IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 24, 2019
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin, Mickie James

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

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose

Hold on though as Mojo grabs a mic (on THIS show?) to insult the members of the Conga Line. There is a grown man in a cheeseburger costume and they’re following Jose? They need a real athlete and someone who earned his MBA at 21 years old. They slug it out to start until Mojo gets hiptossed to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gives Jose two….but Mojo is right back with the running right hand in the corner for the pin at 1:28. What the heck was that? You’re cutting a MAIN EVENT match short? Normally I would have some hope for a story around here but I’ve moved on from something like that.

Post match Mojo says the Conga Line needs a real leader but he beats up the cheeseburger man for not following him. Mojo orders everyone else to leave and they eventually go. Dude did they just do an angle on this show???

Video on Bayley’s heel turn.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for MizTV with special guest Bayley, flanked by Sasha Banks, the latter of whom surprises Miz. Bayley and Sasha brag about the title change last week and we see a clip of Bayley’s new attitude, setting up the win over Charlotte. Thankfully the viral clip of the child crying is included. Miz asks Bayley what was up with that but she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. Miz: “Are you Brock Lesnar? Is this your Paul Heyman?”

Banks brings up Miz being a fifth rounds draft pick, which Miz laughs off because he’s always relevant. Bayley talks about crying after losing the title to Charlotte but no one was there to hug her. She has put herself second for years to be a role model but they weren’t there when he needed them. The reality is that Bayley has outgrown these people so here’s some reality: life sucks and then you die.

Video on Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman.

We look at the OC jumping the Street Profits.

From Raw.

Street Profits/??? vs. OC

The Profits do their big, high energy entrance and the fans….don’t seem to care. It gets a bit better but this thing was tailor made for a small place like Full Sail and it doesn’t work here. There’s no mystery partner so the OC mocks them, suggesting that he’s invisible or imaginary. We see a clip of the brawl that set up the match and take a break. Back with….no one as a partner so AJ is on the floor to start.

The Profits waste no time in clearing the ring so it’s gallows coming in for a big boot. Everything breaks down and Ford comes in to clean house, only to get thrown over the top for a crash. Anderson hits a running knee from the apron to take him down again and we take a break. Back with Ford not being able to dive over and get the tag to Dawkins so the beating can continue. The chinlock goes on but Ford fights up and hits a double clothesline. Anderson gets a blind tag but gets sent outside, allowing the hot tag to Dawkins.

House is cleaned but Gallows pulls Anderson out of a Doomsday Device. Anderson’s spinebuster gets two on Ford but AJ gets yelled at for interfering. That means an ejection…..and here’s Kevin Owens to fight AJ, presumably being the third man. Anderson is so stunned that he backdrops Ford to the floor, with Dawkins making the tag on the way through the air. The big frog splash finishes Anderson at 13:03.

Rating: C-. They put WAY too much into this at once as you had a crowd who didn’t know the Profits and then the focus was taken off of them twice. This was spent looking to see who the partner was going to be, wondering why it was then a regular tag match and then having Owens come out to get the attention off of the Profits again. Giving them the win was the right call and the match wasn’t bad, but it was too much going on to showcase them properly.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Natalya vs. Sarah Logan

Natalya is no Dana Brooke. They take turns going to the mat for some early grappling until Natalya gets in an armdrag and strikes a pose. A rollup gives us an early standoff so Natalya grabs a quick abdominal stretch. Sarah smiles so the leg is picked up to make it even worse. The basement dropkick gives Natalya two but Logan kicks her to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Natalya fighting out of the chinlock but getting choked on the ropes for her efforts. The chinlock goes on again so Natalya fights out again for a double clothesline. The belly to back faceplant sends Logan to the apron and she gets in a kick to the face. Natalya blocks the Cloverleaf and kicks her away, setting up the Sharpshooter for the tap at 9:48.

Rating: D+. This is one of those matches that was technically fine but still not something that was going to be anything beyond a standard match. Logan has had nothing to do since the Riott Squad broke up while Natalya will be around WWE until the end of time. She’s going to be on and off of Raw every week and while that is acceptable, it may not be the most thrilling thing.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend, starting in the Cell and moving on to Rollins lighting the Firefly Fun House on fire.

Here’s Rey Mysterio, still with his arm in a sling, for a chat. Rey thanks everyone for the love and support he and his family have received since Brock Lesnar took him out. He was thinking about retiring but now he has a new way of thinking because he wants to see Cain Velasquez take the WWE Championship and put another scar on Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman pops up on screen to ask if Mysterio would say the same things if Lesnar was there in person.

Mysterio thought he had the perfect choice to go after Lesnar but Brock has spent nine years waiting for that day. Rey yells in Spanish but here’s Shelton Benjamin to ask how Cain got a title shot. Just for defending Rey’s kid when Rey couldn’t do it? Shelton and Brock are friends too because they roomed together at the University of Minnesota. Rey says Shelton has it all wrong but Shelton wants to know what happens if he shoves Rey around. Maybe one shove is a US Title shot and two is an Intercontinental Title shot.

Shelton asks where Cain Velasquez is….and here he comes, with Shelton realizing that he’s screwed up. Shelton can’t take him down so Cain tosses him to the mat a few times and hammers away, eventually choking Shelton for a quick tap. That….wasn’t very impressive and the fans don’t seem to care all that much.

Overall Rating: D. I can understand the idea of recapping a lot of the stuff from Raw and Smackdown but this show did little more than to remind you just how uninteresting Raw and Smackdown have been as of late. The stories haven’t worked and it’s like there is nothing to get excited about. Putting big wrestlers against outside athletes isn’t something that is going to get me fired up and the rest of the main stuff is looking towards Crown Jewel, which has a set of problems all its own. Bad show here, as somehow the Mojo Rawley thing interests me more than anything else.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 18, 2019
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English,

Things are not in a good place around here at the moment and that has been the case for far too long now. There is just no energy or life to the show and it gets more and more obvious every week. Couple that with NXT getting the Cruiserweight Title and there is only so much that can be done around here. Something needs to change but I’m not sure what can be done. Let’s get to it.

General Manager Drake Maverick talks about how the Draft took away a lot of the show’s talent. That has changed things around a bit around here so now we are going to be making a change. Going forward, NXT talents who meet the weight limit will be appearing on the show. Maverick does mention being drafted to Smackdown, which doesn’t seem to mess with his 205 Live status. If he can be, why can’t the rest of the drafted ones?

Opening sequence.

Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick

Jack jumps him in the aisle and uppercuts him against the barricade, followed by the running dropkick for a bonus. Kendrick comes back with a kendo stick to the ribs, which is fine as the bell never rang. They get inside for the bell so Kendrick spears him into the corner and gets two off a butterfly suplex. A hard whip into the corner has Gallagher down again so Kendrick does it a second time. Something close to a seated abdominal stretch goes on as you can’t fault Kendrick’s logic so far. Gallagher gets out with a hiptoss and hammers away to send Kendrick outside.

Back in and a good looking missile dropkick gives Gallagher two but Kendrick is right back with a superkick. The Captain’s Hook goes on with Kendrick flipping him away from the ropes. The second escape attempt works a bit better so it’s the Gentleman’s Dropkick for two. With the wrestling not working, Gallagher heads outside and grabs the kendo stick from earlier. Since the referee isn’t cool with that, Kendrick uses the distraction to send Gallagher ribs first into the buckle. Sliced Bread finishes Gallagher at 6:09.

Rating: C. This wasn’t an exciting match but it was performed well by two guys who know what they’re doing out there. Kendrick has been around forever and Gallagher is very polished in his own right, making this about as good as you were going to get in this situation. The crowd was silent for it though, and that’s the problem with the way 205 Live is set up, which we’ve covered more than enough times before.

Post match Gallagher sits in the corner and stares at Kendrick.

Video on Angel Garza.

Singh Brothers vs. Justin Alexander/Justin Morris

The Brothers are billed as the #1 overall pick in the Bollywood Draft. Samir headlocks Alexander to start and gets armdragged into an armbar in a hurry. That’s about it for Alexander though as as Sunil comes in for the chinlock. Alexander fights up in a hurry and gets over for the tag to Morris. Everything breaks down and it’s a double superkick, followed by the Bollywood Blast for the pin on Morris at 3:28.

Rating: D+. Yeah fine. I’m running out of ways to explain my level of disinterest in the Singhs and I don’t know what WWE sees in them. Is it another attempt to cater to the Indian market? The match was just a squash but the Singhs haven’t been interesting since they were the punching bags for Jinder Mahal’s opponents and they weren’t that great then.

Lio Rush is back next week.

Ariya Daivari vs. Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan

Lorcan gets double teamed to start before they take turns laying over the top. That’s broken up as Lorcan fights up and knocks them both to the floor so he can lay on the top for a change. Nese comes back in so Daivari can steal a rollup for two, only to get sent right back to the floor. That lets Tony come back in to strike away at Lorcan until Daivari steals a rollup for two. Everyone gets back in to exchange strikes, with Lorcan taking over.

Daivari’s charge in the corner sends Nese outside but Lorcan is back up with a pair of top rope flip dives to take Daivari down. The running flip dive to the floor takes Nese and Daivari down at the same time and there’s the top rope version for a bonus. Back in and a double running Blockbuster gives Lorcan two each. Nese kicks Lorcan down, only to walk into a Rock Bottom from Daivari.

An Iconoclasm sends Nese into Lorcan to give Daivari two but Lorcan is back up with the half and half. Nese is waiting with a superkick to Lorcan but has to take care of Daivari, meaning the 450 misses Lorcan. Daivari makes a save of his own and everyone is down. Nese loads up a superplex on Daivari until Lorcan breaks it up and hits his own superplex. That isn’t even good for a cover though as Nese runs back in for the sunset driver and the pin on Lorcan at 16:41.

Rating: B-. It was a rather action packed match but I rolled my eyes when I saw the three people involved. How many times have these people, or at least some of them, get into the main event for a future title shot? It’s these same people over and over and while the matches are good, it still isn’t something I care to see so often.

Post match Nese grabs English’s headset and says he’s coming for the Cruiserweight Title.

Overall Rating: C+. That main event helped a lot but you can feel the complete lack of energy around here. It isn’t that the show is all that terrible but there is such a low reason to care about anything going on here. WWE has made it clear that this show doesn’t mean much and that makes it very hard to get behind anything happening here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 17, 2019
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Mickie James, Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin

Since everything has been so hectic in the last week, this is coming out a bit later, which can make for an interesting watch. A big part of the problem with this show is that it just reminds you how bad the previous week’s show was but now that we have moved on a bit, maybe it won’t be as bad. I mean, it probably will be but you have to have some hope. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. Zack Ryder

It never ends. Rawley shoves him around to start but charges into a boot in the corner. A quick Pounce gives Rawley two and the beatdown is on. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Rawley elbows him down again and stops to fling sweat at the crowd. The distraction lets Ryder get in a running clothesline and a middle rope dropkick, setting up the Broski Boot for two. A Downward Spiral gets two more but Mojo sends him into the corner for the running right hand. The Alabama Slam finishes Ryder at 5:10.

Rating: D. This is another instance where I just don’t get it. I know neither of these two are going anywhere so why keep Rawley as the big deal around here? Ryder isn’t anything of note but he’s a bigger deal than Rawley. If you’re not going to do anything with Rawley, and it’s clear that they won’t, why not let Ryder get a boost before he does something (as minor as it will be) on Raw?

We look at the Raw and Smackdown rosters.

From Smackdown.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a chat. Heyman talks about how WWE is trying to make Brock Lesnar repeat October 23, 2010, when Cain Velasquez conquered Lesnar. Brock has never made an excuse for that because he has no excuse. That brings Heyman to last week, when Lesnar won the WWE Championship and then had to face the ghost of his past. Lesnar embraces his fears because he conquers them, which he will do at Crown Jewel on October 31.

You can roll this clip back in a few weeks and find out that this is a….moment that is being interrupted by Rey Mysterio and Velasquez. Rey shows us some stills of Velasquez massacring Lesnar in their UFC fight and busting him open, leaving a scar on Lesnar’s face. Cain promises to give him a matching scar on the other cheek at Crown Jewel.

From Smackdown again.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending. Bayley has cut her hair and doesn’t have it in a ponytail anymore, plus has a new theme. She also doesn’t dance on the way to the ring….but she does pull out an ax and DESTROYS THE BAYLEY BUDDIES! Bayley starts fast and gets knocked right back down. They head outside instead with Charlotte being sent into the steps and we take an early break.

Back with Bayley grabbing a headlock to keep Charlotte in trouble. That’s broken up with Bayley being sent outside for a slingshot dive and it’s time to start in on the knee. Some kicks to the leg put Bayley on the floor and Charlotte hits a moonsault off the barricade. Back in and Bayley grabs a quick Bayley to Belly for two, followed by the top rope elbow for the same. Bayley freaks out and gets caught with Natural Selection, but the Figure Eight is countered into a small package to give Bayley the pin and the title at 11:25.

Rating: C-. The match was nothing but thank goodness they got Charlotte another title reign of five days so she can be a ten time champion. Bayley’s heel turn was a very hard one and that’s a good thing in her case. It didn’t make a ton of sense for her to be upset and then come dancing out there so making her a harder heel is the right move. Not as right as giving her the title back, but a right one nonetheless.

Post match, Bayley grabs the mic and says “B******. Screw all of you!” Well that’s a hard shift.

Dana Brooke vs. Sarah Logan

FOR THE LAST TIME EVER!!! Brooke flips around and dropkicks her down to start, followed by a headscissors into the corner. The chinlock goes on as Mickie is sounding more comfortable with the analysis. Logan powers out and we take a quick break, coming back to Logan putting Brooke on top and hammering away. Brooke shoves her down and hits a suplex, followed by an enziguri. The cartwheel splash gets two but Logan dropkicks her to the floor. Back in and Logan pulls her off the top, setting up the standing Cloverleaf for the tap at 8:33.

Rating: D+. And that’s it for the feud because they’ve just run out of things to do. Unfortunately that was the case a month ago but no one seemed to notice. I still feel really sorry for Brooke, but this is the kind of thing she needs to do: get in the ring and learn how to work a match. The problem is she spent years wrestling above her head and all she is learning is how to wrestle Logan. At least it’s something though.

From Raw.

It’s time for the contract signing between Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury. Jerry Lawler recaps everything and brings the two of them out for the big staredown. Strowman talks about how big of an ego that Fury has and that’s why he was at the premiere of Smackdown. He isn’t letting Fury use him to advance his career so he’ll beat him at Crown Jewel.

Fury says he isn’t out of his element in any ring and Strowman will be looking up at him after Fury knocks him out. They stand up and Fury snaps the pen before leaving. Fury is a good promo but Strowman is still one of those forced promos where the writers have to get in their lines that they think sound good because they don’t know how humans communicate with each other.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend inside the Cell.

From Raw.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House to end the show. Bray thinks Rollins is smart but the Fiend never forgets. Ramblin Rabbit says Rollins is on his way but Wyatt doesn’t think much of it. Rollins comes in and jumps Wyatt from behind so the beatdown is on (with the friends freaking out in a nice little touch). Seth breaks the pictures but Bray gets up and asks why Seth is doing this.

They go through a wall off camera and Rollins gets an evil look on his face. He says burn it down….and then lights Bray’s table on fire. The wall catches fire and the pictures burn as the Fiend starts to laugh to end the show. I mean, the character was in trouble anyway so they might as well get rid of the thing. Then again, odds are he’ll find a way back before losing to Rollins (again) in Saudi Arabia.

Overall Rating: D. Yeah this didn’t help anything and made me wonder how bad Crown Jewel is going to be. The show just is not looking good and having this show focused on the Draft shows without looking at the Draft itself shows you how worthless those shows really was. It was a bad show, but that’s because it was recapping bad stories and there isn’t anything Main Event can do to fix that.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 10, 2019
Location: Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Mickie James, Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin

In a weird way, this is going to be both a return to normal and the brand new normal at the same time. That means Smackdown is going to be included here again, though this time around Smackdown came first during the week and that is going to be the case going forward. I doubt that is going to change much about the shot itself though. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Revival vs. Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins

Non-title and this is what the champions have been reduced to: a Wrestlemania rematch on Main Event (which is thankfully mentioned). Hawkins shoulders Wilder down for two so Ryder comes in and takes a shoulder of his own. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Dawson goes with the simple choking on the ropes. Ryder gets in a jawbreaker and the hot tag brings in Hawkins to clean house. The Michinoku Driver gets two and a small package is good for the same but it’s the Shatter Machine to finish Hawkins at 5:29.

Rating: C. These harder worked matches have become more of a trend around here and that’s not a bad thing. You wouldn’t expect this match to be anything and while it was far from great, they were working and actually tried to put something together. Can you blame the Revival for not being interested in staying though? This is the best the champs can get?

We look at the biggest moments from the Smackdown premiere.

We look at Brock Lesnar destroying Rey Mysterio and Dominick.

From Smackdown.

Smackdown World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston

Kofi is defending. The F5 makes Brock champion in six seconds.

Post match here are Rey Mysterio and CAIN VELASQUEZ as Brock looks like he’s seen a ghost. Cain takes him down with a double leg and the scared Brock bails in a hurry. Brock teases coming back to the ring but backs off and walks away as we’re off the air at 9:58.

From Raw.

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show with Lana and Bobby Lashley, for lack of a better term, canoodling on the stage right in front of Rusev. This is interspersed with clips of Rusev and Lana’s wedding and marriage.

Rusev vs. Randy Orton

Hang on a second as we come straight out of the opening sequence to Orton and Baron Corbin stomping on Rusev. He fights back but Lashley pops up on screen in a robe. That would be Rusev’s robe, because Lashley is in Rusev’s house. Actually he’s in Rusev’s bedroom, which includes a rather comfortable bed.

There is only one thing missing, which would be Lana herself. She comes in and climbs in next to Lashley, while mentioning that everything they own is now in her name, plus they no longer have separate checking accounts. Lana removes some of the little clothing she still has on and the lights go out with more laughter.

We come back to the arena where Rusev is taking this as expected and Orton and Corbin laugh on the floor. Rusev snaps and beats both of them up, including various shots to Corbin with the steps. A jumping superkicks each knocks both of them into the crowd. No match of course.

We look at the Cell matches and Charlotte vs. Bayley from Hell In A Cell.

Cesaro vs. Cedric Alexander

Cesaro headlocks him to start and Cedric can’t do much with the power. His own headlock works just as well though, suggesting that power has nothing to do with it. Cesaro isn’t about to give him a clean break on the ropes so Cedric hits a basement dropkick. Some chops just annoy Cesaro so he stomps Cedric down and forearms him in the head.

We take a quick break and come back with Cesaro slapping on an abdominal stretch, which he can make look rather devastating. It’s off to an arm trap chinlock instead but Alexander fights up and hits the springboard Downward Spiral. Cesaro’s big boot gets two and he grabs an over the shoulder body vice, only to have Alexander slip out again. The Lumbar Check gives Alexander the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. These two work well together though it isn’t like either of them are going anywhere anytime soon. That’s one of the biggest problems for WWE at the moment: they have so many names on the roster but a good number of them don’t get to do anything due to having wrestlers appearing on both shows and taking up so much time. This kind of a match doesn’t do anything for either of them and it’s just depressing at this point.

Quick talk about the Draft.

From Raw to end the show.

Jerry Lawler brings Fury to the ring for a chat. He didn’t like Strowman making him look like a fool last week and he is here to demand an apology. Cue Strowman to say he was just giving Fury a present last week and then he told security to let Fury go. If Fury wants to get in Strowman’s ring, he’ll eat him for lunch.

Fury says he would have knocked Strowman out but Strowman says he would do the same. How man titles has Strowman won? They go into the corner and here’s security to break it up in a hurry. That doesn’t last long though and the fight is on again but here is the locker room for the save. They keep breaking it up and the fight starts up over and over again.

In the back, Strowman says Fury is tough but there will be no apology. Strowman comes charging back out and the brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The whole point of this show is to recap the bigger details of the week and they covered a lot of that with the highlight package from Smackdown. There is a lot to cover in a week in WWE and this one managed to do it well enough while also giving us a pair of completely watchable matches. It still doesn’t need to exist, but it’s nice when they do it well.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English

Here are the previous show’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Lio Rush beating Drew Gulak to become Cruiserweight Champion on NXT.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak/Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

I know it’s almost Halloween but there are far too many people dressed up as empty seats already. Nese headlocks Lorcan down to start but it’s off to Burch in a hurry. A series of kicks take Lorcan and Burch down at the same time with Burch being dragged into the corner. Nese slams Lorcan down but can’t hit a belly to back suplex as Lorcan backflips out and brings in Burch off an ice cold tag.

That doesn’t last long either as Nese takes him into the corner and hammers away, setting up a quick chinlock. A spinning kick to the face gives Nese two and it’s a reverse chinlock this time around. That lets commentary go into a history of Nese always siding with someone who can help him at the moment, which is an interesting path to take. Gulak comes back in and works on a wristlock but Burch shoves him away and rolls over for the tag.

The running uppercuts rock Nese and Lorcan hits a top rope flip dive onto both of them. Back in and Gulak gets DDTed for two, followed by Burch’s powerbomb into a jackknife cover for the same. Nese comes back in and hits a rolling right hand to Lorcan, who is fine enough to dive in with a headbutt to save Burch. That fast paced sequence receives…..less enthusiastic applause than your average college golf match. Nese’s 450 gets two as everything breaks down. Nese gets knocked outside and the assisted elevated DDT finishes Gulak at 11:46.

Rating: C. I feel so bad for these guys as they are out there working hard and the fans just do not care. It’s a situation where they are fighting a battle they can’t win because this isn’t what the fans paid to see. This is the bonus show at the end where most fans don’t watch it in the first place and they don’t want to see the show. That’s a shame, but it’s a situation where the wrestlers can’t win, which is just sad to see.

Video on Isaiah Swerve Scott.

After losing the title on Wednesday, Gulak says that change is the rule and he is the law.

Lio Rush had his first photo shoot and can’t believe he’s here. Everything has been worth it.

Ariya Daivari vs. Chris Bey

Daivari runs his mouth about being a high roller in Las Vegas who gets to come and go while everyone else is stuck here. After he beats up this local jabroni, he’s going to triple his money at the craps tables. Bey gets punched in the face to start and a backdrop puts him on the floor. Back in and the Iconoclasm connects, allowing Daivari to chill on top for a bit. Bey gets in some left hands and a knee to the face, only to walk into a release Rock Bottom. The hammerlock lariat finishes Bey at 2:33. The announcers kept trying to get Daivari Dinero over as a new name and….yeah sure. As long as it’s Daivari, it won’t matter.

Lucha House Party has been drafted to Smackdown.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

No DQ. They stare at each other to start until Tozawa punches him out to the floor. That means it’s time to grab a kendo stick each with Tozawa getting in the first shots. A right hand to the face drops Kendrick again and Tozawa kicks him in the head. With that not working, Kendrick heads outside again and grabs a chair to pelt at Tozawa’s head to block a suicide dive.

A DDT onto the chair gets two and it’s time to duct tape Tozawa’s wrists to the top rope. That means some free shots with the kendo stick before Kendrick grabs more chairs. Two of them are set up but Tozawa gets out and drops Kendrick back first onto said chairs. Here are even more chairs, bringing the total to about ten or so. They fight over a suplex, with Tozawa finally dropping him onto them. Nice spot, though it was better when Tozawa and Mike Kanellis did it back in May onto the open chairs.

A table is brought out and gets the pop of the show but Kendrick kicks him down and hammers away with the stick. Tozawa kicks him in the face though and the backsplash from the apron puts Kendrick through the table. Back in and Tozawa puts Kendrick on more chairs but here’s Mike Kanellis to lay Tozawa out. Some kendo stick shots onto the chair onto Tozawa knock him silly and Kendrick is dragged on top for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: C. Some of the spots were good and the duct tape torture deal always works but at the same time, it feels like nothing we haven’t seen before. These guys have been dealing with each other for years and while it is still quality stuff, it isn’t something that is going to spark a lot of interest.

Kendrick and Kanellis hug to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s like this show’s soul has died. Maybe it’s all of the big changes or maybe it’s the talent at the moment, but the interest that this show had has just died for me. What are you expecting from a show that feels like it’s a contractual obligation more than anything else? The show just does not feel important and with the Cruiserweight Title going to NXT, what is the point of this show? It’s not a bad show, but it doesn’t seem like anyone cares.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 3, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin, Mickie James

This could be a different kind of show as there is no Smackdown material here as the show had not taken place yet. That will be taken care of when next week’s show airs, but thankfully this week’s Raw was a big enough deal that everything should be fine. Well I mean Raw wasn’t all that great but maybe the highlights will be better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose

Jose dances a lot to start as Mickie talks about how much she wants in on the Conga Line. Rawley gets shoved into the corner and glares at him, allowing Jose to hit a running corner dropkick. That’s enough to put Rawley on the floor but he’s right back in with a jawbreaker. Some right hands keep Jose in trouble and it’s time to choke on the rope. The required chinlock goes on but Rawley lets go so he can pose. Jose hits a dropkick and a running clothesline in the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. A missed charge in the corner sets up the running right hand to give Rawley the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C-. I know I say something like this every single time but these two almost always have a decent match against each other. For the life of me I’d love to see Jose get a chance to do something fresh as he is more than talented enough to make something bigger work. That won’t happen as Jose is slotted into his spot, but it’s a spot that isn’t likely going anywhere anytime soon, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.

From Raw.

It’s time for MizTV with Miz offering condolences to Rey and his family. He can’t imagine what it would be like to have something like that happen to his child. As for tonight, he has two legends for his guests. That would be Hulk Hogan (with Jimmy Hart) and Ric Flair, with Ric not seemingly happy with Hogan. Ric complains about hearing Real American for thirty years. Hogan: “WOO!” Miz: “We’ve been hearing those even longer!”

Hogan brings out his captain in the form of Seth Rollins, but Flair has his own captain in Randy Orton. Randy wants Seth’s undivided attention so can he please crawl out of Hogan’s a** for a second. Randy to Flair: “Can I get a WOO?” They’ll be picking their teams together over the next few weeks but for now, let’s have a captain’s match. Flair was all over the place here and seemed a bit out of it, or at least rambling with some off the cuff comments.

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

I think this is non-title….and here’s King Corbin to interrupt. The bell never rings as Corbin and Orton double team Seth, including a scepter shot. Rusev of all people saves and I smell a tag match. Actually we don’t as Rusev clears the ring and we seem to have a second member for each team.

From Raw.

Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss

Hang on though as here’s Becky Lynch to join commentary. Bliss gets knocked to the floor to start and it’s already time for the trash talk from the ring. Becky gets on the table and yells back as we go split screen for a Gears of War ad. Back in a hurry with Becky still standing and taping her fists. An ambulance siren goes off in the arena, which I would assume would be Dominick’s ambulance leaving. Bliss slaps away but a DDT is broken up, leaving Banks to beg off. She calls for Bayley (not here) and the distraction lets her kick Bliss in the leg and grab a rollup for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here other than a nice hope of having the stories bleed between segments for a change. The ambulance leaving gives me some hope, as there is no logical reason to have everything come to a halt because another match starts up. The ending was a little odd as it seemed to focus more on the Tag Team Title stuff than the Raw Women’s Title on Sunday.

Post match Becky comes in for the fight but Banks bails into the crowd, where a fan has the most bugged out eyes.

Quick look at Brock Lesnar destroying Rey Mysterio and Dominick.

Lucha House Party vs. EC3/Eric Young

Are they just running the same matches that they saw on previous shows? Kalisto is the odd man out for the House Party here. Dorado armdrags Young into a standing moonsault for two to start. Metalik, in his full bodysuit, comes in and climbs onto Dorado’s shoulders for the splash. Double dropkicks put Young and EC3 on the floor as we take a break.

Back with EC3 stomping Dorado down in the corner and handing it back to Young for a chinlock. The moonsault misses though and an enziguri to EC3 is enough for the hot tag to Metalik. Everything breaks down and Young’s top rope elbow hits EC3 by mistake. Metalik’s elbow into the shooting star from Dorado is enough for the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C. Another match where they were working hard and trying, which is starting to become more of a thing around here. Don’t worry though as I’m sure WWE will manage to crush their spirits soon enough and let them know that this is Main Event and that’s not what they’re supposed to do around here. I’d be curious to know how low on the card whoever runs this show is, as it must be the busy work for some agent backstage more than anything else.

From Raw one more time.

Raw World Title: Rusev vs. Seth Rollins

Rusev is challenging and gets a jobber entrance as Orton and Corbin are watching from the stage. Rollins tries to start fast but has to bail from the Accolade. The fall away slam starts working on the back as we take a break (with the Fiend appearing to say Let Me In). Back with Rollins fighting out of the bearhug and sending Rusev to the floor for the suicide dives. Rusev rolls through a high crossbody but Rollins rolls through his roll through for two.

Rusev kicks him in the head and gets two off a swinging release Rock Bottom. Rollins is back up with the Falcon Arrow for two but the Stomp misses. The springboard knee hits part of a superkick…..and here’s Bobby Lashley. He waves someone out though and here is…..Lana, as Rusev is crushed. Kissing ensues with Lana almost crawling on top of Lashley as Rusev just glares. There go the lights and the Fiend Mandible Claws Rollins in a no contest at 11:30.

Rating: D+. This was just a backdrop for the double angles and I’d rather they do that here than wasting what could have been a big match with Mysterio. Rusev not losing is a great sign and he has a feud set up instantly. I’m curious about the story behind the whole thing so at least they have something going on already.

Laughter ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. The weird schedule changed some stuff around here but for what it was, this wasn’t too bad. They got in the bigger stuff from Raw, but it’s a strange situation because Raw was possibly the fourth biggest show of the week. That may sound strange, but it could very well become the new norm around here, which is going to take a lot of getting used to. Better than average show here, but that’s on the Main Event scale.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 26, 2019
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Mickie James

It’s the lamest of lame duck shows as we are less than a week away from everything changing (again). This is one of those rare weeks where both shows are in the same city, which doesn’t have anything to do with what to expect here but it’s not like there is anything else to talk about. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Titus O’Neil/Heath Slater vs. Eric Young/Mojo Rawley

Slater takes Rawley down to start but gets sent into the corner with raw power. A Young distraction lets Rawley blast him in the face though and it’s Young coming in to take over in the corner. That means it’s time for the chinlock from Rawley, which is broken up in short order. Titus comes in to clean house and catches (not really) Young off the middle rope for the Clash of the Titus (or more like a terrible spinebuster) for the pin at 3:54. How do you botch the ONE MOVE THAT YOU HAVE???

Rating: D-. The whole match had one big move with the Clash of the Titus and they managed to screw that up. Titus is someone who has earned all of the respect in the world for his charity work and positive attitude but my goodness he is not that good in the ring. I feel bad for Young (yes really) because he deserves better than what he is getting.

Hell in a Cell rundown as WWE tries to remember that the show exists.

We see the end of the fatal five way with Rey Mysterio becoming #1 contender to the Universal Title.

From Raw.

Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title. Strowman starts fast by running Rollins over with the referee having to check on him. Rollins gets knocked to the floor in a heap and we take a break. Back with Rollins fighting out of a bearhug and dropkicking the knee. The Pedigree is easily broken up and Rollins bails to the floor.

For once Rollins is smart enough to avoid the charging Strowman by jumping over the barricade, though Strowman is fine enough to throw him down anyway. Back in and Strowman charges into some boots in the corner and then the post for a bonus. Seth wraps the leg around the post and hits a pair of frog splashes for two.

A suicide dive doesn’t knock Strowman down so Rollins hits a second to take him down. For some reason Rollins tries a third and stumbles a bit, allowing Strowman to chokeslam him onto the apron. The running powerslam hits on the floor so Strowman loads up another one in the ring….and there go the lights. They come back on with Strowman in the Fiend’s Mandible Claw for the DQ at 12:30.

Rating: C+. I liked what we got well enough and I’ll take Strowman winning via DQ and getting knocked out over Rollins pinning him again and taking away even more of Strowman’s status. The Fiend interference isn’t shocking but that doesn’t make it a bad idea, as taking out someone like Strowman is a little more impressive for him.

Post match Strowman is out as Rollins cowers in the corner, even screaming a bit as the Fiend crawls to him. Strowman gets up so Fiend claws him down again and glares a lot as the lights go out to end the show with more laughter.

Video on Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens.

Here are Shane McMahon and a bunch of lawyers to deal with Kevin Owens’ lawsuit. Now, Shane can fight this in court and use his resources to ruin Owens’ life. Or Owens can drop the lawsuit and be reinstated, with Shane getting rid of the $100,000 fine as well. Shane offers him a handshake but Owens calls him an idiot.

The idea of the lawsuit makes him sick because Owens wants Shane out of the locker room period. That’s what everyone has wanted for so long: seeing Shane get fired. Owens wants one final match: career vs. career and let’s make it a ladder match. For some reason Shane’s mic is cut off but he says you’re on. No date is given.

Zack Ryder vs. Cesaro

Cesaro is in regular pants again as Ryder fights out of a waistlock early on. The offer of a handshake earns Ryder a kick to the ribs but he’s right back with a flapjack. Cesaro sends him to the apron and then out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Ryder fighting out of a chinlock (well duh) so Cesaro drops an elbow to keep him down. That means another broken chinlock but Ryder fights up with a neckbreaker. The Broski Boot gets two but Cesaro uppercuts him out of the air for two more. A few rollups give Ryder a few twos of his own until a thumb to the eye sets up the Neuralizer to give Cesaro the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse with Ryder working hard to make this work. There wasn’t any doubt about who was going to win because Ryder doesn’t win matches anywhere and Cesaro is only allowed to win nothing matches, but at least he was trying, which is more than some people do around here.

We look at Kofi Kingston accepting Brock Lesnar’s challenge for the FOX debut and getting laid out as a result.

Video on Erick Rowan and Luke Harper’s path of rage.

From Smackdown.

Daniel Bryan vs. Erick Rowan

Bryan goes right for him to start but gets knocked outside for a crossbody. Back in and Rowan hits a spinning kick to the face and we take an early break. We come back with Bryan getting powerbombed into the post and having to dive back inside to beat the count. A dropkick to the leg takes Rowan down though and Bryan wraps the knee around the post few times.

Another dropkick sends the knee into the post but Rowan is fine enough to catch him in something close to a Jackhammer for two. The bearhug works on Bryan’s back and a jackknife gets two more. We take another break and come back again with Bryan reversing a powerbomb attempt into a sunset flip for two and sending Bryan outside. The suicide dive is blocked so Bryan posts him instead, setting up the missile dropkick to the back.

It’s full on face mode Bryan as he kicks away to the shoulder and the big one actually connects to the head for once….and one. The Iron Claw is countered into a guillotine choke and then the LeBell Lock draws in Luke Harper for the distraction. Bryan dives onto him as well but Harper pops up, allowing Rowan to pull Bryan over the top with the Iron Claw, but Bryan’s foot gets tied in the rope for one of those accidents you can only get in wrestling. Everyone gets together to get Bryan out of the ropes so another Iron Claw can give Rowan he pin at 17:58.

Rating: C+. Rowan is getting a rather strong push at the moment and that’s something you don’t see very often. Sometimes you just need to do something new and pushing the Bludgeon Brothers as main event monsters is an idea that could go somewhere. I like what we’ve seen so far and the tag match should be pretty good.

Post match Harper and Rowan load up the table but it’s Roman Reigns coming out for the save. The brawl continues with Bryan getting back into it and hitting the running knee on Harper. Reigns spears Rowan down and the good guys stand tall. Bryan seems to have hurt his leg on the running knee (could be due to the rope thing) but slaps Reigns’ hand away as he tries to offer some help. Bryan grabs a mic and issues the challenge for the tag match, presumably for next week. The fans give that quite the YES.

Overall Rating: D+. Yeah there’s no hiding the fact that this week was all about setting up next week and that is fine enough. Next week is all going to be as big as it gets and there is no reason to really try anything as we get close to what matters. The wrestling was the usual fare and as usual, meant nothing here, but as unusual, nothing meant anything here and it’s another Main Event that served little purpose.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: September 24, 2019
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Dio Maddin, Aiden English, Vic Joseph

It’s the final Tuesday show as next week will see everything moving over to Friday with Smackdown. It would be nice if that meant we were getting something special, though I would assume it’s going to be something we’ve seen before. Hopefully the show has some energy, as their slower episodes can make for a rough sit. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the returning Lio Rush becoming the new #1 contender by defeating Oney Lorcan on the first live NXT.

Drew Gulak isn’t surprised by having to face another ghost from his past because that’s what happens when you’re Cruiserweight Champion. Rush will learn just like everyone else: he is prepared for everything. Just ask Lorcan, who will learn it again in tonight’s main event. Lorcan refuses to learn, so Rush better be watching.

The Singh Brothers are sad to see cousins fight tonight but insist that nothing could ever come between them. Soon, they’ll be back in the ring to prove that it is lights, camera and Bollywood action.

Opening sequence.

Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo

Battle of the cousins and, I kid you not, they are fighting because it was Garza’s birthday yesterday and Carrillo only sent him a message on social media instead of calling him or saying it in person. Feeling out process to start with Garza headlocking him down as we hear about what English wanted to get Carrillo for his birthday. Garza flips out of an armbar and takes him down by the leg as they’re staying on the mat to start.

English is still going on, talking about all the copies of WWE2K20 he needs to get Carrillo, along with big screen TVs and the best sound system (this is after sports cars, Browns tickets and various other things as the gag is getting some time). Carrillo jumps over him and Garza to flip out of a springboard armdrag and the fans applaud. Garza drops to a knee and offers a handshake, plus a huge grin. That’s kicked away but STOP, because GARZA NEEDS TO TAKE OFF HIS PANTS! English: “Somewhere Nigel McGuinness just fainted!”

Carrillo gets sent outside for a middle rope moonsault as we hear about Garza’s pants being weighted, meaning he’s taking off his limitations. Another shot to the face keeps Carrillo down on the floor but Garza gets smart by letting him get back inside for a dropkick to the knee. With that out of the way, we hit the arm trap chinlock, followed by a hard dropkick for two more. The chinlock goes on again but this time Garza fights up for a springboard armdrag.

A moonsault gets two and there’s the big flip dive to the floor. Back in and the great looking missile dropkick connects for Carrillo and he’s starting to get fired up by these near falls. That’s cut off by a good crotching though and a dropkick to the ribs gives Garza two of his own. An elbow to the face gives Carrillo two and now it’s frustration time.

We go very lucha with a Rocking Horse but Garza reverses into one of his own for some mind games. That’s broken up and they both try the crossbody, meaning it’s another double knockdown. Garza slams him down on the back of his head and a good looking Lionsault gets two more. That’s enough for Carrillo, who kicks him down and hits the Aztec Press for the pin at 13:49.

Rating: B-. The action was good as you can tell they know each other but the best part was English fawning over Carrillo to such a level that it became hilarious. Dio and Vic were having nothing to do with it and the man crush is really becoming one of the best current gags in WWE. Both of these guys looked good here and I could go for more of either of them.

We look back at Brian Kendrick snapping and turning on his partner Akira Tozawa and Jack Gallagher last week.

Kendrick says he did it because of the epidemic consuming 205 Live. That would be the epidemic of disrespect towards veterans like him, because they forget he opened the door for everyone here. What upsets Kendrick the most is that he hasn’t had a title match in three years like some kind of new guy who has to earn his stripes. Tozawa is infected like the rest of them so he had to do something about it. Now, Tozawa can learn what respect looks like.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

Burch and Gulak start things off with the former grabbing a headlock. That means a few headlock takeovers until Gulak gets smart with a headscissors to escape. That’s reversed into another headlock as they’re not exactly going at a fast pace to start. With that not working, they do the same thing with another headlock on Gulak. Thankfully it’s off to Lorcan for a change, or at least half of a double Russian legsweep so Burch can get two.

A double suplex gives Lorcan two and it’s off to a front facelock. Nese offers a distraction though and Gulak is able to knock Burch into the corner to take over. We hit the neck crank for a bit but it’s off to Lorcan for some running shots in the corner. Nese runs him over in a hurry and gets two off his own Lionsault. It’s back to Gulak, who mocks Lorcan for not being able to tag to Burch, which I’m sure will cause no future problems whatsoever.

The chinlock goes on for a few moments, followed by a double belly to back suplex for two more. Lorcan finally gets up and sends Gulak outside, only to have Nese pull Burch to the floor. As you probably guessed, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s time to clean some house. Everything breaks down and Lorcan hits the running Blockbuster on Gulak, setting up the half crab.

Burch Crossfaces Nese at the same time until Gulak kicks Lorcan away for the break. What looked to be the Doomsday European uppercut is broken up as well and Nese hits a 450 for two on Burch, with Lorcan making the save. Burch headbutts Nese down and it’s time to scream a lot. Now the Doomsday European uppercut can connect for two in quite the surprising near fall. With Nese still rocked, the elevated assisted DDT finishes him off at 14:24.

Rating: C+. Another rather good one here as Burch and Lorcan are a strong team who can be brought in for whatever you want them to do. I’m curious to see where they’re going here as Rush hasn’t been around for the last two shows and they’re still seemingly setting up Lorcan vs. Gulak. We just did a triple threat match so I’m not sure how we’re moving forward.

Burch and Lorcan do their Ultimate Warrior tribute to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Well they did go out with a solid show, which is as positive as you can get around here. Both matches were rather good and the Kendrick explanation was more than fine. I still don’t know if this show needs to exist and having it at 10pm on a Friday is something Impact thought was a good idea. At least we had a good show this week, and that is the case more often than not around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

It’s the first of three.So since Smackdown is moving to FOX next week, the network is showcasing some of WWE’s best, including this self explanatory special.  This was basically a big look back at the biggest names in the show’s history, whether they’re a possibility for next week’s show or not.  I can get the idea there, but that sounds like setting up some lofty goals.

The show was a great trip down memory lane with almost every major moment in the show’s history you could ask for getting either a full look or a quick highlight.  If you’re a longtime fan, it’s a great way to see what you’re getting into.  If you’re a new fan, it might have been a little much as there was little context to the show, other than what hosts The Miz and Charlotte offered.  It doesn’t help that most of these people won’t be there next week, but they were trying.

That’s the key to the whole thing: FOX is trying and putting an effort in with WWE.  That isn’t something they do for just anyone and it’s great to see WWE getting a chance to really make a big splash with the move.  Starting with history and highlights is a great idea though as WWE knows how to do them as well as anyone else has ever done.

This is being replayed a few times on Fox Sports 1 and i you have 45 minutes to kill and want very little from the modern show, check it out as the flashbacks are worth it if nothing else.

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 19, 2019
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin

It’s time for another incredible use of an hour as I have no idea what to expect from this show. Things aren’t the most interesting at the moment as we’re just off of Clash of Champions and on the way to Hell in a Cell, meaning the rapid fire turnover continues. That could mean anything around here, so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, looking straight at the Titantrong.

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose

Well at least it isn’t Brooke and Logan. Rawley throws him around to start but Jose hits a dropkick in the corner. A trip to the floor lets Rawley clear his head and he drops Jose throat first across the top to take over. Jose’s discus forearm starts the comeback and a clothesline out of the corner puts Mojo down. The high crossbody gets two but Jose misses a charge into the corner, setting up the Alabama Slam to give Rawley the pin at 4:42.

Rating: C-. Jose was trying here, as tends to be the case, but what are you expecting when you’re against Rawley? I’ve always liked Rawley but this heel stuff has been a nightmare since day one. There’s nothing to him and I have no idea what they see in him from this style. The Hype Man wasn’t great but it was a lot better than this.

We see a few seconds of Baron Corbin beating Chad Gable to become King of the Ring.

Clip of Gable taking out Corbin on Smackdown and destroying the throne and robe.

Clip of Sasha Banks and Bayley taking out Nikki Cross until Becky Lynch made the save. This set up Banks vs. Lynch in the Cell for the title.

From Smackdown.

Kevin Owens arrives and sits in the crowd. Shane McMahon is on his way to the ring to deal with this but gets served with papers. Shane isn’t happy with them and goes to the ring without saying anything.

Post break here’s Shane, with the papers, in the arena. He calls out some security but tells Owens to come into the ring. Security is ready but Shane tells Owens to come in and has security leave (Then why have them in the first place?). The papers are the largest wrongful termination lawsuit in history, saying that if he is fired, he will receive $25 million.

They argue over the merits of the case, with Owens saying that Shawn fined him for attacking Elias when Elias was serving as a referee. Then Shane did the same thing to him last week, after Owens swallowed his pride and tried to get rid of the initial fine. Owens knows that he needs to hit Shane in the wallet, which is what he is going to do. With this case, he’ll be able to tell Shane that he is fired for a change. You know what might make Smackdown better? Not arguing over money and lawsuits all the time.

Video on Ricochet.

We look back at Luke Harper returning to take out Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Daniel Bryan for a chat. He hears the DANIEL BRYAN chants but points out that a lot of those same people were accusing him of being behind the attacks on Reigns. Bryan may be a lot of things, but he is not a liar. Rowan is still his friend, and here he is in person. Rowan doesn’t like what Daniel is saying, because it was always about Bryan. It makes Rowan feel disrespected so Bryan tells him to do something about it.

Cue Luke Harper to jump Bryan from behind and the beatdown is on. Roman Reigns comes out for the save but gets beaten down as well, including a powerbomb against the post. Security gets taken out and the announcers’ table is loaded up. A double spinebuster through the table destroys Bryan to end the show.

Lucha House Party vs. EC3/Eric Young

Kalisto/Gran Metalik for the House Party here and I still love EC3’s entrance. Young headlocks Metalik to start but the flipping is on in a hurry. The rope walk high crossbody gives Metalik two and it’s off to Kalisto for the rolling kick to the head. There are the double dives and we take a break. Back with everything breaking down and Metalik flip diving onto EC3. The Salida Del Sol finishes Young at 5:24. Not enough shown to rate but they chopped the heck out of this one as it ran about seven minutes live.

Stills of Kofi Kingston retaining the Smackdown World Title at Clash Of Champions.

From Smackdown (again).

Post match here are Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar with Heyman doing his intro and Lesnar making him get in the ring to say it. Lesnar is here to stand in the way of Kofi’s title reign because it’s a bad day for the New Day, yes it is. The challenge is made for October 4 on the first Smackdown on FOX. Kofi accepts because he’s not that bright at times. The ensuing F5 seems to back that up. Yeah Lesnar is winning the title and as annoying as it is, I get why they’re going that way.

Stills of Seth Rollins retaining the Universal Title over Braun Strowman at Clash and getting beaten down by the Fiend after.

From Raw.

Seth Rollins vs. Robert Roode

Non-title and Dolph Ziggler is here with Roode. Feeling out process to start with Roode armdragging him into an armbar. That lasts as long as any average armbar and Roode hits him in the ribs to take over. Roode knocks him off the barricade so Ziggler can get in a cheap shot and we take a break.

Back with Roode still on the ribs before sending Seth outside. This time Ziggler’s interference is cut off with a superkick and the comeback is on. The springboard knee misses but so does Roode’s spinebuster. That means Rollins can hit a Falcon Arrow for two, followed by the Buckle Bomb. The Stomp looks to finish but Ziggler comes in for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here as Ziggler just won’t go away and kept popping in here, despite not being the most intriguing presence in the world. I can appreciate not having a new champion lose though, even if it’s to the World Champion. Just don’t let Ziggler and Roode (or at least Ziggler) around Rollins much longer and things should be fine.

Post break the OC comes in for the 5-1 beatdown but Kane (in full gear and mask) of all people makes the save to a huge pop. Chokeslams abound as I try to imagine masked Kane without hair. There is something amusing about the costume coming complete with a huge wig….and there go the lights. The Fiend is here and it’s a Mandible Claw to Kane. Fiend crawls over to Rollins and a minute long Firefly Fun House logo, with the colors changing, the graphic going upside down and the voice sounding rather evil, ends the show. Good ending, with the mind games and evil continuing.

Overall Rating: D. Another week and another bleh Main Event with nothing of note and the original matches being even worse than usual. It didn’t help that the regular TV shows were pretty bad this week, leaving us without many highlights. We did however manage to get in the Shane McMahon segment instead of any significant part of the King of the Ring though, because WWE knows its priorities.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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