It has been like a week since this was rumored.

Since we can’t go a day or two without something like this blowing up, it’s time to look at even more names who might be leaving WWE, though AEW isn’t the obvious destination for all of them.

Usos

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/go-big-names-might-not-re-sign-wwe/

I’m a big fan of this team and there’s a chance that they’ll be leaving WWE when their contracts expire at some point in April. Really….could you blame them? Since WWE seems obsessed with not allowing anyone to ever switch shows outside of the Superstar Shakeup or Wrestlemania season, they’ve been stuck on Smackdown where they could only fight the Bar and the New Day over and over again.

Move them to Raw (Usos vs. Revival…..anyone?) and give them some fresh opponents. Or let them go to AEW and fight the Young Bucks, which would be an instant classic. Either way, let them do ANYTHING new because they’ve been stuck doing the same things for years now.

Randy Orton

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/rumor-randy-orton-willing-talk-aew/

Now this one has a BIG caveat as the story says that he’s “willing to talk” to AEW. There’s a big difference between he’s signing the contract tomorrow and he’s willing to talk to someone whenever he’s allowed to. I’m not sure when Orton’s contract is expiring but even if it’s tomorrow, it’s not like he’ll be debuting for AEW tomorrow. You know, because they’re not debuting for nearly four months.

That being said…..yeah this isn’t happening. Orton is 38 and can be in WWE until he’s ready to leave so there’s no point in moving somewhere else for the sake of….I’m not sure what the point would be actually. How big of a contract is he going to be able to get there? If he wants a lighter schedule he’s better off in the upper midcard of WWE, as he would become the top star in AEW just due to name recognition and star power. Orton would be somewhat insane to leave WWE and I can’t imagine this happening.

Undertaker

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tomclark/undertaker-removes-wwe-social-media-deadman-done/

So this is something that came up today, with Undertaker removing all WWE references from his social media accounts. Now if you can ignore THE UNDERTAKER HAVING SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, you can imagine people freaking out over the idea of the Undertaker leaving WWE and going….I guess to the wrestling convention circuit like so many others do over the years. Or AEW because that’s the required response anymore.

I don’t think Undertaker is going anywhere as far as wrestling goes, but for some reason people seem to be overlooking one idea: maybe he’s just retiring. He’s 54 years old next month and he’s wrestled ten times in three and a half years (twenty in nearly seven years). Undertaker should have retired YEARS ago and we were all but convinced that he retired after Wrestlemania XXXIII. I have no idea if he’s retiring for good or going somewhere else (Imagine him going to an indy company. Just try to do it.) but there’s every chance that he’s going to be at Wrestlemania or the next Saudi show or Summerslam and this will all be nothing.

Or maybe I’ll go to AEW because everyone else is. I mean, I would if they had a show near me and I could actually get a ticket.

I know I’m a bit behind on these but some things never change.

We’ll start with the sentimental one in Gene Okerlund. I was saddened by this one as Okerlund was one of the most prominently featured names in my wrestling childhood, but I didn’t realize just how big of a deal he was to so many people. The special includes all kinds of great clips with some incredible history, showcasing just how versatile Okerlund was.

That’s what the documentary focuses on more than anything else: how good Gene was at his job. He was able to take anything and make it work, while never backing down from the person he was interviewing. Okerlund really was the best ever at what he did and if you’re a fan of old school wrestling, it’s more than worth your time to see just how good he really was at something so important to wrestling.

Then we had Nigel McGuinness, which was much more of a new experience for me. I knew of McGuinness from his time in Ring of Honor and TNA but I didn’t know just how good or big of a deal he was. Nigel was one of the best at his time and the matches I’ve seen from him were really good. It’s pretty safe to put him on the list of greatest What If’s in WWE history, as he could have been a top player.

The other interesting thing here though was seeing how good he really was with everything related to broadcasting. It’s clear that he loves this stuff and can do anything in wrestling if he’s given the time. The part with Daniel Bryan sending him a text the day he won the World Title in WWE, meaning the night after Nigel retired, was amazing and some of the real emotion that you can’t manufacture.

Check out both of these are they’re more than worth your time.

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: January 31, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Percy Watson

It’s one of the final shows in Phoenix as we deal with the Royal Rumble fallout. That means a lot of recapping from the main shows, even though there isn’t much to talk about. I’m sure Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch will be prominently featured, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lucha House Party vs. Singh Brothers/Jinder Mahal

Mahal doesn’t even get the Main Event main event spot anymore. Dorado and Mahal start things off with Mahal muscling him up for a somewhat impressive suplex. We hit the required chinlock until Dorado fights up for a standing Lionsault onto Sunil. Everything breaks down and the House Party gets to take turns beating up both Singhs.

As usual, Mahal has to come in and clean up their mess, this time with another chinlock and some stomping in the corner. Sumir comes back in for another chinlock but Metalik fights up and makes the tag to Kalisto. A bunch of kicks to the head have Sunil in trouble and it’s the Salida Del Sol into the shooting star to give Dorado the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D-. This was a nuisance to sit through as there was no way the Singhs and Mahal are going to be a major threat to the Lucha House Party and everyone knew it. Kalisto alone can hang with Mahal and the Singh Brothers are more of a liability than an asset. This felt way longer than it was and that’s hard to do in a match that isn’t even six minutes long.

We look at Becky Lynch winning the Royal Rumble and then challenging Ronda Rousey for Wrestlemania.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Becky to open things up. A lot has been happening in Phoenix and while the first part of the Rumble didn’t go well, she didn’t fold after a loss like Rousey. She’s coming for the title and is very proud of moving from the pre-show of last year’s Wrestlemania to this year’s main event. The fans cut her off with a YOU DESERVE IT chant before Becky says that she saw doubt in Ronnie’s eyes last night and now she’s going to break Rousey’s arm at Wrestlemania. If Rousey doesn’t walk into Wrestlemania believing that, she’s going to be carried out knowing it.

That’s a great line but here’s Charlotte to interrupt. Charlotte is proud of Becky, who somehow won the Royal Rumble without being in it. Maybe Becky learned something from her after all, because Charlotte brought her to the main event. Becky slaps her in the face and leaves, only to have Charlotte chase her down for the attack. Charlotte whips her into the barricade and the bad knee gets banged up again. Agents break it up in a hurry. It’s pretty clear where this is going and that’s fine.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Daniel Bryan, sporting a black eye, to change the WWE climate. He asks who won on Sunday, and after waiting for the BECKY chants to die down, Bryan says the people and their children all won. Bryan is the planet’s champion and now someone has seen the light. That person came out for the greater good on Sunday, so here’s Rowan, carrying a bag over his shoulder.

Bryan praises Rowan as an enlightened man of the Earth and his intellectual peer. However, Bryan calls himself a hypocrite because he carries around this title. A trashcan is brought into the ring as Bryan calls the title a symbol of both excellence and excess. This title was made from a cow who did nothing wrong, and Bryan thinks she should be called Daisy. Bryan thinks Daisy had the ability to feel immense job, but she didn’t get to feel it long enough. The title is thrown into the title because it’s trash. Fans: “GOODBYE DAISY!”

Rowan pulls out the new title, which is rather….wood looking. The new title is made of hemp and carved from an oak, with the fans being more interested in the hemp. This brings out AJ Styles, who asks if Bryan smoked the prototype of that belt…..and here’s Randy Orton to cut them both off. Back from a break with Jeff Hardy in the ring and Mustafa Ali coming out.

Before he can say much, Samoa Joe comes out to say he’s here to put a champion to sleep. Jeff can pretend that he’s at an AA meeting and shut up while Joe is talking. Ali got choked out last week, and Joe wants to know how Wendy is doing. The fight is on as Bryan shouts that he’s going to be champion forever because no one is getting a title shot. HHH pops up on screen to announce Bryan defending the title in an Elimination Chamber match next month to end the show.

B Team vs. Ascension

Viktor shoulders Axel down to start and we take a very abrupt break. Back with Axel getting a hot tag to clean house and getting two off a PerfectPlex. The belly to back suplex into a neckbreaker finishes Viktor at 1:57 shown. Clearly a lot was cut.

From Raw.

Here’s Seth Rollins to open things up to a very strong reaction. After a BURN IT DOWN chant, Seth talks about putting his heart into everything last night and that’s why he won. Now he gets to stand in this ring and say that Seth Freaking Rollins is going to the main event of Wrestlemania. Rollins promised himself that he wasn’t going to do it, but he has to point at the sign man. Now though, Rollins has a choice to make. He can go to Smackdown and challenge his longtime friend Daniel Bryan, or he can go to Suplex City.

With a SETH FREAKING ROLLINS chant going, Seth says it’s going to be a decision he needs to think about. This brings out HHH to say Rollins got to point at the sign and would have been disappointed if he hadn’t. HHH has been there before and it’s why he challenged Rollins to step up a few weeks ago. The Royal Rumble was designed to put thirty athletes in the ring and see who is best. Rollins, who may be crying, did that, but now he needs to know what he’s doing at Wrestlemania. That’s what he can decide tonight, because Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar are going to be here tonight. Fans: “SLAY THE BEAST!”

And from later on Raw.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for Rollins’ pick. Heyman calls it easy to make decisions when you only have one option. Rollins’ only choice is to fight Daniel Bryan because all other roads lead to the Beast. This brings out Rollins for the staredown with Lesnar and Rollins starts slugging away, including a Stomp attempt, which is countered into an F5. Brock hits a second through fourth, followed by a fifth on the title. Rollins asks if that’s all Brock has and picks himself up, meaning it’s a sixth F5 to end the show with Rollins not picking anything yet. You know, because it’s such a mystery.

Overall Rating: D+. The original wrestling was nothing to see here (as usual) but we’re getting closer to the biggest show of the year and the Royal Rumble was a major part of that. If we can get things to pick up a bit as we move closer to New York, the show might actually get watchable. As it is now, we have the matches presented to us with the hope that things aren’t too bad. Pretty lame show, with Wrestlemania not looking great at the early stages.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: January 24, 2019
Location: Chesapeake Energy Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Percy Watson

It’s the go home week for the Royal Rumble and ignore the fact that since I’m behind, this is being written nearly a week after the Rumble. Therefore this is going to be the big strong push to the pay per view and that means the wrestling isn’t going to matter all that much this week. Let’s get to it.

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

What a random set of commentators.

Opening sequence.

Rezar vs. Tyler Breeze

Rezar throws him around to start in the only way you would expect him to. A spear into some rights and lefts to the face keep Breeze in trouble as Drake Maverick isn’t happy with the speed of the count. We hit the chinlock as Drake demands aggression. A fall away slam looks to set up a moonsault (!) but Breeze is out of the way to avoid the whole being crushed issue. Breeze slips out of a powerbomb and scores with a superkick, only to get slammed off the top. With that not working, Breeze tries the eternally stupid “jump on the back of a monster” offense earning himself a chokeslam to give Rezar the pin at 5:23.

Rating: D. This was what it was and that’s not exactly thrilling. Then again what are you expecting from one half of a monster team against a career jobber? Rezar is likely to be a Main Event mainstay until Akam is back to full health and that’s not exactly something that I’m looking forward to seeing.

From Raw.

Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor

Joined in progress with Balor’s dropkick not having much effect. Strowman knocks him to the floor for the running shoulder and it’s off to the nerve hold back inside. They head outside again and this time the running shoulder is countered with a Sling Blade. Back in and Balor grabs a sleeper to knock Strowman down. It’s too early for the Coup de Grace though as Strowman throws him off the top and down onto Lesnar for a belly to belly.

The bell didn’t ring and it’s Balor going back in to attack Strowman. A running flip dive takes Lesnar down and there’s another Sling Blade to Strowman. Balor dropkicks Lesnar through the ropes and dropkicks him into the barricade for a bonus. Strowman pulls Balor back inside but misses a charge into the post. The shot gun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace but Lesnar comes in with an F5 for the DQ at 7:46.

Rating: C. This was much more about the brawling at the end than the match and that’s fine. Balor needed some momentum heading into the pay per view, though having Lesnar come in for the DQ wasn’t the best idea in the world. I guess they didn’t want Strowman taking a pin, though that begs the question of why book the match in the first place.

Rumble By The Numbers. This didn’t air on TV (it was on YouTube) so it’s cool to see it get a little appearance.

Clips of Ronda Rousey/Natalya vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks from Raw, which mainly exists for Ronda’s pre-match promo.

No Way Jose vs. Mojo Rawley

Rawley isn’t impressed by the dancing to start but Jose’s right hands in the corner seem to have some more success. Jose gets knocked into the corner and Rawley unloads with some angry right hands. A clothesline sends Rawley outside though and it’s a cannonball off the apron to send us to a break. Back with Mojo throwing on a chinlock, followed by some choking on the ropes. Jose starts striking away and gets two off a middle rope crossbody. Rawley is right back with the Pounce though, setting up the sitout Alabama Slam for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: D+. Slightly better than the previous match but e pluribus gads this was a boring match between two guys who could not matter less in the grand scheme of WWE. I know Rawley had that whole man in the mirror deal on Raw but my goodness it’s too late for both of them. I liked both guys too so it’s sad to see, though not as bad as having to watch them right now.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Vince McMahon to moderate a final discussion between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. Daniel won’t get in the ring though and complains about last week’s attack that saw him covered in concessions. Bryan uses his power for good, though AJ thinks he uses it to be a jackass. That sends Bryan into a mini rant about AJ exciting the fans but Bryan makes them think.

Bryan is the planet’s champion, not the people’s champion. AJ talks about Bryan’s change of mindset, which he sees as fickle. Bryan starts to quote Carl Sagan but Vince tells him to get in the ring. He won’t though, instead going on a rant against Vince’s generation being the biggest parasites ever. Then the people bow to him for it and trade Instagram likes while Vince and his generation ruin the world.

Vince tells him to shut up and get in the ring but if Vince wants a face to face, AJ is willing to make that happen. The fight is on outside until AJ throws him inside with Bryan hiding behind Vince. That’s enough to set up the running knee so Bryan can escape. Good segment here, though it took some time to get going.

Overall Rating: D+. A lot of that is due to Rumble By The Numbers and that’s not enough to save the thing. The original wrestling here was so boring and it wasn’t exactly bolstered by a rather weak Royal Rumble build. I know it’s just Main Event, but is this really the best effort they can put into this show? That’s a bit hard to believe and yet it seems to be the norm.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: January 22, 2019
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Aiden English, Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

As usual, the go home show for a pay per view is a little weird for this show as there’s only one match to build towards on Sunday. Thankfully it involves four people at once so there’s a lot to cover tonight. One such match will see all three challengers fight in a triple threat, though you can almost guarantee that the winner won’t be leaving the Rumble with the title. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick runs down the card, which sounds rather good.

Opening sequence.

Aiden English is introduced as the new announcer. It’s not like he’s doing anything else.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Gran Metalik

Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far off a wristlock. They exchange flips before an exchange of stereo dropkicks set up another flip off. Carrillo flips out of the corner until a heck of a wristdrag out of the corner sends Metalik outside. A big running flip dive takes Metalik down again but he’s fine enough to raise his feet up to block a moonsault. Metalik gets two off a reverse Sling Blade and the rope walk dropkick is good for the same. A chinlock doesn’t last long as it’s a spinning kick to the head to drop Metalik for two.

Metalik stumbles to the apron so Carrillo goes up top and hits a kind of bulldog onto the apron for a double knockdown. Carrillo gets back up onto the apron so Metalik gets a running start for a hurricanrana over the top and down to the floor again. Back in and a very high springboard Swanton gives Metalik two more. Carrillo blocks a superplex though and scores with a missile dropkick, followed by a handstand in the corner into a springboard moonsault (cool) for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: B. Now this was the kind of match that I was hoping for, with two luchadors flying around and showing off how good they can be. That’s exactly what it should have been and both guys looked great. Metalik is underrated and Carrillo continues to look awesome every time he’s out there. I liked this one a lot and I have a feeling that’s going to be the case going forward with either of them.

Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher are in Maverick’s office to say they aren’t happy with Carrillo. Before they can actually say anything though, Gulak leaves in frustration. Tony Nese comes in and says he wants a rematch with Noam Dar. It’s one win apiece so Maverick says he’ll consider it. That’s not cool with Nese, who threatens violence against Dar if he doesn’t get a match.

Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick say the title match doesn’t matter because Tozawa is winning the title on Sunday.

Lince Dorado and Kalisto are ready for a big year for the Lucha House Party. Kalisto suggests that if he wins the title, all three of them are champion.

Ariya Daivari promises that Hideo Itami will make an example of his opponents tonight and win the title at the Royal Rumble.

Kalisto vs Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami

Buddy Murphy is out for commentary. Hideo jumps both of them from behind to start but Kalisto picks up the pace with some dropkicks. Tozawa is right back up with a missile dropkick to send Kalisto outside, setting up a suicide dive. The fight goes over the announcers’ table with Murphy getting taken out, meaning he’ll move off to the side to watch instead.

Some kicks have Itami back in control and we hit the chinlock on Tozawa. That goes nowhere so it’s more dropkicks, including one to knock Kalisto out of the air. The cover is broken up though and everyone is down. That means the three way slugout with Tozawa’s hard right hands getting the better of it, followed by Kalisto catching Itami with a kick to the head. Everyone heads to a corner but it’s Murphy coming in to shove all of them down. Murphy goes after all three until Kalisto kicks him away and they fight back.

The Salida Del Sol sends him outside so Tozawa can add the suicide dive. The match is still going (remember No DQ) with Itami hitting a Falcon Arrow for two on Tozawa. Kalisto catches Tozawa on top and knocks Itami to the floor but Tozawa blocks a super hurricanrana attempt. Tozawa misses the top rope backsplash but Itami is back in for the spinning knee to the face to finish Tozawa at 12:21.

Rating: C+. This was good though not great, with the Murphy part making sense but not really going anywhere. Itami winning is fine as any of the three could have gotten the win here, though he’s not exactly thrilling (hence his future departure). It did a nice enough job to set up the title match on Sunday and was as logical of a move as they had, so I can’t quite complain all that much.

A bunch of replays end the show. Of course I finally get the idea of Itami’s finisher as he’s leaving. It’s still not good, but at least it makes sense.

Overall Rating: B-. Well done again here with a pair of entertaining matches as Carrillo gets a showcase and the title match gets some hype. What more could you want from a forty five minute show? They’re starting to find the sweet spot around here and while it’s not getting the most attention in the world, the quality is still high and that’s a good thing. Just keep it up.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

https://wrestlingrumors.net/shaneo/wr-breaking-ambrose-leaving-wwe-mania35/

I mean really, can you blame him?After the big angle with Rollins, everything has crashed hard.  It’s like he was ready to run and then got caught by a leash, which has happened time after time.  If Ambrose can be happier on the independent circuit or in some other company, good for him.  I like the guy, but if he’s not happy then he should leave after one more big payday.

And we have two Wrestlemania title matches.Becky Lynch interrupted Ronda Rousey and picked her while Seth Rollins picked…well no one, but Brock Lesnar laying him out with six F5’s while Daniel Bryan didn’t shot up made things pretty clear.

I’m fine with this and rather happy actually as there’s no point in dragging things out when the picks are clear.  Let the matches be made up and then let the people get into mini feuds before we actually get to New Jersey.  Rousey vs. Lynch should be good and Lesnar vs. Rollins….well it’ll exist and likely be good, though the interest isn’t going to look great.

It seems to be the case.https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-ronda-rousey-leaving-wwe-wrestlemania-35/

Basically she wants to go and have kids, which has been known for a long time.  If that ‘s the case, as much of a fan as I am of her, this would only make her legacy that much stronger.  She came in, was awesome and a big surprise, and then left, possibly after main eventing Wrestlemania.  It’s like a one year accelerated Brock Lesnar course and it wouldn’t shock me to see her come back.  Now though, the Wrestlemania match NEEDS to be a triple threat just to avoid having the ending be obvious.  I’ll miss Rousey, but if this is what she wants to do, good for her.

Someone is out of the Rumble.https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/john-cena-injury-mens-royal-rumble-match-question

John Cena is questionable for the Royal Rumble, which might be their way of getting Cena back on the movie set in time.  Nothing wrong with that, and Cena put Balor over before he left.  Kind of annoying to false advertise him, but I like this better than him just leaving again.

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: January 17, 2019
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

This is the kind of week where you need a recap. All kinds of things took place this week on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, meaning we could be in for a heck of a week on Main Event. I don’t think we actually will be, but there’s always the chance that they could surprise us. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Zack Ryder/No Way Jose vs. Curt Hawkins/Tyler Breeze

Time for this week As Breeze Turns. There’s something amusing about No Way Jose’s conga line still dancing as Breeze and Hawkins come out. An early Breeze distraction lets Hawkins get in a few shots but it’s quickly off to Jose, who gets beaten up as well. Ryder comes back in but walks into a suplex for two. Hawkins misses a split legged moonsault of all things and it’s back to Jose as everything breaks down. House is cleaned until Hawkins clotheslines Ryder for two. The Supermodel Kick gets the same with Jose making the save and hitting the pop up punch on Hawkins. The Rough Ryder finishes Breeze at 5:06.

Rating: D+. That’s as Main Eventish of a match as you’re going to see. These four have barely done a thing of note on Raw in months (if not years) and here they are in a short match on Main Event. Ryder still gets good reactions but I’m not sure how much of a future he has. The second half of that is true for just about everyone involved here and that’s pretty sad.

From Raw.

Intercontinental Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

Dean is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Before the match, Rollins says this is his last chance to win the title back and knock Ambrose’s teeth out. All that matters out there is what you do bell to bell and no one can do it like him. Dean offers Rollins a partnership against Lashley and gets sent outside for his efforts. Rollins dropkicks Lashley outside as well and hits a dive before punching Dean again.

Back in and Rollins gets double teamed to put him in trouble for the first time. Lashley hits a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner but a second charge misses, allowing Rollins to slug away. One heck of a spinebuster puts Rollins down and Dean sends Lashley outside. That’s enough of a delay to let Rollins clothesline Dean to the floor for a suicide dive to both. Rush tries to go after Rollins but has to bail to the floor instead. The chase is on so Lashley hits a spinebuster on Rollins and a belly to belly on Dean as we take a break.

Back with Dean hitting a clothesline on Lashley and forming a rather loose partnership with Rollins to keep him in trouble. That gives us the big staredown but they go with more stomping on Lashley instead. A shot with the steps puts Lashley down again and NOW it’s time for the big showdown. Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow for two with Rush coming in for the save because there are no DQ’s. Ambrose knocks Rush to the floor and gets superkicked, only to have Lashley come back in to steal two.

Dirty Deeds is broken up by Rollins’ springboard clothesline and there’s an enziguri to Lashley. Rollins adds the frog splash but Dean sends Rollins outside to steal the near fall. Ambrose and Lashley get together for a Doomsday Device on Rollins, who pops right back up. Rush offers ANOTHER distraction and gets Seth knocked outside, leaving Lashley to spear Ambrose for the pin and the title at 13:15.

Rating: C. It was exciting at times though I’m a little surprised by the title change. Lashley hasn’t really been doing anything of note but at least it’s something fresh. Ambrose didn’t have many people to feud with but it’s not like Lashley has that many more. Not a bad match, just a surprise ending.

From Smackdown.

Back from a break with AJ Styles in the concourse at the concession stand. Last week Bryan said these people weren’t healthy and happy but they look happy to him. Eat what you want if it makes you happy. If you want a hot dog, go get yourself one. These people are no different than the ones in Phoenix, where AJ is getting the title back. Off to the merchandise stand now, as AJ grabs some shirts and throws them into the crowd. Cue Bryan for the brawl until security breaks it up. More good stuff.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Dana Brooke/Ember Moon vs. Mickie James/Alicia Fox

Mickie grabs a wristlock to start and pulls Ember down by the hair four times in a row to keep control. Everything breaks down early on and it’s Brooke and Moon hitting stereo handspring elbows in the corner. A quick distraction lets Mickie take over on Moon as we get into the meat of things. That means chinlocks a go-go until Ember throws Fox down but Mickie is right there to break up the hot tag attempt.

It’s already back to Fox for something like Natural Selection for two, followed by Mickie’s hurricanrana out of the corner. Moon shrugs it off and brings Dana back in for an assisted Swanton of all things for two more. A blind tag brings Mickie back in though and it’s a big boot into the MickDT for the pin on Brooke at 6:49.

Rating: C. All things considered, not too bad at all here as Fox and Brooke were far better than what I would have expected here. The assisted Swanton was way more than what you would have thought the two would have done here and the match was really quite good. I don’t expect anything to come from this, but it was still fun while it lasted.

From Raw.

Here’s Braun Strowman to a rather strong reaction. Strowman talks about Lesnar being scared of him, including the time that he had to be saved at WWE World Cup (still not the name of the show). He’s getting the Universal Title at Chase Field but the only thing that Lesnar is getting are these hands. This brings out Baron Corbin, with Strowman reminding him that he got fired. Corbin says the people are going to listen to him and if he’s up there for five minutes, it’ll be longer than Strowman lasted against Lesnar.

The chase is on with Strowman heading to the back and throwing Sunil Singh over a table for not knowing where Corbin went. Strowman goes off to find Corbin and we get a quick song from Elias. The lyrics say he knows where Corbin went so here’s Strowman, who couldn’t possibly have heard the song from where he was, to hear Elias say Corbin is in the limo. Strowman finds a pipe and breaks the window before just ripping the door off. Vince comes up and isn’t happy with the broken door but doesn’t say anything.

Post break Braun can’t put the door back on so Vince says he’s a wrecking ball. That’ll be a $100,000 fine, which Strowman says is crazy. Vince doesn’t like being talked to that way, so the Universal Title match is canceled. Vince leaves so Strowman turns the limo over. Did Corbin ever get out of there?

And from later in Raw.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena

One fall to a finish and the winner goes to the Rumble to face Lesnar. Balor starts fast by heading up top for an early Coup de Grace on Corbin but gets pulled down into a chokebreaker for two as we take a break. Back with Corbin knocking Balor off the apron to keep the ribs in trouble. Cena hits a tornado DDT for two on Corbin with McIntyre making the save.

McIntyre comes back in and gets caught with some of Cena’s usual until Corbin makes a save of his own. Balor and Cena load up Corbin for a double superplex but McIntyre powerbombs them both down, only to get crotched on top by Corbin. That’s fine with Drew, who does his situp into a choke superplex as we take another break. Back again with Balor charging into the End of Days, leaving Corbin to take the Glasgow Kiss.

Cena goes up top but dives into a powerbomb from McIntyre for two. Drew and Corbin start stomping away until the good guys fight back. Cena takes Balor up top for the super AA with Corbin throwing him outside to steal two. Now it’s Corbin grabbing a chair to unload on Cena and McIntyre but Cena is right back with an AA. The Claymore takes Cena down but Balor hits a tornado DDT of his own on McIntyre. The Coup de Grace to Cena gives Balor the title shot at 19:13.

Rating: B-. They weren’t exactly hiding this one and that’s ok. Having Balor pin Cena after coming in injured and having already wrestled a match earlier in the night is about as strong of a push as you can give someone and it should suit him very well going into the Rumble. The match was entertaining for what it was and that’s all this needed to be.

Post match Cena says he believes in Balor and says he’s the next Universal Champion.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s amazing to see how much better Raw is when they actually do something. This week’s show was all about moving things forward and setting things up for the Royal Rumble, which is a show that they kind of need to put together in a hurry at the moment. The Smackdown stuff was its usual goodness, which made for a rather entertaining and quick show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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