Monday Night Raw
Date: May 2, 2022
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania Backlash and that means it is time for the final push towards the event. Granted after last week’s Smackdown, everything has changed again as we have a six man tag between the Bloodline and RKBro/Drew McIntyre. Yeah just a six man, with no titles currently on the line. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. Paul Heyman handles Roman Reigns’ introduction and Reigns himself tells North Carolina to acknowledge him….but RKBro runs in to RKO the Usos. Cue Drew McIntyre with Angela the sword, leaving Reigns looking worried. The sword is dropped down so McIntyre gets in, with the Usos and RKBro joining them. Referees come down to break up the fight and we take an early break.

Earlier today, Ezekiel met with the Street Profits and had a drink. Kevin Owens (in a Becky Lynch shirt) and Alpha Academy came in to accuse Ezekiel of cheating at the lie detector test. A six man was set up for later.

Street Profits/Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens/Alpha Academy

And now it’s later. Gable gets double flapjacked (with Montez Ford looking like he was trying something else) for an early two and the armbar goes on. Gable reverses into one of his own before it’s off to Otis. The power starts cranking up but a triple dropkick knocks him to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Ford still in trouble and Owens hitting a middle rope moonsault to the legs for two. Ford fights out of a chinlock and scores with an enziguri for the double knockdown. The hot tag brings in Ezekiel to clean house, including a heck of a Stinger Splash. Everything breaks down and Owens trips Ezekiel so Gable can grab a rollup for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why you need to have Ezekiel take the pin here, but I’m sure we needed to protect the Profits more than someone they’re trying to present as something. Owens vs. Ezekiel is probably coming next week on Raw with some weird truth stipulation, though I’m still not sure what the endgame is with Ezekiel. That being said, it’s more interesting than anything Elias had done in months, so we’ll call this an upgrade.

AJ Styles isn’t happy with Edge and Damian Priest and he’s ready for them at Wrestlemania Backlash.

We look at Sonya Deville trying to cheat Bianca Belair out of the Raw Women’s Title last week but not being able to pull it off. After the match, she yelled at Carmella and Zelina Vega for screwing up.

Adam Pearce has been ordered to put Deville into a six woman tag, with Deville saying it should be No Holds Barred. Pearce seems to shoot her down but reminds Deville that she has no executive power.

Veer Mahaan vs. Burt Hanson

Before the match, Hanson says he is scared to death but he has always wanted to compete on Raw in his hometown and now he is making his dream come true. Mahaan throws him around to start and hits the Million Dollar Arm. The Cervical Clutch finishes at 1:32.

Post match Mahaan puts the Clutch on again in the ropes, allowing commentary to continue saying CERVICAL CLUTCH over and over again.

We look at Edge and Damian Priest taking AJ Styles out.

AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest

If Styles wins, Priest is barred from ringside on Sunday. Before the match, Edge insults the city and the sports teams it doesn’t have. Styles comes out to cut them off and they start fast with Priest throwing him around. The chinlock goes on for a bit before AJ fights up and sends him outside. The slingshot forearm connects but Priest is right back up. AJ gets lawn darted into the post and we take an early break.

Back with Styles hitting the torture rack spun into a powerbomb for two. Priest fights him off again and grabs the South Of Heaven chokeslam for two of his own. Styles loads up the Calf Crusher but an Edge distraction breaks it up. That’s fine with Styles, who rolls Priest up with a cradle for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. The match was pretty cookie cutter for the most part, but what mattered here was getting to the next logical point in the feud. Styles needs some kind of help to deal with the numbers game and getting rid of Priest will be a nice step. At the same time, this opens the door for someone else to join up with Edge and Priest, which opens up some possibilities.

Post match Edge jumps Styles but Finn Balor runs in for the save. That’s a good partner for Styles and Too Sweeting ensues.

Cedric Alexander comes up to Omos and MVP for some sucking up. He even has a match with Bobby Lashley tonight to prove himself, with MVP and Omos saying they’ll be watching. Alexander can leave now.

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz not being happy about what his guest did last week. Cue Mustafa Ali as his guest, but his music cuts off during his entrance. Then “Must’s” microphone doesn’t work, even as Miz talks about how the fans forgot about him during his hiatus. Miz: “Please Must, don’t go to Twitter and complain.” Ali steals the Miz’s microphone and says that he goes to the people when he is frustrated, but Miz gets his own mic to work again as Theory interrupts.

Theory has some good news for Miz: he has gone to Vince McMahon and suggested that last week’s loss to Ali be stricken from the record books. Ali wants Theory’s US Title, and that’s fine with Theory, who has gotten Ali a Champions Contenders match tonight. Theory says he doesn’t know if Ali can handle the heat, but Ali says if anyone can handle the heat from back there, it’s him. That’s cool with Theory, so let’s make the contenders match a handicap match.

Miz/Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Joined in progress with Corey Graves daring to accidentally call him AUSTIN theory. A low bridge sends Ali out to the floor and it’s Theory getting two off a stomp to the stomach back inside. Ali fights out of a chinlock and sends Miz into the corner, setting up a neckbreaker for two of his own. Theory offers a distraction though and the Skull Crushing Finale gives Miz the pin at 2:52. Well Ali did better than I was expecting: he lasted one week.

Post match Ciampa runs in to jump Ali as well.

Earlier today, Reggie tried to talk Dana Brooke into a honeymoon but they ran into R-Truth, Akira Tozawa and Tamina. The argument over the 24/7 Title was on but Nikki Ash ran in to steal the title before running off. Dana told Reggie to get her a rematch tonight.

24/7 Title: Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Ash

Ash is defending and ties Brooke up in the ring skirt to forearm away early on. Back in and Brooke hits a flipping neckbreaker for the pin and the title at 1:34.

Post match everyone goes after the title, like they always do, but Brooke manages to escape. Then she tells Reggie that she wants a divorce.

Becky Lynch rants about how Asuka is trying to steal her comeback story. This is Becky’s story and it starts with ending Asuka.

Here is Seth Rollins for his own appreciation night. Rollins thinks it is appropriate to give him a night of praise, including a spotlight. The fans chant for Cody Rhodes, which doesn’t sit well with Rollins. He is ready for Cody at Wrestlemania Backlash, but here is Cody to interrupt. Cody talks about how he has been courteous to Rollins since he returned, but that loss is hanging around Rollins’ neck. Rollins doesn’t like being called delusional and says that Dusty Rhodes didn’t win the WWE Title because he wasn’t good enough. The beating is on with the Cody Cutter sending Rollins running.

Bobby Lashley vs. Cedric Alexander

MVP and Omos come out at the bell, with the former mocking Lashley for not being able to beat Cedric and thinking he could beat Omos. Alexander gets in some cheap shots to work on the knee but gets sent into the barricade. Back in and a spear (big one too) sets up the Hurt lock to finish Alexander at 2:36.

Liv Morgan is ready to take out Rhea Ripley.

We look back at AJ Styles beating Damian Priest.

Wrestlemania Backlash rundown.

R-Truth gives Reggie his business card as a certified divorce attorney. He is A Squire after all, which he explains as they walk past Nikki Ash. Doudrop pops up to yell at her and ask if Ash is ready to be more serious.

Becky Lynch/Sonya Deville/Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka/Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair

Becky slaps Asuka’s hand away to start but gets backed into the corner for her efforts. Deville comes in so Asuka hands it off to Belair, meaning Deville needs to hide in the ropes. It’s off to Ripley, who gets taken down to the mat so Liv can come in. Some running shoulders rock Becky and a middle rope dropkick gets two. Ripley offers a distraction so Liv dives onto her to let off some steam. A baseball slide drops Liv though and Becky’s top rope leg gets two as we take a break.

Back with Ripley working on Liv’s back as everyone but Deville claps on the apron. Liv escapes the Manhandle Slam though and grabs a DDT, allowing Belair to come back in and slam Ripley. Belair goes up but gets double superplexed back down, with Liv making the save. The big tag brings in Asuka as everything breaks down until Deville and Morgan trade rollups for two each. Deville’s running knee gets two on Morgan but she’s right back with Oblivion for the pin at 15:10.

Rating: C+. That was certainly a way to go, though I’m not sure who is next for Belair at this point. Deville has had her shot and now Morgan is winning, but Morgan isn’t going to be a major challenger. Odds are Belair doesn’t defend on Sunday, and right now that might be for the best as I don’t think there is anyone ready for the shot, at least not based on how the booking has been going.

Overall Rating: D. I have no idea what planet this show was supposed to be on and that doesn’t make me think much about Sunday. The main event story here was either the six man tag (which isn’t for a title) or the six woman tag (which also isn’t for a title). It was like they were trying to make every story equally unimportant and unfortunately they succeeded. Nothing on Sunday feels special, as it comes off like WWE is saying the show doesn’t matter. Why they would want to do that I’m not sure, but the pay per view has taken a hard turn and Raw felt like it didn’t know it was coming.

Results
Kevin Owens/Alpha Academy b. Ezekiel/Street Profits – Rollup to Ezekiel
Veer Mahaan b. Bert Hanson – Cervical Clutch
AJ Styles b. Damian Priest – Rollup
Miz/Theory b. Mustafa Ali – Skull Crushing Finale
Dana Brooke b. Nikki Ash – Flipping neckbreaker
Bobby Lashley b. Cedric Alexander – Hurt Lock
Bianca Belair/Liv Morgan/Asuka b. Sonya Deville/Rhea Ripley/Becky Lynch – Oblivion to Deville

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

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: November 6, 2007
Location: Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Joey Styles, Taz

It’s time for another title match as CM Punk defends against John Morrison (again). Mark Henry seems to be primed to become the next major force around here but you never can tell just how well that is going to go. Other than that, we don’t exactly have much going on around here and that continues to be a problem. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of The Fabulous Moolah.

We open with a video on CM Punk vs. John Morrison, so at least they’re getting to the point tonight.

Opening sequence.

Mark Henry vs. Kane

Henry pounds away at the back to start and crushes Kane with a powerslam for two. Kane gets driven back first into the corner but comes out slugging. That’s cut off but Kane fights out of a bearhug attempt. The top rope clothesline connects but Henry knees him in the ribs to break up the chokeslam. Henry has had enough of this and grabs a chair, which is enough for the DQ.

Rating: C. They kept this one short and that is a good idea, as you can only get so far with these two doing their big man match. Henry continues to look like a monster and could become a monster of the next few months either around here or on Smackdown. It isn’t anything we haven’t see before, but at least they are trying something with him.

Post match Henry wrecks Kane, including the World’s Strongest Slam onto the chair.

Wrestlemania tickets are on sale. I’m still surprised that it took so long to get it to Florida.

Nunzio vs. Jamie Noble

They go with the grappling to start until Noble elbows him in the back of the head and takes him into the corner. A backbreaker gives Noble a pair of near falls and there’s a kick to the head to make it worse. The chinlock goes on for a bit, with Nunzio fighting up and hitting a quick Sicilian Slice. Noble has had it though and it’s a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a fireman’s carry gutbuster to finish Nunzio.

Rating: C+. This might not have the biggest connection to ECW but it is nice to see some fresh blood around here. Noble is the kind of person you can put in any spot and he’ll be fine through talent alone, so throwing him out there with one of the better ECW Originals is not a bad idea.

Video on John Morrison.

SAVE US, now saying “can you break the code” and “the answer is code”.

Kelly Kelly vs. Layla

Miz (without Brooke, who was released a few days ago) is on commentary. Layla kicks her down to start and we’re already to the mounted right hands. A slam finishes Kelly in less than a minute. Yeah a slam.

Post match Balls Mahoney runs in to check on Kelly but Miz would rather walk off than fight.

Video on CM Punk vs. John Morrison, including their history.

We get a clip from Rey Mysterio’s ECW debut to promote his new DVD.

Elijah Burke vs. Shannon Moore

Moore sends him into the corner to start and drops Burke for an early two. That’s too far for Burke, who punches him into the ropes for the running crotch attack. The Outer Limits elbow (good name) sets up the Elijah Express for the fast pin.

Fabulous Moolah tribute video.

Miz wishes John Morrison luck against CM Punk tonight, but Morrison doesn’t need it. All Miz can do is manage a bunch of girls and he can’t even do that well. Miz tells Morrison that his luck is running out soon.

We look at D-Generation X beating Randy Orton and Umaga last night on Raw.

Post Raw main event, William Regal makes a rule for Orton vs. Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series: if Shawn uses the superkick, he is disqualified and can never challenge Orton for the title again. In exchange, if Orton tries to get disqualified, Shawn is champion.

Survivor Series rundown.

ECW Title: CM Punk vs. John Morrison

Punk is defending and gets shouldered down early on. Back up and Punk starts with the kicks but Morrison blocks a middle rope sunset flip. The springboard kick to the face gives Morrison two and we’re already in a crossarm choke. Punk fights out of that as well and the springboard clothesline connects for two. A leg lariat sets up a powerslam and some Kawada kicks to keep Morrison in trouble. Cue Miz for a distraction though to break up the GTS though and Morrison grabs a rollup for two. With Punk down, Miz throws in his hat to distract Morrison, allowing Punk to grab the retaining rollup.

Rating: C+. I like the idea of bringing Miz up to the next level, as he has done well with what he has been given so far but still needs that extra boost to get him to the main event scene. If nothing else, putting him in there with Morrison in a bigger feud could be a good way to go as they have shown some nice chemistry when they are together.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing here is they seemed to start to have an idea of how to use the Smackdown guys. I would rather have the lower level Smackdown stars filling out this show than the ECW Originals, most of whom had nothing going on and looked like losers most of the time. This show felt like it was getting closer to some stability and a more established norm and that has been needed for a long time around here.

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.

Make sure you check out a recent review.

Monday Night Raw – November 5, 2007

Former WWE Star Makes AEW Debut (MINOR SPOILER).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/former-wwe-star-makes-aew-debut-minor-spoiler/

Injured AEW Star Medically Cleared, Set For Return.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/injured-aew-star-medically-cleared-set-return/

Yes You: WWE Already High On Another NXT Newcomer.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/yes-wwe-already-high-another-nxt-newcomer/

Finn Balor Pokes Fun At Bobby Lashley Over Recent Mid-Match Accident.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/finn-balor-pokes-fun-bobby-lashley-recent-mid-match-accident/

Rhea Ripley Reveals Possible Relationship With AEW Star.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/rhea-ripley-reveals-possible-relationship-aew-star/

Update On WWE Releases (And It Isn’t A Good Thing).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-wwe-releases-isnt-good-thing/

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 5, 2007
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 17,133
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re coming up on Survivor Series and now that the Smackdown main event has been announced, you have to expect the Raw counterpart will be set up soon. The big story tonight is a one night reunion of D-Generation X, as HHH needs some help deal with Randy Orton and Umaga. Sounds Survivor Seriesish to me. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Fabulous Moolah.

Opening sequence.

Here is D-Generation X to get things going. After a fairly long entrance, HHH says this is for one night only and asks if we’re ready. The catchphrase is loaded up but a crotch chopping Hornswoggle interrupts. HHH: “Well that’s…different.” HHH tells him to get back under the ring but Hornswoggle doesn’t listen. Shawn is asked for a run sheet and, after going through all of his merchandise, finds said sheet in his boot (Shawn: “In case I forget what I’m supposed to do.”).

The sheet says DX PROMO in segment one at 9PM (HHH: “East coast time.”) and Hornswoggle isn’t on until the short segment. Hornswoggle then armdrags Shawn into an armscissors (with HHH pointing out that it is the SHORT armscissors). Shawn: “I’m going to make a judgment call here: for tonight, he’s in.”. Hornswoggle doesn’t want to go under the ring because there’s a monster under there.

Shawn goes to look….and is pulled under. He comes back up with worms in his mouth so here is the Boogeyman. HHH hands him a mic, with Boogeyman saying “I’M THE BOOGEYMAN, AND I’M COMING TO…..see if I can join DX.” Shawn makes another executive decision and lets Boogeyman in again so here is Great Khali as a bonus. Shawn: “To keep me from turning into a human Slim Jim, let’s pretend he isn’t here and move on.” HHH goes into an Indian impression that would get him thrown off the air today but now it’s Coach interrupting.

HHH isn’t having this and tells Runjin Singh what Coach said about Khali earlier. Shawn, who CAN’T LIE, backs HHH up and Khali chases Coach to the floor. Everyone else leaves, with Shawn saying he doesn’t know who writes this anymore but this is the worst thing he’s seen since that Katie Vick thing. HHH: “I don’t think anyone writes this crap. They’re on strike.” Catchphrases are hit to wrap up the wackiness.

Actor Luke Perry is here. There are some kids around him, and if one of those is his son, we have seen the wrestling debut of the future Jungle Boy.

We look back at Kelly Kelly winning last week’s Halloween battle royal and getting destroyed by Beth Phoenix after.

Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly

Non-title and Phoenix grabs a release fisherman’s suplex for the pin in less than a minute. Well so much for Kelly for the time being, which is how it should go in this situation.

Santino Marella knows that Steve Austin will be here tonight and mocks Austin’s acting abilities. He even throws in a paper bag, so Austin can act his way out of it.

Carlito vs. Joey Munoz

Hold on though as Carlito says he isn’t wrestling so here is a replacement.

Snitsky vs. Joey Munoz

Pumphandle slam finishes Munoz in about thirty seconds.

Post match Snitsky kicks Carlito in the face and gives him the pumphandle slam too. Time for another Snitsky push it seems.

We get a Jeff Hardy video set to Rooftops by Lostprophets. This is actually on Peacock despite it being a music video and the Lostprophets singer being a monster. That aside, this is a heck of a video, with the lyrics about screaming and dropping bombs being timed to shots of fans screaming for Hardy and Swantons. You can tell something big is coming for him and that is a very good idea. Ignore Jerry Lawler being heard asking “how long is it” after the video starts.

For Survivor Series: Team HHH (HHH/CM Punk/Kane/Jeff Hardy/Matt Hardy) vs. Team Umaga (Umaga/MVP/Mr. Kennedy/Finlay/Big Daddy V).

Mr. Kennedy/Finlay vs. Rey Mysterio/Jeff Hardy

JR dubs Hardy and Mysterio as the WWE Air Force. Hardy and Finlay go to the mat to start until a Kennedy distraction lets Finlay hit a clothesline to the floor. We take a break and come back with Mysterio hitting a springboard crossbody on Kennedy, only to have him run Mysterio over.

It’s Finlay coming back in to go after the knee, including a half crab. The legdrop onto the knee makes it worse and Kennedy adds a right hand for two. Mysterio is back with something like a DDT, allowing the hot tag off to Hardy to clean house. The Whisper in the Wind hits Kennedy but Finlay makes the save. Rey 619s Finlay to the floor, leaving Hardy to hit the Swanton for the pin.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard midcard tag match here with the wrestlers involved being good enough to make almost anything work. Mysterio vs. Finlay is set up for a blowoff on Friday while Hardy vs. Kennedy seems to have run its course. That being said, throw in the video package before the match and it is hard to imagine they are waiting much longer on giving Hardy the main event push, which seems to have been set up for a few weeks now.

Maria tries to tell Santino Marella that Steve Austin is here but he doesn’t buy it.

Here are Maria and Santino Marella for a chat. Santino mocks the Condemned, then he mocks the Condemned’s director, then he mocks the Condemned again, then Steve Austin comes out. Austin corrects Santino’s errors in his catchphrases and then asks about the Condemned again. Santino really did hate the movie and turns down a beer, saying he would rather have a glass of red wine. Austin hands him a copy of the Condemned but Santino can’t watch it again.

There’s the Stunner, allowing Austin to put the DVD in Santino’s mouth. Austin thinks Santino is thirsty and goes to the back before coming out driving a beer truck. Santino gets sprayed down and, despite her begging, so does Maria. Beer is consumed to wrap up a segment that wasn’t funny and felt pretty out of character for Austin. I know he needs to promote a DVD, but that just doesn’t feel like an Austin thing.

SAVE US!

Vince McMahon is in the back with Hornswoggle and takes the blame for the trouble Hornswoggle has had with Jonathan Coachman. McMahon even has a way for Hornswoggle to prove himself at Survivor Series…..when he faces Great Khali.

Survivor Series rundown.

HHH is in the back and has been asked to talk because they need to fill in time while Steve Austin’s mess is cleaned up. Shawn Michaels comes in to say he has it set, so here are the DX Dancers….which is Big Dick Johnson. HHH isn’t impressed but Shawn says he’s a father of two so the only cool thing he knows is Dora the Explorer. Don’t worry though as HHH has The Girls Next Door (from a Playboy reality show, meaning Shawn leaves with his eyes covered). Dancing ensues and it’s very strange to see HHH…..I guess it’s dancing but I’m not sure.

Lance Cade sends Mickie James away for talking to Trevor Murdoch.

Trevor Murdoch vs. Cody Rhodes

Ignore Lilian Garcia saying Lance Cade (at ringside) is in the match by mistake. Hardcore Holly is here too and Rhodes is sent to the apron to start, where he gets in a shoulder to the ribs. Murdoch breaks that up and takes him down for a chinlock as Lawler and JR make as many redneck jokes as they can. Rhodes fights up and hits a bulldog into a knee drop for two but Cade’s distraction fails. Murdoch misses a charge into the corner though and Rhodes grabs a sunset flip for the pin. Not much to this one but Rhodes wins again.

Tribute video to Fabulous Moolah. This includes a rundown of her career highlights, such as becoming the first woman to wrestle in Madison Square Garden. I guess she wrestled herself that night.

Jim Duggan/Super Crazy vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

Before the match, Duggan and Crazy chant SI/HO over and over. Haas knocks Crazy over to start and hits a slam before handing it off to Benjamin. More slamming abounds as Duggan continues to play cheerleader on the apron. Benjamin knocks Duggan off the apron but Crazy grabs a rollup (with trunks) for the pin. Duggan never tagged in but he does pat Crazy on the head after the win.

Umaga/Randy Orton vs. D-Generation X

It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Orton being sent into the announcers’ table before being thrown inside. Umaga comes in to miss a sitdown splash on Michaels, allowing HHH to grab a surprisingly effective DDT. HHH gets knocked outside though and we take a break. Back with Umaga missing a charge in the corner, allowing the tag off to Orton. That’s fine with HHH, who drops Orton almost immediately.

Michaels comes back in for the usual comeback, including the forearm and top rope elbow. Umaga isn’t having that and runs Shawn over, allowing Orton to bring Umaga in for real. Some right hands keep Shawn down in the corner and it’s back to Orton for a dropkick. The circle stomp sets up the running Umaga splash and we’re off to the nerve hold.

The middle rope headbutt misses and an enziguri to the shoulder (not sure that’s how that works) allows the hot tag back to HHH. Everything breaks down and Umaga saves Orton from the Pedigree with the Spike, setting up the running hip attack in the corner. The RKO is countered with a shove into Umaga though and Shawn comes in for a quick superkick to pin Orton.

Rating: C+. Much like the other tag match, they played the formula here and it still works, as everyone involved can do this style rather well. Shawn vs. Orton II should be a good showdown at Survivor Series, while Umaga vs. HHH at least has the team format to keep things a little more fresh. The DX reunion was good for a night, but I don’t need to see it again going forward.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m not sure what this show was but it didn’t exactly work. Maybe it is due to Survivor Series coming up so soon, but this felt like a weird side trip rather than a show designed to help set up the pay per view. There were so many short matches that didn’t add much and it was a weird night all around. The DX reunion was fun but the Austin cameo fell pretty flat, leaving this as a not very appealing two hours. Much more strange than good this week and that isn’t a positive thing.

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 a recent review.

NWA Great American Bash 1988 (Greensboro)

Hang On: Possible Reason For WrestleMania Backlash Match Change.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hang-possible-reason-wrestlemania-backlash-match-change/

Mark Your Calendars: NXT May Have A Strange Schedule For Upcoming Major Events.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/mark-calendars-nxt-may-strange-schedule-upcoming-major-events/

It’s A Good Weekend: AEW Team Picks Up Some Gold (With Some Chicanery).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/good-weekend-aew-team-picks-gold/

WWE Had Main Roster Plans For Recently Released NXT Name.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-main-roster-plans-recently-released-nxt-name/

Say What? WWE Releases Suggest Major Communication Issues With Creative.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-releases-suggest-major-communication-issues-creative/

WATCH: Roman Reigns Calls Out The Rock At WWE Live Event.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-roman-reigns-calls-rock-wwe-live-event/

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

Great American Bash 1988 Greensboro
Date: July 16, 1988
Location: War Memorial Stadium, Greensboro, Coliseum
Attendance: 7,500

The Great American Bash wasn’t just a full on pay per view at first, but also a tour of house shows. This is one of them, as we are in one of the bigger Crockett cities. The main event here is WarGames, which had debuted twelve days prior and was done quite a bit during the tour. Let’s get to it.

Bugsy McGraw/Tim Horner vs. Rip Morgan/Larry Zbyszko

It’s always so strange to have A, no commentary, B, two rings, and C, Teddy Long (referee here) with hair. Morgan grabs the mic to shout a lot and jump up and down before Larry takes Bugsy down but misses a bunch of elbows to the fans’ delight. Bugsy drives him into the corner and grabs a headlock before Horner comes in for a few shoulders. The slightly out there Morgan tries his luck and takes Horner down into a quickly broken chinlock.

It’s back to Bugsy to start working on Morgan’s arm (the hair pull helped too) but Morgan takes him into the corner for the tag back to Larry. We get the always classic referee misses the big tag spot and Morgan elbows McGraw down again. Bugsy gets in a shot to the face though and grabs the rope to avoid Larry’s dropkick (yes Larry’s dropkick), allowing the hot tag to Horner. Everything breaks down and Horner hits a quick crossbody to finish Morgan at 8:07.

Rating: C. Totally watchable match here but what matters most is how it was a hot enough opening match. You don’t want to take too much time in a spot like this and they got through things rather well here. Horner wasn’t the best in the world but he was able to come in off a hot tag and clean house, which is almost all he was here for. Not a great match, but an efficient one and that’s a good thing.

Ronnie Garvin vs. Italian Stallion

Garvin is freshly heel and now managed by Gary Hart. Stallion knocks him down to start and Garvin grabs his ankle. That’s enough to have the referee slow things down a bit, but Garvin comes up with the Hands of Stone for the pin at 1:13. Just a way to establish that Garvin is a changed man.

Dick Murdoch vs. Gary Royal

Royal hits him in the face to start so Murdoch takes it into the corner. A headlock manages to get Murdoch down onto the mat and Gary cranks away for a bit. Murdoch gets out using some cheating so it’s time to yell at referee Teddy Long, which could be quite the interesting argument.

Royal gets driven into the corner for some shots to the face but a dropkick puts Murdoch on the floor. That’s enough of this being in trouble thing for Murdoch as he knocks Royal around without much trouble and takes him outside for a whip into the scaffolding (yeah we have a scaffold match coming). Back in and Murdoch stomps away before finishing with the brainbuster at 7:01.

Rating: C-. Murdoch really was good at almost anything he did and it is easy to see why he is as revered as he is by so many people. He knows how to make the fans care about him and is so smooth at everything he does. This was just a squash for the most part but Murdoch managed to make that work, which is quite the impressive feat.

Jimmy Garvin vs. Rick Steiner

Precious is here with Garvin. Steiner mauls him down to start, as Steiner had a tendency to do. Garvin fights up and slugs away but has to stop as Kevin Sullivan goes after Precious (that’s a LONG story) to a crazy reaction. Back in and Garvin rolls him up for the pin at 1:25. That was surprisingly short.

Sheepherders vs. Rock N Roll Express

That would of course be the Bushwhackers with Rip Morgan as their flag bearer. We hit the stall button to start, with the Bushwhackers messing with their flag and then telling the fans to shut up. Pain is promised to the Americans so Ricky Morton grabs the mic and tells the Sheepherders what they can kiss. The Express finally jumps them about two and a half minutes after the bell and the ring is cleared in a hurry.

We settle down into the first lockup almost four minutes in and it’s Butch sending Gibson into the corner for the early tag to Luke. A knee to the ribs cuts Gibson off again but he nails a right hand to take over. Butch hits Luke by mistake and Morgan takes out his friends, meaning the Express can pose early. We settle down to Morton in trouble but sliding through Luke’s legs for a dropkick.

The Sheepherders are sent into each other and it’s time to bail again as things settle a bit. Back in and Gibson hits a crossbody on Luke but Morgan has the referee, allowing Butch to get in a flag shot for the save. They go outside with Gibson being driven into the apron and then it’s back inside for stomping. A chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s a double clothesline to drop Gibson again.

The fans start up their ROCK N ROLL chant as Gibson gets in a few shots, only to be pulled down into a chinlock. Gibson fights up again and gets over to Morton for the hot tag (that feels so wrong). Everything breaks down with Morton getting posted on the floor as Gibson has Butch in a sleeper. The double gutbuster plants Gibson but he manages to send them together, allowing Morton to high crossbody Butch for the pin at 14:06.

Rating: B-. This is a perfect illustration of how to take a rather basic match and get the fans going nuts to set up a hot ending. That’s what they had here, with very little contact for almost the first five minutes and then they got into the meat of the match. The fans were with them the entire way because they cared about the teams and wanted to see the Express make the comeback. Good match, but much more of a lesson in how to do this, as the high spots were a dropkick and a high crossbody. Today, it would be called boring, because less is more is a lost concept.

Al Perez vs. Brad Armstrong

Perez has Gary Hart in his corner. Feeling out process to start with both guys shoving the other around. Armstrong grabs a wristlock and a monkey flip doesn’t even break the grip. Perez can’t armdrag his way out of an armbar so Armstrong armdrags him into another armbar. That works so well that Armstrong stays on it as we hit the five minute mark. Armstrong has to go after Gary Hart though and Perez sends him into the scaffolding to take over.

Back in and Perez hits what would become known as the Eye of the Storm for two and the chinlock goes on. With that not working, Perez goes with knees to the back (Armstrong: “OH S***!”) but the referee calls it off for being in the ropes. Armstrong’s backslide gets two so Perez throws him outside in a heap. Perez follows him out and gets elbows in the face so Armstrong heads back in. A suplex brings Perez back in and Hart sweeps the leg to give Perez the pin at 11:17 (that was the most telegraphed ending I have seen in years).

Rating: C. It wasn’t too bad here as Armstrong is always worth a look and Perez is someone who could have become something but never went beyond the midcard. I’m not entirely sure why, but I could have seen both of these guys going a bit higher than they did. Nice match though, even with the really obvious ending.

Fantastics vs. Midnight Express/Jim Cornette

The Midnight’s US Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is going to be the best thing all night, or at least so far. This is a Bunkhouse match, meaning anything goes. Cornette looks ridiculous in the body suit of course but you can see the look in his eyes that he is having the time of his life out there. Eaton and Cornette have their hug to start with Cornette kissing him on the cheek, so Rogers thinks Cornette should start for the team. Cornette: “I AIN’T GETTING IN THERE! YOU PEOPLE SHUT UP! I AIN’T GETTING IN THERE!”

The Bobbys start things off instead with Eaton getting in a right hand but stopping to celebrate, allowing Fulton to tag him with some right hands. Eaton hits a knee to the face but gets backdropped down, leaving Cornette to grab a chair on the floor. That earns him a chase from Rogers who clears the ring, setting up the strut. Cornette: “WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO???” Back in and Eaton hits Fulton with one of his great right hands and grabs a chair, only to get atomic dropped down onto it.

Fulton blasts Eaton with the chair and everything breaks down (as it should) with Rogers wearing Eaton out with the chair. Cornette and Stan get the chair and go over to check on Eaton as the panic continues. For some reason Eaton tries to tag Cornette before coming to his senses and bring Lane in instead. That’s fine with Rogers, who dropkicks him down a few times and mocks Cornette’s bravery. Lane tries to toss Rogers, who skins the cat and comes back in with more dropkicks.

Cornette bails from a possible tag again so Lane grabs him by the shirt, sending Cornette into pure panic because he might be about to die. Rogers breaks that up and gets sent outside, where Cornette throws a chair at him to get back in the Midnights’ good graces. Rogers gets dropped again and Cornette hits his own strut, leaving Lane to choke Rogers on the floor. Now Cornette is willing to come in and drop some elbows but Rogers stares him down after the right hands.

Cornette tries a quick handshake but gets driven into the corner where Lane can come back in (not the best aiming from Rogers). An atomic drop into a backbreaker puts Rogers down again and Cornette comes back in for some right hands with a chained fist. Cornette’s slam attempt doesn’t work so Eaton comes in to do it for him, leaving Cornette to pose anyway (that’s great).

The Rocket Launcher connects but Cornette wants the pin, which takes too long and includes too much posing, allowing Rogers to toss him hard on the kickout. The hot tag brings in Fulton to clean house and Cornette’s powder hits Eaton by mistake. A double clothesline pins Cornette at 15:09.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and so much of that is due to the great chemistry that the Midnights and Cornette had. They were so perfect together and Cornette’s moments of panicking at the idea of being in trouble but then getting so cocky in a hurry was great. Really fun match here and the place was going coconuts over some of the spots and chances for Cornette to get destroyed.

TV Title: Sting vs. Mike Rotunda

Rotunda, with Kevin Sullivan and Rick Steiner, is defending and EGADS the place goes nuts for Sting. Yeah I’m thinking he’ll be fine. Sting starts fast with some dropkicks, including one to Steiner to clean house in a hurry. Rotunda bails out to the floor but gets back in where he has to escape a Scorpion Deathlock attempt. It works so well that he has to do it a second time so Sting settles for a headlock instead. This time Rotunda sends him outside for a beating from Steiner and Sullivan, followed by a clothesline back inside.

We hit the chinlock to keep Sting in trouble and Rotunda makes sure to get a foot on the rope. An elbow to the face sets up the chinlock sequel but Rotunda goes up top for some reason. Since that leaves Rotunda looking like a fish on a bicycle, Sting slams him down and sends him into the other ring. There’s the big dive over the ropes and Sting is all fired up. The right hands in the corner set up the Stinger Splash but the Varsity Club comes in for the DQ at 10:16.

Rating: C. As usual, the action wasn’t the best part here but the fans were going nuts over everything Sting did. You could see that he was a hue star and he would eventually get the title early in 1989. First up though we had to see Rick Steiner taking it from Rotunda in one of the most underrated moments in the history of the NWA/WCW.

Road Warriors vs. Ivan Koloff/Russian Assassin #1

This is a scaffold match and the Warriors have Paul Ellering while the Russians have the eternally useless Paul Jones. The Russians start throwing powder, which is hardly safe. They slug it out in a hurry with Ivan already having to hang on while his legs dangle over the side. The same thing happens to Animal but he gets back up for a dropkick (Ok it was terrible but EGADS MAN!), which has Ivan in more trouble.

A bunch of stomping has Ivan hanging on the bottom of the scaffold and there he goes for the elimination. That leaves Assassin and Hawk fighting on the other end of the scaffold but Ivan comes up to choke Hawk with a chain. Hawk and Assassin start climbing down and Hawk knocks him off to win at 5:34.

Rating: D+. I’m never sure what to think of a match like this as it isn’t exactly a wrestling match, or at least certainly not a traditional one. The guys were doing what they could (and as someone scared of heights, I can’t get over that dropkick) but they had a pretty firm limit and that is ok given how hard it is to do something like this.

Four Horsemen vs. Dusty Rhodes/Paul Ellering/Lex Luger/Nikita Koloff/Steve Williams

And now, WarGames, which only debuted about two weeks ago. In case you don’t know the rules, you have five men per team and each one will send in a man each for a five minute period. After two minutes, the heels will win a coin toss to gain the advantage, meaning they will be able to send in their second man for two minutes. Then the good guys will tie it up for two more minutes. The teams alternate until everyone is in and it is the first submission wins.

Arn Anderson and Dusty Rhodes start things off with Dusty easily winning the early slugout. The big elbow has Anderson freaking out in the corner so let’s try a different ring. Dusty is right there with a running DDT and he sends Arn into the cage for the first time. Arn goes into the cage over and over and the blood is already flowing. Some shots to the leg put Dusty down though and Arn punches him into the other ring. Dusty punches him out of the air though and puts on the Figure Four until the Horsemen win the coin toss.

Barry Windham goes in for the Horsemen but Dusty lets go of the Figure Four want is waiting on him. Anderson gets in a cheap shot from behind though and Dusty gets caught in Windham’s claw. Choking and clawing ensue and it’s Williams coming in to even things up. Football tackles abound and Dusty is back into it (which doesn’t make the claw look like the most devastating hold).

Flair comes in to give the Horsemen the advantage back though and it’s time to send the good guys into the cage. Dusty is busted open and you know the Horsemen know how to go after that. Luger comes in to even things up again and it’s time to clean house but Flair hits him low. The chops in the corner just wake Luger up (as always) though and he cleans house again, including the right hands in the corner to Flair.

It’s Tully Blanchard in to give the Horsemen another advantage and he finds a chair to beat on Luger and Windham. Flair and Anderson start in on Luger’s knee, followed by a DDT to plant him hard. Nikita Koloff (who should not have hair) comes in and it’s Russian Sickles a go-go.

The right hands in the corner rock Flair (he took those so well) and it’s a lot of punching until JJ Dillion is in to complete the Horsemen team. That means a barrage of eye rakes and choking but Nikita gets in in the corner and unloads with mostly reckless abandon. Arn has Luger in some kind of leglock as Ellering comes in to complete everything. Everyone brawls until JJ misses a dropkick and Dusty grabs the Figure Four for the submission at 21:07.

Rating: B. It isn’t as great as the famous one from the 4th of July but this was a house show and they probably had done half a dozen of these by this point. How much of an effort are they going to put into making this one feel special? It is still a brand new match and something that felt like a spectacle, so going with a basic punch/choke/leglock formula here worked out fine.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a fun show with some rather good matches and nothing bad. Above all else, it was great to see a house show with such a hot crowd who was into anything these people were going. The talent was there and it felt like an important show. Good stuff here and I can see why this was such a hot promotion at the moment. Compare this to Wrestlemania II from a few months earlier and the difference is all the more obvious. Check this out if you get the chance.

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.

Impact Wrestling – April 28, 2022

NXT UK – April 28, 2022

Smackdown – April 29, 2022

Rampage – April 29, 2022

BREAKING: WWE Releases Nine More From Company.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-releases-nine-company/

Welcome Home? WWE Considering A Big Move For NXT.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/welcome-home-wwe-considering-big-move-nxt/

A New Endeavor: Backstage News On Why Two Wrestlers Are Going On Hiatus.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-endeavor-backstage-news-two-wrestlers-going-hiatus/

Important Detail On Bret Hart’s New WWE Deal.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/important-detail-bret-harts-new-wwe-deal/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Money, Money: WWE Has Gotten Another Huge Payday For Very Little Work.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/money-money-wwe-gotten-another-huge-payday-little-work/

Big Ouch: Another AEW Star Suffers Injury During Dangerous Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/big-ouch-another-aew-star-suffers-injury-dangerous-match/

WATCH: Former WWE Stars And Wrestling World React To Recent Releases.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/former-wwe-stars-wrestling-world-react-recent-releases/

WWE Makes Major Change To WrestleMania Backlash Card, Top Match Off.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-makes-major-change-wrestlemania-backlash-card-top-match-off/

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

Rampage
Date: April 29, 2022
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho

We’re still in the most serious wrestling city in the country and that should play into AEW’s hands rather well. Rampage is the show that is going to focus on the in-ring action more than anything else and hopefully that makes for a good night. Throw in Danhausen calling out Hook and….I’m really not sure what that is going to mean. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifying Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Darby Allin

Sting is in Allin’s corner as they start with a wrestle off. Neither can get very far until Allin takes him down by the arm. Make that a chinlock for a bit before Allin knocks him to the floor. The suicide dive is cut off by a jumping knee as commentary talks about how well these two know each other.

We take a break and come back with Allin working on the knee but Strickland fights up. Swerve knocks him down but misses the Serve Stomp. Allin’s Coffin Drop hits raised knees so Strickland kicks him in the head for two. Strickland heads to the apron and suplexes him down onto the floor, because that’s a totally rational thing to do. Cue Ricky Starks off commentary to go to ringside but Sting cuts him off. Allin grabs the Last Supper for the pin at 10:25.

Rating: C+. Annoying distraction finish aside, this worked well while it lasted, even if you factor in the pretty insane suplex to the floor. You could have gone with either winning here, but Allin is a bigger star and a threat to win the whole thing. Strickland needs a win of his own though, as he hasn’t had much success so far around here.

Shawn Spears is excited to see Wardlow get taken out by the big guy next week. They still won’t say who it is though.

Chris Jericho names himself Sports Entertainer Of The Week for attacking Eddie Kingston.

Santana and Ortiz storm the commentary booth and jump Jericho to lay him out.

Baddies vs. Skye Blue/Trish Adora/Willow Nightingale

That would be Jade Cargill/Red Velvet/Kiera Hogan. Blue gets taken into the corner to start so Velvet can choke with the boot. Hogan comes in with a running boot the face but Blue manages a kick. Blue and Hogan both catch a kick at the same time before Hogan kicks her in the head. Adora comes in and gets hit with a step up Fameasser, allowing the tag off to Cargill for jaded and the pin on Adora at 2:40. Total squash.

Darby Allin offers Swerve Strickland another match after the ending but Strickland knows Allin didn’t have anything to do with it. Strickland wants Allin to win the tournament so now he can go find Keith Lee and deal with Team Taz.

Keith Lee vs. Colten Gunn

Gunn looks like he got kicked in the face by a horse, kicked the horse back, and then got kicked in the face again. They shove each other around a bit until Lee takes him into the corner for the Grizzly Magnum chop. We take a break and come back with Lee hitting some running shoulders but missing a charge in the corner. The Fameasser is blocked though and the Big Bang Catastrophe finishes Gunn at 7:00.

Rating: C. As is so often said about AEW matches, this needed a break? The match wasn’t even that good as Gunn was little more than a sacrificial lamb for Lee. I’m still not sure what Lee is supposed to do in AEW, because he has been stuck in minor stories and matches like this for a lot of his time there. The Gunns continue to be watchable though and there might even be some potential upward mobility for both of them.

Jeff Hardy is ready to take out Bobby Fish next week in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament.

The Undisputed Elite laughs off the idea of Jeff Hardy being a threat, with Fish calling him Jeff hardly.

Here is Danhausen, who says SEND HOOK. Cue Hook, with Danhausen thinking that we need to do this at another time. Cue Mark Sterling for a distraction so Tony Nese can jump both of them. Hook fights up and grabs a suplex, allowing Danhausen to curse Nese and Sterling. The villains leave and the fans want Hookhausen, but Hook grabs him by the neck instead, only to leave without getting violent.

The Gunn Club says that isn’t a loss but the Acclaimed comes in to offer some scissoring, complete with hand gestures. The Club wants to go talk to their dad, leaving the interviewer to turn down the same offer.

Mercedes Martinez is ready to take out Deonna Purrazzo and become the undisputed Ring Of Honor Women’s Champion.

Samoa Joe threatens to kill Trent Beretta, while Trent says he’s going to win the ROH TV Title.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Trent Beretta vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending and the Best Friends are here with Trent. Joe knocks him into the corner to start but gets knocked outside, setting up Trent’s Asai moonsault. We take a break and come back with Trent hitting a top rope dive to the floor to drop Joe. Back in and Trent grabs a Saito suplex for two, only to have Joe pull him into an STF. We’ll make that a Crossface but Trent gets his foot on the rope. Jericho: “He’s not dead yet!” Joe blasts Trent with a clothesline, with Jericho switching to “he might be now!” The MuscleBuster is broken up and it’s the Koquina Clutch to make Trent tap at 10:02.

Rating: C+. Joe can have a good match with anyone and the same is true of Trent, making this a fine enough main event. That being said, having a 40+ year old Joe as the midcard champion of a minor league promotion isn’t likely to bring in more eyes to the show. Joe can still draw in some attention, but isn’t there anything bigger that he could do than this?

Post match Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh come out to interrupt a Samoa Joe interview. Orange Cassidy tries some lazy kicks but gets decked by Dutt. The brawl is on with Lethal and Joe having to be held apart to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Maybe they were taking a week off this time because of the NBA and NFL events going on, but this wasn’t exactly a great show. It didn’t feel like much of anything on this show mattered and that isn’t a great feeling to have. There is some good enough action, but it continued AEW’s trend of not feeling important without the big stars. Certainly a watchable show, but not worth the time.

Results
Darby Allin b. Swerve Strickland – Last Supper
Baddies b. Skye Blue/Trish Adora/Willow Nightingale – Jaded to Adora
Keith Lee b. Colten Gunn – Big Bang Catastrophe
Samoa Joe b. Trent Beretta – Koquina Clutch

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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Smackdown
Date: April 29, 2022
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We have a rare taped show from Smackdown this week as the roster is currently over in Europe. WrestleMania Backlash is in just over two weeks and the card could use some spicing up, which we might get this week. If nothing else, things should be interesting as we have our second contract signing in two shows (third if you count this week’s NXT UK). Let’s get to it.

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

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Inside a cage after Zayn has run away from McIntyre twice in a row. Drew Gulak, auditioning to be timekeeper, rings the bell so Sami goes for the early escape. That goes as well as expected and McIntyre sends him straight into the cage. It works well enough that McIntyre does it again but Zayn grabs a sunset bomb to send us to a break.

Back with Zayn rubbing McIntyre’s face against the cage and then kicking said face into said cage. McIntyre gets in a ram into the cage of his own but Sami whips him right back in for a knockdown. The Helluva Kick against the cage rocks McIntyre but he’s fine enough to pull Zayn back down.

An overhead belly to belly sets up a neckbreaker so McIntyre loads up the Claymore. It takes a bit too long though, allowing Zayn to go up and crotch McIntyre for the attempted save. That takes too long too though and it’s a superplex back down, setting up the Claymore to give McIntyre the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. This felt like a dark match main event as they didn’t do anything special other than that superplex. There wasn’t much doubt about the winner here as this version of Zayn isn’t going to be winning any major match. McIntyre gets a nice win in what feels like a big match and can move on to something bigger.

We look back at last week’s contract signing between Ronda Rousey and Charlotte.

Charlotte doesn’t get embarrassed, but Ronda certainly will at Wrestlemania Backlash. Tonight it’s a Beat The Clock Challenge and Rousey might quit before we even get to the pay per view.

Here is Happy Corbin for Happy Talk, which is now new and improved because Madcap Moss isn’t here anymore. Moss failed at his one job of being funny so now Corbin has to beat him at WrestleMania Backlash. That means Moss will get to show that the only joke is suggesting that he could ever beat Corbin.

Until then, Corbin needs to destroy Moss’ Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy, which is his special guest this week. The trophy gets an entrance as we look at Moss’ recent roll. Back in the arena, Corbin wants to wreck the trophy and calls for the sledgehammer….but it’s Moss holding said hammer. The beating is on and Corbin is left laying.

We look back at Ricochet defeating Jinder Mahal and getting a match with Shanky set up for this week.

Intercontinental Title: Ricochet vs. Shanky

Shanky, with Jinder Mahal, is challenging and powers Ricochet into the corner to start. The neck crank goes on in less than a minute but Ricochet fights back up. That doesn’t last long as Shanky takes him back down for another neck crank, only to miss an elbow. Ricochet fights up and hits a springboard crossbody. Mahal’s distraction lets Shanky grab him again, only to have Ricochet roll him up for the pin to retain at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Yeah what were you expecting here? Shanky might as well have had a sign above his head saying “PIN ME/PAY ME” as there was no chance that Ricochet was dropping the title here. Hopefully this wraps things up, but it looks like we might be seeing more of Ricochet vs. Mahal, as WWE continues to think that’s a good idea. I’m sure it’ll work this time though.

Post match Mahal yells at Shanky, who walks off.

Raquel Rodriguez says you aren’t nervous when you look like her. Seriously though, of course she’s nervous but she’s going to put on a show. The show was acting like anyone would speak this way.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Cat Cardoza

Cardoza jumps her before the bell and is easily thrown around by the arm. Some fall away slams set up a spinning Vader Bomb but Cardoza is back with a running knee in the corner. Choking on the ropes doesn’t go well for Cardoza as Rodriguez is back with the Chingona Bomb for the pin at 2:00. Cardoza got in a bit too much offense here but Rodriguez looked dominant enough.

Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther brag about the latter’s dominance. Gunther promises to take respect.

A Make A Wish kid is here. That’s always awesome.

It’s time for the contract signing for the Tag Team Title unification match at Wrestlemania Backlash between the Usos and RKBro. Everyone throws out their chairs and Adam Pearce says let’s just get this done with no problems. The Usos say they don’t have to prove anything to anyone and the only thing they need is bigger luggage when they win the other titles. Riddle says he can’t tell the Usos apart, which isn’t a problem for RKBro.

Randy Orton can’t believe that because he has never had a problem telling them apart. See, you have Jey Uso, who is the right hand man and Jimmy Uso is nothing but a little b****. The fight is on with RKBro getting the better of things but here is Roman Reigns to uneven things a bit.

Now the beatdown is on, with Reigns ripping up the contract and shoving it in Riddle’s mouth….but here is Drew McIntyre to slowly walk down the aisle for the save. With the teams out of the way, McIntyre gets in the ring and sends Reigns flying with a suplex as we seem to have a next challenger. I would have bet on it being at a bigger show, but maybe that’s all they could think of at the moment.

Post break Paul Heyman comes in to see Adam Pearce and suggests that the Tag Team Title match at Wrestlemania Backlash be turned into a six man tag. Pearce says not so fast, but Heyman says the Board Of Directors might see things differently.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

Yes it’s a singles ma….oh forget it. Their respective partners are here too. Baszler takes her down to start but gets pulled into the corner so Naomi can have her fun (as Cole likes to describe it). That doesn’t work for Baszler, who suplexes her down and starts twisting the arm. The Kirifuda Clutch is countered into a Bubba Bomb attempt but Baszler is out again. Naomi fights up and sends her face first into the corner for the pin at 2:23.

Post match the brawl is on with Sasha Banks clearing the ring but Natalya pulls her into the Sharpshooter in the ropes. Baszler stomps on Naomi’s arm for a bonus.

We look back at Butch running away from Ridge Holland and Sheamus, with Michael Cole saying he ran off like a “spoiled, petulant child.” There are missing person posters, plus FAKE PHOTOS of him possibly being in various places.

Sheamus and Ridge Holland have been putting up the posters….but they put them in the same places, seemingly not noticing the same posters in the same places.

The six man is official for Wrestlemania Backlash, with no titles on the line. Riveting.

Xavier Woods vs. Ridge Holland

Before the match, New Day mocks Sheamus and Ridge Holland for losing Butch. Woods dubs Sheamus “Shake It Sheamus” for all of the partners he has had over the years, which does not sit well with Sheamus. Feeling out process to start with Holland using the power to take over. That’s fine with Woods, who sends him outside and hits the flip dive off the apron to drop Holland as we take a break.

Back with Holland running him over and dropping some elbows. Woods’ comeback is cut off without much trouble and the chinlock goes on, allowing fans to keep up the Sheamus chants. Another comeback attempt is countered into a spinebuster but Woods grabs Backwoods for the fast pin at 8:25.

Rating: C. Is Backwoods supposed to be a joke finisher? If it is, they need to work on their joke finishers, though I don’t think it’s meant to be one. That doesn’t exactly make things better, but maybe Woods’ singles run continues. Granted I don’t think that is where they are going, but it is a bit hard to get fired up about someone turning a small package into a thing.

Post match Sheamus wants to show Ridge how it’s done so Kofi Kingston can get in here right now.

Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus

Joined in progress with Kofi fighting out of the ten forearms to the chest and hitting a spinning top rope forearm to the head. The Irish Curse hurts Kofi so Sheamus does it two more times before grabbing a reverse chinlock. A powerslam gives Sheamus two but the Brogue Kick is countered into the SOS for two. Sheamus knees him out of the air though and the Brogue Kick finishes Kingston at 2:57.

Post match Holland sends Woods into the barricade and Sheamus loads up the table. The powerbomb through the table leaves Woods laying.

We get Chapter Four of the Lacey Evans Story, focusing on her time in the Marines. She graduated from boot amp but her father didn’t show up to the ceremony because she was never good enough for her family. Evans starts crying as she talks about not having any support growing up and she doesn’t need it. Now she is coming for everyone in the WWE locker room.

I Quit Beat The Clock Challenge: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

I Quit match with Charlotte at ringside. Shotzi bails to the floor to start so the chase is on with Shotzi getting in a few shots on the way back in. Rousey isn’t having that and grabs a suplex, setting up the ankle lock with a grapevine to make Shotzi give up at 1:41.

Charlotte talks some trash to Rousey and now it’s Charlotte’s turn.

I Quit Beat The Clock Challenge: Charlotte vs. Aliyah

Non-title I Quit match with a 1:41 time limit. Aliyah starts moving around early and even hits a bulldog. A high crossbody misses though and Charlotte kicks her in the face. The Figure Eight is kicked away though (with Rousey getting in a smirk), meaning Charlotte has to take Aliyah down again. The Figure Eight goes on but time expires at 1:41, meaning Rousey wins.

Post match the staredown is on and Charlotte slowly walks outside….to go after Drew Gulak. The beating is on, including a bell shot to Gulak’s back, to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t work all that well and the ending felt pretty flat. Granted some of that is due to this being a taped show, but there wasn’t anything on here worth seeing. Throw in the lack of the big Tag Team Title match at the pay per view and the future isn’t looking bright on this show at the moment. I was rather disappointed here, and the six man being announced really didn’t make it better.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Ricochet b. Shanky – Rollup
Raquel Rodriguez b. Cat Cardoza – Chingona Bomb
Naomi b. Shayna Baszler – Drop toehold into the corner
Xavier Woods b. Ridge Holland – Backwoods
Sheamus b. Kofi Kingston – Brogue Kick
Ronda Rousey b. Shotzi – Ankle lock
Charlotte vs. Aliyah went to a time limit draw

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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NXT UK
Date: April 28, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re in a bit of a weird place here as there is no major match this week. Last week saw Moustache Mountain cheat to retain the Tag Team Titles and in two weeks, Ilja Dragunov defends the United Kingdom Title against Jordan Devlin. I’m not sure what that leaves us with this week but maybe they have something in mind. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Symbiosis vs. Wild Boar/Mark Andrews

Eddie Dennis is here with Symbiosis and it’s a big brawl on the floor before the bell. Andrews avoids a kick in the knee and hits a 619 on T-Bone’s leg, setting up a dropkick to the same knee. Boar comes in for a slam on Primate and then drops Andrews onto him for two. It’s back to T-Bone (still favoring the knee) for a forearm to the back and a belly to back suplex for two. Primate hits an elbow to the face as the villains keep taking turns beating on Andrews.

T-Bone makes the mistake of yelling at Boar though and Andrews slaps him in the face. With that not working, Andrews misses an enziguri but avoids Primate’s elbow, allowing him to dive over to Boar for the tag. A heck of a lariat gives Boar two on T-Bone and Primate is sent outside. Boar’s t-bone suplex gets two on Primate but Dennis gets on the apron for a distraction. Not that it matters as Boar sends Symbiosis into each other and suplexes T-Bone. Andrews adds Fall To Pieces for the pin on T-Bone at 7:26.

Rating: C. This was another step on the way towards Wild Boar vs. Eddie Dennis, which is getting quite a bit of time for a story that is only so interesting in the first place. It’s good to have Andrews back after such a long time away, but he does feel a bit inserted into the whole thing. Boar vs. Dennis could be good, though I’m not sure how much I care about getting to that point.

Post match Boar goes after Dennis and grabs the chain so the chase is on, with Dennis running out of the arena.

Video on Von Wagner, who is ready for Saxon Huxley.

Moustache Mountain arrived earlier today and no last week wasn’t nefarious. Trent Seven says that they are going to keep the titles no matter what but now the bosses (whose names he mispronounces) need to find them some real competition.

Sid Scala….is interrupted by Eddie Dennis running away from Wild Boar. Scala is tired of this running so let’s have a Dog Collar match. Boar shows up and chases Dennis off.

Angel Hayze vs. Xia Brookside

Eliza Alexander is here with Brookside, who looks annoyed at Hayze’s presence. Brookside works on the arm to start but Hayze reverses into a wristlock of her own. Brookside stomps on the foot to escape in about as simple of a counter as you can get (which isn’t a bad thing). That’s reversed with a wristlock takeover and a running kick to the head gets two on Brookside.

Hayze gets kicked out of the corner as Shepherd talks about how whiny Brookside has been as of late. The camel clutch goes on for a bit until Hayze fights up and scores with some forearms. A running shot to the face gives Hayze two but an Alexander distraction lets Brookside grab the rollup pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for Brookside but at least her bodyguard did something for once. I’m still not sure if she needs a bodyguard for the most part as I liked her better on her own, but she does at least have someone helping her get some wins. Not much of a match, but I can go for more Brookside most of the time.

Post match the double team beatdown is on but Amale runs in for the save.

A-Kid comes up to Charlie Dempsey at the Performance Center and wants to settle their differences for good. That seems to set up a match but nothing specific is mentioned.

Damon Kemp is officially in NXT UK. That’s a good thing, as wrestlers need to work in front of a different audience and with different people. Johnny Saint even comes in for a cameo to welcome him to the show.

Von Wagner vs. Saxon Huxley

Fallout from Huxley interrupting Wagner’s debut and calling him stupid. They go straight to the slugout to start until Huxley shoulders him down. Back up and Wagner scores with a jumping knee to the face as Nigel talks about how Huxley can be dangerous, depending on which voice in his head he listens to at the moment. A clothesline gives Wagner two and the chinlock goes on. Huxley fights up and hits some running shoulders, setting up a top rope clothesline for two of his own. The Thesz press sets up something in a fireman’s carry but Wagner elbows his way to freedom. Wagner’s Death Valley Driver finishes at 4:04.

Rating: C. Totally run of the mill power match here with Huxley getting to showcase himself while Wagner gets the win because WWE sees something in him. I’m not sure what that something actually is but they certainly see something. Huxley has a weird charisma to, but odds are this is about as far as it is going to go.

Post match Wagner says Huxley is the first of many and you’re just living in his world.

Gallus had a press conference earlier this week where they promise that they are united and stronger than ever. They all shake hands after answering no questions.

Tiger Turan, a masked man, is coming.

Video on Isla Dawn vs. Meiko Satomura in next week’s Women’s Title match.

Lash Legend is coming. Oh freaking joy.

Here are Sid Scala and Johnny Saint for the contract signing between Jordan Devlin and Ilja Dragunov. Both guys come to the ring and Devlin puts his feet up. Devlin blows into the microphone and says those are the winds of change. Dragunov doesn’t like Devlin belittling this place but Devlin says he IS this brand. He’s the reason for all of this pomp and circumstance but Dragunov says this title defines him.

Dragunov’s worst nightmare is to see Devlin holding the title and it isn’t happening. Devlin knows that it will happen, so Dragunov wants to raise the stakes. That could work, so Dragunov wants to make it Loser Leaves NXT UK. Devlin thinks Dragunov won’t want to be seen after he loses anyway, so he’s in. They both sign and the fight is on, with Dragunov putting the table up in the corner. Devlin uses Scala as a shield though and it’s the Devlin Side to put Dragunov through the table. The fans dub Devlin an Irish coward as he holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. What in the world was that? Did they forget that they had a show here and threw out whatever leftovers they had? We got a match setting up a match between a wrestler and a manager, a match that was just a step above a squash, and Von Wagner. For the “important” stuff, we had a contract signing that ate up the last bit of the show and added a stipulation that could have been added in a graphic. This was a total misfire and I really, really hope that it’s a one off instead of the new direction around here

Results
Mark Andrews/Wild Boar b. Symbiosis – Fall To Pieces to T-Bone
Xia Brookside b. Angel Hayze – Rollup
Von Wagner b. Saxon Huxley – Death Valley Driver

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.