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.
Rating: C.- Nia and Corbin are the kind of people who need to just go away for awhile. They just got done with some terrible stories and feuds but they’re still trotted out there every week with the fans getting more and more sick of them every time. Eventually they kill the show whenever they appear because the fans don’t want to boo them but rather just not see them at all. WWE keeps at it anyway, because even though they have the huge roster, they don’t want to start anything new but rather keep doing the same stuff over and over again, to worse and worse returns.
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:
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:
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:
https://www.wwe.com/article/mean-gene-okerlund-passes-away?sf205241548=1
Oh come on now. You can’t take away Mean Gene. This one hurts as he was one of those guys that was always around back in the day and would still pop up every now and then. I got to meet him at Axxess in 2016 and apparently he thought my wife was attractive. I was flattered…..I think. Hopefully this isn’t a trend for the year.
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: December 27, 2018
Host: Scott Stanford
It’s another one of these recap shows this week…and I need to be more specific on that one. In this case there isn’t any original wrestling, though that’s to be expected when they had two shows taped in a single night. That’s probably best given the circumstances and the show was such a breeze last week. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Stanford welcomes us to the show in the studio, which isn’t something you see too often anymore.
From Raw.
Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
Miracle on 34th Street Fight so there are weapons around the ring, including Christmas trees. Lashley fires off shoulders in the corner to start until they head outside with Elias hitting him with a Christmas tree. Elias knocks him down again and we take a break. Back with Lio Rush helping put Elias in trouble and Lashley loads up a present. They come back in with Lashley throwing him in an overhead belly to belly and pouring out….Legos. Well that’s different. Not unique as I saw it done earlier this year, but different indeed.
Lashley loads up a superplex that wouldn’t put Rollins on the Legos whatsoever so Rollins shoves him onto them instead. A blast from a fire extinguisher blinds Lashley and he knocks Rush off the apron through a table. Another shot to the ribs with the fire extinguisher sets up the old Al Snow bowling ball to the crotch spot. Elias hits him with a cello for the pin at 12:36.
Rating: C-. It’s a tradition and I can’t get mad about it, but am I supposed to believe that the feud is over now? I don’t see why I should, as the ladder match should have ended things but this kept going anyway. The brawling was fine, but it’s not like this means anything more than the previous matches. It’s nice for Elias to win though, even if almost no one is going to see it.
From Raw again.
Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor vs. Dolph Ziggler
Before the match, Drew talks about not being worried because he’s a mountain lion. If the other two get in his way, he’s not worried to kick their heads off. After he gets done with this, he’s moving on to the Royal Rumble so he can main event Wrestlemania (becoming the first entrant).
Drew cleans house to start and knocks both of them into the corner, only to charge into a shot to the face both times. McIntyre gets sent outside and both guys join him, where Drew sends them into various hard objects as we take a break. Back with Balor caught in an armbar and then suplexing Ziggler into an armbar of his own. The big headbutt sends Ziggler back to the floor but Balor knocks Drew down.
The Coup de Grace misses though and Balor rolls through, right into a Zig Zag for two. Balor knocks Ziggler outside again and tries another Coup de Grace, only to get crotched by Ziggler. A superkick drops McIntyre for two with Balor finally hitting the Coup de Grace for the save. McIntyre gets dropkicked to the floor, leaving Balor to hit the Coup de Grace to put Ziggler away at 11:39.
Rating: C-. I’m completely done with seeing these three fight and while it’s better that McIntyre didn’t take the fall, he shouldn’t be toiling with these people. He should be going after the World Title, but since that doesn’t exist and we CAN’T switch people from one show to another save or at designated times, this is as good as he gets. At least Balor got the pin, which is the second best option.
Post match McIntyre yells at Ziggler for ruining things and gets Zig Zagged. So yes, it’s still going and we’ll be seeing them fight again.
From Raw, again.
Women’s Title: Natalya vs. Ronda Rousey
Rousey is defending. Natalya spins out of an early wristlock attempt but Rousey takes her to the mat without much effort. An early side triangle choke attempt doesn’t quite work as Natalya slips out to grab a waistlock. That’s reversed into a bodyscissors for a bit until Ronda sends her outside in a heap. Ronda looks concerned about her friend as we take a break.
Back with Rousey in trouble and Natalya making things worth with a bodyscissors of her own. The chinlock doesn’t last long and gives Natalya two, with the kickout seeming to just annoy her. An abdominal stretch, with Natalya picking up a leg, makes things even worse for Rousey. Since that’s a hard position to hold, Natalya goes with a dropkick for two. A delayed suplex gets the same and Rousey looks shaken in the corner.
It’s a clothesline to get Rousey out of trouble and she unloads in the corner. A running knee gives Rousey two but Natalya is right back with a Sharpshooter attempt. That’s reversed into Piper’s Pit but Rousey takes too long, allowing Natalya to get the Sharpshooter. With Natalya trying to bring it back to the middle though, Rousey reverses into an armbar for the tap at 15:43, nearly letting go so fast that Natalya hadn’t tapped yet.
Rating: C+. Match of the night so far, but I didn’t quite buy Natalya as having a real change of winning. Maybe it’s her inability to be good with the emotional side of things or the fact that her push has focused on the memory of Jim Neidhart, but this wasn’t exactly thrilling. Rousey did a good job with showing that she didn’t want to hurt her friend, which could help set up an eventual rematch.
From Smackdown.
It’s time for MizTV, with the Best in the World trophy in the ring with him. Miz wastes no time in bringing out Shane McMahon as his guest. Shane says the new mandate from the company is to listen to the fans (less than 24 hours after Baron Corbin main evented Raw) so Miz brings up Paige being removed from power. That’s dropped in a hurry so Miz says there are four McMahon’s (three and a HHH actually) in power so Shane should have more time to form the best tag team ever with Miz.
See, this is all about Miz’s father. Miz lists off his resume and says he’s never heard his father say he’s proud of him. Then it was the Best in the World, where his father said that Shane was something else. Miz’s dad usually likes the high fliers so Miz was confused. Shane is the kind of guy who will put his life on the line and that got Miz’s attention. Miz needs to team with Shane to make his father proud and Shane should do it since this is the land of opportunity. Shane agrees, but says Miz better not screw him. They hold up the trophy to wrap things up. I’m scared of where this is going.
From Smackdown.
AJ Styles runs into Vince McMahon in the back, where Vince asks who AJ is. AJ lists off his monikers but Vince wants to know why AJ wasn’t wrestling in the house that he built. Vince wants the real AJ Styles and knows that AJ has a tormented soul. If AJ can harness his aggression, the animal inside him can get out. That’s what Vince wants to see so he slaps AJ, who beats Vince down. Agents break it up and Vince seems very happy.
From Smackdown, again.
US Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
Rusev is challenging. Nakamura, in a full body suit again, takes Rusev into the corner to start but gets taken down by some running clotheslines. An early triangle choke sends Rusev bailing to the floor and we take a break. Back with Nakamura grabbing a cravate to keep Rusev in trouble. A suplex gets Rusev out of trouble but Nakamura kicks him right back down. The stomps on the back of the neck have Rusev in more trouble and Nakamura grabs a chinlock. Rusev gets up and heads to the apron but gets kicked outside as we take another break.
Back again with Nakamura getting two off a knee to the head. The front facelock goes on for a few moments until Rusev throws him off without too much trouble. Rusev gets two off a spinwheel kick and another kick to the face gets the same. They head outside with Nakamura sending him into the steps and hitting a middle rope knee to the face back inside.
Kinshasa is countered with the Machka Kick for two but Nakamura grabs another triangle. This one lasts a bit longer until Rusev eventually throws him off. Rusev misses a charge into the post and a knee to the head gives Nakamura two. A lariat turns Nakamura inside out and another Machka Kick gives Rusev the pin and the title at 22:45.
Rating: B. It’s about nine months late but I’m that Rusev finally won the title back. He’s been over all year and has seemed to be going in circles for months now. Nakamura continues his near downward spiral after all that time doing nothing, despite being US Champion for five months. Good match here, but these two are going in opposite directions.
And from Raw to wrap things up.
Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin
The week after the McMahons promise everything is what the fans want, Baron is main eventing the show. Seth unloads on him in the corner to start and knocks Corbin outside for the suicide dive. Back in and it’s way too early for the Stomp so Corbin bails, earning another dive. Corbin finally sends him outside and into the barricade as we take a break.
Back with Corbin hammering down on Rollins’ back and hitting the chinlock that you were all waiting to see. Rollins fights up and gets in a Blockbuster, followed by the Sling Blade. A Falcon Arrow gets two but the Stomp is countered into Deep Six. Rollins goes up top but the springboard clothesline is countered with a chokebreaker. That’s about it for Corbin’s offense though as Rollins kicks him in the ribs and hits the Stomp for the pin at 12:36.
Rating: C. And that’s completely it for Corbin, who will fade back into the midcard where he belongs and never darken the main event scene again right? That’s the logical path to take, so I’m sure it’s exactly what’s going to happen. The wrestling was fine but you could tell that everyone was spent and there isn’t much of a way around that. It was fine, but not exactly energized after the first few minutes.
Overall Rating: C. This show was a pretty good idea given how much else was going on last week. The timing couldn’t have gone worse for WWE with Raw and Smackdown being on the two big holidays and next week is going to go badly as well. I barely remembered a lot of this stuff so it was cool to get a fast paced reminder like this. Totally necessary show for once, which you don’t get to say that often around 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:
It’s been quite the year. With 2018 coming to a close, it’s time to look back at various things that WWE has done over the year. That’s what WWE has done and now we get to explain why they’re wrong.
In a series of articles and playlists, WWE has announced some of its bests of the year. Since we can’t have the Slammys anymore, this will have to do.
Match Of The Year – Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch, Last Woman Standing – Evolution
I get the idea here but with NXT matches included, this had to be something involving Johnny Gargano. Speaking of which, his match with Ciampa in Chicago is second, but the New Orleans match is nowhere to be seen. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt on that one and say that it’s a one match per feud deal.
Microphone Moment Of The Year – The YES Movement Is Dead – Daniel Bryan, Smackdown – November 20
Yeah I’ve got no issues here. This was one of the best done heel explanations I’ve seen in a long time. It’s not what Bryan said, but the way he said it. How bad would you imagine something like this to be? Bryan is one of the most popular wrestlers of this generation with one of the most chantable catchphrases but he managed to make the fans hate him all over again and shut them down like almost no one else can do. This was very impressive and worthy of the spot.
Debut Of The Year – Ronda Rousey
Oh come on like this was going to be anyone else. Rousey had been rumored for months and then finally showed up after the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble to shake things up that much more. She got a pop and a half and then turned out to be one of the best rookies anyone had ever seen. No one knew she would be this good and it all started with an awesome moment, including the worst pointing ever seen.
Return Of The Year – Rey Mysterio – Smackdown 1000
There weren’t a lot of options here and Mysterio’s return (both of them) worked fine. They’re going with the full time version here and that’s fine, with Mysterio being announced in advance instead of as the big surprise. I can go back and forth on that and either would have worked here. Mysterio is a big name star and having him show up made the show feel that much more important.
NXT Maneuver Of The Year – Adam Cole superkicks Ricochet out of the air – Takeover: Brooklyn IV
Ok so I completely short changed this one in the initial review as I saw it again on the highlight reel and EGADS this looked awesome. The timing it took to hit that so perfectly is straight up there with Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin, which is some pretty high praise. This was awesome and deserved way more credit than I gave it.
Just bring back the Slammys already.
I’ll be starting my awards next week, and this year I’ll be doing them far faster as I’ve taken forever to get them done in previous years.
IMG Credit: WWE
205 Live
Date: December 26, 2018
Hosts: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness
It’s time for a Best of 2018 show and, in a statement I never thought I’d say about any non-NXT show, where do you begin? There was some outstanding material on 205 Live over the last year and a lot of that could be packed into this show. You could have your pick of the matches here and that’s not something I’d have bet on a year ago. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
The hosts welcome us to the show and talk about Drake Maverick arriving to set up the Cruiserweight Title tournament.
From Wrestlemania.
Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali
The title is vacant coming in, Drake Maverick is at ringside and Ali is SubZero for some reason. Cedric shouts a lot and they shake hands for the sake of good sportsmanship. An exchange of shoulders goes to Cedric so Ali snaps off a hurricanrana for our first standoff. Back up and Cedric flips away to grab a headscissors, followed by a dropkick for two. Ali gets sent to the floor and taken down by a big flip dive but there’s no commercial, despite the announcers sounding like they were sending us to one. Nice change of pace for once.
Back in and we hit a waistlock to keep Ali down and a high backdrop gives Cedric two. Another waistlock and a knee to the ribs keep Cedric on target as he certainly has a game plan. Cedric plants him with a Spanish Fly and counters a tornado DDT by crotching Ali on top. With Ali stunned, Cedric goes up as well but gets caught in a super Spanish Fly, which even impresses Cena. The 054 is broken up with a shove to the floor and now we go to the inset ad for Rousey’s debut. At least they didn’t show this in the stadium, which would have almost been just as annoying as showing the whole thing.
Back with Cedric getting caught in a reverse hurricanrana and now the tornado DDT connects. The 054 hits this time but Cedric gets his foot on the ropes. Another 054 attempt misses and Alexander elbows him in the head. Ali gets elbowed down again and the Lumbar Check gives him the title at 12:18.
Rating: B-. This was a lot less competitive than I remember it being as Alexander dominated from the beginning and ran over Ali save for a little flurry near the end. Alexander winning is the right call and I’m glad neither of them went heel here. They both looked good but Ali was a step behind what he usually does here. I had a good time with it and Cedric winning is a feel good moment. That’s all you could ask for here.
Cedric talks about how special that was because his family, including his daughter, got to see it. Winning the title was amazing but it hurt even more to lose it at Super Show-Down.
Time for some New Year’s Resolutions.
Hideo Itami: respect me or he’ll break your face.
Akira Tozawa wants the Cruiserweight Title back.
TJP is going to get Drake Maverick fired.
Noam Dar wants a nice, stable relationship with anyone not named Alicia Fox.
Mike and Maria Kanellis are going to use the power of love to ruin lives.
Video on Lucha House Party.
Video on Buddy Murphy.
From Super Show-Down.
Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy
Alexander is defending but Murphy is the hometown boy. The confident Murphy shoves him in the face and gets two off an early knee. Cedric has to bail to the floor so Murphy hits a huge flip dive over the top. Back in and a top rope Meteora gets two more as Alexander is writhing in pain. A kick to the arm gets two more and we hit the chinlock.
The fans are entirely behind Murphy (well duh), even as he puts Alexander on top but charges into a running Michinoku Driver for two. The springboard spinning Downward Spiral (third time in one form or another tonight) sends Murphy to the floor with Alexander hitting his own running flip dive.
Back in and Cedric puts him on top but gets caught in a sitout powerbomb for two more. A jumping knee to the face looks to set up Murphy’s Law but Alexander reverses into a rollup for two. The Lumbar Check gets two, which is one of the only times that’s ever happened (Alexander’s bugged out eyes are a great touch). The springboard clothesline is countered with another knee to the face and Murphy’s Law is enough for the pin and the title at 10:30.
Rating: B-. That was the only option they had here as there was no reason to not change the title. Alexander has held the title for months now and isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. They can switch the title back if they really want to, but this was the only choice they had and thankfully they figured that out.
Murphy says he isn’t losing this title so he might as well retire as champion. If you don’t like that, do something about it.
Top Ten Moments of 2018:
10. Tony Nese powerbombs Lio Rush to the floor.
9. Roderick Strong’s debut.
8. Mike and Maria Kanellis’ debut.
7. Cedric Alexander suplexes Drew Gulak to the floor.
6. Noam Dar returns.
5. Lio Rush’s debut.
4. Akira Tozawa’s top rope backsplash to break up a surfboard.
3. TJP steals Lucha House Party’s masks.
2. Drew Gulak turns on Brian Kendrick.
1. Mustafa Ali’s 450 through Hideo Itami through a table.
Drew Gulak wants to fix 205 Live from glorified stuntmen.
We look at Mustafa Ali becoming #1 contender on October 31.
From Survivor Series.
Cruiserweight Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy
Murphy is defending. Ali hits him in the face a few times but gets tossed into the corner. That just earns Murphy a hurricanrana to the floor, meaning it’s a big flip dive to take him down. Ali goes up top again but Murphy shoves him all the way into the barricade for a great looking crash.
Back in and Murphy hammers away at the head and we hit the chinlock. Ali fights up and hits a dropkick but the rolling X Factor is countered with a big toss to the floor. That means the running flip dive from Murphy but Ali is right back with a spinwheel kick to drop Murphy. Now a hanging DDT can connect for two on the champ but the 054 is countered with a shove off the top.
Murphy loads up the announcers’ table but Ali is right there with a Spanish Fly off the table to the floor. That gets a rather hearty 205 chant and Murphy keeps the fans’ interest with back to back powerbombs. Murphy’s Law is countered so Murphy knees him in the face, setting up Murphy’s Law to retain at 12:20.
Rating: B. This was the usually awesome Ali match but the loss took away so much of the energy they had built up. I’m really not sure what the point was in having Ali lose again here but that’s been the case for him every single time. It’s a shame that he’s stuck on 205 Live where no one gets to see how good he really is.
Ali credits 205 Live with sending him to Smackdown. The brands have changed but the flight doesn’t. He might be back one day though.
Maverick needs to announce a new #1 contender and he has an idea. There will be three qualifying matches over the next two weeks with the winners advancing to a fatal four way title match at the Royal Rumble. Next week it’s Kalisto vs. Lio Rush and Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak, followed by Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami in two weeks.
Overall Rating: B. It’s kind of amazing that the Best of 205 Live doesn’t feature any 205 Live. That being said, the stuff we got was outstanding as the big matches from this division are as entertaining as you can find at the moment. They crank up the action every time they’re on the card and the matches have gotten better and better every time. There’s some great stuff here and the Best of format is a better choice than the weekly shows. Really fun show here, which is the point of something like this.
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:
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: December 20, 2018
Host: Scott Stanford
This one is a little bit late because of the holidays but given the high likelihood of this being nothing but a recap show with nothing going on as far as original wrestling, I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal. It’s a hectic time for WWE and this show isn’t really high on their priorities list. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Stanford gives us a quick welcome from the studio and yeah this is all recaps.
From Raw.
We waste no time with Vince coming out to open things up. He knows everyone is wondering what is going on with Monday Night Raw and tonight we’re going to find out. One of the reasons that Raw has been on the air for 25 years is they change with the times and despite one man’s brilliance and creativity, he can’t do it by himself anymore. He can do it without the fans…..and here’s Stephanie McMahon.
Before anything can be said though, here’s HHH, with Cole pointing out that he put NXT together. We’re still not done yet though as here’s Shane to complete the wrestling side of the family. The fans cheer for Shane but Stephanie gets to talk (of course), saying they haven’t been doing a good job of running their shows. They’ve let middle management run the company so tonight, they’re off to a fresh start. HHH: “The days of absentee management are over.” Starting tonight, they’re taking back Raw and Smackdown and it’s time for a lot of fresh things, such as faces, stars and matchups.
As of now, the fans are the authority. Vince says that as long as we give you more of what you want and less of what you don’t, WWE will always be then, now and forever. They seem to be done but here’s Baron Corbin, who is booed out of the building. Corbin says those were some great words, but the word that wasn’t mentioned was “fair”. What happened to him last night wasn’t fair, and that’s why we need to have a conversation.
Back from a break with Corbin in the ring with the bosses and the fans booing him even more. HHH: “If you keep doing that, it’s hard for him to speak.” You get the idea I’m sure. Corbin keeps getting booed even more, but he eventually gets to say that it’s not his fault the wrestlers aren’t responding to his motivational tactics.
Last night wasn’t fair because Braun Strowman wasn’t supposed to be there so he wasn’t prepared. HHH gets to the point and says Corbin wants his job back. Corbin says that’s exactly right but it’s a quadruple negative. Actually hang on, because Vince thinks they might all be wrong. Corbin can have a match right now and if he wins, he gets to be permanent GM. All he has to do is beat this man.
Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle
Heath Slater is guest referee and sweet goodness we’re lucky that Angle completely forgave Stephanie for ruining his life and job oh…..just a few months ago with no repercussions? Angle punches him down and we take an early break. Back with HHH saying that this is actually a handicap match.
Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews/Chad Gable/Bobby Roode/Kurt Angle
So it was just a practice run when they did this last night? Corbin tries to go after all of them to start and it goes as well as you would expect. An attempted escape doesn’t work and Slater fixes a turnbuckle while the beating is on. Cue Shane again to say that this is No DQ. Slater joins in and everyone grabs a chair to destroy Corbin even more. Everyone hits their finisher and Angle gets the pin at 9:05.
Rating: D. Well, it was slightly different than last night as there was no Finn Balor to get involved here, nor was there Strowman to stand on Corbin’s chest for the pin. This was the first half hour of the show being dedicated to the bosses and Corbin, and that’s been the biggest problem on Raw in recent weeks. This did nothing we didn’t see last night and after sitting through a four hour pay per view, that’s not a good start. There was no reason for this not to be a squash either, as Corbin should have been slaughtered in about thirty seconds, not the better part of ten minutes doing the same thing they did last night.
Post match the fans want tables so one gets brought in, with Corbin taking an Angle Slam through one.
From Raw again.
Here’s Dean Ambrose, with the gas masked guards at his side. Corey: “There had to be some sort of big celebration in the Ambrose house last night.” Renee: “Of course there was but do you think I’m going to tell you about it?” Ambrose said you all should be bowing down to him because he did what he promised to do last night. Not too long ago Seth Rollins had two titles and now he has none. Dean isn’t done though and he’s going to destroy Rollins once and for all.
As for now though, Seth can come out here right now and tell Dean that he’s right to his face. There’s no Seth, so Dean makes a non-title open challenge for Rollins instead. There’s still no Seth, so let’s have an Open Challenge for the Intercontinental Title for anyone not named Seth Rollins.
Intercontinental Title: Dean Ambrose vs. Tyler Breeze
Ambrose is defending of course and this is indeed something different, after only an hour of waiting on anything fresh to happen. A running clothesline puts Dean on the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dean in control and stomping at the ribs before slapping on a chinlock. An enziguri (becoming way too popular around here) gives Breeze two and Dean misses a charge into the post to give Breeze another near fall. There’s the Beauty Shot and a high crossbody for two more. The Unprettier is broken up though and Dean hits Dirty Deeds for the pin at 7:45.
Rating: D+. It had a nice bit in the middle where Breeze got in some offense but this was another boring match and just a quick stop on the road to another Rollins vs. Ambrose match, which completely fits the “fresh” description on the show. After last night, I never need to see them fight again but you know we’re getting it several more times. Lucky us indeed.
Post match Ambrose calls Rollins out again and here he is, as one of the people in the gas masks. Now that might not make a lot of sense given what Dean offered him before the match, but I guess Rollins would rather get in a few shots than a match.
Video on the new NXT callups.
From Smackdown.
Here’s a ticked off Becky Lynch to open things up. She’s not cool with meetings so it doesn’t matter what Shane said. It doesn’t matter who is running the show because it’s all about someone delivering Ronda Rousey to her right now. She didn’t come this far to have a ladder turned over so it’s time to fight. This brings out Charlotte instead, to say that Becky can take a number. Say perhaps the number two, because she’s in line behind Charlotte to get at Ronda. Becky says the days of pretending to be behind Charlotte are over, but Charlotte thinks the days of Becky looking up at her will be then, now and forever.
Cue Asuka to say forget Ronda because she’s the champion. Becky and Charlotte call her a paper champion but here’s Vince McMahon for a very rare Smackdown appearance. Vince doesn’t want to hear complaints because anything goes in a TLC match, including Rousey interfering. As for tonight, Asuka is defending her title against….someone to be named and here’s Naomi to interrupt, with Vince getting in some dancing of course. We’ll have that title match right now.
Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Naomi
Naomi is challenging with Becky and Charlotte at ringside. They fight over a wristlock to start as the announcers recap the elimination of automatic rematches. Naomi takes her down and gets in a kick to the back until Asuka grabs an armbar to slow things down. The armbar goes on in the corner as well but Asuka takes too long yelling at Becky and Charlotte.
That’s enough for Naomi to get in a super Russian legsweep and we take a break. Back with both of them on the floor and Naomi hitting a spinning kick to the face from the barricade. Naomi takes it back inside for a bunch of kicks but the split legged moonsault hits knees. The Asuka Lock is broken up so Asuka pulls her back, only to get rolled up for two. The Rear View gets two but another Asuka Lock retains the title at 12:30.
Rating: C. There wasn’t any drama here but that wasn’t what they were going for. The point of this was to give Asuka a win over someone who has some credibility and that’s what they did well enough. The question now is who gets the Royal Rumble shot and ultimately the Wrestlemania shot, which is what really matters most.
Post match Asuka stares down Charlotte and Becky.
From Smackdown again.
Mustafa Ali/AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan/Andrade Cien Almas
Joined in progress with Bryan tagging out so Ali can elbow Styles in the head for two. AJ is right back with the drop down into the dropkick and it’s off to Ali for a dropkick of his own. Bryan comes in for the kicks to the chest in the corner and an abdominal stretch to keep Ali in trouble. The rolling X Factor sends Bryan outside but Almas and Zelina Vega are there with the tranquilo pose to block the dive. AJ isn’t having that though and backdrops Ali onto Bryan as we take a break.
Back with Ali having to slip out of a Liontamer but Almas comes in for a running kick to the back of the head. Bryan comes in for the YES Kicks (with Almas handling the chanting), followed by the running clothesline to keep Ali in trouble. A surfboard into a dragon sleeper makes things even worse and it’s back to Almas for more kicks. Almas turns him inside out with a clothesline but the moonsault into a moonsault hits Ali’s knees. That’s finally enough for the diving tag off to AJ and the pace picks way up.
AJ gets two off a neckbreaker and the Calf Crusher has Bryan in trouble. Almas makes a save but the hammerlock DDT is broken up with Almas being sent outside. Ali slips off the steps but manages to turn it into an acceptable enough hurricanrana. Bryan’s running knee is countered into the moonsault reverse DDT and it’s back to Ali for a tornado DDT. AJ takes out Almas with the Phenomenal Forearm….and the 054 finishes Bryan at 17:39. Ali seemed to land on Bryan fairly hard but Bryan seemed ok.
Rating: B. Well that’s how you put someone over as a new talent and Ali is a good choice. He’ shad some incredible matches on 205 Live and I’m really glad to see him get rewarded for it. If nothing else, that might give more people a reason to head over to that show. If Ali can use it to get a big boost, other people can too. Also, it makes sense to move a high flier or two up rather than leave them on 205 Live. When you have someone who can do the flying like Ali, it shows off even more as there aren’t many on the roster doing that stuff. This should get Ali a one off title shot and that’s not bad for his second match on the main roster.
We see the last bit of the women’s gauntlet match from Raw to wrap things up.
Overall Rating: C. It’s not like I can really get mad at this. I know some of you were really wanting the same tag match with the nothings of Main Event again but even they need a holiday every now and then. This was just a longer form recap of the week in WWE and that’s perfectly fine given what they were facing here. Can you imagine sitting through the entire double tapings of Raw and then having Apollo Crews vs. Curt Hawkins on top of it? This was nothing, but that’s fine.
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:
So in something I’ve mentioned before but that you might not have seen, I’m a little bit psychotic when it comes to Christmas. Every year I spend about eight hours decorating a single room for Christmas and then watch over 180 Christmas specials. And yes I keep a list, which I am not allowed to start putting together until the Monday before Christmas. I cannot start watching them until the day after Thanksgiving and must be done with the entire list before the day I leave for my uncle’s house on Christmas Day. This cannot be changed and if it is, I will be depressed until at least a week into the new year.
Therefore, I give you these two things: