Monday Night Raw
Date: February 26, 2024
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We have less than six weeks to go before Wrestlemania and after Elimination Chamber, two of the biggest matches for the show are officially set. Drew McIntyre and Becky Lynch won the Elimination Chamber matches, meaning they’re off to challenge Seth Rollins and Rhea Ripley respectively. Those matches are likely to get a lot of attention this week so let’s get to it.

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

People arrived earlier today.

Long Elimination Chamber recap.

Here is Dominik Mysterio in the ring, where he is immediately booed out of the building. Dominik brings out Rhea Ripley, who is far less booed. Ripley talks about how she may be from down under but she is always on top. Cue Becky Lynch to interrupt, saying she has come around to Wrestlemania to face Ripley. What a night they both had on Saturday and now Ripley can lose at Wrestlemania. Dominik: “Nobody talks to Mami that way.” Becky: “Shut your mouth you little kumquat.”

Lynch talks about everything Ripley has done, but she has done it too, while writing a bestselling book. Ripley: “You done? Cool.” Ripley says the man always thinks she does everything but behind every great man, there is a greater woman. With Ripley and Dominik gone, cue Nia Jax to jump Lynch from behind and lay her out. This was a tease of Lynch vs. Ripley tearing each other apart but we need Jax involved to start (likely before Lynch beats her soon) because reasons.

Post break, Jax says she should be going to Wrestlemania over Lynch. Tonight, Liv Morgan is getting ten times the beating she already gave Lynch.

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura takes him up against the ropes to start but Zayn is right back with an armdrag into an armbar. They go outside with Zayn hitting a moonsault off the barricade but coming up holding his ribs as we take a break. Back with Zayn fighting up and striking away, setting up a Michinoku Driver for two. A tornado DDT sends Nakamura outside again but he’s right back in to cut off the dive.

We take another break and come back again with Zayn grabbing the Blue Thunder Bomb for two, meaning it’s time for frustration to set in. Nakamura knees him back down and sends Zayn outside, with a dive back inside barely bating the count. The Kinshasa misses though and Zayn hits the Helluva Kick to the back of the head. A regular Helluva Kick finishes for Zayn at 14:54.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of a match that was hurt by the breaks, as nearly half of the match was spent in commercials. It’s hard to get into the groove of things when you keep going to a break but Zayn gets a big win and moves on the Road To Wrestlemania. I’m not sure where he’s going, but if he wants a title match, is there anyone left but Gunther?

Video on Imperium vs. New Day, who have somehow been feuding for nearly two years. How is that possible?

Pat McAfee is in WWE2K24 and is rather pleased.

Chelsea Green vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Green says she is competing under protest here because Rodriguez stole her battle royal win last week. Then Rodriguez went all the way to Australia to lose? Green can make her loses here too. Rodriguez crosses a line that Green draws on the mat and starts fast, including a fall away slam. The Tejana Bomb finishes Green at 1:18.

Sami Zayn needed that win and says he is on his way to becoming a champion. Ludwig Kaiser, followed by Gunther, interrupt and the fans like that.

Cody Rhodes is ready for the Rock’s response to his challenge this week on Smackdown. As for tonight, he’s ready for Grayson Waller.

Here is Imperium for a chat. Gunther brags about retaining the title last week and says Jey Uso gave him a fight last week. Gunther got lucky and retained because no one is perfect, but he comes close. It is time to address his future, because there aren’t many left for him to beat. Who is he supposed to face at Wrestlemania?

Cue Judgment Day of all people, with Damian Priest saying they don’t sweat Gunther. Judgment Day is going to run the table at Wrestlemania, including winning the Intercontinental Title. Gunther wants to know who is coming for the title and Dominik Mysterio steps up. Dominik says the title belongs to the Judgment Day and Priest has to be held back from Gunther. I’m intrigued by this, but please not another multi-man ladder match. It’s a way to get the title off of Gunther without a loss, but my goodness please find anything but that.

Post break, Judgment Day runs into Rhea Ripley, who says they better know what they’re doing with Gunther. Dominik runs into Andrade, who is looking for his first opponent.

New Day vs. Imperium

Street fight and New Day have their hockey jerseys on. They waste no time in fighting to the entrance until we go down to ringside. Kingston’s table is cut off so New Day hit a flip dive over the top/dropkick through the ropes as we take a break. Back with the fight in the crowd before it goes back to the ring, where Woods gets chaired down. Woods is knocked outside but Kofi comes back in with a double high crossbody as house is cleaned. Kaiser gets a kendo stick to clean house but Kofi is back up. Vinci drops Kofi again and unloads on Woods with the stick as we take a break.

Back with New Day fighting back as well and loading up a table at ringside. Woods splashes Vinci through said table for two before throwing Kaiser back inside. The Midnight Hour is broken up and Kofi is sent crashing through a table at ringside. Woods is sent head first into a chair in the corner to give Kaiser the pin at 18:10.

Rating: B. While I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of these teams feuding for nearly two years, this was a good, hard hitting fight and that’s what it was supposed to be. I’m a bit surprised that New Day lost here but it sets Imperium up with maybe their biggest win on the main roster. New Day will be fine and Imperium could be on the way to a title shot down the line, with a good fight included.

Video on Grayson Waller.

Chad Gable comes in to see Adam Pearce and wants to challenge Gunther at Wrestlemania. Gunther reduced his daughter to tears last time and Gable wants it more than anyone else. Pearce considers this.

Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Baszler and Stark are upset because Hartwell and LeRae got a title shot at Elimination. LeRae knocks Stark to the floor to start but Baszler cuts off a tornado DDT. A hard knee drops LeRae and Stark comes in to work on the arm. LeRae Codebreakers her way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Hartwell. Baszler tags herself in though and gets the Kirifuda Clutch to finish Hartwell at 2:48. As dominant as it should have been.

R-Truth made it to the show so here are DIY and Miz, the former of whom play into Truth thinking they’re DX. They have a plan to deal with Judgment Day.

Here is a rather happy Drew McIntyre for a chat. McIntyre: “We did it.” He thanks everyone for praying for his success and now he’s off to Wrestlemania. McIntyre is exhausted and hurt, having burst his eardrum in the Chamber. The doctor said he might not be at Wrestlemania, but he asked if the doctor thought he was CM Punk. McIntyre sits down ala Punk and calls out Seth Rollins for a chat.

Rollins answers and welcomes us to his show, before congratulating McIntyre. We get a recap of what McIntyre has been wanting to do since 2020 but Rollins is the one thing left in his way. McIntyre doesn’t see the point in playing to the fans and won’t care about Smackdown when he wins the title. They’ll have a great match at Wrestlemania where he wins the title, but until then, back off.

Rollins respects everything McIntyre said, but some risks are worth taking. He has played every possibility in his head over and over and McIntyre may be right. Rollins’ body may give out or the Bloodline might get to him, leaving McIntyre with an easy night at Wrestlemania. But what if McIntyre is wrong? There are things that are bigger than them, such as the title at taking out the Bloodline. At Wrestlemania, they’re going face to face for the title and may the best man win. Rollins was showing some fire here, but he needs to keep his feuds separate.

Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan

Liv slugs away to start but gets knocked into the corner for a hip attack. The stretch muffler has Morgan screaming and Jax swings her into the corner. The apron legdrop misses though and Morgan hits a dive to take her down as we take a break. Back with Morgan snapping Jax’s throat across the top, setting up a middle rope Codebreaker for two. Jax headbutts her into the corner but misses a charge into the post. That sends Jax out to the floor, where Morgan is Samoan dropped against the post. Cue Becky Lynch to jump Jax for the DQ at 8:06.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have to make much of an impact due to the commercial break in the middle. Becky coming to get her win back over Jax is the right way to go as it clears everything else out for Wrestlemania. Lynch vs. Jax is likely taking place next week and that should wrap it up. For now though, Morgan didn’t get squashed and Jax seems to be ready to drop a bit so I’ll call it a positive.

Grayson Waller, with Austin Theory, is ready to disrespect Cody Rhodes like Rhodes did on Saturday. Unless I’m mistaken, Paul Heyman could be seen in the background.

Commentary acknowledges the passing of Ole Anderson at 81 years old.

Becky Lynch talks to Adam Pearce and gets Nia Jax next week. Liv Morgan comes in to yell at Lynch for interrupting, saying not everything has to be about her.

Jey Uso was ready to win the Intercontinental Title last week but Jimmy Uso interrupted. Drew McIntyre interrupts to say he gets what Jey is going through. From the bottom of his heart, Jey deserves this. The fight is on and is quickly broken up. Jey took that whole Jimmy interference last week better than I expected.

Grayson Waller vs. Cody Rhodes

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Rhodes takes him into the corner to start and hits the chops, only to get kneed in the face. A rather delayed vertical suplex puts Waller down again and Rhodes throws him over the top. We’re told Paul Heyman is backstage and we take an early break. Back with Rhodes having to dive onto Theory, allowing Waller to get in a shot of his own. The Cody Cutter into the Cross Rhodes finishes for Cody at 7:46.

Rating: C. Not much to see with this one and that’s how it should have been. There was no reason to believe that Waller was going to be a serious threat to Rhodes and they didn’t waste time trying to make you think otherwise. Rhodes gets to look dominant and move on to something with Heyman to wrap up the show, which is ok than the usual 15 minute main event.

Post match here is Paul Heyman, with Cody immediately grabbing a chair. Rhodes doesn’t care what is waiting on him here, but Heyman says Rhodes needs to get The Rock’s name out of his mouth. You don’t just say someone’s name and get a match….unless you’re the Rock and want to face Roman Reigns, but Cody screwed all that up. Heyman says withdraw the challenge to the Rock or else. Rhodes: “Or else what?”

Rhodes says he hasn’t talked trash about the Rock because he was a big fan. He came from a family where every meal they had was based on ticket sales and no one sold more tickets than the Rock. Rhodes grabs the chair again so Heyman has some private security get on the apron. Heyman asks if he can get in the ring but Rhodes isn’t having that.

The security gets in the ring and Rhodes says if anyone else gets in, he’s dropping them all. Heyman asks if that includes him, which it certainly does. Rhodes cleans house as Heyman calls the Rock and Roman Reigns. That’s fine with Rhodes, who is hunting the Bloodline. This was a bit of a long segment but Rhodes looked smart and fired up, which he needs to be on the Road To Wrestlemania.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling had some high spots this week but the focus was on the storytelling. Rhodes took it to a new level for his feud with Reigns, McIntyre and Rollins had a good segment and Gunther seems ready to face a bunch of potential challengers for the Intercontinental Title. That’s a lot to pack into a show, though most of the matches weren’t the strongest and they dragged things back down a bit. There is a long way before Wrestlemania though and this was a show that was taking some time to get places, as it should have.

Results
Sami Zayn b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Helluva Kick
Raquel Rodriguez b. Chelsea Green – Tejana Bomb
Imperium b. New Day – Woods was whipped into a chair
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Kirifuda Clutch to Hartwell
Nia Jax b. Liv Morgan via DQ when Becky Lynch interfered
Cody Rhodes b. Grayson Waller – Cross Rhodes

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 14, 2008
Location: RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

Somehow it’s been about three months since I’ve done one of these. It’s the last Raw before the Great American Bash and the big match on the Raw side will see Batista challenging CM Punk for the World Title. Other than that, JBL continues to think he runs the show and it’s still not quite interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week, with Batista becoming the #1 contender for CM Punk’s World Title. Then Kane snapped and went all evil (again), this time attacking Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole.

Shane and Stephanie McMahon want us to all pull together to get through the times without Vince McMahon around. If things don’t get better, actions will be taken.

We go to the arena where Shawn Michaels is attacking Chris Jericho before Jericho can say anything. Lance Cade runs in for the save to get Jericho out of harm’s way.

With the three of them gone, here is Kane, complete with a small bag. Kane leans over the commentary table and says he’s sorry as the fans chant for Lawler. Then Kane walks off without getting physical.

In the back, Shawn Michaels has attacked Chris Jericho again and it has to be broken up.

Mickie James vs. Katie Lea

Non-title and Paul Burchill is here with Katie. Mickie grabs some early rollups for two each but the hurricanrana out of the corner is blocked. Katie pulls her around by the hair for two and we hit the reverse chinlock. We’ll make that a regular chinlock but Mickie is right back up. Mickie’s tornado DDT is blocked but now the hurricanrana works. The top rope Thesz press puts Katie away.

Rating: C-. Katie’s time seems to have come and gone, which is a shame as there is always the place for a British villain. Mickie is in need of some fresh challengers as she has been champion for awhile and no one seems to be giving her a threat. Granted that is likely to wind up being Beth Phoenix, as there isn’t anyone else who feels like they are on Mickie’s level.

Post match Paul and Katie go after Mickie until Kofi Kingston makes the save. It would have been rude for him not to make a save after Paul looked over his shoulder that many times.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Paul Burchill

Kingston is defending, the women are still here and we’re joined in progress with Kingston hitting a jumping elbow. A small package gives Kingston two before he grabs an armbar. An armdrag sets up another armbar as they’ve certainly slowed down a bit. Back up and Kofi’s dropkick gets two and it’s right back to the armbar.

Burchill fights up again and kicks him out of the corner for two, setting up a waistlock. A gutbuster and backsplash give Burchill two but Kingston fights out of another waistlock. Kingston’s Russian legsweep sets up the Boom Drop but here is Katie on the apron. That’s broken up by Mickie and Trouble In Paradise retains the title.

Rating: C. This was mostly armbars and waistlocks, which didn’t exactly make for an entertaining match. Other than that it was Kingston beating someone who didn’t feel like much of a threat. That being said, Kingston needs to pile up some wins to make himself feel more like a champion so giving him another win helps as much as anything else.

Santino Marella tells Matt Striker about his open challenge tonight. Cue Kane to ask about CM Punk. Santino: “Did you try the Pepsi machine?”

Post break Kane goes up to CM Punk, saying deep down inside, he knows someone is dead. Punk doesn’t know what is going on but Kane wants him tonight, one on one. Punk isn’t sure but Kane says this isn’t about the title. As usual, Punk is down for a challenge and the match is on. Punk asks about the bag Kane is carrying but Kane clutches it closer and leaves without saying anything.

A serious John Cena talks about how Vince McMahon is not here and he is trying to keep a good face on. Then JBL challenged him to a New York City Parking Lot Brawl and Cena can’t smile anymore. For those of you who don’t know what it’s about, it’s a war instead of a match. The two of them will be fighting in a circle of cars in a parking lot and anything goes. It’s about breaking bones and ripping flesh and we will find out if a man’s pride will fold. The question is why Cena would accept such a challenge but the reality is he and JBL don’t like each other.

Cena is down for one more fight at the Great American Bash because JBL considers himself a great American, which makes Cena sick. He’s happy to try to break some of JBL’s bones and send the face of a great American through every window he can find. Cena wants to see some real fear from JBL because this isn’t a fight with some pretty boy. Extreme violence is promised and here is Cryme Tyme to stand beside Cena, who accepts the challenge. As for tonight, let’s make it a six man with JBL finding any two partners he can.

Santino Marella vs. ???

It’s open challenge time and here is….Beth Phoenix to answer. They fight over a lockup to start until Beth shows him a double bicep. Beth takes him down and hammers away before easily powering out of a headlock. A slam gives Beth two but Santino shouts about being a man, only to miss a charge into the corner. That’s enough for Beth to grab a rollup for the fast pin, leaving Santino rather flummoxed.

Here is Kelly Kelly for a match but Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase interrupt. They know she has a match tonight….but they don’t care so she can leave. Cody talks about how the two of them have gotten a lot of unfair criticisms but they’re not bad guys. They’re just better than their fathers. When you’re this talented, you don’t need to pay dues. Imagine what happens when they enter their primes.

Cue Jim Duggan of all people to interrupt, saying he knows their dads. They’re old school, just like him. The difference is the old school people respected the generations that paved the way for them. DiBiase and Rhodes are better athletes, but they have a lot of growing up to do. Cody says Duggan might be on to something but Cody calls out Duggan for being 54 years old and trying to relive some glory days which weren’t that glorious in the first place.

DiBiase asks if Duggan thinks he still has what it takes anymore, when he’s really just here looking for a reaction. Duggan is the one who needs to grow up, and the two of them leave. JBL pops up on the screen to say they have earned the right to team with him in the main event. They’re in.

CM Punk vs. Kane

Non-title. Kane chokes him into the corner to start but Punk kicks his way to freedom. Punk manages to kick him out to the floor, where Kane cuts off a slide to take over again. The basement dropkick gives Kane two and we hit the cravate. We’ll make that a chinlock until Punk fights up and strikes away. A series of kicks sends Kane into the corner but the bulldog out of it is broken up. Instead Punk hits a heck of a kick to the head for one and a high crossbody gets two. Kane knocks him outside where Punk grabs a bulldog, which is enough to beat the count for the win.

Rating: C+. That was about as good of a way out as they had as Kane is the new monster and Punk is the new champion so there was only so much they could have done. At the same time it might have been better to not make the match in the first place, but at least Punk didn’t lose. Punk is always going to fight from behind and winning by countout is about as good as he can get in this spot.

Post match Kane throws in a bunch of chairs and wraps one around Punk’s neck but Batista makes the save. Batista helps Punk up so Punk offers him a handshake, but Batista wants the title. Batista gives him a not so nice slap on the face so Punk shoves, earning himself a spinebuster.

We look back at John Cena and Cryme Tyme destroying JBL’s limo last week.

Chris Jericho vs. Paul London

Lance Cade is here with Jericho, who pounds London into the corner and hits a running boot to the head. London gets sent outside in a heap before Jericho chokes on the ropes back inside. A spinwheel kick gives London a breather but he misses a high crossbody. Jericho hits a butterfly backbreaker and calls out Shawn Michaels before grabbing the Liontamer for the fast tap.

Post match Jericho says London can take that loss like he would and learn from it, or take it like Shawn Michaels and do nothing. Cue Shawn to say nothing will change between them and teasing more violence.

Jamie Noble hits on Layla, suggesting that they can be the Raw power couple. Layla says she doesn’t date short men but Noble says he’s way above average in the ring. Noble offers to jump the next guy who comes through here so cue Snitsky to tell him to be quiet. Layla isn’t impressed so Noble stands up to Snitsky. Even Layla realizes this is stupid as Noble calls Snitsky out to the ring. They wind up in said ring and a pumphandle slam leaves Noble laying.

We get the Shane/Stephanie McMahon plea for unity from earlier tonight.

Great American Bash rundown.

John Bradshaw Layfield/Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase vs. John Cena/Cryme Tyme

Cena and Rhodes start things off with Cena slugging him into a corner but glaring at JBL. The release fisherman’s suplex drops Cody Rhodes again, setting up another glare. Shad comes in for a release butterfly suplex to DiBiase so it’s back to Rhodes to kick away at JTG. Rhodes makes the mistake of telling JTG to shine his shoes and gets taken down with a Sling Blade for his troubles.

JBL comes in and is smart enough to taunt Cena in, meaning we get some double choking in the corner. JTG’s comeback is cut off by a dropkick to the knee and the villains get to take over on said knee. The leglock goes on and we take a break with JTG in more trouble. Back with JBL hitting a hard clothesline and the slow beating continuing.

Rhodes goes old school with a spinning toehold until JTG kicks him away, which still isn’t enough to get over for the tag. JTG finally gets away and brings Cena back in to pick the pace way up. JBL bails and it’s an FU to DiBiase into the Throwback to Rhodes. Cena’s top rope Fameasser hits Rhodes but JBL is back to break up the STFU…for the DQ. That’s a pretty lame reason for a DQ but sure enough. Even Lawler doesn’t seem sure why that was a DQ.

Rating: C-. This was slow and not exactly good, with the ending feeling like a rather pitiful way out. It’s not a good sign when commentary is confused about what happened, even when it should have been pretty clear. I get that you don’t want a champion jobbing, but JBL couldn’t have used a chair or something a little more violent? Other than that, it was a rather long heat segment on JTG and that wasn’t the most thrilling way to go.

Post match JBL walks off and taunts Cena to follow him to the back. Cena gives chase and realizes he has to go into the parking lot (where a camera happens to be waiting). Then he stands around a lot in total silence until JBL finally jumps him from behind with something metal. JBL sits the unconscious Cena in front of a car and crushes him, then gets out and realizes what he’s done to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t quite thrilled with this show as the focus was on Cena vs. JBL, which hasn’t been an interesting feud in a long time. The World Champion feels like a third wheel behind the battling John’s and Shawn vs. Jericho. There is some good stuff going on closer to the top of the card, but my goodness the lower part of the show isn’t exactly holding the rest of it up.

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

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 25, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Jim Ross, Randy Savage

We’ll wrap up the month/year here as the road to Summerslam continues. In this case we have a double main event coming up as the Undertaker will face the Undertaker and Bret Hart will defend the WWF Title against Owen Hart inside a cage. That’s at Summerslam though, whereas tonight is about Nikolai Volkoff. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week, with Tatanka accusing Ted DiBiase of buying Lex Luger, which DiBiase had already claimed to have done. Then on Superstars, DiBiase said he had purchased Luger, who came out to deny it, though Tatanka doesn’t believe Luger at all. Luger is still insisting otherwise though as the intrigue builds.

Opening sequence.

Tatanka vs. Nikolai Volkoff

Ted DiBiase is here with Volkoff and the winner gets $10,000. Tatanka goes after the arm to start so Volkoff headbutts him against the ropes. Volkoff hammers away in the corner and looks rather lumbering in doing so. Some ax handles to the back set up an awkward looking kick to the chest as this isn’t exactly breathtaking stuff.

Tatanka fights back with a clothesline and a dropkick to send Volkoff outside, where he needs a breather. DiBiase isn’t pleased with the delay so Volkoff goes back inside, where a ram into the buckle sends Tatanka into the war dance. The top rope chop to the head gets two but Volkoff gets in a big boot. A slam is loaded up but Tatanka small packages him for the pin at 6:14.

Rating: D+. I think you can get the problem here, as Volkoff just isn’t that interesting. All he had was a bunch of punching and kicking with a few slams thrown in. That stops working after about thirty seconds so Tatanka was left to carry things on his own. Volkoff wasn’t happy to be working for DiBiase, but it’s even worse having to watch him do these matches, which really aren’t working.

Post match Randy Savage gets in the ring to make sure DiBiase pays the debt. DiBiase gets the money out but says Tatanka could never do that to HIS Lex Luger. Tatanka gets paid and insists he can beat Luger, who comes out to interrupt. DiBiase steps back and Luger (who gives DiBiase a quick look) wants to make sure he heard Tatanka right. Tatanka says he can beat Luger anytime anywhere, so Luger is down. With Luger gone, DiBiase offers to make the match with HIS Luger whenever Tatanka is ready.

Headshrinkers vs. Barry Hardy/Joey Stallings

Non-title. The Headshrinkers jump them at the bell and we take a break one second in before coming back with Fatu dropping Stallings with a clothesline. Samu comes in for a spinning kick to the face and a middle rope DDT (that was cool) gets two. Stallings gets sent into the corner as Jim Ross says he hopes Jim Cornette and the Heavenly Bodies are watching in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. A double clothesline gives Fatu two and a double Stroke sets up Fatu’s top rope splash for the pin at 3:51.

Rating: C. This was enjoyable for the complete destruction of Stallings, who took one big move after another until the ending. Even JR was saying they needed to finish him off already but dang it was kind of fun to see. Total squash here and I don’t believe Hardy ever even tagged in.

Next week: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels. That’s a big one.

Jim Neidhart vs. Jim Powers

Owen Hart is here with Neidhart. Powers, who is so muscular (completely natural I’m sure) slides between the legs to start but gets backdropped over the top for a 360 flip. Back in and Neidhart slowly hammers away before taking the straps down to choke on the ropes. A belly to back suplex gets two, with Neidhart pulling him up. Neidhart shrugs off some right hands and grabs a powerslam, setting up the camel clutch (with something close to a dragon sleeper instead of pulling back) for the win at 2:57. Another squash, but not the fun kind.

Post match Owen gives Neidhart some Bret Hart glasses.

Next week: Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano. Dang that’s a stacked show.

Here is Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze for a chat. Blayze is sick of Luna Vachon and now she has to face Bull Nakano next week. Cue Luna to say she’s the reason Nakano is getting the title shot. Of note: everyone keeps calling the challenger Bull “Knock-uh-no” as opposed to “Nuh-con-oh” as it is usually pronounced.

We get an ad for the New Generation featuring a mobster threatening a restaurant owner for not having a TV ready for them to watch Raw. These things were always odd.

Yokozuna vs. Adam Bomb

Mr. Fuji is here with Yokozuna and Bomb is freshly turned face. Yokozuna chops him against the ropes and cuts him off with an elbow to the face as the beating is on fast to start. Bomb comes back with right hands and clotheslines, followed by a big shoulder to put Yokozuna on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Yokozuna knocking him down again, including a hard clothesline. We hit the required nerve hold so Bomb can fight up, only to get blasted with another clothesline. The running splash in the corner misses though and Bomb manages a jumping DDT. A top rope clothesline puts Yokozuna down but cue Harvey Wippleman (Bomb’s former manager) and Kwang, the latter of whom trips Bomb. The fight goes to the floor and Bomb is counted out at 10:43.

Rating: C-. Bleh this was lame, with Bomb’s comeback being the only thing working. Yokozuna more or less demolished him for the most part and then Kwang caused the countout. That made for a rather dull match, which is a shame so soon after Bomb’s face turn. I always thought Bomb could have been a solid midcard star but you’re only getting so far with something like this.

Summerslam Report looks at the double main event.

Leslie Nielsen is officially on the case of the double Undertakers. Yes, this headlined Summerslam.

Duke Droese vs. Dwayne Gill

Jerry Lawler calls in to continue talking about attacking Droese five weeks ago. Droese throws Gill around to start and we hit the quickly broken chinlock. The bearhug doesn’t last long before Droese hits a hard clothesline. The Trash Compactor finishes at 2:32. as Lawler keeps talking about Bob Backlund. This was all so Lawler could talk throughout the match.

A quick preview of next week’s show wraps it up.

Overall Rating: D+. This didn’t work with one boring match after another. It was pretty clearly the last of a long taping and as a result, there was only so much left to put out there. The fact that this show featured names like Nikolai Volkoff and Duke Droese should tell you all you need to know, as that’s quite weak even for 1994. Throw in Yokozuna having a dull match and all you have is a Headshrinkers squash that was entertaining in how lopsided it was. How was this show supposed to be good?

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 18, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Jim Ross, Randy Savage

After last week’s rather awesome Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid WWF Title match, it’s time to look at another title, as Diesel defends the Intercontinental Title against Lex Luger. What makes things all the more confusing is the fact that Ted DiBiase claiming he has purchased Lex Luger (though the contract has yet to be signed). Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a clip from Superstars with Tatanka as a guest on the Heartbreak Hotel, being convinced that Lex Luger has sold out to Ted DiBiase. Even Shawn Michaels isn’t sure about that.

Opening sequence.

Intercontinental Title: Diesel vs. Lex Luger

Diesel, with Shawn Michaels, is defending and there’s no sign of DiBiase to start. They take their time to get going until it’s a fight over a lockup, with Luger being powered out to the floor. Back in and Luger grabs a sunset flip for two and Diesel isn’t happy. That means we settle down a bit with Diesel elbowing him in the back of the head, followed by some to the front of the head in the corner.

A powerslam gets Luger out of trouble (and a two) and now it’s time to punch Diesel to the floor, with the fans approving. Back in and the Jackknife attempt is countered with a backdrop but Luger misses a charge and crashes out to the floor. Diesel hits a clothesline and we see DiBiase watching from a box as we take a break. Back with Diesel getting two off Snake Eyes, followed by the running crotch attack to the back for a VERY delayed two.

We hit the chinlock with a knee in Luger’s back for a bit, followed by a jumping elbow for another near fall. Diesel grabs the sleeper for a good while but Luger finally suplexes his way to freedom. Luger strikes away and ducks a big boot, setting up a DDT for two. A middle rope clothesline gives Luger two more as this is picking way up. The referee gets crushed in the corner though and Luger grabs the Rack, only to have Shawn break it up. The referee wakes up to count two and here is Razor Ramon to get rid of Michaels, which is enough for the referee to throw it out at 18:05.

Rating: B-. This started slowly but they were rocking by the end, with the double DQ being the right way to go. You don’t want to change the title or have Luger take a pin so this was as good as it was going to be. Luger might not be the best all around but he knows how to make that kind of a comeback. At the same time, JR was on fire here and knew EXACTLY how to make this feel like the most epic showdown. Really good stuff here and if you cut off about two minutes at the start, it’s that much better.

Post match the beatdown is on with Ramon getting laid out but Luger breaks up a spike piledriver. Cue DiBiase to look at Luger.

Mabel vs. Austin Steele

Steele, who looks like a bad Buddy Landell impersonator, gets thrown around to start and there’s a Flair Flip in the corner. Mabel headbutts him out of the air and hits a really awkward looking suplex. A test of strength makes Steele scream (how familiar) as Mabel starts in on the arm, allowing commentary to talk about pop culture. Mabel splashes him in the corner and hits a Boss Man Slam for the pin at 2:15. That guy couldn’t have been more of a Flair knockoff is his life depended on it. Just minus the talent that is.

It’s the Summerslam Report and we talk about Leslie Nielsen being brought in to figure out the Undertaker ordeal. Also announced over the weekend: Bret Hart defending the WWF Title against Owen Hart inside a cage. One of those things is better than the other.

House show ads.

Owen Hart vs. Reno Riggins

Jim Neidhart is here with Owen. They go technical to start as the fans want Bret. Riggins manages an armbar with some hard wrenching but Owens slaps him in the face. Owen takes him down until Riggins hits him in the face as well. That earns Riggins a belly to belly into the Sharpshooter for the submission at 2:55. Riggins was slightly more competitive than I would have expected.

Owen takes his sweet time letting go.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Tatanka vs….Nikolai Volkoff. That might not be worth advertising.

Sparky Plugg vs. George South

South sends him into the corner to start but Plugg gets in a kick to the ribs. There’s a slam into a headlock as Plugg looks ridiculous in the lime green singlet. A headscissors takes South down as commentary talks about Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Pressley. South fights out of a headlock but charges into an elbow, setting up a high crossbody to finish for Plugg at 2:40.

We get a long recap of the Undertaker Is Missing, starting with him “ascending” at the Royal Rumble via casket cam. Then various people saw him around the country. Then Ted DiBiase claimed to have brought back the Undertaker but Paul Bearer didn’t buy it. We hear from Bearer, says the real Undertaker will be back at Summerslam. Then DiBiase says he has the real Undertaker. This story is stupid.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Gary Sabaugh

Sabaugh is better known as the Italian Stallion in the NWA, which explains the random “Italy” written on his trunks. Bigelow runs him own with a shoulder to start and a splash in the corner makes it worse. An elbow to the face gives Bigelow two and we hit the quickly broken chinlock. Sabaugh slugs and clotheslines away but walks into a powerslam. A Million Dollar Dream bulldog (it didn’t look great) finishes for Bigelow at 2:55.

Ted DiBiase says he has been talking to Lex Luger but the deal isn’t closed yet. He has a big announcement this weekend but here is Tatanka to yell at DiBiase about buying Luger. That earns Tatanka an offer of $10,000 if he can beat Nikolai Volkoff next week. Deal.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener was good and the rest of the matches were good enough to carry things. That being said, the idea of the Undertaker vs. Undertaker feud being one of the best things that the WWF had at the time is not a good sign. There are good things going on in the WWF but my goodness that feud is dea…..well it’s really bad.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 19, 2024
Location: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are about a month and a half away from Wrestlemania and the big story coming out of Smackdown is the Rock officially joining the Bloodline. That is the kind of change that could shake things up in a major way, but first we’re likely to get a rebuttal from Cody Rhodes and/or Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, various people arrived.

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

We actually get a quick hype video for this, which is a nice touch for a match this big. Cody’s headlock doesn’t work so McIntyre knocks him down, setting up an exchange of chops. McIntyre gets the better of things, only to get pulled into a quick Figure Four. That’s turned over in a hurry so Cody makes the rope and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre crushing Cody’s head against the post and chopping away until Cody grabs a bulldog. A powerslam into the Disaster Kick slow McIntyre down and the Cody Cutter gets two. Rhodes’ Cactus Clothesline leaves them both on the floor and we take another break.

Back again with McIntyre grabbing a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two each. Cody’s Pedigree doesn’t quite slow McIntyre down as he’s right back with the Futureshock for another near fall. For some reason McIntyre goes up, allowing Cody to hit a superplex. The top rope Cody Cutter gets two more but cue the Bloodline for a distraction/Samoan Spike. That’s enough for the Claymore to finish for McIntyre at 19:42.

Rating: B. This felt like a big time match and that’s exactly what it was supposed to be. Cody losing always feels like a major moment and it’s not like it hurts him to have a loss with the Bloodline interfering. Good opener here, with McIntyre building even more momentum on the way to Elimination Chamber, which he very well may win.

Video on Gunther vs. Jey Uso before tonight’s Intercontinental Title match.

Andrade talks about being from a wrestling family and being used to the pressure. His day is now beginning.

We look at the ending of Cody vs. Drew, complete with telestrator graphics.

Cody tells Adam Pearce he’s fine when Seth Rollins comes in for a knowing look.

Video on the Women’s Elimination Chamber match and the five qualifiers.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Xia Li, Valhalla, Tegan Nox, Natalya, Indi Hartwell, Candice LeRae, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Elektra Lopez, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Michin, Zoey Stark, Zelina Vega, Shayna Baszler, Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Raquel Rodriguez, B-Fab

Rodriguez is making her return after an illness absence. It’s a brawl to start with Valhalla knocking out Maxxine but getting eliminated as well. Rodriguez knocks out Li and does the same thing to Dawn as we take a break. Back with Natalya turning on Nox to toss her out (in the opposite of the Royal Rumble) and B-Fan being eliminated as well. Lopez kicks Vega out but gets tossed by Michin.

Lopez and Michin brawl on the floor until Green gets rid of Candice and Baszler does the same to Hartwell. Baszler knees Chance out and Rodriguez eliminated Fyre, followed by Nile knocking Natalya out. Baszler and Stark get rid of Nile, leaving us with the two of them, Michin and Rodriguez. The villains toss Michin but Rodriguez gets rid of Baszler. Stark is kicked out and Rodriguez….eliminated Green, who was still in, to win at 12:01.

Rating: C+. They kept this mostly quick and Rodriguez is a good choice to send on to the Chamber. She isn’t likely going to win but she can be the power monster who can shake things up when she comes in. It was a nice return for Rodriguez and she went on to win, but more importantly the match didn’t get dull. That’s hard to do in a match like this, but there were actually multiple options to win to make it better.

Jey Uso is ready to win the Intercontinental Title.

We get a split screen interview between Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley. Rhea talks about wanting to go back home to prove that she is different but Nia doesn’t care and promises pain. Ripley promises to show that Jax isn’t good enough and walks off. As usual, Jax’s promo involves her saying “I’m big and I’ll beat you” and nothing more.

We get a special look at R-Truth’s history with the Judgment Day. He insists it was a special moment when they first met, like the first time John Cena tried on a pair of jean shorts. But then it went bad with Damian Priest attacking him, making R-Truth feel as sad as the finale of This Is Us. Now he has DX in his corner though, and then he just walks off. This was the usual wacky R-Truth and again as usual, it worked.

We talk about the UFC/WWE partnership involving this arena.

UFC fighter Michael Chandler calls out Conor McGregor. Nothing wrong with a mini cross promotion like that.

Chad Gable is ready for Ivar.

Ivar is ready for Chad Gable.

R-Truth/Miz/DIY vs. Judgment Day

It’s a huge brawl to start and Judgment Day is sent outside, leaving the other four to do the DX chop as we take a break. Back with Gargano caught in the wrong corner, with a slingshot stomp to the chest getting two. Gargano suplexes his way to freedom though and it’s off to R-Truth, who initiates the John Cena finishing sequence. That’s broken up by Priest, who sends R-Truth into the post as we take another break.

Back again with Ciampa coming back in to pick up the pace with the running corner clotheslines. Willow’s Bell plants McDonagh and Ciampa follows with a dive to the floor. Back in and a reverse DDT gets two on Dominik with McDonagh making the save. Balor and Ciampa collide though and they’re both down for a breather. R-Truth hits the ax kick on Priest and the Lie Detector gets two. Everything breaks down again and Priest escapes an AA, setting up South Of Heaven to pin R-Truth at 15:40.

Rating: B-. The fans were WAY into this one but you can’t have R-Truth pin someone who very well may be a World Champion by the middle of the summer. There is a good chance that this story is going to wrap up soon, assuming R-Truth doesn’t cost Judgment Day the Tag Team Titles at Elimination Chamber. For now though, Judgment Day gets a win to build their momentum back up, which they need at the moment.

We look back at the Rock officially joining the Bloodline.

Sami Zayn says he is hitting the pause button on Drew McIntyre because there is a path for him to Wrestlemania and he will be a champion.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. After asking if the fans like her hat (they do so it stays), she talks about how she is going to win the Elimination Chamber to earn the right to face Rhea Ripley (McAfee: “Or Nia Jax.”) at Wrestlemania. Ripley has been on the roll of a lifetime but now there is Lynch, who is the biggest threat to her title. Lynch says she is the best she has ever been but first there is Elimination Chamber. She talks about beating almost everyone in the Chamber but here is Liv Morgan to interrupt, saying she doesn’t like Lynch acting like no one is a threat in the Chamber.

Morgan talks about her history with Ripley, who put her on the shelf for a few months with a bad shoulder. Cue Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton and Bianca Belair to say they’ll win. Belair says she’ll keep up her undefeated streak in the Chamber but Tiffany doesn’t want to hear it. Cue Nia Jax to wreck everyone because that’s what she does.

Shinsuke Nakamura is ready to make Sami Zayn famous.

Chad Gable vs. Ivar

They start fast with Gable kicking him to the floor, only to get dropped onto the barricade as we take an early break. Back with Gable reversing a super World’s Strongest Slam into a middle rope small package for two. Gable goes after the leg but the ankle lock is broken up with a whip to the floor. Ivar sends him into the apron and takes it back inside for a top rope seated senton and a near fall. Gable gets in a suplex into the moonsault for two, followed by the ankle lock for the win at 8:25.

Rating: B-. This was more of the Gable that has seemed ready to break out for a long time now. He’s basically a slightly smaller Kurt Angle (in the ring at least) and having him go nuts to beat someone is a good way to go. It wasn’t quite a great match, but it made Gable look more like a star than he has in a long time.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Drew McIntyre is ready to win the Elimination Chamber because he can beat everyone in it.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

Gunther is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. They start fast with Gunther chopping away and taking it to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Gunther twisting Jey’s neck and hitting a backbreaker before taking it outside. Jey ducks a clothesline and Samoan drops him onto the announcers’ table for a breather. Back in and Gunther drops him again but the powerbomb attempt is countered into a backdrop to the floor. The dive drops Gunther again and we take another break.

We come back with an exchange of chops until Jey has to escape another powerbomb attempt. The spear gives Jey two but Gunther knocks him down again, setting up the top rope splash for two. Jey hits another spear and Gunther is knocked outside, setting up another spear. The Superfly Splash connects….but Jimmy Uso rings the bell. Jey dives onto Jimmy and superkicks Gunther but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees, allowing Gunther to small package him and retain at 16:52.

Rating: B. They may have telegraphed the ending by having Jimmy show up earlier in the night but it was still a good moment with Jey seemingly having the title win. Gunther is so good at making you believe that he could lose the title every time he defends it, which makes his title defenses so much more interesting. Good main event here, and they nailed the big fight feeling of the whole thing.

Post match Jimmy comes in and drops Jey, setting up a pair of Superfly Splashes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Multiple good matches, almost everything at Elimination Chamber getting a boost and some solid talking. Those things should add up to a strong show, but the energy and presentation (different camera angles, fresh ways of talking about things etc) made this feel so much better. It felt more modernized and like a sport than a wrestling show while still having what makes a wrestling show work. I had a really good time with this and it’s one of the better Raw’s I’ve seen in a long time. Nice job, but Saturday needs to be just as good.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Cody Rhodes – Claymore
Raquel Rodriguez won a battle royal last eliminating Chelsea Green
Judgment Day b. R-Truth/Miz/DIY – South Of Heaven to R-Truth
Chad Gable b. Ivar – Ankle lock
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Small package

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 11, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Jim Ross, Randy Savage

This week has a pretty big match for a change as Bret Hart is defending the WWF Title against the 1-2-3 Kid in a match that has some serious potential. The Kid is someone who can have a good match with a lot of people and Bret is Bret, so we could have something great going here. Other than that, Ted DiBiase will have more about the Fake Undertaker. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the 1-2-3 Kid’s history of upsets coming into the title shot against Bret Hart.

Hart talked about some young, up and coming stars at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Opening sequence.

Commentary hypes up the title match.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid

Hart is defending…but hold on because here are Jim Neidhart and Owen Hart to yell but are quickly thrown out. We get a handshake before the Kid quickly takes him down with an armdrag. Kid works on a wristlock but Hart slams him down, only to have Kid nip back up for a standoff. A hammerlock puts Hart down again as they’re certainly taking their time to start. Hart reverses into a quick chinlock but Kid is right back up as well. A monkey flip has Hart in trouble and a spinning kick to the face has him on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kid still working on the arm and Hart looking a bit frustrated. Hart gets up and gets in a knee to the ribs to stop a charging Kid. A slam drops Kid again and some hard uppercuts in the corner keep him in trouble. Hart gets two off a neckbreaker and we hit the chinlock. Kid fights up and hits a crossbody for two of his own, leaving Savage VERY enthusiastic (yeah I’m stunned too).

Kid’s crucifix is countered into something like a Samoan drop for….three, though Kid’s foot was on the ropes. The referee (Earl Hebner, because of course in a Hart match) didn’t notice it but Hart himself points it out, which really doesn’t seem to be the best idea. The match will indeed continue and we take a break, coming back with Hart grabbing another chinlock. Kid fights up again and gets two off a backslide (I remember Hart’s panicked face from watching this as a kid), only to have Hart grab a DDT for the same.

Hart takes his sweet time going up for the middle rope elbow and Kid gets his foot up to the face. The jumping spinwheel kick drops Hart and Kid fires off the kicks in the corner, including a running dropkick. A spinning high crossbody gets two and Kid plants him with a powerbomb. You can hear the crowd getting into this as Kid hits a guillotine legdrop for two more and there’s a clothesline to put Hart on the floor.

The moonsault to the floor is partially blocked though and it’s Hart getting back inside first. Kid gets back up and heads to the top, only to miss a Swanton. The Sharpshooter is loaded up but Kid grabs the rope before Hart can turn it over. Hart hits the bulldog and goes up, where he is slammed right back down. Kid goes up instead but dives right into the Sharpshooter as Hart retains at 25:35.

Rating: A-. This is one of those matches that I remember seeing as a kid and flashing back to it many times over the years. Watching it back in full shows why as this was outstanding stuff, with Kid hanging in there long enough that you believed a miracle could be possible. At the same time, a lot of that is due to Hart, who knew exactly what he was doing the whole way through. This was the Kid’s big coming out party and they knocked it WAY out of the park with one of the best matches ever on Raw.

Hart checks on Kid as Savage and JR give it a standing ovation to really put Kid over. We get the big show of respect with Hart raising Kid’s hand.

Summerslam Report! The show will be the first televised event in the United Center (and for some reason they wouldn’t be back for 23 years) with a main event of….Undertaker vs. Undertaker, which has Todd Pettengill rather confused. Paul Bearer talks about how the real Undertaker is NOT happy and it’s time for him to come back for some revenge.

Crush vs. Matt Hardy

This show is downright notable. Crush knocks him into the corner but Matt moonsaults over him, only to get his head superkicked off. A delayed gorilla press drops Hardy again and has Savage doing a weird soccer styles GOAL shouting. The tilt-a-whirl backbreaker finishes Hardy at 1:25.

Razor Ramon vs. Barry Horowitz

Barry doesn’t care for the fans liking Ramon to start so Ramon shoves him down without much effort. Ramon takes his time before firing off right hands as commentary talks about boxing. Something close to an STF has Horowitz in more trouble before Ramon messes with his hair. Horowitz’s comeback is cut off by a fall away slam and Ramon grabs a small package of all things for the win at 2:53. What a unique way to wrap it up.

We go to what looks like a basic office for the King’s Court with special guest Ted DiBiase. Lawler recaps the history of the Million Dollar Corporation, including bringing back the Undertaker, but now DiBiase is trying to buy Lex Luger. DiBiase says he isn’t trying because it has been a success, but even Lawler isn’t sure if he buys that one. Ok so the contract isn’t actually signed or anything, though it’s just a matter of time.

Commentary isn’t sure about DiBiase buying Luger either.

IRS vs. Ray Hudson

Before the match, IRS guarantees everyone will pay for cheating on their taxes. IRS grabs a hammerlock to start before throwing Hudson outside without much trouble. Hudson comes back in with a high crossbody for two but IRS is right back with an abdominal stretch. That’s switched into a leglock as commentary talks about baseball. A clothesline drops Hudson again and the Penalty (STF) finishes at 3:44.

Rating: D. Geez this was boring. I don’t know if the idea behind IRS is that he was uninteresting in every way but it’s a shame as he is capable of having some better stuff. This was just a bunch of waiting around for Hudson to lose, which felt far longer than just under four minutes. Terribly dull stuff.

Bret Hart is happy with his win and respects the 1-2-3 Kid. He isn’t worried about Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart either so Owen can come find him.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a one match show but that one match is one of the best matches the company had presented in years at that point. It was a great match and absolutely worth checking out, which is enough to overcome that IRS match, plus some other skippable stuff. In other words, Bret Hart is the best thing in the WWF at the moment and…well yeah of course he is.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 12, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Pa McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re less than two months away from Wrestlemania and now we seem to have a main event. Cody Rhodes is going to be challenging Roman Reigns, presumably on night two, but that leaves a lot to cover on the first night. Other than that, this week is going to be about Elimination Chamber qualifying matches so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the Titantron to my upper left.

Jey Uso/New Day vs. Imperium

Jey gets a crazy strong reaction to his entrance, with the fans going coconuts over the hand wave dance. Kofi and Kaiser start things off with Kofi slugging away, including a dropkick and clothesline. Woods comes in to stomp away in the corner, followed by Kofi and Jey getting to do the same. It’s off to Gunther to face Uso, but instead he walks around for a bit before handing it back to Vinci.

A cheap shot takes Uso down and now Gunther is willing to come in and chop away. Uso gets knocked to the floor and we take a break. Back with Jey fighting out of a chinlock and handing it back to Kofi to clean house. A top rope splash to the back of a standing Kaiser puts him down and Kofi hits the New Day Drop on Vinci. Kaiser is back up to ram Kofi into the steps though and Kaiser adds a boot to the face for two.

Gunther comes back in for a Boston crab so Jey comes in and slaps him square in the face. You do NOT do that to Gunther, who is rather annoyed as we take another break. Back again with Kofi backdropping his way to freedom and handing it back to Jey to clean house. Jey superkicks a springboarding Vinci out of the air and now we get the showdown with Gunther.

An enziguri staggers Gunther and a high crossbody gets two. The spear is cut off though and Gunther cleans house, setting up a hard clothesline for two more. Back up and Jey spears Gunther for two but Kaiser makes the save. Vinci walks into a three man 1D, leaving Kofi to dive onto Kaiser. The Superfly Splash finishes Vinci at 19:50.

Rating: B. This match managed to serve two purposes at once, as Uso looked like an absolute star who could be the one to take out Gunther. The fans lit up when he came to the ring and then the slap made things even better. In addition, you had a heck of a tag match with everyone working hard and nearly twenty minutes flying by. Heck of an opener.

Long recap of the Wrestlemania press event with Rock turning heel and joining Roman Reigns, at least for the time being.

Andrade talks about how much he loves wrestling and goes through his title history. He left in 2021 to remember who he was, but now he’s back.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed

Reed powers him into the corner but has to cut off a Hurt Lock attempt. An early spear attempt sends Lashley shoulder first into the post though and Reed knocks him into the timekeeper’s area. We take a break and come back with Reed hitting some hard clotheslines. A Downward Spiral gives Lashley two and a suplex is good for the same. Reed hits a superkick into a Death Valley Driver for two but Lashley is back up with a spinebuster. Reed comes back with a release Rock Bottom and a backsplash before going up. That takes way too long though and Lashley slams him down, setting up the spear for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C+. This was a fun hoss fight with Lashley being able to throw around a monster like Reed. That suplex and the slam off the top both looked good and the match worked well. I’m also a bit surprised there was no screwiness from someone like Karrion Kross to cost Lashley the match and send Reed to the Chamber in his home country but they went with the logical move instead.

We look at the end of last week’s show, with Sami Zayn saving Cody Rhodes from an attack at the hands of Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew McIntyre.

Earlier today, Zayn sat in an empty arena, who said that he has been through a lot of problems and setbacks, but he will be a champion. Nakamura popped up on screen to say that Zayn sounded like Rhodes so Nakamura needs to stop him. A match was set up for later tonight.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and he gets right to the point: he’s challenging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He can do that because of the fans, who made their voices heard online after….well he doesn’t say what caused it (him giving away his shot against Reigns in the first place). Rhodes doesn’t want to get too emotional though, because it might make him a crybaby.

We see the Rock on the Pat McAfee Show, dubbing the term Cody Crybabies. Rock also lists some things that those crybabies can do with chicken nuggets, which has Rhodes so confused that he asks McAfee what Rock said. Rhodes didn’t like Rock putting his hands on him and slapping him across the face so Rhodes is going to hit back. Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt so the fans get to sing a bit.

Rhodes thanks him for the help against the Rock, with Rollins wondering what else can he say except you’re welcome. Rollins says Rhodes needs to finish his story at Wrestlemania because if he doesn’t, everything changes after the match. Reigns shows up and defends the title even less so this is their last chance to take the title and give it to the people. While Rhodes might be the man, he needs a plan.

Last year he got cheated out of the title and now the pressure is even high but it’s even more complicated because of the Rock. Rollins says Rhodes can’t do that on his own because he is tired for Reigns and Rock getting away with this stuff. We hear about Rollins helping Reigns become who he is today but there is one man suited to be Rhodes’ Shield. That man is an architect and a visionary, which seems to leave Rhodes a lot to think about. Rollins was bringing the emotion here but it feels like he’s being set up to cost Rhodes the title at Wrestlemania.

New Day and Jey Uso are happy with their win, but to make it even better, Jey is getting an Intercontinental Title shot next week.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Liv Morgan vs. Zoey Stark

Before the match, we get quick vignettes from both women about how much it would mean to go on to Wrestlemania. Stark misses a shot in the corner, allowing Morgan to stomp away. Back up and Stark hits a running clothesline, only for Morgan to snap off a hurricanrana. A springboard kick to the face puts Stark down and they fight to the apron. Stark Death Valley Drives her onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting a middle rope Codebreaker for two but Starks’ powerbomb out of the corner gets the same. Another Codebreaker is countered into a catapult into the corner and a superkick drops Morgan for two. Stark takes a good bit too long going up top though and misses a flip dive, allowing Morgan to hit a quick Codebreaker. Oblivion finishes Stark at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were trading some nice stuff here and while the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt, it was nice to see Morgan putting in the extra effort to win here. She’s being treated as a fairly big deal and that could make a difference for her in the Chamber. Stark is someone with a good bit of skill in her own right, but at some point she needs to win something on her own and that hasn’t happened yet.

R-Truth talks about how JD McDonagh needs to come to reality, but Damian Priest cuts him off. He’s tired of all this because it was never an initiation or anything like that. Tonight, when McDonagh faces R-Truth, it’s an execution.

Post break, R-Truth is trying to find out if Miz can get here from Los Angeles in time for his match.

R-Truth vs. JD McDonagh

So there is no Miz, but there is the rest of Judgment Day minus Rhea Ripley (and McDonagh as he’s kind of busy). R-Truth sends him into the corner to start and hits a splash in the corner. An AA sends McDonagh outside and we take a break. Back with R-Truth hitting John Cena’s finishing sequence but the ax kick misses, allowing McDonagh to hit the Devil Inside (a Saito suplex) for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C. They barely had any time (at least that we saw) and in the end, having McDonagh beat R-Truth clean is a weird way to go. While R-Truth is pretty much bullet proof and isn’t likely to lose anything serious by being pinned here, I’m not sure why we didn’t get some kind of interference. The match itself was barely anything, but it also didn’t show that R-Truth needs help, because he lost a match straight up without any interference.

Post match the beatdown is on but DIY runs in with chairs for the save.

Cody Rhodes thanks Sami Zayn for his help last week.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. After accepting a prom invitation for 2034, Lynch talks about how crazy the Road to Wrestlemania has already been. She loves this, starting with the time she first set foot in the ring when she was 15. Wrestling is what let her meet her husband, have her daughter and cause her to miss her father’s funeral. It’s also left her having some weird conversations with her daughter like why her mom’s face is busted open, why her shoulder is banged up and she can’t pick her up….and why Daddy wants to fight Maui (Rock’s character in Moana).

Lynch knows a lot of people love Rhea Ripley and people believe no one can beat her, but Lynch isn’t anyone. She gets a drink from ringside and drinks a toast to Ripley’s last few days as champion. Cue Nia Jax, who talks about how she wishes her mother was half the woman Lynch is. She sounds rather emotional as she talks about how Lynch is going to win at Elimination Chamber. Just like she’s going to beat Ripley….who interrupts for the fight. Lynch gets crushed in the corner though and dropkicks Jax out to the floor. They almost have to go with Lynch vs. Ripley at Wrestlemania and that’s not a bad way to go.

Drew McIntyre talks about how he’s the only unselfish person around here. Cody Rhodes needs to take himself out of their match next week because the only things you don’t want to be are in his prayers or in a fight with him. Now Cody won’t be going to Wrestlemania, just like CM Punk.

R-Truth thanks DIY for their help….but thinks they’re DX. R-Truth: “How is Road Dogg?”

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: LA Knight vs. Ivar

Valhalla is here too and yes Cole does the antlers joke again. Knight starts fast and knocks Ivar outside for a bunch of rams into the announcers’ table. Ivar sends him into the barricade for a crossbody against said barricade and we take a break. Back with Knight running the corner to superplex him down, only to fail in a powerslam attempt. Ivar’s Tour of the Islands connects and a tiger bomb gets two. Ivar misses a knee though and now the powerslam can connect for two of his own. The BFT is blocked though and Ivar kicks him down, only to miss the Doomsault. Now the BFT can send Knight to Elimination Chamber at 8:26.

Rating: C. This was a different way to go than the Lashley vs. Ivar match and it went well enough. Knight wasn’t about to lose to Ivar, though the good thing is Ivar was built enough for the last few weeks that he was someone who could be a problem for Knight without being a threat. That makes for a slightly more interesting match, though the match not running incredibly long helped.

Sami Zayn runs into Drew McIntyre, who wants Zayn to keep his name out of his mouth. Zayn says McIntyre is in his way, so McIntyre steps aside.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including a Last Chance battle royal for the last spot in the women’s Elimination Chamber.

Chelsea Green is NOT happy with being in the battle royal with people like Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae, who are there. She also yells about Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, who pop in behind her. Green yells at Adam Pearce for seeing Baszler and Stark coming but not saying anything. Management WILL be notified.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn

Nakamura kicks him in the ribs to start but Zayn sends him to the floor and bounces back to the middle. We take an early break and come back with Zayn hitting a middle rope elbow to the head but Nakamura chokes him in the corner. Nakamura kicks him in the head though and we hit the chinlock.

Zayn fights up and hits a quick Michinoku Driver for two so they can both have a breather. A clothesline puts Nakamura on the floor and there’s a big flip dive, with Nakamura not exactly catching him so Zayn hits the floor HARD. We take another break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Nakamura kicks him in the head. Zayn is right back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and Nakamura rolls outside.

We go old school with Zayn trying a diving DDT over the bottom rope, only to get hit in the face. Back in and Nakamura hits a middle rope knee to the back of the head, followed by another one for another two. Zayn is back up with a heck of a clothesline and then the exploder into the corner. The Helluva Kick is loaded up but cue Drew McIntyre for a distraction. Nakamura kicks Zayn’s knee out and hits a running knee to the back of the head for the pin at 17:07.

Rating: B-. While it wasn’t quite their masterpiece in Dallas eight years ago, it was still good stuff with both of them hitting each other rather hard. The ending was part of Zayn’s issues as he continues his downward spiral. I’m not sure where that’s going to go, but hopefully it isn’t a heel turn as Zayn getting into the title hunt as the big underdog could be incredible.

Post match the double beatdown is on, with Cody Rhodes running in for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was rather good but the rest of the matches were little more than ok, which can often be the case with WWE qualifying matches. They didn’t really do anything big here, but next week’s show with Uso getting his Intercontinental Title shot and Rhodes vs. Nakamura should be more than enough. This wasn’t a show with the big stuff going on and it’s ok to lighten things a bit every so often. That was the case here and while it wasn’t a great show, it covered some things before we can get to the bigger stuff in the future.

Results
New Day/Jey Uso b. Imperium – Superfly Splash to Vinci
Bobby Lashley b. Bronson Reed – Spear
Liv Morgan b. Zoey Stark – Oblivion
JD McDonagh b. R-Truth – Devil Inside
LA Knight b. Ivar – BFT
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Sami Zayn – Running knee to the back of the head

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

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 5, 2024
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

Say it with me: and then everything changed, as Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes said that he would not be challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania. Instead, it appears the The Rock of all people will be getting the shot. While that’s a huge deal, the fans are not exactly thrilled with the change and it has to be addressed this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Rhodes/Rock/Reigns segment from Smackdown.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. He does his catchphrases and makes a Rock reference, which gets the fans booing again. Seth: “I sense that you guys want Cody.” Well Rollins does too, so he invites Cody out to the ring. Cody asks what the fans want to talk about and we get a ROCKY SUCKS chant. Cole: “Is it 1996 all over again?” Seth: “I didn’t expect to hear that tonight.”

Rollins talks about how he needs this match with Rhodes as well because he needs to know if he’s better than he was when they did this the first time. He gets right to the point: are they going to fight at Wrestlemania? Before Cody can answer, cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre: “I think I speak for everybody when I say what the h***?” He and Rollins both hate Punk and it was time for the two of them to be talking about going to Wrestlemania.

The fans seem to like that and McIntyre even has a shirt commissioned…..which he reveals as himself laughing at a tombstone for Punk’s Wrestlemania main event (that’s freaking brilliant). McIntyre tells Cody to finish the story and even says don’t let your dad down. Rollins says McIntyre doesn’t have to go that far, but why does McIntyre think he’s getting the title shot if Cody isn’t the challenger?

They’ve done that twice and McIntyre lost. Rollins: “Didn’t you lose to him three times?” McIntyre talks about how it should be the best man winning but does stop to cut off Rhodes. McIntyre headbutts Rollins down and Cody decks McIntyre without much trouble. So they didn’t officially announce anything for Cody, which feels like a way to stretch this out what very well may be false hope to avoid some of the booing (which is already here).

Imperium vs. Creed Brothers vs. DIY vs. New Day

The winners move on to face Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne on Smackdown for the title shot at Elimination Chamber. Ciampa takes over on Woods to start but it’s Kingston coming in with a springboard high crossbody. Woods’ fist drop gets two and it’s back to Kingston to work on Ciampa’s arm. Kaiser comes in for the double dropkick to Kingston and we take a break. Back with Kingston dropping Kaiser and the tag brings in Woods as the pace picks up.

The Honor Roll connects and Woods superkicks Vinci. Gargano tags himself in for the slingshot spar and an assisted Sliced Bread takes down Brutus. DIY hit slingshot dives onto the Creeds and we get the applaud. Kingston dropkicks both of them to the floor but gets beaten down by Imperium, with Gargano making the save. Julius flip dives onto all of them Ciampa White Noises Woods onto the pile to leave everyone down as we take another break.

Back with Ciampa getting the worst of a Tower of Doom, followed by Brutus moonsaulting Kaiser for two. We hit the parade of strikes until Brutus ankle locks Vinci. Julius cuts off some people with belly to belly suplexes, including one to Woods and Ciampa at the same time. A bunch of people make the save and everyone is down again. The Brutus Ball takes out a bunch of people on the floor but Ciampa tags himself back in. Meet In The Middle hits Vinci for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. Sometimes the best thing to do is let a bunch of people go out there and do a bunch of wild stuff until someone gets the pin. DIY vs. Bate/Dunne should make for a good match and it could go either way for the title match. Heck of a way to fill in part of the show here though, even if asking us to believe that the referee remembered who was legal for the tag after the melee is a bit much.

Shayna Baszler is ready for Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch is ready for Shayna Baszler.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

They fight over arm control to start until Lynch has to escape the Kirifuda Clutch. They go outside where Baszler kicks her in the head and kicks the hand against the steps. We take a break and come back with Lynch striking away despite having a banged up arm. A running knee gives Baszler two but Lynch is back with a missile dropkick.

Baszler goes after the arm again, this time tying it in the ropes and then into Lynch’s gear. That astonishingly doesn’t work and Lynch pulls her off the top so they can strike it out again. Lynch can’t get the Disarm-Her but she can get the Manhandle Slam to put Baszler away at 12:38.

Rating: C. This really needed to be five minutes shorter and the extra length hurt it a good bit. The biggest problem here was there was no reason to believe that Baszler had a real chance straight up against Lynch, which makes the match feel that much longer. The match wasn’t particularly good, but at least it got Lynch into the Chamber for the first time ever (it helps when you’ve been champion so many times).

Liv Morgan says no one is about her business but next week, her qualifying match is about revenge.

Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Cody Rhodes at a live event. Tonight, it’s a bullrope match.

Drew McIntyre has been fined for attacking Seth Rollins and Adam Pearce will double it if he keeps wearing that Punk shirt.

Rhea Ripley calls out Nia Jax but Adam Pearce comes to the ring to say the match has been made for Elimination Chamber. Cue Jax to beat Ripley down.

We look at Bayley challenging Iyo Sky for the Smackdown Women’s Title at Wrestlemania.

Akira Tozawa/Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivar/Valhalla

Valhalla sends Maxxine into the corner to start and Maxxine can’t quite get a sunset flip. She also can’t quite time a handspring elbow either but a double high crossbody puts Iva down. Maxxine flirts with Ivar to no effect so commentary talks about Medieval Times. A super World’s Strongest Slam finishes Tozawa at 2:00. This was really bad.

We look back at R-Truth being kicked out of Judgment Day.

Judgment Day is talking about Rhea Ripley when R-Truth comes in. JD McDonagh wants to jump him but has a match and leaves with Dominik Mysterio. R-Truth thinks last week was a pre-initiation and Finn Balor walks away. Priest does as well, but R-Truth finds a box of shirts that gives him an idea.

JD McDonagh vs. The Miz

Before the match, Miz talks about R-Truth being on the line between genius and crazy. Judgment Day attacking R-Truth was a declaration of war though and it’s time to fight. McDonagh (with Dominik Mysterio in his corner) stomps away in the corner to start and hits a knee to the face.

Back up and Miz knocks him to the floor, setting up a suplex from the timekeeper’s area to the floor. We take a break and come back with McDonagh hitting a standing moonsault for two….and here is R-Truth to throw the shirts to the crowd. The distraction lets Miz get his boots up to block a top rope moonsault and Miz kicks away in the corner. A crossbody gives Miz two and he takes out Mysterio for a bonus.

R-Truth puts a shirt around Mysterio’s arms to tie him up, allowing Miz to get in a big boot. The distraction lets McDonagh hit a headbutt into a moonsault for two so R-Truth whips out McDonagh’s cut of the merch money. Works for McDonagh, who gets hit with the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C. There was a lot to this but it wasn’t exactly great action. What matters here is the fact that R-Truth continues to be one of the most over people in all of WWE today. He gets a reaction no matter what he is doing and it’s great to see him getting this kind of a reaction. I could go for seeing more of Miz/R-Truth vs. Judgment Day, perhaps for the titles in a Wrestlemania match.

Imperium makes sure that everything is prepared for Gunther’s celebration for being Intercontinental Champion for 600 days. Adam Pearce says it’s cool, and here is Bron Breakker for a meeting. Imperium does not look pleased.

We look back at CM Punk having tricep surgery last week.

Here is Imperium for Gunther’s celebration. Gunther says no one should be surprised that we are here for this celebration. He doesn’t know why he’s here though, because every milestone is a formality anyway. The fact of the matter is he is running out of competition so who is left to challenge for this title?

Cue Jey Uso with the full dancing entrance, which Gunther calls a simple gesture for a simple audience. He doesn’t like this disrespect though, even if Jey is one half of the best teams ever. It makes sense too as you get all the glory for only 50% of the work. Uso lists off his resume (incorrectly saying he was in the first tag team to main event Wrestlemania) and says he wants the title shot.

Gunther likes his moxie and threatens to beat Jey back to the days when people couldn’t tell the Usos apart. Gunther: “UCE!” The fight is on with New Day making the save to chase Imperium off. This is a perfectly logical next challenger for Gunther and Jey winning the title does not feel out of the question. That being said, Gunther is adding some great quips on the mic, just in case he didn’t have enough tools so far.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants to hurt Cody Rhodes.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

The Warriors are defending and Chance goes after Asuka’s bad ribs to start. The champs are knocked to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Carter fighting her way out of trouble and handing it back to Chance. Asuka gets draped over the middle rope in the corner for some knees to the ribs, setting up the After Party for two. Sane breaks up the Keg Stand though and an Insane Elbow/reverse DDT combination finishes Chance at 9:48.

Rating: C. The problem here was outside of Bayley interfering to cost the Warriors the titles, there was little reason to believe they were losing the titles. Chance and Carter don’t feel like they’re on the same level and it was showing here. They can do some high flying stuff, but the Warriors feel like far more well rounded stars, both on their own and as a team.

We get a sitdown interview with Sami Zayn in an empty arena. Zayn talks about getting close but not quite making it. HHH pulled him aside and said he was like Rocky Balboa, which makes him believe that he’ll be a champion one day. It’s about proving to himself and the people that they should have believed in him.

Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Bullrope match and you win by pinfall or submission. The rope is apparently the same one Dusty and Dustin used in their bullrope matches over the years. Nakamura jumps him to start but Cody takes over on the floor as we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Rhodes pulling him into the post but Nakamura uses the rope to break up a springboard.

Nakamura chokes with his boot and hits a running knee to the ribs for two. Cody is back with a dropkick to the knee and the Figure Four goes on, only to have Nakamura use the bell for the escape. We take another break and come back again with Rhodes hitting the snap powerslam.

The Cody Cutter gets two and they slug it out until Nakamura kicks him in the head. There’s the reverse exploder suplex but the Kinshasa is countered into a Pedigree for two. Back up and Nakamura uses the mist but the blind Cody hits Cross Rhodes for two more. Kinshasa is blocked and Rhodes hits him low with the rope, setting up Cross Rhodes for the pin at 16:43.

Rating: B-. This felt like a house show main event and that is likely because they’ve headlined house shows with it for the last few weeks. The good idea here was to have Rhodes get a nice win to give the fans something to cheer about. The fans want to cheer Rhodes right now and it would go a long way to calm them down if he gets to beat up a rival like he did here.

Drew McIntyre runs in to jump Rhodes to end the show. Those two could have a heck of a fight at Elimination Chamber.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a good show in here somewhere but it got bogged down by a lot of the stuff in the middle. That mixed tag was awful and some of the segments really didn’t work. The main event was good though and the Gunther/Uso segment did well too. With that being said, the opening segment and the anti-Rock reaction are what matter the most here, as that press conference could be quite the mess if they go in the expected directions. I’m curious to see what they do though, because plowing straight ahead seems more than a bit risky. For now though, pretty good show that had some rough stretches.

Results
DIY b. Imperium, Creed Brothers and New Day – Meet In The Middle to Vinci
Becky Lynch b. Shayna Baszler – Manhandle Slam
Valhalla/Ivar b. Maxxine Dupri/Akira Tozawa – Super World’s Strongest Slam to Tozawa
Miz b. JD McDonagh – Skull Crushing Finale
Kabuki Warriors b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Reverse DDT/Insane Elbow combination to Chance
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Cross Rhodes

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 4, 1994
Location: Westchester County Civic Center, White Plains, New York
Attendance: 3,400
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Randy Savage

This is the last month of 1994 that I have to cover and we are freshly done with King Of The Ring. That means we now have King Owen, the King Of Harts, who is still not happy with his brother Bret. Odds are we will be hearing something from him as we are on the long road to Summerslam. Let’s get to it.

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

Gorilla and Savage are VERY happy that it’s the 4th of July. They also run down the crowd, though not quite as excitedly.

Tatanka vs. Jeff Jarrett

Tatanka strikes away to start and sends Jarrett into the corner, followed by a slightly delayed suplex for two. Jarrett is right back with a takedown into the chinlock, which lasts as long as the average chinlock. Back up and Tatanka grabs a Japanese armdrag before grinding away on a headlock. Naturally Jarrett, an old school heel, claims a pull of the hair and gets absolutely nowhere by doing so. Lying is bad you see.

Jarrett manages to send him outside for a needed breather so Tatanka follows, earning some rams into the apron. A good posting cuts off the comeback attempt and that’s a countout at 6:11. Hold on though as Jarrett doesn’t want it that way and wants a restart. After some insults to Randy Savage on commentary, Jarrett gets what he wants and we take a break.

Back with Jarrett grabbing the chinlock to keep Tatanka in trouble. Tatanka fights up and grabs a sleeper, only to be rammed into the buckle for another break. We hit the sleeper for a good while until Tatanka fights up, leaving Jarrett to ram him into the buckle. That means nothing on Tatanka (because stereotype reasons), who is back with a DDT for two. A top rope chop to the head has Jarrett trying to run off but Dink of all people stops him. Doink comes out with a bucket to chase Jarrett back inside, where Tatanka grabs a rollup for the pin at 16:09.

Rating: C. This got some time and the ending played into the Doink stuff, but it’s a case where the match is more long than good. The chinlock and sleeper felt like they were going on for a rather long time and that didn’t make for the best match. Jarrett did the “I don’t want a countout” thing for months on the house shows so it makes sense for him to bring it to Raw.

Video on Bret Hart defending the WWF Title against the 1-2-3 Kid next week.

It’s time for the King’s Court with Jerry Lawler, whose guest is the 1-2-3 Kid himself. After some jokes about how small/skinny the Kid is, here he is to a rather nice reaction. Lawler tells the Kid to ignore the fans and tells him to go win the title because Lawler hates Bret Hart that much. The Kid praises Bret but Lawler says that’s no attitude to win the title. Lawler keeps saying to win the title for him but the Kid says he’s doing it for himself. And that’s about it.

Come to house shows!

Jim Neidhart vs. Gary Scott

Neidhart has Owen Hart with him and launches Scott with an early backdrop. The chinlock goes on as commentary speaks about the dangers of Thurman Plugg. The fans want Bret but have to settle for Neidhart sending him hard into the corner and biting away. Scott gets tied in the Tree of Woe to keep up the beating and we hit the chinlock. Neidhart sends him outside for some yelling from Owen, followed by a powerslam for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C-. Neidhart is someone who made sense for the role as he tied into the whole Hart Family story, but that doesn’t mean he was exactly interesting. He always had the problem of being fairly uninteresting without Bret in there with him but at least he’s something different. Not an interesting squash here, but at least it gets better when Bret is around.

Duke Droese vs. Mike Sharpe

A trashman vs. a known clean freak. This really just doesn’t seem fair. Droese slams him down to start but Sharpe actually gets in some forearms to the back. Back up and Droese gets in some rams into the corner before elbowing him in the face as commentary talks about tennis. A big elbow finishes for Droese at 4:00.

Rating: C. Droese is someone who felt like he could have been something, or at least something more than what he was here. It’s a gimmick that is never going to get him anywhere but he did put the effort into tring something with it. Not much of a squash, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Droese.

We get the BRET vignette with the kid shouting and then saying go get em champ. That’s as 90s as you can get, even if it’s based on something from the 70s.

Fake Undertaker vs. Mike Bell

Ted DiBiase is here with Fake Undertaker, who starts a bit faster than usual for an Undertaker match. We go through the slightly complicated managerial history of Undertaker over the years as he chokes away in the corner and grabs a drop toehold of all things. Fake drops an elbow and sits up, much to DiBiase’s delight. Old School sets up more choking and the Tombstone finishes Bell at 4:01.

Rating: C-. They were in a weird place here as it was pretty clearly not the same Undertaker yet commentary was acting like it was really him, which made things rather odd. The match was the usual squash, but seeing someone who looks like the Undertaker doing a drop toehold was weird enough. At least Fake had a good looking Tombstone, which is one of the most important aspects.

Post match Paul Bearer comes out and Fake seems conflicted. Post break, DiBiase uses the power of money to calm things down.

Post another break, Jerry Lawler asks Ted DiBiase to be on the King’s Court next week and Lawler even offers to do it on location so DiBiase doesn’t have to be around the people.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty bleh show here, especially for a major holiday. Maybe they were punting for a change but other than Randy Savage’s outfit and a few mentions, you would have no idea that this was on the 4th of July. The Fake Undertaker stuff was the big draw and that is hardly must see. That Kid vs. Hart match does sound good though and we should be in for a solid one next week.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 29, 2024
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and officially on the Road To Wrestlemania. That means it is time to start getting ready for the big time of the year. Almost everything is going to matter now, but that is going to be more complicated because CM Punk has reportedly torn his tricep. Odds are we’ll hear something about that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

We open with wrestlers coming to work.

Pat McAfee is here, and apparently will be every Monday night going forward. No word on what that means for Wade Barrett.

We get a long recap of the Royal Rumble.

Here is CM Punk, with his arm in a sling, for a chat. He talks about how close he got to winning the Royal Rumble and had it in the palm of his hand. Punk doesn’t feel mad at Cody Rhodes, who earned the win. On Saturday, he tore his tricep and is going to be out for a long time. That means that main eventing Wrestlemania just isn’t happening this year, and the fans are not pleased.

Punk talks about a friend of his who is battling cancer and he never says a bad word and he’s the kind of person that Punk wants to be. We hear about other people Punk know who work day to day jobs and they keep going, which is what he wants to do. He’s a Chicago Cubs fan and guarantees us that there is always a next year…but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt (Punk: “Not what I was expecting.”).

McIntyre seems to feel sorry for Punk and talks about how he’s going to headline Wrestlemania. He got his hands on Punk and still doesn’t like him, which has Punk promising to be back next year and then getting his hands on McIntyre. The fight is on with Punk using the bad arm, which is quickly taken down. Sami Zayn makes the save. Punk was emotional here but there is nothing he can do with that kind of an injury. Hopefully he’s back later this year, which should be a heck of a moment, but how many times can he keep making these comebacks?

Judgment Day is happy with how things are going and ready to take out DIY.

DIY is ready for Judgment Day and have been waiting for years for this chance.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is defending. Priest takes Ciampa into the corner and hits him in the face to take over. Everything breaks down in a hurry with DIY hitting stereo dives to the floor, meaning stereo pats on the back. We settle back down to Priest dropping Ciampa face first onto the apron.

Back in and Balor’s ax kick gets two so Ciampa goes over for the tag…which the referee doesn’t see. Ciampa finally gets in a reverse DDT for the breather and the tag brings in Gargano to clean house. The slingshot spear gives Gargano two and everything breaks down. Ciampa assists Gargano for an assisted Sliced Bread to Priest for two but can’t hit the Fairy Tale Ending.

A heck of a clothesline gives Priest two and he throws Gargano outside for making a save. South Of Heaven is broken up though and Ciampa hits a super White Noise for two. Meet In The Middle connects but Priest makes the save. That makes Ciampa send Priest over the announcers’ table as Balor knocks Gargano into the corner but misses the Coup de Grace.

The Gargano Escape and Sicilian Stretch go on at the same time until Priest drops Ciampa onto the other two for the save. We settle back down to Gargano escaping the Razor’s Edge and handing it back to Gargano. A superkick drops Balor so Priest loads up the Razor’s Edge to Ciampa, only to be cut off by Gargano. Back in and Ciampa rolls Priest up for two but it’s a Razor’s Edge into the Coup de Grace to retain the titles at 12:49.

Rating: B+. Man this was rolling by the middle and if they had gone at somewhere in there, the roof might have come off. Instead though, it was an awesome match in front of a hot crowd and I was buying that DIY had a chance of pulling this off. Really hot match here and hopefully DIY gets another shot at some point.

Post match Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in to celebrate, with Damian Priest saying we have seen a different side to the team in recent weeks and it’s time to thank someone for making it happen. That would be R-Truth, so here he is for a chat, albeit after Priest assures him that he’ll be safe. Truth comes in and talks about doing Priest’s taxes, with Priest saying Truth doesn’t know what any of that means.

They’re a family, with Balor as the weird uncle. Then you have Tom and Nick, but there is nothing else to say about them. McDonagh is like that step brother you don’t want to admit is in the family. Priest says they’re family, but Truth isn’t part of the team. He likes Truth though, which is why Dominik and McDonagh are doing this. The beatdown is on but Miz runs in for the save, only to get beaten down as well. Truth and Miz getting the Tag Team Titles could be a nice moment.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Niven runs Stark over to start but it’s quickly off to Baszler to work on the arm. Green comes in to takeover on Stark, who hits a Z360 for a VERY quick win at 2:01. Baszler looked a bit confused there, even though her team won so I’m wondering if that wasn’t as planned.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and yeah the fans really like him. The fans say he deserves it, so Cody asks Samantha Irvin to introduce him as the back to back Royal Rumble winner one more time. Cody talks about how this place is supposed to be an escape for people but the last few days have been challenging. He needed the fans since then but let’s make Wrestlemania official.

Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt, saying he agrees with the fans: Cody deserves it. They might not see eye to eye, but Rollins is getting serious now: if Cody chooses to face Roan Reigns at Wrestlemania, he’s making a mistake. Cody should face Rollins instead and wants the fans to hear him out. At the Royal Rumble press conference, Cody said he was the guy, but neither he nor Roman Reigns is the guy anymore. Rollins is the guy, because of the World Heavyweight Championship.

It made sense to go after Reigns when there was only one champion, but Rhodes and Rollins have been on this ride together. They have made town after town and Rollins was defending the title every night. Why did the World Heavyweight Championship come to be? It’s because people were tired of Reigns barely being around to defend the title, but that’s not what Rollins does.

We don’t need to pretend that Reigns is something special anymore because we don’t need him at all. Does Cody want the Hulk Hogan Title, or does he want the Dusty Rhodes workhorse title? It doesn’t matter what Dusty would do because this is about Cody and his decision. Rollins can wait on an answer, but what kind of a man does Cody want to be? An emotional Cody says he respects Rollins and did not expect to be talking about this tonight. He’ll think about it. While I still think Cody picks Reigns, they did a really good job here of sewing some doubt, which is a god thing if you want the announcement to be a big moment.

New Day is ready to win another title when Kofi Kingston beats Gunther for the Intercontinental Title.

Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed

Reed runs him over to start and hits a hard clothesline. Back up and Jey manages to knock him outside for the suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Uso punching away and getting two off a high crossbody. The enziguri is knocked away though and Reed’s backsplash gets two. Reed goes up but gets knocked down, only to avoid the Superfly Splash. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets two but he misses the Tsunami. Uso spears him down and hits the Superfly Splash for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that can do some good for Uso. He wasn’t in there against a top star but he had to come from behind and gets a nice clean win. Uso is likely going to be getting to do something soon (a run at the Intercontinental Title wouldn’t shock me) and this should move him forward in more than one way.

Andrade officially signs with Raw but Nick Aldis interrupts. Adam Pearce introduces the two of them and runs down Andrade’s resume, though Aldis said Smackdown had its own contract offer. Andrade says say hi to Zelina Vega for him and leaves. Aldis says Bayley has been loaded to Raw for tonight, but before they can talk about the Elimination Chamber, Aldis takes a phone call from Bron Breakker.

Gunther talks about being glad Kofi Kingston challenged him because Kingston will remember this night for the rest of his life. After tonight though, Gunther will forget about Kofi and remember Gunther’s record setting title reign.

Becky Lynch is disappointed in losing but she’s not done fighting until she takes the title back to the main event where it deserves.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Kofi Kingston

Kingston is challenging and charges right at him to start. Some early shots to the face stagger Gunther but a backbreaker puts Kingston down. Gunther grabs the Boston crab and we’re off to an early break. Back with Gunther pounding away and telling Kingston to bring it. Gunther shrugs off a comeback attempt and grabs another Boston crab as we take another break.

Back again with Kingston hitting a jumping knee but getting caught in the sleeper. The powerbomb is broken up and they head outside, with Kingston countering another powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana into the post. Back in and Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise but Gunther rolls outside before the cover.

Kingston drapes him over the steps for a jumping shot to the back, followed by the top rope Boom Drop for two back inside. Another Trouble In Paradise is countered in a failed Boston crab attempt so Gunther hits the big clothesline. Another clothesline is countered into the SOS for two and Gunther has had enough. The dropkick and powerbomb retain the title at 16:18.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but once they got rolling, this got a lot better in a hurry. Kingston is in that sweet spot where he’s just good enough to feel like a threat while making Gunther look good. We’re coming up on Wrestlemania season and the shot against Gunther is going to be a big spot for someone. Jey Uso still feels like a real option, but it’s going to be someone big.

Post match Xavier Woods comes in to check on Kingston but Imperium comes in for the beatdown.

We look back at Drew McIntyre injuring Sami Zayn last month.

Sami talks about how he keeps getting things taken away by McIntyre, who is now targeting other people. Tonight, Sami is giving him a reality check.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Natalya/Tegan Nox

Non-title. Natalya runs Sane over to start so it’s off Now for some running shots to Asuka in the corner. A Cannonball keeps Asuka in trouble and it’s Natalya coming back in for the double running kicks to the face. We take a break and come back with Natalya fighting back on Asuka. A German suplex and discus clothesline look to set up the Sharpshooter so Asuka screams for Sane to save her. Natalya reaches for the tag to Nox but instead she goes to the floor to brawl with Sane. That goes badly, leaving Natalya to roll Asuka up for two. Asuka kicks Natalya down and the Insane Elbow finishes for Sane at 9:50.

Rating: C. Good grief. Natalya and Nox have teamed together SIX TIMES. Can we please stop acting like them having an issue and probably splitting up is in any way a big deal? Natalya isn’t interesting in the first place and pretending that this is some kind of a big deal isn’t making things better. This was a fine enough match but I rolled my eyes hard at the idea of some kind of a breakup angle between a team that was barely around in the first place.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are ready for their rematch for the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week.

Here is Bayley, with the rest of Damage CTRL, for a chat. Bayley talks about how everyone was saying she wasn’t as good once she came back from her injury but now she is back as the Royal Rumble winner. She beat the best women’s division ever and even broke Rhea Ripley’s Iron Woman record.

Cue Ripley to interrupt but Nia Jax jumps her from behind. The fight is on and they get in the ring, with Jax running her over and dropping the big leg. Jax drops two more plus the Annihilator before staring Bayley down in the corner. Ripley isn’t making it to Wrestlemania, but Bayley says she’s making her announcement on Smackdown. This was more about setting up Ripley for her Hogan vs. Andre style match in Australia.

Drew McIntyre says Sami Zayn has never beaten him and that isn’t changing tonight.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre jumps him to start and they go to the floor for an early break. Back with Sami hitting a sunset bomb for a much needed breather. Zayn fights back again but gets run over with a hard shot. McIntyre goes up top, only to get superplexed back down in quite the big crash.

The Helluva Kick is cut off with an elbow to the face, followed by the overhead belly to belly. White Noise plants Sami for two but he knocks McIntyre into the corner again. Another Helluva Kick is blocked with what appears to be a low blow. The Claymore finishes for McIntyre at 12:56.

Rating: C+. This got better near the end but it was kind of a flat main event. I’m not sure what WWE has in mind for McIntyre at Wrestlemania (though a match with Seth Rollins isn’t out of the cards) but this was just him beating Sami again. It was a good enough match, though nothing you need to really see.

Overall Rating: B-. The show started off on a down note but was picked up by some rather good action. They could only set up so much for Wrestlemania this week due to the Punk injury and probably a bunch of fallout from the lawsuit changing everything, but it could have been worse. They have more than enough time to get ready, but the build to Elimination Chamber can start next week.

Results
Judgment Day b. DIY – Coup de Grace to Ciampa
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Z360 to Green
Jey Uso b. Bronson Reed – Superfly Splash
Gunther b. Kofi Kingston – Powerbomb
Kabuki Warriors b. Tegan Nox/Natalya – Insane Elbow to Natalya
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore

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