IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: November 20, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Things were changed up a bit last week when Curt Stallion became the new #1 contender to the Cruiserweight Title. It’s nice to have some new names around here getting some focus, but the question now becomes where does everyone else go. That’s part of the trick that 205 Live has had trouble with in the past so hopefully it is better this time around. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bollywood Boyz vs. Ever Rise

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Ok so Nigel dancing around during the Boyz’ entrance is funny. We pause for a dance off before the Boyz jump the two of them to start. A double clothesline into a double fist drop has Sunil in trouble and Martel drives him into the corner. Sunil elbows him in the face for one and grabs the armbar before handing it off to Samir. It’s already back to Sunil, who takes over with an armdrag into an armbar. Hold on though as Parker grabs the camera, which is enough to send Samir into a frenzy.

The distraction lets Martel get in a cheap shot and the backbreaker gets two on Samir. The neck crank goes on, followed by a step up elbow to the back for two. Samir manages to backdrop Parker to the floor though and the diving tag brings in Sunil to clean house. The Bollywood Blast gets two on Martel with Parker making the save. The referee gets rid of Sunil so it’s an assisted Codebreaker to Samir, only to have Sunil hit Martel with the camera for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: C-. The action was fine and somehow the Boyz are growing on me a bit. There’s something about the enthusiasm they show when they’re doing their thing that makes them fun to watch and that’s what we got to see here. Not a memorable match or anything but since this is the 205 Live tag division, it was as good as you can ask for.

Post match Ariya Daivari comes out to join commentary and to yell at the Boyz for not helping him become #1 contender last week despite paying them well.

We look at Curt Stallion becoming #1 contender last week.

Curt Stallion doesn’t know why Santos Escobar didn’t shake his hand last week but maybe Escobar just isn’t familiar with him. Escobar needs to smarten up then because Stallion is coming for the Cruiserweight Title.

Tony Nese vs. Ashante Adonis

Daivari is on commentary and continues complaining about these young whippersnappers. Adonis’ threat of a shot the face sends Nese outside early on, where he grabs a headset and says he can do this all day. Adonis doesn’t like the delay and throws his wristband at Nese so the fight is on again. That goes to Adonis as well, with some shots to the face in the corner setting up a backdrop.

They head outside with Adonis sending Nese face first into the announcers’ table and glaring at Daivari at the same time. The distraction lets Nese throw the ring skirt over Adonis’ head and hit a dropkick to take over, much to Daivari’s delight. Back in and the Lionsault connects for two, followed by the required chinlock.

That also means the required comeback as Adonis fights up and hits a suplex. A flapjack drops Nese so Daivari gets up off commentary with the distraction…..allowing Adonis to hit a DDT for two. As usual, Daivari can’t do anything right. Nese is back with a spinning kick to the face for the same as Daivari loads up a chain around his fist. He almost hits Nese by mistake before charging into the ring and right into a spinebuster. Adonis hits the Long Kiss Goodnight for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. Much like with Stallion last week, at some point you have to just give someone a win and that’s what they did here. There were some shenanigans afoot, but at the end of the day, Adonis pinned him with a superkick and that’s all you could have asked for here. It wasn’t a particularly great match, but at least they let someone move up the ladder, which is always an issue around here.

Overall Rating: C. This was more of a show about the future and there is nothing wrong with doing that. Above all else, 205 Live needs something to draw in some interest and you can only get so far with the same people over and over. The problem is we reached that point so long ago that 205 Live has lost a lot of its potential. New stars can help, but they have a long way to go. At some point you have to start though and the last two weeks are a good sign in that direction.

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

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 20, 2006
Location: Pepsi Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Well after last week’s mess, they don’t have the highest bar to clear. It would be nice to have something that actually feels like ECW, which is why we have Edge and Randy Orton here tonight. It’s the go home show for Vengeance so expect a lot of talk about the matches there. We might even get some ECW stuff in here if we have time. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with an unnamed witch (Medium? Fortune teller?) turning Tarot cards as we hear about ECW invading Raw, causing Raw to come back here tonight.

Opening sequence.

Sabu vs. Tony Mamaluke

Trinity (now named) is here with Mamaluke as Tazz starts trying to get “Vixens” over for the ECW women. Sabu takes him down by the leg to start but Mamaluke is back with a knee to the head. A kick to the head gets two and Mamaluke starts in on the arm. That earns him a kick to the face and a slingshot legdrop to give Sabu two. With Mamaluke on the floor, Sabu uses a chair for a springboard dive to take him down again. Sabu whips out the table but gets chaired down. Mamaluke’s dive off the top is knocked out of the air by a chair being thrown into his face, setting up the camel clutch to give Sabu the win.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t much but it already felt more like ECW than anything we saw last week. It was a polished, cleaned up WWE version of ECW, but it did feel more like ECW. Sabu gets a win to help warm him up for John Cena on Sunday, but other than that it was a bunch of dives and weapons shots until the finish.

Kelly promises to strip more than she did last week.

Rob Van Dam is ready to team with Kurt Angle against Edge and Randy Orton in a preview for Sunday. He needs to get rolling, but does come back for one more finger point.

Here’s an annoyed looking Big Show for a chat but Tommy Dreamer cuts him off. Dreamer says if Show wants to make a name for himself around here, he’ll have to go through Dreamer to do so. Dreamer slaps him in the face and the destruction is on in a hurry. The cobra clutch backbreaker into the regular cobra clutch leaves Dreamer laying as Show walks away. Dreamer smiles a lot because he’s kind of loopy. It’s good to see that nothing has changed.

The vampire is outside again.

And now, Macho Libre. Before his match, Libre gives us a luchador style Randy Savage ECW and says he’s looking for a fight. SNAP INTO IT! I think you know where this is going.

Sandman vs. Macho Libre

Macho offers to tell him something (something, something, something, something OH YEAH) and gets caned down for about twenty seconds for the pin. This was funnier than the Zombie, but not by much.

John Cena arrives in the back and is surrounded by ECW. As Paul Heyman holds Sabu back, Cena says he knows all of the extreme things they have planned for him on Sunday. He knows they don’t like him, but Heyman can bring everyone he has on Sunday. Let’s make it an Extreme Lumberjack match because all he wants on Sunday is a chance to go down swinging. Cena glares at Rob Van Dam, turns around, and leaves.

Kelly comes out for her Expose. After a lot of dancing, she manages to get her bra off this time but here’s a guy with a towel to cover her up and take her away. A lot of booing ensues.

Test is coming. A lot of booing should ensue, as he’s one of the least ECW guys you could bring back.

Edge/Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle/Rob Van Dam

Lita is here with the Raw guys. Before the match, Edge makes it very clear: he thinks ECW and it’s fans SUCK. Angle goes straight for Edge’s leg to start and then throws him down with ease. It’s quickly off to Orton vs. Van Dam with Rob kicking his way out of trouble. Orton gets crotched on the top and a top rope kick knocks him to the floor. There’s the moonsault to take him down again but it’s quickly off to Edge, meaning Lita can low bridge Van Dam to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Angle breaking up Orton’s cover so Edge sends Van Dam outside in a heap. A whip sends Van Dam hard into the steps and Orton hits the good looking dropkick for two. Van Dam rolls over and makes the hot tag to Angle though and it’s time to roll the German suplexes. Edge is sent outside so Angle locks Orton’s ankle but Edge makes the save. Orton uses the distraction to chop block Angle down and it’s time to start working the knee.

Angle pulls Edge down into the choke so Lita rakes the eyes to break it up. A raised boot in the corner lets Angle snap off another German suplex and it’s Van Dam coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and there’s an Angle Slam to Lita for daring to try a running belt shot. The RKO takes Angle down but Van Dam kicks Orton in the face again. Van Dam cuts off the spear with a belt shot to the face though and the Five Star is good for the pin.

Rating: C+. Pretty good main event tag match here and that’s what the show needed. What mattered here was making ECW look like they could hang with the best of Raw and it didn’t go too far off the deep end to do so. Van Dam and Angle are full fledged WWE main eventers so giving them this win isn’t a big jump up for them, but it makes ECW look better.

Overall Rating: D+. While I would still hesitate to call this show good, this was miles ahead of the disaster that we got last week. The main event was good, the Sandman thing could be turned into a funny weekly deal, and Sabu got some momentum heading into his big match against Cena. The big problems are still really obvious though: this is a WWE show in an ECW costume and there is almost nothing to the ECW roster outside of Van Dam and two WWE guys on loan. It’s not good, but it made last week feel like some opening night jitters and that’s a big sigh of relief.

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: November 12, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

You never know what you are going to get around here and while that is usually a nice feeling on a wrestling show, it certainly is not the case here. There was a slight breath of fresh air around here with some of the Raw midcarders showing up but that seems to have already been forgotten. Hopefully things are a little bit better this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Erik vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa’s running hurricanrana is blocked with straight power and Erik throws him hard into the corner. Erik throws him down again for two but the running knees in the corner only hit buckle. The cravate keeps Erik in trouble and a basement dropkick connects (or might not have, as there was a quick camera cut before it looked to miss). There’s a backsplash to hit Erik again but the chinlock doesn’t last long. Erik blocks Tozawa’s whip without much trouble and hits something like a standing Boss Man Slam for two. The knee to the face sets up a knee to the back of the neck to pin Tozawa at 5:03.

Rating: C-. It was nice to see Erik win a match for a change. I know he isn’t going to be a singles star or anything but for the life of me I have never understood the idea of having someone lose over and over just because their partner is out of action. A Main Event win doesn’t mean anything, but it’s better than a Main Event loss.

Long video on the history of Bayley vs. Sasha Banks.

From Smackdown.

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Banks is defending and drives Bayley into the corner to start. A forearm to the face sets up the rope walk wristdrag to take Bayley down but it’s too early for the Bank Statement. Back from a break with Banks hitting the running knees in the corner and Bayley heading to the apron. Banks gets a running charge so Bayley tries to use her legs to send Banks into the post…but leaves her over a foot short, meaning Banks falls onto Bayley/the apron instead in a nasty fall. Thankfully Banks is able to get back in for two and we hit the chinlock.

Banks gets back up and uses her legs to pull Bayley into the corner for a breather. The middle rope Meteora (almost more of a Thesz press this time) puts Bayley down but Banks can’t follow up. Instead Bayley rolls to the floor and it’s a crossbody off the apron to take her down again. We come back from another break with Bayley catching her on top but Banks takes it to the floor. Bayley counters a powerbomb with a hurricanrana into the announcers’ table but Banks breaks up the top rope elbow.

A running elbow on the apron sets up Banks’ frog splash for two but the Bank Statement is blocked. Bayley kicks her from the apron into the barricade…and it’s kendo stick time. The referee stops that so Bayley brings in a chair, but Banks throws it away. The distraction lets Bayley hit a Backstabber into the Bayley to Belly for a rather hot near fall.

Bayley’s top rope elbow gets two, mainly because it didn’t come close to making serious contact. A belly to back suplex gives Bayley two so she grabs the Bank Statement on Banks. That’s reversed into a cradle for the break and they head to the apron again. Bayley’s charge hits the post and now it’s the Bank Statement to retain Banks’ title at 18:24.

Rating: B-. Some of those moves either not connecting or just not working well hurt this a good bit though they never felt like they were going long and that’s a great thing. Above all else though, they made it feel like Banks FINALLY defending a title was a big deal and that’s what mattered the most. Good match, though it needed to be a little sharper to really work.

Post match Banks celebrates but Carmella pops up on stage with a superkick into an X Factor. Well to be fair Banks needed a fresh challenger and Carmella is far from the worst choice.

Quick look at Team Raw arguing on Raw.

From Raw.

Keith Lee/Riddle vs. Sheamus/Braun Strowman

AJ Styles is guest referee and Sheamus bounces off of Lee to start. Riddle comes in to strike away in the corner but Sheamus drives him into the other corner to take over. Strowman comes in to step on Riddle’s hair and it’s already back to Sheamus to hammer away. AJ yells at Sheamus for getting too violent and Riddle accidentally knocks him down. Back up and Riddle does it again, meaning it’s time for Lee and Strowman to get in a fight of their own.

The large friend gets in the ring and we take a break. Back with Strowman chinlocking Riddle before hitting him with a toss suplex. Strowman’s charge hits post though (he never learns) and it’s Lee coming in for running splashes in the corner. Sheamus is thrown into Strowman and it’s a Spirit Bomb to put Riddle onto Sheamus in a crash. A heck of a clothesline drops Strowman for two but Sheamus is back with a jumping knee to Lee.

The Brogue Kick puts Lee on the floor but Riddle grabs a German suplex for two on Sheamus. Riddle goes after Strowman on the apron though and it’s Sheamus running him over again. The Brogue Kick is loaded up but Strowman tags himself in and throws Riddle around some more. The running powerslam is loaded up, though this time it’s Sheamus tagging himself in. A Brogue Kick knocks Strowman off the apron and it’s a rollup to give Riddle the pin on Sheamus at 12:24.

Rating: C. This is rapidly approaching the levels of Money in the Bank for most pointless wastes of time in all of the WWE calendar. The matches aren’t bad but we’re sitting here watching these people argue over who is captain in a match where they can’t get physical with their opponents in a match over brand supremacy. If this is the best they can come up with for Survivor Series, maybe it’s time to come up with a very new concept for the pay per view.

Post match Lee and Riddle show some respect.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Gran Metalik

Lince Dorado is here with Metalik. Feeling out process to start with Carrillo hitting a quick shoulder for two. Back up and Carrillo slaps on a headlock which is broken just as fast. Metalik armdrags him into an armbar so Carrillo does the exact same thing. We take a break and come back with Carrillo grabbing an abdominal stretch.

That’s switched into a double arm crank before Carrillo misses a spinning kick to the face. Metalik counters a fireman’s carry into a DDT to put them both down for a breather. The Metalik Driver is countered into a springboard kick to the face for another double knockdown. Carrillo plants him again but misses the moonsault, only to come back with the torture rack slam for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C. You can’t go wrong with two luchadors who know how to do their thing this well. It’s not a match that is going to be memorable whatsoever, but it would have done a rather nice job of firing up a crowd had there been actual people there. That’s what Main Event is supposed to do so at least they’re keeping up the practice.

Video on Randy Orton/Drew McIntyre/The Fiend.

From Raw.

Randy Orton/Miz/John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre/New Day

Morrison and Woods start things off with a quick double team putting Morrison down. Miz comes in and gets taken down as well, sending him over to Orton for a tag, though Orton is not exactly interested. Instead it’s back to Morrison, who gets taken down with a standing stomp. Everything breaks down and Miz and Morrison are sent to the floor. The big double dive takes them down again (though Woods seemed to get caught in the ropes and might not have made contact whatsoever).

Back from a break with Morrison hitting an Alberto double stomp to drive Woods into the apron. Morrison hits something like a Samoan drop on Woods so Miz comes back in, only to still not get a tag from Orton. The delay lets Woods fight up and bring in McIntyre to clean house. A double overhead belly to belly suplex sends Miz and Morrison flying, followed by the Future Shock to Morrison.

McIntyre stares down at Orton and begs him to make his day. Orton teases tagging in but walks away instead. Morrison hits a crazy flip dive onto Woods but the Flying Chuck is knocked out of the air with the Glasgow Kiss. The Claymore pins Morrison at 13:26, with McIntyre glaring at Orton during the cover.

Rating: C-. This was the latest match in a series tonight with very low stakes, if there were any there whatsoever. I know they’re teasing tensions between Miz and Orton, but unless that cash-in is taking place really soon (and to be fair it may be), I’m not sure how much interest there was in having these people fight. Orton vs. McIntyre has been set up for months now, while New Day and Hurt Business, who have a title match next week, didn’t even look at each other tonight. That should be an easy one, but I guess teasing a cash-in which might not come for months is more important.

Overall Rating: C-. As has been the case far too often around Main Event in recent months, this did little more than remind me of how boring Raw and Smackdown tend to be these days. Things aren’t as bad as they could be but man alive there is some weak television in there. That was the case again here, and the show really didn’t make me want to see what they have at Survivor Series.

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: November 13, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s time for a special show as we are at the 205^th episode of 205 Live. This time around that means we are going to be seeing a five way match to crown a new #1 contender to the Cruiserweight Title. That should mean we have a long and well put together match which won’t likely change all that much. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a history of the show and the cruiserweight division, which has done rather well at various time. Granted it’s the absolute bottom of the barrel but the matches have been good. We also get some quick looks at some of the more important cruiserweights, including Brian Kendrick, Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Akira Tozawa, Ariya Daivari and the Bollywood Boyz (ok some of them are better than others).

Next up is a recap of the current originals vs. newcomers story, setting up tonight’s five way.

Opening sequence.

Ariya Daivari vs. Tony Nese vs. Curt Stallion vs. Ashante Adonis vs. August Grey

One fall to a finish for the future title shot. Adonis drops to the floor to start and Nese and Daivari beat the other two down. Stallion and Grey fight the two of them off and have a staredown of their own, with Grey grabbing a quick rollup for two. Daivari and Nese run back in to jump them, which is enough to bring Adonis back in to clean house. That doesn’t last long and it’s Adonis being sent outside as well, only to have Grey break up another, ahem, anticipated showdown.

Stallion strikes Grey down but it’s Adonis coming back in for a dropkick. A hard whip into the corner rocks Grey so Stallion stomps Adonis down, only to have Daivari and Nese jump both of them again. Stallion gets suplexed down but Grey slips out of one and hits a belly to back for two on Nese. Grey avoids Nese’s Lionsault but Daivari pulls him outside and the villains take turns sending Grey face first into the announcers’ table. The beating heads back inside, including Daivari intercepting Adonis.

Nese grabs the chinlock on Grey until Adonis grabs a sleeper on Nese for the break. Daivari clears the ring until Stallion sneaks up from behind with a German suplex and a DDT. Nese makes the save until Daivari comes back in to Rock Bottom Adonis. Daivari isn’t done as he sends Grey into the steps and hits the Persian Lion splash. Stallion is right back in to cover Daivari for two but it’s Nese coming in with a 450 to Stallion for two of his own.

Grey gets back up….and here are the Bollywood Boyz to beat him down. Now it’s Ever Rise coming in to hammer on Adonis and Grey as well, as Nese and Daivari seem to have paid for all of these people. Adonis, Stallion and Grey get together to fight them off so Daivari wraps a chain around his fist and knocks Adonis out. Grey makes another save so Nese makes one of his own. Nese catches Stallion on top but he slips out and hits a super reverse Spanish Fly to pin Nese for the title shot at 18:38.

Rating: B-. As usual, 205 Live can get a lot better if they are given the time and a reason to fight. Bringing in the extra people to help fight out the young guns is a good idea too as it actually makes things feel a little bigger, though the combined forces of the Bollywood Boyz, Nese/Daivari and Ever Rise are less intimidating than the NWO B Team. Stallion winning is a good choice and while I don’t think he’ll win the title, it’s nice to see someone getting a boost in this division for a change.

Overall Rating: B-. These one match shows are always a little weird but they did well enough here. The history of the show wasn’t the focal point here but that’s the right idea, as the history will only show you how far the show has fallen. What we got here was good enough though and hopefully Stallion vs. Escobar can work out well. Good show here, and nicely done with making it feel special.

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

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 13, 2006
Location: Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, New Jersey
Attendance: 5,100
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s a big night as ECW makes its official return after a five year absence, but this time around they’re officially under the WWE banner. They had a heck of a show at One Night Stand, but other than Big Show, Rob Van Dam and Kurt Angle, I’m not sure what to expect on a regular basis. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of One Night Stand, headlined by Rob Van Dam winning the WWE Championship from John Cena under some less than logical circumstances and thanks to Edge’s help. Cena and Edge are here tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Paul Heyman with something in his arms to introduce Rob Van Dam. Rob is rather pleased to have won and holds up the title, which now has no name plate at all (that’s better than the Cena one from Raw). As for Cena, Van Dam hopes he’s here to help them all celebrate. Heyman hopes so too, because he has a gift for Van Dam: the ECW World Title, which he always hoped he would hold (they why….never mind). Van Dam calls it a great honor for his career but wants to keep the WWE Title too. Rob: “It spins.”

Cue Edge and Lita, with Edge thanking Heyman for letting him be here and saying he respects Van Dam. They both won Money in the Bank and now they’ll tear the house down at Vengeance. Then he spears Van Dam in half and leaves through the crowd with Lita. As luck would have it, John Cena is there too and he knocks Edge back to ringside.

Cena and Van Dam take turns beating on Edge but get in an argument of their own, allowing Edge to leave. That earns Heyman a right hand and Cena goes after Edge, with the ECW locker room showing up quite a bit late. This felt like a Raw opening with an ECW sticker slapped on and that doesn’t bode well. It felt like WWE instead of ECW and little good can come of that for this show.

Post break Heyman gives the locker room the big pep talk and promises that they’re coming to Raw on Monday.

The Zombie vs. Sandman

And here’s your infamous moment of the show, as we have a zombie because the show is on the Sci Fi network. Commentary buries the idea as Zombie gurgles into a microphone. Sandman comes through the crowd (no cigarettes of course but he does drink the beer). A bunch of cane shots and a White Russian legsweep finishes Zombie in less than a minute. Barely a match, but it shows you that this show is in trouble.

We meet Kelly, who is an exhibitionist. That means she is going to take off all of her clothes tonight. So now we’re channeling Vince Russo on ECW?

We see the entire Jerry Lawler vs. Tazz segment from One Night Stand (minus Tazz’s entrance), which to be fair isn’t all that long.

Kurt Angle vs. Justin Credible

Angle takes him to the mat in a hurry and hits him in the face before pulling back on the neck. There’s a German suplex and Credible is sent outside. Back in and Angle grounds him again for some slaps to the back of the head. A rear naked choke finishes Credible in a hurry. Total destruction.

Post match Angle accepts Randy Orton’s challenge for Vengeance.

Heyman says he’s throwing out the rest of the show and making a ten man EXTREME battle royal. All weapons are legal and the winner gets to face John Cena at Vengeance.

Kelly promises to show us all of her assets next.

We see the marquee outside of the arena and we have a vampire.

We look back at the opening segment.

Here’s Kelly to go onto a platform and dance. Some of her clothes come off but she can’t unhook her bra. Instead she pulls it up and puts her hands over her chest before…just walking away.

Battle Royal

Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Balls Mahoney, Little Guido, Al Snow, Danny Doring, Roadkill, Stevie Richards, Tony Mamaluke, Big Show, Big Guido

Weapons are provided, the winner gets John Cena at Vengeance and the FBI debuts a rather scantily clad manager who doesn’t get a name yet. Show clears the ring to star but doesn’t actually eliminate anyone, which is kind of impressive in a battle royal. We take a break and come back with no eliminations and the weapons being brought in. Tazz: “This is what makes us better than them.” Sabu sets up a table at ringside as a bunch of people get in some weapon shots on Show.

The big Head shot doesn’t work as Show tosses Snow out before doing the same to Doring. There go Richards, Roadkill and Mahoney but Dreamer slows Show down with cookie sheet shots. Show catches Air Sabu and sends him to the apron before tossing Dreamer out and through the table. Big Show chokeslams Little Guido onto Mamaluke and dumps both of them. We’re down to Big Guido, Show and Sabu with Show dumping Guido in a hurry. Guido holds the arm though and a running chair shot knocks Show out to give Sabu the win.

Rating: D. I can’t say I’m surprised as this was the WWE definition of an extreme/weapons match all the way. You had your usual trashcans, chairs, cookie sheets and a table and nothing more, because this was all about Big Show with Sabu coming in to steal the win. It also doesn’t help that outside of Sabu, the ECW originals were treated like small obstacles who were there for Big Show to hurt.

Overall Rating: F. No, in every sense of the word. I wasn’t an ECW fan (too young, didn’t get to see it, not the right demographic, not my style) and I wasn’t wild on it being brought back in the first place, but this had almost nothing to do with ECW. This show felt like they put together a supplemental show for Raw, remembered they needed to have ECW involved, and then added in a zombie and a vampire to have something sci fi included.

This was a terrible show and had nothing to do with ECW other than three letters. The Raw segment and the Raw wrestlers were treated as the stars around here while ECW were a bunch of people who happened to be on the secondary Raw show. Absolutely awful here and if this is what they’re doing, just change the name to WWE Super Duper Show or something close to it because that’s what we’re getting.

You can’t recreate the original ECW. It was the right product for the right time in front of the right audience. That was ten years ago though and now, especially with these resources available, you can’t have the same feeling, or really anything close to it. Having people like Big Show and Van Dam and Angle gives it star power, but two of those three people are WWE stars who feel like they are being loaned out to ECW. I completely get why they used the ECW name, but other than those three letters, this is not going to be ECW, nor is it going to be close. Now I get why that might be appealing to some, but this was awful.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-releases-zelina-vega/

Are you really surprised?

Vega is one of the more prominent Twitch streamers in WWE and on Friday, she sent out a tweet saying she supported unionization. The release came less than an hour later and I’m surprised it took that long.

At the end of the day, this could be the tip of a nasty iceberg, but at the same time it also shows why forming a union is going to be really difficult: WWE can drop someone at the drop of a hat. How many wrestlers do you think would be right there waiting to take Vega’s spot and become a star on WWE’s back? I’m not saying it can’t happen, but it’s an uphill climb starting in loose rocks. WWE is being rather extreme in the Twitch battle, but at the same time, until something changes, they’re going to be able to do almost whatever they want.

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: November 6, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

This show has been getting a little bit better as a result and that is a good thing to see. Things have started taking a familiar but still somewhat new direction and hopefully we get to see a good show this week again. I’m not sure what that is going to entail, but the former Evolve guys are at least something new. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ashante Adonis vs. Mansoor

They lock up to start with Mansoor taking him to the ropes for a shove. An armbar works a bit better on Adonis but he gets caught in a front facelock. Adonis grabs a flapjack but gets knocked off the top for the crash to the floor. Mansoor’s dropkick through the ropes connects for two back inside as the pace has picked up.

Back in and Mansoor grabs a front facelock of his own and they even tease a knockout for a change. That’s broken up with a faceplant and Adonis hits a heck of a dropkick. A high crossbody into a kick to the head sets up a small package for two on Mansoor but he catches Adonis on top. The electric chair Death Valley Driver finishes Adonis at 8:06.

Rating: C+. Again, Mansoor continues to be one of the best and most consistently solid wrestlers around here so hopefully he gets an upgrade in the near future. Adonis has been doing fine as well and it s a good example of taking one of the dozens of people you have on the roster and turning them into something. If WWE could do that more often, it’s almost scary to imagine how fast they could restock the shelves.

Post match, respect is shown.

Curt Stallion and August Grey are ready to take care of Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese later tonight.

Santos Escobar says next week is the 205^th episode of 205 Live so we’ll be seeing a five way match for a future Cruiserweight Title shot. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Tony Nese/Ariya Daivari vs. Curt Stallion/August Grey

Nese drives Grey into the corner to start and it’s Daivari coming in for some loud chops. Stallion comes in off a blind tag though and it’s time to work on Daivari’s taped up elbow. A double stomp to the chest gets two on Daivari but Nese gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. Daivari’s neckbreaker gets two and Nese blasts Stallion in the face for two more.

Stallion grabs a small package for two though and rolls straight over for the hot tag to Grey. House doesn’t get a chance to be cleaned though as Nese gets in a shot from the apron and the Lionsault connects for two. Daivari suplexes Grey but pulls him up at two, which can’t be a good idea. Nese’s chinlock keeps Grey down and Daivari’s follows, though it doesn’t work so well.

Nese splashes Grey on the back and puts on a bodyscissors Grey, who elbows his way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Stallion to clean house and everything breaks down. Stallion gets sent outside so Grey has to fight both of them at once, which actually works for a change. Back up and Stallion hits a heck of a suicide dive to drive Daivari into the announcers’ table. Nese sends Stallion hard into the steps though and he heads back inside, only to get rolled up for two. The kickout sends Grey into the ropes, where Daivari gets in a cheap shot with a foreign object to give Nese the pin at 12:57.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better matches in recent 205 Live time as they had time, a formula and some cheating to make the veterans look like they couldn’t keep up with the younger team. The rookies need something like this and even though they didn’t win, the fact that they are having actual competitive matches serves as a good sign for their future.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s a good show with a pair of solid matches that is still off the air in just over half an hour. They are doing some nice things around here and you have a few interesting stories. I’m not sure what to expect from the show going forward, but at least we have some potential going forward. That hasn’t been the case in a long time, though I’m not sure if I have any reason to believe it’s sticking around. I’ll take what I can get though and that includes a good show 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: November 5, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re back to normal around here, as we are over a week removed from Hell In A Cell, meaning that Smackdown can exist around here again. I’m not sure what we are going to see from the show, but odds are we are going to get some of the build to Survivor Series, which needs some help at this point. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Titus O’Neil vs. Erik

Titus continues to wrestle in pants instead of gear, which might be the most interesting thing to happen to him in years. They power each other around to start until Erik hits a running knee to the chest. Some shots to the back put Titus into the ropes until Titus throws him into the corner. Titus’ slam is no sold and Erik hits some crossface shots to the jaw. The chinlock goes on but Titus backdrops his way to freedom. Back up and Erik charges into the Clash of the Titus for the pin at 5:08 (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: D. Questionable (Maybe?) ending aside, there was only so much that you can get out of a five minute match between two guys who aren’t great at the singles thing. This is on the bad end of Main Event and I really hope that isn’t the norm again, because these matches can be moderately entertaining. That’s not what we got here though and it’s not a good sign.

Long video on Roman Reigns beating Jey Uso inside the Cell.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to open things up with Jey Uso waiting in the ring. After a look back at Reigns beating Uso in the Cell match, Jey takes the mic from Heyman to say that he didn’t quit. Reigns says he told him so and that he made Jey quit like he promised. Jey can’t believe what Reigns did and says Reigns isn’t tougher than him. Reigns calls this the kind of thing that this is what you have to do to become champion.

The entire family, from the oldest to the youngest, is behind him and if Jey doesn’t do as he promises, he’s out of the family. He knows Jey wants to bash his skull in right now but what can he do. Jey looks near tears and shouts that he hates Reigns. Why does Reigns have to do this? Reigns knows Jey hates him right now but by the end of the night, Jey will fall in line. Reigns was outstanding here, with his voice really low and threatening while knowing he was completely in control.

From Smackdown.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Jey Uso vs. Daniel Bryan

Jey doesn’t look happy, even as he shoulders Bryan down to start. Bryan is back with a wristlock but Jey knocks him into the corner. That just earns him the moonsault over Jey into Bryan’s running clothesline, followed by the YES Kicks. Jey gets knocked outside and here are Reigns and Heyman, sending Jey into quite a bit of anger as we take a break.

Back with Bryan hitting a running dropkick into the Tree of Woe. Jey slips out and starts kicking away but the Superfly Splash hits knees. The LeBell Lock goes on until Jey gets to the rope to save himself before too long. The running dropkick connects in the corner but Jey is right back with a superkick. Now the Superfly Splash can connect for the clean pin at 9:42.

Rating: C+. I was surprised when Jey pinned AJ Styles a few weeks back but this was almost shocking, as Bryan is one of the top stars on Smackdown and Jey pinned him completely clean in a pretty decent match. That’s a good way to make a star, though it makes Reigns look even bigger after he destroyed Jey in back to back matches. I’m curious to see what this means for Jimmy, as it’s hard to imagine this all being forgotten as soon as Jimmy is back.

Post match Reigns comes to the ring, where Jey says he’s with him. Jey acknowledges Reigns a the head of the table and superkicks Bryan, setting up another Superfly Splash. Jey shouts about understanding now and says he loves Reigns too. Reigns points to Bryan and says make him understand. Jey takes Bryan outside and puts him onto the announcers’ table for another Superfly Splash. Reigns looks happy as Jey hammers away to end the show. Points for doing this after a win. It’s so annoying to have someone lose clean and THEN make them look awesome. This worked well and that had something to do with it.

We get a very quick look at Braun Strowman qualifying for the Raw Survivor Series team and the following brawl.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado

Gran Metalik is here with Dorado. They go after each others’ legs to start until Dorado slaps on a headlock. A flying mare takes Carrillo down but he’s back up with an armdrag into an armbar. Carrillo’s springboard is dropped out of the air though and we take a break. Back with Carrillo caught in a chinlock before Dorado puts a boot in his back and pulls on the arms.

Dorado sends him into the corner but misses a top rope splash, allowing Carrillo to hit a jumping enziguri. A springboard missile dropkick gets two but Dorado counters a powerbomb into a faceplant. Now the top rope splash connects for two on Carrillo, who is back up with a high crossbody for the same. The torture rack faceplant finishes Dorado at 12:42.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable luchador match here and they worked well together. That being said, Carrillo continues to have the charisma of a steering wheel and Dorado isn’t exactly thrilling either. There isn’t much to get out of a match like this but they did as well as they could with what they had.

From Smackdown.

Here are Murphy and Aalyah, arm in arm, for a chat. Murphy says that as a man, he needs to apologize to Rey and Dominick face to face. Neither of them come out but here’s Seth Rollins instead. He knows that the Mysterios will never accept him but Rollins will always forgive him. Rollins can always accept Murphy, and he’ll accept Aalyah as well, no matter what her last name is. Cue Dominick to jump Rollins but Murphy pulls him off and goes after Rollins.

Dominick goes after Murphy as Rollins bails up the ramp. Rey comes in to help, but Aalyah gets in the way of the 619. She says she loves Murphy and Rey is distraught. He’s so upset that he speaks Spanish but Aalyah won’t go with them. Rey asks one more time for her to come with them but Aalyah kisses Murphy, which makes Rollins smile from the stage.

From Raw.

Drew McIntyre vs. Miz/John Morrison

Miz tries to hammer on McIntyre in the corner to start but is toss into the same corner. McIntyre shows him how to really beat someone up and then punches Morrison down for a bonus. Now it’s Morrison being pulled in but Miz sneaks in with a chop block. A double backbreaker has McIntyre in more trouble but he sends them outside anyway. The reverse Alabama Slam sends Morrison face first into the ramp and we take a break.

Back with Miz and Morrison managing to take it outside again and sending McIntyre hard into the barricade. Morrison’s springboard corkscrew splash gets one on McIntyre and we hit the chinlock. McIntyre fights up again and puts Morrison on the top rope. The elbows knock McIntyre into the Tree of Woe but McIntyre muscles himself up for a release German superplex.

McIntyre is right back up with the spinebuster, meaning Morrison has to shooting star press the cover for the break. Morrison is knocked outside again so Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale for two instead. McIntyre knocks Morrison down again and hits the Future Shock on Miz. The Claymore is loaded up but Morrison pulls Miz outside. The big flip dive means it doesn’t matter and it’s the Claymore to finish Miz at 15:35.

Rating: D+. I like everyone in the match but it felt like they didn’t have much to do during the middle section, leaving them to do stuff more than once to fill in the time. This was more of an exercise in patience until McIntyre got the win, as there was no way he was losing again here, especially to Miz and Morrison. Even WWE isn’t screwing that up (so far).

Post match here’s Orton with the RKO to McIntyre. Orton poses but Fiend’s laugh ends the show.

Overall Rating: D. And Main Event is back to everything that makes the show feel worthless: nothing matches that don’t mean a thing either before, during or after the bell and recaps of how bad things have been around the company as of late. I can’t say I’m overly surprised as Main Event has never shown any consistency, but it’s a bit disappointing after what we had been seeing.

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 why Roman Reigns has worked so well.

Roman Reigns won the Universal Title back in August and there is no reason to believe that he isn’t going to be losing the title anytime soon. It’s pretty clear that he is going to be champion for several months and that creates a problem: what is he supposed to do until then? Smackdown doesn’t have the deepest roster in the world and you have to have a big title defense every month…..at least in theory.

One of the best things that WWE has done in recent weeks is have Reigns defeat Jey Uso in a few pay per view matches which were designed to advance the story rather than have any challenge for the championship. That worked out so much better because there was no need to have Reigns devour someone as a token challenger. Was anyone needing to see Reigns vs. someone like Rey Mysterio in a match with no drama? Going with the completely different way of doing things is smart as well as a breath of fresh air, but it also saves their limited big matches for later.

Again: WWE knows how to fix problems, but they just don’t do it often enough. Do more of this kind of thinking and see how much better things get.

IMG Credit: WWE

WWE vs. ECW Head To Head
Date: June 7, 2006
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Attendance: 4,700
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles, Tazz

This is a special show to help hype up One Night Stand while also giving us more of an introduction to the show. It was actually shown live for a bit of a change of pace and that might make things a little more interesting. I’m not sure what to expect here but hopefully it lives up to ECW’s positive hype so far. Let’s get to it.

Earlier today, Mick Foley gave Raw and Smackdown a pep talk.

Paul Heyman gave ECW one of their own and it’s a little bit better, believe it or not.

Opening sequence.

Commentary bickers at each other and Tazz and Lawler have to be held back.

Rey Mysterio vs. Rob Van Dam

Non-title and No DQ. They shake hands to start as commentary is going at it already, which is likely going to be the case all night. The feeling out process goes nowhere to start and the fans are rather behind Van Dam. A gorilla press drop into a standing moonsault gives Van Dam two as Joey rants about knowing move names and Tazz being there to analyze them. Rob drops him onto the barricade but misses the spinning kick, allowing Rey to hit a heck of a plancha to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Rey getting crotched on top so Rey can hit the top rope kick to the face. A slingshot legdrop hits Rey and Rob kicks him into the corner. Rob skateboards a chair into Rey’s face into the corner for two but tries to roll forward with the chair in hand, dropping it on the mat in the process. That lets Rey catch him on top for the super sitout bulldog onto the chair but Dropping The Dime hits chair instead. The Five Star finishes Mysterio.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted, though the No DQ stuff added nothing and could have been completely dropped without changing much of anything. On top of that, you have Mysterio losing again, as they are now inventing new shows to have him get pinned elsewhere. That might not be the best idea when you are setting up the big title match with Sabu, but at least Rob got a nice win. There probably should be someone else for him to face, but at least he got the win.

The ECW locker room celebrates as Rey struggles to his feet and picks up the title.

Here’s Kurt Angle for a chat. He isn’t happy with what happened last night when Randy Orton attacked him. Angle has broken a lot of ankles over the years and none of them was any sweeter than Orton’s. This Sunday, Orton and Angle are facing off for the first time ever (Huh?) and it’s Orton vs. ECW Angle. Cue Orton, to say that going from Raw to ECW is like going from being in a blockbuster to being in adult films. Yeah Orton may be facing ECW’s Kurt Angle, but Angle will be facing Monday Night Raw’s Randy Orton. Angle is happy though because he isn’t going to have to answer to anyone, including Vince McMahon. Orton rants about Angle costing him the World Title and now it’s payback time. Angle: “What the h*** are you talking about Randy?” Orton says it’s his destiny to destroy ECW and it’s time to start on Sunday.

Mickie James vs. Jazz

Non-title. Jazz works on the arm to start and kicks at the ribs to slow him down. They head outside with Jazz hitting a Thesz press off the apron to take her down again. Back in Jazz hits the Jazz Stinger for two but the MickieDT is good for the pin in a hurry. That was Mickie’s only significant offense.

After looking at ECW beating him down last week, John Cena talks about what happens if Rob Van Dam beats him on Sunday. This title, which was held by Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin, will be the ECW World Title and he will look like a goat. If Cena wins though, he’s in the middle of the biggest riot in sports entertainment history. He’ll start fighting tonight against the homicidal, genocidal dance recital Sabu, who has messed with the wrong fire breathing son of a b****. Cena was fired up here and it showed.

Here’s Paul Heyman to hype up the debut of ECW on Sci-Fi next week and run down the One Night Stand card. That’s on Sunday though, and for those of you who aren’t exactly familiar, here’s what you can get from an ECW pay per view. We see a highlight package on the outstanding One Night Stand 2005 and now I’m a little more interested in Sunday.

Kurt Angle fires up the ECW locker room.

Big Show fires up the WWE locker room.

Battle Royal

Big Show, Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Edge, Randy Orton, Carlito, Tatanka, Mark Henry, Bobby Lashley, Balls Mahoney, Kurt Angle, Little Guido, Terry Funk, Justin Credible, Sandman, Tony Mamaluke, Tommy Dreamer, Al Snow, Stevie Richards

This is a weird team battle royal as whichever team has someone left standing at the end wins. Dreamer chases Edge on the floor to start and the brawl is on in a hurry. Henry is dumped in seconds and Hardy follows him out. Show punches Guido out and Dreamer gets rid of Tatanka. Sandman dropkick (!) Carlito out and Edge, on the floor but not eliminated, helps pull Dreamer out.

We take a break and come back with Edge pulling Funk out and Finlay tossing Credible. Shelton kicks Snow out and Lashley LAUNCHES Mahoney out. Sandman and Shelton are tossed as well and we’re down to Finlay, Orton, Show, Edge (on the floor) and Angle. That means it’s time to snap off the suplexes and Angle Slam but Finlay is back up to put Angle on top. That’s broken up and Angle catapults Finlay outside. Edge comes in and gets suplexed out but Orton dumps Angle to win. Or not actually, as Show pulls off the shirt to show off the ECW colors and dump Orton for the win.

Rating: D+. You can only get so much out of something like this and it was only so interesting. At the end of the day this was all about the big surprise at the end and it worked out well enough. Big Show is someone who adds a little star power to ECW but at the end of the day, how far can you really get with him after everything else he has done? They did have some star power in here though and that’s the kind of thing that can help give ECW a bit of a boost.

Post match Angle hugs Show in the, uh, special moment.

ECW celebrates in the back.

Edge vs. Tommy Dreamer

Hardcore and Terry Funk, Mick Foley and Lita are here as well. Dreamer uses a barbed wire baseball bat to knock Edge’s chair out of his hands and they fight outside. A few right hands have Edge in more trouble but he gets in a weapon shot to take over. Back in and Edge gets sent head first into the trashcan but a drop toehold sends Dreamer face first into the back of an open chair.

A running trashcan lid shot gets two on Dreamer and the implant DDT onto the can makes it even worse. Dreamer fights up and ties him in the Tree of Woe for the running dropkick to drive a chair into his face. Commentary bickers about what is real wrestling, with Lawler criticizing tables and Styles ranting about the leprechaun on Smackdown.

Everything breaks down and Foley uses barbed wire to choke Funk. Edge tries a superbomb through the table but Dreamer backdrops him…not through the table, as Edge just lands on his head instead (egads). The Death Valley Driver through the table gets two as Lita makes the save, setting up the spear to pin Dreamer.

Rating: C. It was brutal and violent as it needed to be and that’s the kind of preview that they needed for Sunday. I’m not sure what to expect at the pay per view but dang it could be a heck of a fight if they let these people be themselves. They have done a rather good job of building things up, with Funk looking like only he can. Edge and Dreamer should be perfect additions too, and I’m wanting to see the match.

Post match the brawling continues until they go their separate ways.

See No Evil video.

Post break, Foley, with his eye cut open, it sitting in a chair in the ring and asking who the fans are to think that he sold out. He loved ECW but left to make his fame and fortune in WWE. The difference between himself and Tommy Dreamer is that he isn’t a w****. Years ago, Foley pulled a sock out of his pants and made Vince McMahon laugh so he was famous. Dreamer never did that though because he still has the ECW letters. Foley watched the Wrestlemania match with Edge back but maybe it wasn’t as good as he thought it was. Now they’re going to the Hammerstein Ballroom where 2,500 people are going to want their blood.

Foley has known Funk for years and he is the greatest wrestler that Foley has ever seen. He lit Funk on fire in Philadelphia but Funk put his arm around him. Now Foley doesn’t want that anymore, because it’s time to fight again. You have seen Foley destroyed and thrown off a Cell but that is nothing compared to what he is going to see on Sunday because ECW is calling his name. Foley is going to show you something different at One Night Stand and it will never be the same. This was excellent, as Foley can talk like few others and was on his game here.

Tazz and Lawler get into it again and this time it actually gets physical until security breaks it up (Joey: “LET THEM GO!”).

Post break, everything has settled back down.

We look back at Cena getting beaten down on Raw.

Sabu vs. John Cena

Non-title and Extreme Rules. Cena slugs away to start and knocks Sabu into the corner, setting up the snap suplex for two. A hard whip into the corner has Sabu in trouble but he sends Cena outside for the big dive. Back in and the triple jump moonsault gets two on Cena. Air Sabu hits in the corner for two more and they fight to the floor with Cena crashing out again. That’s good for two back inside but another Air Sabu is countered into the FU. The STF goes on but Big Show runs in….for the DQ/no contest because WWE doesn’t have the EXTREME RULES down yet.

Rating: C-. The ending hurt this a lot and that’s not exactly encouraging before ECW is back. What we got was a good sampling of what Sabu can do, but you never know what you might be seeing when things are back full time. Cena wasn’t going to lose to Sabu, but at least he got some revenge after Raw.

The big brawl is on to end the show with Joey and Tazz talking a lot of trash.

Overall Rating: C. What matters here is the fact that they are treating ECW as a big deal. That worked very well tonight and I want to see where things go with the pay per view as well as the new show. However, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to believe that things will work out fine when they are back full time, as WWE tends to lose interest in a hurry. What we got worked well enough, but it was hardly some blow away show.

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