Ring of Honor
Date: December 9, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The build towards Final Battle continues and it needs to hurry up as the show is in less than ten days. I’m not sure how much they can build towards the show but at least it seems like they have a lot of the ideas set up in advance. We seem to be getting Brody King challenging for the World Title, so hopefully they set up some more things here. Let’s get to it.

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

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and throws us to the end of Brody King beating Shane Taylor last week.

King says he’s coming for the World Title.

McKay throws us to Josh Woods beating Jay Lethal.

Woods is very fired up by his win.

Video on Vincent vs. Mike Bennett. Mike talks about how Vincent is insane, but Vincent wants to know why Bennett bailed on Matt Taven when he hurt his knee. Vincent was all Taven had left and they used to be friends. Now Bennett doesn’t recognize Vincent and it’s time to beat him up.

Vincent vs. Mike Bennett

Vincent starts with the mind games and drops to the floor at the bell. They switch places though and Vincent stomps him down in the corner to take over. The strike off goes to Bennett and a running forearm sends Vincent outside again. Bennett charges into an elbow though and gets dropped throat first across the top. A side suplex on the floor keeps Bennett down and we take a break.

Back with Bennett slapping him in the head over and over, setting up a superkick into a Death Valley Driver. Vincent sends him into the corner for some running elbows, only to get caught in an exploder suplex. A quick guillotine choke slows Bennett down until he drives Vincent into the corner. The spear is countered into the guillotine again so Bennett suplexes his way to freedom. Back up and they slug it out until Bennett scores with a clothesline. Now the spear connects but the piledriver is blocked. Vincent unloads on him in the corner…and the referee calls the DQ at 11:34.

Rating: C+. That’s a weird way to bring Bennett back to the ring but Vincent shouldn’t be losing before the big showdown at Final Battle. Vincent is a monster and Taven is the hero to fight him, so having him lose clean to a returning Bennett would be wrong. At the same time though, Bennett losing as soon as he gets back is a little weird too. Hopefully things get better, but Bennett turning on Taven wouldn’t shock me.

Post break the beating is still on, with Vincent saying he’s going to make it even worse for Taven. Cue Taven with a dive off the stage so the real fight can be on. Bennett gets up and here’s Bateman to keep up the brawl until referees break it up.

Video on Rhett Titus being overlooked but joining the Foundation. Titus: “I am the Foundation.”

Mark Briscoe has picked PCO as his partners for the Tag Team Title match. What an oddball team.

Tracy Williams didn’t win the Pure Title tournament but he was glad to get his chance against Jonathan Gresham. The Foundation is still about rebuilding this company though and now it is time to deal with some of the other veterans. That brings Williams to John Walters, who is a former Pure Champion returning to the company after ten years. Williams has fifteen minutes to beat him tonight and he’s ready to prove himself again.

John Walters explains who he is and talks about some of his bigger wins. He’s back because Pure Wrestling is back and doesn’t get how Williams says he wants to be like an old school Pure wrestler when Walters is right here. Williams isn’t ready for him.

John Walters vs. Tracy Williams

Pure Rules and Flip Gordon, who will be challenging Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Title, is on commentary. Walters headlocks him to start before they fight over wrist control. Williams takes him down into an armbar but it’s too early for any serious danger, as Walters bails to the ropes for the first time. With that not working, Williams switches to the knee as we take a break.

Back with Walters hammering away in the corner and taking out Williams’ knee. The dragon screw legwhip sets up the Sharpshooter, sending Williams straight to the ropes for his first break. A kneebar sends Walters to the ropes as well so it’s time for a slugout. Williams suplexes him down and now the Crossface has Walters in real trouble. The third rope break gets Walters out of trouble again but he goes back to the knee. Williams is fine with that as he does the same and the top rope DDT rocks Walters again. The piledriver finishes Walters at 11:41.

Rating: C. Well Walters is back after ten years, reminds people of who he is, and then loses in a fairly uneventful match. I’m not sure I need to see much more from Walters as there are several names around here who can do what he did but better, and they don’t need to be reintroduced. Maybe they owed him a shot due to the old vs. new show being canceled, but this wasn’t exactly eventful.

They shake hands post match.

We run down the Final Battle card to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It really is kind of impressive that they are managing to set up a coherent Final Battle card this fast, as they have only had a few weeks outside of the Pure Title tournament. The show isn’t looking too bad all things considered, but there wasn’t much to see in the ring this week. They have one more show before the pay per view and it’s going to be a weird last push, but I have some slight optimism for a change.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Saturday Night’s Main Event #33
Date: July 15, 2006
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 17,343
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s time for another special, which is really code for a commercial for the Great American Bash and ultimately Summerslam. These shows don’t mean much in the days of Raw and Smackdown, but there is something about that name that makes it feel special. It helps that the card is fairly stacked so hopefully it works out. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here are Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke (Lawler approves) to open things up. Brooke says it has always been her dream to be here with her dad. Hulk says thank goodness she looks like her mom and talks about being on the first ever Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cue Randy, with a rose, to interrupt. He says Hulk is the biggest legend anywhere and says Brooke is beautiful, even presenting her with the rose. Randy is a Hulkamaniac as well, so he would like to respectively challenge Hulk to a match at Summerslam. Hulk respectively accepts, but doesn’t seem to like how Randy is looking at Brooke. Short and to the point.

Video on Batista.

King Booker/Finlay/Mark Henry vs. Rey Mysterio/Bobby Lashley/Batista

Lashley sends Finlay into the corner to start and it’s a six man standoff as we take an early break. Back with Finlay slapping a chinlock on Rey before it’s quickly off to Booker. Various things start breaking down, allowing the Leprechaun to slip Finlay the shillelagh to deck Rey for two. Rey is fine enough to kick Henry down (oh dear) but the referee doesn’t see the hot tag to Batista. Booker comes in but Rey dives between their legs and NOW the hot tag brings in Batista. House is cleaned and it’s a 619 to Booker, setting up the Batista Bomb for the pin.

Rating: C-. And that’s going to be Henry’s last televised match for about ten months as Henry completely destroyed his knee (the patella was split completely in two) so forget about Batista’s big revenge. The injury shook things up a lot as you can only get so much out of the good guys being up 3-2, but they did what they could. They did what they could, and it could have been a lot worse.

Vince McMahon gives the Spirit Squad a pep talk but DX takes over the audio, turning it into Vince giving the team spanking instructions.

We see highlights of the first round of Diva Bull Riding from earlier today. Victoria and Michelle McCool made the finals.

Melina/Johnny Nitro vs. Carlito/Trish Stratus

The men start but Nitro tags Melina in, meaning Trish has to do the same (come in, not tag Melina). Nitro trips Trish down early on and Melina adds a thumb to the eye (JR: “You wouldn’t see Meredith Vieira doing something like that.”), setting up a double hair takedown. That bangs up Melina as well so it’s a double tag to the men as everything breaks down. The women fight to the floor and the Backstabber gives Carlito the fast pin. This was really rushed so it didn’t have the chance to go anywhere.

Earlier today, Kevin Von Erich got to make a quick appearance. Nothing wrong with the local legend.

Spirit Squad vs. D-Generation X

Non-title elimination tag and there is a cell on either side of the ring for eliminated members. Shawn says the following thrashing of five male cheerleaders is brought to you by DX, and if you’re not down with that, catchphrase. Shawn gets taken into the corner to start but he manages to grab the megaphone and clean some house. The Squad bails to the floor for a huddle, which HHH breaks up with an air horn. Back in and Shawn superkicks Mitch for the first elimination.

Back from a break with HHH getting rid of Johnny with a spinebuster. Shawn chases Kenny up to the stage, where Vince gets in a chair shot to put Shawn in trouble. They head back to the ring where Shawn suplexes his way out of a sleeper. It’s off to HHH to clean house, including another spinebuster. A double clothesline sets up the Pedigree to get rid of Nicky and it’s 2-2. The superkick gets rid of Mikey and it’s a top rope elbow, followed by Sweet Chin Music into the Pedigree to complete the shutout.

Rating: D. You could say this about any match involving these two sides, but what were you expecting? It’s a pair of the best of all time against five goons. It’s almost a miracle that the Squad lasted this long and it isn’t hard to believe that Shawn and HHH could dispatch them this fast. There was no reason to believe this would be a competitive match and it wasn’t but it also wasn’t anything more than a DX workout session.

Post match Vince tries to unlock the cage but Shawn superkicks him inside with the rest of the Squad.

Video on Sabu.

Here are Great Khali and Daivari for a chat. Daivari talks about how awesome Khali is….and here are Big Show and Paul Heyman to interrupt. Show lists off his size and resume and says one day they’ll have to see who the real giant is. That’s for later though, as he wants to put Khali over tonight. He brings up the Punjabi Prison match but here’s Undertaker to interrupt. Undertaker goes after Khali and clotheslines him to the floor before going after Show. Khali gets back in and a double chokeslam leaves Undertaker laying.

Post break, Big Show says Undertaker can come face him on ECW if he has the guts.

Stevie Richards vs. Sabu

Extreme Rules. Sabu wastes no time in throwing a chair at Richards, setting up the Triple Jump Moonsault for two. Richards misses a charge in the corner and gets laid on a table, setting up the….flying something with a chair kind of in the same area to drive Richards through an already broken table for the pin. This was vintage WWECW: take away any story, feud, reason for these two for fighting and the character that made Richards work and have a match with weapons for the sake of having weapons, because that’s all ECW was about.

We get Brooke Hogan’s About Us music video.

Randy Orton is talking to Brooke Hogan in the parking lot but Hulk comes in to break that up. The Hogans go to leave but Orton runs back in with an RKO onto the trunk to leave Hulk laying.

Michelle McCool wins the Diva Bull Riding contest. Much like the Diva Search, it’s an excuse to have the Divas in various outfits doing various things that involve a lot of shaking.

Video on John Cena losing the Raw World Title to Rob Van Dam, who lost it to Edge, setting up tonight’s title match (which isn’t a triple threat for Van Dam’s title because Van Dam screwed up).

Raw World Title: Edge vs. John Cena

Edge is defending and has Lita with him. We get the Big Match Intros and Edge drops straight to the floor, only to have Cena cut him off in a hurry. Edge low bridges him to the floor though and we take an early break. Back with Edge hammering away in the corner and loading up a superplex, only to slip off the ropes and crash down hard. The referee makes sure they’re both alive and Edge gets two off a big boot. Cena pops up and initiates the finishing sequence but Lita pulls the referee out. The referee is down and Edge misses a spear, setting up the STFU. Lita slaps the referee to send him back inside to call the DQ.

Rating: D+. This was nothing with barely five minutes factoring out the commercial. The biggest problem was the time, which only gave them a chance for one memorable deal, which wound up being Edge nearly killing both of them (it was just a slip). They’re destined for the real match at Summerslam so for now, this worked out fine for the “we’re out of time but here’s what we promised” main event.

Cena celebrates but thankfully understands what the word DISQUALIFICATION means and immediately knows he didn’t win the title. That’s not cool with Cena, who hits a pretty good looking FU off the steps and through the announcers’ table.

Overall Rating: D. Completely skippable show here and you can see how unimportant this series has become. There is no need for some big special when you have the same thing done every Monday and Friday night. The wrestling wasn’t important, the Undertaker appearance was to set up a guest star spot on ECW and there was a bull riding contest for obvious reasons. Nothing to see here, and thankfully WWE/NBC seemed to understand that, as the next one wasn’t for almost a year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown
Date: July 14, 2006
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We are rapidly approaching the Great American Bash and now we have a main event. This time around it’s going to be King Booker challenging the weakest World Champion of modern times in Rey Mysterio. Other than that, Batista is back and that could shake things up a lot. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Batista returning and beating up Mark Henry last week.

Opening sequence.

Here are King Booker, Queen Sharmell and William Regal to get things going. Regal reads a proclamation from a scroll, saying that Booker is ready to take his rightful place. Dropping to a knee, Regal promises to destroy Mysterio tonight, all for the glory of Queen Sharmell. JBL: “She’s the queen goddess of HOT!” Booker promises to win the title and talks about Batista returning last week.

We see a clip of Batista destroying Henry, but at the same time, Booker jumped Mysterio in the back for the real beatdown. Booker promises to win the title but here’s Rey. Regal goes to the aisle so Rey can sneak in from the crowd to jump Booker. Perfectly fine opening segment to move forward on the title match.

Matt Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy

Matt jumps him during the entrance and JBL is not pleased with the lack of the introduction. A belly to back suplex gives Matt two but Kennedy sends him shoulder first into the post. The arm is sent into the buckle for a bonus and Kennedy wraps it around the rope. We hit the armbar for a bit before Kennedy heads up top. That’s fine with Matt, who crotches him down and grabs a superplex.

The Side Effect gets two but the Twist of Fate is countered into a neckbreaker to give Kennedy two of his own. Kennedy tries his own Twist of Fate but Hardy reverses into the real thing, only to have Kennedy grab the rope. The cover takes a bit too long though and Hardy rolls him up for the fast pin.

Rating: C. It’s weird seeing Kennedy pinned and having Matt Hardy be the one to do it is all the more confusing. The match itself was average at best, putting it fairly high up on the Kennedy scale. Matt wasn’t great in the ring at this point but you could pencil him in for a pretty watchable match, which is what you got here.

Raw Rebound.

Michelle McCool and Kristal talk trash about Ashley, who pops up with Jillian Hall for the big catfight. JBL is rather pleased.

Here are Great Khali and Daivari on the stage for a chat. Daivari asks if Undertaker is scared of Khali since he didn’t even show up last week. If Undertaker is this phenom, show yourself. Then the gong sounds and Undertaker pops up in the ring, with Daivari insisting that Khali isn’t afraid. Undertaker shoots lightning at Daivari, who falls down while Khali doesn’t move. Daivari has to beg Khali to not go to the ring and eventually he backs up.

Paul London vs. Jamie Noble

Brian Kendrick and Kid Kash are at ringside as JBL talks about the Pit Bulls’ politics to start. Noble is aggressive early on and hammers away on the ropes. An elbow to the face puts Noble down but he grounds London and grabs a rear naked choke. London breaks it up with a ram into the corner and he starts to kick Noble down. A belly to belly sets up a dropkick to the back for two but Noble’s powerslam gets the same. Kash goes after Kendrick on the floor though and the chase lets Kash get in a cheap shot on London. The fireman’s carry gutbuster gives Noble the cheating pin.

Rating: C. These two are both very talented and it makes sense to put them in the ring together to draw some interest for the pay per view title match. Just don’t do the same thing with the partners swapped in and you’re onto something. We got the idea here so why waste time by doing the same thing again?

Miz is VERY excited about the Diva Search girls in their bikinis for Boot Camp.

Sylvan thinks the Diva Search girls are beautiful, but not as beautiful as Quebec. Come see it. JBL: “I’d rather go to Rwanda. I hate this guy.”

Here’s Teddy Long for the contract signing between Batista and Mark Henry. The match is taking place at the Great American Bash, but we’ll make it a little bigger: the winner gets the World Title shot at Summerslam. As for tonight though, if either of them touches the other, they forfeit the match.

Batista is out first and talks about how good it is to be back. Coming through that curtain is a natural high that he cannot explain and, while getting a little choked up, Batista talks about how much he loves being here. Last year was the best year of his life but then Mark Henry took it all away. The jacket comes off as Batista talks about sitting at home for six months while Henry dominated Smackdown. If Henry thinks last week was payback, he has no idea what is coming for him at the Great American Bash.

Now it’s Henry, with a bandage on his head, coming out to say that Batista must feel good about himself. That was the worst beating he ever received and all it took was the World Champion and Batista jumping him from behind. If it didn’t cost him the Summerslam match, Henry would detach Batista’s head right now. Teddy calms things down and they both sign. The table is turned over but Henry leaves without getting physical.

United States Title: Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is defending and drives Finlay into the corner to start. That earns him a shot to the face and we hit the chinlock early on. That’s fine with Lashley, who is right back with a delayed vertical suplex as we take a break. Back with Finlay dropping him with a clothesline for two and sending Lashley shoulder first into the post. A drop toehold sets up the Crossface but Lashley fights up again.

Clotheslines and a belly to belly have Finlay bailing to the floor, where he throws a chair inside. With that not working, Finlay grabs the Shillelagh but Lashley hits a backdrop and tosses it up to the stage. They fight to the floor where Finlay misses a chair shot so the referee has to take them away. Cue the Leprechaun to throw Finlay another Shillelagh so he can knock Lashley cold for the pin and the title.

Rating: C+. They had a pretty nice physical match here and there’s nothing wrong with putting the title on Finlay. Lashley already got a nice rub out of it and Finlay is tied into the show’s top heel. It wasn’t even a clean loss so Lashley gets to save fast. Good enough power brawl here and the title change is a fine switch.

Earlier today, Vito went shopping at the Mall of America.

Here’s Miz to introduce the Diva Search girls for Divas Boot Camp, as hosted by Sgt. Slaughter. It’s an obstacle course and the winner gets immunity.

Jen goes first and finishes in 42 seconds.

Layla, finishing with the splits gets 37 seconds.

Erica at 48 seconds.

Maryse at 41 seconds.

Milena, who loses her hat, at 49 seconds.

Rebecca, whose hair gets caught in the jump rope, at 49 seconds.

JT, who drops the jump rope, at 43 seconds.

Amy at 46 seconds.

Layla wins immunity, and more importantly, Sgt. Slaughter’s hat. I got that at a house show when I was a kid so I have to smile. This was exactly as advertised: good looking women in swimsuits running and jumping a lot. Throw in Move Along by All American Rejects as the song throughout and I’d call it a success.

Great American Bash rundown.

William Regal vs. Rey Mysterio

Non-title with King Booker and Sharmell on commentary. Joined in progress with Regal holding a chinlock as the EDDIE chants don’t work as well here. Regal elbows him in the face for three straight twos. Rey is back up with a headscissors out of the corner and a basement dropkick for two of his own. Sharmell offers a quick distraction though, allowing Regal to crotch Rey on top. Regal drops a knee and puts on a chinlock as those chants start up again.

Cole gets so annoyed at Booker that he stands up for a bit as Rey is sent to the apron. You don’t do that to Rey, who is right back with a springboard seated senton. Booker gets up for a distraction this time, allowing Rey to hit a baseball slide low blow in the corner. The split legged moonsault gets two and Rey knocks Booker off the apron. The 619 into the top rope splash finishes Regal.

Rating: C. Another run of the mill match but it’s nice to see Mysterio getting a win, even if it’s over someone not quite in the main event. This is why a villain has lackeys though, as Rey beating one of Regal’s associates is a fine way to set him up for the pay per view title match. The match was all about Rey overcoming the odds and it worked out well enough, with Rey FINALLY not looking like a loser.

Rey hits a 619 on Booker to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was completely acceptable throughout and it’s hard to complain about the Diva Search stuff, as you can see exactly what they are going for with the whole thing. At the same time, if that cuts down on the stupid stuff like Vito having fun out there, it’s not the worst replacement imaginable. The Bash isn’t looking like the best show ever, but there are enough things on the show that I want to see, so at least it’s feeling better than Vengeance.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

ECW on Sci Fi
Date: July 11, 2006
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re officially into a new era around here as Rob Van Dam has lost the ECW World Title to Big Show thanks to a screwy finish/the need to get the title off of him due to his arrest. Big Show already has his first challenger lined up too, as Ric Flair is this week’s guest star. This could go in a lot of ways so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at Big Show winning the title last week when Paul Heyman turned on Rob Van Dam.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Heyman for an opening chat. Last week he made sure Van Dam lost the title and it’s all the fans’ fault. The people here are the reason he is no longer the champion and the reason why Van Dam has been suspended for thirty days. Heyman tried to convince Van Dam to calm down a bit and not defend the title so much, but the RVD chants drove him even further.

That drove Heyman to end it all and now he is a martyr. He sacrificed his friendship with Van Dam for these people and he will be your messiah. Heyman will lead his children to the promised land and you’re all coming with him. This felt rather forced, probably because that’s exactly what it was.

Post break, Tommy Dreamer runs into Heyman, now with armed riot guards. Heyman has no time to explain, because Dreamer’s match is next, despite the fact that he is in street clothes.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Test

Dreamer slugs away to start and it’s a Cactus Clothesline to take them to the floor. Back in and Test hits a running clothesline in the corner as the cockiness starts early. Dreamer gets the knee up in the corner though and grabs a neckbreaker. The DDT is countered into a full nelson slam but Test misses the top rope elbow. Dreamer manages to get him up in the Death Valley Driver but Test slips down and grabs a rollup (plus the rope) for the pin.

Rating: D+. I got what they were going for here but having Test win via rollup wasn’t exactly making Dreamer look like he was in serious trouble. Granted it’s Test so he isn’t the best choice to go with something even slightly complicated, but how hard is it to have Dreamer get in a little offense and then get squashed? Fine idea and poor execution, which could apply to a lot of things around here.

Candice Michelle gets dressed when Kelly comes in. Candice promises to take the dancing to the extreme and gets very close to Kelly’s face.

Ariel the Tarot Card Reader says the future holds blood and spits blood at the camera.

Kelly and Candice Michelle have their expose and of course here’s Mike Knox with the towel. This time Sandman pops up to cane Knox off the stage.

CM Punk says his tattoos tell a story, like DRUG FREE and HONOR. He’s fighting against the system.

Sabu vs. Justin Credible

This is under normal rules for reasons of general stupidity. Sabu takes him down to start so Justin heads outside to grab a table. That earns him a big running flip dive so Sabu sets up the (partially broken) table at ringside. Credible comes outside and is promptly put on the table for the Arabian Facebuster and the DQ. Well that was pointless.

Balls Mahoney says he’s always ready to fight.

Ric Flair says he’s coming for his 17^th World Title tonight but he also needs to talk about Mick Foley. If Foley wants to be a man, he can face Flair in a match of Foley’s choice. As for Show, Flair is coming for the title and will take advantage of any mistake Show makes.

Shannon Moore, now with spiked hair, tattoos and piercings, is coming.

ECW World Title: Big Show vs. Ric Flair

Show is defending and this is under Extreme Rules. They circle each other a bit until Show sends him into the corner with the straight power. Flair bails to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Flair being gorilla pressed and headbutted as the dominance is on early. Flair is already busted open and another headbutt makes it even worse. Show tosses him outside so it’s time to bring in the weapons but Show sends Flair back inside before they can be used.

A suplex drops Flair, who tells Show to bring it on anyway. That means another headbutt into a powerslam but Flair scores with some low blows. Some low kicks have Show down again and now it’s time for the weapons. Flair doesn’t waste time in going with the barbed wire baseball bat to gouge Show’s head open. Some trashcan and chair shots put Show down….for two, as he launches Flair off on the kickout. Now it’s thumbtacks time and some chair shots to the head knock Show into said tacks. That just angers Show, who hits a chokeslam and the cobra clutch backbreaker retains.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to make of this one as people remember it as Flair being this big pin cushion, but that’s really just a quick burst. The match runs about thirteen and a half minutes and the violence doesn’t come into play until about eight or nine minutes in. Yeah Flair bleeds like a pig at the start but he does that when he goes to the grocery store. The barbed wire bat and tacks are a bit much, but they’re really not that big of a part of the match.

That being said, the match isn’t all that good as it’s Show squashing him, Flair getting in a few weapons shots, and then Show finishing him off. Bad match, but not as bad as people remember, especially when it ties into Flair wanting to go extreme with Foley, and perhaps finding out that he’s in over his head.

Post match Show throws him into the tacks. Flair is helped out and we get a THANK YOU FLAIR chant to end the show. This part, with Flair barely able to walk and being rather bloody is probably the reason this match is somewhat infamous, as he looks pretty bad.

Overall Rating: D+. This series is reaching the point of dead on arrival, as any spark that it had is long gone, with “Ric Flair Goes EXTREME” not being much of a calling card. The first problem is the main event stuff, which would be the upper midcard on Raw at its very best. That doesn’t exactly make me want to stick around, but it’s certainly better than EVERYTHING else, which feels as worthless as you can get. Test beating Tommy Dreamer, a vampire, and Sabu in a regular match. If that’s as good as they have here, they have more troubles than they can solve.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown
Date: December 11, 2020
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time to head to the new Thunder Dome as basketball season has taken the Amway Center off the board. Instead it’s off to a baseball stadium, meaning we could be in for an interesting setup this time around. We’re also just over a week away from TLC, meaning we are going to need some additions to the card. Let’s get to it.

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

The new setup looks mostly like the Amway Center, but there are some shots where you can see how much bigger the whole thing is.

Here’s Sasha Banks for the contract signing for TLC. There’s no contract though and no Carmella, with Banks thinking this is a setup. Carmella pops up on screen to send her assistant (an unnamed man) down to the ring with the signed contract. She talks about how she isn’t getting in the ring with Banks tonight. This is the Queen’s Gambit instead of Tiger King and she’s four moves ahead of Banks. The contract arrives in the ring and the deal is signed, but Banks wants to do this tonight instead. Adam Pearce makes the match for tonight and the title is on the line. Banks beats up the assistant and turns the table onto him.

The Street Profits mock Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler, because it’s time for singles matches against the champions!

Montez Ford vs. Dolph Ziggler

Before the match, Ziggler says he’s accused of being a poor man’s Shawn Michaels, but he’s a rather rich man. The only thing less funny than his stand up comedy is the Street Profits as the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Robert Roode promises that when the two aces get their shot, the title reign is going up in smoke. Ziggler takes him into the corner and gets an early two, followed by something like a Crossface.

Back up and Ziggler kicks the leg out to set up a neckbreaker for two more. Ziggler spends a bit too much time gyrating though and gets catapulted into the corner, setting up a dropkick. A running Blockbuster sends Ziggler outside, so the partners come in for a standoff. That lets the Profits stop for a dance…..and the cannon shoots solo cups into the ring as we take a break.

Back with Ziggler dropping the rapid fire elbows and hitting a neckbreaker for two more. We hit the sleeper with a bodyscissors for a bit but Ford fights up with some clotheslines. The jumping enziguri misses but Ford slams him down and hits a standing moonsault. Ziggler goes to the knee to try the Fameasser but has to settle for two off a sunset flip instead. The Zig Zag is blocked and now the jumping enziguri connects. Roode goes after Ford for a distraction though, and Ziggler hits a superkick for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Ford is always fun to watch and it’s not like losing to a former World Champion is going to destroy everything he is doing. The Street Profits have held the titles for the better part of ever (being realistic that is) and if they make it past Ziggler and Roode, they’re losing them to the Usos ASAP, so this is filling time at best or the end of the line at worst. Losing a singles match doesn’t matter, as the Profits are already a made team.

Sami Zayn yells about not having a shirt when Big E., with his new shirt, comes in with his new Think Big shirt. Worry not though as Apollo Crews has a hand drawn I AM SAMI ZAYN shirt, which Sami can’t rip up. He’ll show us later! Big E.: “I’m gonna show you all the things!”

We take a break and come back with Sami in the ring ranting about not having his own shirt. He brings up Pat Patterson getting so much attention last week….and here’s Big E., with new music, to cut him off.

Sami Zayn vs. Big E.

Non-title. Sami stalls on the floor to start and is almost immediately caught in a headlock back inside. The spanking abdominal stretch is escaped and Big E. elbows him down. The apron splash connects and we take a break. Back with Sami getting one off a knee to the face and the chinlock goes on. That doesn’t last long so Sami hits a middle rope clothesline into his own gyrating, which brings Big E. back up for a belly to belly. Another one sets up a third one and now it’s the real gyrating.

The Warrior Splash sends Sami outside, followed by a hard clothesline as he comes back in. Sami kicks him away but Big E. rolls through a high crossbody. The Big Ending is broken up with a rake of the eyes but the Rock Bottom out of the corner breaks up the Helluva Kick. Sami has banged up his previously injured hand….and he uses it to slap Big E. in the face. The chase is on around the ring with Sami diving underneath the ring. Big E. gives chase but Sami comes out the other side and beats the count at 10:51.

Rating: D+. Remember when Big E. was supposed to get some big singles push? I’m sure one is coming, but man alive they aren’t getting it off to a good start. If nothing else, it doesn’t help your solo efforts when you have NEW DAY ROCKS on the back of your gear. Then again, this is far from some end to him and it certainly seemed to be setting up a rematch.

Bayley wishes Carmella good luck and rants about Sasha Banks being overpaid and overrated. The only person worse than her is Bianca Belair, who pops up behind her. Belair thinks Bayley should be worried about herself because her hair is awful and she looks dusty. Belair whips out some receipts, saying she beat Natalya and Bayley was the first one eliminated at Survivor Series. Bayley storms off, with Belair saying she can text these to her.

Carmella promises to win the title tonight and look sexy while doing so. She tells her assistant to get the champagne ready to toast her title win.

We look back at last week with Kevin Owens confronting Roman Reigns and getting in a match with Jey Uso. After the match, Roman wrecked both of them with a chair to end the show.

Jey comes up to Reigns, who asks if Jey and his family are both good. Kevin Owens comes to the ring and Jey says let me go get him. Reigns gives him permission as Owens is loading up weapons. With Jey on the way to the ring and Reigns watching, Owens sets up the table, ladder and chairs before talking about how Reigns is using his family to fight. Owens doesn’t have a family, but he has some friends to help him out.

First up you have the cold, unforgiving chairs, which will help him bruise Reigns. Maybe he can even break a few bones to make it hard for Reigns to sit at the head of the table. That brings him to his second friend, the table. See, table is hard at first but then it’s looking forward to receiving Reigns at TLC. Then there is ladder, which is unforgiving, rough around the edges and unpredictable. It’s his favorite though, because it is going to help him hurt Reigns and get back to where he belongs.

Owens climbs the ladder and says Reigns can be head of the table because Owens is going to give everything he has to become Universal Champion again. Cue Jey Uso with the chair to take Owens down and hammer away, including a shot to the knee. Owens gets back up for a Pop Up Powerbomb through a table, so here are Reigns and Heyman. Reigns is ready to go but Heyman talks him out of it, saying Reigns is the OG and the head of the table. Heyman: “Who’s zooming who here?” Reigns leaves and Owens grabs a chair and limps off after him.

Post break, Owens yells at Reigns talking about his family….and gets jumped by Reigns from behind. The beatdown is on, with Reigns shouting about who supports Owens’ family. Reigns looks at the camera and lists off his accolades, saying he is the one who puts a roof over your head and the food on the table. Owens’ kids need to talk some sense into their daddy, before he takes the food off of the table. One more kick to the head leaves Owens laying with a glossed over look on his face. This was rather good, as Owens may be ticked off, but Reigns is a complete monster.

Riott Squad vs. Billie Kay/Natalya

Natalya is a mystery partner because WWE doesn’t know how to do mystery partners now either. Riott hits Kay in the leg to start and Morgan comes in for a running elbow in the corner. As we get an announcement that next week’s show will be on Fox Sports 1, Kay uses a Natalya distraction to hit Shades Of Kay, setting up the tag. Natalya takes her into the corner for the tag back to Kay, who tags Natalya right back in. Hold on though as Kay and Natalya argue with each other, allowing Morgan to kick Kay into Natalya. That’s enough for the Codebreaker into the Riott Kick to finish Kay at 2:45.

Post match Natalya leaves Kay on the floor.

Earlier this week, Chad Gable taught Otis to work on his blind side. This involves putting a blindfold on Otis and throwing things at him/hitting him in the back with things. Several hours later, Otis catches the ball without seeing it. He misses the high five, but it’s better than nothing. Gable: “Oh yeah. He’s an alpha.”

Gable talks about molding this lump of clay into Michelangelo’s David. Otis: “Mr. Angelo. He’s a good guy.” Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, their opponents for tonight, come up to mock the idea of Otis and Gable beating them.

Chad Gable/Otis vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro

Otis and Cesaro start things off with Otis hitting an early slam, much to Cesaro’s shock. It’s off to Gable, who waistlocks Cesaro down for two as the surprise dominance continues. Cesaro manages an uppercut to Gable though and it’s Nakamura coming in with the kicks. A Liger Kick gets Gable out of trouble and the double tag brings in Otis and Cesaro. House is cleaned again, with Otis nailing a discus clothesline. Gable wants the tag instead of letting Otis hit the Caterpillar, allowing Cesaro to Swing Gable down. Kinshasa is good for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C-. I’m curious to see where this goes, as it would be a little much to believe that Otis and Gable are going to beat former champions on their first shot. The match itself wasn’t great, but I can’t get over how much better it is to have Gable doing ANYTHING other than being a short joke. Now just get everything else working a little better.

Post break, Gable says Otis failed because he is using the alpha mentality. In other words, he is showing Otis what to do by showing him what NOT to do. Otis looks confused.

King Corbin congratulates Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler for their good work last week. The interviewer comes up and, after being scanned with a metal detector, asks about Corbin’s new help. Corbin dubs them the Knights Of The Lone Wolf and says they’re here to help him as needed. Makes as much sense as anything else and I’m glad to see them getting another chance.

Next week: Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode get their Tag Team Title shot, plus Bayley vs. Bianca Belair.

Women’s Title: Carmella vs. Sasha Banks

Carmella is challenging and the assistant, with champagne, is here at ringside. Sasha drives her into the corner to start but Carmella shouts a lot and ties her into the ropes. A slap to the face annoys Sasha but a flying headscissors sends her into the ropes. Carmella can’t get the Code of Silence but Banks can’t get the Bank Statement either. Sasha sends her to the apron for a knee to the face, followed by the slingshot Meteora to send her into the post.

That earns Sasha an X Factor onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Carmella sending her face first into the post and hammering away on the mat. Carmella slaps on the chinlock but Banks is out in a hurry. That means another Meteora, followed by another slingshot Meteora for two more.

Carmella grabs a figure four necklock over the ropes but can’t get the X Factor. Instead the Code of Silence goes on, only to have Banks reverse into the Bank Statement. The assistant throws in a champagne bottle though, which is enough of a distraction to allow him to break the hold. Banks explodes on Carmella in the corner and it’s a DQ at 9:56.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild on the ending, but it was designed to set up a rematch at TLC so fair enough. Carmella was looking better than usual here, though she still has a lot of work to do to get to a higher level. Banks fighting against the odds and then slipping up at the end was fine, though Carmella really doesn’t feel like much of a threat.

Post match Carmella beats up Sasha on the floor, including breaking a champagne bottle over her back. Cole: “ARE YOU CRAZY???” Carmella sprays the champagne around to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show was all about setting things up for the future, but the biggest problem was that it isn’t exactly thrilling stuff to be setting up. You can see a handful of matches being built up for TLC and that should work out fine, but at the end of the day, the star power around here isn’t the strongest outside of the main event. Not the worst show and the two hours go by fast, but nothing worth watching this week.

The new venue worked out well, as you can’t tell they left the Amway Center most of the time. The only notable issue was a buzzing on the audio, throughout the show, but only for a few seconds at a time. If they can get that worked out, it’s going to be just like being in Orlando, which worked fine.

Results

Dolph Ziggler b. Montez Ford – Superkick

Sami Zayn b. Big E. via countout

Riott Squad b. Billie Kay/Natalya – Riott Kick to Kay

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Otis/Chad Gable – Kinshasa to Otis

Carmella b. Sasha Banks via DQ when Banks attacked in the corner

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

205 Live
Date: December 4, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

The slow walk towards Curt Stallion’s Cruiserweight Title shot continues, along with the latest battle between the newcomers and the 205 Live originals. I’m not sure how long this one can go but maybe they can get it out of the way so we can move on to the latest rendition of one of the three stories they run around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bollywood Boyz vs. Ever Rise

Ever Rise is somehow here again but it’s made much better by Nigel singing a version of the Bollywood Boyz theme with Demolition inspired lyrics. It’s a brawl to start and they all heads outside early on. We settle down to Ever Rise working on Sunil’s arm and a double fist drop gives Parker two.

Sunil manages to spin around to escape an armbar and Samir comes in to hammer away on Parker. The stomping in the corner sets up a double suplex for two more and we hit the chinlock. A spinwheel kick gets two more but Samir comes in off the top and takes out Sunil by mistake. Martel comes in and starts cleaning house as well, followed by a double flapjack to send Sunil into the turnbuckle (the French Connection) for the pin at 5:59.

Rating: D+. Well ok then. I’m not sure how to handle Ever Rise winning a match but at least they’re building up someone else new. The Bollywood Boyz have been the tag team….I don’t think you can actually say division…..around here for a long time now so giving them someone to fight is long overdue. Not a very good match, but if Ever Rise is going to be on NXT as well, they need to win something like this.

Earlier this week, Legado del Fantasma jumped Curt Stallion to keep him off of NXT. He’s back tonight though.

Ariya Daivari vs. Curt Stallion

They fight over the wristlock to start with Daivari taking him down and dropping a knee on the arm. Daivari hammers away in the corner but Stallion gets in some chops. They go outside with Stallion hitting a headbutt and taking it back inside for a double stomp. That’s enough to send Daivari outside, where Stallion’s suicide dive only hits the barricade.

Stallion is back in at nine so Daivari hits a hanging neckbreaker for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a reverse layout DDT to drop Stallion again. Another neckbreaker gets another two and the camel clutch goes on. That’s broken up and they hit stereo crossbodies for another double knockdown.

It’s Stallion up first with a running boot in the corner and a DDT out of the corner gets two. Stallion charges into a Rock Bottom for two more but Stallion grabs White Noise onto the knee for another breather. The top rope splash gets two on Daivari and Stallion hits his running headbutt for the pin at 12:09.

Rating: C. Not too bad here with Stallion getting another win to build him towards the title shot. I mean, I’m not sure how much there is to gain based off of beating Daivari and Tony Nese multiple times, but at least they’re doing something. Stallion is getting somewhere with this stuff and that is something that has eluded this show for years now, so points for trying something.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty skippable show here with Ever Rise getting more time and Stallion continuing to be built up towards the title match. This was a show that built things up a little bit but wasn’t all that interesting to watch on its own. Not a bad show and the 27 minute run time helped a lot as usual, but nothing you need to see here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

NXT UK
Date: December 10, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepard, Nigel McGuinness

A lot of wrestling shows have been going all over the place as of late so it would be nice to have one that is more a case of giving you what you probably expect. That is where NXT UK shines and I could go for seeing something like that after all of the ups and downs of this week. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jordan Devlin is in the ring and issues an open challenge for the Cruiserweight Title. We cut to the back where Ashton Smith tells Oliver Carter to go get the title. And here we go.

Cruiserweight Title: Oliver Carter vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin is defending and wastes no time in pounding Carter down. Carter snaps off an armdrag into a sunset flip but Carter flips him by the leg. That sends Carter legs first into the ropes and he lands on his head, meaning the referee needs to check on Carter. The clearance is given so Devlin elbows him in the head and chokes with the boot because Devlin is kind of ruthless.

The logical neck crank goes on but Carter comes back with a leg trip and a dropkick. An elbow to the face sends Devlin outside for a heck of a suicide dive and a forearm to the back of the head gives Carter two. Carter plants him with a Rock Bottom but the neck is too banged up to cover. Devlin is right back with a poison rana and the Devlin Side retains the title at 6:30.

Rating: C. If this is a way to get Devlin in the ring more often, I’m all for everything about the whole idea. Devlin has cranked it way up this year and it’s a shame that he didn’t get to spend this summer showcasing everything that he can do. I could go for a lot more of everything Devlin is doing and sending out one opponent after another is a great idea.

Earlier this week, Jinny promised to get Piper Niven when she doesn’t see it coming.

Video on the NXT roster going around England.

And now, in case we weren’t infested with them enough yet, it’s time for the new talk show with Supernova Sessions, hosted by Noam Dar. After the usual introductions, Dar brings out Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid as his first guest. Dar talks about how he mentored A-Kid during his early career and now it is time to return the favor. He will even dub him A-Man! A-Kid says not so fast because the one person who mentored him is Tyler Bate. Cue Bate for the first time to suggest he would have won the title had he been in the tournament. Dar says the match should be on for tonight and he’ll even talk to management. Match on.

The Hunt and Eddie Dennis barge into Sid Scala’s office and might threaten their way into a Tag Team Title shot.

Xia Brookside vs. Isla Dawn

Brookside flips out of a wristlock to start and takes Dawn to the mat for a hammerlock. That’s reversed into the same thing on Brookside, followed by a knee to the face to take her down again. We hit the quickly broken chinlock so Dawn knees her in the ribs again. A northern lights suplex gets two but Brookside fights her way out of another armbar. The Broken Wings connect in the corner to send Dawn outside, with the suicide dive connecting. Hold on though as we have some suitcases. Jinny pops up on screen to say Brookside can only carry her bags, allowing Dawn to hit a Saito suplex for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C-. The match didn’t have time to go anywhere but the point here was to have Jinny cost Brookside the win. If they put the title on Jinny, it could make a heck of a story with Brookside chasing her until the big win. Brookside is going to get the big moment sooner or later, so set her up well over time for a change.

Saxon Huxley has attacked Jack Starz and Levi Muir.

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. A-Kid

Kid is defending and it’s under the Heritage Cup rules. After the Big Match Intros, the feeling out process is on with Kid taking him down with a headlock. That’s reversed into an armbar which is reversed with a headscissors for a standoff. They fight over some wristlocks until the first round ends. The second round begins with Bate getting spun into a straitjacket choke, only to reverse into one of his own. Kid reverses the reversal into one of his own before it’s time to grapple on the mat a bit. Neither can get anywhere of note and Bate’s ankle crank doesn’t go anywhere as the round ends.

Round three begins with Bate working on the arm again as they’re still in second gear at most. Back up and they run the ropes with Kid slipping out of the airplane spin. Bate blocks a German suplex and sits down on a rollup for the pin at 1:47 of the round (8:47 total).

Round four begins with another slow start with neither being able to go anywhere until Kid kicks him in the head to make things personal. Bate goes all serious and hammers away, with Kid pulling him into a choke as a result. The sleeper goes on but Bate drives him into the corner for the break. Kid slaps it right back on and then switches into a triangle choke. Bate has to powerbomb his way to freedom for the break.

The fifth round begins with a test of strength taking Bate to the mat, where Kid can’t break his bridge. Back up and Kid hits a springboard moonsault DDT to plant Bate for the pin to tie it up at 1:00 of the fifth round (14:07 total). Round six starts with Bate circling around a bit before winning a slugout. The Liger Kick sends Kid outside but he’s right back in with a jumping enziguri. Kid can’t get the Rings of Saturn but he can get a sunset flip to retain the title at 2:04 (16:55).

Rating: B-. This took a little time to get going but the technical stuff worked out well. I’m not sure how well versed Bate is in this style but he did well enough. If nothing else, I’m glad to see Bate back in the ring after such a long absence. He really is one of the best young talents anywhere and it’s good to have him back. Then you have Kid, who already won the tournament and now has a big win to make him look like an even bigger star.

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They had a nice and balanced show here with three matches looking at three different parts of the roster. Throw in that they built up some things for later on and it was a good show overall. Again: not a great show, but you know what you’re getting and it worked out rather well. Nice effort here and the main event worked well.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Oliver Carter – Devlin Side

Isla Dawn b. Xia Brookside – Saito suplex

A-Kid b. Tyler Bate 2-1

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Apparently people like to print the reviews off (I’ve never heard of this but ok then) and the new design wasn’t making that work.  If you would like to, the bottom of each review should now have a green button opening up a Printer Friendly/PDF version.  The site’s header is included but you can get rid of it by clicking on it in the preview.

Just out of curiosity to those who do print them off, why do you do so?  I don’t mean that in a mean/condescending way.  I’m just curious about why someone would want to.

NXT
Date: December 9, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph

Takeover: WarGames has come and gone and that means it is time to start getting ready for New Year’s Evil, which seems to be the next big television show. I’m not sure what that is going to entail but tonight we get to hear from Finn Balor for the first time in…well in two weeks actually but maybe he is ready to get back in the ring. Let’s get to it.

Here is Takeover if you need a recap.

Long recap of Takeover.

Here’s Finn Balor for the opening chat. The champ is back and while there are some people who love him, there are some people who hate him. If you want to get to know him, come see him in the ring. This brings out Pete Dunne (here we go), who says they’re cut from the same cloth. It is going to be a matter of time before Dunne takes that title, but here’s Kyle O’Reilly to say his invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.

Now Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater is tough but his team didn’t win at Takeover. As for Balor, yeah he beat him, but O’Reilly took him to the limit and made him eat through a straw for two months. Let the vengeance consume you….but here’s Damian Priest to cut them off as well. Priest things Balor vs. Priest is a marquee matchup that both of them want. Dunne says Priest is the one who couldn’t even beat Leon Ruff. Priest thinks Dunne is the one Pat McAfee pays to keep his mouth shut.

O’Reilly asks when Priest last won a match and they all start bickering as Balor leaves. Balor says they need to learn some manners because they interrupted him before he could make his announcement. He’s going to be defending the title on January 6, but William Regal gets to decide who gets that Finn rub. Cue Scarlett, but Balor cuts her off. He knows she’s going to say tick tock, but tell Karrion Kross that when he’s ready, Finn is ready. Balor leaves so Priest that if Kross is back and looking for a fight, all he has to do is step to him like a man.

The best thing about this: you could believe any of the possible challengers could get the shot. Sure Dunne seems very likely, but you have four people who could be a threat not only to getting a shot at Balor, but at Balor himself. Give us a reason to be curious and things get a lot more interesting in a hurry.

Post break Pete Dunne is being interviewed by Killian Dain charges at him for revenge. Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, Drake Maverick and referees have to hold them back.

Jake Atlas vs. Isaiah Scott

Scott takes him down by the arm to start and Atlas has to roll to the floor for a breather. That’s fine with Scott, who kicks him in the face from the apron to put him in trouble again. Back in and the rolling Downward Spiral gets two on Atlas, with Scott being surprised by the kickout. Atlas is back with a suplex into a powerbomb for two but Scott around to set up the House Call. Scott can’t get the JML Driver so he goes back to the arm. What looked to be a German suplex attempt is broken up and Scott grabs the arm again. This time it’s la majistral, but Atlas reverses into a cradle for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. I’m surprised by the result, but that might be more about me being quite the Scott fan. Atlas needs to grow a bit and while giving him some wins are going to help, there is still something lacking from his overall presentation. He isn’t exactly impressive physically (though he’s acceptable) and his stuff in the ring isn’t quite eye popping. In a few words, he’s about average and while he’s far from bad, I could go for a bit more than that.

Post match Scott walks away from a handshake. He did have a bit of a heel touch in the match.

Tommaso Ciampa says no one is safe. It is time that he let the past die in the past and move forward. He wouldn’t have it any other way, so tonight it’s Cameron Grimes’ time. Grimes is loud and confident but maybe it’s just insecurity. That can often disguise itself as confidence and tonight we’ll find out which is true.

Ever Rise vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Imperium

Am I missing something with Ever Rise? The match certainly is as they go to the floor so the other four go after them to start the beatdown in a hurry. Back in and Aichner takes Gibson down, only to get his arm cranked a bit. Barthel comes in with an armdrag and stomp to Gibson but Ever Rise gets back up, allowing Gibson to get over for the tag to Drake. Barthel is taken outside for some quick double teaming but manages to keep Drake from tagging Gibson back in. Ever Rise is back in instead to take over on Drake, with Martel getting two off a double takedown.

Drake gets rid of Ever Rise and it’s back to Gibson vs. Aichner again. Gibson drives Aichner into the corner for another tag to Drake, who spinwheel kicks Aichner. Martel clotheslines Drake down though and a double Snake Eyes into the corner gets two. Imperium is back in with the double dropkick in the corner to knock Parker out of the Tree of Woe. Barthel hits a middle rope moonsault for two on Drake and a middle rope DDT drops Drake again, only to have Parker steal the near fall. That’s enough Ever Rise though and it’s the Ticket To Mayhem to drop Parker and give the Veterans the win at 7:07.

Rating: C+. I was rather surprised by this one as I never would have expected to like it so much. Ever Rise as the team trying to steal the win was a great little addition as they came closer more than once. The Veterans winning is a good idea and Imperium looked better than usual here. This was the surprise of the night and while it wasn’t a classic, it was far stronger than I ever would have bet.

The participants in both WarGames matches talk about how brutal the whole thing was. This was different and everyone is different than when they went in. The biggest note out of this: Bobby Fish tore his tricep and has already had surgery. No word on how long he will be out.

Toni Storm says she turned on Shotzi Blackheart because she wants the Women’s Title and that’s all that matters, no matter what she has to do. Now Ember Moon is in her way and that’s cool, because Toni is winning no matter what. Io Shirai comes in to say the title is the only thing that matters. Shirai has no problem with Toni, but she doesn’t like her and therefore hits Storm in the face. They brawl into the arena with Storm throwing her into the ring but getting taken down anyway. Storm rolls away before the moonsault can launch but here’s Ember Moon to toss her back in, with Shirai hitting said moonsault.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Cameron Grimes

This could be interesting. Timothy Thatcher comes out to watch as Ciampa takes Grimes down by the arm to start. Grimes fights up and is immediately elbowed in the face for his efforts. That’s enough for a trip to the floor, where Thatcher’s staredown doesn’t exactly work as Ciampa takes it back inside. A knee to Ciampa’s ribs takes him down for two and we take a break.

Back with Ciampa fighting out of a chinlock and grabbing a rollup for his own two. The clotheslines rock Grimes again and it’s a running knee in the corner for two more. Grimes is back with a knee to the face and the flipping powerslam gets two more. Ciampa catches him on top with some chops though and shoves Grimes outside in a heap. Cue Tyler Rust (Thatcher’s student) for a distraction though and Grimes gets in another shot. Not that it matters though as Ciampa gets him into the ropes and hits Willow’s Bell for the pin at 10:52.

Rating: C. This is something that could be better on a larger stage and with a little bit of a story, but for not it was a perfectly fine ten minute TV match. Ciampa vs. Thatcher continuing could be fine but what matters most is that Grimes isn’t running from Dexter Lumis any longer, as that wasn’t helping anyone. Fine enough match here, as Ciampa continues to reestablish himself.

Post match Ciampa and Thatcher stare each other down again, with Thatcher claiming innocence on the interference. Ciampa leaves so Grimes yells at Thatcher, who twists Grimes’ leg around to leave him laying.

Raquel Gonzalez is happy to have won WarGames on Sunday and to beat Io Shirai in particular. Now Dakota Kai is on the shelf, but tonight it’s time to make Ember Moon regret that she returned to NXT.

Here are Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell and Austin Theory for a celebratory chat, complete with Gargano dancing. Gargano dubs the team The Way, with Johnny and Candice bragging about their wins on Sunday. Gargano: “THAT’S THE WAY!” Theory: “The Milky Way!” Sure there were some issues, with LeRae breaking his arm and Gargano needing stitches in his mouth, but now he is the first ever three time North American Champion.

Candice has now led her team to victory in WarGames two years in a row, so she must be Ms. WarGames. Gargano is so happy that he has a special present for her. Indi has to get the present, which is imported from Italy. It’s….a trophy with Shotzi Blackheart’s head on top! Candice says she definitely deserve it but she doesn’t have a trophy for him.

That’s cool with Gargano, who has his North American Title. He and Theory are so in sync (as demonstrated with some high fives WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING) that they’ll be facing Damian Priest and Leon Ruff next week. Candice: “If you’re not in the Way, then stay out of our way.” Cue Priest to say he’s coming for revenge but Karrion Kross jumps him from behind for the beatdown, including a powerbomb on the stage. Kross walks to the back and gets in a car with Scarlett waiting.

Tyler Rust is in the back when Malcolm Bivens comes up and wants to talk business. Rust leaves with him.

Pete Dunne vs. Killian Dain

Dain slugs him into the corner to start and tosses Dunne around, followed by the pump kick to the jaw. Dunne bails outside, where Dain hits another pump kick. Dain manages to posting but headbutts the post by mistake to put him down for the first time. Back in and Dunne pounds him down in the corner, setting up some kicks to the face for a bonus. A quick suplex gives Dain the breather so Dunne is right back with one of his own.

There’s the stomp to the fingers and we take a break with Dain heading to the apron. Back with Dain fighting out of a chinlock and dropping down onto Dunne for the break. The release Rock Bottom into a slingshot hilo into a jackknife gives Dain two. Dunne is right back with a triangle choke, but Dain is right back with a sitout powerbomb for the break. Dain takes him up top for something like a fisherman’s superplex for two more.

With Dunne rocked, Dain loads up the Vader Bomb but here are Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch for the save. Drake Maverick runs down to chase them off with a chair, only to get jumped from behind. Dain makes the real save but Dunne catches him with a kick on the way back in. The Bitter End finishes Dain at 13:35.

Rating: C+. Dain got a lot out of this, but at the same time there is only so much that you can do when he never actually wins anything. Granted Dain should not be beating Dunne and it seems that we are getting ready for Dain/Dunne vs. Lorcan/Burch for the Tag Team Titles, but Dain winning something could do him some good. He did look aggressive here though, as he should have.

The Way comes up to Leon Ruff in the back to mock him for Damian Priest being taken out. Kushida comes up to say he’ll be Ruff’s partner, which works for Ruff.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon

They stare each other down to start until Moon’s early hurricanrana attempt is blocked. The middle rope Codebreaker gets blocked as well and Gonzalez starts yelling a lot. Gonzalez tosses her into the corner and then back out again as the power is on full display here. Moon can’t get a wristlock but can kick Gonzalez in the face. Gonzalez doesn’t seem to mind and knocks Moon down again for some elbow drops.

Moon fights out and hits a running Downward Spiral before knocking Gonzalez outside as we take a break. We come back with Gonzalez knocking her down again and working on the arm. Moon manages a hurricanrana into the corner, setting up the spinning snap suplex out of the corner. A tornado plants Gonzalez for two more but Moon can’t quite follow up.

Gonzalez is knocked outside and there’s the suicide dive to make it worse. That lasts all of a few seconds as Gonzalez pops up and lawn darts Moon face first into the post for….two. A running knee gives Moon two but the Eclipse is pulled out of the air (cool). The powerbomb is countered into a victory roll for two but the second attempt plants Moon for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: C+. This was a great way to make Gonzalez look like a monster, as she not only absorbed everything Moon threw at her, but she just blocked the Eclipse, which was one of the best weapons the women’s division has ever seen. They have to be gearing her up for the Shirai title shot either at Takeover or at New Year’s Evil, and after something like this is would be hard not to. Just don’t send someone flying head first into the post and have them keep going for a few more minutes. That shouldn’t be complicated.

Post match Toni Storm comes out after Ember Moon but Rhea Ripley makes the save and the Ripley vs. Gonzalez standoff ensues. Gonzalez bails to the floor but keeps her eyes locked on Ripley to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nothing on here was great, but they started setting up a lot of things for the next big show. There are some stories being set up for later with the wrestlers already starting to get ready for later. Given how fast things move around here anymore, they need to start faster and now I’m curious to see where a lot of these things go, which is a nice feeling to have so soon.

Results

Jake Atlas b. Isaiah Scott – Cradle

Grizzled Young Veterans b. Ever Rise and Imperium – Ticket to Mayhem to Parker

Tommaso Ciampa b. Cameron Grimes – Willow’s Bell

Pete Dunne b. Killian Dain – Bitter End

Raquel Gonzalez b. Ember Moon – Powerbomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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