Money In The Bank 2023
Date: July 1, 2023
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re going international with this one and things could get very interesting. Aside from the two regular ladder matches, we also have the Bloodline Civil War, which is the real meat of the show. Throw in Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Finn Balor and this could go somewhere. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at London itself with a James Bond style theme. The matches get their usual hypes.

Butch vs. Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Logan Paul vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest vs. Santos Escobar

Men’s Money In The Bank, with Butch and Knight getting some crazy reactions. Paul gets surrounded and jumped to start before the people pair off. The ring clears out until Paul slides in the first ladder but Nakamura makes the save. Back in and a bunch of people crush Priest in the corner with a ladder until Knight drops everyone. Nakamura kicks Knight down and drops a knee to drive Priest into the ladder. Butch and Nakamura slug it out until Paul goes up again, only to get pulled down and beaten up again.

It’s time for the table and the cricket bat as Butch gets to clean house. Paul tries to get an alliance going with Priest, which includes setting up some tables before Priest lays him out. Escobar is back with a dive before Priest knocks a diving Paul out of the air. Paul is back up with a frog splash off the apron onto Priest onto a ladder, which doesn’t move. Back in and Escobar and Nakamura climb up, with Escobar’s arm getting cranked through the ladder.

Butch chokes Escobar on the ladder and they fall down onto a bridged ladder, allowing Ricochet to add a springboard 450 onto both of them. Almost everyone gets back in and Priest goes up until Knight suplexes him down. Paul drops Knight with a springboard Blockbuster and Nakamura dives off the ladder with a knee to Escobar. Butch climbs a ladder at ringside and moonsaults onto almost everyone, only to have Paul pull him down back inside.

It’s Escobar coming in to make the save but Nakamura makes another save. They both climb up on a ladder each until Ricochet and Paul join them. The big brawl is on until Knight shoves Nakamura and Escobar down. Knight shoves the other ladder over and Ricochet and Paul try to land on the ropes, with Ricochet hitting a springboard Spanish Fly onto (only through one) two tables at ringside.

As the referees check that Paul isn’t dead (since he landed on his face), Priest cuts Butch off but Knight breaks that up as well. Blunt Force Trauma hits Escobar and Nakamura is tossed, leaving Knight to….get cut off by Priest, who Broken Arrows him down. Priest gets the briefcase at 20:34.

Rating: B. Oh that’s going to be a risky move, as the crowd was all but begging for Knight to win. Priest was the third best option after Knight and Paul but it still only feels so interesting. They did a good job of making Paul feel like a star here as everyone was trying to cut him off, which had me thinking he would pull it off. For now though, I can go for this much carnage, though less going through stuff with your head would be nice.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shayna Baszler/Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Baszler and Rousey are defending. Morgan avoids Baszler’s arm stomp to start and sends Baszler to the apron for a springboard dropkick. Rodriguez powerbombs Morgan over the top onto the champs but Baszler goes after the arm back inside. Rousey comes in for some arm cranking but Morgan gets over to Rodriguez for the tag.

A choke doesn’t work for Rousey, who gets caught in a superbomb for a heck of a crash. Morgan comes back in and gets armbarred by Baszler….and ankle locked by Rousey at the same time. Rodriguez makes the save and Morgan has to escape the Kirifuda Clutch. Rousey comes back in and Baszler decks her, setting up the Clutch on Rousey as Morgan looks shocked. Oblivion gives us new champions at 8:28.

Rating: C. Well, uh, ok then. I’m assuming this is a way to set up Baszler vs. Rousey in a hurry, but the Women’s Tag Team Titles continue to look rather worthless. I’m sure there will be a good reason for what happened, but Morgan and Rodriguez as the latest thrown together team with all of a few months’ of experience being some great team is a bit much.

Damian Priest doesn’t know which title he’ll cash in on, but he’ll be champion.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Matt Riddle

Gunther is defending and has to fight out of an armbar to start. Riddle’s kicks to the ribs are blocked and the big chop puts Riddle down hard. Some forearms don’t get Riddle very far so he goes for the leg, only to have Gunther stomp him down. Gunther goes after the previously damaged ankle, including a legbar.

Riddle fights up and hits a heck of a clothesline but Riddle is right back with a Penalty Kick. The Floating Bro gets two (because Riddle’s leg can heal really fast) but he gets chopped down. The splash is countered into a triangle choke but Gunther powerbombs his way out of trouble. The half crab is broken up so Gunther chops at the ankle (that’s a new one) and then cranks away to retain at 7:40.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting one as Riddle is just good enough to be a threat to Gunther, but that ankle injury wasn’t going to let him get very far. At the end of the day, Gunther only felt like he was in so much danger and then he mixed it up to beat Riddle. Nice match, but nothing we haven’t seen done better before.

Post match Drew McIntyre makes his return and lays out Gunther with the Claymore. Yeah he’s still popular.

We recap Dominik Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes. Dominik was his usual disrespectful self and slapped Cody in the face. It’s time for revenge, as Cody wants to teach him some respect.

Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik, who runs off to start. Back in and Dominik slaps him, only to have Cody rip off the cast on his arm. Now the beating is on, including the drop down uppercut and a powerslam, meaning it’s time to head outside. Dominik tries to bail through the crowd but gets sent back, where Rhea gets between them. The distraction lets Dominik get in a few cheap shots and we hit the chinlock back inside. Cody fights up and, after shrugging off the Three Amigos, hits the Disaster Kick. An Alabama Slam sets up the Cody Cutter and Cross Rhodes finishes Dominik at 6:35.

Rating: C. I don’t think there was any doubt about the result here, save for some shenanigans, as Dominik isn’t someone who is going to win a big match. Like many a good heel, the best thing about Dominik is that he can shrug off a loss and get the fans on him all over again with the same stuff he has been doing. This felt a bit like a Raw match, or at least just a way to get Cody on the show, which isn’t a bad thing.

And now, here’s John Cena! He doesn’t know what to think of the fans singing the right words to his song and wonders why it took twenty years to come back here for another major event. The decision makers around here think this is a hostile environment with fans who try to take over the show. The people ARE the show and he is here to let them know that they are underappreciated.

Cena is big on respect and the people here have earned his respect. The fans chant him a thank you and Cena talks about how much fun it is to stop like this for a special moment. He’s here to try to bring Wrestlemania to London (oh the people like that one) and seems to officially announce it (Maybe. It’s not entirely clear.). Cue Grayson Waller to talk about how much he loves Cena’s movies. He loves Cena’s hustle, loyalty and respect, so why is Cena lying to these people about Wrestlemania?

Waller thinks Australia sounds better but the fans don’t agree. He could even get Cena a spot on the show! Waller brings up Cena’s recent Wrestlemania failures and says he can be on the Grayson Waller Effect. Cena will pass and doesn’t understand Waller, who decks Cena from behind. The AA leaves Waller laying. That wasn’t an official announcement, but it’s hard to imagine that kind of a tease with something that specific without it going somewhere.

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Iyo Sky vs. Bayley vs. Zelina Vega

Women’s Money In The Bank and according to the ring announcer, Bayley is now part of Judgment Day. Stratus sends Stark to jump Lynch in the aisle and the fight is on fast. Sky jumps off the apron to take out Bayley before Trish and Stark grab another ladder. Becky sends them into the ladder and Bayley (as the fans serenade her) throws in the big ladder. Sky and Bayley get into it, allowing Becky go try a climb.

Stark cuts her off and gets beaten down for her efforts and the Disarm-Her goes on, only to have Stratus make the save. Vega and Trish slug it out on a pair of ladders until Becky goes up, with Bayley not far behind her. Sky goes up but the ladder is off center, meaning it’s a moonsault to take out the pile instead. Becky and Trish go up top for a slugout but Zelina makes a save. That earns her a double powerbomb and it’s Trish vs. Becky fighting again. Stark pulls Becky outside for a ram into the post and let’s get the handcuffs.

Becky blocks being cuffed and bridges a ladder between the announcers’ table and the apron. As commentary points out that his is taking a LONG time, Becky hits the Manhandle Slam onto Trish onto the ladder. Back in and Vega hits a Code Red to bring Stark down off the ladder onto another bridged ladder in a scary crash. Sky goes up but Bayley shoves the ladder over. With Bayley going up, Becky makes the save and tries to handcuff Bayley’s mouth. Sky breaks that up and cuffs them together (through the ladder), allowing her to pull down the briefcase at 18:01.

Rating: C+. The ending was the big saving grace here, as that was one of the most clever finishing sequences I’ve seen WWE run in a ladder match. Other than that though, this was a lot of things that had little to do with getting the briefcase, as it felt more focused on hitting spots. I wasn’t big on this, but they got the winner right and the finish was rather good.

We recap Finn Balor challenging Seth Rollins for the Raw World Title. Balor wants revenge on Rollins for costing him so much of his career after Balor beat Rollins with one arm. This is about revenge, with the title being there too.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Balor is challenging. They go to the mat to start and slug it out with Balor getting the better of things off a shot to the bad ribs. The fight heads outside with Seth hitting a suicide dive but having to dodge another double stomp to the ribs back inside. The Pedigree attempt is countered though and now the stomp can connect.

Balor stays on the ribs and knocks Rollins back to the floor as the confidence is picking up. Back in and Balor hits some shoulders to the ribs but Rollins manages a clothesline. Some kicks to the face and a backbreaker give Rollins two but Balor goes right back to the ribs. A Sling Blade hits Rollins, who Buckle Bombs Balor right back.

Balor gets his knees up to stop a splash and a rollup gets two. Rollins manages a Pedigree for a delayed two….and here’s Damian Priest with the briefcase. There’s no cash -in yet as Rollins hits a superkick to send Balor to the floor. The Priest distraction lets Balor hit a pair of Coup de Graces but another misses inside, as Balor was glaring at Priest. Rollins hits the Stomp to retain at 12:34.

Rating: B-. The Priest stuff is interesting as the Judgment Day issues continue. I’m not sure where they’re going, but there’s certainly a story there. Rollins beating Balor isn’t a shock, though I was hoping for something a bit more epic here. Balor not winning the big one continues, and unfortunately I don’t know how many more chances he is going to get.

Balor isn’t happy with Priest.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are watching in a sky box.

We recap the Bloodline Civil War. The Usos finally got fed up with Roman Reigns treating them like garbage and fought back. The team is splitting and now it’s time for the big fight.

Usos vs. Solo Sikoa/Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman is here with Reigns and Sikoa. Jimmy and Sikoa stare at each other to start before Sikoa knocks him down hard. Jimmy isn’t sure what to do here but it’s off to Jey via a blind tag and Sikoa gets dropped. Reigns wants in and, after a rather long time, he gets to headlock Jey. Jey gets powered down but is fine enough to bring Jimmy back in. The threat of a double superkick sends Reigns bailing to the floor, where Heyman says I Jey has his way, Reigns’ son will be sitting at Jey’s table.

Back in and Jimmy slugs away but gets dropped with a single right hand. Sikoa gets to stomp away and we hit the nerve hold for a bit. One heck of a forearm drops Jimmy again as the fans decide that they should stand up if they hate Roman Reigns. That makes Reigns sit on the apron and complain to Heyman about how much he hates England. With that out of the way, Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack and Reigns comes back in to add some shots of his own.

The nerve hold goes on again but Jimmy fights up. Reigns comes in and cuts Jimmy off so Jimmy kicks him away. There’s no Jey though as Sikoa makes a perfectly timed cut off so the beating on Jimmy can continue. Jimmy dodges the Superman Punch though and a Cactus crossbody puts them both on the floor. Back in and the hot tag brings in Jey to clean house, including a high crossbody for two on Sikoa.

Reigns tags himself back in but gets knocked outside, where the Superman Punch cuts off a diving Jey. Another one connects back inside but Jimmy makes his own blind tag and a double spear hits Reigns. Sikoa has to make a save this time around as Reigns wasn’t getting up. We get the big showdown and Reigns Superman Punches Jimmy (didn’t get all of it) for two. Reigns is frustrated and it’s made even worse when the spear is cut off with a superkick.

The Superfly Splash is pulled into the guillotine but Jimmy powers up. Jey comes in….and the referee gets bumped. Jey superkicks Reigns into a not great 1D with no one to count. Sikoa breaks up the double Superfly Splashes and it’s a pair of release Rock Bottoms to the Usos. Jimmy gets Spiked and a spike/spear kill Jey dead so Reigns can stack them up for…..two. Reigns looks like he’s about to cry and Heyman is speechless.

Sikoa loads up the announcers’ table but the splash misses Jimmy and Reigns knows he’s in trouble. Jey superkicks Reigns (camera misses it) but he cuts Jey down with the spear for two….and a low blow on the kickout. A bunch of superkicks drop Reigns and Jey hits the Superfly Splash for the pin at 31:55 and a ROAR from the crowd.

Rating: B. This is another big step in a long, long story as we’re seeing Reigns fall off his mountain. He’s lost his cousins, he’s lost his security, and now he’s lost a match. This is some awesome storytelling and that’s how it should have gone. The match itself could have been better as the heat on Jimmy went on for the better part of ever, but the last ten minutes or so were excellent, with the kickout from the spear/Spike completely catching me. This is the only way the show could have ended and it was great.

The Usos celebrate as the Bloodline looks lost to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was not a home run, but it got enough done to make it work. The opener and main event are the matches of the night and the Cena segment, while long, was a nice surprise. As has been the case for most of the last several WWE pay per views, there was nothing terrible to drag it down and the big emotional moment worked. Solid show, though I was hoping for a bit more.

Results
Damian Priest won the Men’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Shayna Baszler/Ronda Rousey – Oblivion to Rousey
Gunther b. Matt Riddle – Leg crank
Cody Rhodes b. Dominik Mysterio – Cross Rhodes
Iyo Sky won the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Seth Rollins b. Finn Balor – Stomp
Usos b. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa – Superfly Splash to Reigns

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Rampage
Date: June 30, 2023
Location: First Ontario Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’ll close out the first half of the year with the first Rampage after Forbidden Door. This week’s Dynamite was a bit off (but still good) and now we get to see if Rampage is the same. The big draw this week is Claudio Castagnoli defending the Ring Of Honor World Title, which should make for something interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kommander

Castagnoli is defending and drops Kommander with a forearm to start. Kommander balances himself in the corner and snaps off a headscissors. The sleeper is broken up and Castagnoli plants him hard to break up a rollup attempt. The Swing sends Kommander flying again but the Riccola Bomb is armdragged to the floor. Kommander’s dive is pulled out of the air so he fires off some knees to the head to escape again.

Castagnoli isn’t having this though and kicks Kommander over the barricade for a nasty crash. Back in and a DDT gets two as we take a break. We come back with Kommander needing a super hurricanrana to counter a superbomb. Kommander spins around Castagnoli’s shoulders to send him outside, setting up the big flip dive. Castagnoli misses another running boot so Kommander (very slowly) walks the barricade for a shooting star to the back.

A top rope hurricanrana gives Kommander two back inside but Castagnoli drops him with an uppercut. Back up and Kommander climbs onto Castagnoli’s shoulders, jumps backwards, and then tornado DDTs him down. A double jump phoenix splash gives Kommander two but the rope walk shooting star misses. Castagnoli uppercuts him out of the air and that’s enough for a knockout via referee stoppage at 13:45.

Rating: B. This was some crazy amped up version of power vs. high flying as Kommander was doing all of his nutty stuff and Castagnoli finally just stopped it with straight strength. Kommander cut down on some of the ridiculous time it takes to set up some of his stuff here and it made for a more exciting match. Castagnoli just knocking him silly for the win was a great way to go and the champion looks as dominant as possible given how much Kommander threw at him.

Shawn Spears vs. The Blade

The Butcher is here with Blade. They go to the floor for a chop off to start with Spears getting the better of things. Spears thinks his chop was a ten and drops Blade back first onto the apron. Butcher gets in a cheap shot though and Blade drops Spears face first inside. More chops just wake Spears up though and he strikes away to take over. The left hands in the corner set up the C4 to finish Blade at 4:02.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and neither guy is exactly the best choice to keep things fired up. Spears hasn’t been around much in recent months but I’m sure the Canadian crowd was happy to see one of their own. The match was far from boring and Spears had to overcome some cheating so it was a completely fine use of some time.

Video on the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament matches on Collision.

QTV vs. Matt Hardy/Brother Zay

It’s QT Marshall/Johnny TV with Harley Cameron and Ethan Page as the respective seconds. Zay works on Johnny’s arm to start before Marshall comes in to hit Zay in the face. It’s off to Matt for a double elbow but QT drives him into the corner for some alternating shots to the face.

Matt shrugs it off and hands it back to Zay for a springboard crossbody. Zay tells Cameron to call him until he is sent outside, setting up a heck of a dive from Johnny. We take a break and come back with Zay kicking Johnny into the corner…and right back to QT. Zay shrugs it off and brings Matt back in to clean house as the pace picks up.

A powerbomb out of the corner gets two on Johnny, followed by the middle rope elbow to the back of the neck. Everything breaks down and Johnny’s Flying Chuck gets two. Johnny can’t hit his flipping neckbreaker and it’s back to Zay, who hits a big dive onto both villains on the floor. Back in and a Cameron distraction lets QT crotch Zay on top. Starship Pain finishes Zay at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Well at least Marshall didn’t get the pin. I’ll take TV in here as the ace of QTV over Powerhouse Hobbs as if nothing else he feels like a more natural fit. Beating Matt Hardy and Zay won’t hurt them a bit, especially when it’s just a temporary thing with Jeff out of action. If they keep QTV on low level stuff like this, they’re a fine nothing heel group.

Post match Page offers a save but gets superkicked. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn make the real save.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. Taya Valkyrie.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Wheeler Yuta vs. Kenny Omega next week on Dynamite.

Hikaru Shida vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya powers her into the corner to start but gets caught with a running knee. Shida hammers some right hands and knocks Taya outside, meaning it’s time for the chair. The launched knee misses but an enziguri connects back inside. Taya sweeps the leg though and wraps it around the post as we take a break.

Back with Shida barely able to stand but being able to hit some strikes to the head. The knee is fine enough to hit a jumping knee but Taya knocks her off the ropes. Shida gets in another shot to set up the running Meteora off the apron. The Katana is blocked and Taya hits the running knees in the corner for two. Road To Valhalla is loaded up but Shida reverses into a cradle for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Shida getting a win for a change and the knee being fine enough to do some of her stuff didn’t even go too far. Taya has fallen hard since those losses to Jade and I’m not sure how much she is going to be able to come back from them. Shida is a rather successful star around here, but it’s another loss as Taya has yet to beat anyone that really matters.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was good and the last two matches were certainly fine. This feels like a better than average version of the normal Rampage, with matches that don’t have much major impact on storylines and little more than some people getting in the ring. It’s a show that can be rather entertaining, but it’s not important or required viewing in any way.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Kommander via referee stoppage
Shawn Spears b. The Blade – C4
QTV b. Matt Hardy/Brother Zay – Starship Pain to Zay
Hikaru Shida b. Taya Valkyrie – Cradle

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

We’re back to one of WWE’s signature shows but this time they have taken it overseas to London (I think it’s in Paraguay) to spice it up a bit. As usual there are two namesake ladder matches but in this case we also have the Bloodline Civil War and some other stuff that probably won’t feel anywhere near as important. The show will certainly be a big one so let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther(c) vs. Matt Riddle

Gunther is in a weird place as while he is only a few months ago from breaking the all time record for longest Intercontinental Title reigns but it doesn’t feel like this must reach achievement. Gunther has long since been established as a big star and even losing the title won’t particularly hurt him. It might not be what happens here, but it’s something that feels like it’s possible.

Now that being said, no I won’t pick Riddle to dethrone the monster here as it doesn’t feel like the right change. Riddle has been built back up a bit as a serious fighter and the MMA stuff could give Gunther trouble, but ultimately this feels like a way for Gunther to get another nice win on his resume as the roster continues to be cleared out on the way to….whatever is next for him. Gunther retains, as he should.

Women’s Tag Team Titles; Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan

This is a match that could go either way, though that might not be a good thing. Rousey and Baszler feel like a team who could dominate the division for a long time to come, but WWE LOVES itself some thrown together teams ala Rodriguez and Morgan. They only lost the titles in the first place so putting the titles back on them here would hardly be some big shock.

Perhaps for the sake of my own sanity, I’ll go with the champs retaining here. Rousey and Baszler haven’t even had the titles for a month and I would hope they don’t lose them to the combined forces of Rodriguez’s back and Morgan’s spunkiness. The villains winning here makes sense and dethroning them this soon would feel like a really bad idea. That makes me think I’m wrong, but I’ll hope that the champions retain.

World Heavyweight Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Finn Balor

Here we have a rather WWE dilemma: do you go with the title change that makes Balor a star all over again and give him the chance that he never really had, or do you stick with the guy who makes the crowd “sing” and has a gimmick that is so odd that it really can’t be explained? I think you know where this is going and unfortunately there isn’t much of a way around it.

Rollins retains here, as for some reason that weird conducting the crowd deal is one of the biggest things in WWE at the moment. I’m not sure what the point of the whole thing is, but the fans being into it is at least a sign that they’re doing something right. Unfortunately that means Balor continues to spin his wheels, even as they close one of the bigger stories that he has had in WWE.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus vs. Zoey Stark vs. Zelina Vega vs. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky

As is usually the case with these things, we’ll go with a process of elimination. First of all, we’ll drop Stark, Bayley and Vega. While the latter is at best a dark horse underdog, Bayley and Stark just aren’t winning the thing and shouldn’t. That leaves us with four options, and it’s hard to imagine Stratus getting there either. Therefore, it’s down to Lynch and Sky and that opens up some doors.

I’m going with Sky here, as the women’s division is in serious need of some fresh blood other than Rhea Ripley. The Horsewomen are WAY past their peaks, Bianca Belair has been the top star for so long that she needs a replacement, and Asuka can only carry things for so long. They need someone fresh and Sky would fit that bill. As a bonus, Bayley can get annoyed at Sky for winning the briefcase and their issues can continue. Sky wins here, as she should.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: LA Knight vs. Logan Paul vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Damian Priest

This is a trickier one as there are more options for potential winners. Again, we’ll take out some people who just aren’t going to win, meaning Butch, Ricochet, Nakamura and probably Escobar are out. That leaves us with three options, which has kind of been the case for the last few weeks. In other words, it depends on if you want to go with the logical choice, the people’s choice, or the “HE’LL GET VIEWS” choice.

I want this to be Knight and it almost NEEDS to be him. Knight’s reactions have been growing bigger and bigger and at some point, WWE needs to pull the trigger on someone that hot, being 40 years old or not. I’ll hope beyond hope that they do, but Priest makes some sense as well given his recent history with Rollins and Paul is Paul. Those are some solid options, but this would/could/should be Knight so we’ll go that way.

Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa vs. Usos

And now for the real main event, despite WWE announcing something else as the main event. The Bloodline story has dominated WWE for a very long time now and it is almost impossible to imagine that anything else is going to be nearly as important. This story has gotten one huge reaction after another and this is a showdown that has been built up for a long time. But someone has to win.

There is absolutely no reason for the Usos to lose here so we’ll go with that. The Bloodline is falling apart right in front of your eyes and Reigns has to lose everything before the end. I don’t think that involves him taking the fall here, but Sikoa getting pinned and earning a yelling from Reigns before they split as well makes sense. This is all about the Usos, and they’ll go over in the end.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes

Well not really the end because THIS is the main event due to reasons that should makes sense later. This is giving me a Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry from the 2006 Royal Rumble vibe, as the only reason for the match to headline is for something screwy to happen. That something is likely to be from the king of “here he is to end the show” and I think you know where this is going.

I’ll take Mysterio to win here, as a mixture of the crowd hating him so much and Brock Lesnar returning to screw Rhodes over would fit nicely. Rhodes vs. Lesnar III has to be set up and that can be done with one heck of a massacre to end the show. Rhodes flat out told Lesnar where to come to fight him again so Rhodes will have no one to blame but himself. Lesnar interferes and gives Mysterio the win to end the show, because Lesnar is more important than anything else. Again.

Overall Thoughts

As much as I can’t stand the build towards Money In The Bank most years (though this year’s has been a notable improvement), the show has a tendency to be good. The ladder matches will both work by definition and some of the other stuff involved should hold up as well. If that is the case on both ends we will be in for a strong night as the Road To Summerslam can begin almost immediately.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: June 30, 2023
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than a day away from Money In The Bank and that means it is time for the final push towards a pair of ladder matches and a Bloodline Civil War. That should make for a safe but secure night, though Charlotte is challenging for the Women’s Title, which could go bad in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s a preview of what’s coming tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Pretty Deadly

Home country boys Pretty Deadly are challenging. Sami cranks on Wilson’s arm to start and armdrags him into an armbar. Prince gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Wilson gets to choke away on the ropes like a cowardly villain should. We take a break and come back with Sami caught in a chinlock and Prince cutting off a tag attempt. Granted the save lasts all of three seconds before Sami gets to Owens anyway, meaning house can be quickly cleaned.

The backsplash crushes Wilson on the floor and there’s a Cannonball to Prince back inside. The Swanton hits Prince for two but Owens is favoring his leg/ankle. Owens can’t hit the Stunner and the leg gives out, allowing Prince to go after the leg. An assisted Codebreaker sets up Spilled Milk for two, with Sami having to make the save. It’s right back to Sami to pick up the pace, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Wilson’s rollup gets two on Sami but he exploders Wilson into the corner. Owens drops Prince and the Helluva Kick retains the titles at 11:12.

Rating: C+. Well what else were you expecting here? Pretty Deadly are the kind of team who can steal the win over beaten down opponents, but they’re not taking the titles from a team who won them in the main event of Wrestlemania. Owens and Zayn had to work to retain, but this wasn’t exactly a stunning come from behind win. Nice opener though, as the fans are starting off hot.

We recap Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa last week.

Ridge Holland wants Sikoa but gets a Championship Contenders match against Austin Theory instead. Works for Holland.

Austin Theory vs. Ridge Holland

Non-title but if Holland wins, he’s in the title hunt. Theory takes him into the corner to start but a shoulder to the ribs is countered into a swinging front facelock (the Yorkshire Merry Go Round) for two. Another shot puts Holland back down but Theory spends too much time talking. That means Holland can fight up with a suplex, only to have Theory slip out of a powerslam. A shot to the throat and a throat ram into the top rope sets up Theory’s rolling dropkick to finish Holland at 2:53. Bad start for the Brits on this show.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Sheamus runs out for the save.

Karrion Kross, with Scarlett, promises to checkmate AJ Styles next week.

Long video, complete with awesome voiceover, on the Bloodline Civil War. As usual, this is what WWE does really, really well.

Bayley vs. Shotzi

Bayley’s Money In The Bank ladder match spot is on the line and she has Iyo Sky in her corner. Bayley gets caught with a reverse Sling Blade to start as the fans sing about Bayley being their girl. The Bayley To Belly gets two but Shotzi is right back with a DDT for a breather. An enziguri misses for Shotzi but she’s fine enough for the reverse Cannonball. Sky puts Bayley’s foot on the rope, which is enough of a distraction for Bayley to rake the eyes. The Rose Plant secures Bayley’s spot at 3:32.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how what the point was if Bayley was going to win this quickly, but at least they went with something involving a story over the “building momentum” nonsense. Shotzi continues to be rather energized but she hasn’t ever really gotten over the hump. That might change some day in the future, though getting over said hump might need a little more than a tank.

Video on the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match.

Shotzi goes after Bayley and Iyo Sky in the back and gets put through a table. They throw in a hair cut for inconvenience as well.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect and Waller wastes no time in bringing out his guest: Logan Paul. Waller gets to the point again, by asking what winning the briefcase would mean. Paul says it would mean a lot in London because being the champ is the ultimate goal. Maybe he cashes in tomorrow, or maybe he just hits LA Knight with the briefcase.

Cue Knight and my goodness the reactions continue (with commentary flat out saying the fans love him). Knight knows Paul can go viral but he’s in the middle of Knight’s ring. Paul says he sees someone who was supposed to be a manager but Knight tells him to listen to the fans. Paul to the fans: “You’re drunk. Go home.” Cue Santos Escobar to say he needs the briefcase but now it’s Butch to interrupt and the fight is on fast.

Butch vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Joined in progress with Knight stomping on Butch in the corner and Logan Paul at ringside. Butch misses the big kick to Knight, who drops him down HARD instead. Escobar sends them into the corner for a running knee and Knight has to make a save. Knight loads up the spelling elbow but Butch breaks it up and hits the Bitter End to pin Escobar at 3:30.

Rating: C+. It was energetic and done in a hurry, as something like this should have been. Butch is about as long of a shot as you can get to win the briefcase tomorrow but points for at least throwing him the tiniest of bones here. Knight and Paul have to be the heavy favorites, but Money In The Bank is the definition of anything could happen. For now, Butch gets a nice win, which will mean all of nothing tomorrow.

Post match Butch gets to pull down the briefcase.

AJ Styles is down to face Karrion Kross and has Michin to deal with Scarlett.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is challenging and Bianca Belair is sitting in the front row. Asuka cuts off a charge with some knees to the face for two, followed by a Backstabber as we take an early break. Back with Charlotte’s moonsault missing but the spear connecting for two. Asuka bails to the floor where the moonsault in her general vicinity puts her down again. Charlotte accidentally drops Belair with a big boot, which is enough to draw Belair over the barricade to go after Asuka (smart) for the DQ at 8:38.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but this was all about keeping the story going. I’m sure Charlotte will get to whine about how unfair everything has been to her as the triple threat is set for some point in the future. For now though, it was a hard hitting match that served its purpose.

Post match Belair stays on Asuka but gets dropped by Charlotte. Back up and Belair takes them both out and stacks them up on the announcers’ table.

Money In The Bank rundown. Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio is set for the main event.

Here is the Bloodline to wrap things up. Roman Reigns says for the last two or so years, he has allowed the Usos to call themselves the ones. The truth is that Reigns is the only one because he is the Tribal Chief. He is the only one who loves the Usos and lifted them into the promised land.

The fans say Reigns sucks but he says family betraying you is what really sucks. A good father, or Tribal Chief, will give his family chance after chance, but now they need to come out here and bow down in apology. Cue the Usos to say this is about consequences, like the ones that hit Reigns if he loses. When Reigns loses the war tomorrow, he’s the only one out. There will be a new Tribal Chief and that would be…..Solo Sikoa!

Reigns cracks up in laughter but gets a look, which earns the Usos some yelling. Jey and Reigns yell at each other until Jimmy superkicks Reigns. Sikoa gets taken down and the big fight is on, with security being taken out as Jimmy hits a big dive to wrap things up. This feud has been built up for years now and this was just one last “here’s the next big step” for tomorrow.

Overall Rating: C+. The final show before Money In The Bank is always a weird one as the show is set and there isn’t much to do. This show offered a pair of title matches to fill in the time and they worked well enough, but the ladder matches and the Bloodline stuff is what matters most. Neither had much to add, but tomorrow is ready to launch. As usual, this was more about “don’t screw anything up” and they managed to avoid that problem just fine.

Results
Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn b. Pretty Deadly – Helluva Kick to Wilson
Austin Theory b. Ridge Holland – Rolling dropkick
Bayley b. Shotzi – Rose Plant
Butch b. Santos Escobar and LA Knight – Bitter End to Escobar
Asuka b. Charlotte via DQ when Bianca Belair interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 29, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Forbidden Door but like so many other things AEW does, we’ll be seeing some of the same people here this week. There are likely going to be several New Japan stars on this show and that means we could be in for a high quality week. Not so high quality that Jerry Lynn could actually say something important, but still good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tony Khan and Stokely Hathaway are here to talk about how there are a bunch of New Japan stars here. We hear about some of the stars, with Tony saying he’ll be at the Gorilla position and Hathaway can find him if needed. Another thing AEW does better than ROH: not having Tony Khan on the show so often. It feels like he’s using this show for practice to be on AEW TV more and no. Please goodness no.

Dralistico/Preston Vance vs. Mark Wheeler/Vikram Prashar

Dralistico knocks Wheeler down to start and strikes away to take over fast. Vance comes in with his spinebuster for two and demands the now legal Prashar to hit him. It’s back to Dralistico for a knee to the face and Vance adds the lariat for the double pin at 2:25. Well that was efficient.

Dark Order vs. The Righteous

Evil Uno is here with the Order while Stu Grayson is here with the Righteous. The Order jumps them to start fast and clears the ring, allowing Grayson to hand Uno a chair. That’s enough for an ejection, with the distraction letting Dutch run Silver over for two. Silver gets caught in the wrong corner and the beating is on until Dutch charges into a boot.

The big tag brings in Reynolds to clean house, including a hard running knee to Vincent in the corner. Everything breaks down and the Righteous is sent into various things on the floor. Back in and Silver brainbusters Vincent but Dutch makes the save. Vincent grabs a small package to finish Reynolds at 5:32.

Rating: C+. The Order did look more aggressive here and that helps, but at the end of the day, it’s another loss in a rather long string of them. The Righteous might not be great, but they’re more interesting than the Order. I could go for more of the Righteous’ mind games, though it’s almost time to move them over to some new opponents.

Post match the beatdown is on until Uno runs back out for the save. Grayson gets in the way of the chair shot though and we get the big staredown, with Grayson leaving before anything gets violent.

Leila Grey vs. Diamante

Mark Sterling is here with Grey. A headlock has Diamante in some early trouble but she slips out and works on the arm instead. Grey bails to the floor and gets sent into the steps for her efforts. Sterling offers a distraction though and Grey gets in a cheap shot to take over. The double arm crank with a knee in Diamante’s back doesn’t last long so we’ll go with a normal chinlock instead. Diamante jawbreaks her way to freedom but it’s too early for a running knee in the corner. A running corner dropkick connects instead but Sterling puts the foot on the rope. Not that it matters as Diamante hits Cross Rhodes for the pin at 6:03.

Rating: C. This was more about Diamante overcoming Sterling’s interference, as it isn’t like beating Grey is overly impressive. I still think there is something to be done with Diamante as she has a unique look and the charisma to make it work. Give her a chance already, as this feud isn’t getting her anywhere.

Claudio Castagnoli says no one wants the World Title because they’re scared of him. Cue Chuck Taylor to say he’ll challenge if Castagnoli is interested. Taylor leaves and Castagnoli says it can be a Proving Ground match, but they’ll scrap the time limit so the beating can be on.

Lucha Bros/El Hijo del Vikingo/Kommander b. Gringo Loco/Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen

Wouldn’t be Ring Of Honor without the Workhorsemen getting in their required appearance. Penta and Loco start things off and the fans are a bit split here. There’s no major contact for a minute and a half so everything breaks down with a series of strikes and flips to the floor. The spike Fear Factor is loaded up for Loco but he slips out and kicks Fenix down. Taylor’s splash gets two so it’s Kommander coming in to get crushed in the corner as well.

A springboard moonsault gives Loco two but Kommander kicks his way over to bring in Vikingo. Everything breaks down and the Bros snap off kicks. Drake breaks up the Fear Factor and it’s off to Fenix vs. Henry in a chop off. Taylor comes in and gets to wreck some people until Kommander and Vikingo do their big dives to the floor. The spike Fear Factor finishes Henry at 8:55.

Rating: B-. It was exactly the fun match that you would expect and they got a bit of time to make it work. This is where the Lucha Bros get to shine, though I’m not sure who is supposed to be their next challengers. Other than that, Vikingo and Kommander flipped, Loco did well when he could, Taylor is a monster and the Workhorsemen are here a lot.

Samoa Joe is ready to defeat Roderick Strong in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament. Stokely Hathaway comes in to say he runs things around here but Joe says he runs Hathaway, which has panic ensuing.

Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. Karou/Tariq

Karou slugs at Bill to start and can’t get very far, even with the heavy shots. The swinging Boss Man Slam drops Karou and it’s off to Moriarty to take over on Tariq. A hurricanrana sends Moriarty into the corner but he slips away and brings in Bill for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Border City Stretch makes Tariq tap at 3:22.

Rating: C. Tariq and Karou didn’t exactly look great in there and Bill/Moriarty still don’t feel like anything important. Some of that might have to do with the fact that one of their names is “Big Bill” but it also might be that they aren’t exactly interesting. They could be fine enough as a one off challenger for the Tag Team Titles, though that could still be a ways off.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: The Embassy vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

The Embassy is defending and has Prince Nana with them. Bushi bounces off of Cage to start so Takagi comes in to strike away. With that not working, Takahashi comes in and sends Cage into the corner for a triple team. The Gates make a save and Cage hits the apron superplex on Takahashi. Toa grabs a neck crank but Takahashi DDTs his way to freedom. Takagi comes in to clean house but gets cut off by Kaun’s Backstabber.

Kaun gets dropped as well though and it’s Bushi coming in off a missile dropkick. Everything breaks down and Kaun blasts Bushi with a clothesline. Cage World’s Strongest Slams Takagi and powerbombs Takahashi at the same time (because that’s something someone can do) but Bushi mists him. Back in and Opening The Gates finishes Bushi at 7:42.

Rating: B-. They packed a ton into this match and it’s nice to see a match where the Embassy breaks a sweat. The six man division more or less doesn’t exist but Ring Of Honor insists on having one anyway, which makes things quite annoying. The Embassy still is only so interesting, but as shown here, they can rise up against better opponents.

The United Empire want better opponents around here.

El Desperado vs. Willie Mack

Feeling out process to start until Mack hits a heck of a dropkick to take over. Desperado can’t strike his way out of the corner and gets knocked down much harder. The fall away slam into the nip up into the standing moonsault gives Mack two but Desperado starts in on the leg to take him out.

A leglock, with what looks like a Tranquilo pose thrown in, has Mack in more trouble but Mack makes the rope. Mack knocks him silly with a right hand but he has to kick Desperado away again. The double underhook faceplant is broken up but the second attempt finishes Mack at 9:05.

Rating: B-. More good stuff here, even as Mack’s losing streak continues. The guy can’t catch a break around here but it still works well as he is able to put on a nice match against anyone. At some point he needs to win, but that wasn’t going to come at the expense of one of the New Japan guest stars. Granted commentary hyping up Desperado’s upcoming match with Jon Moxley didn’t help either.

Roppongi Vice vs. Sho/Yujiro Takahashi

Vice get jumped at the bell but come back with stereo dropkicks to send them into the corner. A kick to the chest and standing moonsault get two on Takahashi as we hear about all of Romero’s partners and students (including Sho but save for Trent) turning on him. Sho gets in a cheap shot on Trent on the floor though and a backdrop gets…well nothing back inside actually.

Some kicks rock Trent but he gets a boot up on Takahashi so the hot tag can bring Romero back in. The Forever Lariats crush Sho and Takahashi but Strong Zero is broken up. Takahashi brings in the cane but gets it taken away, only to have Sho hit a backstabber for two on Trent. Everything breaks down and Vice hits a double jumping knee on Sho. Strong Zero finishes Takahashi at 8:53.

Rating: B-. Another fast paced match here between teams that know how to do that style. Vice getting the win is nice to see as they might actually be around here for a little while. Takahashi and Sho are a good team but they’re going to be back in Japan sooner than later. Let the regular AEW/ROH team get the win instead, which is exactly what they did here.

Post match Sho is back up for the beatdown but Orange Cassidy makes the save.

United Empire vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin/Christopher Daniels

Andretti and TJP start things off and go to the mat with TJP headstanding his way out of a headscissors. A cartwheel gets TJP out of a hurricanrana but Andretti hits a dropkick (harder to block you see). Daniels comes in to take over on Fletcher but it’s Cobb coming in to muscle Daniels up.

Cobb and Fletcher do the passing suplex for two on Daniels, who manages to get over to Andretti anyway. TJP is right there to plant him with a Falcon Arrow and the Mamba Splash gets two. The Empire clears the ring as everything breaks down. Back in and Daniels sends TJP into a kind of double slam from Andretti and Martin for the pin at 8:15 (TJP kicked out at about 3.1 and things seemed a bit confused).

Rating: C+. I didn’t see that ending coming and based on how things looked, I’m not sure how many others did either. The match was what you would expect, but they did something new with having the normal powers lose. I can’t imagine Andretti and company win the titles out of this, but they are likely set up for a title shot if/when no one better comes along.

Jerry Lynn actually gets to talk! This time it’s to the Kingdom, who have been sucking up to him about what a legend he is. Mike Bennett brings up retiring Lynn and as a result, it’s the Kingdom vs. the Infantry/Trish Adora. Maria isn’t happy.

Athena vs. KC Spinelli

Non-title Proving Ground match, so if Spinelli can win or survive the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Spinelli runs her over with a shoulder to start but Athena does the same and stops to dance. A backslide gives Spinelli two so Athena hammers her down. Athena hits a right hand for the pin at 2:41.

Post match Athena crushes her against the steps.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chuck Taylor

Another non-title Proving Ground match but with no time limit. Taylor wastes no time in hammering away in the corner and Soul Food sends Castagnoli outside. Castagnoli knocks him over the barricade and sends Taylor face first into various things. Cue Roppongi Vice to check on him and the revived Taylor grabs the Koji Clutch back inside. Castagnoli breaks that up so a piledriver gives Taylor two and the Neutralizer is countered into a rollup for the same. Back up and Castagnoli hits the Riccola Bomb for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C+. They were trying here but Taylor is the weakest link in a lower level group so this wasn’t the biggest challenge. That’s the problem for Castagnoli: despite having an insane amount of opponents to pick from, he hasn’t felt like he has been in any real jeopardy in a long, long time outside of Eddie Kingston. That is going to have to change, but right now there is no one on the horizon, as even Kingston has only been wanting to fight him and not go after the title.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it was having some fresh blood around, but I did like this show a bit better than recent efforts. It’s also a hair shorter at just under two hours, which does take away some of that “how much longer is this thing” feeling. The one issue I’d have is the same thing that happens with a lot of Tony Khan produced wrestling: there are three episodes of this show left before Death Before Dishonor and a grand total of nothing has been announced.

There are a few matches ready, likely including Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli (taking place pretty much solely on AEW), but it would be nice to not have most of the card dumped on us with a week or two to go. I’m not sure why this is such a common thing around here/in AEW but you can almost guarantee that is how things are going. For now though, nice show with the New Japan stars adding in some nice flavor.

Results
Dralistico/Preston Vance b. Mark Wheeler/Vikram Prashar – Double pin
Righteous b. Dark Order – Small package to Reynolds
Diamante b. Leila Grey – Cross Rhodes
Lucha Bros/El Hijo del Vikingo/Kommander b. Gringo Loco/Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen – Spike Fear Factor to Henry
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Tariq/Karou – Border City Stretch to Tariq
The Embassy b. Los Ingobernables de Japon – Opening The Gates to Bushi
El Desperado b. Willie Mack – Double underhook faceplant
Roppongi Vice b. Sho/Yujiro Takahashi – Strong Zero to Takahashi
Action Andretti/Christopher Daniels/Darius Martin b. United Empire – Double slam to TJP
Athena b. KC Spinelli – Right hand
Claudio Castagnoli b. Chuck Taylor – Riccola Bomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

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Unhappy Legend: Sgt. Slaughter Takes Issue With Lacey Evans Using Cobra Clutch.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/unhappy-legend-sgt-slaughter-takes-issue-lacey-evans-using-cobra-clutch/

He Did It? WWE Legend Claims That CM Punk Caused The Scripting Of Promos.

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https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-cody-rhodes-tells-funny-story-showing-xavier-woods-high-school/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Huge Name Appearing At WWE Money In The Bank To Set Up Summerslam Match.

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Up Next? WWE Discussing Possible Logan Paul Feud With Surprising Opponent(s).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/next-wwe-discussing-possible-logan-paul-feud-surprising-opponents/

What Could Have Been: Details On AEW Plans Being Changed Due To Bryan Danielson’s Injury.

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Coming Along: Positive Update On Gable Steveson’s WWE Career.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/coming-along-positive-update-gable-stevesons-wwe-career/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 29, 2023
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are less than a month away from Slammiversary and that means it is time to start hammering home the card. The big story coming out of last week was the issue between Frankie Kazarian and Eddie Edwards while Bully Ray and Steve Maclin seem to be doing just fine. Throw in Alex Shelley vs. Nick Aldis and we should be in for a big Slammiversary. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Trey Miguel

Sabin, who took the title from Miguel at Against All Odds, is defending. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far until Sabin sends him to the apron. A pull of the leg lets Sabin send Miguel into the apron and we hit the chinlock back inside. Miguel fights up and hits him in the face a few times, only for Sabin to roll away from a moonsault.

Back up and Sabin wins a slugout but Miguel kicks him in the ribs. The Lightning Spiral is broken up and Sabin kicks the knees out in a smart counter. Sabin grabs an STF but Miguel is right there in the ropes. Miguel kicks him down and hits the top rope Meteora but Sabin rolls back into the STF. With that almost broken up, Sabin tries the Cradle Shock but Zachary Wentz (Miguel’s former Rascalz partner) runs in for the DQ at 9:30.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t better on that choice for a run in but I’ll take it over Miguel losing clean again. Miguel had a nice title run but that doesn’t mean you have to beat him into the ground after he loses. The Rascalz, or at least two thirds of them, against the Guns could be worth seeing and it is definitely a change of pace, so well done on a surprise. There is going to be some baggage with Wentz, but some time might have cooled some of it off a bit.

Post match we get the reunion hug and beatdown until Alex Shelley runs in for the save.

Post break the Rascalz say they’re back and coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Trinity vs. Jai Vidal

Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans are here with Vidal while Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Vidal sends her into the corner to start for a slap to the face, only to have Trinity dropkick him into the other corner. A slide into a slap rocks Vidal again so Evans pulls him to the floor. Shaw offers another distraction and Evans gets in a cheap shot for two.

A running elbow gives Vidal two as Purrazzo says she is #1 in the division whether champion or not, but the belt makes the outfits better. Trinity fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, setting up a springboard kick to the face for two. A high crossbody drops Vidal again as Purrazzo talks about which limbs she should go after to slow Trinity down. A hanging faceplant sets up Starstruck to finish Vidal at 5:11.

Rating: C. Trinity gets to beat up a member of Shaw’s team before her big showdown with Purrazzo in a few weeks so the logic makes sense. At the same time, Shaw winning the title in Australia to make the Slammiversary match a triple threat wouldn’t stun me either. It might not be the best idea, but I could see them going in that direction.

Post match the beatdown is on with Purrazzo (eventually) coming in for the save.

Moose and Brian Myers, who have a Tag Team Title shot at Slammiversary (along with two other challenging teams) are ready to win the titles. Moose thinks it’s a guarantee…but calls the Good Hands “dead weight”. Myers says not to worry about it.

On Before The Impact, Zicky Dice, screwy referee, helped Johnny Swinger win a match.

Another referee tells Dice and Swinger that, per Santino Marella, that win doesn’t count and if Dice does it again, he loses his referee’s license. Swinger says they have to work on this.

Lio Rush vs. Jack Price

Somehow this is Rush’s first match on Impact (he’s been on a show co-promoted with New Japan but never just Impact). Rush runs around to start to frustrate Price and then does it again until a jumping enziguri drops Price. A hard shot knocks Rush outside and his hurricanrana is countered. Instead a kick from the apron frustrates Price again, setting up the suicide dive into the barricade. Back in and another kick sets up the Final Hour to finish Price at 3:37.

Rating: C+. If you like the standard Lio Rush match, you’ll like this one. This was his normal stuff with the crazy speed and the kicks, plus the good looking frog splash for the finish. The athleticism has never been an issue for Rush but he has to actually stay somewhere or none of what he can do matters.

Dirty Dango talks about how Santino Marella hit the Cobra out of luck last week because he has no offense. We hear about Jim Cornette slapping Santino around in OVW and he got a job as a result. Now Santino’s daughter is back in the same system and Dango wonders if she’s getting slapped around.

Santino Marella says he’ll take care of Dirty Dango at Slammiversary. Dango questioned his work ethic and what he gave to get here, then he talks about his daughter? Pain is promised. This would have been more effective if Santino hadn’t been doing the whole Santino deal.

Frankie Kazarian yells at Eddie Edwards for last week. He gets that mistakes can happen, but twice in one match? Eddie tries to calm him down but suggests they be opponents instead. Works for Kazarian.

KiLynn King vs. Masha Slamovich

Taylor Wilde is here with King. Slamovich starts fast by kicking her to the floor, only to have her dive cut off. Wilde chokes from the floor, only to have Slamovich roll King up for two. A clothesline gives King two but Slamovich is back with some knees to the chest. More knees and a spinwheel kick give Slamovich two more but King hits a Death Valley Driver for the same. Back up and Slamovich kicks her in the head for another near fall but gets sent outside. Wilde manages a quick posting but cue Killer Kelly to choke Wilde with a chain. Back in and the Snowplow finishes King at 8:10.

Rating: C+. These two beat the fire out of each other and it was a rather fun match as a result. Sometimes you need this kind of a match and it worked well here. You might as well set up the title match at Slammiversary from here, mainly as it isn’t like there are any other viable challengers for the titles at the moment.

Post match Kelly and Slamovich stare each other down until Slamovich ties the chain around her own neck. Then she leads Kelly away by said chain.

Video on Alex Shelley vs. Nick Aldis.

We see a look back at Scott D’Amore’s career. D’Amore talks about how he rose up through the ranks and while he never became a big star, he was trained by some great names over the years. Various stars talk about how good D’Amore was, despite being around some awesome talent. He made a bigger impact as a trainer and coach though and we hear about the success of his students.

We also hear about how many wrestlers D’Amore helped when they had no money etc., with names like Alex Shelley and Kushida praising him. D’Amore says he wasn’t a big star, but he went up and down the road and lasted thirty years in this business. This was a REALLY nice tribute to D’Amore and presented him as a truly good guy who never got his due in wrestling. Fair enough, as he does seem to have been a big deal for a lot of people.

Scott D’Amore hopes he is ready to be back in the ring. The Good Hands come in to challenge him, but D’Amore says he’s wrestling once and that’s it. Instead, he can get them to face PCO next week.

Kenny King vs. Yuya Uemura

Sheldon Jean is here with King. Hold on though as Joe Hendry is in the production truck and says he has some kind of special video prepared. Feeling out process to start until Uemura takes him into the corner for some loud chops. King hides in the corner and a Jean distraction lets King get in a cheap shot to take over.

King kicks him in the chest and grabs a seated abdominal stretch to keep things slow. A spinebuster gives King two but Uemura is right back with a bulldog for the same. Uemura DDTs his way out of a suplex to leave them both down and we take a break. Back with King cutting Uemura off on top but a spinning kick to the head misses. Uemura unloads with forearms until King catches him with the Royal Flush for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: B-. This was exactly what you would expect from a Uemura match as he wrestles well and fights hard but can’t get a win that matters in the slightest. He almost has to be ready to end his excursion but seeing him lose over and over can get more than a bit frustrating. King seems primed for the Digital Media Title shot though and a win like this is a good way to go.

Post match here is Joe Hendry, who thinks King deserves a tribute. As luck would have it, he has a special video about King ready to go! The video looks at his career, but there is one year missing and it was the most successful he has ever been. That would be in 2013, when King was….a male stripper! The fans like the chorus and King is livid.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here is Nick Aldis to explain his attack at Alex Shelley. Cue Shelley, with Aldis getting on him for superkicking Jimmy Jacobs, making this an UNSAFE working environment. Instead, Shelley can go sit with the fans while Aldis talks. Shelly loves the idea of sitting among the fans so he’ll have a….stand over there with them.

Aldis talks about the ten person tag from a few weeks ago, when Chris Sabin was needing a tag. The only option was for Aldis to come in and clean house, but it had to go to Shelley instead. Aldis isn’t going to have the two of them hold Aldis down because they’ve done that for the last ten years around here. He got to the World Title faster than they did and that is because he represents the good things about wrestling.

The Guns wants to take wrestling to a dark place and that ends at Slammiversary, just like the transitional title reign. Shelley: “OH MY GOD JUST SHUT UP!” Shelley tells him to come out here and shut him up so the fight is on. A posting drops Shelley but Chris Sabin comes in to break up a belt shot. Cue Lio Rush to jump the Guns from behind though and the big beatdown lets the villains hold up the titles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was exactly what I’m expecting from Impact these days: good action, stories being advanced, but most importantly of all, logic. There is a clear path with these stories and while there are some surprises, they don’t feel so completely out of left field that you’re left wondering if they make sense. The show flows very nicely and it makes things that much easier to watch. Another good show here, and you can see most of Slammiversary already.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Trey Miguel via DQ when Zachary Wentz interfered
Trinity b. Jai Vidal – Starstruck
Lio Rush b. Jack Price – Final Hour
Masha Slamovich b. KiLynn King – Snowplow
Kenny King b. Yuya Uemura – Royal Flush

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 25, 1995
Location: Grand Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with In Your House and that means it’s time to start getting ready for In Your House. The big story coming out of last night is Diesel and Shawn Michaels won the Tag Team Titles, albeit by pinning a substitute champion in the British Bulldog. I’m sure nothing bad will come of that so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a preview of Undertaker vs. British Bulldog tonight.

BREAKING NEWS: Diesel and Shawn Michaels have been stripped of the Tag Team Titles after the controversy in last night’s title match. There will be a rematch in the future, but for tonight, Owen Hart and Yokozuna will defend the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Marty Jannetty vs. Skip

Sunny is here with Skip and Marty is in a weird set of attire, with a plain black muscle shirt over regular tights. Marty starts fast and clears the ring as Jerry says the Rockers are former Tag Team Champions. Back in and Skip fires off some right hands in the corner but Marty sends outside again. Sunny yells a lot so Marty sneaks up on her with a hug, which the crowd finds AMAZING for some reason.

Back in and Marty works on the arm but a Sunny distraction lets Skip grab a gutwrench powerbomb to take over. Cue Dean Douglas to scout the match as we take a break. Back with Skip hammering away in the corner but a quick suplex gets Marty out of trouble. What looked to be a leapfrog is countered into a powerbomb to keep Skip down and Marty gets to hammer away. Sunny’s distraction doesn’t work as Marty hits the Rocker Dropper and the top rope fist drop finishes Skip at 11:09.

Rating: C+. It’s amazing what happens when you have two people away from a lot of the issues that plagued their careers, allowing them to show the talent that they have. I could see either of these two getting a shot in the company as they are both that good. This got some time and was a solid return (after about a year and a half) for Jannetty.

We recap the whole Triple Header ordeal, with British Bulldog being the official replacement for Owen Hart. Then Hart showed up and got pinned, so the title change doesn’t matter. This is described as maintaining the company’s integrity, despite being the biggest bait and switch in at least a few months. I believe this marks the debut of Jim Cornette’s attorney Clarence Mason

Tag Team Titles: Owen Hart/Yokozuna vs. Smoking Gunns

The Gunns are challenging in what was turned from a non-title match into a title match as part of the ordeal over last night’s main event. Bart armdrags Owen into an armbar to start before it’s off to Billy, who gets to face Yokozuna. A shoulder drops Billy, who fires back with a pair of dropkicks and a bulldog to actually take Yokozuna down. That doesn’t work for Owen, who comes in to take over on Billy, including a chinlock.

A legdrop gets two and we take a break. Back with the champs wishboning Billy and Yokozuna grabbing the nerve hold. The big elbow misses though and a diving tag brings in Bart to clean house. Owen accidentally collides with Yokozuna, leaving Owen to get caught with the Sidewinder. Yokozuna’s splash hits Owen by mistake and Bart gets the pin to get the titles back at 12:15 (the fans go NUTS).

Rating: C+. Another nice match here and it’s nice to see the Gunns getting back into the title picture after basically being heads and shoulders above the rest of the division. Sometimes you need to just get back to basics with a solid team holding the titles and that is what they’re doing with the Gunns. Owen and Yokozuna couldn’t do anything else with them and the Gunns won because they didn’t make a mistake, so well done.

Shawn Michaels and Diesel come out to celebrate with the new champs.

Gorilla Monsoon and Dok Hendrix announce some matches for the next In Your House:

Goldust makes his debut
Shawn Michaels vs. Dean Douglas for Shawn’s Intercontinental Title
British Bulldog vs. Diesel for Diesel’s WWF Title, winner defends against Bret Hart at Survivor Series

Undertaker vs. British Bulldog

Paul Bearer and Jim Cornette are here too. Undertaker chokes away in the corner to start and hits the jumping clothesline to drop Bulldog. Old School is loaded up but Bulldog pulls him off the top for a big crash. A clothesline sends Undertaker to the floor, where he gets to choke Cornette until Bulldog makes the save. Bulldog starts in on the leg by sending it into the steps. Men On A Mission are watching as we take a break.

Back with Bulldog staying on the leg as Waylon Mercy is watching as well. The half crab is broken up and Undertaker grabs a belly to back suplex. Old School connects but Bulldog is right back up with a piledriver for two. Undertaker is back up with a chokeslam but Mabel comes in with the spinning belly to belly for the DQ at 12:53.

Rating: C. Not exactly the best way to get the Bulldog over before a title shot but at least he didn’t get pinned. Undertaker is still one of the biggest stars in the company and beating him is a big deal, though if there was ever a time to have him lose to a screwy finish, this would have been it. Bulldog does look better as a main eventer and if he can back that up, good for him.

Post match the big beatdown is on until Shawn Michaels, Diesel and the Smoking Gunns come in for the save (still with soap on them and barefoot, which is an old school way of adding some realism). After a break, Shawn and Diesel pose for a long time to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was certainly a busy and eventful show and that is not normal for Raw around this time. The title change itself was a big deal and they did a nice build towards In Your House with a lot of the card already set. The wrestling bottomed out at completely fine and that is a good sign for an hour long show. It’s hard to fathom in 1995 but things are actually doing decently at this point. Now if they could find a way to get people to pay for it, things would be even better. Nice show this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 21, 1995
Location: Memorial Civic Center, Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home Raw for In Your House and that means we are in for…well not much on the main event, which is already set. Other than that, we have another Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid match as the two of them aren’t getting along. Finally, Men On A Mission are facing Owen Hart and Yokozuna for reasons of evil. Let’s get to it.

Here is last week’s show if you need a recap.

This is a special Thursday edition of the show, which wasn’t mentioned last week.

We open with a recap of last week, with the 1-2-3 Kid costing Razor Ramon a match against British Bulldog. Kid wants to be taken seriously so he’ll have to beat Razor again.

Opening sequence.

Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid

During the entrances, we look at Razor attacking Dean Douglas in the classroom at Summerslam in case you want to be told what to expect here. Kid jumps him to start and fires off some kicks to put Razor on the floor. Back in and Razor goes with the power to take him to the corner for the super fall away slam. Razor chops away in the corner and tosses him HARD (with a great bump from the Kid) before working on the arm. A chokeslam gives Razor two but Kid manages to send him outside.

Kid hits a slingshot dropkick (over the top at that) and a spinning kick to the face gets one back inside (the foot on the rope helped). The sleeper takes Ramon down to one knee and we take a break. Back with the hold still on but Razor suplexes his way to freedom. The discus punch drops Kid and there’s the running corner clothesline. Back up and a collision sends Kid into the referee so cue Dean Douglas for a top rope splash to Razor. A VERY delayed cover gives Kid the pin at 10:33.

Rating: C+. Kid getting to bump all over the place worked and Razor gave him a ton of offense at the same time (I for one am shocked). The Kid winning makes a lot more sense and it is smart to let him move up the ladder a bit. Razor is more than a made man so this was a good example of helping bring someone up. Now just do it more often.

Dean Douglas grades the match, with the Kid getting a D (dumb), Razor getting an E (elevate, which Razor is trying to do by face Dean), Dean getting an A (because he’s nifty) and Razor vs. Dean at In Your House getting an N (no brainer).

Tatanka/Kama vs. Savio Vega/Bob Holly

Ted DiBiase is here with Tatanka and Kama. Vega cleans house to start before it’s off to Holly, who works on Kama’s ribs before it’s quickly off to Savio. The kick misses Tatanka but he distracts Holly so Kama can jump Vega. A double slam plants Vega as the referee takes FOREVER to get Holly out. Kama plants him down again and shoves Holly, who still doesn’t get how stupid it is to try to come in.

Vega is mostly destroyed in the corner but finally manages a shot of his own for a needed breather. Holly comes in and now is quite a bit more lethargic (he really isn’t that bright in this match), though a high crossbody does get two on Kama. Everything breaks down and Kama powerslams Holly out of the air (with a nasty landing) for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C. This was an energetic match but Holly was hardly helping his partner most of the time. They were trying throughout though and that is always nice to see, especially in a nothing match like this one. Kama and Tatanka were pretty much just thrown together, but they did well enough all things considered.

Razor Ramon is ready to hurt Dean Douglas.

Wrestlemania: The Special is coming on September 30, featuring the two main events. That was a big deal.

Jean Pierre LaFitte vs. Brian Walsh

Jean shrugs off an early assault and stomps away as Bret Hart calls in to say he doesn’t like LaFitte stealing his gear over and over. Some shots to the face and chest have Walsh in more trouble as the slow beating continues. The Cannonball (Swanton) finishes Walsh at 3:17.

Rating: C-. Total and complete dominance here and that is how it should be. LaFitte wasn’t going to go anywhere because he’s a pirate of all things in 1995 but putting him in there with Bret is going to make it feel important. That’s the power of someone like Bret and the WWF knew just how big of a deal he really was.

Tag Team Titles: Men On A Mission vs. Owen Hart/Yokozuna

Owen and Yokozuna (with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji) are defending and Mabel is carried to the ring, with the people carrying him cringing under the weight. Owen kicks away at Mo to start but charges into a powerslam so Mo can stomp away. Mabel comes in and nothing words for Owen, who is knocked out of the corner with ease.

Mo gets in a few more stomps but Owen gets away to bring in Yokozuna. As Owen sends Mo into the steps, the giants stare each other down but stop so Yokozuna can unload in the corner. We take a break and come back with Owen and Mo trying spinwheel kicks at the same time for a double knockdown.

The double tag brings in the giants, with Mabel winning a slugout and hitting a jumping (work with me) clothesline. Mabel throws Owen at Yokozuna and it’s Mo coming back in to slug away. Yokozuna clotheslines Mo down like he’s Yokozuna clotheslining Mo and hands it back to Owen. A cheap shot lets Mo get two of his own as everything breaks down. Owen drop toeholds Mo down and the Yokozuna legdrop is enough to retain the titles at 12:45.

Rating: C. I never would have bet on it but this was pretty decent. If nothing else, Yokozuna could still move well enough here and Mabel was slightly motivated, even after his main event run was dead. Owen was his usual self, so this was about as good as it could have been all things considered.

Diesel and Shawn Michaels are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Post break, Owen Hart/Yokozuna and company are still in the ring, with Jim Cornette promising to bring some more gold back at In Your House. They’ll make the Two Dudes With Attitude into the Two Fellas That Are Yellow. Cornette runs over the rules of the match (as you should) and promises that his men are ready to show how great they are. What happened the last time Shawn and Diesel were partners? They got in a fight, and how much worse will it be when they have titles to protect? Cornette: “In Your House, in your face and around their waists!” Great line to wrap this up as Cornette sold the match really well.

Jerry Lawler’s official prediction: Yokozuna wins the WWF Title.

A quick preview of Undertaker vs. British Bulldog for next week wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. They did what they could with what is basically a one match In Your House (Bret vs. LaFitte is a maybe at best) and that included a heck of a push for the Triple Header. Other than that though, there isn’t much going on for the show and it could be quite the mess to get through. At least it wasn’t a long build, which probably explains why is isn’t much of a show. They did what they could with what they had here, which is about as good as you can get.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.