IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: January 15, 2019
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

We’re back on Tuesdays because….I have no idea really. I guess the solution to the show’s problems was to have the LIVE part actually be correct, even if it makes way more sense to have this on Wednesdays and taped before Smackdown. Tonight we’re featuring an Open Challenge for a non-title match against Buddy Murphy. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap and preview.

Opening sequence.

Lio Rush vs. Lince Dorado

Dorado has Gran Metalik and Kalisto with him. Before the match, Rush welcomes us to Lio 5 Live and says he thinks Lince has some misconceptions about why we’re here. Rush is here to win and you can see that in Bobby Lashley, the new Intercontinental Champion. Two weeks from now, Rush was supposed to be the Cruiserweight Champion so now it’s time for Lince to feel the rush.

Lio isn’t happy about having the rest of the Lucha House Party out here so Dorado throws a shirt at him. A cheap shot from behind lets Lio take over before the bell, earning himself a spinwheel kick to the face. Dorado charges into some boots in the corner, followed by a slap to the face and trash talking from Rush. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Rush down but it’s way too early for the shooting star. Instead Dorado gets sent into the post with Rush following him to the floor with a bottom rope Asai moonsault.

Back in and Rush hits a sliding kick to the side of the head and it’s off to a chinlock with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up by a jawbreaker into a bulldog but Rush rolls over for a kick to the head. Dorado gets in a few shots of his own from the apron and a high crossbody puts Rush down. A rolling kick to the head sends Rush outside this time and there’s the suicide shove. Back in and Dorado’s moonsault gets two, followed by the Golden Rewind for two. Dorado misses a charge into the post though and the Final Hour gives Rush the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. Rush needed a win like this and the Final Hour always looks good. Now that he’s managing the Intercontinental Champion over on Raw, it makes a lot more sense to have him become a bigger deal on this show. Dorado continues to be a value asset around here as he can have a good match but doesn’t need to win much of anything because he’s over. Nice match here, with the right results.

Post match Rush goes after him again but Gran Metalik and Kalisto run in for the save. Dorado might be hurt.

Noam Dar doesn’t like Tony Nese acting like he’s better than everyone. Nese comes in to say Dar got lucky last week because he dominated the match. Dar: “But you lost.” The rubber match is set.

TJP is told that Buddy Murphy’s open challenge has been answered and walks out, though he never actually said that’s why he was there.

Kalisto says the Lucha House Party was created to spread lucha around the world so he’ll win the Cruiserweight Title to show how great it can be.

Brian Kendrick is teaching Akira Tozawa every dirty trick he can think of for the Rumble. Tozawa: “What he said.”

Ariya Daivari says Hideo Itami is hungry. A hungry man doesn’t see right or wrong, but rather food, like the Cruiserweight Championship.

Next week: the three of them are in a triple threat match.

Buddy Murphy vs. ???

Non-title and an open challenge. Before the match, Murphy says he’s the best cruiserweight of all time and, don’t what him, he’s not worried about his title match at the Rumble. Instead he’s worried about tonight’s open challenge. So who wants the shot? It’s….Humberto Carrillo from NXT taking the challenge and becoming a full time member of the roster. Carrillo has had some very good performances down in NXT so this should work well.

Murphy circles him to start and we get a bit of a sarcastic handshake. Some kicks in the corner set up an armbar to put Carrillo in some early trouble. Back up and they both miss some strikes with Murphy falling into the corner. Carrillo offers a handshake this time and Murphy doesn’t seem happy. Some armdrags set up a springboard armdrag to put Murphy on the floor. Carrillo moonsaults over him but Murphy grabs slams him head first onto the ramp to take over. Back in and we hit the chinlock with Percy actually offering some nice analysis about Murphy trying to keep the faster Carrillo grounded. When did Percy get smart?

Carrillo gets up and knocks Murphy to the floor again, though this time a suicide dive misses. Back in again and Murphy stomps him down in the corner before taking it to the apron. Carrillo manages a backdrop to put Murphy on the floor and there’s a springboard kick to the head. A high crossbody gives Carrillo two and he gets two off a missile dropkick to the back. Murphy punches away and heads up but has to block a pair of top rope superplex attempts.

Carrillo is staggered so it’s a Batista Bomb for two as Murphy can’t put him away. They fight over a suplex until Murphy slips over the back, only to jam his knee. That means a delay as another referee comes out to check on him with the fans not exactly being convinced. Of course Murphy is faking but Carrillo knocks him to the floor for a suicide dive over the announcers’ table. Back in and Carrillo springboards into a knee to the face, setting up Murphy’s Law for the pin at 15:27.

Rating: B-. For a main roster debut against a dominant champion, they did rather well here. This wasn’t as good as Carrillo has done down in NXT but he more than showed that he can hang with the big names. Murphy dominated a bit too much but he was selling very well for Carrillo by the end, which is exactly what they were going for.

Murphy leaves and Carrillo gets a quick moment alone in the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. 205 Live has always had that weird issue where they only build to one major match at a time. In this case they’re doing well with it and therefore the show has been good as a result. We had two nice TV matches here and a new character introduced. It’s a very easy show to watch, though the post Smackdown aspect seems to have made the fans leave in droves again. That’s a shame, but you knew it was coming.

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

Oh yeah I answer questions sometimes.  Like this one:

This has been a busy week for WWE but one of the stories that has flown under the radar is the announcement of the first ever Women’s Tag Team Titles and an official date for the first champions to be crowned. That would be at next month’s Elimination Chamber and that means it’s time to do some fantasy booking.

So obviously we’re going to need six teams and since we’re going to both shows for these things, it’s a little easier. Here are the teams I’m expecting:

Bayley/Sasha Banks

Nia Jax/Tamina

Riott Squad (Ruby Riott/Sarah Logan)

Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville

Naomi/Lana

IIconics

You can’t say WWE hasn’t been setting these teams up over the last few months. Since this is elimination, let’s see who we can knock off early. Mandy and Sonya aren’t getting any titles anytime soon, Naomi and Lana aren’t surviving a match like this and the IIconics aren’t going to win a thing of value for a long time. In other words, the Smackdown teams would be better off allowing Mickie James and Lacey Evans to take one of their spots instead.

That leaves us with three options and each of them could win.

Tamina/Nia Jax

Having the monsters win the titles first is certainly a way to go and something that has worked for a long time. It sets up several rematches (“You can win when anything goes but between these ropes, we know we can beat you!”) and it’s not like you have to ask WWE to push Jax. I don’t think they get the belts though, as Nia is too valuable as a mountain for someone else to overcome.

Riott Squad

I’d love for this to be Logan and Morgan but I can’t imagine leaving Ruby out of something like this. These three have been feuding with Bayley and Banks for the better part of ever now and there’s no end to the thing in sight. They might as well have some titles to fight over so it seems the slightest bit more important, and I think you know what that means.

Bayley/Sasha Banks

I’m taking the plucky faces as the winners as it’s not like there’s anyone else that is likely to get the belts. These two have been on the road to these things forever now and it makes sense to put the titles on them. If nothing else the celebration could be fun before they turn on each other again later in the year. I can’t imagine they hold the titles long, but they’re the most likely candidates to get them for the first time.

Dang the Smackdown side is awful here. How did that happen?

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/tommyhall/say-goodbye-rumor-revival-requests-release-wwe/

I mean…can you blame them?The Revival might want out of WWE and really, I can’t say I’d be upset.  I’m a big fan of the team and have been for a long time but my goodness they’ve been wasted on the main roster.  They debuted the night after Wrestlemania 33 and somehow haven’t won the Tag Team Titles once.  We’re in the middle of Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, a makeshift team, holding the belts and the Revival can’t get them?

I know they’re not exactly suited for the main roster style, but that’s on WWE instead of them.  If you want a team that wrestles like the other teams on the main roster, don’t set them up as the old school team who wrestles long, drawn out matches.  That’s on developmental and the way WWE has set the thing up.  Revival is a great team and knows how to work the old school style, but if WWE isn’t interested in utilizing that, it’s a waste of everyone’s time.

This was always a possibility.

Vince McMahon canceled Braun Strowman’s Universal Title match against Brock Lesnar. There were rumors about Strowman still being hurt and not ready to go due to his elbow surgery. At the moment a replacement hasn’t been named.

Honestly this isn’t surprising, and I can’t say I’m complaining. Strowman vs. Lesnar has been done and I don’t think anyone was buying Strowman as a real threat. Lesnar getting to face someone fresh is a good idea, though I’m worried about who the next sacrifice will be.

Update: Finn Balor won a four way to become the new #1 contender. Works for me.

I took in the Smackdown house show on Sunday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. As tends to be the case, a lot of the arena was empty but given the six of the place (with a seating capacity of 23,500), even an only somewhat full arena is a rather nice turnout. A few more fans came in after the show started so it could have been worse.  Let’s get to it.

The fans chose to see the 1992 Royal Rumble before the shot got going. At least they have taste.

The show started a few minutes after its 7pm start time but it was nothing too bad.

Byron Saxton was the host for the evening and is really good in the role. He has a good speaking voice and a lot of energy, which is exactly what you want in a spot like this.

1. Tag Team Titles: The Bar b. New Day and the Usos – Rollup to Kofi. 12:00. C.

The Bar was defending of course and New Day got a nice reaction, mainly due to the pancakes and their pre-match dancing. The Usos got a bit of a stronger one though, mainly due to them being the Usos, which is quite the status. This was a fun opener with everyone working hard and the Bar beating on Woods for a long time. As usual Big E. was a ball of energy on the floor as a cheerleader. Jimmy tagged himself in to start the big brawl at the end with New Day starting the dives, only to have Cesaro dive in and roll Kofi up for the pin. Fun choice to start things off with the challengers both being very over.

2. Naomi/Lana b. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville – Split legged moonsault to Deville. 5:40. D.

Before the match, Mandy came out in her towel and said no one here had ever seen a woman like her so they could go back to fantasizing about her, just like Jimmy Uso. Lana took the heat for most of the match and got beaten down for what passed for a long time here. The hot tag brings in Naomi to clean house, get in a few shots on Mandy and pin Deville with the split legged moonsault. There was nothing here, though the fans were into Naomi and Lana.

3. US Title: Rusev b. Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy – Jumping superkick to Nakamura. 9:21. C-.

This was a big messy, though the fans were very happy to see all three of them. Hardy did some DELETE chants and Nakamura followed later on for a bit of a funny moment. They picked things up later in the match and Hardy loaded up the Swanton on Rusev but Samoa Joe came out for a distraction. With Hardy not paying attention, Nakamura shoved him off the top but walked into the superkick to retain Rusev’s title. Not too bad and the star power helped.

4. WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan b. AJ Styles – Small package. 21:00. B+.

It seemed rather early for this one but it was worth the surprise. This was a rather excellent match and one of the better house show matches I can remember seeing. Before the match, Bryan posed on the top rope for well over a minute, with his song finishing and then starting up again. Bryan got frustrated for most of the early part of the match as he bragged about being the best wrestler in the world (especially the best one that these Kentucky losers had ever seen) but not being able to do much with Styles.

Eventually it was off to Styles’ arm with the LeBell Lock having him in trouble more than once. They traded a few near falls with Styles never being able to hit the Styles Clash. Near the end, AJ tried it again but got reversed into the best small package in the business to retain Bryan’s title. Post match Bryan called AJ a dog walking away with his tail between his legs, drawing Styles back in for the beatdown.

Intermission.

5. Good Brothers/Shelton Benjamin b. Colons/Aiden English – Paydirt to English. 8:41. D+.

Well this is the biggest bag of random ever. The match wasn’t terrible by any stretch but it was just there, which isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. I had almost forgotten that Benjamin and English even worked here. Sidebar: remember when the Good Brothers and Sanity looked to be getting into the Tag Team Title scene a few weeks back? Did anything ever come of that, or can we just add it to the list of things that never went anywhere?

Post match English said he didn’t come to this half horse town to lose like that so he wanted fresh competition.

6. Rey Mysterio b. Aiden English – Frog splash. 5:19.

This was exactly what you would have expected it to be, though the majority was spent on English offering a handshake and Rey threatening to give him a Kentucky whipping, hence the lack of a rating. English got in a few shots but took the 619 into the frog splash (Low Down variety) for the pin. The fans loved Rey.

Next up was MizTV with Mustafa Ali as the guest. Miz got to the point and asked Ali if he believed he could pin Miz like he did Daniel Bryan. After listing off his resume, Miz wanted the bell rung.

7. Mustafa Ali b. The Miz – Rollup. 8:20. C-.

There wasn’t much high flying to this one as you would have expected. What there was though was Miz doing a Rick Rude inspired promo, calling us Lexington sweathogs and telling us to keep the noise down while he took his robe off and showed us what a real man looked like. Ali kept the pace up as well as he could have here and got some good near falls. Eventually he went up top and tweaked his knee, only to reverse the Skull Crushing Finale into a rollup for the pin. Ali has a bright future ahead of him as he’s easy to get behind and can make fans care about him in a Sami Zayn style.

8. Women’s Title: Asuka b. Becky Lynch and Carmella – Asuka Lock to Carmella. 13:42. B-.

It was a very Becky crowd, which shouldn’t be very surprising. This was a lot better than I was expecting with a few comedy spots thrown in. Becky and Carmella had a very long rolling small package duel as they went around the ring about ten times for about half a dozen one counts. Later, Asuka missile dropkicked Becky to put them both down. Carmella covered them both several times each, screaming in frustration louder and louder each time. Of course Carmella was just there to take the submission but she was trying, which is all you can ask her to do.

Overall it was a very nice show with some good matches to go with the usual house show fare. It was far better than the previous house show in the same arena, which was a complete wreck with one of the worst cards I’ve ever seen. The Bryan vs. Styles match was very good and there was enough to keep the crowd going all night. As a bonus, I liked the wrestlers signing autographs on the way up the ramp all night long as it doesn’t take long and is a nice touch. That’s the kind of thing that makes these shows feel more fun and that’s very cool. Fun night overall, with good action and energy.  C+.

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 9, 2019
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

It’s time to find out who gets the final spot in the four way at the Royal Rumble. This week we have Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami with the winner moving on to the title match. That’s about all there is of note this week, which should be about all you need. It’s probably too early to have any of the new faces show up but you never know. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s qualifying matches and a preview of this week’s qualifying match.

Opening sequence.

Noam Dar vs. Tony Nese

Before the match, Nese says he’s tired of Dar’s complaining and will win because he’s the better man. You can’t get much more to the point than that. A headlock takeover puts Nese down until he reverses into a headscissors. Dar starts in on the arm but Nese drives him into the corner. A moonsault goes sailing over Dar, who trips Nese straight down. Back up and Dar loads up a backslide, which gets two after he spins Nese around several times. Nese gets serious with a running elbow to the face and it’s off to the bodyscissors.

Some forearms to the face keep Dar in trouble and we hit the neck crank. Dar finally goes with the speed by ducking a running shoulder A running forearm in the corner sets up a northern lights suplex for two but Dar can’t follow up. With the covers not working, Dar slaps on a guillotine until Nese drives him into the corner for the break.

The double springboard moonsault gives Nese two but Dar blocks a suplex and fires off kicks to the head. Nese misses some kicks of his own and it’s another guillotine choke. That’s reversed with another suplex for two more but Dar just starts slugging away, which isn’t his nature. It’s so unnatural for him that Nese catches him with a pumphandle powerslam. There’s no follow up though as Nese would rather try the running knee, allowing Dar to roll him up for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: C+. Nese was doing his best here and that made for a pretty good match. I’m not wild on either of them but at least we got an energetic and long match with Dar, who has a bigger future, getting the win. If Murphy retains the title at the Rumble, Dar wouldn’t be a bad choice for a next challenger. Giving him a win like this helps that process and maybe WWE thinks the same.

Akira Tozawa isn’t here tonight so Brian Kendrick is reading a letter from him. Tozawa is competing in Japan to get ready for the Rumble and won’t let this opportunity slip by. The HAH’s are included but Kendrick doesn’t read them all. Kendrick isn’t sure why they’re friends, but he’s going to help Tozawa win the title.

Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher come in to see Drake Maverick and offer him a list of potential people to hire for the show. Maverick promises to read their suggestions and drops them on the floor after they leave. Mike and Maria Kanellis come in, wanting to know why Mike hasn’t wrestled in five weeks. Maria doesn’t like that much time being wasted and thinks they just haven’t been fighting the right way. Why is Maverick bringing in all these new people when he doesn’t have time for who he already has? Fair point actually. Anyway, they better be ready to fight like her.

Lio Rush thinks Kalisto only beat him because of the Lucha House Party. Therefore, the trio is going to feel the Rush. How many people can those three tick off while still being faces?

Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami

The winner is the fourth person in the Rumble four way and Itami has Ariya Daivari in his corner. They’re rather slow to start with no contact until nearly a minute in. Alexander’s takedown attempt doesn’t get him very far so he chops Itami down instead. It’s not the best idea to get into a strike off with Itami, who kicks away at the chest to take over. Alexander takes him down again but comes up holding his chest, which isn’t something you see injured very often.

The way too early Lumbar Check attempt sends Itami bailing to the floor with Cedric going after him, only to have Daivari get in a quick clothesline. Alexander gets sent into the barricade and it’s time for more kicks back inside. Some kicks to the chest keep Alexander in trouble and another set of them cut off his comeback bid. The chinlock goes on for a bit with Alexander fighting up and hitting a few dropkicks. The springboard flatliner gets two but Itami blocks a Neuralizer with a kick of his own.

A top rope clothesline gives Itami two and he’s getting annoyed at Alexander kicking out again. Alexander scores with the Neuralizer for two of his own and now it’s Itami in trouble. He’s fine enough to grab the rope to block the Lumbar Check and head outside, so Cedric dives onto both villains.

Another Daivari distraction lets Itami punch Cedric in the face to break up a springboard and a Falcon Arrow off the apron drops him HARD on the floor. Cool spot with a sick landing. That’s only good for a nine and you can hear the fans being into the near count out. Back in and Cedric gets a very close two off a rollup but it’s that spinning knee to the face to finish Alexander at 17:05.

Rating: B. Itami is still hit or miss in the ring but Cedric being one of the most consistent performers on the show is exactly the kind of thing to keep him straight. He still needs a MUCH better finisher though as I’m not even always sure what it’s supposed to do half the time. Cedric is going to be fine despite the loss as there’s a great value in being the consistent performer on the show.

Buddy Murphy is pleased with the result but wants competition before the Rumble. Therefore, next week is an open challenge for a non-title match. I don’t see that ending well.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show about setting up the Rumble title match and that’s a fine place to go. The opener seemed to be setting things up for the future, which is a perfect way to use the other half of the show. That open challenge could be a great way to bring in some of the fresh talent, which could mean multiple people. Good show here, which is almost always the case anymore.

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/tommyhall/get-wallets-ready-looks-like-wwe-network-price-changing/

I’m sure there will be people complaining about it but seriously, this is the first time the prices have gone up in five years.  For what you get for the thing, it’s laughable to say it’s not worth the value and I’m hoping/assuming that almost every fan will still be anyway.  I’m not sure how you couldn’t be if you’re a big fan.

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: January 10, 2019
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Now this one should be interesting. Earlier this week it wasn’t clear if this show was going to feature the debut of some of the NXT callups. Their matches took place with Main Event graphics up but it wasn’t clear if the matches were taped for the show or not. If nothing else, another studio show wouldn’t be that bad. Let’s get to it.

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

Yep it’s a studio show.

From Raw.

Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre/Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins/John Cena/Finn Balor

We start fast with Balor working on Lashley’s arm but getting knocked into the corner. Ambrose comes in and gets caught with a basement dropkick, only to drag Balor into the corner for a hard chop from McIntyre. The beatdown continues with Lashley hitting a chinlock but not being able to hit the spinning Dominator. Balor gets up some boots in the corner (it’s always the boots) but Lashley drives him straight back into the corner again.

One more chance gets Balor over to the corner so Cena can clean some house but the Glasgow Kiss cuts him off as we take a break. Back with Cena dropkicking Ambrose, drawing Lashley right back in to break up the tag. Lashley stops to pose and the delay lets Cena hit the AA to put both guys down. Ambrose cuts off the hot tag bid though and we hit the chinlock. They head outside with Ambrose sending him into the steps as we take a second break.

Back again with Balor getting the hot tag to clean house, including a double stomp and shotgun dropkick to Ambrose. The Coup de Grace connects but McIntyre is right there with the Claymore to cut him down. It’s too early to finish things up though as Balor gets over for the tag to Rollins. That means a springboard clothesline to McIntyre and a moonsault to Lashley and Ambrose.

The Falcon Arrow gets two on McIntyre but the Stomp doesn’t connect. The reverse Alabama Slam is broken up by an AA but Lashley spears Cena down. That means a superkick to Lashley and another one to McIntyre. The frog splash (with some crazy height) misses McIntyre though and Ambrose tags himself in. Rollins blocks Dirty Deeds though and hits the Stomp for the pin at 21:15.

Rating: B. Good, hot match to open the show as they try as hard as they can (in vein that is) to fight off the National Championship game. Rollins pinning Ambrose to continue their feud is fine, especially if Rollins vs. Lashley is going to continue. Having Cena in there is a good idea as you might not want to have him in a long singles match when he hasn’t been in the ring much lately. Solid match and a very good start to the show.

We get the Gene Okerlund tribute video. No Hulk Hogan part, though he’s mentioned.

From Raw again.

Here’s Alexa Bliss for the debut of her talk show, A Moment Of Bliss. After demanding and receiving a cup of coffee, we see a video on Ronda Rousey’s rookie year. Rousey is of course the first guest and wants to talk about the future instead of the past. She talks about someone who is more athletic than Charlotte and had a tougher road here than Becky Lynch. Rousey means Sasha Banks, so here’s Nia Jax (Me out loud: “GOOD GRIEF!”) to say that sounds like someone has a girl crush on Sasha.

Nia wants to know when she’s getting her rematch from TLC but here’s Sasha, who says she’s honored by the words. She’d love to face Ronda for the title and teach her how to lose with grace. Nia says the line starts behind her before she’s a 300.5 ounce (not pounds, but ounce) Samoan. Sasha: “B**** what line?” Sasha challenges her to a #1 contenders match right now but Nia has a seat and we take a break.

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

The winner gets Rousey, presumably at the Rumble. Nia does indeed get in the ring during the break as Bayley and Tamina are watching at ringside. Sasha kicks her in the face and tries a guillotine but gets thrown into the corner. A kick to the head rocks Nia until she runs Banks over with a knee. Nia drops her face first onto the barricade for a nine count as Bayley and Tamina get in a fight.

Back in and a Batista Bomb gives Nia two as we take a break. We come back with Nia holding her in a torture rack until Sasha slips out and starts in with the knees. The running knees in the corner set up the top rope Meteora for two but Banks can’t hold the Bank Statement. Nia misses the face breaker and it’s a Samoan drop to crush Banks again. There’s a corner splash and Nia loads her up in a fireman’s carry on the middle rope.

Instead of falling back though, Nia jumps down, dropping Sasha onto the corner in a nasty crash. That’s only good for two and Bayley dropkicks Tamina for a bonus. Banks comes back with a dropkick in the corner and tries a hurricanrana off the apron but Banks just falls off to the side in what looked like a botch. Back in and the Bank Statement finishes Nia at 13:23.

From Raw, again.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

Ambrose is defending and it’s Falls Count Anywhere. Seth jumps him from behind to start and we’re off in a hurry. The fight heads outside immediately with Rollins clotheslining him over the barricade. They go backstage with Rollins throwing Dean into a ladder but missing a shovel shot. Ambrose sends him head first into a metal case for two and then gets in a ladder shot for the same.

Back from a break with the fight in the crowd and Rollins diving off a barricade with a crossbody for two. Rollins punches him straight in the nose and they head to ringside with Dean being tossed into the barricade. Ambrose is right back with a drop onto the barricade for two and it’s time to peel back the ring mats. After a kiss on the head, Dean’s Dirty Deeds attempt is countered with a backdrop onto the concrete.

They head inside with a superplex into the buckle bomb into a superkick keeping Dean in big trouble. The Stomp connects but here’s Bobby Lashley to pull Rollins out of the ring. Lashley beats the heck out of him on the floor, including an overhead belly to belly. Back in and the beating continues, including the spinning Dominator and a spear. Dean covers the finished Rollins to retain at 15:22.

Rating: B-. It was a good brawl but they telegraphed the ending by about nine miles. There was no hiding Lashley interfering to cost Rollins the match and that brings up the bigger problem: they set Rollins up as being back last week, have him in a great performance earlier tonight, and then oh dang he lost. Well thanks for letting us get reinvested in him for….oh a week or so. I’m sure Lashley vs. Rollins will be fine and Ambrose can find something else to do, but it didn’t make for a strong main event to end a bad show.

Post match Lashley puts Rollins through a table to end the show.

And again from Raw.

Here’s Braun Strowman for the showdown with Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman and Lesnar show up on the screen with Heyman talking about how Strowman is looking for a confrontation. The words that Strowman needs to understand are Card Subject To Change, because if Lesnar came out there right now, there would be no Royal Rumble title match.

Strowman stays in the ring, saying he’s waiting for Beastie Boy. Heyman tells Brock not to

worry about it and they stay in the back, with Strowman saying Lesnar must be scared. Lesnar finally comes out, walks near the ring, and starts heading to the back. Strowman says Lesnar needs to get back here….because he’s winning the title at the Royal Rumble.

This was AWFUL as they clearly have no way around the fact that Strowman is the challenger of the month and has no chance of winning. That’s what happens when you do this match twice with Lesnar winning both times, the most recent being without breaking a sweat. Side note: the last time Lesnar defended the title (not counting house shows) in a match that didn’t involve Strowman or Roman Reigns was in July 2017. And they wonder why his matches stopped meaning anything years ago?

And from Smackdown because we have some time to fill.

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Carmella

The winner gets Asuka at the Rumble. The fans are behind Becky, which isn’t the biggest surprise in the world. Charlotte decks Becky to start and a shoulder to the ribs puts her on the floor. That doesn’t last long and it’s Becky coming back in for kicks to both sets of ribs. A clothesline has Charlotte in trouble on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Becky kicking Carmella again but getting her throat snapped across the top rope. Becky is fine enough to slam Charlotte onto Carmella for two but Charlotte is back up to slug it out. Carmella breaks that up and hits a Flatliner on Becky, followed by the Code of Silence to Charlotte. That’s broken up without much effort and Becky missile dropkicks Carmella down. Becky gets suplexed into the corner though and a big boot drops Carmella again.

Charlotte moonsaults onto both of them for a pair of twos and we go to another breaker. Back again with Carmella getting two off a hurricanrana out of the corner and frustration setting in. A suicide dive takes out Becky and Charlotte’s moonsault misses. Becky is back up to suplex Carmella on the floor and they’re all down.

Back in and Charlotte hits a top rope Natural Selection on Becky but has to break up Carmella’s attempt at stealing the pin. The Figure Eight goes on until Becky breaks it up with the top rope legdrop. Carmella has to break up the Disarm-Her to Charlotte and it’s a spear to Becky. A superkick drops Charlotte but Carmella gets pulled into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 19:23.

Rating: B. Carmella was holding up her end well enough here and the ending is the right call. Even if Becky doesn’t win at the Rumble, there’s a very real chance of her jumping into the Rumble itself or winning the title shot at Elimination Chamber. This was what the fans wanted to see and that made for a rather entertaining match, along with good action from all three.

Asuka comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Well let’s see. It was mainly about Raw and Raw was terrible, so how do you think this went? I’m not sure why they felt the need to cram in so much from Raw when a good amount of stuff happened on Smackdown. We couldn’t have seen Daniel Bryan’s great promo or the very good tag match? No the solution must be more Lesnar vs. Strowman, which certainly wasn’t one of the worst segments of the year or anything like that. Bad show here, due to an overload of Raw.

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 3, 2019
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

We’re back in the arena this week after a pair of Best Of shows. That means more of your favorite lower card talents plus a bunch of highlights from some shows that a lot of people didn’t actually watch due to the holidays. Things should be at least somewhat interesting though as we see what the new year might hold. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Titus O’Neil vs. Curt Hawkins

Hawkins’ early waistlock attempt is shoved away without much effort, as expected. Titus throws him into the corner for some chops but Hawkins snaps his throat across the top to get a breather. A Russian legsweep sets up a chinlock with a knee in Titus’ back but the comeback doesn’t take long. An exchange of right hands goes to Titus and the Clash of the Titus is good for the pin on Hawkins at 4:52.

Rating: D. Just another match between these two as Hawkins is somehow still working in this role. It should have completely lost its impact about a year ago but it’s still amusing watching him be so desperate to get a win. They’ve got something if they ever do it, though I’m not sure how they ever get there.

From Raw.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Drew McIntyre

In a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. Ziggler has thankfully lost the record scratch at the start of his song. An early escape attempt doesn’t work for Ziggler and Drew chops the heck out of him. That and a delayed vertical suplex are enough to put Dolph down for some writhing on the mat.

Dolph’s early comeback is cut off by the Glasgow Kiss but he catches Drew on top. That means a series of rams into the cage but Drew kicks the knee out for a crotching. Back from a break with Drew demanding that Ziggler fight and being set into the cage for his efforts. The superkick gives Ziggler two but Drew pulls him back inside. A double headbutt puts them both down again but Drew is up first, only to have Ziggler slam the cage door on his head.

The Fameasser gets two and we take a break. Back again with McIntyre superplexing him off the top of the cage and then sending Ziggler face first into the cage. The Claymore takes Dolph’s head off but Drew would rather sit and look instead of cover. Another Claymore finishes Ziggler at 19:29.

Rating: C+. It’s a good win for McIntyre but it’s way past time for this feud to be over. McIntyre is better than Ziggler and they need to move him on to something else already. They’ve been at this for months now and McIntyre has gotten everything he can from Ziggler. That doesn’t mean it’s stopping, but it means that it should.

Post match Drew isn’t done as he puts a chair in front of Ziggler’s head and Claymores it into Ziggler’s head, driving it into the cage. Drew says that he’s going to win the Royal Rumble and leaves, but comes back as Ziggler was sitting up in the chair. That means another Claymore to leave Ziggler laying. Ok are we done with these two now? I mean we should have been three months ago but are we done now?

From Smackdown.

Here’s John Cena, bad hair and all, for a chat. Cena thanks the fans for the energy and talks about the year in review. He bought a ticket to Wrestlemania and probably shouldn’t have had those beers before the match. His personal life was all over national television, he wrote a best selling children’s book that he’s very proud of and lived in China for six months. With all that though, he still thinks this hair is a good idea. On top of that though, he can still float like a butterfly and sting like a bumblebee, which is still certified fresh.

The question now is why is he here. Well he knows that someone is going to come out here right now and say Cena should leave WWE faster than Nikki Bella left him. That brings out Becky Lynch to some applause from Cena. Becky asks how it feels to expect a man to come out here but to get The Man instead. Things have gotten a bit more complicated since Cena left, because now Becky wants to take his place instead of Charlotte’s. He’s been THE star of WWE and now she wants to be on those posters and filling his shoes. If Cena has a problem with that, Nikki won’t be the only woman to drop him this year.

This brings out Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega, with the latter saying a fresh start was promised not too long ago. What she sees though is an old face in Cena and a still broken face in Becky. Vega introduces the two of them and promises that this will be the year of tranquilo. Cena: “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is John Cena and you may know me from being John Cena.” The challenge is thrown out and the mixed tag starts after the break.

John Cena/Becky Lynch vs. Zelina Vega/Andrade Cien Almas

The women start with a chop sending Vega bailing for a tag to Almas. That means Cena comes in as well and Andrade is rather pleased. The early tranquilo pose doesn’t have Cena very impressed and Almas’ headlock doesn’t make things much better. The fans want Becky but have to settle for more headlocking instead. Almas kicks him down but gets his suplex reversed. A running clothesline takes Cena down though and we take a break.

Back with Vega holding Cena on the ropes and Almas still in control. Cena fights up and avoids a charge, allowing the hot tag to Becky as the fans stay interested. Some kicks have Vega in trouble and the Bexploder makes things even worse. A top rope dropkick with almost no elevation (Becky might have slipped) gets two but Almas breaks up the Disarm-Her. Cena takes care of him with the usual, including the Lightning Fist. Becky shoves Cena out of the ring though and grabs the Disarm-Her for the win at 10:11.

Rating: C-. That ending was a great example of something that Becky would do and fitting her character. She didn’t ask permission from Cena to do what she wanted and just took the spot herself. That fits her very well and was the right call. It’s not going to mean anything, but it fit for the moment.

Post match Cena offers a handshake but Becky does You Can’t See Me instead.

Revival vs. Tyler Breeze/Zack Ryder

Breeze armbars Dawson to start and gets uppercutted for his efforts. That would qualify as the fists part of the offense. Wilder comes in and gets caught in a hurricanrana and there’s a dropkick to Dawson. Ryder helps out on a double backdrop and a slingshot dropkick through the ropes rocks Dawson again. A clothesline on the floor cuts Breeze down though and it’s time for the beatdown inside. Dawson slams him down and an assisted gordbuster gets two.

Ryder gets pulled off the apron for a distraction and the Hart Attack is good for another two. We hit the required chinlock (at least it’s a cobra clutch to mix things up a bit this time) before Breeze fights up with an enziguri. The hot tag brings in Ryder for the usual, including knees to Dawson and a flapjack to Wilder. A double Broski boot sets up the double neckbreaker before it’s back to Breeze. Ryder gets sent to the floor and the Shatter Machine finishes Breeze at 7:42.

Rating: C. That was a snappy little match with all four working hard. The Revival deserves so much better than what they’re getting and I hope they get the titles that have so eluded them for so long. There’s not much of a reason to not put the belts on them at least once, just for them being a different kind of team if nothing else.

From Smackdown.

Rey Mysterio vs Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles

One fall to a finish and the winner gets Bryan at the Rumble. Everyone is in the ring at once so Ali goes right at Joe, who throws him down without much effort. AJ hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Rey before hammering away at Orton in the corner. Everyone but Orton heads outside with the aggressive AJ sending Ali face first into the post. Ali is fine enough to hit the rolling X Factor for two on Orton as Joe makes the save.

Rey dives in to take Joe down but AJ sends him hard into the corner. Mysterio is fine enough to hurricanrana AJ out to the floor, only to walk right into a powerslam. Joe suplexes Ali but charges into AJ’s elbow in the corner, setting up the moonsault into the reverse DDT for two. Back from a break with AJ taking over again but not being able to launch the Phenomenal Forearm. Joe drops him through the announcers’ table, only to have Ali take him down.

Rey does the same to Orton and we get an Ali vs Mysterio showdown. Ali flips out of a headscissors and catches Rey on top with a super Spanish Fly. That’s good for a delayed two with Joe making a save this time and firing off knees to Ali. The Satellite DDT plans Joe but the 054 misses. Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch with Rey making a save off a 619. Another 619 hits Ali and there’s the RKO to make it worse, with Rey coming off the top with a legdrop for the save. A hurricanrana on the floor takes care of Joe and AJ hits the springboard 450 to pin Orton for the title shot at 13:09.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here with the right call. You don’t want to have AJ get that big moment last year and then lose his first match back. I don’t think they’ll put the title back on him but there’s a good chance he’ll get screwed out of the title, which is a fine enough way to set up a Rumble match. Ali got some nice offense in here as well and that’s a good sign for his future.

Overall Rating: C. They covered the good stuff from the big shows and the tag match wasn’t half bad. This was the Main Event that works so well as a recap as they didn’t miss any of the major stuff (the lack of Baron Corbin was rather refreshing) and it was an easy forty minute watch. Now if only Raw and Smackdown went this well every week.

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 2, 2019
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

The title is the focus this week as Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy needs some challengers at the Royal Rumble. He actually needs three of them as Drake Maverick has put him in a fatal four way. That means we’ll be seeing two of three qualifying matches tonight, with the third taking place next week to find the three challengers. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Gene Okerlund.

Drake Maverick hypes up tonight’s qualifying matches and promises a big surprise at some point.

Opening sequence.

Kalisto vs. Lio Rush

The winner goes to the four way. The fans aren’t happy with Rush to start and it’s already time to run the ropes rather quickly. Kalisto’s handstand into a double backflip sends Rush bailing to the floor as Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese watch in the back. Rush comes back in for a slap to the mask and you can see Kalisto getting more serious. The chase is on with Rush swinging around the post so Kalisto uses them as a launch pad to get around the ring faster. A handspring kick to the head knocks Kalisto off the apron and that means a suicide dive as we actually get to the contact.

Back in and Rush snaps off a suplex before a knee to the back gets two. The reverse chinlock goes on for a good while until the cocky Rush sends him outside, setting up a quick rest on the top rope. A running elbow to the face cuts Kalisto down again and Rush snaps off the rapid fire strikes. Kalisto finally stops him with a raised boot in the corner, setting up a springboard flip dive to the floor.

Back in and Rush hits a spinning kick to the face and a second one….doesn’t get anything as Rush heads up top instead. That allows Kalisto a kick to the face of his own and a middle rope fall away slam backflipped into a World’s Strongest Slam (cool) gets two. They take their time getting up and the Salida Del Sol is countered into a spinning Unprettier for two more. Back up and the springboard spinning crossbody barely hits Rush, who kicks Kalisto in the face again.

A TKO onto the top rope sends Kalisto outside for a nine count and Rush’s frustration sets in. Rush loads up the Final Hour but Metalik and Dorado load up the noisemakers for a distraction. For some reason Rush is dumb enough to go after them and the Salida Del Sol sends Kalisto to the Royal Rumble at 14:19.

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit of a stretch but Kalisto winning is always a good idea. He comes off as one of the biggest stars around here and he’s going to make any match better. I wasn’t wild on Rush losing the way he did but he’s got enough going on over on Raw to make up for it. Nice match with a not great ending.

Nigel being annoyed at Kalisto winning is rather amusing.

We look back at last week’s street fight with Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick defeating Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak.

Gulak doesn’t consider himself an underdog against Tozawa tonight because he’s a realist. Tonight isn’t about weapons because it’s a wrestling match.

Drake Maverick promises new faces coming around here in the near year. That may or may not be interesting.

Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak

The winner goes to the Rumble and there are no seconds here. Feeling out process to start with Gulak taking him down in a headlock. Tozawa grabs one of his own but misses a big kick to the face. That seems to make Gulak a bit more serious so he goes after Tozawa’s ear and asks HOW DARE YOU. The quick right hand to the face drops Gulak and we get a Tozawa scream. They head outside with Gulak kicking him into the barricade and slamming the weakened back onto the floor.

We hit the double arm crank with a knee in Tozawa’s back before Gulak switches to a regular chinlock. That doesn’t go far so Tozawa is back up with a spinning kick to the head for two. Gulak gets draped over the middle rope for a Fameasser but Tozawa’s back is banged up again. The delay lets Gulak powerbomb him into the corner and hit a heck of a lariat for two more. Tozawa wins a slugout though and it’s a Black Widow on Gulak, who reverses into a Brock Lock of all things.

The rope breaks the hold and Tozawa is fine enough for a backdrop diver. Tozawa’s knee gives out on top though and he gets pulled down into the Gulock. The hold lasts for more than a few seconds, meaning of course Tozawa can roll over to the ropes for the break. Gulak bails outside and there’s the big suicide dive that you knew was coming. It’s too early for the top rope backsplash though as Gulak is fine enough to crotch him on top. Gulak can’t superplex him from the middle rope and the top rope version is broken up with a headbutt. Now the top rope backsplash can send Tozawa to the Rumble at 17:13.

Rating: B. I liked this more than I was hoping as the old guard of the division continues to roar back. Tozawa is the kind of guy you can move up to the next level anytime you need to and that’s what they did here. Gulak’s fall continues as he never recovered from losing the Cruiserweight Title shots last year. Still though, good match as you almost always get from Gulak.

Brian Kendrick comes in to celebrate as Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese aren’t exactly impressed.

Cedric Alexander isn’t scared of Hideo Itami in next week’s final qualifying match.

Hideo Itami and Ariya Daivari demand RESPECT next week.

Overall Rating: B. This was a wrestling show and that’s where 205 Live tends to shine. They did things well here and made two of the necessary big steps towards the pay per view title match. If they have another great match next week to set up the entire thing, the four way is going to be a blast. I’m also interested in seeing where those new names are going to go. That could be a variety of people either from NXT or elsewhere, and that can shake things up around here, which is often a good idea. Anyway, strong match here.

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