but he earned his shot, while Punk never did. Last night, Orton took Punk out to prevent him from being exposed in the Championship Scramble.

Cue Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes and Manu, with Rhodes not liking Orton taking credit for getting rid of Punk. Manu introduces himself for the Raw audience and DiBiase talks about Orton slapping Rhodes last week….and then gets slapped himself. Orton leaves and the young guys aren’t happy.

Manu/Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase vs. Kofi Kingston/Cryme Tyme

JTG and Rhodes lock up to start until Rhodes gets in a shot to the ribs. It’s already off to DiBiase, who misses a charge at Kingston. Manu pulls Kingston outside for a cheap shot and a headbutt connects back inside. Rhodes’ abdominal stretch has Kingston in trouble but he fights out, only to miss a crossbody. Kingston knocks Rhodes down though and brings Gaspard in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Manu grabs a belly to back neckbreaker for the fast pin.

Rating: C. This was Manu’s Raw debut and…yeah he’s only so interesting. There’s only so much you can get out of this short of a match with so many people around and Manu isn’t that great in the first place. He’s just a generic guy who is there because of his father, which isn’t exactly making him interesting to start. Maybe that can change, but he isn’t off to a great first few steps.

Classics On Demand: Race vs. Flair at Starrcade 1983.

Snitsky vs. Santino Marella

Non-title and Beth Phoenix is here with Marella. We see the Honk-A-Meter, which shows Marella at three weeks, putting him WAY ahead of the Mountie. Snitsky gets distracted by Phoenix to start but comes back with a clothesline. The boot misses in the corner though and Marella gets a rollup for a fast pin.

Kelly Kelly is in Mike Adamle’s office where she’s worried about CM Punk. Adamle says it’s ok but here is Chris Jericho to interrupt. Jericho doesn’t think it’s fair to have him face Batista, but Adamle says Jericho owes him a favor after last week. Adamle needs a main event caliber performance tonight, so the match is on.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Chris Jericho vs. Batista

Non-title and Lance Cade is here with Jericho. Batista starts fast and knocks him down, including the shoulders in the ribs. Jericho gets knocked outside…and here is Mike Adamle to say stop the match. This isn’t fair, so he’s going to even the score a bit.

Chris Jericho/John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Batista

We’re joined in progress with Jericho getting in a cheap shot from the apron and coming in. Batista fights up but gets knocked right back down, allowing JBL to drop some elbows. It’s back to Jericho, but Batista makes the clothesline comeback. Cade gets on the apron though and the Clothesline From JBL drops Batista, with Jericho stealing the pin.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting twist and I can go with having Batista coming after Jericho. It’s a good choice for a first challenger, even if Shawn Michaels would seem to be the obvious way to go. Then again, if Jericho beat Batista here, maybe they’re just going straight to Michaels vs. Jericho while Batista faces JBL. Again. As their previous matches were just so interesting.

Post match Cade and JBL beat on Batista but he fights back and hits a spear to JBL. Cade gets Batista Bombed and Batista stares at Jericho to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked it for the most part, as thankfully they have combined the best thing going on the show with the World Title scene, which is pretty far overdue. Jericho and Michaels have been doing the best stuff for such a long time now that it’s good to see it as the official top story. The rest of the show was just ok though, with a lot of short matches which didn’t have the chance to do much.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 11, 2025
Location: Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

The road to Paris continues, but not in the way it was advertised. This week’s Women’s Title match between Naomi and Iyo Sky has been called off as Naomi isn’t medically cleared. That’s never good to hear, but hopefully it isn’t as bad as it could be. Other than that, Seth Rollins and company have been crushing people and building up a nice shoe collection. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the end of last week’s show, with Seth Rollins and company standing tall over LA Knight, Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

Commentary confirms that Naomi is out tonight. There is no word on when she might be back.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. Punk talks about how he has a Seth Rollins problem. Rollins is trying to be Punk but can’t make it work. He should be the World Champion like he was at Summerslam. Punk is going to be the champion again and he’s going to take it from Rollins. That’s not all though, as he’s going to break Rollins’ legs.

Cue LA Knight, who shakes hands with Punk, but says last week Punk got involved in the title match. Knight is great with Punk getting revenge on Rollins, but he needs to get it after the bell rings. Punk can have his rematch, though it’s going to come after Knight gets hit. Punk thinks the words Knight are looking for are “thank you”, because Punk saved Knight after Rollins stomped his head on the concrete like a coconut.

As I try to figure out who smashes coconuts on concrete, Punk points out that Knight isn’t a former World Champion. Knight says that as Punk has said before, there are levels to this and Punk isn’t on his. He wants to keep the two of them problem free so he’s going to do Punk two favors: he’s going to forget about last week, and then he’s going to win the World Title and make Punk his first successful title defense.

Punk is willing to keep things safe because he’s the best in the world, but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt (Punk: “I wasn’t done!”). Heyman, with Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, speaks a few words of French before mocking the city. He warns Knight not to get in the favor sharing business with Punk, because it could cost you all kinds of things, from half of your life to your tribal chief but Punk cuts him off for a change. Punk offers to fight either of them tonight and the challenge is made/accepted for a tag match. This was a bit lengthy but I like Knight reaching this level.

We look back at the three Grande Americanos helping Dominik Mysterio win last week.

El Grande Americano comes to the Judgment Day clubhouse with Dominik Mysterio. Finn Balor takes Mysterio aside and suggests that they could use Americano to help Mysterio win the AAA Mega Title this weekend at TripleMania (as they’re two of the three challengers). Mysterio likes the idea and tells Americano that they need to get to the ring. Americano playing darts in the background while they talk is funny stuff.

El Grande Americano/Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee/AJ Styles

Lee dives onto Americano before the bell and Styles adds a knee from the apron to start with Mysterio. Lee and Americano come in with Lee getting a boot up to cut off a charge in the corner. A high crossbody gives Lee two and it’s off to Mysterio, who gets powerbombed as we go to a break.

We come back with Lee stomping Americano and hitting a running elbow. Mysterio offers a distraction though and Americano hits a running kick to the face. Lee gets sent outside and into the steps, allowing Americano to tie Lee’s mask to the corner. That…means pretty much nothing as Lee is let out seconds later, with Mysterio putting a mask on before grabbing a chinlock. Mysterio’s running dropkick in the corner has Lee in more trouble and we take another break.

We come back with Lee hitting the top rope double stomp on Americano but Mysterio pulls Styles off the apron in a rather smart move. Back in and Lee gets in another knockdown, which is enough for the tag to Styles. The pace picks up, including a monkey flip to send Mysterio into a Styles Clash. Americano shoves Lee off the top though and loads up the metal in his mask. Styles kicks it away before it can be put in the mask though, with Mysterio stealing it for his own mask. Mysterio’s headbutt to Styles lets American get the rollup pin at 16:40.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t have the other Americanos show up here but maybe they’re saving that for after the TripleMania title match. They’re playing up the idea that Mysterio outsmarted Styles here, which is something that has me curious. Not only is Mysterio getting successful but he’s also getting intelligent, which is a dangerous combination.

Sami Zayn met with Adam Pearce earlier, with Pearce saying there might be some World Title discussions if Zayn can beat Rusev tonight. Sheamus came in and is told he and Rusev can’t break down again tonight. That doesn’t work for Sheamus, but Zayn asks him to do it as a friend. Sheamus agrees, but Rusev is his the second the match is over.

Iyo Sky is disappointed in not getting her match with Naomi tonight. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez come in to say it means Sky can’t lose again. Sky says she can fight Perez instead, with Pearce making the match.

Sami Zayn vs. Rusev

We get a pose off to start and believe it or not, the fans are behind the home province star. Rusev knocks him into the corner but gets pummeled for his efforts. Zayn sends him to the floor for the Arabian press moonsault, only to get caught in a release Rock Bottom back inside.

We take a break and come back with Rusev getting knocked off the top, allowing Zayn to hit the tornado DDT. Rusev’s jumping superkick gets two and he blocks the exploder into the corner. Things get a bit personal as Rusev does Sheamus’ ten forearms to the chest, which somehow powers Zayn up so the exploder can connect. The Helluva Kick is loaded up but the MFT’s pull Zayn outside for the DQ at 9:45.

Rating: C+. The fans were way behind Zayn here and the ending surprised me a bit, with the MFT’s coming out of nowhere. That ties in nicely with the match from Smackdown and gives both Rusev and Zayn a logical way out. I’m curious to see where this goes, but it also (probably) keeps Zayn away from the World Title scene for the time being.

Post match Zayn gets beaten down until referees break it up. Cue Sheamus to jump Rusev and they brawl into the crowd.

Post break the MFT’s are ejected with Adam Pearce calling Nick Aldis to yell. New Day and Grayson Waller come in to complain about Penta wrecking Xavier Woods’ hat. Penta should be banned from wearing hats! Pearce doesn’t have time for this so he’s making Penta vs. Woods for next week. As usual, Pearce losing his mind and snapping is his best stuff.

Bronson Reed talks about earning Seth Rollins’ respect, which earned his way into the Vision. He’s taken out Roman Reigns and promises to do it again and add to his collection until Reigns acknowledges the Tribal THIEF. That’s great.

The Kabuki Warriors offer to keep things even with Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez but Sky politely declines, saying she has this.

Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez

Raquel Rodriguez is here with Perez. They fight over wrist control to start with Sky spinning out to take her down, only to get caught in a waistlock. Sky gets up and grabs a headlock takeover but has to flip out of a headscissors. The fans are rather pleased as Sky flips away from Perez and hits a dropkick to the floor. The suicide dive takes out both villains but Perez sends Sky into the steps as we take a break.

We come back with Sky in trouble but hitting a dropkick. A missile dropkick connects as well but Perez knocks her back down. The flipping knees to the back connect but Pop Rox is blocked. Sky kicks her in the head but Rodriguez’s distraction lets Perez rake the eyes. A Shining Wizard gives Perez two and she can’t believe the kickout.

Back up and Sky sends Perez outside for a suicide dive onto both of them. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and Rodriguez gets on the apron. Cue the Kabuki Warriors to hold Perez but Sky has to stop before running into them. That’s enough for Perez to get a rollup with trunks for the pin 14:40.

Rating: B. This was getting rolling and then things happened in the end, which actually made it a bit more interesting. Issues with Sky and the Warriors could go places, with Asuka vs. Sky being a possibly awesome feud. I wasn’t betting on Perez winning here as she was a replacement for Sky’s much bigger opponent, so that was a nice surprise.

Jey Uso is back and wants his rematch but LA Knight interrupts, saying the line starts behind him. Uso isn’t quite buying that.

Iyo Sky yells at the Kabuki Warriors, with Asuka shoving her away and leaving, with Kairi Sane not being sure how to respond.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch

Dupri, with the Alpha Academy, is challenging. Lynch doesn’t seem worried and escapes a headlock to run Dupri over. Some stomping in the corner has Dupri down again as Natalya shouts that Lynch is a bully. The Bexploder looks to set up the Manhandle Slam but Dupri gets a Stunner to escape in a nice counter. The ankle lock is broken up so Dupri goes with a clothesline. That only gets her so far though and Lynch rolls her up for two while holding the ropes. That’s reversed into the Disarm-Her to retain the title at 5:34.

Rating: C-. This lost the little charm it had rather quickly as there was no reason to buy Dupri as even an annoyance to Lynch. Dupri isn’t interesting and she’s little more than a joke anyway. Lynch is getting ready to face Nikki Bella and this felt like a way to burn off a week before the match.

Post match Natalya comes to check on Dupri and gets kicked down by Lynch. Good grief do we have to go there now? Or ever really?

Seth Rollins gives Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed a pep talk before the main event, telling them to stack some bodies because he’s out of this dump.

Bayley isn’t sure why she has reached this point in her career because everything she has done has gotten her nowhere. She seems to be having a mental breakdown. While I don’t think it’s happening, having her as a way to bring Karrion Kross back as a new unit could be interesting. Assuming Kross is coming back at all.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t taking the blame for what happened to Bayley because Bayley cost her.

Stephanie Vaquer offers her apologies to Iyo Sky. With Vaquer gone, Rhea Ripley comes in but Sky tells her to stay out of it.

Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker vs. LA Knight/CM Punk

The villains jump them before the bell and it’s Knight getting caught in the corner as Paul Heyman is at ringside with the shoes. Knight fights back and even gets his vest off, allowing Punk to come in and start on Breakker’s ribs. Reed comes in and it takes a few clotheslines to put him on the floor in a nice bit.

We take a break and come back with Breakker firing off shoulders to Punk’s ribs in the corner, followed by a neck crank. That’s broken up and Punk is able to bring Knight in for the house cleaning, including a jumping neckbreaker to Reed. The BFT is blocked but Knight is right back with a reverse DDT. Back up and Knight is sent outside for Breakker’s clothesline over the announcers’ table.

We take another break and come back with Knight getting knocked into the wrong corner again. Knight fights away but Punk goes outside to yell at Breakker meaning there’s no one to tag. Instead Reed drops a backsplash for two and then knocks Punk off the apron again. The Steiner Bulldog gets two with Punk having to make a save, allowing Knight to fight up again. This time the tag brings in Punk, who barks a bit before suplexing Breakker. Everything breaks down and Knight takes Reed out on the floor, leaving Punk to hit the top rope elbow on Breakker. The GTS is loaded up but Seth Rollins comes in for the DQ at 16:22.

Rating: B-. This went longer than it needed to, especially for something as simple as “and then Rollins runs in for the DQ”. The Vision likely getting to stand tall again to end the show is basically a lesser version of last week’s ending, which is only going to get them so far. The action was your basic stuff, but the fans were going nuts for Punk, as usual.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jey Uso makes the save with a chair. Cue Adam Pearce to say he sees what Rollins did as an opportunity. That opportunity will be defending the title against Uso, Knight and Punk in a four way at Clash In Paris. The challengers get in a fight, allowing the Vision to come in and beat them down, with Rollins paying close attention to Punk to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this show as much as it felt rather long. It felt like there were things that were being dragged out to make the show longer, which isn’t a good vibe at any time. What we got wasn’t bad, but it seemed like the show could have been done about twenty minutes earlier. The Clash In Paris title match is intriguing though, so points for trying something different. Not their best week, but far from a terrible show.

Results
El Grande Americano/Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee/AJ Styles – Loaded headbutt to Styles
Sami Zayn b. Rusev via DQ when the MFT’s interfered
Roxanne Perez b. Iyo Sky – Rollup with trunks
Becky Lynch b. Maxxine Dupri – Disarm-Her
CM Punk/LA Knight b. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 27, 1999
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Attendance: 10,369
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re back to the chaotic days again and HHH is once again the WWF Champion, having won the Six Pack Challenge last night at Unforgiven. Steve Austin is not happy with this result and is apparently next up the new champion, which isn’t likely to go well. The rest of the main event scene has to fall out from there as well so let’s get to it.

Here is Unforgiven if you need a recap.

We open with some stills from the Unforgiven main event.

Earlier today, Vince McMahon negotiated a deal to end the referee strike. Thank goodness. They’re also allowed to be more firm with the wrestlers.

Opening sequence.

Here are HHH and Chyna for the big celebration. HHH doesn’t care what the fans think and they can kiss his a** every time he holds the title in the air. Last night he proved that he is the Game and no one is in his league. The best part of it all though was Steve Austin himself having to count the three on the Rock. It doesn’t stop there Austin, because he is next.

Cue the British Bulldog, who tells the Game Boy that they had a deal, saying that if either of them won the title, the other would get the first title shot on Raw. Bulldog wants the title tonight, but HHH makes it clear: he lied. That’s fine for Bulldog, who says he’s taking HHH out one way or another tonight. HHH says screw you, which doesn’t surprise Bulldog so he spears HHH down. Chyna makes the save and HHH gets in a low blow but the referees break it up. Cue Vince McMahon to say HHH will defend the title tonight…against the Rock.

We look back at Fabulous Moolah attacking Ivory.

Jeff Jarrett talks to Tom Pritchard about something.

Mick Foley is here….with balloons and someone under a sheet. Oh boy.

Stephanie McMahon and Test go tuxedo shopping.

Here are Jeff Jarrett, Miss Kitty, and Tom Pritchard for a chat. Jarrett says that Debra and Chyna were completely out of line last night so he wants a men vs. women tag match tonight.

Big Show vs. Chris Jericho

Before the match, Jericho, with Mr. Hughes, brags about ending Ken Shamrock’s WWF career because he is a bad mamma jamma. Now it’s time to rid the WWF of its biggest waste of sperm. Jericho comes right at him and is promptly thrown down as Prince Albert joins commentary. Hughes offers a distraction and Jericho gets in a boot to the head. Show powers out of that with ease and loads up the chokeslam but Albert gets on top for the DQ. Who is DQ’d for someone just getting on the top? I can’t imagine it matters.

Albert dropkicks Show but here is Road Dogg to go after Jarrett.

Mankind is talking to whomever is under the sheet when Stevie Richards, dressed as Dude Love, comes in to say he is one of the dozens. Mankind is more worried about losing royalties.

Chyna warns Tom Pritchard to stay out of things.

Here is Steve Austin to a chat. He doesn’t have a problem with the Rock, but there is no reason for him to get the title shot over Austin. Therefore, he wants Vince McMahon out here RIGHT NOW for an explanation. Cue Vince, who thanks Austin for reinstating him and yes Austin was promised a title shot, but he was never told WHEN. Vince gives him the title shot at No Mercy and after clarifying what Vince said, Austin says that better wind up being true.

GTV shows the Mean Street Posse throwing out I believe Terri after, ahem, activities, though Pete Gas isn’t happy.

European Title: Steve Blackman vs. D’Lo Brown

Brown is defending, having won the title last night. Droz comes out to do commentary as Brown kicks Blackman down and hits a Stunner over the top. They go outside and Blackman hits him with the kendo stick for the DQ after less than two minutes.

Post match Blackman uses the stick to beat up a security guard (the one who tackled him at Unforgiven) and Droz stomps on Brown. Then he vomits on him. Mark Henry comes out to check on Brown, who isn’t interested in listening.

During the break, Mankind ran into Steve Austin who did not seem impressed with the balloons.

Here is Mankind, with the balloons and gifts, but minus the person under the sheet. Mankind apologizes for attacking Rock last night and hopes that the Rock N Sock Connection can go on for years. First of all, he’d like Rock to come out here, or he’ll accept that the team is dead. Cue the Rock, who has a title match tonight so he wants to know why he’s here. Mankind: “This is big Rock. This is important. In fact, THIS IS YOUR LIFE!” JR: “What?”

Some fireworks go off and…nothing happens, though apparently a big poster of the Rock was supposed to come down but it didn’t work. Balloons and confetti go off and Mankind has a voice ask if “Dwayne” would like to answer a question. This brings out the first guest: Rock’s former home economics teacher (ignore that the name Mankind gives doesn’t match the chyron, which also says she’s an English teacher), who would have been the first to smell what the Rock was cooking.

Rock asks if she remembers how much he liked to make pancakes (JR: “Uh oh.”). Instead though, he had to make cookies and muffins, but FINALLY, right before summer vacation, he was allowed to make pancakes. But unfortunately, she was all out of Aunt Jemima. Rock asks if she still likes to bake break and if she knows her rolls. Well then she should know your roll, shut your mouth and check her Aunt Jemima, no pancake having a** directly into the Smackdown Hotel. The teacher (whatever her name is) leaves and Mankind has another surprise.

Next up is Rock’s high school football coach, but Rock won’t shake his hand. Rock brings up the last game of the season where he made a big sack and then DDT’d the quarterback. The coach made him run sprints in front of all the fans, which wasn’t nice. Rock asks if coach will blow his whistle one more time…and then do something special with it (Lawler: “Oh no.”). After telling coach where the whistle can go, Rock tells him to leave and even Mankind agrees.

Rock tells Mankind to get on with it so Mankind teases saying the MILLIONS. Rock: “Don’t you ever do that.” We get the real version and then Mankind brings out Rock’s high school girlfriend. Rock won’t let her hug him but does bring up various nights on her parents’ couch with various levels of physical involvement. She would tell him to “go for second base” but then stopped him. Rock: “YOU CUT THE ROCK OFF ON SECOND BASE!”

Now she wants to go one on one with the Great One and serve him a piece of that p******* pie? Lawler is DONE off that line. That’s not happening either so she can get out of here. With nothing else working, Mankind says he didn’t know it would go this badly but stop! They are chanting his name.

Mankind apologizes for how bad the guests have been, but it’s time for the people’s presents! First up: matching Rock and Sock jackets (and yes, their names are on the front). That’s not it though, because we have MR. ROCKO! And yes, Mankind does the voice for the whole thing. Finally though, it’s time for whomever is underneath the sheet (who came down at some point). That would in fact be….YURPLE THE CLOWN!

She gives Rock an IYQ sticker (read it out loud) and even Rock doesn’t know what to say. Finally, Rock asks her name, which of course doesn’t matter. Mankind says it DOES matter because he went through a lot of effort and expense to make this nice. Rock has insulted everyone and sometimes Mankind finds him to be a very ungrateful little man. It matters because Yurple is going to lead Greensboro in a birthday singalong.

Yurple sings and a cake is wheeled down, complete with candles. Rock says he appreciates his fans, but his birthday is May 2 “you stupid son of a b****.” Mankind: “It’s just that for some reason, every day I get to spend a little time with you feels like, like somebody’s birthday.” Before Rock has to find a way around that one, HHH runs out with the sledgehammer, which sends Rock and Mankind running. HHH pops some balloons to blow off some steam.

I’ve seen this a bunch of times over the years and I appreciate it more every time. This is the kind of segment that could not have worked with anyone else because Rock could get away with being such a jerk and Mankind was just so lovable that he pulled it off. It went on for about twenty five minutes and it is basically one long continuous joke that works throughout.

The whole point is how stupid it is but these two have such amazing chemistry that it somehow worked. Mankind screwing everything up, including not even having Rock’s birthday right, was great and I still remember watching this live and quoting it for years. I wasn’t the only one either, as this is still the highest rated non-match in WWF history and a mind blowing nine million viewers.

Granted it went nearly 12 minutes over and Vince yelled at both of them, only to then see the numbers and back off in a hurry. Does it build to anything? Not in the slightest, and that’s not an issue in the slightest here. Still an all time classic and one of the most perfectly put together ridiculous things you’ll ever see in wrestling.

Here are the New Age Outlaws, with Road Dogg saying they’re tired of not being respected. The open challenge is on and we see the Hollys getting ready to accept. That’s not how it goes though.

Tag Team Titles: New Age Outlaws vs. Kane/X-Pac

The Outlaws are defending. X-Pac and Dogg shake hands to start and Dogg grabs a headlock as the Hollys come down to do commentary. Hardcore isn’t happy with not getting a shot as Kane comes in and gets pummeled in the corner by Gunn. Kane boots Gunn in the face (that’s a long reach) but Dogg breaks up a chokeslam. Everything breaks down and the Hollys come in to jump the Outlaws for the fast DQ.

Post match the Hollys get quadruple teamed out.

Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young are here to teach Ivory to respect her elders.

Ivory vs. Fabulous Moolah/Mae Young

Non-title Evening Gown match and Jerry Lawler is worried. Young takes Ivory down to start but gets flipped over by her boa. Ivory goes for the dress and gets slammed, with Young covering because the instincts are still there. Back up and Ivory manages to get Young’s dress off and sends her outside, only for Moolah to drop Ivory. Moolah easily strips Ivory for the win.

GTV sees Val Venis find Mr. Rocko in the trash and put it in his jeans.

Jeff Jarrett/Tom Pritchard vs. Chyna/Debra

Hold on though as Chyna says she’ll only do the match if she gets a title shot at No Mercy for winning. Debra opens her top to distract Pritchard and Jarrett Figure Fours Chyna. Miss Kitty gets in for a catfight with Debra, leaving Pritchard to hit Chyna with the guitar…and she falls on Jarrett for the win in just over a minute. Well that’s dumb.

WWF Title: The Rock vs. HHH

HHH is defending and Steve Austin is on commentary. HHH hammers him into the corner to start fast but gets tossed over the corner for his efforts. The fight is quickly taken into the crowd and then back to ringside…and then back into the crowd. They get back inside for a change with Rock in control but he walks into the facebuster.

The Pedigree is countered with a catapult into the corner and Rock grabs a Samoan drop. Rock clotheslines him to the floor but gets dropped onto the announcers’ table. HHH grabs a chair and the referee gets shoved down before yelling at Austin. The Stunner into a Rock Bottom plants HHH…but British Bulldog runs in for the DQ.

Rating: C-. The match was just a big brawl until the ending segment, which is fine enough, but it’s a bit disappointing to see it go this way. At the same time, they weren’t exactly hiding that the Bulldog was going to get involved here as it’s pretty basic storytelling, but after a night of nothing matches, having one regular match would have been nice.

Bulldog powerslams HHH to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a hard one to rate, as the show is the usual fast paced Attitude Era insanity, but there’s that big segment in the middle which is so out of nowhere and goes so well that the rest doesn’t really matter. They started getting ready for No Mercy and barely touched on Unforgiven outside of the main event, but that only means so much when a third of the show is built around one thing. Good show overall, though there’s probably a lot of nostalgia in there.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 28, 1993
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan

It’s the last show of the month and the big story coming out of last week is Razor Ramon’s continued frustrations with the 1-2-3 Kid. Last week Ramon still couldn’t beat the Kid, who ran off with the $10,000 Ramon was putting up. Other than that, we’re coming up on the Yokozuna bodyslam challenge, which could be rather interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Kamala

Michaels, with Diesel, is defending. They take their time to start with Michaels offering a handshake, which allows him to knock Kamala into the corner. Kamala doesn’t care for that and bites the finger before knocking Michaels out to the floor. Back in and Kamala charges into some raised knees in the corner as we take a break.

We come back with Kamala’s bearhug being broken up with a rake to the eyes, allowing Michaels to stomp away. Michaels avoids a charge in the corner and goes after the leg, though the Figure Four attempt is blocked. Kamala kicks him into the corner and starts chopping away, setting up the splash to the back. As usual, Kamala doesn’t quite have the pinning thing down so Diesel gets on the apron. That’s enough for Michaels to hit a superkick to the back of the head for the pin at 11;15.

Rating: C-. Michaels is an all time star but there is only so much you can do in this situation. Kamala’s good guy run was a stretch on its best day and then it was hard to make something like this work. Diesel being involved in the ending helped establish him, but the idea of Michaels needing help against Kamala is a stretch at best.

Post match Kamala goes after Michaels but Diesel makes the save.

Here are Yokozuna and company for a chat. Mr. Fuji is ready to humiliate various American athletes at the bodyslam challenge but Vince McMahon warns him that America is kind of amazing. Someone will step up and hit a home run, though Fuji doesn’t seem convinced. Yokozuna calls American athletes inferior, just like American products, so McMahon gets a USA chant going. It was weird to hear McMahon be so one sided in a story like this, but it shows how big of a villain Yokozuna really is.

Various athletes, including Tatanka, say they can slam Yokozuna.

Smoking Gunns vs. Iron Mike Sharpe/Barry Horowitz

Billy and Sharpe start things off with Billy clearing both jobbers out in a hurry. Bart comes in for a crisscross into a small package for two on Sharpe, followed by the armbar. It’s off to Horowitz, who avoids a crossbody to actually take over. A northern lights suplex doesn’t get Horowitz very far as Bart is back up for the tag off to Billy. The Sidewinder finishes Horowitz at 4:25.

Rating: C. The Gunns are only going to be able to go so far, but at the same time, the tag division isn’t exactly strong at this point so they only have to be so good. They have a time honored gimmick and the Sidewinder isn’t bad. Just let them win some matches and see where they can go from here.

We look at the 1-2-3 Kid stealing Razor Ramon’s money last week.

Here is Money Inc. for a chat, with Vince McMahon immediately mocking them for being the FORMER Tag Team Champions. IRS shrugs that off because they have a rematch clause in their contract against the Steiner Brothers. They move on to the idea of keeping your money, with Ted DiBiase mocking Razor Ramon for losing his cool, and as a result, his money, last week. Maybe Ramon can go to some stupid school like the University Of Michigan so Ramon can become the third Steiner Brother! And that’s how we’re setting up Ramon’s face turn.

Adam Bomb vs. PJ Walker

Johnny Polo is here with Bomb, who chokes Walker down to start. Naturally commentary ignores the match to talk about the bodyslam challenge, even as Bomb takes him to the floor for a hard clothesline. Back in and a top rope clothesline sets up the Atom Smasher for the pin at 2:14.

Crush vs. Bastion Booger

Heenan says Booger is related to Hilary Clinton as Crush can’t quite lift him up. Instead they go outside, with Crush not being able to ram him into the post. Booger can send him into the post though, and the steps as well. Back in and Booger grabs a bearhug but Crush powers out and manages a suplex. Some slams put Booger down, followed by a second and third for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: D+. Hey, did you know that Crush is strong and can lift large people? That was the entire point of the match and there wasn’t anything else going on, which made for a long five minutes. The match was as dull as you would expect and thankfully they did what they should have. It’s about as good as a Booger match is going to be, because, shockingly enough, he’s not very good.

Randy Savage is at Giants Stadium with a New York Giant who is ready to slam Yokozuna.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Commentary is hyped for the bodyslam challenge to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The idea of this show was focusing on the upcoming bodyslam challenge, with Crush being the big name who is going to come after him. That’s a fine enough idea, but then you realize that you’re getting ready for a bodyslam challenge rather than a match. It’s only going to change so much, and it makes for some rough time on the way there, which was on display this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 21, 1993
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan

We have a fresh taping after the King Of The Ring and in this case that means we have a pair of rematches. One of them is going to involve a good bit of money and the other is going to involve possibly multiple clowns. That sounds like quite the show and hopefully it lives up to its (probably limited) hype. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick look at the (soon to be) 1-2-3 Kid beating Razor Ramon six weeks ago.

Opening sequence.

Steiner Brothers vs. Barry Hardy/Reno Riggins

The Steiners are the new Tag Team Champions (though this is non-title), having won the titles and then traded them with Money Inc. over the last week or so. Scott armdrags Riggins down to start as commentary recaps the recent title changes. It’s off to Hardy, whose forearms to Steiner don’t particularly do much. Rick drives him into the corner and hands it back to Scott, who gets to beat up Riggins again. The Frankensteiner finishes at 3:45. Total domination.

Rating: C. I could watch the Steiners smash through people for a long time and that made this a rather entertaining match. They ran through these jobbers with ease and the Frankensteiner always looked good. This is the Steiners’ bread and butter and it was on full display here.

Marty Jannetty vs. Doink The Clown

2/3 falls after last week’s match went to a double countout. They stare at each other a lot and Doink backs him up against the ropes for an oddly clean break. With that not working, Jannetty hits a dropkick and grabs an armbar to slow things down. It feels like they have a lot of time here, some of which is spent on Jannetty flipping around to get another armbar. Back up and Jannetty misses a charge into the buckle, allowing Doink to hit a quick Whoopee Cushion for the first fall at 7:02.

We take a break and come back with the start of the second fall as Doink takes over in the corner. Doink knocks him outside and laughs a lot as commentary talks about the upcoming Yokozuna bodyslam challenge. Jannetty fights up and slugs away, setting up a suplex. The referee makes Jannetty get off the top though, leaving him to superkick Doink instead. The top rope fist drop ties us up at 11:54 and we take another break.

We come back with Doink bailing out to the floor but tripping Jannetty down to wrap the leg around the post. Back in the and Figure Four goes on, with Jannetty getting out and slugging away to start the comeback. That’s reversed into an STF but the Whoopee Cushion is broken up. Jannetty elbows him in the face again but goes outside to check underneath the ring.

Doink gets in a cheap shot and goes under the ring, with the Doink who comes back out clearly not being the same one (with Vince and Savage realizing it). Jannetty rolls him up for two anyway, only for Doink to grab a piledriver for the pin. Hold on though as Randy Savage pulls out the original Doink and that’s enough for the referee to reverse the decision at 20:45.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen far worse matches, but twenty plus minutes of Jannetty vs. Doink, after last week’s match on top of that, is a bit more than anyone could ever reasonably need. I do appreciate having a story carry over though, as it’s not something you would often see around here. Good match, but I pretty much never need to see them wrestle again.

Mr. Hughes vs. Bobby Who

Hughes hammers away like…well like he’s Mr. Hughes in a squash match. The plodding forearms have Who down and a powerslam gets two, with Hughes pulling him up. Something like a Boss Man Slam finishes Who at 3:01.

Rating: C-. Unlike the Steiners, this wasn’t much in the way of an entertaining squash, as if you’ve seen one Hughes match, you’ve seen most of them. That was certainly the case here, as Hughes did his usual slow motion stuff and then won. They kept it short, but this wasn’t exactly a who’s Who of jobber opposition.

Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid

This is a rematch from the big upset and Ramon is putting up $10,000 to get another shot. Kid starts fast with a top rope sunset flip for two and Ramon is looking a bit panicked. A fall away slam sends Kid flying as the fans are all behind said Kid. Ramon hammers him down even more and grabs a powerslam for two. Kid gets thrown outside and the pads are pulled back but he reverses a Razor’s Edge attempt. Back in and Kid’s moonsault press (how he won the first time) gets two…so he grabs the bag of money and runs off, jumps into a car and leaves at 5:14. Ha!

Rating: C+. The match was basically a squash until the end but then the Kid had a rather hilarious way out of the whole thing. Ramon shooting off his mouth and being sure that he would win is only going to cause him more problems and I’m curious to see how he is going to respond. If nothing else, the Kid’s awesome debut push continues and it’s working rather well.

Ramon swears this isn’t over.

Commentary wraps it up.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show here, with the long match in the middle being a nice change of pace before the rather funny ending to the main event. This show felt so much fresher than what they have been doing lately and that is something that has been needed. Keep this kind of stuff up and Raw could get entertaining rather quickly.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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