IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: September 26, 2018
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re now on the way to the land down under as Cedric Alexander has survived Drew Gulak again and is now ready to face Buddy Murphy at Super Show-Down. That’s next week though as tonight we have Mustafa Ali getting his chance for revenge against Hideo Itami, in what should be a fun match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap and preview.

Opening sequence.

The empty seat situation is fixed after last week.

Noam Dar vs. Lio Rush

Rush cheap shots him before the bell and they head outside with Rush running away as only he can. Back in and Dar kicks the leg out, followed by a snapmare into the ropes. A double arm crank has Dar telling Rush to scream for Bobby Lashley to help him. Rush fights up and hits a handspring against the ropes to knock Dar off the apron, setting up a moonsault to the floor.

Back in again and Rush kicks at the ribs to set up a waistlock and is smart enough to throw in a rollup for two. A kick to the recently repaired knee has Dar in more trouble but Rush misses a dive and hits the ropes. Dar gets two off a northern lights suplex and picks Rush’s ankle for an ankle lock. Another northern lights suplex sends Rush into the corner for two but can’t hit the Nova Roller. Dar unloads on him in the corner but Rush kicks the knee out and kicks him in the face. The Final Hour gives Rush the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. I’m still not big on Dar but Rush is becoming more and more entertaining every time. His crazy movement is always fun to see and they’re going to push the heck out of him, if nothing else just for his Lashley connection. It’s a good idea to have him face some adversity like this though, as he came back and won clean in a nice little match.

Alexander and Murphy are in Drake Maverick’s office for a face to face showdown. Cedric’s only thought going into the title match is to win, like he did the last time they fought. He won with pride and no one has more than him. Murphy says it was because Cedric was in his backyard with his mom in the front row. Cedric is tired of the excuses and they both promise to win. Short and to the point here.

Brian Kendrick vs. ???

Big boot and the Captain’s Hook in 10 seconds.

Post match Drew Gulak beats the jobber up.

Ali says he’s fought Itami several times and gotten the same result. Maybe he’s insane, but there are people who look to him to do something about Itami. He’s the light in the dark.

TJP, in a mask, says he wrestled in one just like this so he knows the lucha libre culture. He didn’t care about it the and doesn’t now. All he cares about is tapping people out, like he’ll do next week to Kalisto.

Mustafa Ali vs. Hideo Itami

Itami hides in the ropes to start and Ali is looking annoyed. Now it’s a trip to the floor to keep Ali upset and the chase is on. Itami gets back in first but Ali pulls him back to the floor for a chop to the chest. Back in and Ali cartwheels into a backflip to avoid a kick to the face, followed by a dropkick to put Itami down. A spinwheel kick gives Ali one but Itami pulls him down and sends Ali head first into the post.

Some kicks to the chest keep Ali in trouble and we hit the neck crank. That doesn’t last long though as Ali pops up and spins into a crucifix for two. Back up and they kick away at each other until Itami gets two off a DDT. A half crab keeps Ali in trouble and Itami steps on the back of his head to make it even worse. Ali makes the rope so Itami kicks him in the face to send him outside again. That’ll teach him.

Itami throws him into the barricade (taking out a production guy) and then suplexes Ali on the floor to make it worse. Ali is fine enough to come back in with the rolling X Factor and a sitout powerbomb for two of his own. A backdrop sends Itami to the floor and there’s the big flip dive to make it even worse. Ali goes to the steps to change things up a bit so Itami kicks him out of the air to take him down.

Back in and a RESPECT ME (his third or fourth of the match) dropkick in the corner misses, allowing Ali to hit a tornado DDT for two more. The 054 takes too much time though and a super Falcon Arrow gives Itami his closest two yet. Itami tries a superplex but gets shoved down and Ali tries a splash, only to land on Itami’s raised feet as he hadn’t hit the mat yet. Ali puts him on the apron for a 450 because of course he does and it’s a double countout at 16:28.

Rating: B. Nice long match here as the story can continue later in what should probably be a Last Man Standing match. Ali continues to be the heart and soul of this show as he puts everything he has into every match and you can feel the energy. I really hope he gets a chance on the main roster one day as he’s more than earned the chance.

Drake and some medics come down to check on them to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good show overall with the wrestling working and the non-title match storylines getting some nice advancements. There’s no need to focus on one match when the payoff isn’t even going to be on this show so letting people like Rush and Ali get some hype is a good idea. I liked the show more than I thought and the shorter time (by about five minutes) helped it a lot.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: September 25, 2018
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Vic Joseph

It’s week two and we have the reigning champions in action for the first time. Last week’s show was more than entertaining enough and hopefully that’s the case again here. We also have R-Truth and Carmella, who have become one of the most entertaining acts in WWE, together tonight so the pieces are in place for success again tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers run down the two matches and show us how to use Facebook Watch.

Raw Division: Mickie James/Bobby Lashley vs. Jinder Mahal/Alicia Fox

So yes we really do have to watch this one, though it includes Mickie James in that red gear of hers and I find that to be more than sufficient to make up for it. Lio Rush comes out to handle Lashley’s entrance, who happens to be very over in his home state. The guys start things off with Lashley cranking on a wristlock and then leapfrogging Mahal twice to show off the agility.

Hang on though as Mahal wants a pushup contest. Lashley obliges and the women even sit on their partners’ backs. The Dino Bravo/Earthquake tribute segment goes just fine until Sunil Singh sits next to Fox and Mahal collapses. The ticked off Mahal gets powerslammed for two with Fox having to make the save. Mickie comes in with a top rope Thesz press but Alicia is right back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

We hit a bodyscissors as Bayley and Finn Balor comment about the match. The chinlock goes on as Miz and Asuka are warning up in the back. Mahal comes in without a tag for a distraction and Fox kicks her in the face for two. A clothesline allows the hot tag to Lashley and everything breaks down, including the managers getting in a fight. Lashley hits the delayed vertical suplex for the pin at 7:53.

Rating: D+. The pushup thing was fine and it’s always nice to see Mahal getting pinned clean instead of main eventing pay per views but this was little more than a comedy match. To be fair though, what else were they supposed to do? Look at these pairings and show me a path to a competitive match. This was about as good as it was going to get and that’s fine.

Bayley and Balor are ready to face Jinder and Alicia next week.

Jinder and Alicia panic and Fox Singh isn’t invited next week.

Smackdown Division: R-Truth/Carmella vs. Miz/Asuka

The announcers recap the issues on Smackdown to help set things up a bit. Before the match, it’s a MIZTV vs. TRUTHTV battle of the chants until the women start things off. They circle each other until Miz tags himself in, allowing Truth to take him down and dance. There’s a hiptoss and DANCE BREAK, with Carmella joining in this time. Asuka comes in and dances as well, sending Miz into a frenzy. He wants to show off his moon walk and proceeds to walk around like he’s on the moon in a funny bit. Truth superkicks him to the floor though and Asuka sends Carmella out to join him.

Some moon walks into the splits have Asuka and Miz upset and another TRUTHTV chant makes it even worse. Back in and Miz kicks Truth in the face to take over but Truth punches him out of the air. The double tag brings in the women with Asuka hitting a running dropkick. A running hip attack gives Asuka two and a Shining Wizard is good for the same. Carmella gets her own two off a superkick with Miz making the save. Truth gets low bridged to the floor and it’s the Asuka Lock for the tap at 9:59.

Rating: C. Of course it was another comedy match and that’s the best idea they’re going to have around here. This was another case where it’s hard to buy one team as a threat as Truth isn’t beating Miz and Carmella isn’t champion anymore so she’s not beating Asuka. The fans were into it and that’s what matters most, so just let them have some fun.

A preview for next week’s show wraps things up.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s hard to get mad at a show that is about half an hour long and features to fun comedy matches. There’s only so much you can do on a show like this and this is about as good of an idea as they can have. Later on we can get into some more serious matches when teams are more in need of wins, but for now just let their personalities be turned up a bit and let them show off.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 20, 2018
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Corey Graves

You know, in a weird way I enjoy watching this show and seeing what they have in store. The highlight packages are often fine, but every now and then you get an actually good original match like last week with Zach Ryder vs. Apollo Crews. Oddly enough, the last good match also featured Ryder. But he doesn’t have the right look so no WWE Title run for him. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Zack Ryder vs. Mike Kanellis

Hopefully Kanellis feeling the Crews tonight. Kanellis wastes no time in stomping away in the corner because that’s the only way he’s going to get noticed around here. Some running clotheslines and a big boot get two, followed by a Side Effect for the same. Ryder is back up for a middle rope missile dropkick, only to get his neck snapped across the top rope to cut him down again.

Kanellis’ superkick gets two but Ryder throws him off the top, setting up the Rough Ryder for two. Back up and Kanellis grabs a sitout Michinoku Driver for two but makes the eternal mistake of loading up the Broski Boot. You don’t do that to Ryder, who ducks away and hits the Rough Ryder for the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. Another perfectly watchable match here with Ryder continuing to look good. Kanellis is someone dying for a character or a gimmick, because being the whipping boy who is waiting for his wife to get back has crippled the limited impact that he could have had in WWE. Not a bad match here and hopefully this gets some attention at some point.

From Raw.

Here’s Undertaker to respond to HHH about Super Show-Down. During his very well received entrance, Cole says many consider Undertaker the best of all time. Those people would be wrong. Undertaker talks about how no one can spin a web of lies like someone with a broken soul and no one has a soul as broken as HHH. The delusion will be HHH’s downfall because his new battlefield is the board room.

HHH can no longer decipher truth and can’t see his own demise. Undertaker doesn’t care what anyone thinks and only cares about what’s coming: HHH going six feet under again and Game over. HHH can have his delusion and his best friend Shawn Michaels, but Shawn is going to be at ringside. Therefore, Undertaker will bring Kane to even things up. Undertaker already took Michaels’ career and he’s going to do the same to HHH. As a bonus, he’s going to take HHH’s soul.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Paige to introduce Becky Lynch for the Championship Celebration. Becky is glad that she’s finally getting the recognition that she deserves but wants Charlotte out here. Charlotte comes out and says Becky was the better woman on Sunday. The thing is Becky gave up a lot to become champion and Charlotte is coming back for it at Super Show-Down.

Becky: “I’m sorry, I stopped listening after you said I was the better woman.” Becky wants Charlotte to put the title around her waist but she’ll settle for being called queen. Becky: “B****.” The fight is on with Charlotte being thrown over the announcers’ table and the Disarm-Her going on. The Bexploder leaves Charlotte laying to end the show.

Apollo Crews vs. Mojo Rawley

Mojo starts with the trash talking and runs him over a few times. With the power not working, Apollo dropkicks him down and hits an armdrag to the floor. Crews follows him out and that’s just never a good idea as Rawley runs him over with a clothesline. Back in and we hit the chinlock, allowing Crews to fight up with an enziguri and the standing shooting star press. The Toss Powerbomb is broken up but so is Rawley’s sitout Alabama Slam. Another enziguri sets up an enziguri into the frog splash to finish Rawley at 6:39.

Rating: C-. While not quite as good as the opener, this was still perfectly fine and there’s nothing wrong with that. Crews is still more than good in the ring but I can’t believe that Rawley has already fallen back to the nothing that he was before his quick Raw push. He’s good enough to be a low level heel but it’s back to the dregs that is Main Event.

From Raw again.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin

Reigns is defending and is banged up after last night. Corbin goes right for the ribs to start and gets two off a rollup. They head outside with Reigns hitting the apron dropkick but getting clotheslined down as we take a break. Back with Corbin holding a chinlock, followed by a chokebreaker for two.

That’s enough non-chinlocking so we hit it again to keep Reigns in trouble. Reigns fights up for the corner clotheslines as the announcers are STUNNED that he can do this. Dude he had a 24 minute match last night where nearly ten minutes was spent laying down. Rollins and Ziggler had a 25 minute match and then FELL OFF THE CELL and wrestled for ten minutes tonight. Reigns isn’t that impressive.

The Samoan drop gives Reigns two and there’s the Superman Punch off the steps. Corbin has finally had it and throws a chair at Reigns and yeah I’m not falling for this. There’s the restart with No DQ. Back in and the Superman Punch gives Reigns two. Reigns goes for the chair but here’s Strowman to take Reigns down. Strowman misses a charge into the post but Corbin grabs Deep Six for two. Now it’s Ziggler, McIntyre, Rollins and Ambrose running in for another fight, including double suicide dives to put Ziggler and McIntyre down. The spear retains the title at 16:53.

Rating: D. Well duh. I can get behind the idea of a champion having to overcome the odds and still retain the title in an obvious finish but Corbin is one of the least threatening heels in years. When your big move is “I’LL CALL STEPHANIE!”, I’m not going to buy you winning the title. All the run-ins didn’t offer any help either and the match was just boring as we waited for the inevitable spear. Reigns can carry things, but he’s not a miracle worker yet.

Overall Rating: C. The original stuff was better than usual here but the show didn’t exactly make me interested in seeing the multiple shows that are coming up. That’s the case with almost every Monday night anymore though and that’s not exactly the best thing to be said about one of the busiest seasons of the WWE year. Watchable show, but that’s about it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Michael Cole, Renee Young

We’re halfway through the first round with eight names having already advanced to the second round. That means we still need eight more people to move on and we’ll be getting four of those names tonight. This week’s show features one of the bigger names that was announced for the tournament over the summer. Let’s get to it.

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

All matches are first round matches.

Opening recap of the first eight winners and preview of tonight’s matches.

Opening sequence.

Kavita Devi was in the tournament last year and uh…..well she wasn’t very good.

Kaitlyn is back to prove that she can still do this.

Kavita Devi vs. Kaitlyn

Cole is a full on Kaitlyn fan here and Renee sounds like she has a crush on her. An early shot to the face puts Kaitlyn down as Cole talks about the original NXT’s women’s season and how that plays into the Women’s Evolution. Fair enough, though that’s more about the company as a whole than the women.

Kaitlyn chops away and gets two off a legdrop, only to get chokeslammed with no elevation. A running kick to the back sets up an armbar so Kaitlyn taps, which doesn’t count for whatever reason. Kaitlyn has to elbow her way out of a fireman’s carry and some forearms rock Devi. The Cannonball in the corner draws the YOU STILL GOT IT chants, followed by a spear to end Devi at 4:09.

Rating: D+. Devi was horrible last year and was upgraded to pretty bad this year, whichTy isn’t much of a step forward. She isn’t big enough to be a giant but is too big to be able to move around with most people. Kaitlyn on the other hand is being treated like a legend despite not really being a huge star in the first place. It’s nice to have her back and she has some credibility, but this wasn’t exactly a star making performance.

Jinny is a fashionista who has been signed to NXT UK.

Toni Storm was an absolute star in last year’s tournament and she has to be a big favorite this time around.

Tyler Breeze and the Iconics are watching.

Jinny vs. Toni Storm

Beth: “How does being a fashionista translate to a wrestling ring?” Well we’ve been trying to figure out the weird careers/interests in wrestling for years so she’s not alone. They take turns shoving each other around until a wristlock has Jinny in some low level trouble. A forearm to the face just fires Storm up though and it’s a running knee into the corner. Jinny is fine enough to hit a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle though and Storm’s nose may be messed up.

Some forearms to the face set up a Japanese armdrag into the corner and we hit the armbar. Toni is right back up with a rolling crucifix (and what looked like a wink to the camera) for two but Jinny reverses into something like a sitdown surfboard. That’s broken up as well before Storm’s shoulders are ripped apart and Jinny misses a charge in the corner. A hard German suplex puts Jinny down and Storm Zero (tiger driver) finishes her off at 7:09.

Rating: C. I know Jinny is a much bigger star (and different character) in Europe but I didn’t get much out of her here. All WWE told me was that she was a fashionista, which is hardly the most interesting thing in the world. Toni on the other hand continues to have more star potential than almost anyone else in the tournament and is clearly going to be a big deal in WWE as soon as she’s there full time. Not a bad match, even though Storm winning was never in doubt.

Xia Li (the woman from China with the fans) is back and ready to prove herself again.

Karen Q is ready to show what she can do, which includes speaking three languages. That’s more than I’ve learned about her in a year or so of watching her in Ring of Honor.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano are here, seemingly with no problems at the moment.

Karen Q vs. Xia Li

Cole is annoyed that Li didn’t bring them the promised dumplings. They bow to each other to start and take martial arts poses, which gets the loudest reaction of the night so far. Xia trips her down so Karen nips up and that’s another double bow. Back up and Li fires away in the corner but Karen pounds away and bows as well. A handspring elbow in the corner hits Li and a running kick to the face makes things even worse. Karen hits a pretty low full nelson slam and the cravate goes on. More kicks put Karen down for two and Xia hits a spinning kick to the back for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: D. They had me interested here with the martial arts stuff to start and then it was really just a match with some kicking included. Li moving on to the next round is fine, if nothing else so we can see the fan thing again. Karen continues to be one of the least interesting people I’ve seen in a long time. She’s not bad, but I still know nothing about her because she’s just someone who goes out and wrestles. That’s not exactly thrilling.

Allysin Kay (Sienna from Impact) is violent but classy, because she has her pinkies up. She was influenced by Bad News Brown, who isn’t a name you hear as inspiration all that often.

Mia Yim is aggressive and has a history with Kay, including a match where she severely broke her nose. That’s the kind of little story that can do a lot of good for these matches.

Sonya Deville is here and I didn’t recognize her with her hair down.

Shelton Benjamin is here.

Mia Yim vs. Allysin Kay

They go straight to the brawling with Kay having to bail to the ropes to get out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Mia does the Andrade Cien Almas pose and avoids a charge to send Kay outside. A kick to the chest has Kay in more trouble but she’s fine enough to Pounce Yim to the floor. Yim shrugs off some chops and heads back inside for a suicide dive without much impact.

A chop hits the post with a lot more impact though and Yim gets dropped face first onto the apron. The fans are split between LET’S GO MIA/PINKIES UP as Kay kicks her in the ribs. Kay blocks another armbreaker attempt and has to do the same to get out of a kneebar. They’ve finally had it with the wrestling and just start hitting each other until Kay bicycle kicks her down.

Yim is right back with some running dropkicks and a missile version gets two. A Code Red is good for the same but Kay is back up with a discus lariat for two more. We get a double knockdown until Yim goes up top (Cole, as she climbs the buckles: “IS SHE GONNA GO UP TOP???”), only to get caught by Kay. That earns Kay a super Soul Food (Eat Defeat) for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Match of the night here by a pretty wide margin and a lot of that is due to the two of them having a story coming in. I get that you can’t do that in a tournament with a bunch of fresh names (not a criticism, just a reality) but it helps so much to have even something like this. There’s a reason for them to be fighting each other like this and that made the match a lot easier to get into. Good match, and one of the best of the tournament so far.

Overall Rating: C. Totally watchable show this week with nothing terribly bad (Kaitlyn vs. Devi was short enough to get by) and a good main event. We’ve only got a week left of the opening round and the shows being about an hour each make them easy to sit through. After next week we can move on to the better matches, which is where a lot of the fun is in a tournament. This year’s edition has been perfectly fine so far and that’s a good result for something like this, which can go in either direction.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re on Wednesdays now and officially no longer live as this was taped on Tuesday night before Smackdown, therefore making the show much closer to what it should have been a long time ago. Things are getting better, though the lack of people sticking around for the show is about as bad of a sign as you can have. Hopefully things can get better this time around and a Cruiserweight Title match between champion Cedric Alexander and Drew Gulak could help that effort. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at the Summerslam Kickoff Show match between Alexander and Gulak, with the latter saying Cedric won’t get lucky again in their rematch tonight. Gulak had to create some chaos to get the match made but it eventually worked.

Opening sequence.

There are still a bunch of empty seats in the lower arena. From what I’ve heard though, this was due to WWE not announcing that the show would be starting earlier. Most Smackdowns I’ve been to start at 7:30, and if this taping started at 7:00, you can’t imagine many fans were going to be there for the start of the show. Well done WWE, again.

TJP vs. Lince Dorado

Dorado takes him down to start as the cameras try to avoid the mostly empty seats opposite the hard camera. An early armbar has TJP in trouble so he armdrags Dorado and tells him to stay down. That earns TJP a slap to the face and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but TJP is right back with a guillotine choke over the ropes. A high crossbody doesn’t even warrant a cover as TJP would rather hammer away instead. You don’t see him get angry like that too often.

A Pentagon arm snap still isn’t enough for a cover as TJP dropkicks him in the back instead. The slingshot hilo sets up some rolling suplexes for two as the Eddie Guerrero tribute begins. We hit the armbar as the fans get behind Dorado (“LET’S GO LUCHA!” Close enough.), bringing him back to his feet. The comeback is cut off by a springboard spinning forearm but Dorado spinwheel kicks him right back. A single overhand chop puts TJP down again and Dorado gets two off a moonsault press. With nothing else working, TJP pulls the mask off and rolls the shocked Dorado up for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. I’m getting tired of the pull the mask off pin as it’s become a cliché in a luchador match anymore. TJP cheating to win makes sense but put your feet on the ropes or do something that isn’t done so often. Not a bad match and you can imagine that TJP will now face the rest of Lucha House Party, which seems to be a rite of passage on this show anymore.

TJP steals the noisemaker and Dorado chases him to the back.

Lio Rush comes in to see Drake Maverick and says he can’t wrestle tonight because he has commitments with Bobby Lashley on Monday Night Raw. That’s not cool with Drake, who says Rush has to fulfill his obligations here. Rush brings up Drake being AOP’s manager, which Drake brushes off. Rush vs. Noam Dar is set for next week and there will be consequences if Rush doesn’t wrestle.

Post break Mustafa Ali comes in to see Drake as well and wants to face Hideo Itami. Drake is worried but agrees to make the match for next week.

Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak vs. Cedric Alexander

Gulak is challenging and has Jack Gallagher and Brian Kendrick in his corner. The fans (who are now filling in the seats) are behind Cedric here, which isn’t the biggest surprise in the world. Feeling out process to start as the announcers go into a discussion of Super Show-Down as this match really doesn’t mean much. An early Kendrick distraction lets Gulak try the Gulock but Cedric dives for the ropes. A lockup doesn’t go anywhere as they’re still mostly in first gear.

Alexander starts speeding things up as commentary actually gets the idea right here by having Percy set up Nigel for some expert analysis on what it’s like to be either challenging or defending in a title match. The referee catches Kendrick cheating though and ejects both him and Gallagher to get us down to one on one. The now focused Alexander takes over with an armbar and a stomp to the arm for good measure. Alexander’s springboard DDT is countered into a high collar suplex and Gulak takes over for the first time.

Back in and Gulak gets sent into the corner for a running kick to the face, followed by the springboard clothesline for two. The Lumbar Check is countered into a small package so Alexander Neuralizes him out to the floor. Gulak is right back up and grabs the Gulock, sending Alexander to the ropes. The champ is rocked though and Gulak slams him a few times. Some trash talk sets up a running clothesline for two but Alexander flips out of a powerbomb.

A Michinoku Driver gets two and Cedric starts firing off the hard chops (the sweat flying is always a nice touch). Cedric charges into a boot in the corner though and Gulak GOES UP TOP for a clothesline and a near fall of his own. The Gulock with the bodyscissors goes on in the middle of the ring and the fans really don’t react. They clap Alexander out of the hold for a few seconds but Gulak gets it back on, only to have Cedric flip out and hit the Death Valley Driver into the corner for the real break. They chop it out again and Cedric elbows him in the jaw, setting up the Lumbar Check to retain at 20:16.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match with two guys seeing who was willing to go further to walk out as champion. That being said, this more or less ends Gulak as a threat to the title as there’s nowhere else for him to go now that Alexander got out of the Gulock three times in a single match. Alexander almost has to lose to Murphy in Australia now though as there’s no one left for him to beat at the moment. There are some people who could get there, but they’re not ready yet.

Buddy Murphy says Alexander’s winning streak is impressive but seeing the Age of Alexander crash down is going to be even better.

Overall Rating: B-. Much like this week’s NXT, the one big match is more than enough to carry the show. There’s nothing else on the show that really matters and while the idea of another person running the Lucha House Party gauntlet doesn’t do much for me, it’s nice to have TJP featured even more. The show was fine because of the main event, but that’s all there is to see here. Again though: that’s not a bad thing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: September 18, 2018
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Michael Cole, Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back with season two of this shindig, which should be a lot of fun. The first season saw some rather entertaining matches and moments as it turned out that some teams had some actual chemistry together. This season is a little different though as we have a round robin format this time around as opposed to a single elimination tournament. Let’s get to it.

Since the tournament is a round robin format, the Raw and Smackdown teams won’t cross over until the finals, hence the Raw/Smackdown division names.

The announcers teach us how to use Facebook, as in the way we’re watching the show in the first place. That always makes me chuckle.

Raw Division: Braun Strowman/Ember Moon vs. Kevin Owens/Natalya

Moon is replacing the injured Alexa Bliss, who will get her spot back once she’s healthy. The men start and Owens immediately begs off from Strowman before handing it off to Moon instead. That means the women take it to the mat as Renee tries to remember the Team Pawz thing. Hang on though as Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal ARE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!

Back to the ring with Owens screaming that Natalya can’t let Moon tag. Moon cartwheels, with Owens praising her for being eight years old. A powerbomb sets up a Sharpshooter on Moon but Strowman makes a save and tags himself in. Panicking ensues in a hurry and the house cleaning comes just as quickly.

Owens gets knocked to the floor and Strowman does the run around the ring to knock Owens over. A second attempt runs into a superkick though and Owens throws him over the announcers’ table for a nine count. Back in and Natalya tags herself in to break up the powerslam, only to have Moon take her down in a hurry. Moon climbs onto Strowman’s shoulders for the Eclipse (dang) and the pin at 7:25.

Rating: C. Now this is the kind of thing I was hoping for from this show. It’s nothing great and was far from a mat classic, but the people were having fun and it played off the history that Owens and Strowman already have. Throw in the awesome looking finish and that’s really all you need to have. Good start to the season.

Sasha Banks and Bobby Lashley laugh off the idea of Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal. Well yeah, as they should.

Mahal tries to teach Fox about inner peace with expected results.

Smackdown Division: Jimmy Uso/Naomi vs. AJ Styles/Charlotte

The guys start with AJ wrestling in a shirt for some reason. A feeling out process goes nowhere and it’s an early standoff. They catch kicks to the ribs at the same time and shake hands, which neither is willing to release. Naomi comes in and snaps her fingers at Charlotte which means….I have no idea actually. Charlotte kicks her down and struts a lot so Naomi grabs a springboard sunset flip for two.

They also do the caught kicks and handshake (at the same time in this case) until Naomi kicks her out to the floor. Naomi’s dive is caught by AJ and that’s not cool with Jimmy. Charlotte dives onto both of them but Naomi kicks her in the head to take over. Back in and the split legged moonsault misses, allowing Charlotte to hit the moonsault for two.

It’s back to the men with AJ cleaning house but the Styles Clash is reversed into a Samoan drop. Everything breaks down and Charlotte puts Jimmy in the Figure Eight, only to have Naomi dive in for the save. AJ breaks that up but takes the Rear View, leaving Naomi to get kicked in the face. The Figure Eight makes Naomi tap at 9:43.

Rating: C-. While not as fun as the previous match (there’s no reason to believe that AJ and Charlotte are going to lose for a LONG time), there was enough to keep things going here. Naomi has more charisma than she knows what to do with and having her out there with her husband is really all you can expect her to do. It’s certainly not bad and the match was perfectly watchable, which is perfectly fine.

Post match the winners celebrate, although with AJ tripping and taking Charlotte down with him.

Miz and Asuka are ready for next week.

R-Truth is ready to beat Carmella next week, though he eventually realizes they’re partners.

Overall Rating: C. This is exactly what made the previous season work: keeping the matches short, not having any real hatred or anger between the teams and being much more lighthearted. That’s the big draw of the show. So much of WWE is deadly serious and it’s nice to see these characters in a more laid back atmosphere. That offers a little change of pace, along with the show being in and out in a hurry. Nothing great, but it was exactly what it was billed as being.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 13, 2018
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s the go home show for Hell in a Cell and that means some clips of the big pushes from Raw and Smackdown. This really is a week where they could just drop the original matches altogether but that doesn’t exactly seem to be in the cards. You can probably guess what we’re getting tonight but that makes for some interesting television at times. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ember Moon vs. Dana Brooke

Now remember: this is the IMPROVED Brooke. Dana takes her into the corner without much effort and a few rollups get a few near falls. A test of strength goes to Brooke until Moon fights up without much effort. Some shoulders in the corner set up a knee to the ribs for two.

More knees set up a bodyscissors but Moon fights up and nips into a hurricanrana. That just earns her the handspring elbow in the corner and we hit the abdominal stretch, first on the mat and then the standing version. The springboard crossbody gets Moon out of trouble, only to have Brooke enziguri her into the corner. That means a roll into the buckle though and the Eclipse gives Moon the pin at 5:23.

Rating: D. Brooke just isn’t very good and there’s not much of a way around that anymore. She tries but it’s a situation where she’s not going to get any better being fed to these big names. The solution would be to send her down to NXT for a good while, but WWE isn’t one to change course, even on someone as low on the totem pole as her.

Video on Rousey vs. Bliss.

From Raw.

Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre vs. B Team

The B Team is challenging. Ziggler and Dallas start things off with Bo hitting an early neckbreaker for two. Axel comes in and slugs away as we take a break. Back with McIntyre working on an armbar before stomping on Axel’s hand. A superkick into a reverse Alabama Slam gives McIntyre two but Axel catapults Ziggler into the corner. Everything breaks down and Ziggler rakes Dallas’ eyes, setting up the Zig Zag/Claymore combination to retain at 8:48.

Rating: D. The B Team are still comedy guys and there’s still no reason to believe that Ziggler and McIntyre shouldn’t slaughter them. They were fine for what they were as short form comedy goofs but they were designed to lose huge to a better team. There’s nothing wrong with that, but this match should have been what the title change was: near if not complete and utter dominance.

Post match Ambrose and Rollins run in to beat down Ziggler and McIntyre, who bail before McIntyre can get Stomped.

Video on Charlotte vs. Lynch.

From Smackdown.

Brie Bella vs. Maryse

Brie now has the Seattle Seahawks colors too. Maryse bails to the floor at the bell and Miz gives her a good luck kiss. Back in and Maryse hides in the ropes before heading outside again. Brie grabs the mic and calls Maryse a coward. Feel the burn I guess. Miz doesn’t like this and talks about how Maryse gave birth just five months ago. This city doesn’t deserve this match so Miz and Maryse are out. Brie chases Maryse down and sends her into the apron but Bryan going after Miz lets Maryse get in a kick to the head for two. The YES Lock has Maryse in trouble but Miz pulls Brie out for the DQ at 4:40.

Rating: N/A. I don’t use that very often but this wasn’t a match. They “wrestled” for about twenty seconds near the end of their angle and that’s about it. I know WWE might be a little worried about the two of them wrestling, but if that’s the case they shouldn’t be in the main event of this show. Now we’re going to have to hear even more about how much of a legend Brie is, but at last Nikki’s match last night was a match as opposed to this angle that they tried to call a match.

Post match the brawl is on with Bryan running Brie over by mistake. Maryse sends Brie into the apron a few times but Brie comes back with her terrible punches. Bryan gets back in and takes Miz down with Brie punching him into a clothesline to the floor to end the show.

Zack Ryder vs. Apollo Crews

They shake hands before the feeling out process starts. Crews takes over with a wristlock but Ryder dropkicks him into the corner without much effort. Back up and Crews flips away in the corner, followed by a dropkick of his own to show Ryder who the better athlete is. A slingshot dive sets up a chinlock until Ryder jawbreaks his way to freedom. Stereo crossbodies give us a double knockdown with Crews getting up first.

Some clotheslines set up a powerslam to put Ryder in trouble again, followed by the nipup just to show off. A low bridge to the floor lets Ryder hit a dropkick from the apron though, followed by the Elbro for two. Ryder’s neckbreaker looks to set up the Broski Boot but Crews is out of the way and Ryder is in trouble again. An enziguri sets up a frog splash to finish Ryder at 8:32.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of what can happen when you let talented performers work. How much input do you think the higher ups had in this match? Other than “Apollo you’re going over with something from the top”, do you really think an agent gave them many instructions? These are two talented guys and they had a very nice match. It’s not going to get them anywhere, but hopefully someone took some notice of the work they put in.

From Smackdown.

Samoa Joe reads a bedtime story (complete with book) about AJ Styles, who built a house but then forgot his friends who helped get him there. One of his friends promised to make things better by beating Styles up, which leads them to Sunday where AJ will get to go back to his family. After he wakes up of course. The last shot of the book is Joe as champion with Styles’ family for a rather evil visual.

The rhyming here was a good idea as they’ve done some solid work with the promos leading up to the match. It’s amazing how much you get out of switching up a few things like this. The best part is they can back it up in the ring, which is the part that lacks in so many of these well built feuds.

And from Raw.

Here’s Strowman to call out Reigns. No one shows up and Strowman says Reigns won’t be able to run on Sunday. Strowman will get his hands on Reigns and then hurt Foley far worse than Undertaker ever did. Reigns pops up on the announcers’ table so Strowman goes after him, earning himself a Samoan drop off said table through part of the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Oh yeah this was WAY better and that’s not exactly surprising. WWE is still high quality television when they cut out all their other nonsense and given how much nonsense there is to cut out, Main Event is often the best choice for a go home show. They covered all of the big stories in one swoop and gave us a snappy Crews vs. Ryder match too. Not bad at all.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 12, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Beth Phoenix, Renee Young

This isn’t really a show that needs much of an introduction. There are four matches on each episode and you might have heard of some of the women before. We’re still a good way off from the finals or even the later rounds but that doesn’t mean what we’re getting isn’t any good. I had a fine time with the first week so hopefully this lives up to that standard. 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 show.

Preview of tonight’s matches.

Opening sequence.

The announcers take some time to explain a little bit about Mae Young. Not the worst idea actually.

All matches are first round matches.

Priscilla Kelly likes to play mind games and then strike.

Deonna Purrazzo was an alternate last year and is ready to prove herself for real this time. She’s a new NXT regular so you can imagine where things are going here.

Samoa Joe is here.

Priscilla Kelly vs. Deonna Purrazzo

You can tell Vince isn’t paying attention as Cole calls Purrazzo a wrestler. Kelly looks a bit Elvira-ish, which works to a certain degree. Apparently she was also on three episodes of “My Big Fat Roman Gypsy Wedding.” I have no idea what to do with this information so we’ll move on to Kelly snapmaring her down but getting caught in a wristlock. Purrazzo bounces out of a headscissors on the mat and it’s already a standoff.

A rollup gives Purrazzo two and Kelly is getting annoyed at the speed. It’s too early for the Fujiwara armbar so Kelly chops away in the corner. A running knee gives Kelly two and it’s off to a dragon sleeper. Purrazzo gets a boot up in the corner and chops away, followed by a backflip into a basement dropkick. Kelly is rocked and the Fujiwara armbar (with Purrazzo bouncing up and down on the mat to crank on it more) makes her tap at 4:27.

Rating: C. The match was fine, albeit never in doubt, but it mainly served as a showcase for Purrazzo. She might not be the best in the world (though she’s quite good) but she has an obvious likability to her and that makes her fun to watch. There’s a real chance of her making a pretty deep run in this thing. Kelly was reminiscent of Paige and that’s not a bad place to be. She’ll get better with time.

Purrazzo is in tears over the win. That makes things even better.

Aerial Monroe is proud of her muscles and she’s different from everyone else. I’d love to hear someone say they’re like everyone else for a change.

Zeuxis is a luchador and that’s about it.

Natalya is here. She’s standing in front of Izzy but that isn’t even acknowledged.

Zeuxis vs. Aerial Monroe

Monroe dances to the ring and her husband and daughter are here. That’s a little more noteworthy when you consider that her husband is Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander. Aerial isn’t happy with Zeuxis going after her hair, threatening to pop her in the mouth. A few clotheslines miss and Monroe knees her in the face(ish) for two. Zeuxis ges for the hair again so Aerial chops her down. Fans: “YOU GOT CHOPPED!” Well yeah, that’s kind of obvious.

Cole reads off more of his factoids as the match itself is ignored because we need to get these personalities over. An abdominal stretch has Aerial in trouble as Beth tries to actually talk about the match. A fish hook camel clutch, with more hair touching, keeps Aerial in trouble. Aerial is right back with a delayed kick to the face and a running Downward Spiral. Zeuxis doesn’t seem to mind and catches Aerial on top with a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: D+. The wrestling wasn’t great to put it mildly here and Zeuxis seemed like a pretty standard villain. Aerial certainly has some charisma and a unique look but she’s going to need a bit more than that to make it work. I wasn’t particularly impressed by either of them here, though Io Shirai is going to kill Zeuxis in round two anyway.

Aerial’s daughter is crying over the loss. Well that works.

Reina Gonzalez is a rather big (as in tall) woman who lost in last year’s tournament. She won’t be as nice this year.

Kacy Catanzaro is a tiny little thing who was a success on American Ninja Warrior. She sounds like the face version of Alexa Bliss and that’s not the best thing in the world.

Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan are here.

Kacy Catanzaro vs. Reina Gonzalez

Kacy is very bubbly and climbs the post to get in the ring. Makes sense and a nice little touch. Cole instead talks about how USA Today broke the news that Kacy would be in the tournament, because EVERYONE CARES ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT. Kacy is 5’ and 100lbs, putting her only at Reina’s shoulder. For some reason Kacy decides to charge right at her and gets swung around by the neck.

Kacy scores with a headscissors and tries another, only to be reversed into a hard backbreaker. Apparently Reina has been VERY annoyed at all of the attention on Kacy. Like, the attention from USA Today! A hard forearm to the back drops Kacy again but an elbow misses. Some dropkicks to the knee have Reina reeling and a middle rope springboard dropkick gets two. A quick victory roll gives Kacy the pin at 4:47.

Rating: D+. I know Kacy is going to get the hype and I can understand why, but Reina is someone who has earned a contract of her own. Sometimes you just need a big woman who can make others look small and that’s what they had here. Kacy is as charismatic as you can get but being Rey Mysterio’s size isn’t going to do her any favors.

Post match Reina puts Kacy on her shoulder.

Mercedes Martinez made the semifinals last year and isn’t here to lose. Well I would hope that’s the case every year.

Ashley Rayne (Madison Rayne) is high energy but things can get under her skin. There are some clips from TNA but just the photographer is credited.

The Undisputed Era is here.

Ashley Rayne vs. Mercedes Martinez

In case you were wondering, Newsweek broke the news that Mercedes would be in the tournament. You know, like she was last year. Mercedes cranks on the arm to start and puts on an early chinlock. Back up and something almost like a One Winged Angel (just lifting her up instead of on the shoulder) rocks Rayne for two and it’s off to a double underhook stretch. The announcers talk about Martinez’s tattoos until Rayne makes it to the corner but can’t hit a tornado DDT.

A very delayed vertical suplex puts Rayne down for two but she’s fine enough to reverse the second into an RKO (called a neckbreaker). Martinez gets two more off a spinebuster so Rayne comes back with some forearms and a neckbreaker. An actual neckbreaker that is and not a cutter. Cross Rhodes gets two and Martinez’ fisherman’s buster is reversed into a small package for the same. Martinez is done with the TNA reject though and knees her in the face, setting up the fisherman’s buster for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C. Easily the match of the night here but that’s probably due to Rayne being more used to the higher level of competition. The match still wasn’t great but Martinez is a great choice to push in the tournament as she looks like someone who could take out anyone at any given time. That being said, you would have expected a little more than a first round loss from Rayne, who was one of the higher level names in the whole thing.

Overall Rating: D. This was a hard one to get through and I was rather bored at different times. The wrestling wasn’t very good and the main event was the only match worth seeing. Other than that, the whole thing felt like a bunch of people who were just there because they were being included because they already worked for the company or because they needed to fill in spots. Pretty weak show, but you can never guess the quality when it comes to a tournament.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: September 11, 2018
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Vic Joseph

We continue to build towards the Cruiserweight Title match between Champion Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy, though there’s also Drew Gulak running around, which could mean a few things. There’s a chance we’ll see another title match between now and the Australia show and that might be a little more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening card rundown.

Opening sequence.

There are still a lot of empty seats but it’s a far better situation than last week.

Buddy Murphy vs. Gran Metalik

They trade some very early and non-near falls to start and we have a standoff. Metalik knocks him to the floor but Murphy ducks the baseball slide and punches him in the face. That goes nowhere and Metalik hits a moonsault off the top to take Murphy down again. Back in and Murphy sends him face first into the post to set up the chinlock.

That doesn’t do much so Murphy puts him on the top, earning himself a sunset bomb for a big crash as Murphy is in trouble. A reverse Sling Blade (more of a bulldog than a clothesline) sets up a springboard back elbow for two but the Metalik Driver isn’t happening. Murphy crotches him on top and hits a double powerbomb for two of his own.

An exchange of kicks to the face sets up the Metalik Driver for two and they’re both in trouble. Metalik tweaks his knee on a backflip though and Murphy knees him in the head. Wouldn’t it make more sense to knee him in the knee? Either way it sets up Murphy’s Law for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C. I’m pretty much over watching any combination of Murphy/Tony Nese fighting with the Lucha House Party but who else is Murphy supposed to beat up before he gets his title shot in Melbourne? The match was perfectly watchable but they were stuck underneath a firm ceiling and that was obvious here.

Post match Murphy says that’s one step closer to the title at Super Show-Down.

Mustafa Ali has been medically cleared to return to the ring.

We look back at Ali’s medical issues, which have put him somewhat at odds with Drake Maverick.

Cedric Alexander comes in to see Ali. After pleasantries are exchanged, Alexander mentions that he’s teaming with Akira Tozawa tonight. Tozawa is rather intimidating.

Mustafa Ali vs. Michael Thompson

Before the match, here’s Hideo Itami to interrupt and speak some Japanese to Ali. Actually he missed Ali and hopes that he’s feeling better. Ali chops away to start and hits the rolling X Factor. Looking up at Itami doesn’t matter much as it’s the tornado DDT into the 054 for the pin at 1:45. Well Ali is back.

Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher come in to see Maverick before their main event tag match tonight. Other than a threat of having the AOP destroy them if they talk about the AOP again, there’s nothing to see here.

Noam Dar makes fun of how Lio Rush talks.

Rush tells Dar to keep his name out of his mouth.

Rush vs. Dar next week.

Cedric Alexander/Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak/Jack Gallagher

Gulak and Alexander start things off but the threat of an early Lumbar Check sends Gulak into the corner. Gallagher comes in and starts on Alexander’s wrist but Tozawa comes in to fire off some chops. We settle down to Tozawa getting something like an Octopus Hold on Gulak until Gallagher comes in for a double slam to take over.

An uppercut stops Tozawa’s comeback cold and Gallagher is smart enough to draw Cedric in, allowing more clubberin. A kick to the ribs allows the hot tag off to Alexander a few seconds later though, setting up the Neuralizer for two on Gallagher. Everything breaks down and Gulak gets kicked to the floor, leaving Gallagher to hit the running corner dropkick for two on Alexander.

Gulak is back in for a running clothesline/leg kick combination for the same near fall. Cedric avoids a double suplex though and Tozawa tags himself in to clean house with the kicks. The top rope backsplash misses though and Gallagher’s headbutt sets up the Gulock for the tap at 12:32.

Post match Maverick says Gulak gets his title shot next week.

Overall Rating: C. This show really does go by the strength of its Cruiserweight Title matches. Therefore, this week’s show wasn’t all that great, mainly due to there not being much of note. The end of the show announcement did help though and that’s going to make next week’s show a little more interesting. There’s a chance that they’ll have Gulak take the title via cheating as a transitional champion to Murphy, which could keep Cedric strong for later. Or they’ll just have Gulak lose again because the Australia show is more important than the week to week show. You never can tell around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 5, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Beth Phoenix, Renee Young

Well it worked the first time. This is the first episode of the second edition of the tournament and this year’s version is being shown a little differently. Instead of having big batches of four episodes at a time, it’s a weekly show every Wednesday after NXT, which is probably a better idea. I’ve done my best to avoid spoilers here so let’s get to it.

All matches are first round matches.

We open with a look at last week’s tournament, with Kairi Sane defeating Shayna Baszler in the finals. Various women talk about how important it is to win the second tournament.

Opening sequence.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

Zatara is a masked wrestler from Chile. She wants to show the world how great her country can be and says she’s smart.

Tegan Nox (better known as Nixon Newell) is from Wales and is influenced by Molly Holly, who did things no one else was doing. She was supposed to be involved last year but tore her ACL.

Tegan Nox vs. Zatara

They fight over a wristlock to start with Zatara’s kicks to the leg not keeping Nox down. A dropkick sends Zatara out to the floor and a slow motion 619 makes her duck. Back in and Zatara takes Nox down by the knee and puts on some cross between a Figure Four and an Indian deathlock. Nox dives over to the rope and limps/runs for an uppercut in the corner. A high crossbody gives Nox two but a missile dropkick sends her sprawling. Zatara misses a dropkick to the back though and a Shining Wizard gives Nox the pin at 6:11.

Rating: C. Not much of a match but Nox has all the star power she could ever need. This was a nice introduction to her and the story of being injured last year is really easy to get behind. Zatara was fine, though she felt a bit like a stock villain, especially with the mask. They didn’t do much here other than getting the tournament’s feet wet and that’s fine.

Ember Moon and Alexa Bliss are here.

Rhea Ripley is from Australia and is much more serious after losing last year.

MJ Jenkins has big hair, talks about herself in the third person and is from New York.

Rhea Ripley vs. MJ Jenkins

Ripley impressed me last year and has every tool that you could want in a future WWE star. Jenkins likes to shake her hips a lot and Ripley won’t shake hands. An early armdrag takes Ripley down but she dropkicks Jenkins to the floor. The fans are WAY behind Ripley here and a hard clothesline gets two. A delayed suplex gets two and the abdominal stretch, with an elbow to the ribs, has Jenkins in trouble.

The announcers talk about Ripley being a huge Miz fan, which they agree that Miz can never know about. Jenkins fights up (with Renee being VERY happy) with an elbow and shoulder block, followed by a roundhouse kick from the apron. A missile dropkick gets two on Ripley but she ducks another kick to the head, setting up a sitout pumphandle slam for the pin on Jenkins at 6:40.

Rating: C. Jenkins wasn’t bad here but much like the opener, it was clear who was getting the star push here and that’s the right way to go with something like this. Ripley is clearly going to be someone WWE wants to push the heck out of and when you have her size and look, there’s not much of a reason to disagree. It’s quite a change of pace from last year and hopefully we get to see more of her in the future.

Vanessa Kraven says she looks like a monster but has a sweet playful side.

Lacey Lane wants to prove how awesome women can be compared to men and she’s inspired by the Dudleys.

Lio Rush is here.

Vanessa Kraven vs. Lacey Lane

Lane is the hometown girl and Cole thinks she’s the wildcard pick to win the whole thing. You’ve seen five out of thirty two dude. Calm down. Kraven is 6’2 and 200lbs so she’s got quite the size advantage over the pretty small Lane. Lane has to move around to start but her crucifix attempt is shrugged off. Some forearms in the corner have no effect so Lane kicks her in the head for some more success. A double springboard wristdrag sends Kraven to the floor and Lane cartwheels on the apron to kick her in the head again.

That kind of offense can’t last forever though as Kraven catches her and drops Lane face first onto the apron. Back in and a cannonball crushes Lane for two, followed by an over the shoulder backbreaker to make things even worse. Lane kicks her way out and hits a jawbreaker into a low superkick. A spinning side slam gives Kraven two as the fans are behind Lane. It seems to work quite well as a quick crucifix bomb gives Lane the surprise pin at 4:50.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as Lane winning felt a little forced and I didn’t get behind her like the crowd did. It also didn’t help that the announcers kept pushing the David vs. Goliath story. Not terrible, but it wasn’t much to see and Lane feels like a rather manufactured feel good underdog story.

Natalya is thrilled to be here and picks Mia Yim or Io Shirai to win.

Meiko Satomura wrestled on Nitro when she was 16 and has never given up on her dream. Now she’s the grizzled veteran wanting one last shot.

Killer Kelly (who was on some of the UK specials) is from Portugal and has an MMA background which will carry her far.

Meiko Satomura vs. Killer Kelly

Satomura is a legend and Kelly was inspired by Kane. Meiko kicks at the leg to start as the announcers drool over her. Back up and a headlock keeps Kelly in trouble and works on the knee to keep an escaping Kelly down. The headlock goes on again but this time Kelly fights her way out for a bicycle kick. Satomura pulls her straight back down into a heck of an STF but Kelly is next to the ropes for the break, though she looks terrified.

Some hard kicks to the chest have Kelly in trouble and all she can do is take them. A suplex gives Kelly a breather so Meiko cartwheels into a double kick to the back. Meiko heads up top but Kelly catches her and pulls it down into a dragon sleeper in the Tree of Woe for a rather painful looking visual. A running basement dropkick sets up a fisherman’s suplex for two on Meiko as the fans think this is awesome. Fair enough actually. Back up and Meiko scores with a Pele kick and a hard Death Valley Driver for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: B-. Easily the match of the night here due to Satomura being treated as a legend (well deserved). That makes these things feel so much more important and it’s nice to see someone being presented as a top star. Kelly had some promise here but there was no way she was winning this one.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly watchable show, which is always the case for these shows. The tournament offers a look at some competition you haven’t seen before and that makes for some fun shows. It’s way too early to guess who is going to win the thing and that’s the point of a long form tournament like this. Good start though and this should be an easy watch every week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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