NXT
Date: February 1, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s time for a big tag match as NXT Champion Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa are teaming up against Legado del Fantasma. That is part of the way to build things up for Santos Escobar’s upcoming title shot, but for now we get what should be a good tag match. Let’s get to it.

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

Imperium vs. Diamond Mine

The fans chant WALTER during Imperium’s entrance. Gunther isn’t having any of the posing to start and kicks Roderick Strong in the head before the bell. Brutus Creed suplexes Aichner to start but Aichner manages a Regal Roll in quite the power display. It’s off to Barthel for an armbar and the WALTER chants start up again. Brutus fights up and hands it off to Julius for some knees to the ribs.

That’s broken up in a hurry as Barthel hits a middle rope elbow to the face and it’s off to Gunther to kick Julius in the head. We take a break and come back with Brutus coming back in to get suplexed onto Barthel for two. Barthel gets over for a tag to Gunther so it’s all hands on deck to slow him up. Everything breaks down though and it’s Brutus wrecking Imperium, leaving him for a showdown with Gunther. The sleeper puts Brutus in trouble and it’s a powerbomb to give Gunther the pin at 11:56.

Rating: B. The Creeds are getting better and better by the week and that was on full display here. What mattered was letting people hit each other rather hard as Imperium gets to show off what they can do, but at the end of the day, this was all about Gunther. He is the kind of force that you do not get to see very often and if they can get around the fans chanting WALTER, he should be a big deal.

LA Knight is ready for Grayson Waller but Joe Gacy and Harland interrupt, suggesting that Knight has a problem. Knight offers to get together with them in the ring and maybe he can get two new restraining orders.

Here is Toxic Attraction for a chat. They are ready to beat Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta in two weeks at Vengeance Day but here is Kay Lee Ray to interrupt. She isn’t getting her title match, so she brings in her baseball bat. Mandy tells her to put the bat down and the other two will leaves. Ray agrees, but Mandy would rather talk about her own modeling and fitness accomplishments.

That’s fine with Ray, who says she was holding the NXT UK Women’s Title for over 600 days while Rose was falling at Wrestlemania and sucking face with Otis. Mandy talks about how great she is and how she is what WWE wants and all the talent in the world will never replace her. Ray says that she’ll have her title match by the end of the night and slaps Mandy in the face. The bat is enough to chase off Toxic Attraction.

Cora Jade is ready to prove herself to Raquel Gonzalez, even if it means taking a beating. Gonzalez comes in and asks if she’s ready for the match, with Jade saying she’s in (I barely recognized Gonzalez with her hair down like that).

During the break, Toxic Attraction tried to leave but stopped for an interview. They went to get in their car with Mandy getting in last…but Ray is in the driver’s seat and kidnaps them. That parking lot man.

Cora Jade vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Jade is a bit tentative to start and gets tossed down without much trouble. That leaves Jade in shock at the pain so Gonzalez kicks away in the corner. A spinning Side Effect gives Gonzalez two more and she grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker. Jade is sat on top but manages to knock Gonzalez away this time.

Gonzalez tries another swinging Side Effect but gets reversed into….something we can’t see as the screen goes black, likely due to issues with Gonzalez’s top. Jade drives her into the corner for two and a rope walk hurricanrana rocks Gonzalez again. There’s an enziguri but Gonzalez finally just plants her with the Chigona Bomb for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Issues with Gonzalez’s gear aside, this was designed to make Jade look tough and it did well enough. I’m sure they’ll be in the Dusty Classic together because it isn’t like there are a bunch of teams to put into the tournament in the first place. Hopefully Gonzalez can move up to the main roster soon enough though, as she seems ready.

Post match Gonzalez says “let’s go and win this”, meaning the Dusty Classic.

Sarraylor Moon is back next.

Video on Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo.

Sarray vs. Kayla Inlay

Sarray walks through the back as the schoolgirl and then comes into the arena in her regular gear, sans anything schoolgirl. That’s a relief, even if WWE is still way too into this transformation stuff. Inlay won’t shake hands to start so Sarray knocks her into the corner. That’s broken up but we get breaking news about Kay Lee Ray returning, with no sign of Dolin and Jayne. Sarray fights up and hits the running dropkick against the ropes. A high collar suplex finishes Inlay at 3:20.

Rating: C. The match was almost a squash, but it was also quite the relief that Sarray isn’t going to be wrestling as a schoolgirl. That would be the latest bad WWE idea, so seeing her transform was kind of a relief. As weird as that is to say, I’ll take it over what we seemed to be getting, as this was a slightly more fired up Sarray.

Video on Duke Hudson, who gives himself a hair cut and says he makes his own luck anymore.

Bron Breakker is warming up when Tommaso Ciampa comes in. Ciampa hands him the NXT Title and suggests that Breakker doesn’t know what he is in for. As for tonight, they’ll take it to Legado del Fantasma.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are ready for Cameron Grimes because Hayes is always looking down on him. Cue Grimes, who notes the TO THE MOON chants. Grimes says Hayes looks like Spongebob, which makes Trick Squidward. Williams talks a lot but Grimes isn’t sure what he said. Grimes asks which one he’s fighting and Hayes says he’s waiting. As Hayes and Williams leave, Grimes says it’s going to be a one star match, and that one star is going to the moon.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe debate a team name and Enofe thinks they should ask Mandy Rose. Then Rose literally falls through the door and it’s Blade’s arms (Blade: “Thank you!”). Kay Lee Ray comes in and rips off Rose’s jacket, which has Enofe rather happy. He wants to go after them….but Blade needs a minute.

Diamond Mine is ready to face Imperium again after they win the Dusty Classic. The Grizzled Young Veterans come in to laugh at the prospects.

LA Knight vs. Joe Gacy

Harland is here with Gacy, who gets taken down by an early running neckbreaker. A spinning Rock Bottom gets Gacy out of trouble and it’s off to a neck crank. There’s a suplex to take Knight down again and it’s time to work on Knight’s knee. Knight fights up and hits a jumping neckbreaker into his powerslam, only to collide for a crash to the floor. Cue Sanga (Grayson Waller’s bodyguard) so Waller can hit his rolling Stunner. That’s enough to give Gacy a nine count so it’s the handspring clothesline to finish Knight at 4:14.

Rating: C-. So we have yet another heel with a bodyguard, who happens to be interfering in a match with a heel with a kind of bodyguard? Are they that out of ideas? Waller costing Knight a match is fine, but this was another short match that didn’t have the chance to get anywhere because it’s all about getting as many things on the show as you can in two hours.

Post match Waller yells at Knight, who lunges at him. That means a chokeslam from Sanga, with Waller saying if Knight can beat Sanga next week, maybe the restraining order is gone.

Robert Stone is very happy to have signed Von Wagner.

Wendy Choo vs. Amari Miller

Tiffany Stratton has offered Miller a shopping spree if she takes out Choo. The bell rings and Choo goes to the mat for a nap, followed by taking Miller to the mat for a nap on her leg. An elbow drop gives Choo two and then it’s time to get serious, with a pair of hard suplexes. A sleeper is broken up though and Miller gets two off a jawbreaker. Cue Tiffany Stratton to throw Miller a credit card, allowing Choo to hit Miller in the face for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: D. It’s still the dumbest thing going in wrestling and now they are doing the goofy stuff during the matches rather than having her be serious. The credit card thing wasn’t exactly a good idea either, as we continue to need humor/goofiness in every match. At least they kept it short, but Choo is yet another bad NXT idea that is likely to continue for a long time.

Post match Stratton yells at Miller, but Choo has made off with the credit card.

Persia Pirotta and Indi Hartwell are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, with Dexter Lumis seeming to approve. Josh Briggs comes in to ask for advice on women, with Indi saying non-verbal communication is a good thing. Lumis looks at her and they’re off to the hot tub.

Video on Draco Anthony.

Nikkita Lyons talks about growing up around music as her dad was a musician and her mom was a groupie. Now she is a singer/rapper but also an NXT star. This is IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM LIKE HIT ROW! NOT AT ALL!

Sarray, once again a schoolgirl, is interrupted by Dakota Kai, who warns her about how relationships can go south.

Draco Anthony vs. Andre Chase

Bodhi Hayward is in Chase’s corner. Chase takes over with few shots to the face into a neckbreaker. Anthony is back with a powerslam and cranks on the arms, only to have Chase fight up again. A Russian legsweep drops Anthony and it’s time for the spelling stomps. Anthony is back up and steals Hayward’s flag but Hayward won’t let him stomp on it. Instead, Chase unloads in the corner and the Downward Spiral finishes Anthony at 4:26.

Rating: C-. Another not exactly great match as the latest new NXT character (just wait, as I’d bet on getting another one before the show is over) loses in his NXT debut. It’s a bit weird seeing the war veteran as a heel but NXT is quite the strange duck at times. Chase is somehow getting this dumb character over and that is quite the accomplishment.

Mandy Rose is still running from Kay Lee ray but stops for a water at the food area. Ray shows up and pours spaghetti on her, followed by a cake to the head area. Then Ray stalks her with the baseball bat.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa

The rest of Legado is here too. Ciampa headlocks Mendoza to start but Wilde tags himself in and hits a dropkick. It’s back to Mendoza, who bails to the floor, allowing Breakker to come in and run the ropes. A Gator roll sets up a delayed suplex on Wilde, with Ciampa adding one of his own to Mendoza. We take a break and come back with Breakker getting caught with some running shots in the corner. The front facelock is countered with a suplex though and it’s back to Ciampa to fire off the running clotheslines.

Ciampa tags Brakker back in, despite Breakker favoring his arm. Something like a powerslam plants Wilde but Santos Escobar gets up for a distraction. Mendoza scores with a springboard missile dropkick and a Phoenix splash gets two. A spear cuts Mendoza down but Wilde makes the save. Wilde goes up but gets shoved HARD off the top and through the announcers’ table. The gorilla press powerslam finishes Mendoza at 11:24.

Rating: C+. Breakker is one of those guys that doesn’t need a ton of explanation. He’s a bit like Goldberg in that the idea seems to be flip a switch and watch him smash stuff. That’s a perfect case of “don’t think about this too hard” and it’s working. Escobar will be a good first victim and this was a fine way of setting that up, especially with Breakker possibly having a bad arm going in.

Post match Escobar stares down Breakker but here are Kay Lee Ray and Mandy Rose again. Ray threatens her and gets her title shot next week as a result. The KLR Bomb leaves Rose laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I have almost no idea what to make of this show, but the biggest thing that comes out of it is how much is crammed in. The problem with that is the word crammed, as it feels so overstuffed. It is one character with a wacky gimmick after another and that gets tiring after a bit. So many things on here felt like it needed to be over the top or have some kind of a punchline and that gets old after a bit. Even the main event was immediately followed by Rose with cake on her clothes.

This was another way too busy show and I kept wondering what they were going to throw out there next to make me shake my head. It isn’t that these are all terrible ideas, but they keep coming one after another with little getting the time to sink in. There are stories in here that work, but then Mandy Rose is being stalked or Sarray is transforming or Blade and Enofe, who could be a good, young team, are stuck with sophomoric humor.

Overall, this show felt very, very much like a show designed by Vince McMahon or to appeal to Vince McMahon and that is rarely going to make for entertaining TV. It felt like yet another week where they were throwing anything out there and if it works, great, but if not, oh well. That’s not a great way to run a TV show and the wrestlers aren’t going to get much out of it other than a bunch of ideas that aren’t the best to put on their resumes.

Results
Imperium b. Diamond Mine – Powerbomb to Brutus
Raquel Gonzalez b. Cora Jade – Chigona Bomb
Sarray b. Kayla Inlay – High collar suplex
Joe Gacy b. LA Knight – Handspring elbow
Wendy Choo b. Amari Miller – Elbow to the face
Andre Chase b. Draco Anthony – Downward Spiral
Bron Breakker/Tommaso Ciampa b. Legado del Fantasma – Gorilla press powerslam to Mendoza

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 20, 2022
Location: Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan

The march to No Surrender is on and that means it is time to start setting up a card. Impact continues to be doing fairly well, and the question now is what is next for Moose and the World Title. By that, I mean getting to defend against W. Morrissey. For once I’m actually curious to see how things are going here and that is nice to be able to say, at least partially because of the Ring of Honor invasion. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tasha Steelz vs. Chelsea Green

Mickie James is on commentary and Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. Green sends her into the corner to start but gets run over, allowing Steelz to hammer away. Some shouting at Mickie doesn’t seem to cause Steelz too many problems but Green blocks the crucifix bomb. A jumping cutter drops Green for two but she’s right back up with a lifting Downward Spiral for her own near fall. Back up and Steelz hits a crucifix bomb for the fast pin at 4:29.

Rating: C-. This was ok enough but it’s a little hard to buy Steelz as some big threat to James and the title. Having her beat Green, and probably some more women going forward, would be a good idea, but you’re only going to get so far with half of a long term tag wrestler. Also, I wouldn’t have bet on Green losing clean in less than five minutes though either, as she is usually presented as a pretty big deal.

Post match Steelz says it was nice for Mickie to retain the title at Hard To Kill but now it’s time to get savage. Spoiler alert: she’s going to make Mickie a failure. She’s going to send Mickie back to Empower a failure (Mickie: “Someone is mad she wasn’t booked.”) and she is going to send Mickie back to her son as a failure. That gets Mickie up but Evans gets in her way. Mickie gets in her face and the fight is on until Evans breaks it up. Green makes a save though and house is cleaned, likely setting up a tag match next week.

We look at Jordynne Grace retaining the Digital Media Title on BTI but Matt Cardona interrupted and seemed to be the next challenger.

Cardona says he didn’t win the World Title but there are other titles he can win. He invented the Internet Title so now he wants the World Wide Web Title. That’s a challenge.

Video on Charlie Haas, mainly featuring clips from his time in Ring of Honor.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Influence vs. Decay

Kaleb With A K is here with Influence, who jump Decay before the bell. Rosemary is down and holding her shoulder as Kaleb With A K takes the Influence’s pictures. Rosemary tells Havok to go it alone though and that seems to be the case.

Influence vs. Havok

Kaleb With A K joins commentary as the Influence double teams Havok down in the corner. The stomping ensues but Havok flips Rayne off her shoulders. A slam is broken up as Rayne crossbodies both of them at once for a big crash. The double Stroke finishes Havok at 3:34.

Rating: C-. This seems to be fallout from Rosemary getting hurt at Hard To Kill, as there wasn’t much else that could be done for her here. I’m not sure how long she is going to be out, but hopefully it isn’t that serious of an injury. At the same time, the Influence is on their way to a Knockouts Tag Team Title match against the IInspiration so they should be going over Havok, or even a full strength Decay.

The IInspiration pops up to say their star power will outshine Tenille Dashwood, who has a partner who retires every year. The shoes the Influence are trying to feel are three times too big.

We look at the King’s Daughter, the movie that is sponsoring the show.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton come in to see Speedball Mike Bailey and suggest that he makes the right kind of friends. Johnny Bravo makes a random cameo and Ace leaves Bailey with a playing card.

Learning Tree vs. W. Morrissey

Brian Myers is on commentary. They charge at Morrissey and get hit in the face for their efforts. A chokeslam to Dice and a powerbomb to VSK finish for Morrissey at 1:11.

Post match Morrissey says he’s coming for Moose and the World Title.

In the back, Scott D’Amore gives Morrissey a match with Moose at No Surrender.

The Ring of Honor guys are trying to come in and have tickets. D’Amore comes in and says they can be here to support Jonathan Gresham….in a luxury box, away from the ring. Then get out.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Steve Maclin

Gresham is defending and this is Pure Rules. Maclin isn’t interested in the Code of Honor before the bell so Gresham takes him up against the ropes for the first rope break. The Ring of Honor people are watching from the balcony as Maclin drives him up against the ropes for another rope break. Then Gresham makes Maclin use the ropes again, earning himself a right hand for the official warning.

Maclin gets two off a butterfly backbreaker and the threat of a hold makes Gresham burn through another rope break, leaving them with a break apiece. The Boston crab stays on Gresham’s back and he makes the rope for the last time. Maclin grabs a camel clutch and this time the rope has no impact. Gresham pulls his way to his feet so Maclin hits a pair of slams for two.

Back up and Gresham kicks him down, setting up a dropkick. Maclin ties him in the Tree of Woe though and it’s a running shoulder to the ribs for two. With that broken up, Gresham goes for the ribs, sending Maclin to the ropes for his final break. An exchange of forearms and clotheslines gives them an exchange of near falls. Mayhem For All is broken up though and Gresham grabs a Figure Four. They slap it out until Maclin rolls over….which means nothing, so Gresham stands up in the ropes to crank on the leg enough for the tap at 10:19.

Rating: C+. The rope breaks were a bit odd at the time but they were designed to set up the ending. Gresham is awesome in this role, as he digs himself into a hole and then finds a way out of it, often by means of some kind of a hold. Maclin was good for a foil here, but the Gresham/Ring of Honor stuff feels like it has a much longer way to go with bigger names being involved.

Post match, Maclin still won’t show respect.

Flashback Moment of the Week (They still do those?): Sarita/Taylor Wilde b. the Beautiful People for the inaugural Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

The Ring of Honor wrestlers leave. Right.

Doc Gallows/Joe Doering vs. Heath/Rhino

Karl Anderson is on commentary and Violent By Design is here too. Rhino takes Gallows into the corner to start and fires off right hands before the villains are knocked outside. We take a break and come back with Gallows getting the better of a slugout with Rhino. Doering comes in for some choking as Eric Young yells at the fans. Gallows headbutts Rhino down to set up a chinlock, which is broken up without much effort. The hot tag brings in Heath as everything breaks down. Young gets in a flag shot to Heath though and it’s a double chokeslam for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C. This tag team stuff has been going on for what feels like ever now and it doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. Odds are we are going to be seeing some big multi team match for the titles, though other than Heath and Rhino winning the titles, there is very little here that gets my attention. The Good Brothers have held the titles far too long over their two reigns and I had almost forgotten they were even the champions.

King’s Daughter trailer.

Charlie Haas vs. Josh Alexander

Chris Sabin is on commentary and thankfully Haas has some hair, as the bald look wasn’t working in the slightest. Believe it or not, they go technical to start with Alexander grabbing a hammerlock. With that broken up, Haas runs him over with a shoulder but Alexander boots him out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Alexander jumping over him out of the corner but banging up his knee in the process. Haas is smart enough to go after the knee, which is wrapped around the post. The leg is tied up in the ropes for a running knee to the knee, setting up something like an Indian Deathlock. Alexander grabs a backslide for two but they trade rolling German suplexes. Back up and Haas mixes it up a bit with some running shoulders to the ribs in the corner (apparently knocking himself silly in the process). Haas goes back to the leg but gets reversed into an ankle lock 11:23.

Rating: B-. This was the grappling/submission clinic that you were expecting from the two of them, even though Haas’ injury might have screwed things up a bit. What mattered here was giving Alexander another win over a name and that’s what they did. I’m not sure when Alexander is going to get his World Title shot, but having him run through stars is a good way to fill in the time.

Post match, respect is shown…and here are the Ring of Honor guys to jump both of them. Sabin gets off commentary and gets beaten down as well. Some other wrestlers come in for a failed save attempt until Eddie Edwards, with Kenny, makes the real save. The Ring of Honor wrestlers bail back to the balcony, where Maria Kanellis-Bennett dubs them Honor No More to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great show but what worked well was good enough. That’s all you need in a situation like this, as you have some big stories coming together. The problem is that the lower level stuff is bringing the good down and that is a bit of an issue. Improve on some of the weaker stuff and the show will be that much better as a whole.

Results
Tasha Steelz b. Chelsea Green – Crucifix bomb
Influence b. Havok – Double Stroke
W. Morrissey b. Learning Tree – Double pin
Jonathan Gresham b. Steve Maclin – Figure Four
Doc Gallows/Joe Doering b. Heath/Rhino – Double chokeslam to Heath
Josh Alexander b. Charlie Haas – Ankle lock

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

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

AND

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

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

Smackdown – August 24, 2007

Raw – January 31, 2022

1. He’s Back: WWE Legend Returning To Television Soon. January 31, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-back-wwe-legend-returning-television-soon/

2. The Men’s Royal Rumble Originally Had A Very Different Winner. January 31, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/mens-royal-rumble-originally-different-winner/

3. Huge Title Match Set For Elimination Chamber. January 31, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/huge-title-match-set-elimination-chamber/

4. It’s Ready: Lineup Set For Elimination Chamber Match For WWE Title. February 1, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ready-lineup-set-elimination-chamber-match-wwe-title/

5. WrestleMania 38 Main Event Officially Announced. February 1, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestlemania-38-main-event-officially-announced/

6. Dream Title Match Officially Set For WWE Elimination Chamber. February 1, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/dream-title-match-officially-set-wwe-elimination-chamber/

7. WRESTLING RUMORS: Surprising WWE Title Match Possible For WrestleMania 38. February 1, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/surprising-wwe-title-match-possible-wrestlemania-38/

8. FULL MATCH: Grudge Match Takes Place After Monday Night Raw. February 1, 2022.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/full-match-grudge-match-takes-place-monday-night-raw/

As always, please check out all of the videos if you can, hit up the comments section and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 31, 2022
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves

The Royal Rumble has come and gone and that means we are officially on the Road To WrestleMania. As a result, it is time to start hammering in the pieces for the next elimination based match, as Elimination Chamber is in less than two weeks. Bobby Lashley is the new WWE Champion and that means he is going to need a challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Brock Lesnar losing the WWE Title to Bobby Lashley with the help of Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Worry not though as Lesnar won the Royal Rumble later in the night, because being screwed out of a title leaves you with absolutely no other options to get another title shot. The graphic even saying “1 hour and 22 minutes later” doesn’t help things.

Here is Adam Pearce in the ring to hype up the big things we will be seeing tonight. There is a road block on the Road To Wrestlemania though, which is called the Elimination Chamber. Bobby Lashley will be defending his WWE Title inside the Elimination Chamber….and here are MVP and Lashley to interrupt. MVP rants about Lashley being in the Chamber and Lashley says he is here to celebrate beating Lesnar. Lashley is a better wrestler, a better mixed martial artist and a better champion. Who’s the conqueror now? Who’s the beast now? Who’s the champion now?

Cue Brock Lesnar, in wrestling gear, to interrupt. He talks about how Lashley didn’t really beat him, but Lesnar isn’t mad at him. Instead, he is mad at Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman, but what matters is that he won the Royal Rumble. That isn’t a joke, because Lesnar is going to face Reigns at Wrestlemania. Lashley is involved too though, because it is going to be title for title.

Lesnar challenges Lashley for his rematch right now and Lashley is already taking the tie off. MVP says not so fast though, because Lesnar has to earn it. Lesnar calls Lashley a chickens*** and Lashley is a lot more serious. MVP begs him not to and Lashley bails, but Pearce puts Lesnar inside the Elimination Chamber for the title instead.

Nikki Ash vs. Rhea Ripley

Nikki goes right at her to start but gets caught in a delayed vertical suplex, with Rhea walking her around for a bonus. Nikki is sent outside but manages to tie her up in the ring skirt and fires off forearms as we take a break. Back with Nikki working on an armbar and hitting a tornado DDT for two. Ripley fights up with some clotheslines and nails a basement dropkick. Nikki is back with a failed fisherman’s neckbreaker attempt, setting up Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C-. That is all you needed it to be, as Ripley got the clean win. Now granted that probably means we will be seeing another three matches minimum, likely with Rhea winning over and over. That’s about all Ripley can do though, as it isn’t like she could be back in the title picture or anything insane like that.

We recap last week’s spelling bee, with Chad Gable losing, followed by a singles match, with Chad Gable losing.

Now it is time for Gable vs. Riddle in a scooter race, with Riddle dubbing his scooter Gustavo. After some complaining about last week’s spelling and an introduction of R-Truth as the official starter, they’re off, with the first to complete fifty laps around the arena and cross the finish line at ringside wins. More on this later.

We’re back to more of Alexa Bliss’ therapy, with Bliss insisting that she has had Lily since she was a kid. We get a montage of Bliss with Lily, with the therapist asking what would happen if she could see Lily again. The therapist brings out a replica (while making clear it isn’t the real thing) and she is very happy.

We look at Edge and Beth Phoenix beating Miz and Maryse at the Royal Rumble.

Miz vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rey Mysterio is here with Dominik. Miz gets serious by messing up Dominik’s hair but has to duck an early 619 attempt. That means a trip to the floor, where he shoves Rey down. Back in and Miz kicks Dominik in the face before falling down and claiming Rey tripped him. That’s enough to get Rey ejected and the Skull Crushing Finale finishes Dominik at 2:10.

Tamina jumps 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke but gets interrupted by the scooter race (now on lap 18/50).

The scooter race continues until Riddle runs into Omos. Riddle: “Omos, I’ve never noticed it before but you have beautiful eyes.” And he rides off.

It’s time for the Kevin Owens Show, with Owens talking about how excited he is for the Road to Wrestlemania. He is going to be in the Elimination Chamber after he beats Austin Theory, but for now, it is time for the man who should be Universal Champion: Seth Rollins! Cue a limping Rollins, who even agrees to sit down this week.

After a Cincinnati Bengals WHO DEY chant, we get a highlight package on Rollins beating Roman Reigns via DQ when Reigns kept choking him. Back in the arena, Owens says that was ridiculous but Rollins says he has a permanent piece of real estate in Reigns’ head. Whenever he goes back there, he will come back with the Universal Title. That’s Smackdown business though and we are on Monday Night Raw.

There are some spots available in the Elimination Chamber, but one of them is being taken up by….Seth Rollins! Owens’ isn’t happy that Rollins got in without having to qualify, but thinks Rollins could convince Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to let them in. All he has to do is threaten to not wrestle unless Owens is in! Rollins: “Uhhhh……..” Cue Austin Theory to interrupt and it’s qualifying match time.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory

Feeling out process to start with Owens using the power to take over. That earns him a rolling dropkick and some shots to the face in the corner before they head outside. Owens crushes him with the Cannonball against the barricade and Theory needs a breather. Theory manages to send him into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Owens hitting a DDT and heading up top but missing the Swanton. The ATL is countered so Theory hits a neckbreaker for two. Owens runs him over again and now the Swanton connects to give Owens two of his own. The spinning superplex gives Owens two more but Theory knocks him outside. Owens gets back in, but Theory kicks the ropes for a low blow. Back in and the ATL gives Theory the pin at 11:17.

Rating: B-. Theory continues to shine every chance he gets and getting a win over someone like Owens is only going to make his star brighter. There is a lot to him and I’m wondering just how far he can go. If nothing else, it is nice to see him getting a spot in a title match. Granted he won’t win, but that’s a good step.

Otis gives Chad Gable a drink for energy but it’s steak sauce. Gable: “SODIUM!” Otis drinks it as Gable panics away.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Dolph Ziggler

Hometown boy Dawkins (with Montez Ford) does the Icky Shuffle on the way to the ring to really make himself beloved. Ziggler takes him down to start and hammers away in the corner, setting up his own, albeit mocking, Icky Shuffle. Dawkins is back with a clothesline and the spinning splash in the corner. Ziggler’s superkick is blocked though and Dawkins hits the spinning butterfly suplex for the pin at 4:27.

Rating: C-. See how easy it is to give a hometown boy a win? They had a short match, the fans were happy with Dawkins winning, and Ziggler isn’t going to be hurt by a loss. This was all it needed to be and the fans got to smile. I don’t believe WWE is going to drop their trend of hurting hometown stars, but at least it was fine for one night.

Gable and Riddle are almost to the final lap.

WWE 2K22 ad.

Veer Mahaan is coming to Raw.

It’s time for the finals of the race. R-Truth is in the arena and picks the Bengals winning but Riddle knocks Gable down, leaving him with a banged up knee….but Otis runs Riddle over before he crosses the finish line. Gable gets up and wins without much trouble. Riddle protests, but Gable lists off all of his own accomplishments, none of which required cheating (Gable: “THANK YOU!”). Riddle can have his match, but against Otis. Hold on though as Adam Pearce has an announcement: this is now an Elimination Chamber qualifying match!

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Otis vs. Riddle

Otis takes him into the corner for a hard shot to the head to start, setting up the splash for a close two. The neck crank is on but Riddle fights up, only to get Judas Effected to the floor. Back in and Otis sends him flying off a shoulder and seems to do the old Razor Ramon pose for some reason.

Riddle fights out of another neck crank and forearms away, only to get knocked down by another clothesline. Otis puts on another neck crank so Riddle fights up even faster, this time for some running strikes in the corner. A ripcord knee puts Otis down on his knee and another puts him down. The Floating Bro hits Otis’ knee (as it missed badly) so it’s a Floating Bro to the standing Otis for the pin at 7:24.

Rating: C. Odd choice of a pose aside, this told a good story but in a boring way. Otis going for three neck cranks in a single match isn’t exactly exciting and that Floating Bro looked pretty bad. At least they got the ending right though, as Riddle or Randy Orton almost had to be in the Elimination Chamber. Again, Riddle won’t win, but it’s nice to see him get a chance.

Carmella vs. Bianca Belair

Carmella has to put her mask on before Belair can wrestle her down. The hair whip is loaded up so Carmella screams and slaps Belair in the face. Saxton: “That was stupid.” The chase is on until Carmella sends her into the corner and forearms away. Some elbows put Belair down again and we hit the chinlock. Belair fights up and gets knocked right back down into another chinlock. That’s broken up as well so it’s a forearm to set up the KOD to give Belair the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C-. Carmella was more aggressive here but it wasn’t much of a match. The mask gimmick continues to not add much and doesn’t seem to get over. The good thing is that Belair gets reheated a bit, though I have no idea where she is going with the title pictures pretty much set for the time being.

We look back at Alexa Bliss seeing the replacement Lily doll again.

Back in the office, Alexa Bliss is so happy to see Lily, who the therapist said he got from WWE Shop. Bliss holds the doll and smiles a lot. That’s it.

Chad Gable isn’t happy with Otis’ loss but has a good idea: the final part of the academic challenge will be a Quiz Bowl. Just like the Bengals losing their big game, RKBro will lose too.

We look at Ronda Rousey returning at the Royal Rumble.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles

They go with the grappling to start and neither can get anywhere. Styles hits a shoulder but Rey is back up with a running hurricanrana. That’s enough to send Styles outside but Rey’s sliding splash hits raised knees. Another hurricanrana takes Styles down again on the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Rey AJ countering a springboard moonsault but getting caught with a spinning DDT. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Rey two but AJ’s fireman’s carry backbreaker gets the same. The calf Crusher is broken up and Rey kicks him in the head for another near fall. Rey goes up but has to counter the super Styles Clash. The frog splash misses for Rey though and AJ scores with a Pele. That’s not enough for a cover though as Rey heads up for the top rope seated senton, only to have AJ roll through into the Styles Clash for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: B. I’m as shocked as you are that two of the best ever were able to have a good match when they were given the chance. Styles winning makes more sense and adds to the star power of the match, but it’s not like Rey is some slouch. This was a rather good main event and I could go for seeing a longer version on a bigger stage.

Here is Ronda Rousey for the big finale. She can’t decide if she should pick to face Charlotte or Rebecca at Wrestlemania. Rousey has unfinished business with both, but Rebecca is on her undercard. Then everyone will know the baddest big time b**** is her. Cue Becky Lynch, saying that she wants an answer too and that the women’s division has never been hotter. Lynch wants a decision so Rousey grabs the arm….and says the decision will come on Friday.

Rousey goes to leave so here is Lita to interrupt. Becky isn’t sure about this but talks about being a fan when she was a kid. She makes the mistake of asking why Lita is here though and the challenge for Elimination Chamber is thrown out. Becky says no, but Lita manages to goad her into it to end the show. Remember the multiple instances that seemed to point to Lita vs. Charlotte? WWE doesn’t seem to either.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was hit or miss and some of the promos didn’t work so well, but what mattered here was the effort. It felt like the people were trying and that made all the difference. Things like Miz vs. Dominik and Belair vs. Carmella weren’t great, but the scooter deal was inoffensive enough and they set up a lot of the Elimination Chamber. Either way, much better than the Rumble, if you consider that to be an accomplishment at this point.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Nikki Ash – Riptide
Miz b. Dominik Mysterio – Skull Crushing Finale
Austin Theory b. Kevin Owens – ATL
Angelo Dawkins b. Dolph Ziggler – Double underhook spinning slam
Riddle b. Otis – Floating Bro
Bianca Belair b. Carmella – KOD
AJ Styles b. Rey Mysterio – Styles Clash

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: August 24, 2007
Location: Colonial Center, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the go home show for Summerslam and the question remains who can stop Great Khali. Batista gets his chance in two days but things are not exactly looking great for him. Other than that, Vince McMahon and Jonathan Coachman continue their search for Vince’s son, meaning hijinks are likely to continue. 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 week’s show, with Great Khali Clawing/head vicing Batista down again.

Opening sequence.

Here are Vince McMahon and Coach for a chat. They are continuing their investigation into Vince’s illegitimate son and the search is continuing tonight. Coach wants to look at things scientifically and asks what we know about Vince. We know that he is tall, he is powerful and he likes to make people’s lives h***. No one is like that around here…and here is Kane to interrupt. Kane smiles at Vince, who says there is no way this monster is his son. Coach: “He does appear to have your eye.”

Kane talks about how Vince was not there for him as a kid when Kane started his first fire or killed his first squirrel. That being said, all Kane wants is Finlay, which seems to please Vince. After making sure Kane doesn’t want his money, Vince makes Kane vs. Finlay for Summerslam, which works just fine.

Cue Chris Masters to say he has proof that he is Vince’s son. First of all, Kane is too ugly to be Vince’s son (that’s good for a glare from Kane), plus a photo of Masters meeting Vince when he was fifteen (Vince: “You look ten.). Masters is willing to prove himself with the Masterlock Challenge right now, with Kane agreeing. Kane is a bit too big though and Masters can’t get the hold, so he offers to put Masters in the hold himself. That just earns Masters a chokeslam and Kane leaves. Cue Chuck Palumbo, and since we have a referee and two wrestlers, Vince says ring the bell.

Chuck Palumbo vs. Chris Masters

Palumbo punches away to start and hits a clothesline to drop Masters again. Masters get sin a cheap shot and a slam, only to walk into an overhead belly to belly. Full Throttle finishes for Palumbo.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Funaki

Chavo still has Rey Mysterio’s mask, which is on a mannequin head this week. A slam and an uppercut have Funaki in early trouble but he manages a quick shot of his own. Chavo crotches him on top though and we’re back to the stomping. Funaki’s knee is wrapped around the post and Chavo cranks on it so much that the referee calls for the DQ.

Post match Chavo keeps beating Funaki down as WWE desperately tries to get us to believe that Chavo Guerrero is a threat to a returning Rey Mysterio. They’re doing everything right with the actions and violence, but it’s still Chavo Guerrero. Chavo puts the Rey mask on Funaki and crushes his leg with a chair. Fans: “CHAVO SUCKS!’’ Chavo: “REY MYSTERIO SUCKS!!!”

Rey Mysterio video.

Jamie Noble vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

For the #1 contendership to the Cruiserweight Title as we continue to protect most of the wrestlers on Summerslam. Yang kicks him down without much trouble and hits an early standing moonsault. Back up and Noble hits him in the face, setting up a waistlock to work on the ribs. That’s countered with a catapult to send Noble into the corner and a top rope hurricanrana gives Yang two. The top rope moonsault press misses though and Noble’s fireman’s carry gutbuster ends the battle of the Jung Dragons.

Post match Noble dives under the ring to find Hornswoggle but finds…no one. As Noble leaves, Hornswoggle pops out from underneath the ring.

We look at Evander Holyfield vs. Matt Hardy in a boxing match at Saturday Night’s Main Event until Holyfield got sick of MVP telling him to hurt Hardy even more.

Teddy Long doesn’t get to see Kristal in her swimsuit before tonight’s contest but here is MVP to interrupt. MVP talks about how great he is and how he could win any title. He could even win the Tag Team Titles with Teddy’s grandmother, or whoever else walks into this office. Cue Matt Hardy and arguing ensues after the announcement of the Tag Team Title match next week.

Vince McMahon and Coach come up to Chuck Palumbo, next to his motorcycle. After explaining that it’s Mr. McMahon, they talk about their love of bikes, but don’t worry because Palumbo knows who his dad is. One day his dad had a bit too much to drink and drove his bike into an 18 wheeler. Coach says they’re so sorry. Palumbo: “Not as sorry as my mom. She was driving the 18 wheeler.” Coach and Vince awkwardly leave.

Deuce N Domino vs. Eugene/Shannon Moore

Non-title and Deuce N Domino have Cherry with them. Eugene works on Deuce’s arm to start and hands it off to Shannon for the same. A Whisper in the Wind is pulled off the top though and it’s Domino getting to stomp away. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Eugene to clean at least a few rooms. Eugene backdrops Moore onto Domino but Deuce kicks him in the face for the fast pin.

HHH is back at Summerslam.

And now, Matt Hardy and MVP play basketball. It’s first to eleven wins and yes this is non-title. Before the game, MVP brags about how good he is, misses a shot, and then dunks to make it better. MVP: “This is one I picked up when I was hanging out in the ski lodge with Kobe.” Matt finally comes out to interrupt, hits him in the head with the ball and scores, only to have Deuce N Domino come in to beat them both down.

Mark Henry vs. Brad Allen

Allen is sent into the post, powerslammed and bearhugged for the easy win.

Post match, Henry wants to know what is up with the Undertaker symbolism, like THE SAND! Undertaker’s video appears again and this time someone finds a box buried in the sand. There are a bunch of snakes inside, plus the Undertaker’s symbol. Henry is panicked.

Raw Rebound.

Michael Cole is in the ring to introduce a Summerslam bikini contest between Kristal, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool and Victoria. They all disrobe, Victoria dances badly and…we have a surprise entrant: South Carolina’s own Mae Young! Mae disrobes, has to be held back from disrobing further, and wins.

Jesse and Festus love barbecue, with Festus being great at grilling steak tartar. Cole calls them the Daltons, which I don’t believe has been used since they started these vignettes.

Summerslam rundown.

We see the opening vignette again, as Great Khali is still the big monster.

Batista vs. Finlay

Batista shoves him around to start, which might be due to Finlay not being able to see through the smoke from Batista’s pyro. Finlay gets in a few shots of his own to knock him outside. That means a quick posting and here is Great Khali to watch as we take a break. Back with Finlay holding him in something like a Crossface until Batista Stuns his way to freedom.

Finlay actually hits a dropkick to cut him off again but Batista fights up even faster this time. They head outside with Batista loading up the announcers’ table, only to get caught with a hanging neckbreaker on the way back in. The swinging Boss Man Slam plants Finlay again but Khali comes in for the DQ.

Rating: C. This was the usual power match with Finlay being a good villain to go after Batista. The ending was not that much of a surprise and that’s ok in this case, though having Khali come out made the ending a bit more obvious. I can get why you don’t have Batista or Finlay lose so close to Summerslam, but it wasn’t the most thrilling way to go.

Post match Khali chops Batista down but can’t get the vice grip. Instead, Batista spears him down and hammers away until Finlay makes the save. Batista fights back again and pounds on Khali again until referees break it up. Well try to at least as Batista gets away to slug Khali down again. Khali staggers away to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I know what they were going for with this show but it was one of the weakest shows they have done in a long time. This was a bunch of low level stars having matches that didn’t have many interesting stories. There were a few minor things going on, but this was a totally skippable show, which isn’t a good way to get me to care about what is coming this weekend.

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 a recent review:

Royal Rumble 2022

Here’s The WrestleMania Match That Came Out Of The Royal Rumble.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/heres-wrestlemania-match-came-royal-rumble/

Update On Bad Bunny’s WWE Status Following Royal Rumble Appearance.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-bad-bunnys-wwe-status-following-royal-rumble-appearance/

D’Oh: More Details On Botched Royal Rumble Spot.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/doh-details-botched-royal-rumble-spot/

WWE Morale Reportedly Down Backstage Due To Issues With The Royal Rumble.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-morale-reportedly-backstage-due-issues-royal-rumble/

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Has No Plans for WWE Title Match At WrestleMania.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-wwe-no-plans-wwe-title-match-wrestlemania/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Major Backstage Heat On Shane McMahon.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-major-backstage-heat-royal-rumble-match/

As always, please check out all of the videos if you can, hit up the comments section and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

Royal Rumble 2022
Date: January 29, 2022
Location: The Dome At America’s Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Attendance: 44,390
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are officially kicking off the Road to WrestleMania XXXVIII and that means things should be starting big here. First up we have the Royal Rumbles themselves, plus what should be a pair of awesome World Title matches as Brock Lesnar defends against Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins challenges Roman Reigns. Let’s get to it.

Note that I was in the stadium for this, sitting in the upper deck with the Titantron on my right.

No Kickoff Show matches this year, which was a bit weird.

The opening video looks at the start of the Road To Wrestlemania, with a look at just about everything on tonight’s card. Cool, even if it isn’t breaking new ground.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is challenging and comes out to the Shield theme, including in the Shield gear. He even flips over the apron as McAfee talks about how these two plus Mox ran roughshod on the wrestling world. This plays into the feud so well and it makes things that much more personal. Rollins starts sticking and moving early on and ducks a clothesline in the corner. The Sling Blade drops Reigns and Rollins hits back to back dives on the floor.

Back in and the springboard knee to the face is uppercutted out of the air to give Reigns a breather. There’s the apron boot to the face but Rollins catches the dive off the steps. A powerbomb puts Reigns through the announcers’ table and a frog splash gets two. The Phoenix splash misses but Rollins is right back with the Buckle Bomb. The Stomp gets two and Rollins can’t believe the kickout, allowing Reigns to comeback with a clothesline.

There’s a powerbomb for two on Rollins, who starts to laugh. Said laughter earns him some heavy shots to the head but he pulls Rollins into a triangle choke. Reigns doesn’t care for that and powerbombs his way to freedom before sending Rollins shoulder first into the post. They head outside with Reigns sending him into various objects. Back in and the Superman Punch gives Reigns two so Rollins rolls outside for a needed breather.

That’s fine with Reigns, who hits a spear, only to have another countered into a Pedigree back inside (how Rollins beat Reigns at Money in the Bank 2016) for two. Rollins takes too long with the BURN IT DOWN stomps and gets caught with another spear. Before Reigns can cover though, Rollins keeps laughing and holds out the Shield fist. Instead of falling for it, Reigns grabs a guillotine but Rollins makes the rope (with the referee picking it up and dropping it onto the rope). Reigns doesn’t let go though and that’s a DQ at 14:35.

Rating: B-. This was starting to roll at the end and then they went with the ending designed to set up a rematch rather than give us a winner. This is a match you could run back a few times based on their history alone but instead we get the screwy way out. They seem to be going with some weird Batman vs. Joker story, albeit with Rollins as a heroic Joker, and that is oddly intriguing. Unfortunately that isn’t enough to make up for a bad ending though and it brought things down.

Post match Reigns grabs a chair and destroys Rollins, ala how Rollins turned on him to break up the Shield years ago. That’s some good…symbolism I believe?

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Sasha banks is in at #1 (second time in five years and in Sailor Moon inspired gear.) and Melina is in at #2. The splits entrants gets a big ovation and they pose at each other to start. That’s enough for Banks, who dumps her out and poses again. Tamina is in at #3 and you can feel the silence. Banks jumps her on the floor to start but can’t get her over so soon. Some running knees in the corner rock Tamina instead and it’s Kelly Kelly in at #4. Kelly and Banks team up on Tamina but Kelly tries Figure Four necklock over the ropes.

That means an easy elimination to get rid of Kelly and it’s Aliyah taking her place at #5. Some teased eliminations don’t go anywhere and it’s Liv Morgan in at #6. The modified Backstabber has Banks in trouble and it’s Liv cleaning house, as the camera cuts go INSANE, to the point where I can’t even see everyone in the ring.

Queen Zelina is in at #7 as Tamina puts Banks on the apron. Tamina gets the elimination and the fans are not pleased, mainly because that leaves Liv Morgan as the biggest name in the match. Bianca Belair is in at #8 and the fans seem rather pleased as she goes after Tamina. Zelina gets suplexed and splashed but Tamina saves the elimination due to reasons of not thinking things through.

Dana Brooke, with Reggie, is in at #9 and gets to clean house but Tamina and Zelina double team her down. Michelle McCool is in at #10, giving us Tamina, Aliyah, Morgan, Zelina, Belair, Brooke and McCool. House is cleaned, including McCool’s Faithbreaker (Styles Clash) to Zelina. Brooke gets tossed by McCool and it’s Sonya Deville in at #11. Well not quite in as she joins commentary instead of heading inside. Sonya explains that the jacket staying on means she isn’t competing yet, because that is somehow literally the rule now.

Natalya is in at #12 as we continue the brawling on the ropes. Tamina is tossed but Belair saves herself as Cameron (to Somebody Call My Mama) in at #13. A reminder of Cameron’s history with Naomi is enough to get Sonya inside to eliminate Cameron. Oh no. Whatever would we do without Cameron? Naomi is in at #14 and the fight is on, with Naomi hitting the springboard kick to the face. Sonya is out in a hurry and it’s Carmella in at #15. Hold on though as she needs to put on her mask, meaning everyone else can brawl on the ropes (again).

Rhea Ripley is in at #16 and that should mean some eliminations. Instead of getting in immediately, she throws Carmella inside so she can toss Vega and Carmella at the same time. Ripley cleans house until Charlotte is in at #17 (this can’t be good for Rhea). Natalya gets triple teamed as Charlotte tosses Aliyah. Naomi is sent over the top but lands on her hands….so Sonya pops up to pull her out.

It’s Ivory in at #18 (that woman does not age) and she has a mic, saying that nothing has changed. She sees a lot of wayward, lost little girls, but she wants to see….and then Ripley picks her up. Ivory doesn’t stop talking (about Facebook followers) as Ripley puts her on the apron and then knocks her out. Funny gag and better than anything else in the match so far.

Brie Bella is in at #19 and the place goes coconuts. Graves: “One half of the Bella Reality Empire.” Natalya has to save herself from Brie, who has to kick her way to freedom as well. Mickie James, the Impact Women’s (yes Women’s) Champion is in at #20 and the camera cuts makes it a little difficult to see the title. That gives us Morgan, Belair, McCool, Natalya, Ripley, Charlotte, Brie Bella and James. Some kicks rock a few people and Mickie gets to nip up.

Mickie hurricanranas Michelle out and it’s Alicia Fox (thankfully with the dark hair instead of the blonde) in at #21. Brawling ensues and it’s Nikki Ash in at #22. Ripley waits at the ropes but Nikki comes through the crowd (because she knew that A, Rhea would be in at this point and B, knew that she would be looking at the entrance) to jump Rhea from behind. That’s not enough for an elimination though and Ripley gets to chop Charlotte. Summer Rae (with the CRAZY catchy Call To Me theme) is in at #23, hits a few kicks and then gets tossed by Natalya.

Nikki Bella is in at #24 (to a bit of a weaker reaction than Brie received) and gets to to clean house, including getting rid of Fox. Sarah Logan, in a kind of caveman style look, is in at #25. The Bellas get jumped and we get a quick Riott Squad reunion, only to have the Bellas toss both of them (and do the L on the head taunt because it’s 1992). Lita is in at #26 to give us a big dose of star power and gets to clean house. Mickie gets tossed over the top and a hanging DDT gives Lita the elimination.

We get the Lita vs. Charlotte showdown until Mighty Molly is in at #27. Nikki jumps her in the aisle though and throws Molly inside, where the cape is ripped off. That’s enough for Nikki to toss Molly out….and Ronda Rousey returns at #28 (for some reason, commentary gave Sarah Logan a MUCH stronger shocked reaction). Rousey gets rid of Ash and tries to knock out Nikki, only to have Brie knock Nikki out instead.

Brie gets beaten up in the corner and it’s Shotzi in at #29. Rousey dumps Brie and moves on to Ripley (that could be interesting) but switches to Belair. Shayna Baszler (perhaps with new music) is in at #30, giving us a final grouping of Belair, Natalya, Ripley, Charlotte, Lita, Rousey, Shotzi and Baszler. Rousey smiles at the sight of Baszler, who suplexes Lita and kicks Natalya.

We get the Rousey vs. Baszler showdown but Charlotte breaks that up. Rousey dumps Shotzi and Belair gets rid of Natalya…who gets back in, only to be dumped by Rousey as well. Ok then. The Twist of Fate hits Charlotte and there’s the middle rope hurricanrana to Ripley. The moonsault is loaded up but Charlotte kicks Lita out instead. Ripley has to get out of a triangle choke over the ropes by shoving Rousey into the post….and Charlotte kicks Rhea out (BECAUSE OF COURSE CHARLOTTE BEATS RIPLEY AGAIN!).

That gets us down to four with Charlotte getting kicked down. Belair flips out of Baszler’s Kirifuda Clutch but the threat of the KOD is broken up, allowing Charlotte to dump Belair and Baszler at the same time. That leaves us with Rousey vs. Charlotte and the big staredown is on. Charlotte charges with a running boot and gets tossed to give Rousey the win at 59:38 (the one on one stuff wasn’t even a minute long).

Rating: C-. And that is almost all because the last few minutes picked up. This was a perfect illustration of how shallow the women’s division is because WWE focuses on the same people over and over again. Counting everyone up, you had FIFTEEN WOMEN who were making some sort of return here, including several who weren’t exactly huge stars that I was wanting to see back in the first place.

For instance, Cameron was here. As in the Cameron who is best known for that time when she didn’t know how a cover worked. She was nothing more than a joke back in the day and now she gets a Rumble spot for the sake of advancing Naomi vs. Sonya? Was anyone wanting to see Sarah Logan and Summer Rae return for their combined minute and a half? Or Ivory and Molly Holly getting in their 45 seconds total? Of those fifteen returning legends/surprises, seven of them didn’t even last 75 seconds. If that’s the best you can do with them, what’s the point?

That leaves you with fifteen active names (including one of the Women’s Champions) and egads some of them were rough. There is no depth in the women’s division right now and I wouldn’t want to watch most of these women again, at least based on how they were presented here.

As has been the case for WAY too long in the women’s division, WWE cares about its top stars (save for Sasha Banks, who was a total nothing afterthought here for some reason) and no one else. Charlotte, Rousey and arguably Belair were presented as important here. Who else in the division gets treated like a big deal? Becky Lynch and…..is there anyone else? The talent is absolutely there and available, but if WWE is going to have a handful of people at the top, there is no need to have this match. At the very, very least, find a better lineup of people to come back as surprises, because this was really tough to watch.

A lot of sign pointing and pyro (remember that, because it becomes important later) ensue.

Titus O’Neil, who might be the greatest person in WWE history, did a bunch of charity work this week.

Raw Women’s Title: Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending and the idea is that Doudrop is a different kind of challenger. Doudrop powers her into the corner to start and a shoulder takes Lynch down again. The threat of the basement crossbody sends Lynch bailing outside for a breather, only to have Doudrop nail a headbutt back inside. A backsplash hits Becky’s spine but the Cannonball only hits stairs, allowing Becky to stomp away.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Becky switches to a sleeper….as the fans are chanting about a fire. Yeah remember that pyro during Rousey’s celebration? Well it wound up causing the Wrestlemania sign to CATCH ON FIRE, with pieces of melted plastic falling down. The fans in the section were evacuated and the sign was lowered, because WWE has somehow managed to start a small fire from how much they put into pyro (though they couldn’t TURN DOWN THE SPOTLIGHTS that were shining into the fans’ eyes all night long, making most of the show half viewable).

Anyway, Doudrop powers out of a sleeper but misses a charge into the post. Becky’s missile dropkick gets one and she starts shouting about being straight fire. Doudrop runs her over and hits the full backsplash, only to have Becky come back with the Disarm-Her. That’s switched into a cross armbreaker but Doudrop powerbombs her way to freedom.

Now the Cannonball can connect in the corner but the Vader Bomb hits raised knees. Lynch busts out a Molly Go Round of all things for two so she hammers away at the head. Doudrop scores with some headbutts but gets draped over the top for Becky’s top rope Fameasser. Something like a Big Ending gives Doudrop two but the Vader Bomb is countered into a super Manhandle Slam to retain the title at 13:18.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of a match where there was no drama and it felt like we were sitting around waiting on the inevitable finish. Lynch isn’t going to lose to Doudrop, either now or with WrestleMania so soon. Doudrop was the victim of the month for Lynch and that is where things started to fall apart. The match wasn’t a bad one and Doudrop did her monster stuff well, but this was a bunch of sitting around waiting for Becky to beat her.

Tonight’s attendance: 44,390. It’s not a record or anything, but at least we stopped the show so WWE can pat itself on the back. Again.

We recap Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar, featuring the forged in fire video from a few weeks ago. This is great stuff, as it shows how similar their paths were on their way to this showdown. The video made me want to see the two of them fight and it warmed me up again here.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, is defending while Lashley has MVP to even things out. They fight over a lockup to start and neither can shove the other away. Lesnar snaps off a German suplex and smiles but Lashley is right back up. Lashley hits a BIG German suplex of his own, sending Brock into the corner for some nodding and a big eyed “OK!”.

Back to back German suplexes rock Lashley but he’s right back on his feet again. Some right hands rock Lesnar and a pair of spears send Lesnar outside. Another spear only hits the barricade though, sending Lashley into the timekeeper’s area and allowing Lesnar to point at his intelligent head. Back in and Lashley misses a charge into the corner so Lesnar hits another German suplex. Lesnar does it a few more times and even keeps his own count.

The F5 is countered though and Lashley grabs the Hurt Lock out of nowhere. Lesnar can’t power out but he can drive Lashley into the corner, crushing the referee in the process. Lashley goes for it again but this time Lesnar reverses into the F5. There’s no count though…and here is Roman Reigns to spear Lesnar in half. Reigns stares down at Heyman, who hands over the WWE Title. A big belt shot knocks Lesnar silly and another referee comes out to count the pin, giving Lashley the title back at 10:17.

Rating: B-. I liked this one more the first time, as the rewatch just showed you how much of it was spent on German suplexes. That’s Lesnar’s favorite way to go and it doesn’t often make for the most exciting matches. There were good parts to this and Lashley looked like he had a real chance, but ultimately this was about Lesnar vs. Reigns and that’s where the main event scene is becoming a big problem. Lashley just won the WWE Title and is a total afterthought, which should never be the case.

Heyman leaves with Reigns in case it wasn’t clear.

We look at Ronda Rousey returning and winning the women’s Royal Rumble.

We recap Miz/Maryse vs. Edge/Beth Phoenix. They are two of the most powerful married wrestling couples and Edge already beat Miz earlier this month. Then Maryse went a bit nuts by hitting Phoenix in the head with a brick, meaning it’s time for the big mixed tag. Yeah it isn’t the most thrilling story but it’s the logical way to go.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Miz/Maryse

The double entrances are quite good, including Edge and Beth high fiving each other as they pass on the stage. Beth chases Maryse outside to start and Miz has to make a save, accidentally pulling Maryse outside. Back in and the guys come in to slug it out, only to have Maryse offer a distraction so Miz can take over. The YES Kicks rock Edge but he counters the big one into a rollup. Maryse gets in a slap, sending Beth outside to chase her off with a chair. Edge gets in a quick shot, allowing Beth to start stomping the steps to fire him up.

The tag brings in Beth for a spinning side slam to rock Maryse again. Miz comes in for the save and gets in a staredown with Beth, who is driven into the corner for the right hands to the head. That is completely realistic in this case and the spot works as a result. Maryse makes a save with the loaded purse though and it’s time to stomp away. The signature pose sets up Maryse’s reverse chinlock but Beth powers up for a double clothesline. That’s enough for Edge to start stomping like Beth did earlier in a nice touch.

The hot tag brings in Edge to clean house, including an Edge-O-Matic and a top rope elbow (that’s a new one for him) but Edge misses a spear into the corner. Maryse hits a top rope hurricanrana (not exactly a signature for her and Lita’s was cooler, but that was a big one from Maryse) and the Skull Crushing Finale gets two. Beth is back in and it’s a double spear to Miz, setting up the stereo Glam Slams for the double pin at 12:30.

Rating: C. This felt like a big Raw main event and nowhere near a match that belonged in the same feud Edge and Miz started. Edge vs. Miz was fine, but Maryse couldn’t be presented as a real threat to Beth. That doesn’t make it much better when Miz is barely seen as a threat to Edge, making this a match that felt like it had another pretty clear ending from the get go. It was fun live, but watching it back just made it feel like Edge and Beth were doing some weird couples workout.

Video on Sasha Banks, which might be a better choice if she hadn’t been an afterthought in the Royal Rumble. This is one of those Peacock filler videos.

As the Banks video was airing in the arena, Edge and Beth Phoenix went over to their daughters in the front row and took them up to the stage, where one of them did Edge’s pose with him. It was one of the better parts all night and very sweet.

We get a video on a Medal of Honor winner, who was injured in Afghanistan and saved several lives. Four soldiers were killed that day though and now he wears a bracelet on his wrist in their memory.

The soldier, Captain Flo Groberg, is here, as part of a partnership between the Medal of Honor foundation and WWE. Cool.

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and the Wrestlemania sign is back up. AJ Styles is in at #1 and Shinsuke Nakamura is in at #2, meaning the star power is out in force to get things going. Nakamura strikes away to start but Styles is back with the sliding forearm. Austin Theory is in at #3 and this could get interesting. Theory breaks up the fight and tries to toss Nakamura but has to punch Styles instead.

Robert Roode is in at #4 and takes Nakamura down with a spinebuster, setting up a showdown with Styles. McAfee refers to this as a massive impact and AJ forearms Roode out for the first elimination. Nakamura runs Theory over as Ridge Holland is in at #5. Styles tosses Nakamura and the clock picks up quite a bit as Montez Ford is in at #6.

Holland plants Styles with a slam and then a backdrop as Damian Priest is in at #7. Some near eliminations ensue until Sami Zayn is in at #8 as the intervals is nowhere near ninety seconds. No one is eliminated again so here is Johnny Knoxville in at #9. He actually takes Sami down and hammers away but Styles drops Knoxville with a forearm. Ford hits a splash and Sami Helluva Kicks Knoxville out. It was short, it didn’t hut anything and it was a celebrity appearances. Not my kind of deal, but it wasn’t a problem in the match.

Sami is rather pleased but gets tossed out as well, with Angelo Dawkins in at #10 to replace him. That gives us Styles, Theory, Holland, Ford, Priest and Dawkins. With nothing happening, Omos is in at #11 and gets rid of Ford and Dawkins with back to back eliminations. Styles is sent back first into the post and it’s Ricochet in at #12 with a missile dropkick on Omos. That doesn’t work out so well so Ricochet strikes away, earning himself a big chop.

Chad Gable is in at #13 and rallies the troops, which results in…Priest going after Omos on his own. That means Priest is out so everyone goes after Omos together. This includes Dominik Mysterio coming in at #14 and helping eliminate Omos (though a charging shoulder from AJ helped a bit more). Happy Corbin is in at #15 (the clock might be going even faster) and tosses Ricochet, because that is what Ricochet is doing in WWE. Dolph Ziggler is in at #16 as the ring is filling up again. Deep Six hits Dominik and Corbin throws him out, just as Styles does to Theory (minus the Deep Six).

Sheamus is in at #17 and gets a quick pep talk from Holland, who is tossed during Sheamus’ entrance. Sheamus beats on various people and it’s Rick Boogs in at #18, with McAfee being surprised that he has his own music. Boogs powers Gable around and gorilla presses (with one arm) him out. Madcap Moss is in at #19 as Boogs gorilla presses Ziggler, who manages to save himself. Styles misses the Phenomenal Forearm on Moss and gets caught in Corbin’s chokebreaker.

That’s enough for Moss to toss AJ in quite the surprise as Riddle is in at #20. That gives us Corbin, Ziggler, Sheamus, Boogs, Moss and Riddle, as the first fourteen entrants are already out. After kicking off the flip flops, Riddle suplexes Boogs, who is tossed out by Corbin and Moss without much trouble.

It’s Drew McIntyre in at #21 (which actually surprised me) and that means the big staredown with Corbin and Moss (who put him on the shelf). McIntyre doesn’t waste time in tossing both of them, but he isn’t done. Instead, McIntyre grabs the steps and unloads on the two of them until referees break it up. Kevin Owens is in at #22 and sends McIntyre inside before beating on various people.

Owens even gets creative by stomping on Riddle’s bare feet as Rey Mysterio is in at #23. Rey almost eliminates Riddle but gets caught by a Stunner from Owens. Kofi Kingston is in at #24 and goes up, only to be shoved off by Owens….with his feet hitting the ground. Kingston tried to grab the barricade for his big signature save spot but he just didn’t land right. That’s disappointing, but this was bound to happen at some point as these things got so elaborate. Given what Kofi has done over the years, I’d say one slip is a pretty acceptable result.

Otis is in at #25 and runs some people over until Big E. is in at #26. Big E. gets to clean house as well until Bad Bunny returns at lucky #27. The high crossbody hits Sheamus and there’s a Canadian Destroyer to Riddle. Sheamus goes after Bunny and loads up the Brogue Kick but gets low bridged for a surprise elimination. Bunny helps Rey set up the 619 to Ziggler and then tosses Ziggler as well.

With his luck running strong, Bunny tries to get rid of Rey as Shane McMahon is in at #28 (to a VERY big reaction from commentary). Rey is eliminated by Otis as commentary can’t stop praising Shane. Owens goes after Shane and gets tossed, setting up a showdown with McIntyre (they used to be friends, a long time ago). Hometown boy Randy Orton is in at #29 and seems VERY happy to soak in those cheers. RKBro gets rid of Big E. and it’s jumping/running RKO from Riddle to Otis.

That’s enough to get rid of Otis….but Brock Lesnar is in at #30. We have a final grouping of Riddle, McIntyre, Bunny, McMahon, Orton and Lesnar, which isn’t exactly inspiring. Lesnar cleans house like you would expect him to do and there goes Orton. Bunny gets in Lesnar’s face and gets an F5, setting up another elimination. Lesnar tosses Riddle and Shane, leaving us with Lesnar vs. McIntyre. They slug it out until McIntyre has to escape the F5. The Claymore misses though and Lesnar tosses McIntyre for the win at 51:08.

Rating: C+. This was a better match than the women’s version, mainly because the star power was so much stronger and it didn’t leave me asking “really?” over and over. There were a lot of big names in here, but oddly enough this one suffered from a lack of surprises. You had McIntyre, Bunny and Shane, but other than that and Lesnar (who was there earlier in the night), there was nothing that jumped out. It didn’t have much in the way of comedy and nothing in the way of nostalgia, leaving this as a bit of a dry Rumble.

The other big problem is the ending, as Lesnar came in and erased everything else that ha happened. Lesnar was going to win the Rumble to get us to Reigns vs. Lesnar again, making the 51 minute match little more than a response to an angle that took place two matches earlier. That could have been done in a few ways, but they went with Lesnar being added at the end of a big match to get a title shot. Again.

Overall, this match was good enough, but part of that is due to the amount of bad that filled up the rest of the show. It’s definitely not a great Rumble and the ending left a(nother) bad taste in my mouth, but the McIntyre return and some of the bigger names helped a bit. If nothing else, this was even more proof that cutting so many wrestlers wasn’t a great idea when you need so many for one night.

Lesnar points at the sign so more pyro can go off (which caused the sign to catch on fire AGAIN) and replays can wrap us up.

Overall Rating: C-. It could have been worse, but this was one of the lamer Rumbles, and WWE events in general, in a long time. Nothing on here was exactly great and the two Rumbles highlighted a lot of WWE’s current problems. It feels like we are going to be seeing the same people (and Rousey) taking over another Wrestlemania. That wasn’t interesting in recent years and it isn’t interesting again here.

The biggest thing here is it felt like going back to the well and seeing whatever they can get out of the old names. The Rumble can be a great way to build someone up (like Belair and McIntyre in recent years) but this was designed to build up Rousey and Lesnar, who don’t exactly need the help. Throw in that we are probably getting Lesnar vs. Reigns again and there wasn’t much to get excited about here. The show might not have been horrible, but it was boring and uninspiring, which was a lot worse in this case.

Results
Seth Rollins b. Roman Reigns via DQ when Reigns would not release a guillotine
Ronda Rousey won the women’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Charlotte
Becky Lynch b. Doudrop – Super Manhandle Slam
Bobby Lashley b. Brock Lesnar – Belt shot from Roman Reigns
Edge/Beth Phoenix b. Miz/Maryse – Double Glam Slam
Brock Lesnar won the men’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Drew McIntyre

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.

I’ve started the Royal Rumble so it should be up tonight.

Several Details On Huge Upcoming WWE Return *SPOILERS FOR POSSIBLE ROYAL RUMBLE SURPRISE*.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/several-details-huge-upcoming-wwe-return-spoilers-possible-royal-rumble-surprise/

Here Is One Of The Major WrestleMania 38 Matches WWE Has Discussed.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/one-major-wrestlemania-38-matches-wwe-discussed/

Major Title Change Takes Place At WWE Royal Rumble.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/major-title-change-takes-place-wwe-royal-rumble/

WATCH: That’s A Hot One: WrestleMania 38 Sign Catches On Fire At Royal Rumble.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-thats-hot-one-wrestlemania-38-sign-catches-fire-royal-rumble/

Surprise Turn Takes Place During WWE Title Match At Royal Rumble.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/surprise-turn-takes-place-wwe-title-match-royal-rumble/

Full List Of Unannounced And Surprise Royal Rumble Entrants.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/full-list-unannounced-surprise-royal-rumble-entrants/

As always, please check out all of the videos if you can, hit up the comments section and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

The wife and I took in the Rumble, which I had been wanting to do in person for the better part of ever. To say it was a bit of a letdown would be an understatement as there wasn’t much done right.  Let’s get to it.

First of all, the lack of dark matches was weird. Above all else, it left us just sitting there, as the only things that played for about an hour were some ads and merchandise plugs. You can’t even put up Rumble By The Numbers or play some clips/video packages? Or just, I don’t know, AIR THE KICKOFF SHOW???

Then the show starts and we get to the biggest problem: the spotlights, which were in our eyes all night long. The glare blocks out most of the ring and even more of the video screen, leaving LONG stretches of the show that I couldn’t see (during Rollins vs. Reigns, I couldn’t see that Rollins was on the top rope because the glare blocked him out). The fans chanted TURN THE LIGHTS OFF multiple times, with other sections doing the same, but they were only off for highlight packages. That alone nearly ruined the show for me, as I could barely see a lot of it. That shouldn’t be a problem but why care about the fans who have already paid?

On to the matches:

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

Reigns vs. Rollins started hot and I loved the Shield deal. This played WAY into their deep history, including Rollins using the Pedigree to counter the spear, which was how he beat Reigns for the title in 2015. The DQ ending was lame, but odds are it sets up their rematch in Saudi Arabia. The post match stuff with the chair was great, as Reigns felt like a killer. Good match with a bad ending.

Women’s Royal Rumble

The women’s Royal Rumble….wow this was bad. Above all else, the amount of “nostalgia” entries killed the match, as there were so few who meant anything. Yes Kelly Kelly, Cameron, Alicia Fox and Summer Rae wrestled before, but that doesn’t mean I want to see them again. The fact that WWE had to bring in fifteen names from outside the company tells you how weak the current roster is, as the lack of depth is appalling. If you can’t do a match without having to import half of the lineup, don’t do the thing.

As far as the winner, Rousey is a big splash and will be put straight into the title hunt, but this feels like yet another quick fix rather than building up someone new. They did it last year with Belair and it worked well enough, but then they botched Rhea Ripley (and hey, Charlotte got her again tonight) and it’s right back to the established names. At least this feels fresh, but Rousey is not a long term solution.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Doudrop

This was the match where the Wrestlemania sign caught on fire and had to be lowered, leaving me with even less interest in a match I didn’t care about in the first place. Nothing to see here and the fans used it to run various errands.

WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar

This didn’t get much time and that was fine, as it was all about the battle of the bulls. They beat each other up, they threw each other around, and they hit each other rather hard. Then Roman Reigns showed up and cost Lesnar the title, as Paul Heyman turned again. It was a lot to pack into a match but it still worked well. I had fun with this and it did what it needed to do for the sake of Wrestlemania, because Reigns vs. Lesnar is happening. Again.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Miz/Maryse

Somehow, this might have been the match of the night and I’m ok with that. Above all else, you can tell that these teams know each other and work well together, which is something you can’t make up. Beth beating up Miz was great and the double spear and double Glam Slam worked. I liked this a lot and now the feud can end so everyone can move on.

Men’s Royal Rumble

Once Lesnar lost, you knew where this was going and it wasn’t much of a shock. The match itself had its moments, but it was lacking a lot of fun. There were three outside names, including Bad Bunny, Johnny Knoxville and Shane McMahon. Throw in some nostalgia acts here and there for some lightheartedness and drop people like Ziggler or the Street Profits. It wasn’t a very good Rumble, but it got them to the point they were looking for in the end, because Reigns vs. Lesnar is happening. Again.

Overall, the experience wasn’t great and the show was worse, but WWE got my money again. This was one of the weakest shows from WWE in a long time and that’s not a good way to get me excited on the Road to Wrestlemania. Which I’m going to as well.

As in the Royal Rumble, and I’ll be in the stadium for the show.  As a result, the review will probably be up tomorrow, as we have a 250 mile trip home tomorrow so I’ll probably be getting some rest when we get back to the hotel.  I’ll pop in with some live thoughts/reactions though.

If you’re at the show and see a guy in a University of Kentucky hoodie/Superman shirt with glasses who needs to lose some weight with a rather pretty brunette, please say hi.

KB