Survivor Series 2022
Date: November 26, 2022
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s time for WarGames and no that still doesn’t feel right to say. We have a men’s and women’s version of the match here and that should make for a great core of the show. There are only five matches on the card but double WarGames is probably enough to carry things, especially with the Bloodline vs. Team Drew McIntyre as the likely headliner. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a five minute Ozzy Osborne music video, with Ozzy saying Welcome To WarGames at the end. That works.

Team Belair vs. Team Damage Ctrl

Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Mia Yim
Bayley, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley, Nikki Cross

If you’re not familiar, we have two teams of five, with each team sending in a person for dive minutes. After that, the team who won the advantage coming into the match (Damage Ctrl in this case) will send in its second wrestler (standing in a mini cage with their teammates on the stage until their turn) for a three minute advantage. The teams alternate for three minutes until all ten are in, when it becomes first pin (erg) or submission to win.

Belair and Kai start things off with Belair throwing her around early on. A neck snap across the top rope gives Kai a breather but Belair drags her into the other ring and takes over. Kai gets in a few kicks to stagger her right back though and they head back into the original ring. The scorpion kick rocks Belair but she shoves Kai off without much trouble. Kai is the first one to go into the cage a few times, including off a toss powerbomb, until Iyo Sky is in for the advantage.

Belair gets in a shot but the double teaming gets the better of her, allowing Sky to hit the running knees in the corner. A double suplex gets Belair out of trouble for a second but a springboard missile dropkick puts her right back down. Asuka is in to even things up though and we go right to the Asuka vs. Kai slugout. It’s Asuka getting the better of things as Belair gets back up to make things even for a change. Asuka’s dropkick takes Kai down again until Nikki Cross is in for the villainous advantage.

Nikki spends about a minute throwing in weapons and slamming the door onto Asuka’s head before coming in. The beating is on, including several shots with Nikki’s jacket to Asuka and Belair. Nikki chokes Belair with a kendo stick until Bliss is in to even things up. Bliss cleans house until Kai and Sky are back up with stick shots of her own. Nikki uses the distraction to go up top and dive onto the huge pile (thankfully standing in the right spot) for the group knockdown and first high spot.

It’s Bayley in next and she brings in a pair of ladders, because WARGAMES needs to go TLC. Bayley finally gets in and goes smart by pinning Belair between the rings with a table holding her in place. More ladder shots abound until Mia Yim gets to come in and clan house, including freeing up Belair. Various weapon shots clean house until Kai drops Yim, leaving everyone down at the same time.

Rhea Ripley comes in to complete Team Damage Ctrl and everyone gets beaten up in a row. Yim is left alone in one ring for whatever reason, only to have her dive between the rings cut off so Kai can trashcan lid her in the head. Lynch comes in to complete the field, meaning falls can now take place, and cleans house without much trouble. Kai gets sent face first into a ladder and then into a garbage can, leaving Lynch to go to the other ring for the showdown with Bayley.

Ripley is back up to stare Lynch down though and a quick Riptide gets two, with Asuka making the save. A bunch of people pair off until Asuka mists Ripley. Bayley decks Asuka and Lynch before the Roseplant sends Lynch into the steel plate between the rings. Asuka and Sky go up top but get caught by a trashcan shot to the back. The Tower Of Doom is loaded up but Cross is back up to pull people off. Belair gives Bayley a scary powerbomb but thankfully she is still moving.

Sky moonsaults off the top of the cage onto Yim and Belair for the VERY nasty crash, with Belair coming up holding her leg. It’s Cross up next and she whips out some handcuffs to tie herself to Bliss. They go to the corner and knock each other down until Yim is driven through a ladder in the corner. We get the big Lynch/Belair vs. Damage Ctrl showdown and it’s the heroines getting the better of things. Sky and Kai are loaded onto a table as Bayley gets hit with the KOD into the cage. That leaves Lynch to go up top for the legdrop off the top of the cage through the table to pin Kai at 39:35.

Rating: B. There was almost no way that a team with Belair and Lynch was going to lose here so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. The match itself had the violence and the carnage (and the weapons, but those are just a standard these days). What mattered here was making the match feel epic and while almost forty minutes is WAY too long for WarGames, the match went by fast enough that it didn’t feel that long. Good opener, with Lynch feeling like her old self.

We look back at Sami Zayn lying to Jey Uso about talking to Kevin Owens last night.

Jey Uso wants to know what Roman Reigns is going to do about this. Roman says deal with it and win the match tonight. Jey leaves and, after a long stare, Reigns tells Heyman to get Zayn in here.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor, which is a one on one match to represent OC vs. Judgment Day. Either way, this should be good stuff.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

Dominik Mysterio/Damien Priest and the OC are here too. Feeling out process to start with Balor driving him into the corner for an actual clean break. Styles runs him over with a shoulder and some right hands stagger Balor again. Balor rolls through into a basement dropkick to take over though and we hit the abdominal stretch of all things. Styles eventually hiptosses his way to freedom and the basement forearm gets two.

The Styles Clash is blocked so Balor sends him to the apron, only to have his knee get snapped across the rope to slow him down again. Dominik and Priest offer a distraction so Styles can be sent onto the apron, meaning the big brawl is on outside. With everyone else in the crowd, Balor hits a Sling Blade but charges into a jumping enziguri.

Balor kicks him down again but Styles….whatever his version of Hulking Up is. Another knockdown gives Balor two though, even as you can see the welts on his back. Balor tries his own Styles Clash but Styles blocks, setting up an exchange of Pele Kicks for a double knockdown. Some knees to the ribs give Balor two and the fireman’s carry backbreaker gets the same.

1916 is countered though and Styles hits a moonsault….Nightmare on Helm Street for a change of pace. A 450 misses for Styles and Balor shotgun dropkicks him into the corner. The Coup de Grace misses though and Balor bangs up his knee again. The Calf Crusher goes on until Balor rams his head into the mat for the break. Balor sends him to the apron but gets caught with an enziguri, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm to give Styles the pin at 18:25.

Rating: B+. Yeah this worked and I don’t know why anything else would have been expected. This was a really simple concept: take two world class talents, give them time, and watch them have a great match. Both of them can still go with the best of them and while I’m a bit surprised Styles won (first singles win on pay per view in three years), it was really entertaining stuff throughout and a nice change of pace after WarGames

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi for Rousey’s Smackdown Women’s Title. Rousey is the monster champion but Shotzi isn’t scared and is willing to come for the belt. To make it even more lopsided, Rousey has Shayna Baszler in her corner.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

Rousey is defending with Shayna Baszler in her corner. They start fast with the ankle lock having Shotzi in trouble less than twenty seconds in. Shotzi reverses by sending her outside, where the suicide dive takes out Baszler instead. Back in and Rousey reverses a high crossbody into a kind of belly to belly to take over again. The ankle lock goes on again but Shotzi escapes for a second time.

That doesn’t work for Rousey, who hammers away against the ropes. They go to the apron and crash out to the floor, with Shotzi hitting a heck of a dive off the barricade onto Rousey and Baszler, taking out people behind them as well. Back in and Rousey grabs the ankle lock for the third time, only to switch into the armbar to retain at 7:12.

Rating: C. There was never any drama here as Shotzi isn’t going to be the person to take the title from Rousey. Shotzi gave it her all and that big dive was cool, but other than that, what was there to make me believe that Shotzi was a real threat. We are probably on the road to Rousey vs. someone a bit bigger for the title, bu Shotzi did put in some effort here.

Sami Zayn finally comes in to see Roman Reigns, who asks about Sami talking to Kevin Owens last night. Zayn did talk to him, so Reigns flat out asks him why he lied to Jey Uso. Sami says that he didn’t want to put anything on Jey’s plate before the main event. Owens was the one doing the talking and said Sami should turn on the Bloodline. Reigns says this is his blood and asks if Sami is with them. Sami insists that he is with the Bloodline and Reigns stares at him. They both stand and Reigns says let’s do it. They hug, but Reigns doesn’t seem entirely convinced.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending and Lashley sends Theory outside to start. A neckbreaker drops Rollins but it’s too early for the Hurt Lock. Theory pulls Rollins outside and sends him into the barricade, allowing him to actually hammer Lashley down back inside. Lashley shrugs that off and sends Theory outside again. This time Theory grabs a chair, only to have Lashley take it away.

Rollins is back with a knee off the apron to drop Lashley though and there’s a toss into the steps. Theory is back up with the steps to both of their faces and sends Rollins back inside. There’s the rolling dropkick to drop Rollins and Theory sends Lashley into the barricade for a bonus. Back in and Rollins slugs away at Theory, followed by a suicide dive to Lashley. The big running flip dive drops both challengers and the fans seem rather pleased with Rollins.

Back in and Rollins misses the Stomp, allowing Lashley to hit the spinebuster. The Hurt Lock goes on but Theory grabs a sleeper on Lashley to break it up. Rollins knocks Theory down but misses the Phoenix splash. Theory grabs a rolling Blockbuster on Lashley, who is right back with Hurt Lock.

The rope walk flip into a rollup gets two but Rollins Phoenix splashes them for the save. Rollins discus forearms Theory but Lashley Hurt Locks both of them at the same time. Since that can’t last long, Rollins breaks it up and Stomps Lashley but he has to superplex Theory. Rollins tries to roll into the Falcon Arrow but Lashley spears him down, allowing Theory to fall on top for the pin and the title at 14:49.

Rating: B. I wasn’t big on a lot of the match but they had some creative stuff in there. The ending made Theory feel more like he was thinking instead of coming in there and stealing the pin. Theory getting the title back is the right call and now he can hopefully get more of a proper push. Granted that was what seemed to be the case the first time, but at least he is getting somewhere.

Jey Uso asks Roman Reigns if Sami Zayn lied to him too. Reigns says he looked Sami in the eye and saw everything he needed to see. That’s good enough for Jey.

Team McIntyre vs. Bloodline

Drew McIntyre, Butch, Ridge Holland, Sheamus, Kevin Owens
Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn

Same rules as the women’s match. Butch and Jey start things off and stare at each other for most of the first minute. Jey finally goes after him and gets dropped with a clothesline. Butch goes after the fingers but Jey manages to get in a shot to the face for a needed breather. Things slow down but Butch stomps on the arm to slow Jey down again. The arm is tied around the rope and it’s Ridge Holland to put Jey down 2-1.

Jey manages a shot to Butch before Ridge can get here, leaving Ridge to get kicked in the ribs. The Brutes go high/low on Jey and it’s back to the hand. Ridge weakly twisted on the ankle at the same time until Sami is in to even things up. Zayn takes his sweet time to get in, burning off over a minute of the three minute period just coming to the ring. Butch is dropped in the corner as Reigns seems pleased that Jey and Sami are working well together. That lasts for all of a few seconds before Sami has to calm Jey down.

The delay lets Holland get up but he charges into the cage, allowing Jey to beat on Butch (favoring his arm) even more. McIntyre is in next and house is cleaned, albeit at a bit of a slow pace. The overhead belly to belly sends Sami flying and the sit up choke throw sends Jey flying, but off the top this time. There’s the Futureshock to Sami as Jimmy is in to even the score, but he has some tables as well.

Jimmy has to calm Jey and Sami down again, with commentary not being sure what Jey’s problem is here. The Bloodline beats everyone down until Kevin Owens (in a pretty sweet Dusty Rhodes shirt) unevens things again. Owens swings away with a chair but stops to have the staredown with Zayn. The slow beatings continue as the energy is definitely shifting down a bit until we get to the big finale.

Solo Sikoa is in next and gets to clean a bit of house. Owens can’t powerbomb Sikoa between the rings, as he is instead backdropped onto the plate between them. Sikoa superkicks McIntyre down into the corner and it’s Sheamus coming in to complete the good guys. The Bloodline comes back and everyone is down until Reigns comes in to complete the field. Everyone stands up for the big showdown visual, more or less rendering the last 28 minutes entirely worthless.

Reigns’ Superman Punch misses Sheamus, who ties him in the ropes for the ten forearms, only to have all of his partners do the same thing to someone else on the Bloodline. After twenty forearms each, Sheamus Brogue Kicks Sikoa but gets speared by Reigns for two. Sami yells at Butch but (seemed to be aiming for Butch but it’s not clear) gets superkicked by Jey. Not that it matters as the Usos have to give Butch a super 1D.

There’s the spear to send Holland through a table in the corner but McIntyre is back on Reigns. The powerbomb through the table is broken up by Sikoa, who Spinning Solos McIntyre through the table instead. Owens and Reigns slug it out with the superkick cutting off the spear. There’s the Pop Up Powerbomb into the Stunner but Sami grabs the referee to break up the pin.

Owens and Zayn stare at each other (while Owens has reigns covered for about a 19) and the fans chant for SAMI USO. Owens has to block a Jey superkick, allowing Sami to hit him low. Sami looks around at everything and might be second guessing himself. Reigns looks at Sami, who Helluva Kicks Owens. Sami and Jey look at each other, with Sami leaving Owens to get Superfly Splashed for the pin at 38:30.

Rating: B+. This is a weird match as the action was mostly there and the Sami drama was great, but as has been the case with almost every WarGames, it was WAY longer than it needed to be. The classic WarGames matches were about 21-25 minutes and this is so far beyond any of those times. Cut down the periods to two minutes instead of one and this gets WAY easier, just by shaving off about eight minutes.

As for the match itself, it was a lot of violence with one big move after another. The problem here though was that everything was waiting on Sami’s decision. It was the only thing that mattered in the match and there was only so much to get interested in until the ending. Sami going full Bloodline in a more serious way should take things in a different direction. Very good match, but trim off ten or so minutes and it’s that much better.

Post match Sami hugs Reigns and gets the big hug from Jey as he is officially accepted as part of the team. The Bloodline poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. The two big matches more than carried this and the weakest part of the show was a seven minute match that would have been perfectly fine on TV. What mattered most here was it felt like stuff was mattering after so many years of Raw vs. Smackdown with no stakes to be seen. The main event felt important and there was a logical title change in the middle. Very good show here, and WarGames makes a pretty awesome main roster debut.

Results
Team Belair b. Team Damage Ctrl – Legdrop off the cage to Kai
AJ Styles b. Finn Balor – Phenomenal Forearm
Ronda Rousey b. Shotzi – Armbar
Austin Theory b. Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley – Spear to Rollins
Bloodline b. Team McIntyre – Superfly Splash to Owens

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Survivor Series 2012
Date: November 18, 2012
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 8,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield

I don’t remember much about this show and I think that says a lot about it. The main event is a triple threat with Punk defending against Cena and Ryback because WWE loves their three way matches. The original main event was going to be Team Punk vs. Team Foley in a Survivor Series match but WWE realized no one would pay to see that, so the new main events were made. Team Punk was replaced by Team Ziggler, despite the two of them having no real animosity at all. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: 3MB vs. Zack Ryder/Santino Marella

It’s Slater and Mahal here. Ryder starts with Mahal as Matt Striker rips Ryder on commentary. Mahal takes him down with a shoulder block but gets caught in an armdrag. Off to Santino who works on a headlock before it’s off to Slater for another armdrag. Ryder comes back in as the announcers talk about Halloween a good three weeks since it’s been over. McIntyre holds Slater’s belt from the floor to avoids Santino’s dropkick. Tag off to the fun one of the Band (meaning Mahal if that’s not clear) who gets two off a knee drop.

Back to Slater for some shots in the corner but he gives up the hot tag to Santino for all his usual antics. Heath punches him down and brings Jinder in again for some knee drops off the ropes. Santino misses a double clothesline which gives Slater another near fall. The Band stays on Marella but he backdrops Mahal down, allowing for the lukewarm tag off to Ryder. The Broski Boot connects and everything breaks down. A Rough Ryder connects on Slater but the legal Mahal sneaks in with a full nelson slam for the pin on Zack.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t much to see. It isn’t a bad match or anything but how good can a match be when 3MB is getting a clean pin? That’s not exactly a match that’s going to light the world on fire. Also, you’re trying to get a crowd going for a show, you have Santino Marella, and he doesn’t get the hot tag? Really?

The opening video talks about the history that has taken place at this show, ranging from Undertaker and Rock debuting, Montreal, and Rock and Cena teaming up for the first time ever. We then shift over to the main event hype videos you would expect, focusing on the world title matches and….nothing else. Seriously Foley vs. Ziggler isn’t mentioned here at all. There is a nice idea of Punk surviving as champion at various amounts of days into his reign.

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Brodus Clay, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio

Tensai, Primo, Epico, Prime Time Players

This is a bonus match to fill out the card. Nothing wrong with that at all. Apparently this is the debut of the three man booth so we’re getting a bit of history here. Why anyone would care about that is beyond me but I need something to talk about during these long entrances. This was also back when Tensai was all evil but was a total joke by this point, just as he had been all along. If nothing else we get to see Rosa Mendes with black hair and those hips of hers.

Kidd works on Epico’s arm to start before taking him down into a headlock. Epico is sent to the floor but manages to send Kidd face first into the apron to take over but it’s quickly off to Gabriel. A sunset flip gets two for Justin and he cranks on Epico’s arm as well. Back to Kidd for a headscissors before putting on another armbar. That doesn’t last long as Mysterio comes in with a low dropkick for two.

Young gets the tag and is almost immediately sent face first into the middle buckle, allowing for a tag off to Sin Cara. The masked men hit a combination wheelbarrow slam/X-Factor for two on Young, sending him over to the corner for a tag off to Primo. Cara hits a quick cross body for two and a sunset flip gets the same as this is a very fast paced match. Tensai gets the tag and runs over Cara with a few slams as JBL lists off Tensai’s Japanese accomplishments.

Off to Titus as Sin Cara is in a lot of trouble. Another slam puts Sin down and it’s off to Primo for a camel clutch. Tensai comes back in to work over the downed Cara but goes after the rest of the team instead of covering. Sin Cara gets up for an enziguri, allowing the hot tag to Clay. Brodus cleans house and the Players, Epico and Primo are sent to the floor. Kidd and Gabriel hit stereo dives to take out the cousins followed by Asai moonsaults from Cara and Mysterio to take out the Players. Awesome sequence.

The monsters are going at it back inside and Clay botches his high collar suplex, making it into more of a lifting downward spiral. Tensai avoids a charge in the corner and shoulders Brodus down, setting up a backsplash for the elimination. Gabriel comes in with some kicks to the side but gets taken down by a big shoulder block. Off to Titus for an abdominal stretch followed by a backbreaker. Back to Tensai for two off a backsplash but he misses a second one, allowing Gabriel to get a quick rollup for the elimination.

Titus comes in to stomp on the spent Gabriel before it’s back to Epico for a chinlock. Epico misses some elbow drops, allowing Gabriel to make the tag off to Tyson. Kidd heads to the apron but gets sent to the floor where Primo gets in a cheap shot. Back inside with Primo now legal but getting forearmed in the face. Cole says Primo has been a general out there. I’d go more like a lieutenant at best from what I’ve seen.

Back to Titus who crotches himself off a missed big boot, allowing Tyson to kick him in the side of the head, setting up a rolling cradle for the pin and an elimination. Young comes in to keep the pressure on Kidd before it’s back to Epico for some rolling belly to back suplexes. Not that they matter though as Kidd sweeps the legs and puts on the Sharpshooter to get rid of Epico. Cole of course talks about Montreal.

Primo comes in now but gets elbowed in the ribs for his efforts. He comes back with a quick belly to back suplex, only to go up top and dive into a dropkick to the ribs. The hot tag brings in Mysterio who rolls through a sunset flip and kicks Primo in the face for two. A seated senton looks to set up the 619 but Primo moves to the side, only to get caught in La Majistral for the pin. Darren Young is left all alone and it’s finishers a go-go until Rey finishes him with a top rope splash for the win.

Rating: C. The winners were never really in doubt but this was the right way to get a show going. The fast paced stuff worked very well here with all of the smaller guys hitting their dives to wake the crowd up and give them a fun match. It’s no masterpiece or anything but it did exactly what it was supposed to do. A little trivia for you: that loss makes Tensai 0-5 at Survivor Series, which I’m pretty sure is the worst record ever.

Kaitlyn is on her way to the ring when someone in black attacks her. Kaitlyn fights back to reveal a blonde wig which falls off as the attacker leaves. Eve pops up and acts all shocked even though she’s evil at the moment. I think the attacker wound up being Aksana.

Divas Title: Katilyn vs. Eve Torres

Eve is defending. Kaitlyn jumps her to start and pounds away in the corner before sending Eve out to the floor. The champion is sent into the barricade and apron before heading back inside for some hair pulling. Eve kicks her in the ribs and slams Kaitlyn’s head into the mat over and over for two. Off to the corner for some choking and an elbow to the back gets two on Kaitlyn.

Eve puts on a figure four choke before clotheslining Kaitlyn down for no cover. Kaitlyn pops back up to break up the moonsault, sending Eve out to the floor. Back in and Eve is tossed around by the hair followed by a fireman’s carry gutbuster for two. Eve comes right back by sweeping Kaitlyn’s legs out and finishing her with a swinging neckbreaker.

Rating: D. As is the case with the Divas around this time, there isn’t much to brag about other than the girls looked good in their outfits. Kaitlyn just wasn’t that good in the ring and hasn’t gotten much better ever since. Eve was good but her character had hit a ceiling around this time. It’s no surprise she was gone soon after this.

Team Ziggler argues over who is the leader.

Team Foley argues over who will survive. Foley unites them in a BANG BANG chant, save for Orton. Foley: “Randy?” Orton: “I hate you.” Foley: “He’s ready.”

US Title: Antonio Cesaro vs. R-Truth

Cesaro is defending and asks why Americans are thankful. The only thing he can think of is how great of a champion he is. Truth gets a quick rollup, sunset flip and rolling cradle for two each before thrusting his hips a bit. Cesaro comes back with a headbutt and a clothesline before pounding away on Truth in the corner. Off to an armbar but a USA chant gets Truth to his feet. The champion shoulders him in the corner and puts on a body vice to keep Truth down again.

A knee to the ribs gets two as JBL lists off some facts about Cesaro’s rugby career. Cole brushes him off and starts listing off rugby facts of his own, sending JBL into a hilarious rant about Cole not listening and asking if Cole is a parrot. The gutwrench suplex gets two for Cesaro and an uppercut gets the same. Back to the body vice for a bit before Truth makes his comeback. Some clotheslines take Cesaro down and a spinning kick to the face gets two. A front suplex gets the same for Truth but the ax kick misses and Cesaro Neutralizes him to retain.

Rating: D. Other than JBL’s rant there was nothing to pay attention to here. These kind of title defenses tend to be very dull as someone like Truth isn’t going to take the title off Cesaro. For the life of me I don’t get why Cesaro isn’t a bigger deal than he is today. The guy has everything you would need but he doesn’t get that big push.

Ad for TLC, set up like an ad for David Otunga’s law offices.

We get a clip from Raw of voicemails from AJ, saying that she wants to end her relationship with Cena, but she loses control when she sees him. AJ claims that Ziggler hacked her phone and set those up. Ziggler makes fun of Cena’s, ahem, performance issues, drawing out Cena as backup. AJ slapped Ziggler down without Cena doing a thing.

Here’s AJ with some evidence against someone for something. Over the last month Vickie has been trying to prove that AJ is having an affair with Cena (remember that they’re both single at this point) which AJ thinks means Vickie has something to hide. This brings out Vickie, ranting as always about how much power she has and how she’s being disrespected.

AJ has pictures of Vickie eating with various wrestling personalities and this is SCANDALOUS! I’ve spent a long time trying to block this storyline out of my head but now I’m remembering how dumb it was. Vickie is shown in a one piece leopard swimsuit dancing with Brodus and Vickie shouts a lot. Slapping is threatened but they both get fired for touching the other, so here’s Tamina Snuka to destroy AJ on Vickie’s behalf. This story would keep going for WEEKS.

Promo for the Attitude Era DVD. Just writing that is so wrong.

Paul Heyman talks about how Punk is now #8 on the all time list for longest title reign and will be rising up the ranks even further after tonight because he’s the best in the world. Heyman is just awesome at promoting his guys.

We recap Big Show vs. Sheamus. Not much of a story here other than they had a war at HIAC with both guys kicking out of each others’ finishers in a great match. Tonight is a rematch.

Smackdown World Title: Sheamus vs. Big Show

It’s another brawl to start with Sheamus pounding away but Big Show gets in a few shots of his own to take over. The big chop misses in the corner and Sheamus gets in some more shots to little avail. Finally Sheamus wakes up and goes after the knees before tying Show up in the rpes for the forearms to the chest. Big Show escapes to the floor but Sheamus dives off the apron to get in even more right hands to the head.

Back in and Sheamus goes up top but Big Show spears him out of the air in a cool looking crash. They head outside again with Show sending Sheamus into the steps. Sheamus is thrown back in and can barely move. Big Show steps on Sheamus’ ribs a few times as the match has slowed way down. A huge elbow drop gets two and we hit the nerve hold. Sheamus fights up quickly but walks into a side slam for two as the match stays in slow motion. Since the slams aren’t working, Show just stands on Sheamus’ head. Sheamus fights up and grabs a sleeper but Big Show throws him off.

Big Show is getting winded so Sheamus pounds away as much as he can, only to miss a charge and go shoulder first into the post. The Final Cut gets two and Show goes to the middle rope, only to be caught in an electric chair of all things for two. That was rather awesome indeed. They slug it out from their knees and Sheamus takes over, knocking Show down with a running ax handle.

The Brogue Kick and chokeslam are countered and Sheamus gets two off White Noise. Now the fans are getting into this again. Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick again but takes out the referee by mistake. Four people immediately come out to check on the referee as the replay shows the champion pulling him in the way. Big Show knocks out Sheamus and one of the referees counts a pin to end the match out of nowhere.

Rating: C. The match was slow for the most part and the ending hurts it even worse. This took all the good stuff out of the HIAC match and turned it into a dull imitation. This needed to be two monsters firing bombs at each other until neither guy could get up but instead it was your usual Big Show match at about 4 miles per hour.

Post match Show is disqualified and Sheamus lays the thirty one chair shots on him. I never remembered it being that many and that’s because it’s more like 18 and a Brogue Kick. Big Show crawls to the back as WE WANT ZIGGLER chants are ignored.

Team Ziggler vs. Team Foley

Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, David Otunga, Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett

The Miz, Kofi Kingston, HELL NO, Randy Orton

So as I said, it was supposed to be Punk vs. Foley over old school vs. new school, but Punk was put in the main event and Ziggler was picked despite having no issue with Foley. The match was originally Punk/Sandow/Miz/Del Rio/Rhodes, but Cody got hurt and Miz felt he didn’t deserve the spot, so Miz was replaced by Barrett and Cody was replaced by Otunga. Ryback was originally on Team Foley but was moved to the main event and replaced by Miz in a Raw poll. As you can see, the match is a huge mess and almost no one was interested in it for the most part. HELL NO have the tag belts and Kofi is Intercontinental Champion of course.

Kofi grabs a quick rollup for two on Otunga to start. David avoids a quick Trouble in Paradise but gets caught by a dive on the floor. Otunga’s trunks are pulled up a bit as Bryan comes in with his kicks. Off to Sandow for the Russian legsweep and the Wind-Up elbow gets two. Bryan fights out of a chinlock and fires off the kicks to the chest to send Sandow out to the floor. Damien says good luck and walks out but Kane will have none of that. Back in and Bryan’s big kick to the head sets up a chokeslam for a fast elimination.

The tag champions get in an argument for no apparent reason, allowing Ziggler to hit a quick Zig Zag on Kane for the pin. That makes the move look strong if nothing else. Orton and Miz get in a quick fight for some reason but Randy catches a sneaky Ziggler in the slingshot suplex for two. Off to Kofi for the matchup that will not die with Ziggler being launched face first into the buckle for two. Back to Bryan who gets poked in the eye, allowing Dolph to tag in Barrett.

Bryan shouts NO a lot but misses a charge into the corner, setting up Barrett’s big boot in the ropes. Otunga comes in again and the YES Lock goes on almost immediately for the submission. It’s 4-3 with Foley in the lead as Del Rio comes in with a chinlock on Bryan. Back up and Del Rio misses a charge into the corner, allowing Bryan to kick him out to the floor. Kofi gets the not very hot tag and kicks Del Rio down, setting up the Boom Drop for no cover. Instead Ziggler distracts Kofi so Trouble in Paradise misses, but Kofi runs up the corner for a cross body and two.

Wade comes right back with the Bull Hammer for a quick pin, getting us down to 3-3 (Orton/Miz/Bryan vs. Barrett/Ziggler/Del Rio). Orton comes in right away and suplexes Barrett down before cranking on the arm. Miz doesn’t seem interested in a tag but Bryan is glad to come in and work on an arm. A middle rope dropkick gets two and Bryan snaps off even more kicks. Barrett avoids a big one and tags in Del Rio but Alberto has to fight out of a quick YES Lock attempt.

Alberto tries a running enziguri in the corner but hits the arm instead, setting up the cross armbreaker for the elimination. Can you imagine the reaction if that happened today? Miz comes in for the first time and scores with some left hands before it’s back to Orton for his traditional stuff. Back to Ziggler who takes over on Randy with a big elbow followed by a chinlock. Orton fights up and launches Ziggler into the air in a nice crash.

A double tag brings in Barrett and Miz with the American connecting with the corner clothesline. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered into a pumphandle attempt (which isn’t the Wasteland Cole) but Miz escapes into the Finale for the elimination to tie us up at two. Del Rio comes in next but charges into a DDT for two. Alberto grabs a German suplex for two but gets pulled off the middle rope in a crash. Miz misses the corner clothesline and gets enziguried for an elimination.

That leaves Orton vs. Ziggler/Del Rio with Alberto starting for his pair. Orton fires off some punches but gets caught by a cheap shot, allowing Ziggler to come in and slow things down. Alberto is back in very quickly with a double stomp to the ribs but goes up top, only to dive into a dropkick. Ricardo trips up Orton, earning him Socko down the throat. Ziggler accidentally dropkicks Del Rio and gets sent into the post. A quick RKO takes out Alberto and it’s one on one now with Orton having that evil look in his eyes.

Orton immediately goes into RKO mode but Ziggler holds the ropes and hits the Zig Zag for a quick near fall. So it can beat Kane after he’s taken no damage at all but Orton kicks out at two after twenty minutes? Score one for the Viper. The Fameasser misses and Orton hits the Elevated DDT despite bleeding from the mouth a bit. Orton loads up the Punt like a schnook though and walks into a superkick for the pin.

Rating: C-. Here’s the problem again: the match isn’t bad but there’s no reason for these guys to be fighting each other. Yeah they’ve all feuded with each other at some point in the past, but there’s nothing going on setting up this match. It’s really just ten guys fighting each other with a minor feud here or there. There was no reason to care about this match and that’s exactly how the match felt. Decent match, but the absence of emotion held it back.

Tout continues to annoy me a year after it stopped being a thing.

We recap the main event. Punk has been champion for a year almost to the day, Ryback got screwed over by Brad Maddox inside the Cell and Cena gave Ryback his spot in the Cell due to injury. The solution? TRIPLE THREAT OF COURSE!!!

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Ryback vs. CM Punk

Punk bails to the floor to start and gets chased by both guys. Ryback finally catches him in the corner but Cena is all like “dude, my arch nemesis” and pulls Ryback away, allowing Punk to get in shots on both guys. Ryback kicks him in the chest and Cena adds a bulldog before Ryback clotheslines Punk to the floor. It’s the battle of the heroes with Cena pounding away but Ryback escapes the AA and knocks Cena to the outside.

Punk is back in now and scores with a snap suplex on Ryback, but the monster pops right back up and gorilla presses the champion into a fallaway slam. Cena comes back in with a belly to belly for two on Ryback before putting on a chinlock. Punk breaks it up with a top rope ax handle and Cena falls to the floor. Another ax handle attempt is caught in midair but Punk takes Ryback down with a neckbreaker. Cena sneaks in with a rollup for two but Punk DDTs him down for two more.

With Cena down, Punk channels his inner Austin Aries and puts on the Last Chancery but Ryback lifts Punk into the air for a powerslam. Cena grabs the ProtoBomb on Ryback but Ryback pops up, leading to a slugout. The shoulder blocks look to take Ryback down but Punk pulls John to the floor and sends him into the steps. Punk’s springboard clothesline gets two on Ryback and we hit the chinlock. Ryback fights up and slams Punk down followed by the Meathook. Cena breaks up the Shell Shock and puts Ryback in the STF but it’s Punk with the Macho Elbow for the save.

Everyone is down now and Punk might have hurt himself on that elbow. He’s up first though but can’t hit the GTS on Cena. Punk and Cena slug it out but Ryback clotheslines both guys down to take over again. Ryback sends both guys to the floor for some reason but they double team Ryback down as a result. A double suplex puts Ryback through the table and they head inside for the real showdown.

Punk grabs a GTS out of nowhere for two and Heyman is livid. The AA gets the same result other than Heyman being relieved. Punk comes back with the running knee but the bulldog is countered into the STF. Ryback makes the save and throws Cena into the barricade to put him down. The Meathook and Shell Shock lay out Punk but Cena makes a diving save. The Shell Shock lays out Cena as well……but here are three guys in black to destroy Ryback. They pound away on Ryback and take him to the floor for a TripleBomb through the table. Punk crawls over and pins Cena to retain.

Rating: C+. It’s probably the best match of the night but that’s not saying much at this point. Obviously the three guys were Reign/Ambrose/Rollins which Cole tells us during Punk’s celebration. Punk winning was a good idea and set up more stuff down the line which is the best possible outcome. You could feel the wind blowing as Ryback fell down the card though and he hasn’t recovered yet. Fairly good match but nowhere near enough to save the show though.

Overall Rating: D. Man alive has time been cruel to this show. Watching it live there was some drama, but looking back you have two LONG Survivor Series matches with no real story behind them and two screwjob finishes in title matches. Shield would become a bigger deal but no one knew that at this point. This was a “tune into Raw tomorrow night” show and that’s not good for the Survivor Series.

Ratings Comparison

3MB vs. Zack Ryder/Santino Marella

Original:

Redo: D+

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Original: B-

Redo: C

Eve Torres vs. Kaitlyn

Original: D-

Redo: D

R-Truth vs. Antonio Cesaro

Original: D

Redo: D

Sheamus vs. Big Show

Original: C-

Redo: C

Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler

Original: C-

Redo: C-

Ryback vs. John Cena vs. CM Punk

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: D+

Redo: D

About the same down the line. It sucked back then and it sucked now. I actually watched most of this show late and while still tired from a flight the first time around but apparently it had more problems than that.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/11/21/survivor-series-2012-a-filler-ppv-disguised-as-a-major-show/

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.

Fatal 4-Way
Date: June 20, 2010
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker

Believe it or not, the main matches here will be a pair of fatal fourways, because WWE is very original.  In addition to the title matches, there’s a major story going on at the same time. Back in February, ECW had been replaced by a new show called NXT. This was a competition show between eight rookies, all of whom had banded together after the season ended and invaded Raw. They’re still lurking around and it’s not clear what they’re going to do tonight. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on the World Title matches with a special feature on Kane, who is looking for whoever recently attacked the Undertaker and is basically accusing everyone in sight.

Here’s Vince McMahon to open the show and tell us that Raw General Manager Bret Hart will not be here tonight thanks to an attack at the hands of the NXT rookies on Monday night.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

Kofi is defending and McIntyre is a Scottish wrestler and has been dubbed the Chosen One by Vince. McIntyre has also been treating Teddy Long like trash because he can have Teddy fired (that happens to him WAY too often). We see Vince leaving in his limo before Drew tells Teddy to get out here right now to hand Drew the title when he becomes the new champion. Kofi starts fast with kicks to the ribs and a clothesline to send Drew outside. Considering all the jumping and high flying, Drew is smart enough to go after the let to take over.

That lasts all of ten seconds before it’s off to the arm, which leads to a bit of an argument between Lawler and Striker. Lawler: “That’s why you’re a schoolteacher Matt. Maybe after the show we can go out and conjugate some verbs together.” Several armbars set up a Codebreaker onto the arm but Kofi spins around into a DDT to put both guys down. Kofi speeds things up with a dropkick and spinning cross body out of the corner for two.

The Boom Drop looks to set up Trouble in Paradise but Drew kicks Kofi in the face instead. The Futureshock (double arm DDT) is countered with a springboard tornado DDT for two on McIntyre. Kofi hammers away in the corner but Drew comes out with a running powerbomb for two of his own. Kofi gets the same off the SOS so Drew throws him into the referee. Drew sends the good shoulder into the post before hitting the Futureshock for no count.

With no referee, Drew goes outside and gets Teddy to put on the referee shirt. Teddy makes the count but stops at two, FINALLY standing up to McIntyre. Drew loads up another Futureshock but Matt Hardy, who Drew has been going after as well, for the Twist of Fate. Kingston gets up (after being down from that one DDT for the better part of two minutes) for Trouble in Paradise to retain at 16:29.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit with the story building up towards the ending and Teddy advancing his own story with Drew at the same time. Kofi is rapidly becoming a modern Tito Santana, as in someone who can have a good match with anyone you put him against. McIntyre should have been a much bigger deal and I could easily see him becoming a big star in WWE.

The Hart Dynasty is glad that their uncle Bret signed the Usos and Tamina so they can have the best competition. Tonight they’re dedicating the match to the injured Bret who taught them to do their best in the ring every time.

Divas Title: Maryse vs. Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox vs. Eve Torres

Eve, a fairly non-descript but talented worker, is defending. Fox grabs a great looking northern lights suplex for two on Gail and everyone goes for unsuccessful covers. Fox gives Gail a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and it’s time to double team Eve. Gail comes back in with a Black Widow to Alicia as Eve grabs a cross armbreaker on Maryse. In the wacky submission of the match, Eve grabs a camel clutch on Fox while Gail puts her in a Boston crab at the same time, only to have Maryse make a quick save.

Fox is up WAY too fast from the hold for a showdown with Maryse but Gail comes back in to dropkick both of them down. Since Matt Striker is Matt Striker, he calls it a Jumping Bomb Angel double stomp. Eve grabs a fisherman’s neckbreaker on Maryse and adds a moonsault, only to have Fox throw her outside and pin Maryse for the title at 5:43.

Rating: D+. This was your standard “here are four women in a way to change the title without the champion getting pinned” match and that’s perfectly fine. Fox wasn’t much in the ring but she had charisma and could be a good foil for someone down the line. The divisions really needed to be merged back together at this point though as there was a lot of talent on Smackdown but not enough on Raw, which is why the whole two titles thing didn’t work here.

Big Show isn’t worried about Rey Mysterio tonight because he’s too small. Rey says his heart is bigger than Show’s fist.

Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho

Bourne beat Jericho via DQ in a big upset earlier in the week so this is the rematch. Before the match, Jericho says everyone under the age of 25 is watching for him and everyone above the age of 25 knows they’re still watching because of him. For some reason he isn’t the buzzword around here anymore with his NXT rookie Wade Barrett having more people talking than him.

Jericho has always been fighting uphill in WWE and no matter how much he’s fought, no one is going to understand this because they’ve never been the best in the world at what they do. He has a target on his back and Evan Bourne is the latest to take a chance on Jericho. It’s fitting that Bourne uses the shooting star because his career started bright but is going to fade out tonight.

Jericho clotheslines him in the corner to start as Striker talks about Jericho’s history against smaller wrestlers like Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio. Now THAT is the kind of thing you should use someone like Striker for, not coming up with ridiculous nicknames that no one is going to remember in ten seconds. The fans are behind Jericho as he shoulders Evan down for two.

Bourne avoids a charge and sends Jericho outside for a big plancha. The springboard dropkick knocks Evan off the apron though and things slow back down. Back in and we hit the chinlock for a bit before Bourne comes back with his quick kicks. A German suplex gets two for Jericho and he grabs the Walls to put Evan in real trouble. Bourne makes the ropes and the fans actually boo the break. They head outside with Jericho being sent into the steps, followed by Evan’s top rope double knees for two.

The Lionsault misses and Evan kicks him in the face but it’s too early for Airbourne. Instead the Codebreaker gets a delayed two for Jericho and shock quickly sets in. Back up and Jericho misses a charge to give Evan a quick two, followed by a tornado DDT. Airbourne is broken up twice in a row before the third attempt finishes Jericho at 12:04.

Rating: B+. Now that’s how you make someone look big. I know Jericho will put over almost anyone in wrestling but it’s the kind of badge of honor that shows you can go somewhere else. Bourne more than kept up with him here and showed he had more than just the shooting star. Really good match here and Jericho’s downward spiral continues.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match. Jack Swagger is defending after cashing in Money in the Bank just after Wrestlemania. Undertaker originally qualified for this but someone beat him down and left him in “a vegetative state”, because just saying “he got beaten down” was a bit too complex. Kane has promised to find who did it (gee I wonder who it was) and thinks it might have been the four people in this match. They all deny it but Kane isn’t convinced. The title and the setup for the match aren’t even mentioned here as it’s ALL about Undertaker and Kane.

Smackdown World Title: Jack Swagger vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show

One fall to a finish, Swagger is defending and Punk is now under a mask after having his head shaved. Punk is also the leader of the Straight Edge Society but his minions Luke Gallows and Serena are sent to the back before the match. Swagger and Punk go after Mysterio to start but Punk bails before Big Show can get over there. Punk is easily slammed down and Mysterio starts going after his mask.

The champ is sent outside as well, leaving us with the Big Show vs. Mysterio showdown. Rey tries to fire away and has as much success as you would expect. Mysterio bails to the floor and is palmed back inside by the head. Swagger comes back in as Lawler suggests that Show has put on weight. Mysterio actually dropkicks Show down for two and the Vader Bomb gets the same for Swagger. Punk and Mysterio stomp Swagger in the corner but the champ drops them both for two on Rey.

We get a double arm crank on Mysterio and Striker thinks it might confuse him enough to submit. Instead it’s reversed into a 619 attempt but Punk makes the save with a springboard cross body for two. Things settle down with Punk striking everyone not named Big Show. Swagger is right back up and German suplexes both of them at the same time because he can. It’s time for Big Show to remember that he’s in the match though and house is quickly cleaned all over again. Mysterio is sent to the floor and the other two are crushed in the corner.

Show realizes he’s thrown everyone to the floor so he goes out after them, only to have Mysterio dropkick the steps into his knees and hit a 619 around the post. Back in and Punk hits a GTS on Swagger for no cover…..and here’s Kane with a casket. Kane looks at everyone and throws Punk to the floor for a chokeslam into the casket. Gallows comes out for the save so Kane chases Punk off, leaving Rey to give Swagger the 619 and drop the springboard splash to win the title at 10:28.

Rating: C. The match was watchable but it felt like a long time until we got around to Kane interfering to work on that storyline. If nothing else it gets the title off of Swagger, who never fit as a World Champion, mainly because his only accomplishment before this was an ECW Title reign over a year earlier. But hey, he won Money in the Bank and that makes him main event material apparently.

John Cena isn’t worried about the NXT rookies but he thinks the four men in the title match will be ready for them.

We look at Miz taking the US Title from R-Truth in a fatal fourway on Monday in case you didn’t get the concept yet.

US Title: The Miz vs. R-Truth

Miz is defending and has his own version of R-Truth’s rap on the way to the ring, including managing to rhyme blossom with awesome. The champ bails to the floor to start as Striker says this is style vs. substance though he won’t say who is who. Back in and Miz takes him down as we hear about how titles can change hands in a fatal fourway. The fans chant for the recently fired Daniel Bryan as Miz works on an early chinlock. Truth is sent outside and then into the post for a nine count.

Back in and Miz gets two off his running corner clothesline before slapping on a bodyscissors. A running knee to Truth’s ribs gets no cover so Miz slaps on a seated abdominal stretch. The ribs are damaged even more with a snap suplex but Truth kicks him out of the corner and hits a middle rope dropkick. Truth’s suplex into a Stunner gets two as the crowd is just not caring at all. Back up and Miz drops him ribs first over the top rope before getting two off a neckbreaker. Truth misses a high cross body and crashes down onto his ribs, allowing Miz to grab a rollup with a handful of tights to retain at 13:23.

Rating: D. This was LONG with the ribs injury never going anywhere and Miz not exactly looking motivated throughout. It just wasn’t very good but I’d much rather them have the singles match here instead of doing yet another fourway to really hammer the concept in even harder. Nothing to see here though and it felt like it went on forever.

Edge thinks Cena is running scared because every other champion has lost their title tonight (save Miz of course but don’t worry about the details), Orton probably isn’t recovered from his shoulder injury and Sheamus knows he doesn’t belong in the ring with the three of them. That leaves Edge, who is ready to become World Champion again.

Hart Dynasty vs. Usos/Tamina

The Usos and Tamina are newcomers at this point and this is a pretty natural matchup. The women start things off but it’s already off to Jey vs. David less than a minute in. Hart grabs a headlock and runs him over with a shoulder, followed by a belly to belly for two. It’s off to Kidd for a chinlock which goes nowhere (way too early) so Jimmy comes in and cranks on the arm.

Jimmy charges into a kick to the head for two but Kidd has to deal with both twins at the same time, allowing Jimmy to grab a Samoan Drop to send Kidd into the barricade. Back in and we hit the chinlock as the fans are trying to get into this one but it’s not quite clicking. Jimmy’s superkick sets up another chinlock and Striker tries to convince us that it’s a potential submission hold.

The running Umaga Attack gets two in the corner and it’s time to go back to the chinlock. A second running Umaga Attack misses but Jey breaks up a hot tag attempt. Instead it’s off to Natalya, meaning Tamina has to come in as well. Natalya’s Michinoku Driver gets two and everything breaks down. Kidd dives over the top onto both twins, only to have Tamina crush Natalya with a Samoan Drop. The Superfly Splash misses worse than any I’ve ever seen and Natalya hits a discus lariat for the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C-. I’m having flashbacks to the 2005 era with these matches that belong on Raw but are getting about ten minutes of pay per view time and not going anywhere. I’m not sure why you would have the newcomers lose like this but maybe it was something about paying tribute to Bret, who really didn’t need it in the first place. As usual it’s not a bad match but it just didn’t need to be here.

We recap the Raw World Title match, which actually focuses on everyone involved in the match for a change and not someone who isn’t on the card.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

Cena is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Sheamus came up to the Raw roster near the end of 2009 and won the World Title in a shocker at Tables Ladders and Chairs by defeating Cena in a tables match. They stare at each other to start before it’s down to Cena vs. Orton (a face again for the first time in years) in less than forty seconds. Well I’m glad they kept it took their time here.

Neither guy can hit their finishers as Sheamus comes back in to stomp Cena down. Edge comes in to help him with the beating as the LET’S GO CENA/CENA SUCKS chants begin. As you might expect, Edge turns on Sheamus and grabs a rollup for two. Orton finally remembers that he’s in the match as he breaks up whatever Edge was loading up on the top. Randy keeps going and clears the ring out until Cena pulls himself back up to the apron.

We get the slow circle stomp but Orton misses a knee drop, allowing Sheamus to come back in with an ax handle to take Randy down. Cena hammers away on Sheamus but can’t get an AA. Sheamus can’t hit the Celtic Cross (Razor’s Edge) either and here’s Orton to DDT both of them. Edge comes back in and kicks Orton in the face, only to eat the shoulders from Cena.

Now it’s Orton again to come in and clean house but Sheamus sends him outside. Cena does the same to Sheamus as Striker talks about inertia. Edge gets caught in the STF until Sheamus dives in for a save. The Edge-O-Matic drops Sheamus (some thank you) but Cena comes back in to try an AA. That’s broken up as well so Orton grabs the RKO on Cena, only to have Sheamus pull the referee out.

There’s the spear to Orton but Sheamus Brogue Kicks Edge and gets two on Orton. Edge and Orton fight on the floor and we conveniently cut to the back where the NXT rookies attack some wrestlers watching the match. The NXT guys come to the ring and lay out everyone, allowing Sheamus to cover Cena and steal the title at 17:27.

Rating: C+. So they basically followed the previous match’s formula down to the ending but added eight minutes. If that’s really the best they can do, it’s no surprise that this show is as forgotten as it is. The action wasn’t bad here but they didn’t really hide the fact that this was the ending we were waiting on. Putting the title on Sheamus is smart though as Cena will be busy fighting the NXT guys so have the title do something else at the same time.

Post match, Cena takes a beating, including a Superman Punch, from the NXT guys. Sheamus poses on stage with the title and gets chased off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It really is difficult to have both World Titles change hands on the same show and still feel like nothing happens. That’s the way I’d sum this whole thing up: two hours and thirty two minutes went by (yes we’re back to that again) and almost nothing happened.

This felt like a big episode of Raw with some title changes and that’s not enough to warrant a pay per view. The NXT guys were a nice idea but this was one of the first steps, meaning fans would have paid to see the opening of a long story. World Titles changing hands is a big deal but they both felt like minor notes compared to the angles attached.

On top of that, what kind of an idea is Fatal 4-Way for a pay per view? When you see the matches on Raw this often (including six days before this show), it’s really hard to find the interest to pay for a show centered around such a simple concept. It’s just a boring concept and the definition of something that should have been scrapped in favor of a run of the mill show instead.

No Way Out 2008
Date: February 17, 2008
Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 15,240
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles, Tazz, Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

We’re on the Road To Wrestlemania and in this case, WWE is embracing the more is more philosophy. We have a pair of Elimination Chamber matches with the winners going on to the World Title matches at Wrestlemania. In addition, we have John Cena vs. Randy Orton for the Raw World Title, which should feel quite big. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about the Road To Wrestlemania going into a place that has no way out. We shift into a traditional Chamber video, as it continues to seem almost sentient given the descriptions.

We recap CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero for the ECW World Title. Guerrero cheated to beat Punk so Punk threw him in the Gulf of Mexico and is using his rematch here. As all great feuds go.

ECW World Title: CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero

Guerrero is defending and slaps him in the face to start, earning himself a kick to the head. Punk gets sent outside and tripped face first onto the apron to put him in some early trouble. Back in and Chavo hits a suplex, thankfully without an Eddie reference. A bodyscissors (you don’t see that one very often) is countered into a catapult but Punk’s GTS is countered into a hurricanrana.

Punk kicks him into the head and goes into the Eddie Dance/Three Amigos, which is pretty soundly booed, even to the point of the crowd chanting for Chavo in a weird moment. Another kick puts Chavo on the floor so Punk puts him on top. The super hurricanrana is blocked though and a frog splash retains the title.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here but this feud needs to wrap up already. There is nothing left for these two to do to each other and this was a pretty clear ending. Chavo needs a fresh challenger and there is nothing left for Punk to do in ECW. Punk is going to be fine moving forward, but I’m not sure who can go after Chavo right now.

We look back at Rey Mysterio hitting a springboard seated senton on Vickie Guerrero this week on Smackdown.

Mysterio said it was an accident but he isn’t apologizing to Vickie. Oh and he has a torn bicep but is wrestling anyway. Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes in for a pep talk, though the fans don’t seem impressed.

The Chamber is lowered.

Video on the Elimination Chamber.

Undertaker vs. Great Khali vs. Big Daddy V vs. MVP vs. Finlay vs. Batista

For the Smackdown World Title shot at Wrestlemania (and MVP’s US Title isn’t on the line) and inside the Elimination Chamber. Batista is in at #1 and Undertaker is in at #2 so they’re certainly starting big. They slug it out (duh) to start until Batista gets him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. That earns him a right hand over the ropes and it’s time to go fight on the steel. A face rake across the steel fires Batista up enough to knock Undertaker back inside, where Undertaker chokes in the corner. Undertaker stomps him down but an exchange of big boots gives us a double knockdown.

Big Daddy V is in at #3 to slam both of them down a few times. A headbutt knocks Undertaker out of the Chamber (that’s a new one) and he seems to be favoring his arm as a running splash against the wall crushes Undertaker back inside. Batista manages a spinebuster to V and Undertaker adds a DDT onto the Chamber to get rid of V (as pinfalls are now legal outside of the ring).

Great Khali is in at #4 and strikes away as the fans decide that the wrestler who is currently wrestling can’t wrestle. The chokebomb gets two on Undertaker and there’s the Vice Grip to Batista. With that broken up, Undertaker boots Batista in the face and chokes Khali out for the elimination. Undertaker rakes Batista against the cage until Finlay is in at #5. A missed big boot in the corner lets Finlay Celtic Cross Undertaker for two. Coach: “How is the Undertaker doing this?” Cole: “He’s the Undertaker.”

Finlay sends Undertaker into the cage wall for two but Undertaker knocks the other two down. MVP is in at #6….or at least he should be, as he stays in the pod. That’s not going to work for Undertaker, who drags him back in as Batista is up again. MVP uses a chain to knock down the monsters and Undertaker is busted open. Back up and Undertaker talks MVP to the top of the pod, where a super chokeslam brings him crashing back down. Finlay steals the pin to get rid of MVP and we’re down to three.

Undertaker misses a top rope elbow to Finlay though and here’s Hornswoggle to throw in a shillelagh. The shot to the head gets two on Batista but Undertaker is back up with a chokeslam onto the steel to Finlay for the elimination. Believe it or not, we come down to Batista vs. Undertaker for the title shot and they both have to pull themselves up. Batista is busted open as well and the big slugout is on with Batista hitting a quick Namesake Bomb for two.

For some reason Batista sees no problem with hammering down right hands in the corner, meaning the Last Ride gets two. Undertaker hammers away but gets clotheslined over the top and onto the steel. Batista follows as Undertaker seems to be favoring his arm so Batista tries a ram into the barricade. It’s just try because Undertaker blocks the contact and hits a Tombstone for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: B-. There were two options here so this got a lot more interesting once they got rid of the people who were there to fill in spots. Big Daddy V. and Great Khali were never going to be any kind of a serious threat, but unfortunately the US Champion isn’t anything resembling a threat here. Undertaker vs. Batista was good enough, but they went smart by keeping that part short. Solid enough match here, though it could have used a third potential winner, if there is such a thing on Smackdown these days.

Edge wants the Edgeheads ready to help him with Rey Mysterio, but Teddy Long comes in to ban them from ringside for the title match.

Maria and Ashley are at the Playboy Mansion in an effort to get Maria to pose. I’m sure that is still up in the air at this point.

Ric Flair vs. Mr. Kennedy

Flair is coming in with a bad knee. Kennedy shoulders him down and mocks the strut so Flair hits a chop and shows him how it’s done. That’s enough for Kennedy to smarten up and go after the knee to take over. The half crab goes on and a rather swearing Flair makes the rope, meaning Kennedy puts on the Figure Four around the post. The regular Figure Four stays on the leg but the rope is grabbed again. Back up and a Regal Roll gives Kennedy two but Flair is back with some chop blocks. Flair gets the real Figure Four on and Kennedy taps rather quickly.

Rating: C-. That felt like it could have been on a house show and that is rarely a good sign on TV. Flair gets to keep going and I don’t know if there was much doubt about him losing at No Way Out. They had put together a pretty nice feud on the way here but then the match was just kind of there. I’m actually a bit disappointed for once and that’s not something I was expecting from this one.

Finlay is getting his back worked on when Vince McMahon comes in and promises violence to Hornswoggle tomorrow.

We recap Edge vs. Rey Mysterio for the Smackdown World Title. Edge retained the title with help from Vickie Guerrero at the Royal Rumble so the rematch was set. Vickie was taken out on Smackdown, but it might not matter as Rey has a torn bicep, meaning this might not be so great.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Rey Mysterio

Edge is defending and the Edgeheads are barred from ringside. Rey backs into the corner as Edge certainly knows about the bad arm. A hurricanrana sends Edge into the corner and Rey has to use left handed punches which has to be so awkward. Edge shrugs them off and takes Rey outside for a whip into the steps. Back in and Edge slowly hammers away before a headscissors sends him down for a crotching against the post. A left arm DDT gives Rey two and the 619 connects but the arm gives out. Rey’s springboard is speared out of the air to retain the title fast.

Rating: C. I can’t possibly put this one on them as Rey could barely do anything. They went just over five minutes and that was probably agony throughout. It’s better than no match and they did play into the arm injury to make sense. Rey is probably going to be gone for a long time but he certainly tried on his way out.

Post match Edge leaves and….here is the returning Big Show, for the first time in over a year. Show is glad to be back and says he’ll be a champion again on Raw, Smackdown or ECW. He’s been champion at all of those places and he’ll do it again, but he isn’t here to make guarantees. Since he’s been gone he’s lost 108lbs and now he is a lot meaner. To show this, he goes outside and grabs Rey by the throat while taunting Floyd Mayweather Jr. at ringside.

Mayweather jumps the barricade and gets inside, with security and his entourage right behind him. Show drops to his knee in front of Mayweather, who fires off some crazy fast punches to bust Show’s nose. Mayweather sprints off and Show gives chase, with Shane McMahon of all people having to calm him down. Show leaves, unfortunately not asking Shane “which way did he go”. So there’s your Wrestlemania celebrity match.

Mike Adamle throws us to the recap video for Randy Orton defending the Raw World Title against John Cena. Back in October, Cena got hurt and had to forfeit the title, which Orton somehow got twice in one night. Cena then returned at the Royal Rumble and won the whole thing, but is cashing in his title match here instead of at Wrestlemania (which apparently you can just do).

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Cena is challenging and we even get an old school weapons check. An early small package has Orton a bit nervous and Cena rolls him up for two more to make it worse. The fans are a bit split here as Orton knocks him down and starts the stomping. More stomping puts Cena down in the corner and the referee is actually asking if he wants to give up. Does he not get the whole Cena thing?

Cena hits a bulldog and drops an elbow for two but Orton cuts him off with a clothesline for the same. The fans are split again as Orton punches him out to the apron, only to get caught with the top rope Fameasser for two. The FU is countered into an uppercut (which looked like an RKO setup) and there’s the circle stomp. We hit the chinlock until Cena powers up and initiates the finishing sequence. Orton slips out of the FU again though and bails to the floor.

Back in and Orton grabs the backbreaker before avoiding another Cena top rope Fameasser. Instead Cena grabs the ProtoBomb into the STFU, with Orton having to bail to the ropes. That’s enough to send Orton bailing to the floor, where he grabs his knee and demands a countout. Cena won’t be having that and walks right into the RKO on the floor. Cena beats the count back in….so Orton hits the referee for the DQ escape.

Rating: B-. The ending was there to set up the rematch, as I don’t think anyone is going to buy that Cena’s big moment is coming at No Way Out. It seems ripe for the setup of another match, with Orton getting rather annoyed at his plan not working. The match was good as expected between these two, but the ending might as well have been a To Be Continued sign.

Post match Cena grabs the STFU to choke Orton out.

HHH and Shawn Michaels are going to be cool with each other no matter what happens in the Chamber.

HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Umaga vs. JBL vs. Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy

For the Raw World Title shot at Wrestlemania and Hardy’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line. Jericho is in at #1 and Shawn is in at #2, which should make for a nice four minutes. Feeling out process to start before they go with the hard chops into a pinfall reversal sequence. Jericho cuts it off with a clothesline so Shawn hits one of his own. The top rope elbow only hits Jericho’s raised knees but manages to block the Walls. Back up and the collide, with Umaga coming in at #3.

A double clothesline takes both heroes down and Umaga makes it even worse with a double Samoan drop. Shawn gets kicked out onto the steel but Jericho avoids a middle rope headbutt. That lets Shawn go up for the top rope elbow to the back and Jericho grabs the logical Walls. Shawn adds a Crossface but it’s JBL in at #4 to break it up for whatever reason. Some kicks to the face (including Shawn’s bloody one) have the good guys in trouble and Umaga gets up to help JBL with the beatdown (a JBL/Umaga alliance seems odd as Umaga with money would be….weird).

HHH is in at #5 and goes after everyone not named Shawn. A DDT gets two on JBL and Umaga is sent head first (and HARD) into the pod. The Clothesline From JBL drops HHH but Jericho Codebreakers JBL for the pin. Hold on though as JBL grabs a chair and knocks Jericho/HHH/Umaga silly, with Jericho being busted open.

Jeff Hardy is in at #6 to complete the field and starts fast by mule kicking Umaga into the corner. A Whisper in the Wind drops HHH and Shawn but Umaga is back up to knock Hardy down. The swinging release Rock Bottom plants Jericho before hitting a SCARY running hip attack to drive him through the pod. Somehow Jericho isn’t in multiple pieces as it’s a superkick into a Codebreaker into a Pedigree into a Swanton off the top of the pod to Umaga for the pin.

Then Shawn superkicks Hardy to give Jericho the pin, only to have HHH Pedigree Shawn to get us down to Hardy vs. HHH. Hardy starts fast with a DDT onto the steel and a backdrop sends HHH back inside. The Swanton misses though and a Pedigree gets….two. Ok that was a surprise. HHH grabs a chair but has to counter a Twist of Fate. That’s enough to set up the Pedigree onto the chair to finish Hardy (and kill the crowd) for the Wrestlemania title shot.

Rating: B+. This was a good bit better than the first one as it had more violence, better action, more plausible winners (Shawn and Jericho weren’t winning, but they were more likely than MVP and Finlay) and a better pace. HHH winning isn’t a surprise, but dang Hardy was over here and that was a pretty bad loss. The fans going quiet after the pin didn’t help, but like HHH wasn’t going to get his big win at some point.

Overall Rating: B. Obviously this show was all about the Chambers and Orton vs. Cena, all of which worked pretty well. There isn’t much on the rest of the show, but you can see a lot of Wrestlemania from here so they got the important stuff right. This wasn’t a show built around a bunch of small stuff but rather three big things, which is quite the shift, especially so soon after the Royal Rumble. You can see Wrestlemania from here though and that is a good thing to see.

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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Crown Jewel 2022
Date: November 5, 2022
Location: Mrsool Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re back in Saudi Arabia and in this case that means we are going to be seeing Logan Paul getting a shot at Roman Reigns. It’s a straight up celebrity match and the question is how well Paul can do in the situation. This show feels like a regular pay per view which happens to be taking place in Saudi Arabia so hopefully they can make that work. Let’s get to it.

The opening video features Titus O’Neil talking about how this is the countdown to impossible. The idea is tied into Logan Paul needing to hit that one lucky shot to beat Roman Reigns, which is the entirety of the main event build.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Lesnar came back a few weeks ago and randomly attacked Lashley to cost him the US Title, setting up the big showdown. Lashley goes after him on the floor before the bell and takes out the leg. They go inside for the opening bell, then another spear drops Lesnar inside. The spear sends Lesnar through the barricade on the floor and a fourth spear gives Lashley two back inside as we’re a minute in. The Hurt Lock is countered into a German suplex and the F5 gets two.

Lashley knocks him outside again as the knee is still bothering Lesnar. The posting rocks Lesnar and the spinebuster plants him back inside. The fans are not pleased with Lashley before and after he grabs the Hurt Lock, with Lesnar having to power back up (Referee: “Do you give up?” Lesnar: “Shut up!”). Lesnar kicks off the buckle to take it to the mat…and pins Lashley at 5:59 without breaking the hold.

Rating: C+. I’m never sure how to rate something like this as it was a hard hitting fight, but they kept doing the same stuff over and over until one of them lost. Lashley getting pinned is certainly a choice, though I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have him lose when Lesnar isn’t even a full time guy. The ending almost has to set up a rematch, likely at Survivor Series, but dang it’s weird to see Lashley losing again.

Post match Lashley Hurt Locks him again and Lesnar is out.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Asuka/Alexa Bliss

Damage Ctrl (minus Bayley) is challenging after losing the titles this week on Raw. Before the match, Alexa and Asuka talk about how they know they’ll win, but the Bray Wyatt symbol pops up to scare Bliss a bit. Bliss and Kai lock up to start with Kai working on the arm. A quick trip puts Kai down so she tries the same thing on Bliss, only to have Bliss stand on her back.

Sky comes in and gets shouldered down by Asuka, only to slip out of a double suplex. Stereo hip attacks put Damage Ctrl on the floor but they come back in to take out Asuka’s knee. Some shots to said knee keep Asuka in trouble but she’s fine enough to hit a bulldog/clothesline combination. The hot tag brings in Bliss to clean house, including a tornado DDT and Code Red for two on Sky.

Asuka breaks up a double superplex and missile dropkicks Kai for two. Kai kicks Bliss down for two more and seems to go a bit bonkers, allowing Bliss to drop her as well. Twisted Bliss hits knees though and Sky’s Asai moonsault misses Asuka. Back in and the DDT plants Kai so Bliss can go up. The referee is with Asuka and Sky though, meaning Nikki Cross can run in and take out Bliss. The confused Kai gets the pin and the titles at 12:49.

Rating: C+. So Cross gets to cause more chaos by putting us right back to the norm that we had been in before this week’s Raw. Damage Ctrl getting the titles back is a bit weird, but hopefully they are moving on to Bliss vs. Cross instead of Damage Ctrl vs. Bliss/Belair/Asuka. The match got some time but wasn’t as fun as the Raw main event, which is a bit of a strange path.

Logan and Jake Paul arrive.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross. McIntyre is tired of Scarlett costing him matches, including their Extreme Rules strap match, so now they’re in a cage to keep her out.

Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

In a cage with Scarlett at ringside. Kross goes to the throat to start so they both go to the top rope, with McIntyre getting crotched. Some rams into the cage knock McIntyre silly and it’s time to yell at him in the corner. That’s enough for McIntyre to come back with a clothesline into the overhead belly to belly. Now it’s Kross going into the cage, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two.

They go up top with McIntyre getting crotched but being fine enough to lift himself up for the head grab superplex. The Claymore is loaded up but Kross cuts it off with a running knee to the face. Kross grabs the Krossjacket and the Doomsday Saito, only to miss the Krosshammer. McIntyre hits a quick Futureshock, which is enough to draw up Scarlett for a distraction.

Now the Krosshammer can connect so Kross goes up, only to be superplexed back down in the big crash. McIntyre goes for the door and Scarlett maces him, but Kross still can’t get out. Kross gets ankle locked back inside and hit with a headbutt but Scarlett locks the cage and takes the key. McIntyre starts climbing and gets to the floor for the win at 13:01 as Kross goes through the door a second later.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why this feud gets the bad reputation they’ve had so far as I’ve liked it well enough. McIntyre gets a win to give him some momentum back and it wouldn’t surprise me to see this run back in a rubber match of some kind. Scarlett’s interference only played into this so much and that’s nice to see for a change. Kross lost but didn’t get pinned too so this was a good way to save his face while giving McIntyre a big win.

The Bloodline arrives and Roman Reigns won’t talk about the idea of one lucky punch. Paul Heyman mocks the idea too, even with Shawn Michaels coaching Logan Paul about looking for the opening.

Judgment Day vs. OC

Balor sends Anderson into the corner to start but gets kicked in the ribs for his efforts. Priest comes in and gets to face Gallows, who unloads on him with shots to the face in the corner. It’s off to Styles, who gets stomped down by Priest, meaning Dominik is now willing to come in. That’s fine with Styles, who plants him with a backbreaker so the OC can take over again. Balor gets dragged in as everything breaks down, with Priest superkicking Anderson on the floor.

Back in and Anderson gets beaten down, including a backbreaker/legdrop combo for two. Anderson fights out of a double arm crank but can’t quite get over for the tag. The jumping neckbreaker gets Anderson out of trouble but Balor pulls Styles to the floor in a smart move. As you might expect, Anderson is able to bring in gallows a few seconds later so house can be cleaned again. A pumphandle slam drops Dominik but Priest breaks up the Magic Killer. Styles and Balor come in to slug it out until Styles has to stop for a faceplant on Priest.

The Calf Crusher is countered into a Figure Four but Anderson makes the save this time. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of secondary finishers until Balor Nightmare On Helms Streets Styles for two. Everyone goes up and Styles superplexes Balor as Gallows and Priest hit stereo electric chairs to leave all six down. It’s Styles up first but Rhea Ripley breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm (Cole: “Somebody’s gotta kick her a**!”). The Coup de Grace gives Balor the pin at 13:56.

Rating: C+. Remember the other matches these teams have had where Ripley cost the OC the match? This was the latest one in the series as the OC still needs to get someone to deal with her. The match was good enough because of the talent involved, but it was more of what we have seen for a few weeks now.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Omos. They’re both monsters and now those monsters are clashing.

Omos vs. Braun Strowman

No MVP here with Omos. They do the big staredown to start and then the test of strength, with Omos powering him down. A running boot to the face sends Strowman outside but he comes back in with some right hands. Omos slams him down without much trouble and then does it again for an arrogant two. Strowman fights back and knocks him outside, only to have the Express cut off. Back in and the chokebomb is blocked, setting up the running powerslam to give Strowman the pin at 7:23.

Rating: C. This is in the category of “it was what it was”. You knew what you were going to get here and Omos got to look good before falling to the bigger star. Strowman is freshly back after his long hiatus so he needed the win more than Omos did here. Some of the power stuff looked good but there is only so much you can get out of this kind of a match.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Brawling Brutes

The Usos are defending and Jey might have a broke wrist. Butch rolls Jimmy up for two so the champs try to leave, only to have Butch dive off the apron onto both of them. Jimmy gets in a shot on Butch though and the champs take over. The running Umaga attack misses though and Butch is right back with a tornado DDT to drop Jimmy. It’s off to Holland to clean house with the running corner clotheslines and the ten forearms to Jey’s chest.

The Brutes stomp Jimmy’s arm onto the steps like the Bloodline did to Sheamus, leaving Jey to get caught with a swinging Side Effect for two. Butch goes up, head fakes Jey to avoid a superkick, and drops Jey again. Everything breaks down and a superkick to Dunne looks to set up the Superfly Splash. That’s pulled into the triangle choke with Dunne bending the fingers back.

Jimmy makes the blind tag to Jey though and it’s a superkick into the double Superfly Splash for two, with Butch making the save. Jey’s bad hand is bent around and it’s Holland with White Noise for a very near fall. The Brutes send Jimmy over the barricade and a kick to the head into Northern Grit gets two more as Jimmy dives back in for the save. Holland is sent outside and it’s a super 1D to retain the titles at 10:35.

Rating: B-. They had some good action here but announcing the New Day title match for next week’s Smackdown killed off any interest that they might have had here. I’m curious about Jey’s wrist, which could be a problem in the future, but for now it added some drama to a match that didn’t have much coming in. The Brutes did well, but they had no chance to win here and it was pretty clear from the start.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Belair is defending in a Last Woman Standing match. Some slams have Bayley in trouble early so she grabs a kendo stick. The running swing misses and the stick falls to the floor, where it lands on the barricade. Now it’s a chair being brought in, which is dropkicked into Bayley’s face. Now it’s a ladder being slid inside but Belair knocks her outside again. Belair moves the steps around to the side of the ring but gets pulled down by the hair.

Bayley sits her in a chair and hits a clothesline off the barricade for nowhere near ten. The table is pulled out but Belair fights out and suplexes her on the ramp instead. Bayley seems to tweak her ankle, only to be goldbricking to hit Belair in the face. Back in and Bayley gets in a chair shot, only to have the chair thrown at her for a nasty crash. Bayley goes with the steps and pins Belair behind them, only to have Belair lift them up and knock Bayley down for eight.

They fight up the ramp with Belair nearly breaking the kendo stick over her, only to get Bayley to Bellied for nine. With that not working, Bayley gets creative by throwing Belair inside an anvil case. Belair fights out, gets her hair caught in the case by mistake (OUCH) and then rolls the case at Bayley. The KOD is countered into a Crossface to put Belair in trouble. Bayley goes off and finds a golf cart, which she drives at Belair, albeit nicely enough to stop before actually making contact.

Belair kicks her in the face and puts Bayley on top of the cart before driving it down to ringside. Bayley gets tossed off the top of the cart and ONTO (not through) the table for a scary landing. A powerbomb through the table gets nine so Belair slams her on some chairs. The 450 only hits chairs though and Bayley hammers away. Belair is right back with a KOD onto an open chair (with Bayley’s knee landing badly). It’s time to get creative though as Belair puts her in the ladder and slides it under the buckle so Bayley can’t make it to her feet at 20:44.

Rating: B. The violence was good, but there were some spots here that were probably a lot better on paper than in execution. At the same time, I’m not big on the “intelligent” endings that you see here, as they go from violent to someone being more clever when they can’t put the other one away. On top of that, Belair needs a new opponent now and I’m not entirely sure who that is, unless Ripley gets her title shot out of nowhere.

Here is Bray Wyatt for a chat. Wyatt talks about how he made a monster of himself and wore his mask with pride. Bray found himself on an island of loneliness as the monster destroyed him. There he sat alone, with no one to love him and nowhere to run. Fans: “WE LOVE YOU!” Bray says no one loves him but now he needs to write the ending to his story.

Then Uncle Howdy pops up on screen, with Bray’s voice talking about why someone would wear a mask. Howdy asks if the people would still love Bray if they knew the real one. Bray will go too far and it will feel so good, so don’t take the mask off. Tell him he’s wrong. This was in fact a Wyatt appearance and it did in fact advance pretty much nothing.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul. Reigns is a monster who hasn’t lost in years, but Paul didn’t get knocked out in a fight in another sport and has a lot of Youtube followers so that makes it interesting.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul

Reigns, with Paul Heyman (for the sake of clarity, any mentions of “Paul” will mean Logan), is defending and powers Paul into the corner to start. Paul wrestles him down a few times and Reigns actually needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Paul tells him to stop running so Reigns hits an elbow to the face. Some rights and lefts to the ribs set up a hiptoss to Reigns, followed by a running clothesline to the floor. A diving clothesline off the barricade takes Reigns down again and it’s a Buckshot Lariat for two back inside.

Paul’s springboard is knocked out of the air and Heyman is right there with the big rah rah speech. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the corner clotheslines. The jumping clothesline gives Reigns two and he grabs a one armed camel clutch. Paul fights up and hits a gutwrench suplex for a much needed double knockdown. A Blockbuster gives Paul two and he hits his own Superman Punch (which looked a lot more like a Shawn Michaels flying forearm) into a high crossbody.

The standing moonsault gets two and Heyman is stunned. Sweet Chin Music (complete with Tuning Up The Band) is countered into a release Rock Bottom for two. The Superman Punch is countered with a shot to the ribs and the big right hand, followed by the Superman Punch to give Paul two. They head outside with Logan putting him on the announcers’ table. Paul talks to his friends in the front row, with one of them giving him a camera as Paul goes up top.

The splash through the table (with camera in hand) connects but here are the Usos to beat up Paul’s friends. Cue Logan’s brother Jake (also Paul) to take the Usos out with a right hand each. Logan hits a frog splash for two and here is Solo Sikoa to go after Jake. Logan dives onto the Usos and goes back inside, where Reigns hits the Superman Punch. The spear retains the title at 24:45.

Rating: B+. They went too far with the run-ins and interferences, but this was GREAT for a celebrity match and I was having a very good time. I didn’t think for a second that they were going to change the title, but that isn’t the point of something like this. The match was all about Paul getting to blow people’s minds and it worked well. Very fun stuff here, as Logan absolutely has the talent to be a special attraction around here. This was highly entertaining (Jake Paul easily dispatching the Tag Team Champions aside) and far better than I would have expected.

The Bloodline celebrates for a long time, with Reigns saying he doesn’t want to see Logan again.

Overall Rating: B. This was a bit of a weird show as it is a total pit stop, with everything pretty much being how it was before this week’s Raw. The main event was a blast and there was some other good stuff, but it isn’t the place to look for anything actually happening. Survivor Series is coming and the card needs to be set, but for now we had an entertaining show with some good action, which is more than I would have bet on.

Results
Brock Lesnar b. Bobby Lashley – Rollup
Damage Ctrl b. Asuka/Alexa Bliss – Swinging neckbreaker from Nikki Cross
Drew McIntyre b. Karrion Kross – McIntyre escaped the cage
Judgment Day b. OC – Coup de Grace to Styles
Braun Strowman b. Omos – Running powerslam
Usos b. Brawling Brutes – Super 1D to Holland
Bianca Belair b. Bayley when Bayley could not answer the ten count
Roman Reigns b. Logan Paul – Spear

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.

Cyber Sunday 2008
Date: October 26, 2008
Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 7,981
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jim Ross, Tazz, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker, Todd Grisham

The major match is another step in the rise of Jeff Hardy, who has been chasing the World Title since back in January. This time he’s chasing HHH for the Smackdown World Title and has two out of three chances to get another shot as the options are Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov (a Russian monster) or both at the same time. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: US Title: Shelton Benjamin vs. ???

R-Truth – 59%
Festus – 25%
MVP – 15%

This is a special match that aired before the show on WWE.com. Shelton is defending and is now known as the Gold Standard, meaning he has gold hair and is really arrogant. Shelton goes after the arm to start but Truth flips over him in the corner and gets two off a leg lariat. The champ comes right back with a hot shot and running kick to the face before we hit the chinlock.

Truth fights up with right hands and clotheslines but takes too long going up, allowing Shelton to jump to the top because he’s an athletic freak. Benjamin gets shoved down so Truth can hit a missile dropkick for two. A quick Paydirt (jumping Downward Spiral) retains Shelton’s title at 3:23.

Rating: D+. This match existed so Truth could do his entrance and fire up the crowd so everything worked fine on that front. To be fair this was just a quick bonus match to get things going and WWE happened to air it on their website. Shelton was pretty much done as anything interesting as soon as he took on this Gold Standard deal because it was so one note and allowed him to keep being lazy and do nothing for the next year and a half before he left the company. Truth on the other hand is still in about the same spot eight years later. Not that there’s anything wrong with that as he’s still popular and employed.

The opening video is a bunch of wrestlers saying our votes don’t matter and no one cares. Then the wrestlers realize that these votes decide their future so tonight it’s all about the fans. Apparently it’s our pay per view. Then why did we have to pay for it?

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane

No Holds Barred – 39%
Falls Count Anywhere – 35%
Two Out Of Three Falls – 26%

Kane was back to being an evil monster and wanted to take Rey’s mask for reasons that weren’t exactly clear. Rey tries some fast offense early on but quickly resorts to weapons. This goes just as badly because someone nearly two feet shorter than Kane can’t do much with a stop sign, allowing Kane to kick him in the face. Well mask but you get the idea.

Kane lifts him up with one arm and rams him back first into the post for two back inside. We hit the trash talk as Kane berates Rey for hiding behind the mask. A legdrop gets two for Kane and he bends Rey’s back across his knee. It’s off to a nerve hold for a bit before we hit the backbreaker again. Rey rakes the eyes and scores with the sitout bulldog, followed by a quick enziguri.

That just earns him another boot to the face and now it’s time for a chair. Mysterio is fast enough to dropkick it back into Kane’s face, which Cole describes as “swashbuckling style.” The monster comes right back to knock Rey down, allowing him to go grab the steps. As expected, that just means Kane goes face first into the steps, setting up the springboard seated senton for two. A few chair shots set up the 619 and the springboard splash to give Rey the pin at 10:20.

Rating: D+. It was decent enough but the stipulation was barely used for the most part. This really just made Kane look more inept than monstrous, basically defeating the point of the feud. It’s also kind of an odd choice for an opener but the match wasn’t horrible and had some decent stuff from Rey. Overall though it feels flat and that’s not how you start a show.

There’s another Divas Halloween costume this year and we’ll be seeing the choices throughout the night, including Michelle McCool as a soldier, Katie Lea as a vampire (basically just her normal look with fangs), Lena Yada as a ninja and Candice Michelle as Marilyn Monroe.

Chris Jericho comes up to Legacy (Ted DiBiase Jr., Cody Rhodes and Manu (son of Afa), a group of second generation wrestlers) and says he loved the way they took out CM Punk. Jericho thinks they’re on the verge of greatness and suggests they take out Batista tonight. Cody tells him to do his dirty work himself.

ECW Title: Matt Hardy vs. ???

Evan Bourne – 69%
Finlay – 25%
Mark Henry – 6%

Bourne is a high flier with a great looking shooting star press. Matt, in a rare position as the bigger man, runs Evan over a few times until Evan gets a good looking dropkick. Evan spins out of a test of strength to get two off a victory roll before reversing the Side Effect for the same result. Matt gets tired of this fast paced offense so he forearms Evan out to the floor to take over.

Back in and Bourne starts in on the arm for a change of pace. A standing shooting star press gets two on the champ and it’s right back to the arm. Hardy rolls outside for a breather and pretty easily breaks up an Asai Moonsault. Back in and Matt drops a middle rope elbow to the back for two, followed by a quickly broken abdominal stretch. Splash Mountain (Razor’s Edge into a powerbomb) is countered with a hurricanrana as the fans seem to be more behind Evan than Matt.

A pair of Side Effects gets two for Hardy but somehow Matt’s middle rope legdrop is countered by a spinwheel kick. Shouldn’t Matt have known that Evan was already up? Bourne gets two off a really fast moonsault press out of the corner as Todd says this has been going a hundred miles an hour since the opening bell. Someone needs to teach him the concept of speed. Matt grabs a rollup (and maybe some tights) for two but has to avoid the shooting star. The Twist of Fate retains Matt’s title at 11:04.

Rating: C. This picked up a lot after the halfway point but the first half with the arm work from Evan and Matt using power wasn’t the most exciting stuff. Matt never has been the best power guy/brawler so the match got better once he went back to his normal style. Bourne looked good here and would seem ready for a strong push but two days later he would dislocate his ankle and miss over four months.

Beth Phoenix is a gladiator, Jillian Hall is Batgirl, Maria is a bunny and Kelly Kelly is a sailor.

Here are the choices for the next tag match:

John Morrison/The Miz vs. Cryme Tyme – 38%
Legacy vs. Kofi Kingston/CM Punk – 35%
William Regal/Layla vs. Jamie Noble/Mickie James – 27%

John Morrison/The Miz vs. Cryme Tyme

This is a feud over who has the better internet show. The choice is a bit odd as Legacy vs. Punk/Kingston would have been for the Raw Tag Team Titles. Morrison and JTG get things going and take turns driving each other into the corner. Not exactly a thrilling start. JTG gets in a back elbow to the jaw for the first real offense before it’s off to Miz vs. Shad with the big man giving JTG something like a reverse Alabama Slam onto Miz for two.

It’s back to Morrison as the announcers talk about underwear. Miz and Morrison are both sent out to the floor before Shad throws JTG onto both of them for a cool power display. Back in and John drives Shad into the corner to take over on the knee. We hit a leg lock from Miz followed by a half crab from Morrison. Shad pretty easily kicks Miz away and makes the tag off to JTG.

Everything breaks down and JTG gets beaten down for a change as Miz questions the fans thinking he can’t wrestle. Miz hits a running corner clothesline for two and we hit the chinlock. JTG gets up and drops Miz long enough for the hot tag to Shad. Everything breaks down and Shad gets two off a spinebuster to Morrison. Miz kicks Shad in the knee though, setting up Morrison’s Midnight Drive (flip neckbreaker) for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: D+. This felt more like the opener with the match never really going anywhere after the first few minutes. Just like Mysterio vs. Kane, this started fast but never got off the ground. Maybe there wasn’t enough heat from two internet shows that most people didn’t watch to warrant a pay per view match. If only there was an option for some titles.

Tiffany is something like a nun, Brie Bella is Cleopatra, Natalya is a cop and Eve Torres is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Jericho can’t get Great Khali’s help in the main event either.

Intercontinental Title: Santino Marella vs. ???

Marella is a goofy Italian who somehow landed Beth Phoenix, a good looking blonde in great shape. He’s also been talking about how he’s going to surpass Honky Tonk Man’s record for the longest Intercontinental Title reign, which included the Honk-A-Meter. Before the opponent is revealed, Santino insults various athletes who come to Phoenix and fade away. The list includes Shaquille O’Neal, who happens to be here. Here are the choices for his opponent:

Honky Tonk Man – 35%
Roddy Piper – 34%
Goldust – 31%

The word duh comes to mind though that’s WAY closer than I was expecting. Before the match, Honky Tonk Man says Santino could hold the title for ten years and it wouldn’t mean as much as his reign. Eh to be fair that’s probably not too far from the truth. A dance off ensues until Honky Tonk hits a few right hands and grabs a headlock, only to have Beth trip Honky Tonk for the DQ at 1:05.

Santino yells at Beth for a bit, followed by the other options coming out for the big beatdown and a lot of cheering.

Maryse is a French maid (of course), Layla is Princess Layla, Victoria is a banana (she has appeal) and Mickie James is Lara Croft.

We recap Undertaker vs. Big Show. Big Show knocked Undertaker out to prove that Undertaker was mortal and unable to take the big right hand. Undertaker came back and said he wasn’t done fighting yet so they’ll have another fight here.

Undertaker vs. Big Show

Last Man Standing – 49%
I Quit – 42%
Knockout Match – 9%

Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero says I Quit won in a fairly inoffensive gaffe. They slug it out to start with Big Show knocking him over the top and out to the floor. Undertaker is thrown into the timekeeper’s area so he comes back with a chair to the head. Back in and Show easily runs Undertaker over before kicking him out to the floor. Show misses a chair shot though, allowing Undertaker to drive it into his throat for an eight count. Undertaker starts hammering away but gets clotheslined for his efforts.

Show just starts pounding on Undertaker’s ribs before trying a chokeslam, which is reversed into a DDT for nine. This of course begs the question of why he didn’t just immediately throw the KO Punch since he was easily pounding on the ribs. Show takes a turnbuckle pad off but gets sent into it himself (because duh) so they can head outside. Undertaker is whipped into the steps over and over before they stop fighting to load up the announcers’ tables.

A superkick (well moderately super) puts Undertaker over the barricade and a chokeslam sends him through the table for nine. Show yells at Undertaker for not quitting but Undertaker comes back with right hands. Another DDT plants Show inside but Old School is countered into a weak chokeslam for nine more. The KO Punch gets the same so Show caves Undertaker’s head in with a chair. Show leans down to talk some trash but gets pulled into the Hell’s Gate choke, knocking him out for the ten count at 19:23.

Rating: B-. This could have been a lot worse and the good ending drags it up a bit higher. You had to expect these two to have a low and plodding match but the idea of two big guys hitting each other a lot worked well enough. This was more of an old school Undertaker match and while he’s not exactly what he used to be, this was still good enough and better than I was expecting to have to sit through.

Raw General Manager Mike Adamle (a hopeless buffoon) won’t give Jericho leniency either. Jericho gets a message on his phone that seems to give him some hope.

It’s time for the Halloween costume results with all of the Divas being brought out. Mickie James wins and they don’t even bother with percentages. A big brawl breaks out with the good ones being left to pose.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match which is really more of a question of how badly will Hardy alone dominate the other options. Hardy and HHH have been feuding for a few months though they’re both still faces. Kozlov is just there despite most people not being interested.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. ???

Jeff Hardy – 57%
Jeff Hardy/Vladimir Kozlov – 38%
Vladimir Kozlov – 5%

Yeah that’s not a surprise with the Hardy options totaling 95% and even the triple threat was blown out by Jeff alone. They go with some basic wrestling to start as Jeff works on a hammerlock on the mat. An armdrag sets up an armbar but Jeff can’t hit the Twist of Fate. JR thinks Hardy’s green belt means money tonight. Now you’re just stretching dude. Jeff tries to get to the top but gets sent crashing back down to the floor.

HHH sends him shoulder first into the post and it’s time for an armbar. Jeff sweeps the legs and drops a legdrop between the champ’s legs for two but the slingshot dropkick is nicely countered into a spinebuster. We hit a crossface of all things to stay on Jeff’s shoulder until Hardy rolls backwards into a rollup for the break. They head outside with HHH being sent into the steps and Jeff nailing Poetry in Motion against the barricade.

Back in and a pair of Whispers in the Wind get two on the champ as the fans are getting more into this. The Twist of Fate is countered but Jeff reverses the Pedigree into a rollup for two in a hot sequence. Now the Twist connects for two and there’s a Swanton for no cover. A second one hits knees but Jeff knocks him outside, only to completely miss a plancha. HHH goes down anyway but HHH crotches him back inside, setting up the Pedigree to retain at 15:36.

Rating: B. These two had some strong chemistry together and it was clear that Hardy was getting closer and closer every single time. HHH getting the title again wasn’t the most popular idea but he was having great matches and giving Hardy a great rub in matches like this one. There’s also the idea that Hardy never covered after hitting the Swanton, meaning there was no way of knowing if he had the pin there or not. Good stuff here and another nail in Kozlov’s main event coffin.

We recap Batista vs. Chris Jericho. Batista became #1 contender last month at No Mercy by beating John Bradshaw Layfield and gets his chance to reclaim his title here. Jericho is on a roll with his holier/more intelligent than thou heel character but Batista is just a monster. There isn’t even a gimmick here with the fans getting to vote on a guest referee.

Raw World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Batista

Steve Austin – 74%
Shawn Michaels – 22%
Randy Orton – 4%

Jericho is defending and the fans chant for Austin, much to the champ’s annoyance. For some reason Jericho decides to slap Batista in the face to start, earning himself some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. That means it’s time for a breather on the floor and a walk up the aisle but Austin says if he leaves he loses the title. I would picture Austin going up the aisle and throwing him back in but I guess Steve has mellowed a bit.

Back in and an elbow to the jaw followed by a suplex gives Batista a two count. Jericho tosses him outside for a breather and a baseball slide. Batista’s knee gets caught in the ropes so Jericho can have a target. A leglock sets up a chop block and it’s time to crank on the ankle. That’s switched over to a chinlock before Batista has to kick away a Walls of Jericho attempt.

Jericho charges into a boot to the face and Batista’s leg is fine enough for a powerslam. It bangs up his knee though and Jericho grabs the Walls which is quickly swapped for a half crab, guaranteeing that Batista doesn’t tap. Austin has to pull Jericho off when he Batista grabs the ropes, doing his first noteworthy thing in the last ten minutes. A Boss Man Slam (not a tilt-a-whirl side slam Cole) gets two on the champ but Jericho goes back to the knee to escape the Batista Bomb.

Batista misses a charge and goes shoulder first into the post but he’s still able to break up a superplex attempt. A good looking top rope shoulder gets two on Jericho but it’s time for the ref bump with Batista running Austin over by mistake. The Codebreaker drops Batista so here’s Shawn Michaels (Jericho’s big rival) for a comically slow count (as in nearly fifteen seconds to get to two).

Batista spears Jericho but JBL comes out to beat up Shawn. Here’s Randy Orton to knock Austin down so Jericho can hit Batista in the head with the belt for two. Austin gets back up with a Stunner for Orton, leaving Batista to give Jericho a spinebuster and the Batista Bomb to win the title at 17:06.

Rating: B-. This was fine and even good at times but absolutely nothing worth getting excited over. Batista winning the title sent the fans home happy but it’s really early for Jericho to lose the title less than two months after he won it. To be fair though this was just a quick reign as Batista would drop the belt back to Jericho eight days later at the 800th episode of Monday Night Raw. The referee stuff was nice for a change after last year where Austin was absolutely nothing. It also helps that this stuff made sense instead of just being there as random violence.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was perfectly fine but it was clear that the voting gimmick had outlived its usefulness, hence why this was the final year. The wrestling was a slightly downgraded version of the previous year’s as the final three matches all worked but the stuff earlier in the show wasn’t as strong. I’ll take a decent show over a mess though and that’s about all there is here.

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Extreme Rules 2022
Date: October 8, 2022
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back with the violent pay per view and in this case the card might be able to live up to that hype. There is a different, or mostly different, gimmick to every match on the card and some of them could get rather violent. In addition, we find out who the White Rabbit is tonight and that could be a huge moment. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is narrated by Paul Heyman (of course) and features a boy in a spelling bee, trying to spell EXTREME. He asks for the definitions, with Heyman talking about what it means for tonight.

Imperium vs. Brawling Brutes

This is a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook, meaning street fight with some props at ringside. It’s a brawl to start, as it should be, with everyone pairing off in and around the ring. Kaiser is tied in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick but the rest of Imperium comes over for the save. Everyone goes for the weapons and Sheamus is sent into various things at ringside.

With Kaiser and Vinci holding Sheamus over a bar, Gunther chops away and hits the big boot before dropping him onto said bar. Back in and it’s Butch and Holland getting beaten up, including the double running dropkick to Butch in the corner. As Imperium poses, Sheamus fights up and it’s time to wreck Gunther’s minions.

Gunther tells Sheamus to bring it and the slugout is on. A release German suplex drops Sheamus but he’s right back up with a clothesline. Holland and Butch are back up to help with the beating until everyone knocks each other down. The teams get up and fight to the floor, with Butch hitting a heck of a moonsault off some barrels.

Gunther is back up and hits the shillelagh shot for two Sheamus. The rest of the Brutes get back in and beat down Gunther, allowing Sheamus to hit a heck of a shillelagh shot to knock Gunther silly. Gunther gets powerbombed through the announcers’ table, leaving Kaiser to get Brogue Kicked for the pin at 17:42.

Rating: A-. The good old fashioned part was right as these guys didn’t bother with anything more than what was advertised. They beat each other up for about eighteen minutes and you could feel a lot of the pain and violence they were showing off here. Sheamus getting the win was the right way to go and he can probably have a final showdown with Gunther. This was what I was looking for from this match and they delivered hard.

Miz isn’t happy about the idea of Dexter Lumis ruining his birthday tomorrow night. He’ll even talk about it with HHH….but something catches his eye. That would be Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty, who offers him a shirt. Miz throws it down and stomps on it, become the most despised man in the arena.

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan for the Smackdown Women’s Women’s Title. Morgan escaped with the title over Rousey at Summerslam so tonight it’s Extreme Rules so Morgan can prove she can hang with Rousey with no rules.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan is defending and it’s Extreme Rules, meaning Morgan brings a baseball bat. That works fine for Rousey, who starts the brawl and takes it outside, with Morgan being knocked down. Rousey picks up the bat but takes too long, allowing Liv to blast her with a fire extinguisher. That’s not enough though as Rousey hits a Piper’s Pit on the floor, followed by a baseball bat to the ribs (with Rousey looking to the crowd to see how far that shot went for some good heeling).

Some more shots to the knee put Morgan down but she’s fine enough to hit an enziguri for a breather. Back up and Rousey gets in some shots with a bat to the knee but Morgan sends her into the steps. A table is set up in the corner inside but Rousey sends her face first into it a few times. The running knee sets up an armbar over the ropes but Morgan slips out and grabs a chair.

Said chair is wedged in the corner….and then falls out, meaning there is nothing for Rousey to hit when Morgan kicks her into the corner. Back in and Morgan hits some awful chair shots, followed by a Codebreaker to drive the chair into Rousey’s face for two. Rousey is put on the table for the top rope backsplash for two, followed by a pretty awful powerbomb onto the broken table. That’s enough for Rousey to pull her into some kind of a leg choke for the knockout win (with Liv smiling for some reason) at 12:17.

Rating: D+. I’m trying to be nice with this one because they were absolutely trying, but this just didn’t work. I don’t think there was any reason to believe that Morgan had a chance to win a fight against Rousey, weapons or no weapons, and there was no way around that. Now that being said, Rousey unloading on Morgan’s knee with a bat and having it do nothing is inexcusable and had me wondering who put this match together because they need to be fired. They were in a bad situation that didn’t suit them and then it was all downhill from there. Bad match, but they put the effort in and it got better by the end.

We recap Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre. Kross debuted about a month and a half ago, saying he wants to reset the timeline, meaning taking McIntyre out. McIntyre isn’t down for that and is tired of Kross disappearing, so they’ve having a strap match.

Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre

Strap match and Scarlet is here with Kross. Hold on though as Kross jumps him before the strap is tied, meaning the fight goes into the crowd. They fight through the arena and make it back down to ringside, where Kross can’t suplexes him onto the steps. They get back inside with McIntyre in control and tying the strap to Kross’ wrist to officially start the match.

Some LOUD whips have Kross in trouble but Scarlet offers a distraction so Kross can manage a posting. McIntyre’s bad shoulder is banged up again but he wants to keep going, even as Kross hammers away. A Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table (which isn’t like a Futureshock Cole) knocks McIntyre silly and the Doomsday Saito gives Kross two back inside.

McIntyre gets fired up by the whipping and a jumping neckbreaker drops Kross. Back up and the whip the heck out of each other until Kross finally gets staggered. The Futureshock drops McIntyre so he loads up the Claymore, only to have Scarlet get in the way. Some pepper spray blinds McIntyre and the Krosshammer (running forearm to the back of the head) finishes for Kross at 10:19.

Rating: B. Much like the opener, you went into this one expecting violence and that is exactly what you got. This was about two big, strong men beating each other senseless with a weapon that was going to make people cringe and they did exactly that. The ending was one of the ways they could go and McIntyre keeps face, but Kross needed to go over here after a brutal match and that is what happened.

Miz is on the phone about his birthday again when Gritty interrupts. More yelling ensues.

We recap Bayley vs. Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title. Bayley returned at Summerslam and wanted to take over the division, including with her Damage Ctrl teammates. That means she needs a title and by pinning Belair at Clash At The Castle, she earned the shot here in a ladder match.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Belair is defending in a ladder match. After the Big Match Intros, they waste no time in going outside to grab a ladder each. Belair gets the better of things and goes up, only to have Bayley break it up without much trouble. After explaining to a fan that she is winning and therefore cannot suck, Bayley sends her into a ladder, with Belair using it for a quickly broken climb attempt.

Belair takes her down and hits the handspring moonsault onto Bayley onto the ladder but Belair is banged up too. A ladder is set up in the corner and a running sunset bomb sends Belair into the ladder for a big crash. Belair has to make another save so Bayley sends her outside and bridges a ladder between the steps and the barricade. The running elbow off the apron hits Belair on the ladder but Belair is back up with a ladder shot of her own.

Back in and Bayley knocks her down again, meaning it’s time to….break off a piece of her knee brace. The charge misses though and Belair grabs a KOD. Belair goes up but the rest of Damage Ctrl take her down, including a big shove off the ladder. That’s broken up with Belair hitting a double KOD (geez) but Bayley is back up to Roseplant Belair.

Bayley loads up the ladder over Belair….who presses it up to shove Bayley off for the insane power display save. It’s Bayley going up but Belair uses the braid to bring her back down. Bayley picks up a ladder but Belair picks up Bayley (and the ladder) and KODs them both, allowing Belair to pull the title down and retain at 16:38.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure on this one and a lot of that is due to how the ending of the match went. They did a good job of making Belair look like a monster, but this was Damage Ctrl slamming into a brick wall, as Bayley had worn her down and then the other two couldn’t finish it off. It made Belair look great but for the rest of the team, not so much. Other than that, this was a good ladder match with some creative enough spots, but there are so many of them these days that it’s hard to get overly excited about them anymore.

We recap Edge vs. Finn Balor. Edge formed Judgment day after Wrestlemania and then Balor turned on the team to take Edge’s place. Edge has since tried to destroy the team but can’t get rid of them no matter what he does. Tonight is his chance in an I Quit match.

Finn Balor vs. Edge

I Quit match and Edge starts fast with a neckbreaker. Edge drives him face first into the corner but Balor gets in a shot to the face to take over, including stomping Edge in the corner. It’s time to work on Edge’s knee and a leglock sets up a figure four. Edge isn’t about to quit but he can’t turn it over, meaning Balor can crank on it even more. With that not working, Balor takes it outside and ties Edge up in the ring skirt to keep up the beating.

Edge fights up and knocks him over the announcers’ table so they can fight into the crowd. They brawl around the arena and over by the Kickoff Show set, but Balor still won’t quit. Now it’s off to the concourse, where Balor is launched face first into the concrete overhead. The spear only results in Edge low blowing himself on a barricade though, with Balor bending Edge’s neck around said barricade.

They get back to ringside, where Balor can’t get Edge to quit so he wedges a chair in the corner instead. A Crossface has Edge in more trouble but he fights out and grabs the Edgecator for a bit of a flashback. Cue Damian Priest (Cole: “I was wondering when this idiot was going to show up.”) for the save, with Dominik Mysterio following, so Edge spears Balor through the ropes to take them all down. Back in and Rhea Ripley pops in to handcuff Edge to the top.

The three men of Judgment Day beat Edge down and Balor unloads with kendo stick shots to the back. Rey Mysterio FINALLY comes in with a chair (where the heck was he five minutes ago) and makes most of the save but Dominik knocks Rey off the apron. Cue Beth Phoenix to make the real save and beat the fire out of Balor with the kendo stick. Ripley gets up for the staredown so Beth beats her down as well and gets the key.

Edge is freed and spears down Priest, followed by three spears to Balor. Beth grabs the chair for Edge, who loads up the crossface but Ripley comes back in to blast Beth with brass knuckles. Judgment Day beats Edge down, including a bunch of Coup de Graces. Edge still won’t quit, so Beth is loaded into a Conchairto. That’s enough to make Edge quit at 29:53.

Rating: B. This did work and it did feel extreme, but they probably needed about five to seven minutes cut out to make it that much better. The ending was about the only way that they could go as you don’t want Edge quitting clean and it also makes him look like a hero for trying to save his wife. Balor and the team absolutely needed this win though and having them be all evil towards Beth made them look even better.

That being said, the Rey/Dominik stuff still isn’t working and still isn’t as interesting as WWE thinks it is. It’s also not as evil as Michael Cole would have you believe, as he was REALLY annoying on commentary, screaming like Dominik was blowing up a bus full of orphans when he hit Rey. Cole was going so far over the deep end that I wanted Rey to hit him instead of Dominik and I don’t think that’s the right idea. Other than that though, good, violent brawl.

They Conchairto her anyway. Panic ensues, because this time Beth is some helpless creature instead of the time when she’s a Hall of Famer and unstoppable force.

Charlotte is coming back at some point in the future.

Gritty gives Miz another shirt so Miz beats him up….but Dexter Lumis is behind Miz. The choke out ensues, followed by Lumis helping Gritty up. Gritty kicks Miz in the ribs and leaves with Lumis.

We recap Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins. They have been fighting for months and making it very personal, with both insulting the other’s family. Rollins beat Riddle at Clash At The Castle when Riddle let his anger get the better of him, so now it’s a match in the Fight Pit, which is Riddle’s style.

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle

This is in the Fight Pit, which is a cage with no ropes and a platform around the top of the ring that they can walk on. You can only win by knockout or submission and UFC legend Daniel Cormier is referee for some extra flavor. The bell rings and the fans immediately want Bray Wyatt, but have to settle for Riddle walking the cage wall for a kick to the head.

Riddle hammers at the head and Cormier pulls him off, even accidentally sending Riddle into the cage. Rollins is back up to hammer away but Riddle flips out of a German suplex. More shots put Riddle down but Rollins shoves Cormier a bit, earning him a stiff lecture. A hard forearm to the back of the head drops Riddle and Rollins is getting cocky. A twisting frog splash rocks Riddle and a Stomp makes it worse, but Riddle beats the count.

Rollins isn’t exactly keen on fighting a ticked off Riddle so he climbs the cage and makes it to the platform. Riddle follows up and they fight near the edge, with Riddle grabbing a choke while holding onto a chain to avoid falling back to the ring. Rollins gets in a few more shots but Riddle catches him with an RKO, which is enough to send Rollins back down to the mat (not much of a fall when he grabs the edge and hangs from the platform before dropping).

Since he’s a bit nuts, Riddle drops a Broton from the platform to the mat (that looked good) for the huge crash. After taking some time to learn to breathe again, Riddle grabs a triangle choke so Rollins drives him into the cage over and over. That and a powerbomb aren’t enough to break it though and Rollins taps at 16:42.

Rating: C. What you have here is an idea that sounded good on paper but didn’t work out so well in execution. It was basically a cage match with room for some big bumps, but all that did was make me wonder why they didn’t just have a cage match. Yeah Riddle gets the big win, but he gets it in a match tailor made for him, which isn’t that impressive. The Broton looked excellent with the camera looking up, but other than that, this wasn’t the most memorable match and it didn’t exactly draw me in. I wouldn’t call it bad, though it’s nothing I need to see again.

Riddle goes to leave….and the lights go out, with the Fireflies coming up and Bray Wyatt’s voice singing He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands. We see real life versions of the Firefly Fun House creatures in the crowd, plus a Fiend mask on the stage. Then the Fiend pops up near the barricade and we cut to the stage, where there is a real life Firefly Fun House. A TV comes on with a monster saying something I can’t quite make out. Light comes from behind the door to the Fun House and it bursts open…..with someone holding a lantern coming out and wearing the mask from the TV.

The mask comes off and it’s Bray Wyatt. The lantern is blown out and a logo that looks like an upside down mutated butterfly comes up on screen to take us out. To say the place went coconuts for this would be an understatement as they lost it for every bit, but Bray has a long way to go to make up for the mess that was his last run with the company. I’m not saying he can’t, but he needs to be on a really, really short leash.

Overall Rating: B. As cliched as it sounds, this was a show where what was good was good but what was weak was weak. The best thing about this show was the fact that it had a variety of stuff and I was never bored watching it. The ending is the part that is going to have people talking, as it should, but the Donnybrook stole the night with one heck of a brawl. It’s a good show, even if it was a bunch of rematches with stories that need to be wrapped up already.

Results
Brawling Brutes b. Imperium – Brogue Kick to Vinci
Ronda Rousey b. Liv Morgan via referee stoppage
Karrion Kross b. Drew McIntyre – Krosshammer
Bianca Belair b. Bayley – Belair pulled down the title
Finn Balor b. Edge when Edge quit
Matt Riddle b. Seth Rollins – Triangle choke

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.

No Mercy 2016
Date: October 9, 2016
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Attendance: 14,324
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, John Bradshaw Layfield, David Otunga

So for some reason someone wanted me to redo this show, though it was a few years ago (because that’s how long it takes me to get from stuff other than weekly shows) so there is a good chance they aren’t even around anymore. This is a Smackdown exclusive show, as we’re fresh off the new Brand Split, with a main event of new Smackdown World Champion Dean Ambrose defending against John Cena and Dean Ambrose. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Hype Bros/American Alpha vs. Ascension/Vaudevillains

This show is less than six years old and seven of these eight wrestlers are gone from the active roster. Gable wrestles English down to start and hands it off to Jordan. The Vaudevillains are taken down without much trouble so it’s Viktor coming in to headlock Ryder (who the fans really like). That doesn’t last long either as it’s off to the very hyped Rawley, who takes Viktor down as well. Everything breaks down and the good guys clear the ring to send us to a break.

Back with Ryder in trouble as Ascension takes turns beating him down. English comes in to stomp away and put on a chinlock of his own. Ryder’s escape attempt is driven (hard) back into the corner and Konnor comes in to glare. Ryder does manage to escape but Ascension is smart enough to pull his partners down. That doesn’t last long either as the hot tag brings in Jordan to clean house. Everything breaks down and Gable hits a high crossbody, setting up Grand Amplitude to finish English at 9:09.

Rating: C. The high level of chinlockery hurt this a bit but they did the right thing by having the entertaining teams go in there and do their thing. American Alpha was so good at what they did and the Hype Bros were indeed good at getting the crowd going. That left the Vaudevillains as passable heels and the Ascension as…..boy were those Vaudevillains decent heels.

The opening video has a Biblical theme, focusing on the major matches and asking for mercy for every bad thing people have done.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles

Styles is defending after having beaten both of them in singles matches and Cena is hunting for World Title #16. That being said, you would think someone with those skills would get a better reception than a JOHN CENA SUCKS chant. After the entrances, we get a video of Styles beating Cena at Summerslam and then Ambrose at Backlash to win the title. Shane McMahon made the title match and here we go, with Cena wanting the title and Ambrose saying Cena can’t do it anymore.

With that out of the way, we ring the bell and it’s a three way staredown to start. None of them can hit an early finisher so it’s a triple clothesline to put everyone down. Ambrose is up first and knocks them outside, with Styles being sent into the announcers’ table. Cena catches a diving Ambrose and drives him back first into the post, leaving Styles to hit the slingshot forearm.

Back in and Ambrose snaps Styles’ throat across the rope but can’t suplex him to the floor. That’s fine with Cena, who German suplexes both of them at once. With Ambrose knocked outside, Cena plants Styles for a quick two and is already looking banged up. Styles is fine enough to flip out of the AA though and an enziguri drops Cena. Ambrose comes back in and is promptly sent over the top for a crash onto the steps. The Code Red gives Cena two on Styles but the super AA is countered into a torture rack powerbomb for Styles’ own near fall.

Back up and Cena and Styles trade sleepers until Ambrose comes back in for one of his own on Cena. That’s broken up and Cena initiates the finishing sequence on Ambrose, at least until Styles puts Cena down for two. Ambrose faceplants Styles for two but gets sent outside, allowing Cena to beat on Styles. Hold on though as Ambrose comes back in with the standing elbow drop for two and the Phenomenal Forearm sends Cena outside.

Styles snaps off a super hurricanrana to Ambrose, who rolls it through into a sunset flip for two. A double clothesline leaves them both down so here is Cena again. The Shuffle hits Styles but Ambrose breaks it up, only to get caught with an AA for two. The STF has Ambrose in trouble but Styles makes the save and knocks Cena off the apron. Styles’ springboard 450 gets two on Ambrose so Cena comes back in to STF Styles, with Ambrose preventing the tap (how he is preventing Styles from saying I QUIT isn’t clear).

The double AA is broken up though and Styles kicks Cena in the head for another triple knockdown. Cena is back up and powerbombs Ambrose out of the corner but gets pulled into the Calf Crusher. Ambrose breaks that up and Calf Crushes Styles for a change, with Cena adding the STF.

Styles taps at 19:26 but since it was a double submission, it means nothing and they all keep fighting. That didn’t make sense when I watched it live and it still doesn’t now. Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds on Cena so Styles pulls the referee out, earning himself a suicide dive. Back in and Cena hits the super AA on Ambrose but Styles chairs Cena down and pins him to retain at 21:40.

Rating: B. They started big on this show and the three of them had a heck of a match in this spot. The match had a cool structure to it as Styles was doing the high flying, Ambrose was the wild brawler and Cena was there with the power. It made for a very good match, save for the dumb double pin thing. I’m not sure how much sense that makes, but Styles getting a pin in this spot is a great thing for his title reign.

We recap Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton. Bray targeted Orton and took him out at Backlash and it’s time for the two to fight.

Becky Lynch has a medical issue and can’t defend the Smackdown Women’s Title against Alexa Bliss but Bliss will still have a match.

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella

Nikki came back from injury earlier this year but got jumped by Carmella twice in the same night. Carmella jumps her again but gets thrown around by the hair as Nikki is doing her powerhouse thing. A baseball slide sends Carmella to the floor, where Carmella drops her throat first across the barricade. Nikki’s back is bent around the post as Carmella gets a bit more cocky (shocking I know).

We hit the chinlock with some screaming, though there isn’t much noise for it to cover. Nikki fights out and hits a kind of spear, setting up the Bella Buster (what a witty and clever name) for two. A small package gives Nikki the same so she smashes Carmella with the forearm. Carmella is fine enough to grab the Code Of Silence to send a screaming Nikki (I think?) to the ropes. The frustrated Carmella pounds away but gets caught in the Rack Attack 2.0 to give Nikki the pin at 8:05.

Rating: C. It’s kind of fascinating to look back at Nikki, as she really wasn’t that bad in the ring. The fans certainly liked her and she could do a good enough powerhouse match. The problem is that she got so much attention over the years and did had a limit to her skills, but knowing what else you could get in the division from the Women’s Revolution didn’t help things in the slightest. For now though, fighting through an injury to beat Carmella was a nice way to go and the match was hardly bad.

Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan (Smackdown bosses) are happy with how the show is going so far. Miz and Maryse come in with the former promising to retire Dolph Ziggler, which he blames on Bryan. No matter how many times you watch Rocky IV, Apollo Creed always dies. After he wins tonight, Miz wants to renegotiate his contract because some of that Ziggler money will be available.

Tag Team Titles: Heath Slater/Rhyno vs. Usos

Slater and Rhyno, the inaugural Smackdown Tag Team Champions, are defending after having won the titles at Backlash. This was part of a pretty entertaining story that saw Slater desperately trying to get a job anyway he could and winding up winning the titles with Rhyno as a result. Rhyno punches Jimmy into the corner to start and hands it off to Heath, who gets taken into the wrong corner so the twins can start up the beating.

The chinlock goes on for all of five seconds before Heath fights up and brings Rhyno back in. The Gore is broken up by a Jey distraction and the running Umaga Attack in the corner takes over. It’s time to start in on Rhyno’s knee, with Jimmy holding a kneebar so Jey can hit a basement dropkick. Rhyno fights up again and spinebusters his way to freedom, allowing the hot tag to Heath.

Everything breaks down and Jey hits a pop up Samoan drop for two on Heath. The double superkick is broken up but Rhyno gets dropkicked through the ropes. Jimmy goes up but gets powerslammed down (cool) for two. Back up and Jimmy hits the dropkick to the knee (an Usos standard) has Heath in trouble, only to have Rhyno come back with the Gore. The tag to Rhyno sets up another Gore to retain the titles at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This felt like a rather good TV match and given how new the titles still were, this was about as good as it was going to be. Slater and Rhyno were the feel good champions and aren’t likely to hold the titles very long, but at least they had a nice pay per view title defense on the way there. I’m thinking the Usos will be fine too.

Bray Wyatt is in his rocking chair and seems to be speaking in tongues. He shifts over to an English version of He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands and laughs a bit. More on this later I’m assuming.

We recap Jack Swagger beating Baron Corbin on Smackdown when Corbin might not have actually tapped.

Baron Corbin vs. Jack Swagger

Corbin starts fast by trying/missing the slide under the ropes clothesline, earning himself a clothesline out to the floor. Swagger goes out too but gets sent into the steps, which Corbin kicks onto his hand to put him in real trouble. The whip into the corner drops Swagger again and it’s back to the hand. Swagger powers up and hits a suplex, setting up the Vader Bomb for two.

Corbin knocks him down a few more times though and stands there, making it clear that Corbin’s original look wasn’t a great way to go for such posing. A quick ankle lock gets Swagger out of trouble but the hand gives out again. That and a shot to the eye set up End of Days to finish Swatter at 7:27.

Rating: D+. This is what you get from a Brand Split show, as you’re left with a still not very good Corbin getting match against Swagger that felt a lot longer than it was. Swagger was so done at this point but WWE kept putting him out there to come up shorter and shorter every time. Corbin would have a future, but there was A LOT of tweaking to do on the way there.

We recap Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Title. Ziggler has been on a losing streak and isn’t sure if he can do this anymore. At the same time, Miz is on an absolute roll as Intercontinental Champion and has held the title since the night after Wrestlemania. Therefore, it was time for the latest Ziggler reheat, where he does one or two things rather well and gets us to this match. Somehow this was built around the idea of Ziggler never living up to his potential while showing the pretty lengthy amount of titles and accomplishments he has earned. Therefore, it’s title vs. career after a pretty nice package.

Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz

Miz, with Maryse, is defending and this is title vs. career. An early clothesline misses for Miz and Ziggler hits a dropkick for two. Another clothesline sets up a Cactus Clothesline and they’re both on the floor. A kick to the ropes slows Ziggler down on the way back in though and Miz sends him hard into the corner. The fans are suddenly all over Miz as he grabs a double underhook crank, followed by another clothesline.

Since he hasn’t done it in a bit, Miz channels Daniel Bryan with the surfboard leg stop, setting up another double arm crank. A neckbreaker sets up the running corner dropkicks but Ziggler hits his own dropkick to put them both down. Back up and Ziggler hits his own neckbreaker into the jumping elbow for two, meaning frustration can set in. They trade rollups for two, though Miz putting his feet on the ropes kind of takes away the balance.

Ziggler’s running DDT is countered but Miz’s standing version isn’t, leaving both of them down again. Miz starts in on the knee and, after having his slingshot powerbomb countered, grabs the Figure Four in the relative area of the center of the ring. The rope is eventually grabbed and Ziggler is able to hit the jumping DDT for two. With nothing else working, Miz takes a turnbuckle pad off and sends Ziggler into the steel, setting up the slingshot sitout powerbomb (maybe the fourth time he has tried it) for two more.

The YES Kicks rock Ziggler but he ducks the big one and hits the Zig Zag for two, with the fans WAY into this. The superkick is countered into a Skull Crushing Finale attempt, which is countered into a rollup to give Ziggler another near fall. Ziggler grabs the sleeper and this time it’s Miz grabbing the rope. With the referee checking on Miz, Maryse blinds Ziggler with the hairspray and the Skull Crushing Finale connects for….two, as Ziggler gets his foot on the rope.

That’s a BIG reaction from the crowd so the frustrated Miz goes right back to the leg. Ziggler loses his boot though and it’s a socked superkick for…no cover, as Maryse calls out the Spirit Squad. Ziggler takes one of them out but gets Skull Crushing Finaled for a VERY near fall. The Squad is ejected and it’s a superkick to give Ziggler the pin and the title at 19:47.

Rating: B. The action was good but the drama is what carried this one the entire way. The fans were WAY into this one and wanted to see Ziggler pull this off in the end. That is what happens when you build up a good story and make the fans want to see the payoff so well done on all counts. As usual, Miz continues to be able to have an awesome match when he has the right kind of setup and that is what they pulled off here. Not a classic, but a heck of a story.

Randy Orton looks at himself in a mirror and the reflection gets distorted.

The Kickoff Show panel chats about the show.

Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi

Naomi is a replacement for the injured Becky Lynch and comes out after Alexa goes on a long rant about Lynch. Bliss runs her over to start but gets kicked into the corner, setting up the split legged moonsault for an early two. Back up and Bliss hits a knee to take over again before starting in on the arm. The fans want Becky as Bliss cranks on the arm and shouts NO YOU DON’T.

We hit the seated armbar before some stomping sets up…uh…another seated armbar. Bliss: “You’re not on my level Naomi! They don’t even like you!” Naomi fights up and hits the Rear View (or at least close to it, as it looked like she didn’t make much contact) for two. Bliss goes for the arm but Naomi stacks her up for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: D+. Yeah this didn’t exactly work, with the big move from Naomi missing and the ending coming off as lame and out of nowhere. I’m sure they’re trying to set up some kind of triple threat or something close to it, but there is only so much interesting in whatever they’re doing. Bad match, though it was there in the death spot anyway.

Hell In A Cell rundown.

We recap bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton. Wyatt attacked him at Backlash and then did his usual mind games, only to have Orton do the same thing. In other words, more Bray Wyatt stuff to set up a feud and it’s the main event.

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton

Dang the Fireflies are still an awesome look. Orton shoves him outside off a lockup to start and it’s time for some breathing. Back in and Orton pulls him down by the hair and then hammers away in the corner. Sister Abigail is broken up but so is the hanging DDT, with Wyatt pulling him outside this time. An RKO attempt is countered with a shove over the announcers’ table and Wyatt shoves him into the barricade to make it worse.

Back in and Orton fights out of the chinlock so Wyatt slams him down without much effort. Wyatt takes WAY too long to set up a middle rope backsplash and crashes down hard. Orton starts slugging away and hits a clothesline out of the corner but has to get out of Sister Abigail.

The powerslam gives Orton two but Wyatt hits a running crossbody for two of his own. Another RKO and Sister Abigail are countered but Wyatt hits the release Rock Bottom for two. They head outside again but this time Orton avoids the backsplash onto the steps. Back in and the hanging DDT connects for two….but then the lights go out and Luke Harper is here. The distraction sets up the Sister Abigail to give Wyatt the pin at 15:41.

Rating: C+. In other words, Wyatt does his usual match and then has some kind of screwy finish to get him on to whatever is next. In this case that would be Orton joining the Wyatt Family and then destroying it from within. Somehow this was worthy of a Wrestlemania World Title match, despite it only being a pretty good match in the first place.

Post match Wyatt and Harper hug to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and Ziggler vs. Miz are enough to carry this but there is only so much that you can get out of a show with such weak stuff in the middle. There were some good matches on here, but the bad stuff drags it down that much better. Unfortunately with the Brand Split, there are only going to be so many ways to keep the interest up and it doesn’t seem likely to get much better than this. Good enough show here, but there are some obvious problems.

Here is the original review if you need a recap.

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.

I don’t think this one was on many radars.

Apparently it’s going to be Logan Paul, who will be on Smackdown to set up the match this week.  Paul did well at Wrestlemania and Summerslam, but this is the kind of out of nowhere match that kind of fits for Crown Jewel.  I think I like this, as it’s certainly not going to burn through a major challenger and it isn’t Goldberg or Brock Lesnar again.  Go with something new and fun, especially when it has no expectations coming in.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-surprising-main-event-wwe-crown-jewel/

Clash At The Castle
Date: September 3, 2022
Location: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the first stadium show in the United Kingdom in over thirty years and that means it is time for one of the biggest WWE shows of the year. The main event is a showdown between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title, with McIntyre almost having to win. Other than that, Sheamus vs. Gunther should be a heck of a hoss fight. Let’s get to it.

The stadium looks very good as the place is massive and looks packed.

Kickoff Show: Street Profits/Madcap Moss vs. Alpha Academy/Austin Theory

Dawkins and Gable run the ropes to start and it’s an armdrag to take Gable down. Ford comes in and gets his ankle locked but Theory sneaks in for a cheap shot to take over. Gable grabs an armbar but Ford hits a double DDT for the escape. Moss comes in to clean house until Dawkins tags himself in to do the same.

Everything breaks down and the American Automatic gets two on Dawkins. Otis gets fall away slammed by Moss and Dawkins saves Ford from getting German suplexed off the apron. That leaves Ford to hit a running flip dive Doomsday Blockbuster (GEEZ) to drop Gable onto the pile. Back in and the frog splash finishes Gable at 6:30.

Rating: C+. Exactly what you want out of an opener as they flew through everything and didn’t let the fans get bored. Ford continues to be amazing to watch and showcased himself very well, with that Blockbuster being an incredible thing to see. Dawkins is on quite the level himself and doesn’t get the attention he deserves and that could serve him well when Ford becomes a solo star.

The opening video looks at various shots of Wales, plus everything on the six match card.

Alexa Bliss/Asuka/Bianca Belair vs. Bayley/Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky

Bayley doesn’t like the fans singing to her to start and decks Asuka on the apron. The six way brawl is on until we’re down to Bayley vs. Belair. Bayley gets dropped but Kai and Sky break up the handspring elbow. The villains come in for a double suplex attempt but all six get back in, with Belair and company hitting a trouble suplex. Belair’s handspring moonsault hits Sky and Kai, sending the two of them outside for a conference with Bayley.

Back in and we settle down to Bliss taking Sky down for the Insult To Injury. Sky takes her into the corner though and it’s time to start the alternating stomps. Bliss manages a drop toehold though and it’s Asuka coming in for a bulldog. The middle rope missile dropkick hits Bayley but Sky comes in with the springboard missile dropkick. The slingshot knees in the corner get two but Asuka gets up and manages the hot tag to Bliss.

A running flip dive takes Bayley down outside, only to have Sky hit a running dropkick into the barricade. Back in and Bliss gets beaten down in the corner, with Kai even mocking Belair’s kiss it deal. There’s a flapjack to Bliss but she Code Reds her way out of the corner. Kai isn’t having that though and kicks Bliss in the face, allowing the tag back to Bayley. Everything breaks down and Bliss is able to get over for the hot tag to Asuka. House is quickly cleaned but the numbers take Asuka down, with a sliding lariat giving Bayley two.

Asuka Codebreakers her way to freedom though and the next hot tag brings in Belair. The pace picks up and it’s a spinebuster into the standing moonsault for two on Bayley. Belair throws Kai into Sky bu*t misses a charge into….Bayley’s legs as she sits on top in front of the post. Asuka/Bliss are right there though and base off Belair’s back for the double superplex to bring Bayley crashing down.

With Asuka and Bliss outside, Sky hits a heck of a moonsault to take them both down. Back in and Kai misses the running kick in the corner but Sky breaks up the KOD. Bayley grabs Belair’s hair to hold her in place for Kai’s running kick, setting up the Rose Plant into Sky’s Over The Moonsault to give Bayley the pin at 18:41.

Rating: B-. Good way to start as Bayley gets set up for the next title match, as she should be. Belair needs a fresh challenger and this is about as good of an option as she has at the moment. They kept this moving and didn’t bother letting things slow down, which is a good idea for an opener. Nice stuff here, even with the villains winning.

Tyson Fury wishes Drew McIntyre luck.

We look at the main event of Summerslam 1992.

Bret Hart is here.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Sheamus

Gunther is defending and has Ludvig Kaiser in his corner and introduces Giovanni Vinci, as Imperium is back for a big debut. The rest of Imperium and the Brawling Brutes get in a fight as the other two have the staredown ala last week on Smackdown. Butch moonsaults onto Imperium and they all brawl to the back as the bell rings to start the slugout. Forearms and right hands set up the big boot to drop Sheamus but he’s right back with a suplex.

The forearms to the chest are broken up and they head outside with Sheamus sending him into the steps. Back in and Sheamus pulls himself to the top rope, only to have Gunther blast him with a chop to the floor. Gunther slams him onto the steps and takes it back inside for the chops. A big boot sets up more chops and Sheamus is rocked again. The Boston crab goes on to send Sheamus to the ropes, leaving Gunther to chop him in the back.

Sheamus fights up anyway and the slugout is on again with Gunther getting the better of things. They fight to the floor with Sheamus being thrown over the announcers’ table but coming back with the ten forearms to the chest. Back in and the more traditional forearms to the chest put Gunther in more trouble until he falls back out to the floor. That’s fine with Sheamus, who puts him over the barricade for even more forearms to the chest.

Back in and Sheamus’ top rope knee gets two but the Irish Curse is blocked with some elbows to the head. The sleeper is countered into White Noise for two and Gunther hits most of a powerbomb for two, leaving both of them down. Sheamus catches him on top and hits a Razor’s Edge for two for a double knockdown. The Brogue Kick doesn’t work as Sheamus’ back gives out, setting up the powerbomb for two. Back up and Gunther BLASTS him with a clothesline to retain the title at 19:31.

Rating: A-. This was exactly as advertised and they beat the fire out of each other with one hard hitting shot after another. Gunther getting to retain the title over a big star is a great way to go and they did what you would have expected. Sheamus isn’t going to be hurt whatsoever by a loss like this and Gunther can move on to whoever is next. Awesome fight here and that shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

Post match Sheamus gets the standing ovation as he pulls himself up.

We recap Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler. Morgan cashed in Money In The Bank to win the Smackdown Women’s Title and has come off as a bit of a joke champion since. Now she is getting the chance to right the ship a bit, while Baszler is promising to do various painful things to her.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Liv Morgan vs. Shayna Baszler

Morgan, in white for a change, is defending. Commentary talks about Morgan training with Riddle to prepare for the MMA style and takes Baszler down into a choke to start. Back up and Baszler goes after the bad arm, including taking her outside for a whip into the barricade. Baszler hits a German suplex into a kick to the chest for two as Morgan is rocked.

Morgan manages to get to the middle rope for a dropkick and a springboard spinning Codebreaker gets two. Another trip up top goes badly for Morgan as Baszler knees her out of the air, meaning the big stomp can be loaded up. Morgan pulls that into a cross armbreaker but Baszler powers out. A hard knee to the face gets two on Morgan and the Kirifuda Clutch goes on. Morgan slips out so Baszler grabs it again, only to to have Morgan roll back to escape. The Codebreaker into Oblivion retains the title at 11:01.

Rating: C+. They told a nice story with Morgan fighting from behind and surviving until the end, but my goodness this Morgan reign is not exactly working. They haven’t helped themselves by having her feel like an afterthought and adding her to the long list of people to beat Shayna Baszler isn’t the solution. They did the underdog thing here, but I can’t bring myself to care about Morgan anymore.

Adrian Street and Miss Linda are here for your legends moment.

We recap Edge/Rey Mysterio vs. Judgment Day. The team has gone after Edge and the Mysterios for months and it’s time for the big showdown. The wild card is Dominick Mysterio not seemingly being intimidated/controlled/something else by Rhea Ripley. It doesn’t help that Dominick seems annoyed about Rey picking Edge as his partner so there is some tension afoot.

Rey Mysterio/Edge vs. Judgment Day

Dominick Mysterio is here with Rey, while Edge wears a mask during his entrance. Rhea Ripley is here with Judgment Day to….well I would say even things out but would anyone put Dominick on Ripley’s level? Balor chops at Rey in the corner to start but a headscissors gets Rey out of trouble. Priest comes in and drops Edge with a single right hand but Rey blocks a whip into the corner, allowing Edge to hammer away.

Balor tries to do the same thing but Edge whips Priest into the other corner to keep him in trouble. Rey comes back in and gets caught in the wrong corner, with a backbreaker/running legdrop combination giving Priest two. We hit the chinlock before Priest kicks Rey in the head to cut off a comeback attempt. Balor hits one Amigo but stops before trying a second for a bit of a troll job.

The chinlock goes on for a bit but Mysterio fights up and takes it to the floor. Balor is sent over the barricade but Rey has to crotch Priest on the barricade, giving us a VERY over the top sell for a chuckle. Back in and the hot tag brings in Edge to make the comeback, including an Edgecution to Balor. Edge hits a 619 (not great but he tried) and Rey adds the springboard splash for two, with Priest making the save.

That earns Priest a spear through the ropes and out to the floor but Balor throws Rey outside. Balor Sling Blades Edge but Dominick offers a distraction, allowing Rey to hit a super hurricanrana. Ripley beats up Dominick but Rey dives onto both of them for the save. Dominick trips Balor back inside, setting up a 619 into a spear to give Edge the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, which shouldn’t be a shock. I’m not wild on Edge getting another pin over the team but that is just how things go for him. The lack of a Dominick turn isn’t exactly a shock either as they have been teasing it for so long now, but it would be nice to actually get to the point with it. Judgment Day needs to start wrapping up if they aren’t going to get a big win though, as this isn’t doing anyone involved any favors.

Post match Dominick celebrates with Edge….and then kicks him low. Then a clothesline drops Rey, much to Judgment Day’s approval. Dominick leaves on his own and Edge and Rey get the big ovation. Yeah but it’s still Dominick.

The attendance is 62,296.

We recap Riddle vs. Seth Rollins. They were scheduled to fight at Summerslam but Rollins injured him beforehand. Since then Rollins has made it personal, including insulting Riddle for his family splitting up. Riddle has promised revenge.

Riddle vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins has flame themed attire, plus heart sunglasses and wings. The bell rings and Riddle goes right after him, setting up some rolling gutwrench suplexes. Rollins gets in a few shots before avoiding a charge to send Riddle crashing throat first into the ropes. They head outside with Rollins hitting a barricade bomb, setting up the suicide dive to put Riddle onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Rollins takes him down again, setting up the Falcon Arrow for two.

Riddle manages to get away and heads up top, only to get crotched back down. The superplex into the Falcon Arrow is countered into a fisherman’s buster to leave both of them down. Riddle catches him with a t-bone suplex to the floor, setting up the penalty kick into the springboard Floating Bro. Back in and the Bro To Sleep into a powerbomb into the Final Flash knee gets two on Rollins, leaving them both down.

The Floating Bro hits knees but Riddle is fine enough to pull him into a triangle choke. Rollins hits a Bro Derek for two but Riddle is back up with some kicks to the head. An enziguri into a Pedigree gives Rollins two and they’re both down again. Rollins shouts about Riddle being a loser, which is why his wife left him and now his kids are going to know it.

That sends Riddle over the edge but Rollins uses the anger to kick him in the face. Rollins loads up an RKO but Riddle pulls him into a choke. The beating is on, including Rollins being bounced off of the announcers’ table. They head back inside where Rollins hits a Stomp, followed by a middle rope Stomp to finish Riddle at 17:16.

Rating: B. This felt like a fight between two people who wanted to hut each other and that is how it should have gone. They played into the emotion at the end with Riddle’s anger costing him and likely setting up a rematch next month at Extreme Rules. What we got here was good though and came off like two angry men hitting each other, so points for getting the feeling right.

Tyson Fury talked to Roman Reigns earlier and is in the crowd.

Karrion Kross and Scarlett are in the crowd as well.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre in the big title showdown. Reigns has been champion for two years and McIntyre is the home kingdom boy, meaning the titles are in jeopardy.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre is defending and gets a BROKEN DREAMS montage before he comes to the ring. They fight over a lockup to start with Reigns grabbing a headlock. A shoulder doesn’t do anything to McIntyre so Reigns bails out to the apron for a breather. Since there is no one outside with Reigns, he has to think about it on his own, which is quite different for him. Back in and Reigns hammers away, only to be taken back outside and whipped into the steps.

Hold on though as Karrion Kross and Scarlett pop up in the front row for a distraction, allowing Reigns to get in a cheap shot. Back in and Reigns hits the corner clotheslines, which knock McIntyre outside again. McIntyre gets back in and is dropped by a jumping clothesline for one, giving us the signature fast kickout. Reigns starts talking trash and knocks McIntyre down to cut off a comeback attempt. They fight over a suplex until Reigns knocks him down again….and gets a mic.

Reigns wants Cardiff to acknowledge him, allowing McIntyre to come back with the Glasgow Kiss. Back up and McIntyre starts the comeback, including the neckbreaker into the nip up. A running corner clothesline sets up a superplex but McIntyre gets knocked into the Tree of Woe. That’s fine with him, as he pulls up and hits the belly to belly superplex. Reigns bails to the floor at the threat of a Claymore before coming back in with a Rock Bottom for two. McIntyre fights back up and tries the Claymore, only to have it cut off with a Superman Punch for two more.

Back up and the spear connects for another near fall and Reigns isn’t sure what to do. The guillotine goes on and McIntyre’s ram into the corner doesn’t break it up. McIntyre breaks it up and posts him to the floor, where Reigns is speared through the barricade for a change. Back in and another spear gives Reigns another two and they’re both down again. Reigns stops to yell at and threaten the referee, allowing McIntyre to hit a Claymore from behind.

That’s enough to send the referee outside….and it’s Austin Theory time, with a second referee. The cash in is loaded up….and Tyson Fury knocks Theory cold from the front row (that was clever/great). Reigns grabs a chair but McIntyre hits the Claymore for a very near fall. They slug it out from their knees and then their feet until McIntyre hits another Claymore for two….and someone pulls the referee. It’s Solo Sikoa, which is enough of a distraction for Reigns to hit the spear to retain at 30:38.

Rating: B+. I believe the term here is “bold choice” as Reigns wins again. I’m not sure where he goes from here, but he is going to need something big to follow up. McIntyre gave this everything he had and the Sikoa debut was a nice surprise, but my goodness this was a surprise. Heck of a fight as these two work well together of course, though I’m not sure what the heck is supposed to be next for either of them.

Post match Tyson Fury gets in the ring and shakes Reigns’ hand. Reigns and Sikoa leave and Fury helps McIntyre up. Fury gets a mic and says McIntyre did his country proud. The fans were chanting for him and then Fury sings his signature American Pie song. McIntyre joins in on the chorus, including a guy in a shirt saying “Better Dad Than Chris Benoit”. McIntyre puts over the fans and sings Sweet Caroline before posing with Fury.

A highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A. This was a great show with one awesome match after another, though the lack of anything major actually happening was a weird way to go. You can probably see a lot of the card for Extreme Rules from here and it should be good, but you would think something bigger would happen on a show like this. What matters here though is that they blew the roof off the place with an excellent show and it felt like a major event. This is worth the look, though the ending is going to be quite the sore spot for some.

Results
Bayley/Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky b. Bianca Belair/Asuka/Alexa Bliss – Over The Moonsault to Belair
Gunther b. Sheamus – Clothesline
Liv Morgan b. Shayna Baszler – Oblivion
Edge/Rey Mysterio b. Judgment Day – Spear to Balor
Seth Rollins b. Riddle – Middle rope Stomp
Roman Reigns b. Drew McIntyre – Spear

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