Monday Night Raw
Date: September 12, 2022
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith

We are less than a month away from Extreme Rules and Raw could use some matches on the card. There are already some feuds going here and we should have a few things ready to go sooner than later. As for tonight though, this is all about the Edge/Rey Mysterio vs. the Judgment Day, because this story is still going. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going and the fans seem to approve. Rollins dubs himself the host for the evening and talks about how he is in Riddle’s head. Now Riddle wants a rematch, but since Rollins isn’t interested, it’s time to move on. Rollins hasn’t been a champion in far too long, but here is Riddle to start the fight fast. They fight into the crowd with Rollins managing a rake to the eyes and run off.

Riddle gives chase but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. Damian Priest says he, Rhea Ripley and Riddle go way back. They talk about how Riddle has never gotten his chance before and think he would fit in well on the team. Riddle appreciates the offer but passes, earning a threat from Balor. The fight is on and we’ll do this after the break.

Finn Balor vs. Riddle

Joined in progress with Riddle rolling some gutwrench suplexes and hitting a Broton. Balor starts going after the knee, including pulling it off the middle rope to send Riddle’s head into the buckle. The chinlock doesn’t last long but Balor neckbreakers him right back down to cut off the comeback. They fight to the apron with the reverse DDT planning Riddle as we take a break. Back with Riddle hitting a release fisherman’s suplex for a much needed breather. Riddle sends him outside and hits the kick to Balor’s chest, setting up the springboard Floating Bro onto Balor and Priest.

Back in and Priest offers a distraction so Balor can hit the Nightmare On Helm Street. Cue Rey Mysterio to post Priest and fight with him into the crowd so things are even again. A Bro To Sleep into a German suplex gives Riddle two but the Floating Bro hits knees. Balor misses the Coup de Grace and Riddle is back with the hanging DDT. Cue Rollins for a distraction, allowing Balor to hit 1916 and the Coup de Grace for the pin at 13:33.

Rating: C+. There was some interference, but Riddle needs to win a match of note sometime soon before he falls even further. The good thing is that very well could be at Extreme Rules, as you can all but pencil in Riddle vs. Rollins II in some kind of a big violent match. Other than that, Balor is probably heading for a showdown with Edge and that should work well when we finally get there.

Post match Rollins comes in for a Stomp to leave Riddle laying.

Bayley and Damage Ctrl aren’t happy with Bianca Belair, Raquel Rodriquez and Aliyah, but all will be made right tonight.

Dominik Mysterio is tired of just being Re Mysterio’s son and says Edge got what he deserved. Tonight, he’ll finish Edge for good, because he’s tired of living in Rey’s shadow. Rhea Ripley pops up to whisper in his ear, causing Dominik to say he isn’t a little boy anymore, but rather a man. Ripley smiles.

Video on Johnny Gargano.

Austin Theory doesn’t think much of Gargano and is looking forward to Chad Gable beating Gargano tonight. Gable comes in to say after tonight, it’s Johnny SHUSH!

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez

Aliyah/Rodriguez are defending and Bayley is here too. Rodriguez and Kai start things off with Rodriguez using the power to take over. Aliyah comes in for a clothesline and splash in the corner before it’s back to Rodriguez to run Kai over for two. Rodriguez launches Aliyah over the top and onto both champs as we take a break.

Back with Aliyah coming in and hiptossing Sky as Bayley isn’t pleased at ringside. Aliyah gets sent into the corner for the running boot to the face and seems to be favoring her arm. Kai comes back in to pull on both arms as Bayley says stick to the plan. Aliyah fights up and hits a double neckbreaker to get herself out of trouble.

The hot tag brings in Rodriguez to clean house but Aliyah is right back in. Sky hurricanranas Rodriguez outside, leaving Aliyah to hit a springboard X Factor for two on Kai, with Bayley putting the foot on the ropes. Rodriguez goes after Bayley, leaving Sky to moonsault down onto her. The Kairppractor finishes Aliyah for the pin and the titles at 12:09.

Rating: C. They more or less telegraphed this ending the second Aliyah and Rodriguez won the titles in the first place. Rodriguez more or less was the team as Aliyah can’t do much of anything on her own, so getting rid of Rodriguez pretty much guaranteed new champions. Damage Ctrl should have been the champions in the first place but at least we only had to wait for two weeks.

Rey Mysterio tries to talk Dominik Mysterio out of his match with Edge because it is a point of no return. They can still be family and fox all of this but Dominik won’t say anything. Rhea Ripley pops up to say Dominik is a man and doing what he wants, leaving Rey distraught.

Johnny Gargano vs. Chad Gable

Otis is in Gable’s corner. They go to the mat to start with a grapple off going nowhere. Gable takes him down by the arm but gets reversed into a headlock. Back up and a running hurricanrana into a crucifix gives Gargano two, setting up a front facelock. Gable gets up and hits Gargano in the face to take over, setting up a waistlock. Gargano knocks him to the floor though and hits the running dive to take Gable down again as we take a break.

Back with Gable working on the leg, which he banged up during the break. Gargano manages to send him to the corner though and the slingshot spear gets two. Gable is fine enough to pull him into the ankle lock though, followed by something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator for two. The moonsault misses so Gable settles for a nasty wheelbarrow suplex for two more.

What looked to be a top rope headbutt misses though and Gargano pulls him into the Gargano Escape. That’s reversed into another ankle lock, which Gargano breaks up as well. The American Automatic gets two and Gargano is back up with a discus lariat to leave them both down. Gargano sends him outside for a dive onto Gable and Otis, setting up One Final Beat (slingshot DDT) for the pin at 13:50.

Rating: B-. Gargano is back and that’s a good thing, though he wasn’t quite as sharp as he was at his best in NXT. That being said, he’s going to be fine as he has the Theory match all but guaranteed for down the road. Then you have Gable, and my goodness he better be grateful that he is this good in the ring. The SHUSH thing has turned him into another joke character, but it does get better when he’s in the ring and gets to show what he can do. And it’s still better than being called Shorty G.

Post match Otis goes after Gargano, who hits two superkicks and runs off. Theory pops up with a briefcase shot to drop Gargano though, meaning it’s selfie time.

Post break Theory is in the ring to ask if he disappointed the fans. Gargano needed someone to show him how this works but here is Kevin Owens to interrupt. Before Owens can say anything, Theory cuts him off and says he is sick of people interrupting him. He is too good to have this keep happening and he is going to take over this entire industry. Theory says he has done more in a few months than Owens has done in five years, but that’s too far for Owens.

That doesn’t work for Owens, who points out that Theory has had everything handed to him. Sure Owens’ Universal Title was handed to him, but that’s the only similarity between them and thank goodness for that. Owens says there have been a lot of guys like Theory to come along and a lot of them have failed. Then you have people like Owens and Gargano who have come along and you can count their success on one hand. They are the heart and soul of this business but people like Theory are the appendix of this business: completely disposable.

Owens doesn’t see it in Theory but begs him to prove him wrong. Theory needs to let his passion loose and get better every time he is in front of these people. That is how you prove him wrong and become the face of WWE. Theory says he’s just better than Owens, who decides to hit him in the face to get the point across. The brawl is on and referees/agents have to fail at keeping them apart. Theory, with his forehead and nose busted, gets away, with Owens saying that was just the beginning. This was a heck of a segment with Owens speaking from the heart as only he can.

Here is Bianca Belair for an open challenge. She announces said challenge, even though it was made clear before the break. Cue Sonya Deville to say she remembers what Belair did to her and that is why she isn’t Raw Women’s Champion. Belair: “This is an open challenge, not an open mic.” She wants a referee down here.

Raw Women’s Title: Sonya Deville vs. Bianca Belair

Belair is defending. They go with the grappling to start until Deville takes her into the corner and fires off the kicks to the ribs. A clothesline out of the corner gets Belair out of trouble and a suplex into a handspring moonsault gives her two. Sonya is sent outside and avoids a moonsault, setting up a heck of a clothesline as we take a break.

Back with Deville being sent into the corner, setting up the chinlock. Belair is sent outside and into the announcers’ table, setting up another chinlock back inside. A rollup gives Belair two but Sonya is back up with I think a middle rope knee for two of her own. Belair powers up and uses the corner to flip out of a dragon sleeper. The KOD retains the title at 12:07.

Rating: C. Well, at least it wasn’t a returning Carmella. Belair vs. Bayley is another match that is all but locked in already so there isn’t much of a reason to get worried about Belair possibly losing her title. Bayley should be all but ready to win the thing as Belair has gotten her two big Wrestlemania wins and is pretty much set for the rest of her career. Let the best woman in WWE get back to the top where she belongs.

Post match here is Bayley to say Belair has a big fat ego. Bayley says the match can happen later, but here are Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai to surround Belair. The brawl is on but Alexa Bliss and Asuka run in for the save. Well good thing Damage Ctrl got to win earlier, because they looked pretty lame here.

Omos vs. Cash Morazi/Ryan Tombs

Graves wants to call them Thing 1 and Thing 2 as the destruction is on. A double shoulder drops them and something like a cobra clutch has Morazi flailing. For some reason Tombs makes the save so Omos beats them up again. Two chokeslams set up the double pin at 1:38. It’s as good as any other way to keep Omos on TV.

Rey Mysterio tries to talk Edge out of the match but Edge says this has to happen.

We look back at Seth Rollins and Riddle earlier tonight.

Rollins declares himself the face of the show but Bobby Lashley comes in to say not so fast. Lashley mocks Rollins’ colorful gear but doesn’t see any gold, which determines the power around here. The title match is set for next week. Now there’s a fresh match that feels big and hasn’t been run into the ground before.

We get a special interview with Miz and Maryse at their home, with the kids running in for a cameo. Maryse comes in and mocks Miz for being scared about Dexter Lumis, who she guarantees will never be here. With Maryse gone, Miz refuses to talk about Lumis and refuses to talk about what Lumis did to him. Miz and Maryse leave to go to a premiere and Lumis is in their house, where he draws a picture of Miz and Maryse with their daughters. And Lumis is the good guy in this right?

Dominik Mysterio vs. Edge

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik. Edge knocks him into the corner to start and this a headbutt as Dominik is in early trouble. Dominik is sent outside for a pep talk with Ripley, which goes badly for him as well. Some forearms do nothing for Dominik as Edge throws him back inside, only to have Ripley trip Edge down. Dominik sends him into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Dominik working on the knee, setting up the Three Amigos (which do not go very well. Dominik goes up top, does the Eddie dance, knocks Edge off, and hits the frog splash for two. Edge sends him shoulder/head first into the post and the comeback is on, including the Edge-O-Matic for two. The spear is loaded up but gets reversed into the half crab. That’s broken up and Edge ties him in the ropes and hammers away, only to have Rey run in and cut off the spear attempt. Edge shoves him away so here is Damian Priest to pull Rey outside. With Rey thrown over the announcers’ table, Finn Balor runs in for the DQ at 15:03.

Rating: D+. This was a rough sit and it made me feel sorry for Dominik all over again. Dominik is far from some colossal disaster in the ring and he can do his moves (well most of them at least) decently enough. The problem is that is the end of his talents. He doesn’t have charisma, he doesn’t show much fire, and most of what he does in the ring is flat out copying Rey or Eddie. I don’t want to see him in the ring and I have no interest in his issues with Rey and Edge. Making this the main event was a rough watch and odds are it is going to continue for whatever reason.

Dominik isn’t horrible at what he does, but he needs to get FAR away from Rey and wrestle on a show where he can get experience at a lower level. Throwing him straight into the WWE fire didn’t help him and while the Tag Team Title win with Rey was a genuinely nice moment, there is nothing there for him to make something like this work. Let him go somewhere else and find his own way, because this is crippling his career.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with a bunch of chair shots to Edge’s leg and the Coup de Grace to make it worse. Judgment Day poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this show, as WAY too much of it was focusing on Edge/Rey vs. Judgment Day, which hasn’t been interesting in a long time. Rollins vs. Riddle seems set for Extreme Rules and odds are Riddle costs him the match with Lashley next week. Other than that, there wasn’t much to see here and some of the momentum is starting to slip. Certainly better than the Vince shows, but they need to move on from this Dominik obsession fast because it’s dragging everything else down.

Results
Finn Balor b. Riddle – Coup de Grace
Damage Ctrl b. Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah – Kairopractor to Aliyah
Johnny Gargano b. Chad Gable – One Final Beat
Bianca Belair b. Sonya Deville – KOD
Omos b. Cash Morazi/Ryan Tombs – Double pin
Edge b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Finn Balor 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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Smackdown
Date: January 18, 2008
Location: Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

We are less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and odds are we are going to get some focus on that show this week. With Edge vs. Rey Mysterio for the Smackdown World Title all set up, it is time to build on the rest of the card, which is mainly going to focus on the Royal Rumble itself. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last year’s Royal Rumble, with Undertaker beating Shawn Michaels in a classic final five minutes.

Here is Undertaker to get thing going. Undertaker says it is not often that he has a microphone in his hand because he doesn’t have much to say. He doesn’t talk about taking souls because he just does it. In nine days, he is entering the Royal Rumble, which he won last year. This is a warning to the other 29 men: if you stand before him, you will fall before him and Rest In Peace. Cue Matt Striker and Big Daddy V, because this is still a feud they’re trying to push. Undertaker stares V down and the fight is on, with V being sent into the steps. That’s enough for Striker to get him out of here after another nothing brawl between them.

We recap the issues between Rey Mysterio, Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero and Edge. As tends to be the case, this resulted in Rey being beaten down to end the show.

Finlay vs. Great Khali

Hornswoggle and Runjin Singh are here and get in a chase on the floor at the bell. We take a break less than thirty seconds in and come back with Khali stomping Finlay down in the corner. A right hand drops Finlay again and they head outside until Khali misses a chop. Finlay kicks away but Finlay gets chopped right back.

We hit the nerve hold (of course) before Khali hits a slam to keep Finlay in trouble. Hornswoggle offers a distraction though and Finlay gets in a low blow but it’s time to beat up Singh. That’s enough of a distraction for Khali to hit the chokebomb and the Vice Grip finishes Finlay off.

Rating: D+. You know what you’re going to get from Khali and you know what you’re going to get from this match as it has already happened more than once. The good thing is that they gave Khali a win to get some of his momentum back. You can only have him taken out by the shillelagh so many times before it stops mattering so this was the right way to go. It wasn’t a good match of course, but it did its job.

Edge tells Vickie Guerrero that he will always be here for her. They mean everything they have said to each other, with Vickie suggesting they have a kid. The camera pans over to Teddy Long, who reminds them that he’s still here. Vickie sends him on a food run but Chavo Guerrero interrupts to say he was wrong about the two of them. Chavo says Edge is a good guy and Vickie takes both of their hands.

Raw Rebound.

Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore vs. Deuce N Domino

Cherry is here with the entrance-less Deuce N Domino. Jimmy and Deuce start things off with Jimmy taking him to the mat without much effort. Cherry offers a distraction so Jimmy can be sent outside and it’s Moore coming in, only to be taken down in a hurry. Domino grabs the chinlock, which goes as well as the average chinlock, meaning Moore fights up and brings Yang back in. Everything breaks down and a missile dropkick gets two on Domino. The moonsault press finishes for Jimmy.

Rating: C. Again: take two guys who have nothing else going on and put them into a team. It isn’t the best way to go and it isn’t going to light the company on fire, but Yang and Moore are having fun matches and adding the slightest bit of depth to the division. If WWE can do it with them, why can’t they do it with even more people?

Vince McMahon comes into the dressing room to yell at Finlay for letting Great Khali hurt Hornswoggle. Next week it’s Finlay vs. Great Khali in a Belfast Brawl.

Batista vs. Mark Henry

After a clip of Batista winning the 2005 Royal Rumble, they fight over a lockup with neither being able to get very far. A running shoulder doesn’t get Batista anywhere so it’s time to yell at each other instead. Henry is knocked outside so Batista follows and sends him into the barricade. That earns him a knockdown and a whip into the steps before the beating heads back inside. Henry’s Vader Bomb hits raised knees and a spear gives Batista two. The Batista Bomb is broken up so Batista goes with the spinebuster for the pin.

Rating: C-. Yeah you know what you’re getting here, as once Batista has beaten him one time, there is no real reason to be interested in seeing it happen again. We know he can’t hit the Batista Bomb so it was either going to be the spear or the spinebuster. Batista still feels like he gets a bit of a rub, but that isn’t exactly a big deal from Henry.

We look at Edge helping Chavo Guerrero become #1 contender to the ECW World Title.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with Ric Flair as this week’s guest. Flair talks about wanting to dance all night long in a lounge like this and says he closed VIP lounges before MVP was born. MVP talks about how he beat Flair last year and promises to do it again. Flair lists off some legends he has beaten and says he likes MVP a lot. He reminds Flair of himself but knows that MVP is nothing like him. MVP says he’s better and Flair is ready to fight but we’ll save that for the Royal Rumble. After hitting the catchphrases, MVP gets punched out to the floor.

Michelle McCool vs. Layla

McCool grabs some headlock takeovers to start and shoulders her down for a basement dropkick. Back up and Layla goes after the knee to take over. That doesn’t last long as Michelle is up with some kicks, setting up a double underhook facebuster (Christopher Daniels’ Angel’s Wings) for the pin.

Rating: C-. They’re both trying and this was far from an embarrassing match, but you can only get so far with these women fighting over whatever catty issue they have. There isn’t room for a Women’s Title around here, but they have come a long way since the dark days. Michelle is getting more and more polished in the ring and that is nice to see as the effort is working out.

Video on Eve Torres.

Jamie Noble checks on Michelle McCool when a delivery man has flowers for her. They’re not from Jamie, but rather Chuck Palumbo, who apologizes profusely. Michelle accepts his apology but Noble doesn’t buy any of this. She tells them to get along for her sake. Sure.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Vickie Guerrero wishes Rey Mysterio good luck in the main event but he doesn’t buy it.

Edge/Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio/CM Punk

Punk works on Chavo’s arm to start and then shoulders him down. Rey comes in with a springboard seated senton for something like a Hart Attack to Chavo, meaning it’s off to Edge. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside for stereo dives as we take a break.

Back with Punk whipping Edge into the corner and raining down some right hands. A Chavo distraction lets Edge take over though and it’s the villains taking turns on Punk. Edge slides Punk shoulder first into the post and Chavo grabs an armbar. A backbreaker gives Chavo two but Punk kicks him down for a much needed breather. It’s still too early for the hot tag as Edge comes back in, only to miss a charge into the buckle. Rey comes back in to clean house but Edge chairs Rey down to break up the 619 and draw the DQ.

Rating: C+. Lame ending aside, this is a case where the talent alone is going to carry things. There were four good wrestlers in there and they got to do a completely passable story during their match. Good enough for a main event here as we barrel towards a pair of title matches next week.

Post match the brawl stays on the Edgeheads come in and help with the beatdown on Punk and Rey to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As has been the case for a few weeks now, there is only so much that can be done for the Royal Rumble build. The World Title match is set, meaning this was more about setting up the ECW World Title match on next week’s TV rather than anything for the pay per view. Not a bad show, but the Rumble needs to get here already.

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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Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

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HIDDEN GEM – Velocity – December 15, 2005 (Partial)

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 9, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness

Last week’s show was hardly inspiring, meaning the trend continues around here. The show has once again become little more than a collection of matches without much rhyme or reason and that makes it hard to figure out what you are going to see from week to week. Maybe this week can be an upgrade so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bodhi Hayward vs. Charlie Dempsey

Chase U is here with Hayward and this is a much bigger match than I would have expected. Hayward goes right after him to start and knocks Dempsey into the corner before taking him down by the wrist. Commentary says that Dempsey is a second generation star but doesn’t mention the first generation.

Dempsey powers up and hits something like an AA but Hayward stays on the wristlock. With that not working, Dempsey fights up and pulls him down into something like an STF. We’ll make that a regular armbar but Hayward is back up with some forearms, including the running version. Dempsey pulls him into a Fujiwara armbar though, which he shifts into a Regal Stretch for the tap at 7:41.

Rating: C. If this is what we could be getting on this show going forward, I’ll be much happier. This was a match that actually tied into what they have been doing on NXT as of late and that’s a lot better than I would have bet on. It’s good to see Dempsey get a win, as he is the kind of wrestler who will always have a spot because he’s that good at the grappling, so well done here.

Valentina Feroz vs. Sol Ruca

The rather athletic Ruca (Nigel: “She takes after her grandfather, Argentina Ruca!” Shah: “I don’t think that’s true.”) grabs a headlock to start. Back up and Ruca cartwheels forward and grabs the headlock again but Feroz fights up and takes her into a wristlock. An exchange of arm cranking on the mat goes to Ruca as she pulls Feroz into the air. That’s reversed into a choke until Feroz pulls her down into a backslide for the pin at 5:53.

Rating: C. Ruca is fine enough at what she does, but there are so many athletic blondes that it is going to take something special to make her stand out. The cartwheels and flips will get her somewhere but I don’t think that is going to be enough so far. Then again she is on the way to the main NXT show next week so apparently she has done something right.

Stacks vs. Ikemen Jiro

Tony D’Angelo is here with Stacks. They fight over a lockup to start and take turns driving each other into the corner. Jiro works on the arm and snaps off some armdrags but Stacks PULLS OFF JIRO’S JACKET! That doesn’t work for Jiro, who takes it right back and sends him outside. Back in and Stacks drops him again before working on a cravate. That’s broken up and Jiro comes back with the jacket punches into a falling jacket punch for two. An Iconoclast out of the corner sets up a missed Ikemen Slash and Stacks kicks him in the face for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. The D’Angelo guys are still not exactly awesome but it’s amazing how much better they are when they aren’t talking. Stacks is about as generic as you can get in the ring but Jiro is someone who can make anyone look ok at worst. Jiro isn’t likely to win anything important either so this went about as you would have expected.

Overall Rating: C. This was actually a bit of a step up over previous efforts, with the main thing being that opener that managed to tie into a story. With as many teams and partnerships as they have around here, that shouldn’t be hard to make work most weeks. Even if there isn’t some kind of a team aspect, just do a match and then have someone talk about their current feud. It shouldn’t be that hard, but NXT manages to make it difficult for whatever reason.

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

Velocity
Date: December 17, 2005
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Steve Romero, Josh Matthews

Now this is a special version as it contains only the matches with the recaps cut out. I’m not sure how that is going to go but Velocity was the low level show which did little more than give the Smackdown crew a little more time. This is likely going to have some interesting and unknown guest stars so that could be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Scotty 2 Hotty vs. William Regal

Regal has Paul Burchill with him. Scotty isn’t having the wristlock and hits a running shoulder to take Regal down. Regal isn’t sure what to do here so he shoves off a headlock but misses an uppercut, allowing Scotty to grab a rollup for two. Scotty hammers away in the corner and scores with a superkick. The Worm is loaded up but Burchill comes in for a distraction, allowing Regal to hit the running knee for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here but Regal is always worth at least a glance. You can also always throw Scotty in there as a guy who can take a loss and not suffer any serious damage. At the end of the day though, all this did was make me want to see more of Burchill, who would soon become a pirate because WWE.

We see a good bit of Batista/Rey Mysterio winning the Tag Team Titles from MNM. So when the description says “MATCHES ONLY” Velocity, I didn’t think they meant old matches as well.

Jamie Noble vs. Tommaso Whitney

That would of course be Tommaso Ciampa under his real name (yes his first name is Tommaso). This is also Noble’s first match in over a year and he’s a lot more serious than the trailer park days. Noble takes him into the corner to start and chops away, setting up a legdrop for two. Some shots to the back set up choking on the ropes and a fireman’s carry gutbuster rocks Whitney again. A dragon sleeper makes Whitney tap at 2:27. Total squash.

Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. Scotty Charisma/Arch Kincaid

Kendrick hammerlocks Charisma (what a family name) to start and hiptosses him into a slam for two. London comes in for a headlock and it’s already back to Kendrick to work on the arm. Charisma gets headbutted down in the corner and everything breaks down, with London and Kendrick cleaning house again.

A running flip neck snap on the mat keeps charisma in trouble and a running flip splash gives London two. It’s finally off to Kincaid for a hard clothesline and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up in a hurry and Kendrick comes back in to run Kincaid over. Everything breaks down and a double superkick drops Charisma. An enziguri/Downward Spiral combination finishes Kincaid at 5:27.

Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse but then again London and Kendrick are one of the better teams of their era. They were as crisp as you could get and everything they did worked well against anyone. This was little more than target practice for them as Kincaid and Charisma were more or less tackling dummies.

Doug Basham vs. Todd Hanson

Hanson is better known as Ivar and Basham is better known as Basham. They fight over a wristlock to start until Hanson is hiptossed down in a hurry. Back up and a shoulder gives Basham one but the bigger Hanson knocks him into the corner. You don’t do that to Basham as he works over Hanson’s arm and snaps off a suplex. We hit the armbar for all of three seconds before Basham just hits him in the shoulder a few times. Hanson’s sunset flip attempt is countered into a cross armbreaker to give Basham the win at 3:19.

Rating: C-. Nothing in the way of a competitive match but it was nice to see someone like Basham getting a chance. His career was destroyed by the S&M nonsense with Danny Basham and Shaniqua, but I’m sure it let someone work out one of their inner thoughts (and I use that term loosely). Who cares if it wasted the amount of time and money they had invested into Basham?

Orlando Jordan vs. Funaki

Jordan has Jillian Hall with him and is still part of JBL’s Cabinet. Funaki gets driven into the corner to start but his headlock (it’s devastating) gets him out of trouble. Then a swinging backbreaker puts him right back in trouble, but it did work for a few seconds. The bearhug (From Jordan?) goes on and after some forearms to the back, it goes on again. Funaki fights out again and manages to start a quick comeback, only to get caught in a swinging neckbreaker. A Backstabber finishes Funaki at 4:59.

Rating: D+. The only thing this did was remind me how completely useless Jordan really is. The guy had nothing that made me want to see him and that never changed no matter how many times he was in the ring. Funaki can only do so much and that was on full display here. Nothing match, and that’s some pretty high praise for a Jordan match.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure how much more the additional ten minutes of recaps would have helped but the wrestling was what you would have expected. This was included because of the guest stars and that worked out well enough, but there is a reason that Velocity is such a nothing show that has almost no important history to it whatsoever.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: January 15, 2008
Location: Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re coming up on the Royal Rumble, which isn’t likely to mean much around here. This show is more concerned with Chavo Guerrero getting another shot at a title shot against ECW World Champion CM Punk, because two times wasn’t enough yet. We do have a guest star this week though, as Smackdown World Champion Edge is here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge to get things going. He is excited to be here, just like he is excited to defend the Smackdown World Title against Rey Mysterio at the Royal Rumble. The fans chant 619 but Edge says that isn’t going to happen to him. We see a clip of Rey beating Chavo Guerrero on Smackdown and getting beaten down by Edge after the fact. That brings Edge to his guest for the week: CM Punk, who Edge knows has his hands full with Chavo Guerrero.

Edge praises Punk and says he sees a lot of Punk in him. Punk laughs that off and says he would love to face Chavo again, anytime. On top of that though, Punk knows that he can beat Edge too. Cue Chavo to put in another challenge, but Punk says they both know what happens when he beats Chavo again. Edge pops up and helps Chavo double team Punk down, including sending him shoulder first into the post.

Post break, Edge leaves. Forgive me for not believing him.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Highlanders

Non-title. Morrison takes Rory down to start and walks over his back, only to have Rory grab a flapjack for two. That earns Rory a knockdown so Miz comes in to pull on the leg. Back up and Rory gets over for the tag to Robbie, who hits a fast powerslam. Everything breaks down and the Reality Check gives Miz the pin. The Highlanders were no Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore.

Kofi Kingston is still coming and still doesn’t like bullies. He debuts next week.

Here is Kelly Kelly in a robe to challenge Lena Yada and Layla to a best body contest next week, when ECW goes HD. The robe comes off and the fans approve.

As Kelly leaves, Colin Delaney, now with both arms and ribs taped up, is in the ring to say he’s going to try this one more time.

Kane vs. Colin Delaney

Chokeslam finishes in about a minute.

CM Punk is still in for his match against Chavo Guerrero tonight.

Raw Rebound.

Jeff Hardy is out of the hospital after diving onto Randy Orton on Raw.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Nunzio

Benjamin throws him down without much trouble to start and snaps off a t-bone suplex. A shot to the face cuts off Nunzio’s comeback attempt and Benjamin hits a buckle bomb. The jumping Downward Spiral finishes Nunzio off.

Rating: D+. Benjamin’s roll continues and that shouldn’t be a surprise. It makes sense for WWE to push someone with his credentials as a bigger star on a show like this. If nothing else, Benjamin can be built up for someone else to defeat and get a big rub out of later, which is one of the reasons to go in this direction.

CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title again and again if Chavo wins, he gets a future title shot. Hold on though as here is Edge to join commentary. Chavo goes after him to start but gets kicked away without much effort. Back up and Chavo pulls him to the mat by the arm and cranks away as we take a break.

We come back with Punk fighting out of the corner but getting his arm wrapped around the ropes again. The armbar is broken up and Punk hits an enziguri, only to get dropkicked in the shoulder. It’s back to another arm crank, with Chavo bridging over with a hammerlock. Punk fights up again and gets taken down again, this time with a flip dive onto the arm.

We’re right back to the armbar but Punk manages to get to his feet for a spinning backfist. Punk goes to the top but gets pulled down by the arm. That’s enough for Edge to hit him in the back of the head with the title, giving Chavo the countout win, earning him a title shot in the process.

Rating: C. The match finally set up the title showdown but it wasn’t exactly a thrilling fight. Chavo worked on the arm for a rather long time and then Edge interfered to cause the DQ. This showed you about how much you can get out of Chavo working on an arm for ten minutes and the fact that it was their third match didn’t make things much better.

Overall Rating: C-. Not much to this one but the main event did set up Chavo vs. Punk IV if you’re rather obsessed with this feud. Other than that, Punk vs. Edge might have been teased for the future and that could be a nice way to go. The show didn’t exactly get heavy on the wrestling, but with the Royal Rumble coming up, does it really make that much of a difference?

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Gringo Loco’s The Wrld On Lucha
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Emil Jay, Lenny Leonard

This is one of the theme shows that you get over Wrestlemania weekend as one wrestler is given the chance to run his own show. In this case it’s Gringo Loco (of MLW/GCW fame) with a lucha themed show. There is no story or history coming in so the show is standing completely on its own. Let’s get to it.

Johnny Caballero vs. Jack Cartwheel

Yeah it’s John Hennigan/Morrison/Nitro/Superstar/Mundo/Impact/Elite/Game Changer/Drip Drip/YOU GET THE IDEA ALREADY (and it’s a funny one). Yes he brought the Drip Stick and the fans are moistened before the bell. They grab a lockup to start and cartwheel around for some nice showing off. A fight over a top wristlock lets Johnny armdrag him down, only to miss the standing shooting star press. Cartwheel misses one of his own though and that’s an early standoff.

They grab some gutwrenches and flip around again, until Cartwheel goes outside for some….well for some cartwheels. Back in and they have a Drip Stick duel (complete with taking three steps), with Cartwheel cheating and spraying Johnny in the face. The referee gets wet too, meaning Cartwheel’s Alabama Slam gets no count. Johnny gets in a quick low blow though and the flipping neckbreaker gets a close two. A Muta Lock goes on as we can only hear one of the commentators due to some (acknowledged) technical difficulties.

The reverse Regal Roll looks to set up Starship Pain but Cartwheel rolls him up for two. Johnny sends him outside and puts on a hat, which is knocked off by a hurricanrana to the floor. That sets up the big flip dive (you knew that was coming), followed by a cartwheel into a moonsault for two back inside.

Johnny sweeps the leg though and kicks him down but misses Starship Pain. Cartwheel hits kind of an Iconoclasm faceplant (OUCH) to send Johnny outside, which of course means another dive to the floor. Back in and Cartwheel loads up the Alberto double stomp but gets Drip Sticked in the face. Now Starship Pain can connect to give Johnny the pin at 11:27.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of fun opener that you want to see and it went rather well. That is how you open a show like this as Johnny is someone the fans know and respect while Cartwheel gets to hang with someone way above his pay grade. Cartwheel looked good here, though the constant flips are about as indy style as you can get.

Respect is shown post match.

Tony Deppen vs. Psicosis

Here’s a battle of the generations. Before the match, Deppen yells at him in Spanish and hits a dive to the floor to start fast. Back in and Deppen hits some running knees in the corner for two but Psicosis dropkicks him out of the air. That’s enough to send Deppen outside, where Psicosis can hit a big dive into the chairs. One such chair is sent at Deppen’s head so yes we do get a La Parka reference.

Psicosis channels his inner Tajiri with a Tarantula, allowing commentary to talk ECW. Deppen comes right back with a series of strikes to take over and a slingshot neckbreaker sends Psicosis bailing to the floor. Of course that means a big dive to take Psicosis down again. Psicosis’ belt is taken off for some hard chops to the chest but a top rope elbow misses. Deppen hits a quick Shining Wizard for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much to see and felt more like a way to say “here’s this legend on the show”. Deppen is basically a despicable heel and that isn’t what we got here. Psicosis is still a name and has some nostalgia value, but Deppen’s win was a little flat here. And we didn’t even get the guillotine legdrop!

Aeroboy vs. Octagon Jr. vs. Shane Mercer vs. Golden Dragon vs. Drago Kid vs. Chris Carter

Well OF COURSE there is a scramble match. At least it’s only six names this time so it could be worse. Mercer isn’t a luchador but he’s from Lexington, Kentucky so I can go for more of him. It’s a brawl to start with Octogon, Carter and Dragon left in the ring, setting up the triple dives. Carter gets chopped by the other two though and it’s time to head back inside for the series of flips.

It’s Carter snapping off some hurricanranas to take over but Mercer is right there with a pop up powerslam (Leonard: “I couldn’t even do that with a Wrestling Buddy.”). Aeroboy comes back in for some kicks into a rope walk hanging DDT to drop Mercer. Dragon comes back in and gets choked down, only to come back with a very springboardy rope walk wristdrag.

Octagon comes back in with a spinning dive to drop Dragon and a springboard wristdrag does it again. It’s Drago coming back in to clean house but Carter kicks him in the head to break that up. Carter hits something like a slingshot cutter but Octagon gives him a running Death Valley Driver into the corner. Mercer is back in to belly to belly Drago into Octagon.

One heck of a toss sends Octagon onto a pile at ringside, leaving Drago and Kid to kick Mercer down. For your THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE move, Mercer catches them both on top and hits a super moonsault World’s Strongest Slam to both of them at the same time (GEEZ) for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Well that ending isn’t being topped anytime soon. Mercer was the outlier in the match and while I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have the non-luchador win on the LUCHA show, he showcased himself very well here. It was a total insanity match but dang that ending was awesome to see.

Pagano vs. Sadika

And now we go extreme, which shouldn’t be a surprise either. Sadika (a woman) is rather popular with the fans. Pagano grabs a headlock to start to make it clear that this is a wrestling match before we get to the violence. Sadika tries a running shoulder to no avail and it’s an early standoff.

Some chops don’t work for Pagano so Sadika strikes him down and grabs the first kendo stick. Those shots are shrugged off and Pagano doesn’t seem overly worried here. Sadika is back with a running dropkick to the floor, where Pagano hits a dropkick off some chairs. Pagano goes for some weapons underneath the ring so Sadika pelts him with a chair to break it up. A light tube is thrown in and a hanging piledriver onto said tube gives Pagano two.

They strike it out on the apron until Sadika suplexes him onto a ladder (and some other stuff) on the floor. Sadika’s dive is broken up and it’s Pagano going back inside for the running flip dive. Some more light tube shots get Sadika out of trouble and a corkscrew splash off the middle rope through a door gives her two. Pagano’s back is VERY bloody so he hits a springboard Codebreaker for the pin at 14:37.

Rating: D+. This isn’t my thing and never has been so I’m not surprised that I wasn’t getting into this one either. The other problem is that they only got so extreme in the first place with a few light tube shots and that flip dive onto the pile of junk. The ending came out of nowhere too, though I wonder if that is due to the bloody back. Nothing to this one, but the time did go by fast.

Respect is shown post match.

The ring is cleared up so we hear about some other upcoming GCW matches.

Abismo Negro Jr./Demonic Flamita/Gringo Loco vs. ASF/Laredo Kid/Rey Horus

At least I know most of these people. It’s a brawl on the floor to start and they’re quickly inside so everyone can run around and hit a few shots here and there. We settle down to Gringo vs. Horus with Gringo flipping him off. A top rope cradle takes Gringo down and it’s off to Flamita for a 619 in the corner. Flamita teases a dive but flips off the fans and drops down instead. It’s off to ASF to start cleaning house but Abismo sends him to the apron and then out to the floor.

Kid comes back in and hits a slingshot hurricanrana to drop Abismo on the floor. A big dive is loaded up but Flamita superkicks Kid down. Loco and company start the triple teaming on Horus and something like a standing What’s Up (with a dropkick instead of a headbutt) makes it even worse. An assisted Codebreaker drops Horus again so ASF comes back in, only to get dropped as well.

Some rudo miscommunication lets ASF come back, including a running headscissors to all three of them, without hitting the ground in between them. That and some stereo dropkick from Horus and Kid have the crowd rather pleased and it’s time for the back to back to back dives to the floor. Back in and Flamita superkicks Kid again and hits a tiger driver for two. ASF Death Valley Drivers Logo and hits a 450 but Abismo makes the save.

Abismo’s super Styles Clash gets two with Horus making the save, setting up the strike off. The satellite DDT plants Loco and another DDT gets two on Flamita. A corkscrew moonsault takes out the other villains but Loco is back up for a big dive of his own. Back in and ASF’s super hurricanrana is countered into a super sitout powerbomb to give Loco the pin at 14:47.

Rating: B. This is what you expect from a lucha six man tag and that is not a bad thing. At the end of the day, they were there to fly around and do all kinds of insane flips and dives and little more. It was a lot of fun and pure junk food wrestling and that is all I would have asked for from the thing, even with the show’s namesake getting the pin.

Post match Loco thanks the fans and talks about the greatness of lucha. Then respect is teased but middle fingers are shown.

AR Fox vs. Ninja Mack

Fox’s wife Ayla is here with him. Mack trips him down to start and misses an early spinning moonsault. Back up and Fox hits a superkick into the ribs and then kicks him into the corner. There’s a slingshot dropkick out to the floor, setting up the required dive. Fox hits another running flip dive but Mack gets in a shot of his own to take over for a change. They head outside again, with Mack snapmaring him on the floor.

Fox shrugs that off and hits a running flip dive of his own. Back in and Fox hits a twisting brainbuster and they’re both down. Mack sends him outside and hits a Sasuke Special but Fox is right back with a trio of springboard cutters/Stunners. A 450 misses and Mack superkicks him, only to miss a Phoenix splash. Now a Now the 450 can connect to give Fox the pin at 8:35.

Rating: B-. Fox is one of those guys who does very well with just about anything he does and that was the case again here. You can see someone being that smooth and it is always nice to watch. Mack is someone I’ve heard a lot of good things about and while he can get around his rather small stature, he wasn’t doing much that blew me away. Still though, it’s nice to have things be a bit less insane after the last few matches so nice job of mixing things up a bit.

Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Psycho Clown

These two really don’t like each other. Before the match, Clown brings some kids into the ring to pose with him. Commentary talks about how big of a deal this was the first time and lists off its ratings, which is always weird to hear. They don’t get get physical to start and head outside instead with Clown and a kid yelling at Wagner. Back in and they go with some grappling with Clown grabbing a front facelock.

An exchange of armdrags sends Wagner outside and there’s the dive from Clown. Wagner cuts off another dive with a light tube shot, followed by a broom to the back for two. We get the required ripping at the mask and the fans dislike Wagner even more. A door is loaded up and we talk about Steven Segal for some reason. The bloody Clown misses a charge but comes back with a running basement dropkick for two.

They head outside again with Clown hitting a trashcan shot to the head, followed by a broom over the back for two more. Some chairs are brought in, with one being driven into the other to hit Wagner low. Clown hits a snap powerslam for two and it’s time to whip a bunch of people. Wagner is back with a Tower Of London (Commentary: “Not exactly a lucha reference.”) and something like a surfboard choke keeps Clown in trouble.

A tornado DDT plants Clown again and a top rope superplex gets a delayed two. Wagner’s super hurricanrana is countered into a superbomb for two more and it’s time for some more weapons. Clown sends him through a door for two but Wagner kicks him low, pulls off the mask and hooks a small package for the pin at 20:40.

Rating: C+. The most important thing here was the match felt big and that is how something like this is supposed to go. I could have gone without some of the weapons stuff (and by that I mean all of it) but this did feel like a special match. They both came off like bigger stars and that is not something you get to see very often. Kind of a lame finish with the mask (because of course it’s the mask) but it hit the important part.

Post match Wagner brags about his win and talks to I believe a fan who won’t be his translator. Another fan is willing to do it and apparently Wagner says he’ll always go for the mask. Wagner challenges Clown to the mask vs. hair match and the match seems to be set. Clown wants to do it right now but Wagner leaves instead. Clown thanks the fans for coming out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. One of the things to remember about a show like this is the lack of expectations. There are (mostly) no stories coming in and the action is all that matters. If that part is good, the show is going to be a success and that is pretty much what happened here. It isn’t a must see and there are better lucha shows out there, but there are far worse ways to spend about two hours fifteen minutes.

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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Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

NXT LVL Up – September 2, 2022

Monday Night Raw – February 7, 1994

Monday Night Raw – February 21, 1994

Monday Night Raw – February 28, 1994

Impact Wrestling – September 8, 2022

Smackdown – September 9, 2022

Rampage – September 9, 2022

Big Update On CM Punk’s Injury Status, Out Several Months.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/big-update-cm-punks-injury-status-several-months/

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE’s Likely Replacement For Pat McAfee On SmackDown.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwes-likely-replacement-pat-mcafee-smackdown/

Former WWE Star Appears On Disney+ Marvel Series.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/former-wwe-star-appears-disney-marvel-series/

Update On Multiple AEW Suspensions, What Is Next In Process.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-multiple-aew-suspensions-next-process/

Speculation On Huge AEW Full Gear Main Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/speculation-huge-aew-full-gear-main-event/

LOOK: Triple H Meets Up With Former WWE Champion.

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Infamous Former WWE Star Teases Return After Four Year Absence.

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Shawn Michaels Lands New Executive Role With WWE.

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Update On Thunder Rosa’s Injury Status, When She Should Be Back.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-thunder-rosas-injury-status-back/

First Title Match Set For WWE Extreme Rules.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/first-title-match-officially-set-wwe-extreme-rules-2/

WWE Appears To Change Two Unwritten Rules At Clash At The Castle.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-appears-change-two-unwritten-rules-clash-castle/

WATCH: WWE Star Teases Return Of NXT Character.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-wwe-star-teases-return-nxt-character/

WWE Legend Slammed Over Controversial Queen Elizabeth II Tweet.

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LOOK: Sasha Banks And Naomi Walk Runway At New York Fashion Week.

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Multiple New Details On Roman Reigns’ Next Title Defense.

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Randy Orton’s Shocking Realization About His Daughter And Matt Riddle.

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As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

Rampage
Date: September 9, 2022
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

It’s the second night of the Tournament Of Champions and the best thing that can happen to this show is a hot match to make some of the last week go away. That is what they did on Dynamite but Rampage is a bit of a trickier subject. We do get Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara this week though and that should be enough. Let’s get to it.

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

Tournament Of Champions First Round: Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara

Tay Melo is here with Guevara. Feeling out process to start as they trade headlocks until Allin backslides him for two. A Gory Stretch into a Fujiwara armbar keeps Guevara in trouble but he blocks a charge in the corner. Guevara superplexes him into Two Amigos but Allin reverses the third into a crash over the top…where Allin suplexes him on the floor for a bonus. Melo cuts off a dive before Allin tries anyway, only to get pulled out of the air with a cutter on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Guevara hitting a knee to the face as Jericho talks about the chemistry these two have in the ring. Guevara misses a shooting star press and gets caught with a Code Red for two. Melo offers another distraction though, allowing Guevara to kick Allin in the face. The always confident Guevara stops to kiss Melo, allowing Allin to hit the big flipping suicide dive.

Back in and Allin rips off Guevara’s wedding ring, which is enough to make Melo get on the apron. Guevara knocks Allin down and takes his ring back, setting up an enziguri in the corner. A double springboard cutter gives Guevara two but he misses his own Coffin Drop. Cue Anna Jay so Melo can throw in the skateboard. Guevara powerbombs him onto the wheels, setting up GTH to finish Allin at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was another good match between the two of them though I don’t know if it was quite the classic that commentary was hyping it up as being. Guevara going forward is a fine way to go, even if it means Allin loses another big match. That being said, Guevara is the hotter star right now, as Allin hasn’t done much without Sting in a pretty long while. Solid opener, as AEW continues putting their biggest matches at the top of their shows.

We look at MJF’s return on Dynamite and showdown with Jon Moxley.

Here is Samoa Joe for a chat. Joe hasn’t been around very often and he owes the people a lot more violence. He is open for business so here is Mark Sterling with Josh Woods and Tony Nese. Sterling thinks that Woods should get a TV Title shot and Joe says sure. Hold on though as Sterling says the paperwork isn’t done so we’ll do it next week in a real city like Albany.

Miro is mad at not being in the tournament and calls himself flawless.

Madison Rayne vs. Serena Deeb

I had forgotten Rayne worked here. Feeling out process to start with Deeb not being able to hit the Deebtox as Rayne rolls her up for a close two. Back up and Deeb shoves her down and starts hammering away. Deeb gets annoyed at being rolled up so she goes after the knee and Serenity Locks Rayne for the tap at 3:58.

Rating: C. Not much beyond a squash here and I’m still not sure how much higher Rayne is going to go in AEW. She has experience and is certainly passable in the ring, but she feels like just another person on the show for the most part. I’m still not sure why Deeb isn’t a bigger star, she she rarely breaks out of that third tier of women. The skill is there, but for some reason nothing else is clicking for her.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies aren’t surprised by beating Athena and say she might as well be 50-0.

Powerhouse Hobbs is ready to hurt even more people.

William Regal talks about hiring Dax Harwood out of obscurity, but now Regal is in Claudio Castagnoli’s corner. Castagnoli is ready to face Harwood, who will win something on his own one day, but it won’t be tonight. Harwood says this is how he feeds his family so Top Guy out.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Dax Harwood vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Harwood is challenging and William Regal is here with the champ. Feeling out process to start with Harwood’s leapfrog being pulled out of the air but he grabs some rollups for two each. Back up and Castagnoli fires off some uppercuts to take over so Harwood suplexes both of them over the top and out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Castagnoli winning a slugout and putting on an abdominal stretch.

With that broken up, Castagnoli puts him on top but gets chopped backwards, setting up a Swan Dive from Harwood. JR goes into a funny rant about how you’re an idiot if you aren’t doing this for the money as Harwood backdrops his way out of a Neutralizer. Harwood grabs a piledriver for two and goes up top, only to get superplexed back down. We take another break and come back again with Harwood getting two off a backslide so Castagnoli kicks him in the face.

The slingshot sitout powerbomb gives Harwood two more but Castagnoli puts him right back on top. A belly to back superplex is countered into a crossbody for two more, plus a big crash. Another slugout goes to Castagnoli and it’s a giant swing into the Sharpshooter. With that almost broken up, Castagnoli tries a Crossface but gets reversed into a Sharpshooter of his own. That breaks down and Castagnoli drives in some hammer and anvil elbows, setting up the Sharpshooter to make Harwood tap at 20:24.

Rating: B. This wasn’t a match that had a ton of doubt to it but the action getting to the pretty obvious ending was quite good. Castagnoli is a monster and Harwood kept at him until he fell short at the end. I could go with Harwood not getting pinned so often, but then again I could also go with FTR doing something of note but that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon either.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, outside of a single match, there was nothing on here that felt like it was making any kind of a difference. Rampage feels like a show where they grabbed a handful of people who weren’t on Dynamite and let them get ring time that week. That can be nice to see and gives us stuff like the main event, but when you have this many people and so little TV time, there are going to be problems and that is what you see with AEW a lot of the time. The main event was very good, but sometimes you need more than that to make something worth the time and effort.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Darby Allin – GTH
Serena Deeb b. Madison Rayne – Serenity Lock
Claudio Castagnoli b. Dax Harwood – Sharpshooter

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: September 9, 2022
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

Clash At The Castle has come and gone and that means it is time for the setup to Extreme Rules. The show is in less than a month and since there is not likely to be a Roman Reigns match, we’ll need a new main event. That could go in a few different ways and we might get an indication of that this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash At The Castle if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Solo Sikoa costing Drew McIntyre the World Title at Clash At The Castle.

Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium

Kaiser knocks Holland into the corner to start so it’s off to Vinci, who gets elbowed in the head a lot. Butch works on Vinci’s fingers before Gunther comes in for the big chop. We take a break and come back with Holland being taken into the corner so Vinci can come in for a suplex. Gunther comes in for some chops but Holland busts Vinci’s spine, allowing the tag to Butch. Everything breaks down and it’s Gunther vs. Sheamus on the floor, which is broken up rather quickly. Back in and Vinci pulls Butch into a hard clothesline to send us to another break.

We come back again with Butch fighting out of Gunther’s Boston crab but not being able to make a tag. Gunther and Sheamus have their staredown but Butch gets in a shot of his own, allowing the tag to Sheamus. Vinci and Kaiser are taken down, setting up the twenty five forearms to the chest and related areas on Kaiser. The Irish Curse and Brogue Kick hit Vinci, who isn’t legal, allowing Kaiser to grab a rollup for two.

Holland comes back in for the big lariat on Kaiser but Gunther chops him in the back of the head. Sheamus and Gunther get in the big fight and the fans are really happy. Everything breaks down and it’s a triple fight until Holland suplexes Kaiser down HARD, with Kaiser landing on his knee (uh oh). The knee is fine enough to hit the European Bomb to finish Holland at 19:02.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, as they seem to be building up to another Sheamus vs. Gunther showdown. Those two can beat the fire out of each other as often as they can and it probably wouldn’t get old for a long time. I’m not sure what kind of a brawl they could have at Extreme Rules, but hopefully it doesn’t get too gimmicky as that doesn’t fit for Gunther.

Condolences are given to Queen Elizabeth II.

Here are the Usos and Sami Zayn for a chat. Sami is rather fired up to be here and Jimmy seems pleased too, but Jey just glares. Jimmy talks about how deep the Bloodline runs and introduces Solo Sikoa (with a highlight package from his time in NXT because WWE is finally learning). Solo says if you create problems, he’ll finish them and he is here to stay. Cue Drew McIntyre to clear the ring with a chair, with Sami taking a shot for Sikoa.

Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Toxic Attraction

Non-title and Toxic Attraction praises Rodriguez on the way to the ring. Jayne: “Aliyah…uh you’re pretty!”. Jayne kicks Rodriguez in the ribs to start but Rodriguez takes over without much trouble. Aliyah comes in and gets thrown at Dolin for two but gets pulled into the corner so the double teaming can begin. A running backsplash hits for Aliyah for two and Jayne cranks on both arms. Aliyah ducks a clothesline though and rolls over for the hot tag to Rodriguez. A spinning side slam drops Dolin and the twisting Vader Bomb elbow gets two. Aliyah breaks up the double suplex and the Tejana Bomb finishes Jayne at 4:58.

Rating: C-. Just like on Monday, you can’t help but feel like the titles are already in jeopardy and there is a good chance that they are changing hands next week. That is why the champs get a win here to boost them up a bit, though Aliyah continues to be little more than a person who happens to be in Rodriguez’s corner while she wrecks things. Even Toxic Attraction’s pre-match promo made it clear that Aliyah means very little, and that might come into play during the title match next week.

We recap Adam Pearce snapping on Ronda Rousey last week, with Rousey ripping his arm apart as a result.

Xia Li vs. Natalya vs. Sonya Deville vs. Lacey Evans vs. Ronda Rousey

Elimination rules for the Extreme Rules title shot against Liv Morgan (watching in a sky box). Everyone goes after Rousey to start until Natalya tries to Sharpshooter Li. That’s broken up and Rousey armbars Natalya for the tap at 1:19. Li breaks up Rousey’s armbar to Evans and Evans has to do the same for Evans.

Deville is back up for a choke to Li and Rousey armbars Evans for the stereo eliminations at 2:20. That leaves Deville vs. Rousey with Rousey taking her down and hammering away. Piper’s Pit is countered into a choke and they crash out to the floor but they’re right back in. Piper’s Pit hits Deville and an ankle lock with a grapevine finishes Deville at 4:31.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to make of this one, as Rousey just wrecked most of the Smackdown women’s division in less than five minutes. If you want to make Rousey the champion again then do it, but don’t have Morgan get destroyed at the pay per view and then keep the title on some fluke. This sets up the title match, but I’m worried about what they’ll do when they get there.

The Usos fire up Solo Sikoa when Sami Zayn interrupts for a staredown. Solo thanks him for the help out there and accepts Roman Reigns’ endorsement as proof of Sami’s status. Jey still isn’t convinced and says Solo needs to do his thing tonight. Sami is ready to go but Jey says everyone is going on there.

Shayna Baszler tells Ronda Rousey to take Liv out. That seems to work for Rousey, who seems to think she can do what Baszler couldn’t.

Maximum Male Models/Los Lotharios vs. Hit Row/Street Profits

Mansoor gets in trouble to start and the good guys chase everyone else off the apron and we take a break. Back with Adonis in trouble but Humberto accidentally takes Angel out. The hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house as everything breaks down. Humberto breaks up the big dive so Dawkins backdrops him to the floor. Dawkins hits his own big dive and Top Dolla loads up his own, only to have Maxxine break it up. B Fab isn’t having that and the brawl is on, leaving Mace to take the Heavy Hitter for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C. They do seem to be doing something with Hit Row as the team is being treated as a threat, though having them around an established team like the Street Profits is only going to work for so long before they feel overshadowed. Granted it doesn’t help when they’re beating a team like the Models, who are little more than jokes. Los Lotharios aren’t much better, but a little variety would be good for them.

Here is the Alpha Academy for a chat. We hear about how great the team is and the catchphrase is demonstrated before Chad Gable talks about how annoyed he is at the returning Braun Strowman. More bragging and threats ensue until Strowman storms the ring and wrecks them both, including a powerbomb to Otis. That seems to work.

Drew McIntyre says Clash At The Castle should have been the greatest moment of his life but it wasn’t because of Solo Sikoa. Now it is time to face the consequences and Sikoa isn’t going to like them.

Drew McIntyre vs. Solo Sikoa

The Usos and Sami Zayn are here too. McIntyre starts fast and knocks Sikoa around without much trouble. The Futureshock connects early and Sikoa bails outside for a meeting. We take a break and come back with Sikoa holding a nerve hold. McIntyre fights up but gets knocked into the corner for the running Umaga attack. Back up and McIntyre gets in an elbow to the face but has to drop the Usos.

Sami breaks up the big flip dive and the distraction lets Sikoa hit the superkick for two. McIntyre is sent outside for the beating from the Usos but the Street Profits run in for the save. Ford hits the big dive, leaving McIntyre to Claymore Sikoa to the floor. The dive is loaded up but Karrion Kross comes in with the KrossJacket to choke McIntyre for the DQ at 10:30.

Rating: C+. They had me worried at the end there and then saved it with the interference rather than Sikoa taking the Claymore for the pin. I get that you don’t need Sikoa to get a pin over McIntyre straight off and it would be too far, but they did a nice job with finding a way out of the clean loss. Sami and the Usos continue to be a great wildcard and it could be a lot of fun to see Zayn be the one who breaks the Bloodline apart from within.

Kross chokes McIntyre out to end the show (with the camera fading to black and commentary screaming for someone to help McIntyre in a great feature).

Overall Rating: C+. Much like Raw, I’m curious about how much of this show went down this way because of the travel fatigue. They were coming off of a weird run of shows over the weekend and that might explain why this one was a bit off. They did take some steps towards Extreme Rules and you can probably guess some of the card from here. Certainly not a bad show, but nothing that has me wanting to see what is next all that badly.

Results
Imperium b. Brawling Brutes – European Bomb to Holland
Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez b. Toxic Attraction – Tejana Bomb to Jayne
Ronda Rousey b. Xia Li, Natalya, Sonya Deville and Lacey Evans – Ankle lock to Deville
Hit Row/Street Profits b. Maximum Male Models/Los Lotharios – Heavy Hitter to Mansoor
Drew McIntyre b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when Karrion Kross interfered

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

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