IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 18, 2019
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re done with Elimination Chamber but since March is a work month, we have less than three weeks before Fastlane. I have no idea what they’re supposed to do to headline Fastlane if Becky Lynch is currently suspended and Seth Rollins is being held out of the ring, but there’s a good chance they could drop the suspension so she can face Charlotte. They’ve done faster turnarounds before. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Pedro Morales.

Here’s HHH top open things up. HHH says it’s that time of year and we’re on the Road to Wrestlemania. The last twenty four hours should be proof of how important this time is with stuff like Sasha Banks and Bayley becoming the first ever WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Or Finn Balor winning the Intercontinental Title. Or Kofi Kingston getting that close to winning the WWE Championship. The fans like that more than anything else, with a KOFI chant getting a little time.

That brings HHH to Becky, who showed us that nothing is stopping her from getting to Charlotte or Ronda Rousey. Now professionally, he has to say that if she does that again, she’ll be suspended. On a personal level though, that was pretty cool. Speaking of cool, it was announced on ESPN this morning that D-Generation X is going into the Hall of Fame this year.

HHH also oversees the third global touring brand with NXT, so here are some people making their debut tonight on Raw. That would be Ricochet, Aleister Black, North American Champion Johnny Gargano and NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. They’re in a tag match tonight, though it’s not clear if this is a permanent callup or just a one off appearance. We’re not done yet though as there are a bunch of tables sitting on the stage for a very good reason.

Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin

Tables match and Strowman has bad ribs coming in. Strowman knocks him around to start but a shot to the ribs cuts him down. Corbin drives him into the barricade but Strowman whips him into it even harder to take over. It’s already time for a table, though Strowman’s ribs slow him down. Some kicks to the ribs keep Strowman in trouble but Corbin can’t suplex him on the ramp.

Strowman can certainly do it to him though and Corbin is screaming a lot. They head up to the stage where some tables are set up, though Strowman prefers the announcers’ table. Corbin knocks him off the stage though and we take a break. Back with Corbin knocking Strowman out of the ring and swinging a kendo stick at the bad ribs. Strowman knocks him out of the air with some steps though and the running powerslam puts Corbin through a table in the corner for the win at 14:35.

Rating: D. Well that’s very nice for Strowman as he gets to beat up the least interesting and intimidating heel in recent memory to get back a win that he didn’t need to give up in the first place. This feud has been going for months now and I’m still waiting for it to get interesting in the first place. I’m not sure what the endgame is supposed to be, but it seems like something we should have reached a long time ago.

As Strowman is leaving, Paul Heyman comes out and tells him to go to the back. Strowman grabs him by the neck before letting him go. Oh please tell me we’re not getting ready for another Strowman vs. Lesnar match. After a break, Heyman introduces us to a video on Lesnar’s path to the top of the company. This includes a mini biography of Lesnar’s career, both in WWE and the UFC. It wraps up with Lesnar breaking the Streak and we’ll be back to this later. Back in the arena, Heyman takes a quick audience poll on how much of a chance Rollins has.

This brings out Finn Balor for some reason and after a break, Heyman is gone (it was pretty clear he wasn’t done). Balor talks about not having a title for a long time and how he grew up watching some of the great Intercontinental Champions. This brings out a subdued Lio Rush, who says Bobby Lashley deserves to be champion. Cue Lashley from behind to lay Balor out. Rush joins Lashley in the ring for the double team as their issues seem to have already been forgotten. Rush hits the Final Hour but here’s Ricochet for the save. Time for a tag match.

Bobby Lashley/Lio Rush vs. Ricochet/Finn Balor

Ricochet and Rush start things off as the commentary make it sound like this is a lot more than a one off appearance. Ricochet flips around to start and snaps off the perfect dropkick to send Rush into the corner. Lashley comes in and gets kicked to the floor, leaving Ricochet to handspring into his signature pose, leaving Lashley and Rush a bit flummoxed. Balor comes in to face Lashley, who takes him into the corner for a knee to the ribs.

The chinlock goes on, followed by a quick Downward Spiral for two. It’s back to Rush, who quickly gets taken down with a basement dropkick. The Sling Blade drops Rush again and a shotgun dropkick looks to set up the Coup de Grace. Lashley offers a distraction though, allowing Rush to chop block the knee. That’s not a commercial for a change as Lashley brings him back inside for a chinlock.

Lashley slams him down and now we take the break. Back with Lashley holding the chinlock (I think my head would explode if it was action when we came back, but that might make you think you need to stick around so you don’t miss anything and that’s not how WWE rolls.) and driving him hard into the corner. Rush comes in and slaps Balor in the face, earning himself an Eye of the Hurricane.

Balor does the worst “sit there six inches from the hot tag instead of moving slightly forward” that I can remember, followed by the hot tag going through a few seconds later. Egads come up with a better structure. Ricochet comes back in and hits the big flip dive to the floor to take out Rush, followed by a moonsault off the barricade over Lashley, who gets dropkicked down by Balor. Back in and the 630 finishes Rush at 18:03.

Rating: C. This is a match that went about twice as long as it needed to with the heat segment on Balor going on far too long. Ricochet’s stuff at the end was exactly what it should have been, but this felt like an attempt at combining two stories and making things drag on too long. Let Ricochet clean house to start, do a short heat segment on Balor, and then do the same finish and this is way better.

Balor gives Ricochet the ring in a nice moment.

HHH is talking to Natalya when Drew McIntyre comes in. Drew wants Seth Rollins tonight because he wants to go to Wrestlemania. Dean Ambrose comes in to say he’ll fight Drew tonight and slaps him in the face. HHH: “You still want Seth or do you want me to change that over?” Drew will take Dean.

Here’s the Lucha House Party and let’s stop to look at Becky Lynch getting suspended last week, the attack at a house show on Saturday, and her attacking Charlotte and Ronda Rousey last night. I have no idea why they’re doing these entrances before going somewhere else but it’s rather annoying.

Lucha House Party vs. Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins

Hawkins and Ryder take over on Metalik to start but it’s off to Dorado for chops and dropkicks. Ryder neckbreakers his way out of a double suplex attempt and it’s back to Hawkins as the announcers talk about the New York Mets roster. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Metalik and Ryder clotheslines him outside. Hawkins goes after Metalik and Dorado snaps off a hurricanrana for the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D. This would be another moment where the story doesn’t exactly advance and nothing changes. Hawkins almost has to win something at some point, though I’m not sure where he goes from there. The losses don’t mean anything anymore and this story has been going on for years now.

Heavy Machinery comes out to the stage for a chat. They’re all about steaks and weights and want to fight anyone around here. Lacey Evans comes out, walks down the ramp, and comes up to stand behind the two of them. They walk down the ramp, do the Bushwhackers walk, and then come back up. Lacey seems pleased.

Gargano and Ciampa are in the back when Bobby Roode and Chad Gable come in. They both want the shot at the Revival, who come in to say they have some history with both teams. Ciampa says they’re here to make an impact but Revival doesn’t need their respect.

Revival vs. Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa

Non-title. Wilder grabs a wristlock on Gargano to start but Johnny takes him down into a front facelock. Ciampa comes in and the old DIY magic is rolling in a hurry. Dawson chops Gargano in the corner but gets sent outside, leaving Gargano to hit the suicide dive. A whip into the steps sends us to a break with DIY in control. Back with Gargano in trouble until the tornado DDT/jumping kick to the chest is enough to put Revival down.

Ciampa comes back in for some rolling German suplexes on Dawson, plus a running knee to the head for two. Wilder gets back up though and it’s a middle rope elbow to Ciampa with Dawson hitting his own German suplex for two more. The Shatter Machine is broken up (I think Gargano missed what was supposed to be a trip) and Gargano hits the slingshot DDT for two on Wilder.

Gargano’s rolling kick to the head sends Dawson outside and a small package to Wilder gets two more. The slingshot spear is blocked and a Steiner Bulldog is good for another near fall as Ciampa dives in for the save. Wilder and Gargano are sent outside and Gargano starts firing off the kicks. The slingshot spear hits Dawson and it’s Meet in the Middle for the pin 11:21.

Rating: B. One. Week. It lasted ONE WEEK. They couldn’t go a single week without jobbing the Revival out. You could do this against Roode/Gable if you’re setting up a title match at Fastlane (remember: no guaranteed title rematches) but instead, the solution is to have them lose clean here. It was a good match and DIY (because they’re back with their NXT feud being mostly ignored) winning their big debut is the right idea, but this made my head hurt all over again.

Balor welcomes Ricochet to Raw and walks away, leaving Ricochet to talk about how he can’t believe he got here. This is better than anything ever imagined and you haven’t seen the last of him.

Kevin Owens is seeing a movie with his son and doesn’t know where the change went from the popcorn and soda. Anyway, he remembers why he started fighting in the first place and can’t wait to do it again. You have one of the best talkers in the company and you make him a typical dad. How uh, inspiring.

Here are Bayley and Sasha Banks for their first time as champions. They’ve been together for years now and it’s finally paid off after everything they’ve done. They were born to do this and they’ll be holding these titles for a long time. Anyone from the past presence or future or from Raw, Smackdown and NXT can come after the titles. As they’re ready to go, here are Nia Jax and Tamina for the interruption you could see coming the second Bayley and Banks won the titles. Nia talks about how Banks always loses in her first defense and it sounds like we have a title match in the future. A quick brawl breaks out and the Samoans leave.

D-Generation X Hall of Fame video. That’s very cool, though an In Memorial video on one of the biggest stars you’ve ever had would be appreciated.

Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre

An early headbutt drops Dean and some chops have him in even more trouble. Dean takes it to the floor for a suicide dive but walks into the Claymore back inside. A second one finishes Dean at 1:56. Basically a squash.

We get more of the Lesnar video, starting with the destruction of John Cena at Summerslam 2014. With that out of the way, we jump forward and out of order to look at everyone else Lesnar has destroyed over the years. Rollins was beaten down over and over but kept getting up so Lesnar is going to put him down at Wrestlemania. That’s neither a prediction nor a spoiler. It’s the end of the story of a man named Seth Rollins.

Rollins says Lesnar has to accept his fate: it’s all over at Wrestlemania. As for Seth’s fate, he can leave on his feet or on a stretcher, but he’s leaving as champion. Ambrose comes in to ask where Seth was out there. Seth: “Have you completely lost your mind?” Dean stares at him, shrugs and says “eh”, and walks away.

Here’s Elias for a song but he’d rather talk about how fed up he is with his treatment around here. He is the most talented and charismatic star to be around here in a long time. He’s also the most hygienic person this town has ever seen. As for tonight, he knows everyone is excited for the NXT stars debuting. The song begins but gets cut off by another one.

Aleister Black vs. Elias

Thankfully we have the candles and riser for Black’s entrance. Before the match, Black offers Elias help in finding silence in deep sleep. Tonight, he will fade to black. Elias tries to whip him in but Black just stops, setting up the moonsault into the sit as we take a break. Back with Black in trouble as Elias pulls him neck first into the top rope. Black fights out of a chinlock and hits a sliding knee, followed by the standing Lionsault for two. Elias gets in a shot to the face but Black has had it and Black Mass is good for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C-. This was an exercise in waiting for Black Mass and they did the right thing by not having us spend too much time before we got to the big finish. Black is a versatile performer but the strikes are what’s going to carry him, meaning Black Mass is what matters most. Good shot too, as he kicked Elias’ head off.

Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott

Rousey is defending and starts fast with the judo throws. Some right hands in the corner have Riott in more trouble but she comes back with something like an STO. A test of strength is countered into a near triangle to send Riott outside and us to a break. Back with Rousey caught in an armbar but suplexing her way to freedom. Riott gets her to offer chase back inside so it’s a heck of a spear for two. The chinlock goes on and we hit the WE WANT BECKY chants.

Back up and Rousey seems to whiff on a right hand but Riott goes down anyway. A big running right hand in the corner has Riott in trouble but she hits a Downward Spiral into the turnbuckle. Riott falls off the middle rope (intentionally) into a backsplash for two more and the Riott Kick connects for a close two, with very little reaction from the crowd (fair enough).

Ronda gets in a gutwrench slam and heads up top, only to have the Riott Squad offer a distraction. Another Riott Kick gives Ruby two more so she heads up, only to jump into the armbar (with a great scared face from Riott). The Squad pulls her to the floor for the break so Rousey dives off the top (slipping off the top and seemingly crashing instead of landing) to take them out. After checking on Logan, it’s the armbar to make Riott tap at 10:32.

Rating: C. This is the match they should have had last night, though it’s not like it was exactly pay per view worthy. I don’t think anyone was buying even the slightest chance of a title match either last night or tonight, but at least we got some good action and even a nice near fall or two. Riott got some heat back, which she really needed after last night. Good enough here, though nothing worth seeing.

Post match Rousey beats up the Squad to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I have no idea what to go with here, as the wrestling was mostly bad and forgettable, though there was a point to the show and it never once felt like it was running long. That’s a lot better than what they usually do around here and I’ll take it over what we’ve been getting. There wasn’t exactly much fallout from last night to deal with other than Bayley and Sasha, but at least what we got was acceptable enough.

At the same time though, you have to wonder why we got nothing about Fastlane tonight. With six TV shows between the pay per views, burning one of them off might not be the best idea in the world. It’s a better show than last week, especially due to the fresh talent. I have little faith in the main roster to not waste them, but for a one off show, it was very nice to see. The main thing is keeping the show from being boring, because until that’s changed, not much else matters. They did that tonight, though it’s not going to work that way every week.

Results

Braun Strowman b. Baron Corbin – Running powerslam through a table

Lucha House Party b. Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins – Hurricanrana to Hawkins

Ricochet/Finn Balor b. Bobby Lashley/Lio Rush – 630 to Rush

Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa b. Revival – Meet in the Middle to Dawson

Drew McIntyre b. Dean Ambrose – Claymore

Aleister Black b. Elias – Black Mass

Ronda Rousey b. Ruby Riott – Armbar

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 13, 2004
Location: KeyArena, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 5,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the night after Unforgiven and things are back to the normal levels of bleak. In this case, that’s due to HHH winning the World Title again, because Randy Orton had his four week reign and needed to be eradicated once and for all. I’m sure he’ll get some title shots going forward, but it’s pretty clear that his time has already come and gone. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Unforgiven if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ric Flair, Batista and a bunch of women are in the ring for HHH’s title celebration. Flair introduces the new champ as the confetti falls. Great now it’s going to be all over ringside all night. There’s also a huge cake, which is clearly the kind with a person inside to jump out. HHH says you can feel the excitement in the air because the king is back on his throne. This is the happiest he’s sounded in months, which certainly does make sense for him.

All of the girls kneel in front of him, so HHH says there will be plenty of time for getting on their knees. Normally I’d make a PG joke but the Diva Search girls have made that one sound tame. HHH talks about Orton spitting on him a few weeks back, but now he’s laughing again. Then he spit in the fans’ faces and they can’t even wipe it off because he’s the World Heavyweight Champion.

The girls rip his shirt off but HHH looks at the cake, which he knows has someone inside. Flair and Batista didn’t send it, so it must have been Bischoff. An explosion goes off and of course it’s Orton to take out Evolution. So…..was there a girl in there in the first place and Orton kidnapped her? Or did he just pay off the production people? HHH gets thrown into the hole in the cake, leaving his feet kicking in the air for a funny bit. Not funny enough to validate HHH getting another long promo or another title reign or how obvious the whole thing was, but funny.

It’s so funny that we look at it again after a break. During said break, HHH got out of the cake and kept falling over from the icing.

HHH yells at Bischoff and gets Orton in a handicap match tonight.

Chris Benoit vs. Robert Conway

William Regal comes out to cancel out Sylvan Grenier. Conway jumps him to start so Benoit slides between the legs and goes with the chops. It’s way too early for the Sharpshooter as Conway bails outside for a breather. Back in and Conway snaps off a suplex to take over, meaning we hit the stomping and choking. A neck crank doesn’t last long as Benoit fights up, only to get thrown to the floor almost immediately.

Back in and Benoit hooks a quick small package for two but Conway chokes him right back down. Conway has him in trouble again as Benoit is giving Conway more than he’s ever gotten in his career. Benoit finally fights back with forearms and a snap suplex for two of his own. It’s time to crank things up and Benoit rolls some German suplexes, setting up the Crossface for the win.

Rating: C-. That’s a fine way to go with Benoit, as he made Conway look good for a little while and then won without much effort as soon as he started putting in some effort. Benoit isn’t about to lose to Conway but Conway can get a lot out of just beating on Benoit for a few minutes. Nothing great or even very good, but what we got was fine.

Shelton Benjamin is coming back.

Taboo Tuesday is coming.

Here’s Stacy Keibler for this week’s Diva Search segment, which is a Seattle Slugfest. Molly Holly (with her regular hair) comes out to interrupt instead though and says the girls can have their “sl**” fest later (that’s a major swear from Molly). For right now though, it’s time for the two of them to have a competition of their own, with Stacy getting the pick.

That would be a dance off, but Molly had eight years of ballet classes. She requests to dance to William Regal’s music and does just fine, as expected. Stacy does the kind of dance you would expect from her and seems to be declared the winner. Molly jumps her from behind, drawing in Nidia, Gail Kim, Victoria and Trish Stratus for the big brawl. Bischoff, six woman, bell.

Trish Stratus/Molly Holly/Gail Kim vs. Stacy Keibler/Nidia/Victoria

Joined in progress with the Nidia hitting Trish with a middle rope crossbody. A spinebuster cuts Nidia down for two though and some right hands keep Nidia in trouble. It’s off to Gail as the fans want Stacy, likely due to her barely existing skirt. Gail’s half crab has Nidia screaming until she makes a rope. Molly comes in as Lawler makes jokes about the Diva Search girls boxing later. A neckbreaker takes Gail down and thankfully it’s off to Victoria instead of Stacy. Victoria gets to clean house on her own until Molly ties her in the Tree of Woe. That’s enough for Stacy to tag herself in though and grab a rollup to pin Molly.

Rating: D. What were you expecting here? Stacy has no business being in there and Nidia isn’t exactly good either. That leaves four women to carry a six woman tag and it’s not the easiest thing in the world when one of the women worked most of the match. It wasn’t good, but at least it was short and that’s about as good as it gets.

Kane comes in to Bischoff and wants Shawn Michaels tonight. Bischoff can’t do that as Shawn is booked for the Highlight Reel, so Kane grabs him by the throat. Since Shawn isn’t happening tonight, Kane can fight him any other night. As for tonight, Bischoff will find someone and Kane can have a No DQ match with no questions asked.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel with Jericho talking about last night’s brutal match but it was all worth it (even the ladder suppository) to get the Intercontinental Title back. That’s a record breaking seven times, which brings him to his guest, who is a former Intercontinental Champion in his own right. This brings out Shawn, who talks about beating Kane even uglier than he was before. Jericho agrees that it was impressive, but not quite as impressive as winning the Intercontinental Title for the SEVENTH TIME.

Actually that’s why Shawn is out here, because they’re neck and neck over the years. They’ve met in Seattle before so let’s do it one more time for the title. Cue Christian and Tyson Tomko with Christian talking about how awesome his career has been. He’s so awesome that he should get the Intercontinental Title shot right now. Shawn says deal, as soon as Christian beat shim. Jericho says not so fast, because he knows what is going to happen.

Everyone knows what’s going to happen and is willing to read the front row’s minds. A lot of fans are really excited to see it but section 53 knows that Tyson Tomko is going to interfere. There’s a kid that knows the solution though: let’s have a tag match! So the kid is the reason we’re not seeing Shawn vs. Christian or Jericho? Someone throw that kid in a closet, cover him in peanut butter and let a trio of rabid squirrels loose.

Christian/Tyson Tomko vs. Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho

Joined in progress with Shawn chopping away at Christian (with bad ribs) before handing it off to Jericho for a suplex. It’s already back to Shawn to slug away at Tomko in the corner before tripping him down for a basement dropkick. One heck of a clothesline takes Shawn’s head off (Lawler: “PROBLEM SOLVED!”) and the villains take over. JR uses a neck crank to recap the evening (not the worst idea in the world), followed by Christian coming in to stomp away.

A flying forearm gets Shawn out of trouble though and it’s back to Jericho so the pace can pick up. The springboard dropkick puts Tomko on the floor with Christian following him, setting up the big stereo dives. We take a break (allowing me to drool over the idea Shawn and Jericho as a full time team) and come back with Jericho in trouble as Christian slaps on a chinlock with a knee in the back.

Christian’s backbreaker gets two and Tomko pulls on the ribs again. Jericho finally avoids a charge from Christian and the hot tag brings in Shawn to clean house. The top rope elbow hits Tomko but Christian crotches Shawn against the post for a save. Jericho cuts Christian off and it’s Sweet Chin Music to finish Tomko.

Rating: D+. That’s a “well that happened” if I’ve ever seen one. The more talented team won and it’s not like there was anything important happening here. You can’t tease a Shawn vs. Jericho or Shawn vs. Christian match and then go with this lame tag match, but for some reason that’s as good as we can get. Not a terrible match, but quite the downgrade.

Post match Christian gives Shawn the Unprettier on the floor.

Simon Dean, a fitness guru with his own Simon System of weight loss products, is looking forward to helping us lose weight. This is set up like an old commercial for a product, complete with a phone number and payment plan, which gives me some nice flashbacks to the old WCW days.

It’s Diva Search time with Coach hosting. The three come out with JR having to handle the mini bios, making him sound like a very sad man indeed. Joy is eliminated so Christy and Carmella put on the huge boxing gloves. Thankfully Vince McMahon comes out to interrupt and talk about next week being the season premiere of Raw.

Christy hits him low and chokes him down before biting him on the back of the pants. Carmella goes more traditional with rights to the face, one of which knocks Coach down. That means Christy wins, because duh. The winner of the whole thing is announced next week, thank goodness.

Eugene has a very separated shoulder after last week’s attack from HHH.

Kane vs. Gene Snitsky

No DQ. Kane clotheslines him down to start and hits a big boot to the side of the head as Lawler makes fun of JR for not knowing Snitsky. A raised boot in the corner slows Kane down and Snitsky hits those big right hands of his, which start with a big pull back and finish with a bigger follow through. It looks like he’s aiming for Kane’s stomach.

Snitsky hits him low to cut off a chokeslam attempt but Kane kicks him down again. Kane wraps the chair around Snitsky’s throat but Lita gets in and takes it off. That means an argument, allowing Snitsky to chair Kane in the back, sending him right onto Lita. That means a no contest, and likely a miscarriage.

We get the big stretcher job as Lita holds her stomach and Kane tells her that the baby is going to be ok. After a break, we get a BABY KILLER chant, which you don’t get to hear very often.

Smackdown Rebound.

Post break, Kane helps Lita into an ambulance as Stacy and Victoria look on.

Evolution vs. Randy Orton

Flair jumps Orton before the bell so Orton backdrops him down to check off the Bingo square. It’s off to HHH (Not Batista first?) to get punched in the face but Orton slides outside and pulls Batista down onto the apron. Batista comes in legally so Orton slugs away again until a spinebuster takes him down. Now HHH is willing to come in for some shots to the face but the Pedigree is countered with a slingshot, sending HHH crotch first into the buckle. The RKO is loaded up but Batista comes in with the clothesline and that’s a lame DQ.

Post match the beatdown is on until Shelton Benjamin makes his return for the save….and gets beaten down. Benoit makes the real save and Batista takes the beatdown to end the show. Wouldn’t it have been more productive to have those run-ins in reverse? Eh at least the six man should be good.

Overall Rating: D. That ending segment is a perfect compliment to the opener: Orton gets the better of HHH at the beginning and the end, but none of that really matters as HHH is still the champion. That’s not exactly something that makes me want to see where things are going, because things are going in the direction of more HHH on top with HAHA I’M STILL CHAMPION being the big closing line every week. It’s been that way for far too long now and that’s not the right way to make me want to keep watching.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 11, 2019
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

It’s the go home Raw before Elimination Chamber and, thanks to some announcements made earlier in the day, we now have some matches for Sunday from the red side. As for tonight, Becky Lynch has been invited to the show and Seth Rollins is ready to respond to Brock Lesnar after the beatdown from two weeks ago. Let’s get to it.

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

HHH and Stephanie McMahon are in the ring to open the show with Stephanie talking about the “Elimination Chamber View” on Sunday before correcting herself. HOW DARE SHE GO OFF SCRIPT LIKE THAT!!!! So totally unprofessional. They run down the card with a focus on Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott, leading into a recap of last week’s issues with Becky Lynch. This brings out Becky to say it’s nice to be here and nice to see both of them, especially since the swelling has gone down on Stephanie’s face. Becky: “I’ll hit you harder next time.”

Becky doesn’t get that because it was their idea to make her see a doctor in the first place. Stephanie: “Don’t be stubborn.” Becky: “SHUT YOUR FACE!” The McMahons have been screwing people over for decades and no one is stealing her opportunity. She’ll fight Vince himself if she has to but she’s not apologizing. Stephanie and Becky go face to face so HHH breaks it up and tells Becky that she has a choice. She can die on this hill and throw it all away or she can go to Wrestlemania. He wants an answer tonight.

Boss And Hug Connection vs. Nia Jax/Tamina vs. Liv Morgan/Sarah Logan

The team that takes the fall enters the Chamber first. During their entrances, Bayley and Sasha summarize their year and say nothing can break them no matter what. Nia and Tamina promise to win because they’re Samoans. Since you don’t want to be in first here, Sasha makes Morgan start with Nia and then bails to the floor before a tag. Logan tries to headbutt Nia and just gets headbutted back down. No one can do anything with Nia so thankfully it’s off to Tamina for a chinlock on Morgan. Nia comes back in so Liv kicks away at the knee but Bayley tags herself in.

The Squad beats Bayley and Sasha down as we take a break. Back with Banks down on the floor (again) as Bayley gets beaten down by the Samoan Slaughterhouse (yes the Samoan Slaughterhouse, which someone got paid to create). Sasha is taken out by medics as the beatdown continues without much effort. Bayley fights up and makes the tag off to Logan, who gets chinlocked as well.

The top rope splash misses though and it’s back to Bayley to clean house. Why she doesn’t just sit on the floor or walk out since there’s no benefit to winning the match isn’t clear, but my guess is general face nitwitedness. The running dropkick beneath the bottom rope hits Morgan and the top rope elbow gets two as Logan saves. There’s the Bayley to Belly to Morgan but Tamina is back in with a superkick. Nia comes in with the Samoan drop to finish Bayley at 14:40.

Rating: D+. I’ve seen worse and while it’s understandable that they can’t have Banks in the ring, the inclusion of Nia and Tamina just sucks the life out of anything. They’re going to get pushed because they’re monsters and they’ll tell you about how Samoan they are, which is the extent of anything they have going for them. Bayley and Banks as the first entrants can make for a heck of a run, though I can’t imagine they actually win.

Elias is in the ring as Becky is contemplating things in the back. Balor comes up to her and talks about Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush (dude stop being selfish). He knows she’ll do the right thing and take care of things. Becky: “You’re still awesome.”

Elias is ready to perform but we get a long video on Seth Rollins’ rise back up the ranks to the main event of Wrestlemania.

Elias is ready to play one more time but here’s Lucha House Party to cut him off. That’s enough for Elias, who snaps about being disrespected and his album not being nominated or a Grammy. Kalisto tells him to chill, because they want to walk with Elias. It’s finally time to sing the song, which is about how terrible it is to be in Grand Rapids. Kalisto gets in some guitar playing of his own and does quite well, earning himself a guitar to the back. Elias bails before he gets beaten down as well. I’ve heard worse ideas for a short feud.

Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre

Lashley and Rush are at ringside. An early Rush distraction lets McIntyre hammer away and the chinlock goes on in a hurry. Balor sends him into the corner but gets pulled out to the apron. A missed charge sends McIntyre hard into the post but it’s Lashley grabbing the boot to break up a dive. One heck of a dropkick through the ropes drops Rush and it’s a Sling Blade to McIntyre, drawing in Lashley for the DQ at 3:02.

Rating: D+. Not enough time to mean anything but it was an angle instead of a match anyway. They were smart to not have McIntyre take a fall here as there was no point to this being anything other than a DQ. It served a purpose and let us have an energetic burst, at least while it lasted before what is likely a tag match.

Post match the beatdown is on until Kurt Angle makes the save. Rush gets his ankle locked until Baron Corbin runs in to take Angle out. Braun Strowman makes the final save and Corbin actually stays to fight, with McIntyre saving him from the powerslam. You know what’s next.

Baron Corbin/Lio Rush/Drew McIntyre vs. Kurt Angle/Finn Balor/Braun Strowman

Joined in progress with McIntyre in trouble until he drives Balor into the corner for some choking on the ropes. Balor fights over and brings in Angle without much trouble, meaning Kurt can clean some house. A middle rope missile dropkick (didn’t look to make much contact but a camera cut makes the save) sets up the Angle Slam for two with Lashley making the save. Lashley plants Angle with a Downward Spiral and it’s Corbin grabbing the chinlock.

Angle fights back until getting sent to the floor as we take a break. Back with Balor fighting back but having the Sling Blade countered into a chokebreaker for two. Lashley comes back in to stay on the ropes but a powerbomb is countered into a basement dropkick. McIntyre and Strowman knock each other down on the floor, leaving Balor to block the spear and dive on McIntyre in a quick switch. Back in and Balor knocks Rush down, allowing Lashley to crotch him on top.

The spinning Dominator gets the pin on Balor, despite the boot being on the rope. I’m not sure what the point of a screwy finish there would be but it might not have been intentional. Cue a second referee to say what happened and the match is CONTINUING after another break. Good grief this is as obvious of a case of a match being extended that I can remember seeing in a long time.

Back again with Balor in trouble as Strowman has been knocked over the barricade and Angle is down outside. Balor fights out of a chinlock and hits a double stomp to Lashley, which is enough to tag in Strowman for the real comeback. Strowman heads outside for the running shoulders around the ring, followed by the running powerslam to Lashley. Balor adds the Coup de Grace for the pin at 22:18.

Rating: D. This was far from the worst match I’ve ever seen or even a terrible one but it felt like it went on for hours. There are very few things more annoying than a match that keeps going because it needs to keep going, which is exactly what was happening here. It doesn’t exactly help that this isn’t the most thrilling set of feuds in the world. Balor vs. Lashley is fine, but it wasn’t much more than that.

Kevin Owens is at a bowling alley and says he’s been spending as much time as he can with his family during his time off. He and his son have been watching Raw and it’s rather hard sometimes. It’s either going to be Raw or Smackdown but he’ll be back in about a month. Owens throws a gutter ball and seems rather ok with things.

Becky has no answer for what she’s going to do.

Video on the March on Washington.

Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riott

This could be interesting. Nikki tells her to come on and grabs a rather aggressive headlock. The sleeper goes on with Riott standing up to drive her into the corner. Riott uses the knees to drive Nikki face first into the buckle as we cut to (full screen of course) Ronda Rousey getting in Becky’s face to say it’s bigger than two of them. Becky needs to man up and apologize, even if she doesn’t mean it.

Back to the match (because we can cut away from this but not Baron Corbin Chinlock Theater) with Nikki getting put down with an STO for two. Another STO on the apron is countered into a layout reverse DDT to put Riott on the floor. Ruby gets caught in the ring skirt for some forearms to the head but Riott kicks her off the top. The Riott Kick finishes Cross at 5:22.

Rating: C-. Completely unnecessary time away from the match aside (it came after a twenty two minute match and they take it away from a five minute match instead), this was entertaining while it lasted and Riott getting a win is fine. It’s also ok with Cross losing as she isn’t the kind of person who is going to be hurt by a loss due to her complete insanity.

Here’s Rollins to talk about Wrestlemania but he’d rather talk about the last twelve months. He accomplished a lot and it all culminated at the Royal Rumble. Rollins was at the top of the world but the next night it was knocked down with six F5’s. He’s never felt pain like that but what matters is he’s back up. Wrestlemania might be the last match of his career, but here’s Paul Heyman to interrupt. After teasing Lesnar being here (with Rollins not buying it), Heyman says he’s here to educate Seth.

For some reason Seth assumes that all men are created equal, but that’s not true. Rollins’ DNA does not match Lesnar’s because Brock is a rage filled monster. We call this a suicide mission, but Rollins says he’s fine with that. He’s tired of Lesnar holding the Universal Title hostage and he’ll do whatever it takes to prevent Lesnar from leaving Wrestlemania as champion. That’s not a prediction, but rather a spoiler. Heyman leaves and here’s Dean Ambrose….to tell Rollins to slay the beast. Dean sits down in the timekeeper’s area and Rollins leaves.

EC3 vs. Dean Ambrose

After the IIconics say winning the titles would be the perfect coronation for them, EC3 kicks and punches away to start, followed by a middle rope dropkick. A suplex sets up a nerve hold but EC3 can’t hit the 1%er. Instead he goes shoulder first into the post and Dean makes the comeback with a Boss Man Slam getting two. So is Dean suddenly just a face again? He’s certainly wrestling like one. EC3 crotches him on top but gets small packaged to give Dean a fast pin at 3:54.

Rating: D+. Uh….ok then. So Dean is leaving in less than two months and is now trading wins with the newcomer while suddenly turning face after months of being a heel? It makes as much sense as some of the things they’re doing right now, but that’s never stopped them before and it won’t do it now.

Alexa Bliss tells Becky not to apologize, which Becky knows is just a way to get into the title shot at Wrestlemania. Bliss says do whatever you want, but an apology makes you the Irish girl who swallowed her pride and sold out. Becky: “If I apologize, the only thing I’ll be selling out is Wrestlemania.”

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

Roode and Gable are defending. Wilder slams his way out of an armbar to start and brings Dawson in. That means another armbar from Gable as everything breaks down. The champs are sent outside with Gable hitting a moonsault onto both of them as we take a break. Back with Roode fighting out of a chinlock and bringing Gable back in. Dawson takes him down with another chinlock and it’s time to go after the arm.

A hard belly to back suplex sets up an assisted legdrop for two from Wilder. Another chinlock is broken up with another belly to back suplex but Roode gets pulled off the apron. Back from another break with Dawson getting catapulted into the corner, allowing the hot tag to Roode. House cleaning ensues with Roode bailing out on the Blockbuster but settling for a heck of a spinebuster for two on Wilder. Revival makes a blind tag though and a Gory Special/bulldog combination gives Dawson two (cool move at least).

Gable comes back in with a high crossbody to Dawson, followed by a Blockbuster/German suplex combination (with Wilder landing on his head) for another near fall. Wilder gets Gable up for a powerbomb (after a sunset FLIP off the top) with Dawson adding the top rope clothesline but Roode dives in for the last second save. Roode sends the Revival into each other, leaving Dawson to catch him with a DDT. A quick jackknife rollup gives Gable two but it’s a blind tag into the Shatter Machine to FINALLY make the Revival champions at 19:50.

Rating: B+. Well it took long enough and at least they won the belts in a very good match. I have no idea if this is going to put the Revival Might Leave rumors to bed but at least everything worked on the way there and we had an awesome match to finish things off. Roode and Gable never felt like anything more than transitional champions and there’s nothing wrong with that. Revival is LONG overdue to win these things and I’m rather pleased with how we got here.

Post match, Revival heads to the back and says they’ve been telling everyone that they’re the best and now they’ve proven it.

Here’s Becky for the decision, because somehow the ending of the go home show for Elimination Chamber is about HHH and Stephanie getting an apology to set up a Wrestlemania match. The bosses come out as well and talk about how Becky needs to accept the consequences for her actions so she can go to Wrestlemania. The fans don’t want Becky to do it so HHH tells her to ignore the fans and get Wrestlemania like she wants.

Becky quickly apologizes and walks away from a handshake, saying that now there is no one stopping her from her dream. HHH offers his congratulations, shakes Becky’s hand and says she’s going to Wrestlemania. Becky: “Wait that’s it?” HHH: “You’re going to Wrestlemania.” HHH and Stephanie leave as Becky starts talking about Ronda, who comes out to hear it in person.

Before it can get physical, here’s Vince McMahon to cut them off. He doesn’t buy the apology so Becky is suspended for SIXTY DAYS, meaning she’s out of Wrestlemania and Charlotte is in instead. Vince raises Charlotte’s arm and tells Rousey to get used to this scene, because it’s how Wrestlemania will end. I don’t think anyone really believes this is sticking, but it’s a nice cliffhanger.

Overall Rating: C-. That’s a crazy nice bump at the end as this was looking like a terrible show until the last thirty five minutes or so. The big thing continues to be WWE not knowing where to focus though, as we’re dealing with Wrestlemania build while also setting up Elimination Chamber on Sunday. It’s not going to get any better with Fastlane taking place in less than a month, and that’s not a good idea with so much other stuff going on.

At some point they need to pick a focus and stick with it, because we’re getting two half builds instead of one good one. That’s fine when it’s building to a big match, but I find it hard to care that much when the major Raw match on Sunday is for the inaugural Women’s Tag Team Titles and the first champions might not even be on this show. The last fourth or so of this show is good, but the rest is about as skippable as you can ask for.

Results

Nia Jax/Tamina b. Boss and Hug Connects and Sarah Logan/Liv Morgan – Samoan drop to Bayley

Finn Balor b. Drew McIntyre via DQ when Bobby Lashley interfered

Finn Balor/Braun Strowman/Kurt Angle b. Drew McIntyre/Bobby Lashley/Baron Corbin – Coup de Grace to Lashley

Ruby Riott b. Nikki Cross – Riott Kick

Revival b. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode – Shatter Machine to Gable

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

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

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

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

And it’s a good one.Becky Lynch apologized to HHH and Stephanie and was told that she’s going to Wrestlemania.  The bosses left but Vince came out to say that he didn’t buy the apology, meaning Becky is suspended until after Wrestlemania.  Charlotte will be taking her place against Ronda Rousey.

I don’t think anyone buys this as an ending that is going to stick (you can see the triple threat coming from here) but it’s a nice way to buy some time with all of the shows that they have to fill up between now and New Jersey.  This was a lot better than I was expecting and I’m looking forward to the storytelling, even if it seems destined to be equally about the McMahons.

I uh…..yeah.The Revival FINALLY won the Tag Team Titles.  I don’t know if it’s going to keep them on the show, but my goodness this was overdue and I was actually happy to see it happen.  Very well deserved and please let them have a nice reign.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smackdown Rebound.

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

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

Trish Stratus vs. Nidia

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

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

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

HHH vs. Eugene

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unforgiven rundown.

Tyson Tomko vs. Chris Jericho

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

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

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

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

Randy Orton vs. Kane

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

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

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

Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Logan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Various wrestlers shake Kurt Angle’s hand.

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

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

Wrestlers talk about Rosa Parks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tonight: Angle/Strowman vs. Corbin/McIntyre.

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

Jeff Jarrett vs. Elias

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

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

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

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

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

We recap the opening sequence.

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

Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley

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

Finn Balor vs. Lio Rush

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

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

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

Post match Lashley hits the ring so Balor bails.

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

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

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

EC3 vs. Dean Ambrose

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Ronda Rousey b. Liv Morgan – Armbar

Ronda Rousey b. Sarah Logan – Armbar

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

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

Elias b. Jeff Jarrett – Drift Away

Finn Balor b. Lio Rush – Coup de Grace

EC3 b. Dean Ambrose – Rollup

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 30, 2004
Location: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Things picked up last week as Randy Orton got a little revenge on HHH but the bigger story saw Kane marrying Lita and destroying Matt Hardy in the process. There’s a good chance that we’re going to see some entertaining followup to that this week, which could go several different ways. Let’s get to it.

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

This one gets a TV-MA rating, making me wonder what’s coming from the Diva Search girls.

In Memory of Marcin Markulski, a graphics designer who passed away recently.

We open with a recap of Orton and HHH from last week. That moment is certainly better for Orton’s push than getting beaten down by Evolution.

Here’s Evolution to get things going. HHH clarifies that they are Evolution and the unit exists because he made it so. Oh yeah it’s one of these promos. He explains saving Ric Flair from mediocrity and let him be the Nature Boy again. Batista has raw power and ability but HHH gave him direction and focus. Then there’s Randy Orton, who was going to be HHH’s pet project. Orton was jerking the curtain at junior high schools but HHH saw what no one saw.

Last week Orton spat in his face, which no one has ever done before or again. Orton needs to come out here right now and face the consequences like a man. Orton’s music hits but instead of the champ, we get three guys carrying what look like pictures under covers. Orton comes out and says HHH can’t call him Randy Orton, because he should be called champ. HHH got something out of Evolution, which means the unveiling of the first picture: the four of them with HHH front and center.

Flair is ready to charge the stage but HHH cuts it off with a rant about how Evolution was always about him. That brings us to the second picture, which is Orton pinning Benoit all by himself at Summerslam. Orton talks about learning so much from HHH, who actually thought he would just hand over the title last week.

That brings us to the third picture, which is Orton spitting in his face last week. Orton wants to fight tonight and takes off his shirt, but he’s bringing a friend of his own to the ring. That would be a sledgehammer from behind one of the pictures so Evolution bails in a hurry. The big swing hits the steps instead of HHH as Evolution runs into the crowd.

This was another not bad segment, but Orton chasing the title and beating HHH would seem better (though getting there would be a bit tricky as it would involve HHH getting the title again). Also, Orton doesn’t exactly come off as a violent, aggressive guy and it feels like a hard turn for him. The idea of pushing him as the next big thing is fine, but they’re going about it in a really questionable way.

Post break, Bischoff throws Orton out of the building. Orton does so, but only after dropping a sledgehammer onto Bischoff’s foot.

We look back at Rock, Tajiri and Rhyno beating up La Resistance and Coach last week. Thankfully the Diva Search stuff was left out.

Tajiri/Rhyno vs. La Resistance/Jonathan Coachman

The villains jump them in the aisle and we get things going in a hurry with Rhyno in trouble. Rhyno fight back but can’t get away from the evil French guys. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Coach adds a slap from the apron. With that out of the way, it’s right back to the chinlock as Tajiri is still down from the pre-match beatdown. Sounds like an injury. Rhyno fights back with a bunch of clotheslines and then a Gore to Coach, only to get caught with Au Revoir for the fast pin.

Rating: D-. So we have a handicap match where Tajiri wasn’t really doing anything in the match (which likely wasn’t his fault)? That’s not exactly the best choice for the opening match on a show, but at least there’s a story here and they’re advancing things as we move towards the title match at Unforgiven.

Video on last week’s wedding.

Kane tells someone (not Lita) to not come out until he tells them to because it’s a surprise.

Eugene, in San Francisco Giants gear, tells William Regal about being excited to go to a Giants game yesterday. Regal wants him to stay in the back for Regal’s match with Batista but gets various baseball terms in response.

William Regal vs. Batista

Regal tries the left hands to start but gets run over as fast as you would expect. A half nelson doesn’t get Batista very far and it’s Regal coming back with the left hands. The running knee to the head staggers Batista, who comes right back with a spinebuster. Batista loads up a chair, allowing Flair to come down and get in a brass knuckles shot. The big clothesline (he really needs a better finisher) ends Regal in a hurry. Just a step above a squash, though Regal had the fire, as always.

Shawn Michaels, Ivory and Linda McMahon are at the Republican National Convention.

Here’s Stacy Keibler to host the Diva Search segment. Do you really have to make her help pick her replacement? The girls come out in their swimsuits and Maria gets eliminated, flipping Carmella off on the way out. You know, that might mean more if we had heard anything else about these women other than “Carmella doesn’t care about wrestling”. You know, like giving them personalities.

As for tonight, everyone has thirty seconds to diss all of their fellow contestants.

Joy goes first and grabs Amy’s chest (Joy: “Not firm enough for me.”), spanks Christy and says Carmella talks a lot of s*** but has a gap in her teeth wide enough to drive a truck through.

Amy says Joy needs to “learn how to eat a pie” and Christy needs to sit down. Carmella on the other hand is a w**** who knows s*** about wrestling because having a d*** in your mouth has nothing to do with wrestling. Stacy takes the mic from her with eight seconds left.

Carmella laughs at Amy for not getting into Playboy. Joy is a bad role model with a fat a** and if Carmella doesn’t win, she hopes Christy does.

Christy says she’s hot fire and will burn you. All Joy can do is shake her chest, Amy has lips like a fish and Carmella is a “c** burping gutter s***”. The censors don’t quite cut the audio in time and you can hear Lawler cracking up. Christy does the splits to wrap it up. Stacy: “I like your flexibility.”

So that’s that, and I think there’s a reason you NEVER hear about this thing again.

Kane tells Lita that she’ll love his surprise. They walk past Trish Stratus and Tyson Tomko, the former of whom says Kane is taking out the trash. Kane gets in Tomko’s face and says that was a good one.

Here are Kane and Lita, the latter of whom is being dragged to the ring. Kane says Lita is her favorite and thanks everyone for their gifts, including an open contract at Unforgiven from Eric Bischoff. Lita gave him the greatest gift of all though: a womb for his child. Since Lita is missing Matt Hardy, Kane has a surprise. Matt’s family has been flown in: four guys, mostly short (one fat) in Matt shirts as the crowd dies again. Kane introduces them as Pat, Nat, Rat and Fat. Yes they thought recreating the Royal Family was a good idea. Kane wastes little time in beating all of them up….and let’s make it a match.

Kane vs. Hardy Boyz

A chokeslam finishes Rat in about ten seconds.

Post match (erg) Kane loads up the fire but Lita stops him because she has a surprise of his own. She’s already signed the open contract for him so he’ll be facing someone she’s chosen at Summerslam: the returning Shawn Michaels. Oh yeah Kane helped injure him. Nice touch and I’m surprised they remembered it.

Ric Flair vs. Chris Benoit

Flair has to undergo a weapons check. That’s really not fair….though the referee does find some knuckles in his knee pad. Benoit starts chopping away and gets in the required backdrop. It’s a little early for the Crossface so they head outside with Benoit chopping up against the barricade. Back in and we get a Flair Flop but he’s smart enough to get in a shot to the knee to take over.

Flair goes with chops and right hands instead of staying on the show, which doesn’t seem to be the smartest move for him. Maybe the lack of knuckles is messing with his head. We hit the half crab to go back to the knee but Benoit is right back up with more chops. The Swan Dive misses so Benoit goes with the rolling German suplex instead. Benoit grabs the Sharpshooter and here’s Batista for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Flair didn’t exactly seem thrilled to be out there and the ending does set something up, even if it’s something we’ve seen in various forms over the last several months. Benoit is still a very valuable person to have in this spot because he’s going to have a good match with almost anyone. The match wasn’t much here though, as it was more of a means to get to the ending than anything else.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel, with Chris Jericho saying that he wants to face Edge for the Intercontinental Title at Unforgiven. This brings out Edge, on crutches. Edge is injured and can’t face Jericho at Unforgiven. It doesn’t matter though as he already beat him at Summerslam. Jericho brings up Edge getting booed out of the building, but Edge says he’ll let these puppets boo him every time because he’ll just keep winning the matches.

As for tonight, Jericho doesn’t buy that Edge is really hurt, thinking that it’s going to be a Canadian jig and then Edge swinging a crutch to the head. Edge says he has the MRI to prove that he’s really hurt and when he gets back, Jericho is up first. That’s it for Edge, but here’s the returning Christian to jump Jericho from behind. The beatdown goes on for a while and includes a chair to the face as Edge isn’t sure what to think.

Trish Stratus/Gail Kim vs. Victoria/Nidia

Trish gets in a cheap shot to a not paying attention Victoria before taking over on Nidia. As Lawler makes jokes about Nidia nearly falling out of her top, Gail puts on something like a Brock Lock with a headscissors at the same time. That’s certainly different and painful looking. Nidia fights up in a hurry and the hot tag brings in Victoria to take over. A headbutt knocks Trish off the apron but the Widow’s Peak is reversed into an Edgecator. Cue the mystery “woman”, who falls down the ramp. As we’re looking there, Victoria gets a rollup for the pin.

Rating: D. Not much time here and I had to think about who was getting the next title shot at Unforgiven because the match has been given that little focus. The division really needs a fresh name or two at this point because they can only do the same matches and feuds so many times. The problem is they passed that point a long time ago.

Smackdown Rebound.

Bischoff is getting his foot iced down and makes Orton vs. Kane for next week.

Unforgiven rundown, including Regal/Benoit vs. Flair/Batista.

HHH vs. Eugene

No DQ. HHH continues a trend tonight of jump starting the match but gets headlocked down. A backslide gives Eugene two as I try to get my head around this being a feature match at Summerslam earlier this month. HHH punches him in the face for a breather and hits a low blow to really take over. A trip to the floor sees Eugene going shoulder first into the steps and then getting punched in the head to make it even worse.

Back in and HHH calls Eugene Orton because Eugene really doesn’t mean anything. The spinebuster puts Eugene down again and the knee drop makes it worse. It’s time for Eugene to get fired up though, meaning the comeback is on. The top rope double ax handle gets two and there’s the Rock Bottom. The Stunner is broken up and HHH slaps on the sleeper. Eugene is done but there’s a Pedigree for a bonus.

There’s no cover though and I think you know where this is going. HHH grabs the sledgehammer but here’s Orton (who not only got back inside but also changed from a suit into gear) to get punched in the face. Orton wins a quick slugout and hits him with the hammer. An RKO is enough to give Eugene the nothing pin. Orton’s music playing shows you how important the win was.

Rating: D. This was another example of a match being there to fill in time until we get to the angle advancement at the end, though it also shows you how far Eugene fell. He could have been any midcarder here, mainly because Eugene just doesn’t matter anymore. His character was completely destroyed with everything that happened to him being one more step down. I know he didn’t have a long future, but that HHH story just wrecked him.

Overall Rating: D-. I didn’t realize how bad this was until I looked back at the whole thing. There were way too many bad segments and even more really bad matches to go with it. I’ve always liked this Orton face turn but watching it back, they really couldn’t do much worse. The only really entertaining part of this show is the trainwreck that the Diva Search has become but that’s not enough to carry everything else.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

Monday Night Raw – August 30, 2004: Total Divas Wish They Were Like This

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

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

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 28, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

It’s time for the Road to Wrestlemania to begin and we’re in some pretty good shape around here. Seth Rollins won the Royal Rumble last night and, barring a big surprise, he’s probably going to decide to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title in April. That means we’ve got a long way to go before the show and a lot needs to be done. Let’s get to it.

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

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

With a SETH FREAKING ROLLINS chant going, Seth says it’s going to be a decision he needs to think about. This brings out HHH to say Rollins got to point at the sign and would have been disappointed if he hadn’t. HHH has been there before and it’s why he challenged Rollins to step up a few weeks ago. The Royal Rumble was designed to put thirty athletes in the ring and see who is best. Rollins, who may be crying, did that, but now he needs to know what he’s doing at Wrestlemania.

That’s what he can decide tonight, because Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar are going to be here tonight. Fans: “SLAY THE BEAST!” This brings out Dean Ambrose to say HHH wanted to get rid of Seth when the two of them were riding the roads in Florida. Dean believed in him though and they were going to take over together.

HHH calls him out for his hypocrisy because everything in this ring concerns him. Dean wants to fight Rollins right now so HHH says he’ll think about it. HHH goes to leave but Dean asks if he needs permission from his father-in-law first. Fans: “YES HE DOES”! Dang this is a hot crowd tonight. HHH: “Get me a referee.”

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

They start brawling after a break with Rollins knocking him outside for some right hands against the barricade. Back in and Dean stomps him down in the corner but has to bail before the Stomp can connect. Dean takes over and we hit the chinlock, followed by a belly to back faceplant for two.

Back from a break with Seth shoving him off the top and an exchange of some loud chops. The Sling Blade sends Dean outside for the suicide dive, followed by an enziguri to put him on the floor again. Another suicide dive sets up the Ripcord knee back inside, meaning it’s time to burn it down. The Stomp finishes Dean completely clean at 11:27.

Rating: C+. Having Rollins go nuts with one win after another is a fine way to set him up for Wrestlemania as it’s what he does best. As long as they don’t do something crazy on the way to having him face Lesnar for the Universal Title, everything is going to be fine. Not exactly thrilling, but fine.

Post break an annoyed Dean is still in the ring when Nia Jax and Tamina come out for their match. Nia and Dean have a standoff until a Tamina distraction lets Nia knock him to the floor. If they’re really trying to recreate Chyna with Nia Jax, they’re more insane than I thought.

Women’s Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss/Mickie James vs. Tamina/Nia Jax

Bliss tries to grab Tamina by the throat to start and gets shoved down with ease. A quick spinning rollup gives Bliss two, as does the moonsault into the double knees to the chest. Nia comes in and we take an early break. Back with Bliss missing another moonsault into the double knees, allowing Tamina to grab the chinlock.

Nia comes in and gives Bliss a Stinkface, setting up another chinlock as this isn’t exactly thrilling so far. Bliss finally rolls away from Tamina for the hot tag off to Mickie. The pace picks up and a neckbreaker gets two on Tamina. Jax puts Mickie in a fireman’s carry, adds Bliss on top, squats them, and then drops backwards to pin James at 9:54.

Rating: D+. I’ve seen worse and Nia’s spot at the end was impressive. She’s a lot better fit in something like this than on her own, mainly because she hasn’t come off as a failure in a tag team yet. I like Mickie and Bliss as a team, though I can understand why they went with the more logical and experienced team here.

Kurt Angle is fired up to face Baron Corbin, because Corbin cost him everything.

Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle

Before the match, Baron talks about how Angle is a legend and believes that he has one great match left in him. Corbin is ready to prove him wrong so Angle punches him in the face. The first German suplex has Corbin in trouble but he slides underneath the corner and clotheslines Angle down. Angle shrugs off some right hands as the announcers argue about the ratings going down while Corbin was all over TV. As he’s wrestling on Raw, because WWE doesn’t understand the problem. The Angle Slam gets two and it’s off to the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and it’s the Deep Six for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: D. You have to assume that this is setting up Angle’s farewell match at Wrestlemania and really, it can’t come a moment too soon. Angle has been playing the greatest hits for a long time now and it’s getting harder and harder to watch him in the ring. He has a place in WWE, but it’s not in the ring anymore.

Post match Corbin lays Angle out again.

We look back at Finn Balor vs. Brock Lesnar from last night.

Here’s a slightly subdued Balor for a chat. He’s making no excuses because Lesnar beat him last night. Balor has never seen a combination of speed and power like that but he’s out here with his head held high. Last night he made Lesnar believe….and here’s Bobby Lashley to interrupt. Lio Rush says Balor is scared of Lashley because what happened last night is nothing compared to what Lashley would do to him. Balor calls Lashley out for only lasting 12 seconds in the Rumble and the beatdown is on with the injured Balor not being able to fight back.

We look at Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre destroying Braun Strowman to put him on the shelf.

Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins vs. Revival

We even get a video package on Hawkins and Ryder’s history as a team. Revival gets beaten down to start and it’s a double dropkick through the apron to take them down. Things get down to a more traditional pace with Dawson dropping Wilder into a legdrop on Ryder, who reverses a suplex into a neckbreaker. The hot tag brings in Hawkins, who gets his head taken off with a clothesline. A blind tag brings Wilder back in though and it’s the Shatter Machine for the pin at 2:53.

Daniel Bryan didn’t need Erick Rowan’s help to retain the title last night. If Seth picks him though, he’ll end all of Rollins’ hopes and dreams.

Video on WWE teaming up with UNICEF Kid Power.

Here’s Elias for a song. The fans sing WALK WITH ELIAS but Elias says the fans have let him down. They need to be better because the standing ovation should be starting as soon as they say his name. It’s too late now, so the fans deem themselves not worthy. He has a song ready for tonight, but here’s Jeff Jarrett to interrupt. After calling Elias Slap Nuts, Jeff says Elias’ problem is with him instead.

We get the name spelling….and here’s Road Dogg to interrupt. The fans start the HOLY S*** chant but Dogg says it’s a family show. We actually get With My Baby Tonight, featuring Renee dancing and singing at commentary. Elias finally clocks Dogg with the guitar but Jeff beats him up. Another guitar shot takes Jeff down though as the face experiment seems to have ended in a hurry. Fair enough, as it wasn’t working.

Natalya and Dana Brooke don’t seem to be on the same page before their tag match.

Mojo Rawley looks in a mirror and says soon everyone will see who he really is.

Women’s Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: Riott Squad vs. Dana Brooke/Natalya

Brooke is sent to the apron early on, allowing her to cartwheel over Morgan. Logan takes Dana down back inside and it’s an assisted middle rope bulldog for two on Dana. The hot tag brings Natalya in a few seconds later and, after slipping out of a sunset flip, the Sharpshooter has Morgan in trouble. Logan shoves Brooke into them for the break though, allowing Morgan to get a rollup pin at 2:50.

Here’s Ronda Rousey for an open challenge but egads the fans don’t want to see her. After a BECKY chant, Rousey gets booed out of the building while talking about dreaming big. She thanks Sasha for a great match last night because Banks made her better than she’s ever been before. After a point to the sign, Ronda knows Becky has a choice to make. With the fans getting the better of her again, Bayley finally comes out to cut her off and answer the challenge.

Raw Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Ronda Rousey

Bayley is challenging. Rousey takes her straight down to start and Bayley resets in the corner. It’s already time to go after the arm with the armbar over the ropes having Bayley in more trouble. A quick suplex gives Bayley two and she dragon screw leg whips the knee over the ropes to send us to a break.

Back with Bayley staying on the knee until a shot to the face gives her a breather. A clothesline takes Bayley down and it’s time for the rolling judo throws. The leg gives out though and Bayley is right back with the kneebar. They roll out to the floor though and they’re both down again, sending us to another break.

Back with Rousey still in trouble and Bayley hitting her sliding kick underneath the bottom rope. The top rope elbow sets up the Bank Statement of all things, but Rousey is in the ropes quickly enough. Bayley goes up but gets slammed down, setting up a very fast armbar to retain the title at 15:29.

Rating: B. Another good match for Rousey here as it seems we’re checking off all the names as fast as they can. Bayley wasn’t really a threat to win the title, but at least they had something work as well as it did here. They’re doing something interesting with having Rousey getting work down, though I’m not sure where it goes.

Post match Ronda picks Bayley up and here’s a limping Becky to a HUGE reaction. Becky has been hearing about the baddest woman on the planet for a year now but the last time Becky was here, she dropped Rousey. It’s funny that Rousey has never come looking for her for some payback. Becky doesn’t need the extra time. She picks Ronda Rousey for Wrestlemania.

The staredown is on until Rousey grabs the mic, asking how Becky’s leg is. Ronda wants the best version of Becky possible, because she can break Becky’s face faster than she can say Nia Jax. Rousey was stealing the show last year in her debut when Becky was on the Kickoff Show. Becky has been the Man for a few months but Rousey has been a household name for ten years. That’s the mic drop, though Rousey isn’t enough of a talker to have one of those. At least the match is made though.

Braun Strowman tells Seth that he earned it last night so he needs to go make the right decision.

Video on a kid at Make-A-Wish headquarters getting to meet wrestlers.

Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman

Drew goes right after him with a chop to the chest and a kick to the face, only to be flattened by a hard shoulder. Strowman tries his running shoulder around the ring but gets drop toeholded into the barricade to send us to a break. Back with Strowman fighting out of a chinlock and starting to run McIntyre over. Another hard shot sends McIntyre outside so it’s time to grab the steps, only to have Corbin jump Strowman from behind for the DQ at 6:53.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go very far but I liked the fact that they had a DQ finish instead of having either of them lose. Strowman taking another loss wasn’t going to do him any favors and McIntyre should only be losing in special circumstances. They didn’t do anything great here, but at least they got the ending right.

Post match Strowman beats on Corbin until McIntyre gets in a cheap shot, allowing the beatdown to commence on Strowman.

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

Overall Rating: C-. I liked the angles more than the wrestling here as they’re certainly continuing the idea of having things move forward. That’s the biggest and best change they can make after so many months of standing in place and at least some of the stuff they have going on is good. It’s not a great show, but it did what it was supposed to do and got the Royal Rumble winners (I think we know where Seth is going) out of the way early.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Dean Ambrose – The Stomp

Tamina/Nia Jax b. Mickie James/Alexa Bliss – Samoan drop to Bliss

Baron Corbin b. Kurt Angle – Deep Six

Revival b. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder – Shatter Machine to Hawkins

Riott Squad b. Dana Brooke/Natalya – Rollup to Natalya

Ronda Rousey b. Bayley – Armbar

Braun Strowman b. Drew McIntyre via DQ when Baron Corbin interfered

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 23, 2004
Location: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s time for a wedding! The big story on this week’s show is the wedding of Kane and Lita, the latter of whom isn’t exactly thrilled with the whole thing. Other than that there’s the whole removal of Randy Orton from Evolution as HHH turned on him. The problem of course is that doesn’t make him a face as much as it makes him a heel who was attacked by a heel, though I don’t think WWE understands that. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Orton being thrown out of Evolution.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Diva Search girls in the swimsuits, likely to pop ratings or something. After Lawler points out the lack of blondes remaining, Tracy is eliminated. That brings us to tonight’s challenge: everyone gets two minutes to tell Coach how great he is. Actually let’s make it five minutes…but here’s Rock to interrupt. Yes they’re using THE ROCK on the Diva Search girls. After a quick threat gets rid of Coach, Rock certainly seems to approve of the girls in front of him. He knows they’re all getting wet…..with perspiration from the hot lights above. Maria nearly died from that line.

Rock talks about Lilian Garcia getting fired from the sperm bank for drinking on the job as the ad libbing is strong with this one. That brings Rock to Carmella, who he knows everyone hates. After a quick yell at a fan for trying to get attention, Rock talks about everyone hating him back in the day. We get an IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK to Carmella and Rock talks about the ice cream segment from a few weeks back. That wasn’t entertaining though because no one wants to see them eat ice cream.

No they want to see the girls eat pie, so let’s have a pie eating contest. For no apparent reason, Tajiri brings out the pies (some of which have already been eaten). Before the eating begins, Rock asks Tajiri about his pie preferences. That would be “poontong”, which Rock wouldn’t mind trying. Just to keep this long, each one gets twenty seconds to eat pie instead of doing it all at once. Joy goes first and eats the cherry while talking about wanting to see Carmella eat crow. She wants a match with Carmella (Heaven help us) “WWE style”.

Rock admits that that one was bad so it’s off to Amy, who pulls her hair back. You can hear Rock biting his lip to avoid the jokes. Amy slowly licks the whipped cream and this one goes down a lot better. Carmella is up next next and uses her fingers to rub the whipped cream all over herself, plus feed Tajiri a bit. Notice the lack of the women actually eating the pie, save for Amy (and that was mainly the cream).

Maria puts some cream on her nose and licks it off, which Rock deems as talent. Christy goes last and sits on the pie instead. With that mess out of the way, Coach brings out La Resistance to interrupt. Is it still an interruption when there’s nothing going on? The beatdown is on until Rhyno runs in to save Rock and Tajiri. You know, because Rock needed help from these three. Coach gets beaten down for the only entertaining part of the thing.

This was horrible and ran over twenty minutes with Rock clearly not caring in the slightest. It was obvious that he wasn’t interested and I can’t blame him. They brought him back for the first time in months for this? The Diva Search is just dumb and some midcard goon could have done this just fine. I believe this is Rock’s last live appearance on Raw until 2011 and they used him as a host for an unfunny, uninteresting segment with women who are competing to be eye candy. Can you blame him for staying in Hollywood?

A whistling Kane, in his ring gear, arrives, carrying his tuxedo over his shoulder.

Long recap of Orton vs. Benoit from last week and the ensuing beatdown from Evolution.

Evolution has a meeting in the back and Flair asks if Orton will really do it. HHH says they’re in charge of Orton’s destiny.

Kane comes in to see Lita and says nothing will stop their perfect wedding. It’s an all white affair to signify the purity of their child so he pulls out a white dress for her. It’s a nice day for a white wedding.

Hokey smoke a match!

Intercontinental Title: Edge vs. Chris Jericho

Edge is defending and bails to the rope to get out of an early hammerlock. Jericho knocks him outside and we take an early break. Heaven forbid we see wrestling on this show. Back with Jericho fighting out of a chinlock and catching Edge with a spinwheel kick. The top rope back elbow gets two but Jericho’s spinning middle rope crossbody is countered into a DDT. A quick rollup gives Edge the pin, though Jericho’s foot was in the ropes so let’s keep this going.

Back from a break with Jericho elbowing him in the face for two and choking in the corner. The running enziguri sets up the running bulldog but the Lionsault (after a running start) misses and Jericho jams his knee. The Edge-O-Matic gets two and Edge spears him off the apron for a crash into the barricade. Back in and Jericho rolls through a high crossbody for two of his own, followed by the Walls to send Edge bailing to the ropes. Back up and Edge crotches him on top….for the DQ. Yeah it’s one of those matches and that doesn’t make it any better.

Rating: C-. This was off by a few steps but even that level for these two is certainly watchable. The finish was stupid though, which is one of the biggest eye roll inducing moments that you can have. I don’t know how much I want to see another match between them but they’re doing enough good at the moment to warrant a rematch.

Post match Edge spears him down and is surprised by the DQ. Fair enough there.

Here’s Evolution for Orton’s ultimatum. HHH doesn’t believe that life is predetermined so there are consequences to every action. Take Randy Orton, who doesn’t want to be a failure like his father and grandfather. Orton was allowed to associate with the best of the best, but then he made a decision to go out there for himself and take the World Title instead of softening Benoit up.

That title is HHH’s but Orton was out here with all the ballyhoo (yes BALLYHOO) and then he faced the consequences. Tonight it’s time for Orton to make another choice: he can hand HHH the World Title and lay down so Evolution can walk away from him. On the other hand, Orton can keep trying this fighting against Evolution thing and face more consequences. This brings out Orton so HHH can tell him to lay down.

A referee comes out and HHH grabs the belt but Orton doesn’t let go. Instead he spits in HHH’s face and runs away before Evolution can kill him. Now if they had done that last week, they could have been there. It feels like they’re trying to do fix things after Orton got destroyed last week, though not without HHH getting to talk about how awesome he is first.

Victoria is yelling at Eric Bischoff about the wedding when HHH storms in and demands retribution. The title match is set for Unforgiven. You can hear the groan from the arena.

William Regal vs. Ric Flair

Eugene is back and in Regal’s corner. This is fallout from Regal knocking Flair cold with the brass knuckles at Summerslam. Regal goes with the cravate to start and Regal can’t do much to get out. Some chops in the corner have Regal in trouble but the uppercuts slow Flair down all over again. Another cravate takes Flair down (how British of Regal) as JR lists off Batista’s statistics. Imagine how JR would be if Batista had played college football too. They head outside with Flair taking a backdrop on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Flair dropping a knee on the head and chopping Regal down. As King suggests that Kane get Lita some edible underwear for the honeymoon, Regal comes back with more strikes to the face and Flair gets slammed off the top. Flair is right back with the Figure Four with an assist from Batista, so Eugene comes in to turn it over. As Eugene beats up Batista (erg), here’s Chris Benoit for the same. Eugene is sent into the post (good) as Flair and Regal pull out brass knuckles. Regal’s punch is faster though and Flair is out for the pin.

Rating: C. This took some time to get going and the ending was fine, assuming you ignore Eugene being able to go toe to toe with Batista like that. There’s only so much you can get out of a match like this but Regal is rolling along with this new push. It’s almost like he’s perfect for an angry guy who likes to fight. Now if only this can go somewhere.

Smackdown Rebound.

The Diva Search girls are in the back for the voting information. Thankfully they don’t waste arena time with this.

Lita is in the wedding dress and breaks a mirror.

The ring is prepared for the wedding, because that always goes so well.

Kane is in a white tuxedo, which oddly works for him.

It’s time for the wedding, starting with some small people as the flower girl and….I guess usher. Kane comes out and kisses the flower girl on the cheek, followed by Lita in a black wedding dress. The minister says someone wants to speak and Lita gets her hopes up but it’s Eric Bischoff, also in a white tuxedo. He has a podium on the stage and reads a passage from the Bible, talking about how the best is yet to come. In a rather weird moment, the fans WHAT the Bible.

The minister says this is clearly a unique relationship and we see a video prepared by Kane, chronicling the entire thing. It’s exactly what you would expect, though this is already starting to drag. Minister: “Uh…..moving on.” Kane has written his own vows and says he originally saw her as a vessel and nothing more. Now she is his property and will do whatever he says. There is no escape and Lita is with him until the day she dies. As the minister looks ready to have a stroke, Lita talks about always loving Matt Hardy and praying every day that Kane is in a horrible accident that kills him instantly. Kane: “That was lovely.”

We get to the “if there is anyone here” line and Lita is almost begging for Matt to come out here. Instead here’s Trish Stratus in white lingerie (….well that works) to be Lita’s maid of honor. She knew Lita couldn’t wear white because she knew Lita couldn’t. Trish knows Lita can be happy if she opens her heart, just like she opened her legs. The fight is on with Kane breaking it up and it’s time to get on with things.

Lita swallows hard and says I do. It’s Kane’s turn but Matt Hardy runs in through the crowd and the fight is on. Kane moves quite well for someone in a white tuxedo. Matt gets the better of it but a wall of fire prevents he and Lita from leaving. That’s enough for Kane to chokeslam Matt off the stage and the minister marries them. Kane kisses her and carries Lita off to end the show.

WAY too long here with the whole thing dragging. Save for the snappy fashion sense (Kane and Trish in particular), this could have had a good ten minutes trimmed off. Oh and that’s the last time you’ll see Matt for nearly a year as he had a really bad knee and was released while recovering.

Overall Rating: D. Did the wrestlers just take a week off here? There was the WAY too long Rock/Diva Search segment, the HHH/Orton segment (better, but still long), the eternally long wedding and two matches, neither of which were very good. That’s your two hours of Raw this week and egads it was a rough one to watch. I don’t know if this was them trying something new or just not thinking it out, but it really didn’t work, to put it mildly. Hopefully next week is better because this was a big miss.

I’ve actually done this one before so here’s the original if you’re interested:

Monday Night Raw – August 23, 2004: Unlike Anything I’ve Ever Seen

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

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

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

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