205 Live
Date: March 19, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

Things have been looking up around here but unfortunately Curt Stallion has broken his wrist and is going to be out of action for a pretty long time. I’m not sure what that is going to mean around here but there is going to need to be someone fresh brought in. I’m not sure how likely that is, but stranger things have happened. Let’s get to it.

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

Ashante Adonis vs. Ariya Daivari

Barrett is here as a guest commentator and talks about what it’s like as a newcomer who wound up going all the way to the main event of Summerslam 2010. I love it when you get actual analysis with the commentator using their own career as an example. Adonis shoulders him down to start but gets taken into the corner for some chops. That’s broken up and Adonis starts in on the shoulder. A neckbreaker gets Daivari out of trouble and he hammers away but Adonis nails a dropkick.

Some right hands stagger Daivari until he sends Adonis hard into the corner. Adonis is fine enough to go up top for a high crossbody so Daivari has to duck the Long Kiss Goodnight. The spinebuster gives Daivari two and the hammerlock lariat is good for the same, with Daivari pulling him up. The Persian Lion splash connects but Daivari covers in a way to allow Adonis to cradle him for a pin. Adonis cradles him for a pin at 7:13.

Rating: C. I liked the match but egads they telegraphed the heck out of that finish in a rather bad way. They had an idea and Daivari looks like he screwed up by acting cocky, but at least come up with something a little better than what they did here. Totally watchable match, but the ending brought it down a good bit.

We look back at Jordan Devlin returning to NXT and jumping Santos Escobar. The unification match is on for Takeover.

Jake Atlas vs. Tony Nese

Nese cranks on the arm to start and takes him to the mat for a leg crank. That’s reversed into an armbar, followed by an armdrag into another armbar. Back up and Nese snaps the arm over the top, allowing him to shout at commentary. A kick to the ribs gives Nese two and we hit the bodyscissors (see how easy it is to use a hold that makes sense). Atlas manages to fight up but gets blasted with a clothesline for two more.

A belly to back suplex drops Atlas and a spinning kick to the face rocks him again. Nese grabs a bit of a messy torture rack but Atlas slips out in a hurry and grabs a brainbuster. There’s a standing moonsault for two but Nese nails him in the head again. The Lionsault gives Nese two but he makes the mistake of slapping Atlas in the face and talking trash. That earns him a discus lariat into the cartwheel DDT to finish Nese at 11:25.

Rating: C+. Atlas isn’t the most interesting character in the world but he can do a nice match like this one here. Commentary treated this like a big win but how many people can beat Nese before it stops meaning anything? The match was pretty good though, as 205 Live’s fairly hot streak in the ring continues.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was perfectly acceptable at worst here but the problem continues to be the villains. Nese and Daivari have been the main heels on this show for at least a year and we have heard the exact same story out of them more times than I can count. Beating them over and over is not going to have any kind of an impact and that was on display here. Why should I care that Atlas and Adonis got the wins? That just puts their names on a long list and that’s not helping anyone.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: October 17, 2006
Location: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Things are getting a little interesting around here and I’m not sure where that is going to go. Above all else, Big Show needs something to do other than prepare for John Cena and Booker T. at Cyber Sunday. I’m not sure what there is for him to do here, but we could be in for a fresh direction. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sandman vs. Matt Striker

Singapore Cane on a Pole match. Sandman is already busted open before the bell and cuts off Striker’s early climbing attempt. Striker goes after the knee and hits a Robinsdale Crunch but Sandman cuts him off again. Another shot to the knee has Sandman down but he’s up again to meet Striker on top. Striker throws him down hard and he finally gets the cane (Tazz: “Like a little monkey!”). Some shots to the head rock Sandman but he takes the cane away and cracks Striker in the head, setting up a pretty obvious blade job. Striker realizes he’s bleeding and bails for the countout.

Rating: D+. This was an angle instead of a match with Striker not exactly being the strongest in the ring. Then again Sandman isn’t either so having them get in and out in less than four minutes was the right idea. Imagine how bad this could have been had they tried something more complicated. The fact that it was such a potential problem is rather telling about ECW.

Fans like the Marine.

CM Punk vs. Rene Dupree

Rematch from Punk beating him in a hurry. Dupree slaps him to start and bails into the ropes but manages a jumping back elbow to the face. A clothesline sets up the neck crank but Punk is back up with some strikes to the face. The kick to the head sets up the Anaconda Vice to make Dupree tap in a hurry.

Post match here’s Mike Knox to tease a brawl but he runs away before anything happens.

Rob Van Dam is happy to have his shot against Big Show tonight and knows he’ll do enough to earn a title shot.

Here’s Test for a chat. Test calls himself the Impact Player of ECW and brings up Hardcore Holly’s injury from a few weeks ago. After seeing Test attack Holly the following week, Test promises to make an example out of Holly when he comes back next week. Test says his ruthlessness knows no bounds but here’s Balls Mahoney to interrupt. Mahoney challenges him for tonight but Test says maybe later. That’s not how wrestling works though.

Test vs. Balls Mahoney

Mahoney starts fast but gets knocked down in a hurry, allowing Test to start in on the arm. A Stunner to the arm sets up an armbar but Mahoney is back with the snap jabs. The Nutcracker Suite gets two but Test kicks him in the face and grabs a TKO to finish. Short and to the point here.

Sabu vs. Shannon Moore

As we hear about the upcoming December To Dismember show, Sabu knocks Moore down in a hurry but can’t get the camel clutch this early. Instead Sabu hits a springboard clothesline to put Moore outside, setting up a slingshot dive. Back in and a running clothesline sets up a moonsault for two on Moore. Sabu misses a charge but Moore misses a Whisper in the wind, allowing Sabu to hit a slingshot Arabian facebuster for the fast pin.

Big Show talks about how lucky Rob Van Dam is for getting to step in the ring with the Champion Of Champions. Van Dam should thank Paul Heyman for giving him the show, because Van Dam has been ducking the champ. If Van Dam can pull off the miracle tonight, he can have a title shot. Show hits on the interviewer (Rebecca from the Diva Search) and leaves.

The Marine has action!

Big Show vs. Rob Van Dam

Non-title. They stare at each other for a bit until Show shoves him down. Rob strikes away and kicks at the knee, only to get knocked down with a hard shot to the face. A neck snap staggers Show though and there’s the top rope flip dive to take him down. Show crotches him on top though and we take a break.

Back with Show dropping an elbow and choking away, followed by a chop to make Van Dam’s eyes bug out. More choking on the ropes lets Show keep the pace down and a clothesline drops Van Dam for two. Rob is back with some right hands and a jumping kick to the face, followed by the top rope kick to the face.

Rolling Thunder gets two, with Show’s kickout sending Van Dam flying. A spear drops Rob again though (as it should) but he avoids a Vader Bomb. Show bumps the referee though and Van Dam counters the DDT into a chokeslam. Cue Test to stomp on Van Dam but here’s Hardcore Holly to chair both of them down. Van Dam hits the Five Star for the pin and the future title shot.

Rating: C+. Van Dam did his thing here and it worked out as well as it could have. Show is someone who is at his best when he stands there and does basic power stuff while the other person bounces around. That’s what we had here and Van Dam’s striking works well in the David vs. Goliath formula. Nothing great, but it did well enough, even with the interference.

Overall Rating: C. They kept the show moving as getting five matches in over the course of an hour is fairly impressive. Van Dam is about as good of a challenger as they have at the moment and while I can’t imagine him getting the title back, it is all that makes sense. The rest of the show was the usual set of short matches, which makes sense on a short show, but I can’t help wondering if it is out of fear for what these people could do in a longer match.

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Main Event
Date: March 18, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

It’s the go home show for Fastlane and that is not likely to be a good thing. The show is being treated as the most nothing event that has been seen in recent memory and there is no reason to assume that is going to change in any way with whatever happens here. Mainly because this is Main Event. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lince Dorado vs. Akira Tozawa

Gran Metalik is here with Dorado, who drives Tozawa into the corner to start. A flying mare puts Tozawa down but he is right back up with a dropkick to the back. Tozawa gets two off a backsplash and hits the head fake right hand for the same. Frustration is starting to set in and we hit the chinlock. Dorado fights up with shots to the face and a hurricanrana, followed by a kick to the face for two. A high crossbody gets two more but Tozawa avoids a moonsault and hits a spinning kick to the head. The top rope back elbow gets two on Dorado but he knocks Tozawa off the top. The shooting star press gives Dorado the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C+. Well that was a nice surprise. These two had a heck of a match and that is not the kind of thing you get to say around here very often. If nothing else it is proof that the talent is there, but WWE has some issues presenting them. I know these two are not exactly likely to be given any kind of featured spot, but they are certainly good for things like this. Now could they do it on a bigger stage?

We look at Daniel Bryan beating Jey Uso in a cage to become #1 contender to the Universal Title at Fastlane.

From Smackdown.

Here is Edge to get things going. Edge talks about everyone telling him to acknowledge Roman Reigns, which is what Edge did when he picked him for the match at Wrestlemania. They were on a collision course but then Reigns turned down Daniel Bryan Boulevard. Bryan has been talking about how he deserves the Wrestlemania match more because it means more to him and he wrestles more in the last week than Edge has in years.

Edge thinks it’s time to remind people who he is, so we hear about the people he fought over his career, which has taken place in four decades. Cue Bryan to talk about how he thought Edge, as the Ultimate Opportunist, would understand Bryan going into business for himself. Bryan does love this and isn’t doing it to get one up on Edge.

Bryan was laying on the mat at Elimination Chamber and knew that this might be the last Wrestlemania of his career. He is going to do everything he can to get there because he might only have one more chance. Edge talks about winning the Royal Rumble, which included Bryan. Of course Edge likes Bryan, but Bryan isn’t better than him.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the contract signing with Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Paul Heyman and Daniel Bryan coming out to the ring. Adam Pearce asks who wants to go first and, after Reigns has his chair moved to the head of the table, Reigns says Bryan doesn’t want to do this. Bryan signs the contract and says last week, he made Uso tap, which Reigns never could. Maybe Bryan should be the self proclaimed Head of the Table!

That’s enough for Reigns, who immediately signs and Bryan promises to make Reigns tap too. Jey gets in Bryan’s face because he wants to be the enforcer. Cue Edge to say he likes that idea but he should be the enforcer instead. Edge proposes himself vs. Jey for next week with the winner being the enforcer. Pearce says deal and the big brawl is on. Edge shoves Bryan away so he can beat on Reigns himself, but Bryan knees Edge down to end the show. They might be messing with something here if they aren’t going to deliver Bryan vs. Edge, which almost has to happen somewhere at this point.

Rhea Ripley is coming to Raw.

From Raw.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Business vs. New Day

New Day is challenging. Woods takes Alexander down by the arm to start and it’s quickly off to Kofi, who pulls Alexander to him with an invisible rope (ala Ryo Mizunami in AEW). A jumping knee puts Woods on the floor though and Shelton sends him hard into the steps. Back in and Kofi hits the middle rope standing double stomp, which is enough to bring Woods back in to clean house.

Everything breaks down and they head outside with Woods being whipped HARD into the steps as we take a break. Back with Woods hitting a clothesline but getting kneed in the ribs. The Michinoku Driver gives Alexander two but Woods gets in a shot, allowing the hot tag to Kofi. The SOS gives Kofi two as everything breaks down. Woods hits a DDT on Alexander on the floor and Trouble in Paradise hits Shelton. Woods hits the top rope elbow into Daybreak for the pin and the titles at 13:04.

Rating: C+. Well that came out of nowhere. New Day has held the titles so many times now that it doesn’t mean anything anymore but that has never stopped WWE. The worst part here is that commentary acted like it was a bigger deal that the team has momentum heading into Wrestlemania rather than being champions. That’s not how things should be working and it explains a lot of WWE’s problems these days.

Post match here are AJ Styles and Omos to interrupt. AJ mocks New Day for having another win but says he is running out of things to accomplish. He has never been a Tag Team Champion though, so he and Omos should be the next champions. The challenge is on for Wrestlemania, but Kofi wants to know if they are even registered as a team. Woods accepts the challenge and everything is set.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Angel Garza

They’ve fought each other so many times that there almost has to be something good here. Garza’s headlock to the mat is broken up in a hurry but he slips out of a headscissors without much trouble. Carrillo wristlocks him down but Garza is right back to work on the leg. That’s broken up as well and the springboard high angle armdrag sends Garza outside to take us to a break.

Back with Garza raking the eyes, allowing him to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS! Carrillo gets tied in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick and it’s time to tie up Carrillo’s legs. That is broken up and Carrillo nails a springboard elbow to the face, followed by a spinebuster. The standing moonsault gives Carrillo two but Garza kicks him down again. The Wing Clipper finishes Carrillo at 10:34.

Rating: C-. I remember why I got bored watching these two fight for so many months. For family members who are both fun to watch most of the time, these two do not work very well together. Garza was the right choice for the winner, but it’s not like there is any reason to believe he is going to mean anything in WWE.

We see Alexa Bliss challenging Randy Orton for Fastlane, which has been made official.

From Raw.

Here are Bobby Lashley and MVP for a chat to get things going. MVP says we are now in the Almighty Era and Lashley promises to destroy McIntyre at Wrestlemania. Lashley: “Right now are in the….Almighty Era.” And that’s why MVP handles most of the talking. Cue Miz and John Morrison with Miz praising Lashley’s speech and saying they are all in on the Almighty Era. They think Miz should be in the title match at Wrestlemania because Miz defended the title twice in one night and had cramps both times!

Cue Drew McIntyre to say he knows what it is like to be on a sixteen year journey. McIntyre was knocked down off the ladder and claw back up and then they have both reached the finish line. MVP tries to interrupt but gets shut down and is asked why he is here. Miz interrupts and gets glared down, with McIntyre saying he owes Miz one.

They are facing each other tonight and Miz needs to run because McIntyre is going to Fastlane to beat up Sheamus and then take the title back from Lashley at Raymond James Stadium. The fight is nearly on but a Miz distraction lets Lashley jump him from behind. MVP and Lashley leave so Miz hammers away. Cue Sheamus to jump Lashley until referees break it up. MVP holds Lashley back.

From Raw again.

Sheamus vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and Sheamus sends him into the corner to start in a hurry. Some forearms to the back have Lashley in trouble but he powers Sheamus to the mat. A clothesline drops Sheamus again and the delayed vertical suplex does it one more time. Sheamus is back up and sends Lashley to the apron for the forearms to the chest.

Lashley is fine enough to catch him with the overhead belly to belly though and we take a break. Back with Lashley working on the armbar and sending Sheamus into the corner again. The running charge hits the post though and Sheamus gets up top for the clothesline. Some elbows to the shoulder and an armbar keep Lashley in trouble and Sheamus sends him outside.

Back in and the Irish Curse gets two and Sheamus grabs a kind of complicated leglock. Lashley fights up again and hits a Downward Spiral, followed by a superplex for the big crash. The spear is blocked by a jumping knee to the face and Sheamus grabs White Noise for two. Lashley doesn’t seem to mind and pops up with the spear for the pin at 17:41.

Rating: B. I know he isn’t the most popular guy but Sheamus can do a good power match. That was on full display here and Lashley is more than capable of hanging right in there with him. This was a heck of a fight that took a little time to get going. Once they started trading bombs though, it was good good stuff and that’s what you would have expected from these two.

Post match Lashley grabs the Hurt Lock on Sheamus but McIntyre breaks it up with the Claymore. Sheamus and McIntyre stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener helped a bit but this week’s TV was a little bit better, giving them some better highlights to pick from. Fastlane continues to feel worthless, but Wrestlemania is starting to seem like it has some potential. They still have time to make it even better, and once Fastlane is over, things can actually get a little more focused. Pretty good show this week though and that’s quite the surprise.

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Main Event
Date: March 11, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

We’re on the way to Fastlane and I doubt this show is going to remember it that much more. It’s such a strange time in WWE and that is the case every single year around this time. I’m not sure what we are going to be seeing this week and in a way that can be a good thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Retribution vs. Lucha House Party

Mace and T-Bar for Retribution here with Gran Metalik kicking at T-Bar’s leg to start. Metalik slips out of a powerslam and drops T-Bar to hit a top rope splash. Dorado comes in but gets pulled to the floor by Mace, who plants him down for two. Mace slams him head first into the mat and it’s off to T-Bar for a big boot. A running knee in the corner gets two and Mace grabs the neck crank. Dorado finally gets up and dives over to Metalik for the hot tag. That means the rope walk dropkick to drop T-Bar but he runs Dorado over in a hurry. Mace comes back in for the double sitout chokeslam and the pin at 5:03.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here for the most part and that is all it needed to be. I know it is way beyond the point of no return for Retribution but it’s nice to see the monsters being treated like a monster team. If nothing else, put them in the tag division and let them go after/pick up the Tag Team Titles. Would they be that much worse than a lot of the champions of the last few years?

Rhea Ripley is coming to Raw.

From Smackdown.

Michael Cole brings out Daniel Bryan for an in-ring chat. Cole recaps tonight’s main event and we see the graphic for the original Fastlane plans: Edge/Bryan vs. Reigns/Uso. Bryan knows that he is the one who will go along with everything and do whatever is asked of him, but that isn’t the case anymore. He wants to go to Wrestlemania, even though WWE wants to have Edge vs. Reigns in a battle of the eras.

Bryan throws us to a package on the Elimination Chamber and the ensuing title match against Reigns (plus Edge attacking Reigns later). Back in the arena, Bryan talks about how he has won three Elimination Chambers so you would think he would be cool with this. That’s not the case though because he felt like a failure because he did not make it to Wrestlemania.

From the floor, he looked up at the Wrestlemania sign and knew that he should be going there instead of Edge. He should be going because he loves this so much. Bryan has wrestled more matches in the last three weeks than Edge and Reigns have wrestled in the last year. Tonight he steps into a steel cage for the chance to go on to Wrestlemania because this could be his last chance. Cue Roman Reigns and company and we take a break.

Back with Reigns talking about how Bryan said he loved wrestling so much. Bryan doesn’t love this though because in reality he needs it. Love is about what you will do for others, not what you need to survive. Reigns does this because everyone needs him and that shows he loves it. The cameraman, Jey, Paul, the fans, they all need him. Tonight, after Jey beats Bryan, he’ll know it too.

Jey takes the mic from Bryan and says tonight, Reigns isn’t locked out because Jey is locked in. Jey goes for a cheap shot but gets knocked down so Bryan can stare at Reigns. Bryan was very emotional here and even stumbled over some words. Normally that sounds bad but here it made things feel more real because he was so fired up about everything.

From Smackdown.

Jey Uso vs. Daniel Bryan

In a cage and if Bryan wins he gets to challenge Reigns (here with Paul Heyman) for the Universal Title at Fastlane. They slug it out to start until Jey sends him into the cage early on. It’s way too early to get through the door though as Bryan grabs the leg, only to get pummeled in the head for his efforts. It’s time to go up the cage but Jey crotches him down in a hurry. Bryan catches his climb as well and nails a missile dropkick, setting up a running kick to the arm. Jey’s arm is sent hard into the cage and then does it again for a bonus.

Bryan goes up but Jey knocks him into the Tree of Woe and kicks away at the leg. It’s too early for Jey to get out though as Bryan catches him as well, only to have Jey hit a super Samoan drop for the double knockdown as we take a break. Back with the two of them sitting on top of the cage until they get back in and onto the top rope.

Bryan gets knocked down and Jey hits the Superfly Splash for two but it’s too early to escape. An enziguri sends Bryan down and there’s a superkick for two more. Bryan elbows away but Jey knocks him down again, setting up a catapult into the cage. They both climb up again with Bryan getting in a shot to the arm, setting up a butterfly superplex to the mat. The YES Lock goes on and, since the rope break doesn’t count, Jey has to tap at 12:04.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up for a good while here and the arm stuff was set up at the beginning and paid off in the end. That’s how you do a match like this and it makes perfect sense for Bryan to go that way. It wasn’t exactly a surprise as Bryan winning was all but a guarantee, but they had a good match to get there so it worked out rather well.

Bryan poses on the cage as Reigns glares to end the show.

Long video on Miz vs. Bobby Lashley (all three tries at it) throughout Raw.

From Raw.

Raw World Title: The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley, with MVP is defending and John Morrison is here with Miz. We get the Big Match Intros and Miz drops straight to the floor. Miz snaps Lashley’s throat across the top rope but Lashley picks him up for a delayed vertical suplex. A missed charge sends Lashley shoulder first into the post and then Miz does it again for a bonus.

We take a break and come back with Lashley throwing Miz down with a suplex. Miz gets in a big boot though and a low bridge puts Lashley on the floor again. A missed dropkick through the ropes lets Lashley post him hard to knock Miz silly. Back in and the big spinebuster sets up the Hurt Lock to retain the title at 9:05.

Rating: C. This was exactly how it should have been as Miz got in a bit of offense but never felt like a serious threat. Lashley isn’t a hard guy to figure out as he can throw people around with pure strength and that’s what he did here. This worked well and Miz is dispatched from the title scene for good again.

From Raw.

Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

No DQ so Drew jumps Sheamus at the entrance. They brawl to the ring for the opening bell with Drew getting in an elbow to the face but getting knocked out of the air. Drew catches Sheamus on top though and they head outside, with Sheamus going into the steps. He is right back with a hard clothesline but the kendo stick shot only hits post. Sheamus is sent over the barricade and then back inside, with Drew bringing the kendo stick with him. A low blow on the way back in lets Sheamus grab the stick for a few shots.

The Regal Roll connects but Drew snaps off some belly to belly suplexes. A Russian legsweep with the kendo stick gives Drew two and they head outside again. Sheamus posts him and hits a spinebuster onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a spinebuster but not being able to get the Cloverleaf. Instead Sheamus goes up top but gets crotched, allowing McIntyre to get two off a top rope superplex. A chair is brought in but Drew blocks a shot and hits the Future Shock onto said chair for a near fall.

The Claymore is countered as Sheamus throws the chair at McIntyre’s head (geez), setting up a jumping knee for two. The chair is wedged into the corner but McIntyre sends him head first into it instead. Now the Claymore connects but it knocks Sheamus outside. McIntyre muscles him back in but the Brogue Kick knocks him off the apron. They both pick up steps on the floor and ram them together, which knocks both of them down in a heap. Sheamus is out and the referee stops the match at 19:24, presumably for a no contest.

Rating: B. The ending would look to set up a trilogy match at Fastlane so this was a twenty minute preview with both guys beating the heck out of each other. That worked very well and I could go for more of it, as these two work well together. Sometimes you have to go with what works and in this case, that is these two pounding each other for a long time.

Post match medics come down as neither of them can stand.

Mansoor/Ricochet vs. Drew Gulak/Akira Tozawa

Mansoor gets taken into the corner to start and the villains take over in a hurry. Tozawa ducks a running clothesline but gets kicked down in a hurry. A double dropkick to the legs put Gulak and Tozawa on the floor. A lot of posing takes us to a break and we come back with Gulak getting two on Mansoor. Tozawa gets in a slam and puts on a waistlock before Gulak comes back in for two.

Mansoor gets away and dives over for the hot tag to Ricochet to clean house. A spinning suplex into the running shooting star press gets two on Gulak but an elbow to the face knocks Ricochet into Mansoor. Everything breaks down and Ricochet hits a slingshot corkscrew dive onto Gulak. Mansoor’s slingshot neckbreaker finishes Tozawa at 9:35.

Rating: C. I could go for more of either Ricochet or Mansoor and that is a nice thing to see. They work well together and both of them need something better to do. Mansoor has become one of the better things on 205 Live and he has yet to actually lose a match in WWE. Go with more of that and they might have something with him. Ricochet….well he’s cool when you get to see him.

From Raw.

AJ Styles is asked about Wrestlemania but would rather talk about Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss. The Fiend is tearing Orton down bit by bit with voodoo magic. Cue Orton to ask if AJ thinks this is funny. AJ doesn’t, but he does find this weak. A match is set for later.

And also from Raw.

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

Omos is here with Styles. Orton hammers away to start and the threat of an RKO sends AJ bailing to the floor. Back in and AJ hammers away so they go outside again, with Orton dropping him onto the announcers’ table. A staredown with Omos lets AJ knock Orton off of the apron and there’s the slingshot forearm to the floor as we take a break.

Back with AJ working on the knee and then striking away in the corner. Orton gets in a few shots of his own though and a spinning clothesline drops AJ. They get back up and Orton catches him on top before also blocking the Phenomenal Forearm. The hanging DDT is countered into the Calf Crusher but Orton escapes and hits the hanging DDT.

Omos pulls AJ away from the RKO….and here’s Alexa Bliss on the screen. She plays her jack in the box but tells it not yet. Instead she lights a match and blows it out, which makes fire come up from three of the four ring posts. Orton coughs up the black goo and turns into the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin at 15:04.

Rating: C. AJ vs. Orton is going to be fine almost no matter what but the Alexa stuff hurt this a good bit. Part of the problem is this match came up out of nowhere, almost like WWE forgot that they had these two sitting around and threw them together to fill in a gap. You should have something better than that for these two, but given what Orton has been doing for the last few months, I’m not surprised.

Post match Bliss pops up again and laughs a lot to end the show. Man alive this story needs to wrap up already. I know it won’t be, but it needs to.

Overall Rating: C. Totally watchable match but it is clear that they are running out of things to do on the way to Fastlane. The show does not matter in the slightest and WWE is not exactly making you think otherwise. It was nice to have something a little different this time around, but that doesn’t exactly make for a good show. Less dull, but not good.

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.

205 Live
Date: March 12, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

For once we’re coming off of a pretty strong show as last week saw good stuff in both of the show’s matches. The talent is there, but it is all about finding an interesting way to present it. This show has had a serious problem figuring it out along the way but hopefully they can start going in the right direction again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bollywood Boyz vs. Curt Stallion/Mansoor

Ever-Rise joins commentary for a bonus. Commentary mentions Mansoor being undefeated during his entrance as it seems to be a thing. Mansoor wristlocks Sunil to start but gets reversed into a headlock for his efforts. Samir comes in and it’s a pair of leapfrogs into a double back elbow for two on Mansoor. Some double dropkicks take the Boyz down but it’s too early for the hot tag.

A double suplex gets two on Mansoor and we hit the chinlock. Sunil holds Mansoor’s legs so Samir can drop a top rope elbow for two more. Mansoor manages to shove them into each other but doesn’t tag, instead fighting them both off on his own. A clothesline into a bulldog out of the corner drops Sunil and the slingshot neckbreaker hits Samir. Stallion tags himself in, glares at Mansoor, headbutts Sunil and pins Samir at 6:25.

Rating: C-. This could work as they do need to do something with Mansoor so feuding with Stallion could be as interesting as anything else. Above all else it is something and that is more than Mansoor has had this side of Saudi Arabia. I’m curious to see where it goes and that is something I haven’t been able to say about 205 Live in a good while.

Tensions seem ready to flare post match.

We see Jordan Devlin saying that he’s coming back to NXT from this week’s NXT.

Ariya Daivari vs. August Grey

They fight into the corner to start and Grey isn’t having this trash talk. Daivari takes him down into an early chinlock but Grey reverses that into a headlock. Grey throws in a takeover to frustrate Daivari even more but he’s back up with some hard chops. A running hurricanrana and some chops set up another headlock on Daivari but he’s back up with a knee to the ribs.

The threat of So Much Prettier sends Daivari bailing to the floor so Grey misses a dive and tweaks his knee. Daivari hits a hanging neckbreaker off the apron for two but Grey grabs a small package back inside. That annoys Daivari so much that he blasts Grey with a running clothesline and the chinlock goes on again. With that not working, Daivari misses the Persian Lion splash and Grey makes the comeback.

That means a double clothesline though and they’re both down again. It’s Grey up first and unloading in the corner, followed by some shots to the face. Grey snaps off a neckbreaker into a scoop brainbuster for two more. A swinging suplex gets two more so Grey heads up top, only to get pulled down in an Iconoclasm. Now the Persian Lion splash gets two so they head to the apron with Grey hitting something like an STO.

Back in and Grey misses his rope walk spinning crossbody for a big crash. Daivari gets caught grabbing the rope while trying to counter a sunset flip and stops to yell at the referee. Grey nails a superkick but So Much Prettier is broken up. Instead Grey avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 13:16.

Rating: B. Where in the world did that come from? These two had a heck of a match and I was wanting to see how it was going to end. Grey is becoming a breakout star more and more every single week and it’s kind of awesome to see. The ending wasn’t a heel turn but rather Grey cheating because Daivari had tried to and balancing things out. It made sense and was a clever way to wrap up a good match.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what has gotten into 205 Live as of late but they are on a rather nice roll. This is their second good show in a row and the main event is worth seeing, even if you’re not overly familiar with either of them. I’ve been asking for the show to pick things up a bit and that is what they have been doing so well done on all accounts.

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ECW on Sci Fi
Date: October 10, 2006
Location: Kansas Coliseum, Wichita, Kansas
Attendance: 5,585
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re coming off a good show last week as Test beat Rob Van Dam in a pretty good Extreme Rules match. That being said, I’m not entirely sure where things are supposed to go. This show is dying for some top faces and I’m not sure how many of them are available. As for tonight though, it’s an Attitude Era flashback with Extreme Strip Poker. Let’s get to it.

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

This one is rated TV-MA and we get a special disclaimer.

We go straight to the poker room, with Balls Mahoney as our dealer. The women introduce themselves and talk about how nice their underwear is. Mahoney gets to the rules: everyone is dealt a card, lowest card loses clothing. Dang it I was looking forward to seeing the poker. Ashley loses first and hands Mahoney her shirt.

Opening sequence.

CM Punk vs. Rene Dupree

Punk takes him down for an early two as we go split screen to see Kelly Kelly taking off her shoes. Dupree gets in a right hand to knock Punk off the apron and into the announcers’ table as we see Trinity lose part of her top. Back in the arena, Punk fights out of a chinlock and hits a running leg lariat. A powerslam sets up the Anaconda Vice to make Dupree tap.

Rating: D+. The match was nothing more than an excuse to have the poker deal going on at the same time, which is likely going to be a theme tonight. Punk winning is the right move of course and while Dupree losing so soon is a bit strange, how far was he going to go around here in the first place? Dupree isn’t someone with much of a future and I think that’s been known since the day he showed up around here.

Maria takes off her stockings and Candice loses her skirt.

Post break and it’s Dealer’s Choice, meaning Mahoney gets to pick what the loser loses. Krystal loses her skirt. Ashley spanks her and a brawl is teased.

Kevin Thorn vs. Tommy Dreamer

Ariel is here with Thorn. Dreamer is sent shoulder first into the post as we see Ashley losing her shoes. The arm is bent around the ropes and the armbar goes on as Ashley helps Candice remove her top. Dreamer gets a boot up in the corner and hits a suplex for two. A middle rope elbow misses though and a sitout Rock Bottom into a spinebuster gives Thorn two of his own. Dreamer gets knocked to the apron but manages a neck snap across the top, setting up the DDT for the pin.

Rating: D+. Another nothing match and that’s not surprising given the main theme of the show. In the opposite of the opener, I’m not sure I get the idea of having Thorn lose here as even though the vampire gimmick is hardly something with the best long term hope, Thorn has enough of a presence to him that you could see him becoming something. This is hardly a death sentence, but it’s kind of a weird choice.

Kristal loses her shoes and Mahoney is rather happy.

Video on Hardcore Holly’s injury against Rob Van Dam two weeks ago, plus Test attacking him last week.

The women talk about men they find attractive. This turns into a Marine discussion, plus talking about Batista. Kelly is asked about CM Punk but Mahoney cuts it off to deal another hand. Kelly loses her skirt but throws in the top and bra for bonuses.

Video on the Marine premiere at Camp Pendleton.

Rob Van Dam/Sabu/Sandman vs. Test/Big Show/Matt Striker

During the entrances, Ashley loses her skirt and Kristal loses her top as the camera avoids the now topless Kelly. Test and Van Dam start things off with Van Dam being stomped down in the corner. The middle rope spinning crossbody and a kick to the face drop Test and it’s a Rolling Thunder/slingshot legdrop combination to give Sabu two. Sandman comes in and gets dropped in a hurry, meaning it’s off to Striker to hammer away.

Maria loses her skirt and we come back with Show coming in for the showdown with Sandman. Trinity loses her skirt as well and Test gets in a cheap shot from the apron to slow Sabu down. We take a break and come back with Test hitting a series of backbreakers for two on Sabu. It’s off to Striker for two off a neckbreaker and a running knee sends Sabu outside.

Van Dam has to save Sabu from Test and it’s back inside for Striker’s clothesline. Show runs Sabu over and Maria loses her top (Tazz: “I guess she lost a hand or something there.”). Test stomps on Sabu and we hit the bearhug. Striker dives into a kick to the face and the hot tag brings in Van Dam to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Five Star hits Striker, setting up Sandman’s Rolling Rock for the pin.

Rating: C-. It was strange seeing Sabu and Sandman wrestle a normal match and I think I can see why it didn’t happen very often. The match was hardly terrible but it was slow and boring without varying from the standard formula in the slightest. It was nice to see someone other than Van Dam get the win and Test continues to be fine as the monster, but it felt like a house show main event on TV.

We go back to the poker with Kelly covering herself and Candice losing and accusing Maria of cheating. The catfight is on and they lose the rest of their clothes so censored nudity (Mahoney: “ECW! I LOVE THIS JOB! ECW!”) ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This show was about one thing and one thing only and that worked about as well as you could have expected it to. What else was going to happen here? The women wore their outfits, then wore smaller outfits, then there was a segment at the end to appeal to 12-13 year olds. It was a ratings ploy that felt straight out of the Attitude Era and while not exactly interesting, it served its purpose well enough. In other words, stupid, not exactly thrilling, and as expected.

Then there was everything else and that wasn’t much. This show didn’t exactly offer anything of note in the realm of groundbreaking material, but the women were the focus anyway. It isn’t a good sign that we’re four months into the show and they already need ratings ploys, but Renee Dupree, Tommy Dreamer and Matt Striker aren’t going to draw in the biggest audiences. I got what they were going for here and fair enough, but a totally skippable show this week.

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205 Live
Date: March 5, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the cruiserweight show that doesn’t seem to exist as far as the Cruiserweight Champions are concerned. Now one might think that is a bad sign for the show, but it has been chugging along for so many years now that I’m not sure it makes the biggest difference in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

August Grey/Jake Atlas vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese

Grey scares Daivari into the corner to start so it’s off to Nese instead. A hammerlock takes Nese down in a hurry as Nigel says wins and losses matter around here. I’m not entirely sure how but you don’t argue with a British wrestler. Nese fights up and brings Daivari back in for a double suplex but Grey sticks the landing and makes the tag. Everything breaks down and Nese fakes a knee injury, allowing Daivari to crotch Atlas on top.

Daivari’s running boot to the face gets two and Nese is back in for a running elbow to the face. Atlas kicks him away though and Grey is smart enough to step around the post to make the hot tag. House is cleaned in a hurry but Daivari shoves Grey into the Sunset Driver for two. Everything breaks down and Atlas hits a suicide dive on Daivari, leaving Grey to hit So Much Prettier for the pin on Nese at 7:56.

Rating: C. Nice stuff here as Grey and Atlas were flying around while Nese and Daivari did their thing well enough. I know the stories aren’t going anywhere and they have been on the same treadmill for years now, but at least they are having some slightly better matches. Just please find something for them to move towards. Like anything, please.

Earlier today, Mansoor and Curt Stallion had a friendly discussion over what their tag team name should be. Then they agreed to a match against each other tonight.

We look at Legado del Fantasma beating up Ever-Rise and Breezango on NXT.

The Bollywood Boyz aren’t happy with Ever-Rise going to NXT without them.

Curt Stallion vs. Mansoor

Feeling out process to start with Mansoor driving him up against the ropes for the clean break. They go to the mat for the grappling exchange with Mansoor slapping on a hammerlock. That’s reversed into a headlock until Mansoor gets away for two off an Oklahoma roll. Back up and Mansoor grabs another headlock, which is reversed into a bridging German suplex for two. Mansoor nails a running clothesline for the same and the chinlock goes on.

Grey is right back up with an Air Raid Crash onto the knee and a running knee in the corner rocks Mansoor. A DDT into the corner (that’s a new one) gets two as Grey is getting frustrated. Mansoor counters a whip into a double underhook spun into a slam for two. Stallion headbutts him out to the floor and there’s a dive to take Mansoor down again. Back in and Stallion’s top rope splash hits knees but he catches Mansoor on top with a super reverse Spanish Fly. Mansoor sends him into the corner though and it’s the slingshot neckbreaker to finish Stallion at 10:32.

Rating: B. I’m still not sure why WWE is waiting for so long to do anything with Mansoor because he is one of the better names they have on the lower level of the card. This was a rather solid match with both guys working hard and looking good in the process. It’s one of the best 205 Live matches in recent memory and it’s very nice to see something like that after so many weeks of meh.

Post match respect is shown and commentary mentions that Mansoor is 41-0. There’s your stat that you probably never would have guessed.

Overall Rating: B-. As tends to be the case in WWE, the shows work so much better when they drop everything else and just focus on the wrestling. That is almost always the case around here, but this week’s main event was more than enough to carry things. I can’t imagine it means anything long term, but for a one off show, this was a lot of fun.

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Main Event
Date: March 4, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

We’re in the Bobby Lashley Era now and of course he isn’t going to be showing up on this show. I know they put all of those top stars on the intro but that’s not the point around here. I’m sure we’ll see some low level midcarders and the usual crew around here, because that’s what Main Event is for. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mansoor vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak headlock takeovers him down to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Back up and Gulak snaps off a German suplex for two and it’s off to the chinlock. Mansoor jawbreaks his way to freedom but gets German suplexed for another near fall. Gulak misses a charge into the corner but Mansoor’s jumping kick to the head is countered into an STF.

That’s broken up by a rope break so Gulak puts him on top, only to get knocked backwards for a spinning high crossbody. Mansoor hammers away and grabs a spinebuster for two. A sleeper doesn’t last long for Mansoor as he is sent to the apron. That means the slingshot neckbreaker can finish Gulak at 5:51.

Rating: C. Mansoor continues to be one of the more consistently entertaining of the low level part of the roster and somehow he is still undefeated. I’m not sure where he is going or if he is just there as a favor to Saudi Arabia, but at least he is entertaining while it is lasting. Now maybe they could do something with him? Same with Gulak?

Rhea Ripley is still coming.

From Smackdown.

Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are in the ring for Bianca Belair’s pick. We see a video on Asuka and another on Sasha Banks and now Belair is ready to make her pick. Well actually she’s ready to talk about making choices….but here is Reginald to interrupt. He wants her to know what a loser she will be if she picks Sasha, who is here to interrupt as well. She tells Reginald to never speak for her and tells Belair that if she wants to make a statement, her choice is clear. Banks is the best, which makes Belair second best. Belair makes the pick and the match is set. At least they didn’t drag it out, but drop Reginald already.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Paul Heyman to get things going. After a long look at Reigns beating Daniel Bryan and then being attacked by Edge on Sunday night, Reigns says Smackdown needs him. He’s so good at everything that it has to be perfect, but there is one person standing in his way. That’s the guy who jumped him on Sunday and then pointed at the Wrestlemania sign. Edge has a beautiful family and is a father and husband. Reigns respects the comeback and everything Edge is about but he doesn’t want to hurt him.

Cue Daniel Bryan to say that absolutely Sunday was perfect for Reigns. Why wouldn’t it have been? All Reigns had to do was face Bryan just after the Elimination Chamber. That doesn’t sound like a Head of the Table spot to Bryan, who thinks Reigns should have been in the main event slot. Reigns can silence the comparisons, and there have been a lot of them, by defending the title against him at Fastlane, with no conditions. Uso doesn’t want to hear that because Bryan goes to the back of the line. Bryan asks again but Jey jumps him and the trio leaves. Everything here made sense.

From Smackdown.

Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso

If Bryan wins, he gets Reigns for the title at Fastlane. Bryan works on the wrist to start and moonsaults over Jey (with a quick touch to his banged up knee), setting up the running clothesline. A top rope hurricanrana gives Bryan two and Jey is sent outside, where he knocks a dive out of the air. The bad knee is dropped onto the announcers’ table and then sent into the post as we take a break. Back with Uso still working on the knee before hitting a Samoan drop.

The Superfly Splash misses though and Bryan knocks him to the floor, setting up the running knee off the apron. Back in and Bryan comes off the top but bangs up the knee again, allowing Jey to kick it out. The half crab goes on but Bryan slips out and tries the running knee, only to get chop blocked down. A butterfly superplex brings Jey off the top though and the threat of the YES Lock sends him over to the rope. They roll outside to keep up the brawl with Bryan’s knee going into the steps, setting up the double countout at 12:47.

Rating: B-. The ending was a surprise and that’s a good thing. They have a few different ways to go for Fastlane now and the combination of possibilities have me rubbing my chin. I can’t imagine Bryan doesn’t get a straight shot at Reigns, but now they are going to have to go in a different direction to get there, which is not a bad thing.

Post match Bryan gets the YES Lock on Uso but Roman Reigns makes the save. Uso has to save Roman from the YES Lock and it’s a spear to Bryan. The guillotine choke knocks Bryan cold to end the show.

We see a clip from Talking Smack with Paul Heyman setting up a cage match between Bryan and Uso for next week. The promo exchange with Bryan getting inside Heyman’s head over Reigns being scared is quite good.

Ricochet vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa flips out of a wristlock to start and snaps off a quick armdrag into the corner. Back up and Tozawa does it again, which has Ricochet frustrated. A hard forearm knocks Tozawa into the corner as Ricochet is not seeming happy here as we take a break. Back with Ricochet hitting a slam and dropping some elbows for two.

The chinlock goes on and a dropkick gives Ricochet two. The next chinlock goes on but Tozawa fights up and heads to the top for a flying headbutt to the chest. They both miss spinning kicks to the head before Ricochet grabs a bridging German suplex for two. Back up and Tozawa hits the spinning kick to the head, only to charge into the Kick Back for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Now this was a fun one as they did their thing at a fast pace and told a story of Ricochet not being able to keep up with him. I could absolutely go for a heel Ricochet, as it’s not like he has been able to do anything in the last year or so. Nice stuff here and it continues to elude me how there is nothing for these two anywhere on the main shows.

Respect is shown post match.

Long recap of Alexa Bliss tormenting Randy Orton in the main of the Fiend.

From Raw.

Raw World Title: The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Miz is defending and here’s Shane McMahon to make it a lumberjack match. The bell rings and Miz tries a belt shot but Lashley pulls it away. With Lashley looking ready to end him, Miz heads to the apron, only to come back in for a shot to the face. That sends Miz bailing to the floor and tries to bribe the lumberjacks but gets tossed back in.

Lashley blasts him with a clothesline and hits the shoulders in the corner before throwing Miz outside again. Retribution won’t help him but the Hurt Business will throw him back inside. A Downward Spiral sets up right hands to Miz’s head and Lashley presses him to the floor. Retribution throws him back in this time and there’s the spinebuster. The Hurt Lock makes Lashley champion at 3:04.

Rating: D. They didn’t have a choice here as it was either going to be here or at Fastlane. Lashley has been ready to be WWE Champion for the better part of twenty years now so finally giving him the title was the right call. You should know where this is going for Fastlane and Wrestlemania, but maybe now the freaking out over Miz winning the title can end.

Post match Lashley beats him down again and celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the inside out version of the show as the original stuff was far better than the stuff from Raw and Smackdown. The talent is there and it seems like we are getting back to the point where the wrestlers know this show doesn’t matter so they are just having fun with it. That makes for some great stuff and hopefully that is the case again going forward, because it makes this show a lot more fun.

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ECW on Sci Fi
Date: October 3, 2006
Location: Landon Arena, Topeka, Kansas
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Things have gotten a bit more interesting around here in recent weeks after Hardcore Holly ripped his back apart in a match with Rob Van Dam last week. That is the kind of moment that made this place actually feel extreme and if they can do something like that (without horribly injuring someone) they might be onto something. Let’s get to it.

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

Paul Heyman and Hardcore Holly look at the injury last week with Heyman saying Holly can’t wrestle Rob Van Dam tonight, no matter how much he wants to. Heyman is worried about a lawsuit but Holly grabs him by the coat (Heyman: “BOB!”) and shoves him into a locker. Cue Test with a chair to the back to put Holly down in agony. Test will get to face Rob Van Dam tonight instead.

Opening sequence.

Sandman/Sabu vs. Matt Striker/Big Show

That is one of the oddest tag matches I have ever seen. Sabu and Show start things off with the right hands not having any effect on the giant. A headbutt drops Sabu and it’s off to Striker to slowly stomp away. The springboard leg lariat puts Striker down but Show low bridges Sabu out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Show suplexing Sabu so Striker can get two. Striker sends Sabu face first into Show’s raised boot and then takes him down by the hair. Sabu gets in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Sandman (to a heck of a pop). Everything breaks down and Show breaks up the White Russian legsweep. A splash from Show lets Striker steal the pin.

Rating: D+. As weird as that was, including the loud pop for Sandman’s hot tag, this wasn’t much of a match. I’m not sure what you would have expected from something like this though, as you have Show and almost no one else, which doesn’t make for the strongest setup. I do like them trying something fresh though as they have to bring in someone new at some point.

We look at Holly being attacked again. Turning Holly face off of that injury would be….I’m not sure how that would work actually.

Kelly Kelly and Trinity promote next week’s Extreme Strip Poker with Kelly opening her top to reveal a pair of strategically placed aces.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Kevin Thorn

Ariel is here with Thorn, who shoves Dreamer off the middle rope to start and hammers away. A missed charge in the corner lets Dreamer grab a neckbreaker for two and there’s a swinging neckbreaker for the same. The Dreamer DDT gets two as Ariel puts the foot on the rope. The referee yells at her, allowing Thorn to get in the walking stick shot for the pin.

Rating: D+. Another lame match here, mainly due to the time. Thorn still feels like a token supernatural character and that isn’t the most appealing idea. Dreamer is still fine enough for a midcard spot around here and it would be weird to not have him as part of ECW. Not very good here, but what else were they supposed to do?

The Marine still exists.

Maria and Candice Michelle want to play poker.

CM Punk vs. Danny Doring

Butterfly backbreaker into the kick to the head and Anaconda Vice for the tap in just over a minute.

Post match Kelly Kelly comes out and dances for Punk but Mike Knox cuts her off. Knox tells him to stay away from Kelly, but Punk says she won’t stay away from him. The brawl is teased but doesn’t happen.

Ashley and Kristal have more poker trash talk, because that’s a thing.

Rob Van Dam vs. Test

Extreme Rules. Van Dam kicks away to start but gets sent outside in a heap. The choking on the barricade doesn’t work but neither does Rob’s spinning kick to the back. That’s enough for a banged up knee so Test grabs the steps, which bounce off the post and fall back onto his face instead. Despite the bad knee, Van Dam hits Rolling Thunder onto Test onto the steps.

The table is set up at ringside but Test blasts him with a clothesline back inside. A chair is kicked into Rob’s face and Test puts another one in the corner. Rob is able to grab a chair and throw it at Test’s face, setting up a heck of a sunset powerbomb to send Test through the table (in a nice call back to Holly’s injury). We take a break and come back with Paul Heyman coming out to the ring. Test kicks Van Dam low and then sends him outside, where the security guards beat up Van Dam even more.

Back in and Van Dam is sent head first into the chair in the corner for two. The bearhug goes on so Rob escapes in a hurry, only to get chaired in the face again. The turnbuckle pad was taken off somewhere in there but Van Dam kicks him down for a save. Rob skateboards the chair into Test’s face in the corner but Rolling Thunder only hits chair.

Test goes up top with a chair and drives it onto the chair onto Van Dam’s face (that looked good) for two. Another table is set up inside, where Van Dam counters a powerbomb into a sunset flip for two of his own. Test goes into the exposed buckle and is then sat on the table, but Van Dam has to go after the security guards. Cue Show to send Van Dam through the table and Test’s TKO is good for the pin.

Rating: B-. That has to be Test’s best match ever and while it was hidden behind a bunch of smoke and mirrors, it worked out rather well in the end. Test gets the big win and Van Dam’s punishment continues, but they need to give him something sooner or later. Heck of a main event though and I had a lot of fun with the whole thing.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped a lot but next week’s show does not sound like their best offering. It’s good that they are setting up stories for later, but there are still a bunch of things that are not exactly interesting. The strip poker deal might be the biggest ratings ploy ever and feels like it belongs on Raw in 1999, though it should do its job well enough. I liked enough stuff on here and given where some of the previous shows had been, this worked fine.

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Main Event
Date: February 25, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

It’s time for a post pay per view edition of the show, meaning that for the sake of this episode, Main Event does not exist. I’m not sure what this is going to include, but odds are there are going to be some Elimination Chambers included. Or is it an Elimination Chamber included because it’s the same Chamber in two different matches? Let’s get to it.

Here is Elimination Chamber if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Mansoor vs. Drew Gulak

I guess this is an upgrade over 205 Live. Mansoor starts fast with a rollup but has to slip out of a rear naked choke. An armbar has Gulak in more trouble and a standing moonsault gives Mansoor two. Gulak knocks him down though and we hit the chinlock, meaning commentary has to talk about what else is coming tonight. Mansoor fights up without much effort and hits a dropkick, followed by a middle rope bulldog. The slingshot neckbreaker finishes Gulak at 5:05.

Rating: C-. Mansoor continues to be a rather fun guy to watch and I have no idea why he has been banished to 205 Live for so long. He could easily hang on a show like this or maybe even NXT but instead we have seen him around about once a year on a show bigger than 205 Live. This worked out well enough but it needed a little more spice.

Video on Drew McIntyre retaining the WWE Title inside the Elimination Chamber, getting jumped by Bobby Lashley and the Miz cashing in Money in the Bank.

From Raw.

It’s time for MizTV, Championship Edition, with all kinds of pyro and balloons. Miz is VERY pleased with having the title back because he is the star that stayed. Want to see Batista? Go watch a buddy cop movie. John Cena? He’s doing a commercial. Miz is a bigger star than all of them, including Edge. If Edge is playing high stakes poker, this title is Miz’s royal flush. Miz is holding this title because he deserves it….and here’s the Hurt Business (with Bobby Lashley in a light pink suit) to interrupt.

MVP talks about how Miz omitted Lashley’s involvement but Miz says he was ready to get to that. That’s not good enough for MVP, because there was a deal last night: Miz gets the title and Lashley gets the first title shot. Miz says that’s true, but Miz never said when he gets the title shot. There just isn’t time right now, so Lashley grabs him by the tie and says Miz has one more hour. If Miz makes the wrong decision, he’s going to be in a new reality series called “How Bobby Lashley Sent Me To The Emergency Room.” Either way, Lashley is getting that title and it’s going to be awesome.

Rhea Ripley is coming to Raw.

We look at Lacey Evans announcing she her pregnancy.

From Raw.

Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax vs. Asuka/Charlotte

Non-title. Asuka starts fast with an Octopus on Shayna, who reverses into a Stretch Muffler. That’s reversed into an armbar which is broken as well so it’s off to Charlotte to strike away at Jax. Everything breaks down with Jax and Baszler being knocked outside as we take a break. Back with Shayna kicking Asuka down and stepping on her face. The big stomp to the arm misses though and Asuka gets over for the tag to Charlotte. Everything breaks down and Charlotte gets to clean house with a big boot to Shayna but Jax powerbombs her down for two.

The chinlock goes on before Baszler comes in to work on the arm. That doesn’t last long so Jax comes back in, allowing Charlotte to hit a weird looking hurricanrana into the corner. The Figure Four has Baszler in trouble but Jax makes the save with the legdrop. Charlotte gets over to Asuka to start cleaning house but the Asuka Lock is broken up by Charlotte’s missed big boot. Jax drops the leg for the pin at 12:31.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one whatsoever as it was awkward in multiple parts and felt like they were in different books. I’m not sure why Charlotte kicking Asuka in the face by mistake is supposed to be some big moment, but WWE has a history of thinking Charlotte is a bit more important than most others do. Pretty off match and hopefully it’s the last time we have to see it.

Post match Asuka isn’t pleased and Charlotte walks off. That would seem to be a stake in the heart of the partnership after….uh….about two months.

From Raw again.

Charlotte is with Ric Flair in the back and says she can’t do this anymore. She can’t keep focusing on Ric because it is affecting her career. Last week he was out there pretending the baby was his and it’s costing them their legacy. She tells him to go home but Ric says that he never said it was his baby and he saw potential in Lacey. Charlotte: “You see potential in a lot of blondes.”

Flair talks about how he had a bit of a hand in making Charlotte what she is today and wanting to expand their brand. Charlotte says Ric just wants to be the Nature Boy and all he cares about is himself, leaving him rather sad. I’m sick of this story, but they absolutely nailed the emotions here and Flair’s explanation did make sense.

We look at stills of Riddle winning the US Title and Roman Reigns retaining the Universal Title over Daniel Bryan, who had just won the Elimination Chamber. Then Edge speared Reigns to set up the already obvious Wrestlemania title match.

Elias/Jaxson Ryker vs. Akira Tozawa/Humberto Carrillo

Elias shoulders Carrillo down to start and hands it off to Ryker. That works a bit better for Carrillo, who hits a high crossbody and brings Tozawa in. Tozawa sends Elias over the top and hits a kick to the face, followed by the big dive. Carrillo knocks Ryker outside with him and we take a break.

Back with Tozawa hitting a top rope back elbow for two on Elias but Ryker comes in with a spinebuster. The sitout chokeslam gives Elias two and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s off to Carrillo to kick Elias in the head. Ryker is knocked to the floor but Elias is back up with a jumping knee for two on Carrillo. Tozawa dropkicks Ryker down but he pops up for the swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C. This was better than I would have expected and part of that is due to how it felt like something new. It was nice to throw something together like an old Superstars match, which is almost always going to work. If nothing else, Elias and Ryker needed a win as it’s not like the team has exactly done much so far.

From Raw.

Here’s Adam Pearce to bring out Lashley (in gear) and MVP, followed by Miz (in his suit) and John Morrison. Miz says he needs more time to make a decision because so many people want their chance. MVP doesn’t want to hear it but Miz asks for a week. Cue Braun Strowman to say he deserves a shot but Pearce and Shane McMahon have something against him. He is far more “clarified” to face Miz than Lashley, which is all the opening Miz needs to try and stir the pot.

MVP isn’t having that but here’s Shane McMahon to interrupt. Shane says last night was about former WWE Champions rather than Universal Champions but Strowman says all of that sucks. He wants his match tonight but Shane thinks that idea sucks. Strowman says he wants to face Lashley tonight then, so Shane makes the match and let’s sweeten the pot a bit: if Strowman wins, next week’s title match is a triple threat. Reality sets in on Miz in a hurry but Strowman yells at Shane, allowing Lashley to take out Strowman’s knee.

And once more from Raw.

Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley

If Strowman wins, next week’s title match is a triple threat. Miz is on commentary as Strowman runs Lashley over to start. Lashley is sent outside but avoids a charge into the steps. Back in and Strowman counters the Hurt Lock and hits the running powerslam for a near fall. Lashley manages a heck of a spinebuster for two and then cuts Strowman down with the spear for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C. They were very smart to keep this short because these two could have gotten in trouble going long. I’m rather surprised by the result as it’s not often that the win and in stipulation doesn’t work. The title match next week should be good, if nothing else for seeing how many ways there are to go.

Post match Lashley puts Strowman in the Hurt Lock so Miz comes in with the title…and gets planted with a spinebuster. Lashley picks up the title and poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Again, it’s one of those shows that is only going to include Raw and that makes for a pretty weird show. It was nice to have something thrown in from the pay per view but that does not exactly make up for the rest of the show. You can only get so much out of the Raw recap because Raw isn’t much to see most of the time. That and I just watched Raw a few days ago, making this a bit much to take. The original stuff was ok but that’s wasn’t quite enough.