IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: September 30, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips

It’s the go home show for Takeover, though I’m not sure you would realize that the show is coming up so soon based on the last few weeks. That has been a combination of the last of time before the show and the Coronavirus outbreak, neither of which are exactly good things. I’m not sure what that means for Sunday but NXT knows how to do a last minute build. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Dakota Kai vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Raquel Gonzalez is here with Kai. Shotzi doesn’t care for the trash talk to start and takes her down for some early hammering. Back up and Kai misses a kick to the chest, allowing Shotzi to roll her up for two. WELCOME TO THE BALL PIT has Kai in trouble and Shotzi hits a Codebreaker to the arm for two more. Shotzi takes her down by the leg and puts on….I guess you would say a Gory Stretch with the legs tied up on the mat.

Kai is face first on the mat so Shotzi pops up to drop down onto her back for a pretty unique hold. Back up and Kai knocks her into the corner as the pace slows down a bit. A faceplant gives Kai two of her own and it’s time for some choking on the ropes. Kai misses a charge and gets sent into the ropes though, only to have Gonzalez offer a distraction. A backbreaker plants Blackheart and we take a break.

Back with Shotzi hitting a dropkick into the corner and scoring with a reverse Sling Blade. The reverse Cannonball against the ropes hits Kai’s back again but she gets up some knees in the corner. They head to the apron for a slugout with Shotzi scoring with a kick to the head. Sliced Bread onto the apron drops Kai, though Shotzi landing on her own head didn’t help things. Thankfully she’s ok so Gonzalez trips her down, drawing out Rhea Ripley to jump Gonzalez from behind. Back in and Shotzi avoids the running kick in the corner, setting up a rollup to pin Kai at 13:33.

Rating: C. That landing was rather scary but Shotzi got back up so it was all fine. The more I see of Shotzi, the more I like her and this was one of the bigger wins of her career. Above all else, she looks and seems different, which is going to help more than anything else. Kai continues to be rather good as well, making this a nice match which was brought down by having a bit too much going on with the interference.

We get a sitdown interview between Santos Escobar and Isaiah Scott. Isaiah talks about how he’s the only person to beat Escobar in NXT and he’ll win the title on Sunday. Escobar calls Scott a loose end that he’ll tie up at Takeover. The match will be fair, but Scott doesn’t seem convinced. Why does Escobar always have the bag of tricks or Legado del Fantasma? Escobar calls those excuses but Scott says he’s ready to showcase what he is really capable of. It’s time to reveal Escobar as a fraud, but Escobar says he’ll expose Scott as a failure. This got me a little more interested in the title match so it did what it was supposed to do.

We get a new video from the mystery person, this time riding a motorcycle and then looking at a flier for Takeover. They put that in their pocket and we cut to the scene from last week with the titles. We’ll find out who it is at Takeover.

It’s time for a Prime Target on Kyle O’Reilly, who took to wrestling like a fish takes to water. He loves NXT but he would be doing this for $5 every other weekend if that’s all he could do. The Undisputed Era is the best thing that ever happened to him and we get comments from Adam Cole, who is so proud of Kyle for trying to become champion. O’Reilly talks about how everything has been building to this Sunday. This is just a second wave of the Golden Prophecy and that is undisputed.

Tegan Nox has torn her ACL again. I’m not convinced she is ever wrestling again and that’s horrible.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano aren’t sad about Nox’s injury (Gargano: “She broke our TV, you tore her ACL. It’s even.”), but they are focused on achieving destiny on Sunday. It starts tonight with their mixed tag and they insult the interviewer after she leaves.

Here’s Cameron Grimes to say he had all of the chances last week but it was all taken away in a Gauntlet Eliminator. That couldn’t have been William Regal’s idea because Regal would come up with a better idea. So tonight it’s time for the Cameron Grimes Stepping Stone To The Moon match. Here’s our first opponent.

Cameron Grimes vs. Joey Pistachio

Pistachio apparently was in the 85 pound NCAA weight class and gets Caved In at 9 seconds. I think that’s MLW’s Ariel Dominguez, and given that his vest said Ariel Dominguez, I might be onto something here.

Grimes has another opponent but Ridge Holland jumps him from behind and takes his place.

Cameron Grimes vs. Ridge Holland

Ridge throws him around with a suplex and unloads with stomps, eventually getting DQ’d at 33 seconds. That worked, as Holland looked like a monster.

Austin Theory isn’t happy because he should have been in the Gauntlet Eliminator last week. He was 22 at Wrestlemania and Kyle O’Reilly is just now getting his NXT Title shot. Maybe O’Reilly should be catching up to him.

Kushida talks about how hard it was to move everything to America, including his family, but now the setup is complete and he can concentrate on the ring. Velveteen Dream will be his stepping stone at Takeover because the new Kushida is vicious.

Kushida vs. Tony Nese

Nese poses to start so Kushida kicks him in the face but Nese snaps the throat across the top. Back in and Kushida kicks him in the face, only to get caught in the pumphandle powerslam. That’s countered into an armbar, with Kushida bulldogging the arm down. A bunch of stomps set up the Hoverboard Lock to make Nese tap at 2:13.

Post match here’s Velveteen Dream on the screen. He thinks the spotlight will be too bright for Kushida on Sunday, but that’s where Dream puts on his best performances.

Cameron Grimes wants to know where William Regal is but runs into Dexter Lumis, who he calls a freak. Great, more Lumis.

Here’s Adam Cole to talk about how dominant Undisputed Era has been but what matters is people knew that if you crossed the team, you would pay. Then they lost those titles, but nothing has changed. They are the same Undisputed Era who won the first WarGames match in WWE history and they have dominated NXT like no one other. Austin Theory wants to talk trash about Kyle O’Reilly, so come say it to his face. Cue Theory, with Cole saying he can come face him right now or wait there so Cole can come face him.

Adam Cole vs. Austin Theory

Cole chops away to start and then stomps Theory down in the corner. A neckbreaker puts Theory down but the threat of a pump kick puts him on the floor. Cole follows him outside to hit the pump kick and then sends Theory hard into the steps. Back in and Cole scores with another kick to the face, setting up a neckbreaker for two. There’s a suplex and Cole really doesn’t seem impressed.

A dropkick to the leg in the ropes sets up a chinlock, with Theory trying to fight up, as he should. An elbow to the jaw cuts Theory down again but he gets to the apron for the rolling dropkick. We take a break and come back with Theory stomping away in the corner and grabbing a chinlock. A standing moonsault gets two on Cole but he makes the comeback with some shots to the face.

Another kick to the head rocks Theory again and the Backstabber gets two. Cole kicks him in the face again and hits the fireman’s carry backbreaker for another near fall. The Panama Sunrise is blocked and Theory hits the spinning torture rack powerbomb for his own two. Theory starts the trash talk as they slug it out from their knees. Cole superkicks him to the apron and then nails another one. The Last Shot finishes Theory at 13:09.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to really move towards Cole’s face run. It had started earlier on but this was about as clear cut as you can get, which is a smart way to go. There is nothing left for the Undisputed Era to accomplish as a team so having them work more on their own but being able to come together when they can is a good idea. It’s better than having them go to the main roster and see whatever kind of nonsense WWE can come up with for them. Theory looked good here too, and it’s a rather smart move to have him in there with one of the best in NXT.

Post match Cole says O’Reilly is ready for the title.

Damian Priest and Io Shirai laugh off the idea that Johnny Gargano and Candace LeRae are the power couple of NXT. Tonight is a preview of Takeover because they’re keeping their titles on Sunday and winning tonight. Io agrees that they are the rockstars. Priest: “That’s cool as h***.” Shirai: “He’s not bad.”

Kayden Carter vs. Xia Li

They go straight to a pinfall reversal sequence and it’s an early standoff. Carter gets two more off a rollup and hits a springboard spinning dropkick to put Li on the floor. Li pulls her out for a big crash and it’s time for some aggressive stomping back inside. The kickout draws some yelling and Carter comes back with a basement superkick for two. They go into another pinfall reversal sequence with Carter getting the pin off a sunset flip at 3:22.

Rating: C. Just a match here as they continue to build up the women’s midcard. I can always go for more of Carter and Catanzaro so it’s working out well enough in a short match. They packed a nice bit of action into the match and Carter might be a nice little something in the future.

Shawn Michaels emcees a sitdown interview with Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly. They shake hands and Finn offers some respect for Kyle becoming #1 contender. Shawn knows Balor is great but he might be facing the best kept secret in wrestling. Balor talks about how Kyle might only be a secret to the fringe wrestling fans but he knows exactly who O’Reilly is. Kyle calls Balor a fighting champion, even when he is facing certain defeat, like he is at Takeover.

Finn brings up the Undisputed Era and Kyle says he’s coming alone because it’s about him and not the team. Shawn sticks with the Undisputed Era idea and says there is no power struggle between himself and Adam Cole. Kyle wants the Prince at Takeover and Balor says there is going to be no room for luck on Sunday.

Things get more serious as Balor says there is a difference between a one night win and a win that changes your life. Kyle thinks it’s BS to consider him the underdog and he’s ready to blow up Balor’s kneecaps. Balor gets the last word, saying Kyle could be champion if he was facing anyone else. Good here as usual, though I’m not sure how much bigger it made things.

Takeover rundown.

Candice LeRae/Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest/Io Shirai

Priest and Shirai clear the ring before the bell until the men start things off. Gargano makes him miss to start until Priest hits a big boot. There’s a big side slam to put Johnny down again and it’s off to the women. A flapjack puts LeRae down so Gargano gets in Shirai’s face. That brings Priest in to kick him in the head, meaning Shirai can hit the double knees in the corner. Shirai climbs onto Priest’s shoulders to dive onto LeRae and we take a break.

Back with LeRae cranking on the neck and cockily kicking her in the head. Shirai snaps off a German suplex and brings in Priest to clean house. The running elbow in the corner gives Priest two but Gargano slips out of a Razor’s Edge. Priest and Gargano exchange kicks to the head with Priest being knocked into the corner for the tag back to Shirai. A springboard missile dropkick hits LeRae and we hit the Crossface.

Gargano makes the save and LeRae hits a quick backsplash to Shirai. The butterfly backbreaker drops LeRae but Gargano breaks up the moonsault. Instead Priest puts Gargano down and Shirai moonsaults him for…no count because the referee is good at his job. LeRae breaks up the Reckoning with a low blow and Gargano adds One Final Beat for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here and Gargano pinning Priest is as good of an ending as they had here. That seems to be the less secure of the two title changes and Gargano needed the win a bit more. The match was good stuff too with Shirai and Priest getting to showcase themselves rather well.

Post match Gargano grabs both titles and hands one to LeRae to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a hard task in front of it and yet they still managed to pull it off for the most part. They had to manage to give a hard sell to a show that isn’t exactly thrilling and has almost no time to be set up in the first place. It went well enough, but they had a hard climb starting in loose rocks. That is going to be the case on Sunday as well, and this show only did so much to get there. It wasn’t a great show, but it had a lot to pull off and they did it well enough.

Results

Shotzi Blackheart b. Dakota Kai – Rollup

Cameron Grimes b. Joey Pistachio – Cave In

Cameron Grimes b. Ridge Holland via DQ when Holland would not stop attacking

Kushida b. Tony Nese – Hoverboard Lock

Adam Cole b. Austin Theory – Last Shot

Kayden Carter b. Xia Li – Sunset flip

Johnny Gargano/Candice LeRae b. Damian Priest/Io Shirai – One Final Beat to Priest

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 1, 2006
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler

Backlash has come and gone and that means things are going to be slowing down a little bit. There is no Raw pay per view in May so the next one is coming up in June with One Night Stand. The big story coming out of last night saw HHH pretty much turning face despite losing in the main event where John Cena retained the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

Vince McMahon brags about beating Shawn Michaels and God so tonight, he’s taking the night off. As for tonight, the Spirit Squad is in charge as the co-General Managers. The team comes in and says Kenny is going to face John Cena for the World Title, thanks to winning a Spirit Straw drawing. This is going to be a very loud night.

Opening sequence.

Torrie Wilson/Maria vs. Victoria/Mickie James

As per the Spirit Squad’s orders, they’re all in cheerleaders outfits. Mickie and Victoria jump them to start and it’s Torrie in early trouble. She manages a drop toehold to bring Victoria down though and it’s off to Maria to beat up both villains at once. Torrie gives Victoria a Stink Face and Maria hits a Bronco Buster on Mickie, which just annoys Victoria all over again. Mickie tries to suplex Maria back inside but here’s Trish to trip her up, giving Maria the fluke pin.

Spirit Squad vs. Eugene/Snitsky/Goldust

The unlikely trio is dubbed the Odd Squad. Goldust and Mikey (Why did they drop the gear that had their names?) start but it’s quickly off to Eugene to chop him in the head. Eugene misses a charge into the post as we see Candice Michelle sitting on Vince’s lap. Nicky comes in to beat on Eugene and get two and Johnny grabs a chinlock. Eugene fights up and hits a Rock Bottom on Mikey, allowing the hot tag to Snitsky. That means a big boot to Nicky so Johnny comes back in. Everything breaks down and the Johnny Go Round kick finishes Eugene.

Rating: D+. This was just a showcase win for the Spirit Squad and it worked out as well as could be expected. The Spirit Squad is good enough and that means they can get a little something out of a nothing match like this. If nothing else they didn’t bother with drama here because it would have been a pretty big waste of time.

During the break, Mickie James beat up Maria during the Kiss Cam.

Eugene is asked how it feels to lose, sending him into a far more coherent than usual talk about how he still has a job, unlike his Uncle Eric. Matt Striker jumps him with a dictionary.

This Week In Wrestling History: Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon beat Shawn Michaels and God at Backlash 2006.

The Spirit Squad comes in to see Shawn (with Big Show and Charlie Haas for a weird trio). Tonight, he can have the night off as a wrestler but he’s going to be the referee for Kane vs. Rob Conway. Oh and he has a special referee shirt with MAY 19 written all over.

We look back at Kane going nuts against Big Show last night. You remember: when we could hear his thoughts for some reason.

Kane vs. Rob Conway

Shawn Michaels is guest referee and Conway finds his plight rather funny. Therefore, Shawn jumps him and puts the MAY 19 shirt on him. Cue Kane and the destruction is on in a hurry. Kane hammers away as Shawn chills on the middle rope. Conway tries to escape over the barricade and is quickly pulled back by the somewhat partial referee. Shawn grabs a trashcan and just happens to look away when Kane hits Conway in the head. There’s the chokeslam and Kane leaves, only to have Shawn grab a mic and say May 19 a few times. That’s enough for Kane to comeback for a Tombstone to complete the destruction. This was funny.

Umaga vs. Rory Fox

Umaga smashes the guy and finishes with the usual in a hurry.

Candice Michelle is glad that Vince has healed his cold and asks for help with, and I quote, her labiagitis. A very banged up HHH comes in to interrupt and Vince offers him the special guest referee spot in the main event. That doesn’t quite work as HHH should just get the title shot but Vince isn’t sure. HHH sees it as punishment but if Kenny wins the title, he wants the first shot. Otherwise, HHH might not do it. Vince highly suggests that HHH be referee tonight because Vince remembers HHH calling him an old man. If HHH doesn’t do it, he won’t get another title shot until he’s an old man.

It’s time for the Cutting Edge, with Edge not being happy because he wasn’t pinned last night. Therefore, he still has a claim to the WWE Title. He’s used to it though, because his Wrestlemania match was ruined too. Yes he stole the show, but it was called by some ECW reject. Edge: “OH MY GOD Joey you suck.” With that out of the way, here’s Mick Foley as this week’s guest. Foley says he remembers the Wrestlemania match too and has spent the last month trying to find out what went wrong.

The more he watches it though, the more he realizes that nothing was wrong. He was more violent than ever and he was part of maybe the greatest hardcore match in wrestling history. On that one night, he was face to face with the toughest man in the WWE. Foley shakes his hand and the fans are really unsure about this one. Even though he lost the match, he got the defining Wrestlemania moment, just like Edge said he would. We see the end of the match with Edge looking traumatized after the spear into the flaming table. Foley: “THERE IT IS!”

Foley saw the look in Edge’s eyes, knowing that it was all downhill for him. Now Foley wants to go through this again right here tonight. Edge says he’s overcoming strep throat….but Foley is on. (Joey: “NEXT WEEK!”) He’s on crack that is because that isn’t happening. Just out of principle though, Edge will face Foley in any match he wants next week. Foley thinks the name Cutting Edge is appropriate, because next week, he’ll be cutting Edge with anything he can find. Save up that throat so you can scream for mercy. Oh and try to have a nice day. There was something odd about this and I think that’s the point.

Video on Backlash.

Here’s Chris Masters to say that last night’s loss to Carlito was a fluke. If Carlito tries that again, he’ll be spitting teeth instead of apples. Moving on though, Rob Van Dam may have won the Intercontinental Title but he can’t break the Masterlock. Cue Van Dam to take the challenge but here’s Shelton Benjamin to jump Van Dam as the hold goes on. Carlito runs in for the save with a chair so here’s Nicky to cheer a tag announcement.

Carlito/Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin/Chris Masters

Joined in progress with Masters holding a chinlock and we cut to Vince and Candice canoodling. Back with Shelton holding his own chinlock as Joey has received a note at ringside. The Spirit Squad wants to see him in the back right now as Shelton gets two. So Lawler is on his own on commentary as Rob scores with a spinwheel kick on Masters.

The hot tag brings in Carlito as Lawler is actually managing to do play by play. Masters decks Carlito from behind and Shelton adds a kick to the head. Van Dam comes in with the top rope kick to the face and Carlito Backstabs Masters. A rollup with trunks gives Carlito the pin on Shelton.

Rating: C-. They got some action into a pretty short match, though I’m almost scared to see where the Styles deal is going. What we got was good enough and the Intercontinental Title picture is starting to get interesting. Van Dam tends to be the placeholder champion more than anything else so I’m not sure where this is going, but it could work well.

Smackdown Rebound.

The Spirit Squad shoves Joey onto a couch and says they want to hear more spirit from him. Otherwise, they’ll have Vince make him wear a cheerleader outfit for commentary next week. They want extra spirit when he announces that Kenny is the new WWE Champion.

Post break Joey returns to commentary and Lawler calls him a cheerleader. Lawler wants to hear the Kenny line but Joey doesn’t want to do this. ECW is mentioned, and Joey says if this was ECW, he wouldn’t be working with a hack like Lawler. Joey takes off his glasses and slaps Lawler, who calls him a little idiot and shoves him down. Styles walks off and then runs to the back. Well that made the show better. Joey being gone, not the angle.

Post another break, Lawler apologizes and asks Joey to come back out here and finish the show. Joey, sans glasses, comes out to the stage and says he isn’t coming back. Thanks to the magic of live TV, he is going to show the world why he was the uncensored loose cannon of commentary for seven years in ECW. Six months ago, WWE called him because they had humiliated and fired JR again.

From week one, he has gotten an ongoing lecture between wrestling and sports entertainment. He can’t say things like wrestler or wrestling because it’s sports entertainment with superstars. Styles is supposed to ignore the moves and holds to tell stories. Well that’s insulting to wrestlers who leave their families to ply their craft in that ring. That’s why he was pulled from Wrestlemania because he doesn’t sound like Jim Ross. Then he gets bumped from BACKLASH? He called live pay per views in ECW because he was good enough to do it on his own.

Joey is sick of sports entertainment and storytelling and bathroom humor. He’s also sick of Vince McMahon mocking God and making out with the Divas for his own amusement. Finally he’s sick of the fans who buy this garbage. He never needed this job or wanted this job so he quits. Lawler isn’t impressed and seems to be finishing on his own.

It was a nice speech, but at the end of the day, Joey is hardly some saint of commentary and I’ll be glad to have JR back. Yeah Joey can call a lot of moves. That would make him a heck of a radio announcer, but when I can see all of the moves as they happen, I don’t need to have someone calling every single one of them. That being said, a lot of the other things that he said was rather accurate, though there is no reason to believe that this is going to be some big game changer.

Todd Grisham joins commentary.

Raw World Title: Kenny vs. John Cena

Cena is defending, HHH is guest referee and the rest of the Spirit Squad is here. Cena isn’t looking thrilled here but he hammers Kenny into the ring and hits a delayed vertical suplex. The FU is loaded up but HHH punches him in the face (I can go with not wasting time with being subtle) and the Squad piles onto him outside. Back in and Kenny hammers on the wounded head from last night.

Cena is sent outside for another group beatdown, including a whip into the steps. That’s good for two, as is a jumping elbow to the face. Kenny does a You Can’t See Me neckbreaker, causing HHH to rather halfheartedly go does to cover again. That’s enough for Kenny, who shoves HHH and gets punched down. There’s the Pedigree and HHH tells the Spirit Squad to bring it.

They only get on the apron and that’s enough for HHH, who walks off. Cue Shawn Michaels in his own referee shirt but first he has to have the big dramatic staredown with HHH. Kenny hits the top rope legdrop so Shawn comes in to count two before stopping. Sweet Chin Music drops Kenny and it’s Cena and Shawn beating up the Squad. Shawn superkicks Mikey and feigns sleepwalking, leaving Cena to FU Kenny to retain.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t the point here as this was a pretty easy way to end the show. There was no chance that Kenny was winning but they didn’t really waste time teasing that he would. The Shawn/HHH/Cena stuff is interesting as they’re swapping Shawn into Edge’s spot (yeah I’m stunned too) but at least we got something pretty fast paced which didn’t waste time before getting to the obvious finish.

Post match Shawn and Cena shake hands with Shawn throwing him the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was definitely the night off show after last night’s pay per view, but they set some stuff up for later. The part that worries me is setting up Joey Styles as the big angle, even if it isn’t going to be some top story. Angles involving people like commentators or referees rarely work because they aren’t the important parts of the show, but if it gets JR back, I’ll take it. Other than that, the show was a lot of short matches, though they should set up some important stuff later.

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

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Dynamite
Date: September 30, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Taz

Things were shaken up in a pretty big way last week so things should be back to normal this time around. The roster had to deal with a Coronavirus outbreak last time around but all roads are leading towards the anniversary show in two weeks anyway. That includes World Champion Jon Moxley defending against Lance Archer and the champ is in action tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Ricky Starks

The long awaited showdown. Before his entrance, we get the latest Allin stunt video. Allin pulls him into a choke to start and they’re quickly on the apron, with Starks being suplexed down and out to the floor. There’s a dive to the floor but here’s Brian Cage to offer a distraction. Will Hobbs comes out to break it up and fight Cage to the back so Starks gets in a shot to the back to take over.

Starks pounds him down and even hits a reverse curb stomp for two. The Roshambo is countered into a Code Red for two and they’re both down again. They slap it out with Allin getting the better of things, sending Taz into hysterics. The flipping Stunner connects but Starks spears him out of the air for two more. Starks takes it up top and tries a super Roshambo but Allin knocks him off the top. The Coffin Drop gives Allin the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. These two have been built up for a showdown for a few weeks now and what we finally got was mostly worth the wait. They are both stars in the making and it’s great to see the two of them out there doing their thing. It was also nice to have a definitive winner, and hopefully that doesn’t lead straight into a rematch for no reason other than they need to have a rematch.

Here’s what’s coming for the rest of the show.

Here’s Cody for his first (wrestling) comments since losing to Brodie Lee. Cody talks about his trainer, Al Snow, saying you’ll always wrestle hurt but you should never wrestle injured. All these years later, Cody would offer this retort: what if the injury went beyond your body and was inside your soul? Cody talks about the tradition of shaking hands in the back (at least pre-pandemic) because the wrestlers need each other. The marquee has two names on it: you vs. someone else.

Now imagine if you lose your title and then you get that 323 phone call from Hollywood. Then he found himself sitting on the set of a show near Rosario Dawson and Snoop Dogg but he’s the guy who got beat in three minutes. Cody is back now but while he was gone he has heard people talking about being the future or the ace. He would love to say that he has the honor of being the ace, but that can only be the people who are holding the singles titles around here: Hikaru Shida, Jon Moxley or the man carrying the ace belt himself, Brodie Lee.

As for the dog collar match against Lee, the answer….is no, and Cody walks away. Actually hang on as he comes back to say that means NO regrets because he’s in for the dog collar match for the TNT Title next week. Cue the Dark Order for the brawl but a bunch of wrestlers come out to break it up. Brandi hits a dive onto the Dark Order because Brandi is a star and you will accept it. Anna Jay comes out to brawl with her and Nyla Rose jumps the barricade to stomp KiLynn King. Lee breaks through security and comes after Cody again to little avail. They’re finally broken up for good.

FTR and Tully Blanchard don’t think much of the Best Friends wanting a title shot but SCU is a different story. As for the Young Bucks, why should they get a title shot when they keep losing their big matches? Is it because Dave Meltzer loves them? Cue Matt Jackson to superkick Tony Schiavone and leave when FTR asks why they didn’t kick them.

SCU is ready to win the Tag Team Titles back. Shawn Spears comes in to sarcastically wish Scorpio Sky good luck, because they’re still trying with Spears for reasons I don’t want to try and fathom.

Tag Team Titles: SCU vs. FTR

FTR, with Tully Blanchard, is defending and SCU has Christopher Daniels in their corner. Hangman Page is on commentary for a bonus. Sky dropkicks Harwood for an early two but gets taken into the champs’ corner. That goes nowhere as Sky escapes and it’s a headlock takeover to put Wheeler down for a change. Back up and they trade leapfrogs until Wheeler throws himself down and blames Daniels.

That’s worthy of an ejection and FTR is knocked outside as JR talks about Schiavone being superkicked not being “part of the show.” FTR takes Sky down on the floor and we take a break. Back with Sky hitting a Russian legsweep and bringing Kazarian in to clean house. Kazarian cradles Harwood and suplexes Wheeler for two at the same time, followed by a fisherman’s suplex for two on Wheeler alone. Harwood takes Kazarian down but an elbow to the face allows the tag back to Sky.

Everything breaks down and a high crossbody/sunset flip gets a double near fall on the champs. Stereo slingshot cutters get the same but SCU collides, allowing Wheeler to dragon suplex Kazarian for two. Kazarian gets crotched on top but the powerbomb/top rope clothesline is powerslammed out of the air for a rather near fall. Sky grabs some quick rollups for two each on Wheeler, even with Tully grabbing Wheeler’s hand to try and block one. Sky tries a suplex but Tully sweeps the leg and holds it down so Wheeler can get the pin at 15:44.

Rating: B. They surprised me by not going to the time limit here and it makes FTR look like a bigger deal by beating former champs rather than having to settle for a draw. FTR feels like a dominant team and that’s a great thing to have around. SCU is very valuable as well as they can take a loss like this and not really blink an eye. Good match too, but were you expecting something else with these teams?

Excalibur announces a #1 contenders tournament with the finals at Full Gear. We know three of the eight participants so far: Jungle Boy, Rey Fenix and Kenny Omega, with the final announcement making Page rather emotional.

Isaiah Kassidy vs. Chris Jericho

Matt Hardy, Marq Quen and the rest of the Inner Circle is here too. Jericho gets in Kassidy’s face to start and Kassidy looks a little shaken. That’s playing possum though as Kassidy takes him down and hammers away but Jericho comes right back with shots of his own. They head outside with Jericho being sent over the barricade, where Luther punches Jericho back and clotheslines him back to ringside.

Kassidy hits the big dive and a Swanton gets two back inside. Jericho gets in another good shot though and we take a break. Back with Jericho’s running bulldog being countered into a crotching in the corner. Kassidy hits a springboard flipping Stunner for a near fall and a springboard non-flipping Stunner gets two more. The Lionsault misses so Kassidy hits his own Codebreaker for another two. Jericho has finally had enough of this and hits the Judas Effect for the pin at 11:03.

Rating: C. Jericho continues to try and get people over, which only works so well when he keeps doing it over and over. It was far from a bad match, though I’m not exactly interested in seeing the Inner Circle vs. the Chaos Project (Luther and Serpentico, because they needed a team name too). The match was fine with Kassidy doing his high flying but not being good enough, but it wasn’t exactly a thrilling setup to get here.

Post match the Inner Circle jumps Quen, along with getting in a brawl with Luther and Serpentico.

Kip Sabian and Miro discuss the bachelor party, which needs to be epic. Miro makes phone calls while Sabian throws axes. Now it’s off to an arcade where they play Pac-Man…with Billy Mitchell, a famous video gamer. He has an idea if Miro is interested.

The Best Friends and Orange Cassidy are asked about what happened to them last week but FTR comes in to say the three of them are comedic backyard wrestlers. They can get in the van, half milk and cookies and be midcard relief. Top guys out. Cassidy grabs a mic and calls them weenies. I’m sure there will be a shirt by Friday.

10 vs. Orange Cassidy

A good chunk of the Dark Order is here, along with the Best Friends. 10 takes Cassidy’s sunglasses and gives them to Silver, who dances in celebration….I think. Cassidy gets caught in a swinging Downward Spiral for one, followed by a delayed vertical suplex for two. Back up and Cassidy grabs a rollup for his own two, only to walk into a spinebuster.

10 kicks him out to the floor, where Dark Order mocks the Big Hug. The distraction lets Cassidy hit a dive off the top to take the team out, only to have his high crossbody pulled out of the air. Cassidy hits a tornado DDT and the Orange Punch is good for….well not even enough to put 10 down. The Beach Break ends 10 at 3:30.

Rating: C-. Not much in the way of a match but Cassidy getting a win after last week’s loss was a good idea. This was more of the serious version of Cassidy, which often helps a good bit. The goofy shtick is going to get old in a hurry if he does it all the time, so going with something else from time to time is a good idea. It wasn’t a great match or anything, but it went as it should have.

MJF and Wardlow come in to see the Inner Circle, complete with customized jackets for the team. Well not for Sammy Guevara actually, as there is nothing left in the box. MJF says this wasn’t on purpose but Sammy and Jericho (using the same words back to back) want to know why MJF is here. Jericho thanks him for the jackets but wants to know what MJF wants.

MJF says he asked Jericho a long time ago if he wanted MJF on the team. This turns into a “do you want me in/do you want in” argument until Hager and Wardlow get into a staredown. Jericho says they appreciate the jackets, which were a very MJF move. MJF says it’s a very Jericho move to notice. He and Wardlow leave in peace, prompting Sammy to dub MJF a loser. Jericho says maybe not as this is starting to get interesting.

Britt Baker vs. Red Velvet

Baker takes her down into a rollup to start as Taz brags about the dental plan that Team Taz has. It’s off to a hammerlock on the mat with Baker driving a forearm into the side of the head. Velvet is back up with a leg lariat and a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog gets two. Baker is right back with a hammerlock lariat and there’s a kick into the ropes. Another into the bottom rope has Velvet in even more trouble but she gets in a rollup. The superkick sets up a fisherman’s neckbreaker to give Baker…the chance to trash talk instead of cover. A Stomp is enough to finish Velvet at 4:39.

Rating: C-. They kept this short as Baker was in her first real match in about four months. Velvet is someone who has been around for a good while on Dark and has gotten to showcase herself multiple times. The match wasn’t anything great but all that mattered was getting Baker back out there and showcasing some more. Well done on that count, which is what mattered.

Post match Baker puts on the Lockjaw for a bonus.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Eddie Kingston is in the ring with the Lucha Bros and referee Bryce Remsburg. Eddie talks about getting choked out last week but he never tapped or said he gave up. So why did Remsburg call the match like that? Remsburg says Eddie was unresponsive last week. They’ve known each other for years and last week they were in their professional lives so Remsburg did his job. The beatdown is teased but here’s Jon Moxley to break it up. Eddie says cut the music and here’s the Butcher from behind Moxley to start their match.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. The Butcher

Moxley is defending and chops out of the corner to start. A running knee misses though and Butcher counters a chop into a slam to take over. Butcher runs him over with a clothesline and we take a break. Back with Butcher working on the leg but Moxley pulls him into a cross armbreaker. Butcher reverses that into a half crab to stay on the leg but lets it go to hit a running powerslam.

The half crab goes on again, followed by a failed attempt at a Brock Lock. They head outside with Moxley avoiding a charge to send Butcher into the barricade. Eddie and the Bros try to fire Butcher up again and it’s time to head back inside for the slugout. Butcher hits a crossbody and a Rock Bottom for two, followed by a big leg for the same.

For some reason Butcher goes up but gets caught by Moxley, who brings him back down into a superplex. Butcher is right back with another leglock but Moxley gets away again. This time it’s a jumping piledriver for one on Butcher, who is able to block another superplex attempt. A middle rope crossbody gets two on Moxley but he pops back up with the Paradigm Shift into the bulldog choke to retain at 14:34.

Rating: C+. This got some time and they worked a classic formula, but Butcher might not be the kind of guy you want working a nearly fifteen minute main event singles match. He’s a good brawler and worked well enough here, but it felt like he was trying to figure out what to do next at times. Moxley knows how to work this style rather well though and they wound up being pretty good.

Moxley and Kingston stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Another show that might not have been great but it was certainly good enough to do its job. They didn’t focus as much on the anniversary show this week, but given Archer’s status that is pretty excusable. What we got was good enough, as usual, as AEW continues to not really have bad shows. I can certainly live with a company whose low end is one of the better shows of the week and that’s what this show usually is.

Results

Darby Allin b. Ricky Starks – Coffin Drop

FTR b. SCU – Wheeler reversed a suplex from Sky

Chris Jericho b. Isaiah Kassidy – Judas Effect

Orange Cassidy b. 10 – Beach Breaker

Britt Baker b. Red Velvet – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Jon Moxley b. Butcher – Bulldog choke

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

Sometimes you need a break.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-miss/

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Dark
Date: September 29, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

Things are a bit shorter this week with nine matches instead of the recent trend of eleven. That could be a bit of a relief as Dark has a tendency to be very padded out more often than not. It’s ok to cut some of these things out and let the show breathe a bit, which thankfully they are doing this time around. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary says this is a super sized Dark. When in the world is a regular show not closer to this length?

Shawn Spears joins commentary for the opener.

SCU vs. Ray Rosas/Ryzin

It’s Scorpio Sky/Frankie Kazarian for SCU this time around. Kazarian headlocks Rosas down to start and then runs him over with a shoulder. Spears complains about Kazarian getting the better opportunities as Sky comes in with a good looking dropkick. It’s off to Ryzin for some shots to Sky but it’s already back to Kazarian to suplex Rosas.

A shot in the corner lets Rosas hit a missile dropkick for one and Kazarian is taken into the wrong corner. Ryzin’s powerbomb gets two as Spears thinks he’s in Sky’s head. Rosas misses a charge into the corner and Kazarian rolls over Ryzin’s back for the hot tag to Sky. The slingshot cutter drops Ryzin and it’s SCU Later to finish Rosas at 6:25.

Rating: C. SCU is always worth a look and they were against some good opponents here, as Ryzin has looked at least decent in all of his appearances. It’s a nice choice for an opener and they didn’t slow down for the most part. Spears was helping a bit, but don’t make me try to care about him because we’re WAY past that point.

John Silver isn’t happy with teaming with Colt Cabana tonight but Evil Uno tells him to calm down. Cabana comes up and asks if they’re doing a promo, which Silver confirms. Uno really needs an adjusted voice because his regular one is really average.

Alex Gracia vs. Penelope Ford

Ricky Starks is on commentary this time and Ford has Kip Sabian with him. And yes it’s Gracia, not Garcia, who is dubbed The Pink Dream. Ford takes her down and messes with Gracia’s hair but the trash talking allows Gracia to grab a rollup for two. Gracia is back up with a running dropkick to send Ford outside (with Taz making it clear that Starks could do as well) but she comes back with choking on the rope. A fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two on Gracia and the fisherman’s suplex gives Ford the pin at 3:22.

Rating: C-. Ford is someone who is getting better over time and that’s the point in putting her in the ring for matches like this. She’s far away from being the future or even the star of the division but a little movement forward is better than nothing. Gracia didn’t get to showcase herself that much here, but she didn’t look bad by any means.

Best Friends vs. M’Badu/BSHP King

Trent and M’Badu start things off with Trent being shoved hard into the corner. Trent slips out of a gorilla press and forearms away before doing his own pose. Taylor and King come in with the latter hitting a hard shoulder as commentary is in their own world again. A double back elbow drops King again but he gets fired up in the corner and tells Trent to bring it.

Chuck gets taken into the corner so M’Badu can unload on him but King misses a Swanton. M’Badu comes in and misses a Stinger Splash, allowing the hot tag off to Trent to start sticking and moving. Trent’s tornado DDT plants M’Badu and it’s Soul Food into a dragon suplex to drop him again. Strong Zero finishes M’Badu at 5:49.

Rating: C+. M’Badu looks like a star, King looks good, Trent looks like a talented wrestler, and Chuck continues to look like he won a contest. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think is his strong point but it’s not exactly something that is overly obvious. I’ve always liked Trent and the team is getting better, but sweet goodness Chuck is dragging it down.

Brandon Cutler yells about going to a tie with Peter Avalon, who is dubbed the “bug eyed bookworm”. There will be a rematch, so keep your schedule open.

Jurassic Express vs. Dark Order

It’s 5 and 10 for the Order here and Marko Stunt is here too so he can…wave. What a worthwhile employee. Luchasaurus scares 5 over to the corner for the tag to 10, who Luchasaurus (mostly) muscles over with a belly to belly suplex. Boy and 5 come in and it’s a grapple off into a standoff. A fireman’s carry takes 5 down as Starks dubs the Order as Nickels and Dimes.

Boy armdrags 5 into an armbar and it’s back to Luchasaurus for a buckle bomb. That’s enough for him though and Boy comes back in to get caught in the wrong corner. 10’s suplex gets two as commentary discusses who is the most attractive person in the ring. A backdrop into a middle rope dropkick gets two on Boy but he comes back with a clothesline.

Boy rolls over and brings in Luchasaurus to clean house, which is what he should be doing most of the time. The Tail Whip drops 10 and the reverse Death Valley Driver plants 5 for two. A powerslam into a frog splash gets a VERY close two on Boy, who comes back with strikes to both of them. Luchasaurus chokeslams 10 and the Extinction Level Event is good for the pin at 9:38.

Rating: C. This was an improvement, mainly because there was a little drama in there. While the Express was never in any serious doubt, it was nice to have at least a glimmer of a hope of an upset. That is lacking so often around here and it was nice to see something a little different for a change.

Luther and Serpentico talk about being born evil and promise to destroy Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison. They’re now the Chaos Project, because everyone needs to be in a team or stable.

Gunn Club vs. Shawn Dean/Cezar Bononi

We really do have to get the Gunn Club in here every time don’t we? The other Gunn is here too and Starks isn’t impressed. Austin and Shawn start things off with Dean hitting a quick monkey flip to take over. It’s off to Billy to crank on the wristlock before Austin comes back in for an armbar. The rather large Bononi comes in and throws Austin down without much effort. Billy comes back in for the big lockup to get the better of things but a Dean distraction lets Bononi get in a kick to the face.

That means Billy gets pounded down in the corner and Bononi’s right hand gets two. The chinlock goes on and Billy’s comeback is cut off with a forearm to the back. A knockdown allows the hot tag to Austin to start cleaning house though, including a running neckbreaker and DDT for two on Shawn. Billy comes back in and catapults Shawn into a clothesline from Austin but Bononi breaks up the pin. Austin takes care of Bononi and the Fameasser finishes Shawn at 7:57.

Rating: C-. I’m running out of ways to say that the Gunn Club is a completely run of the mill tag team who doesn’t add anything to the roster and feels like they’re there to get Billy on the show more than anything else. The matches aren’t complete wastes of time or horrible or anything close. Instead, they’re matches which come and go with nothing really new being added in any fashion. They’re the matches you could cut out of Dark without losing anything and that’s never a good sign.

The Natural Nightmares are ready to take care of the Dark Order again tonight. Brandi is ready to take care of Anna Jay again.

Tay Conti vs. Red Velvet

Anna Jay is ringside to cheer for Conti. Tay takes her down with a judo throw (cue Taz) to start and then pulls Velvet into a neck crank. There’s a kick to the head for two and Conti hammers away with forearms to the head. A dragon sleeper is broken up in a hurry and Velvet is back with a running kick between the shoulders. Conti isn’t having this and kicks her in the head, setting up a slingshot belly to back drop. The half nelson with the leg makes Velvet tap at 4:09.

Rating: C-. Conti looked sharper than usual here and that’s an upgrade for her at the moment. I’m not sure if she is going to go anywhere in the near or distant future, but at least she got to go in there and get a quick win. Velvet continues to look fine, but I’m not sure how well it’s going to go with the cake…uh…theme?

Post match Anna comes in to hug Conti and kicks Velvet in the face. Brandi Rhodes runs out for the save.

Chaos Project vs. Griff Garrison/Brian Pillman Jr.

Luther and Serpentico jump them to start but Garrison is back with a backdrop to Serpentico, meaning the streamers go flying. Pillman comes in and gets caught in the corner so the double teaming can begin. Luther slams Serpentico onto Pillman a few times and then suplexes Pillman down.

It’s off to Serpentico, who gets hit in the face and taken down by a top rope spinning crossbody. Garrison comes in off the hot tag and a belly to back faceplant gets two on Serpentico. With Garrison knocked outside, Serpentico superkicks Pillman and Luther adds a big boot. A spinebuster/top rope Meteora combination finishes Pillman at 5:00.

Rating: C-. Garrison and Pillman are fine for a low level team though I’m not sure how well that is going to go until they’re both signed. The Chaos Project is perfectly acceptable as a midcard heel team but at the same time….how far are they exactly going to go? The team name is hardly good but everyone has to have a name around here, many of which are hardly the best.

Rache Chanel vs. Nyla Rose

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Nyla tells Chanel to lay down but Chanel tries throwing some shots. A slam cuts Chanel off and it’s the double chokebomb for two. Chanel sends her into the corner though and a running kick to the face rocks Rose again. Back up and Rose hits her in the face though, setting up the Beast Bomb for the pin at 2:42. That’s what it should have been.

Natural Nightmares vs. Dark Order

Brandi, Anna Jay and Evil Uno are here and it’s John Silver/Colt Cabana for the Order here. Dustin runs Cabana over to start and snaps off an armdrag before it’s off to Silver. That’s fine with Dustin, who takes him into the corner for some arm cranking and Marshall adds a suplex. Silver’s brainbuster gets two more and Cabana’s middle rope splash gets the same. Silver kicks at the chest to little avail and it’s a Lethal Combination from Marshall.

There’s the hot tag to Dustin to clean house and the snap powerslams connect. Everything breaks down and Dustin flip dives off the apron to take both of them down. Silver kicks Marshall into a gutbuster from Cabana, followed by a superkick to put Dustin outside. Not that it matters as Marshall grabs the cutter to finish silver at 6:36.

Rating: C. More people who know what they’re doing having a watchable match in the main event. One of the perks of a team like the Dark Order is you can throw a bunch of combinations out there and have something fine like this and it worked out fine here. Cody vs. Brodie Lee II should be the big blowoff, but this will do fine as filler until then.

Uno consoles Cabana to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It’s more of the same from Dark, though cutting off ten to fifteen minutes helped it a lot. Nothing here was bad and they even had some rather nice matches includes. The problem is nothing was very high above average and that’s not the most thrilling show. It could be a lot worse, but it could also be FAR more interesting, which is where the show loses me most weeks.

Results

SCU b. Ray Rosas/Ryzin – SCU Later to Rosas

Penelope Ford b. Alex Gracia – Fisherman’s suplex

Best Friends b. M’Badu/BSHP King – Strong Zero to M’Badu

Jurassic Express b. Dark Order – Extinction Level Event to 10

Gunn Club b. Shawn Dean/Cesar Bononi – Fameasser to Dean

Tay Conti b. Red Velvet – Half nelson with a leg

Chaos Project b. Brian Pillman Jr./Griff Garrison – Spinebuster/Top rope Meteora combination to Pillman Jr.

Nyla Rose b. Rache Chanel – Beast Bomb

Natural Nightmares b. Dark Order – Diamond Cutter to Silver

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 24, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Clash Of Champions and that means we might be getting to see a lot of hype for the pay per view. Other than that we might be in for a heck of a match between Ricochet and Mustafa Ali. The two of them have been hyping the match up, because that’s a thing you can do around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Main Event – September 17, 2020: Main Event Can Save Us

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan

Ruby Riott comes to the stage with Liv but then heads to the back. Belair powers her down without much effort, as you probably expected. A shoulder runs Liv over again but Belair misses a dropkick. Liv’s running hurricanrana takes Belair down but Belair sends her face first into the buckle to cut her off.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Belair goes with a delayed suplex, complete with squats. There’s a standing moonsault to keep Morgan in trouble and Belair starts dropping down onto her back. Belair blocks a rollup attempt out of the corner and hits another dropkick for two more. The cravate goes on but Liv fights up, only to get sent hard into the corner. Belair hits the KOD for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: D+. I know the team didn’t have much of a chance going into Sunday, but it really isn’t a good idea to have one half of the #1 contenders losing in a nothing match three days before the pay per view. It’s one of those things that only WWE can control and yet they just do it anyway, regardless of what it means. Stop doing so much of that as it’s just kind of dumb.

We get the awesome video from Smackdown, as narrated by Paul Heyman, talking about how dominant the Anoa’i family has been. Sika and Rikishi both talk about how great their sons are, with Roman Reigns wanting to be head of the table for the family. This is outstanding stuff and one of the places where WWE truly shines.

From Smackdown.

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso vs. Sheamus/King Corbin

Samoan Street Fight and Paul Heyman is here with Reigns (actually present to start the match) and Uso. Before the match, Reigns says he didn’t want any confusing this week. This is his yard, island, ring and WWE. If you want to change it, come take it. Sheamus is a little banged up but still here. It’s a brawl to start and thankfully there are no tags here because thankfully they understand the idea of a street fight.

The villains are sent to the floor early on, where Corbin pelts a chair at Reigns’ head for a scary crash. Jey dives onto Corbin but a second dive is countered into Deep Six on the floor. Back in and Corbin grabs a chair but gets kicked in the head for his efforts. Reigns chairs Corbin down but Sheamus runs Reigns over on the floor. The beatdown is on and Reigns is thrown over the announcers’ table. A regular table is brought inside and Uso gets planted through it for a near fall.

Reigns is back up and throws an announcers’ chair at Corbin’s head for a pretty impressive power display. Sheamus knocks him down again and loads up the announcers’ table but White Noise is broken up. Reigns kick Sheamus low and Samoan drops him onto (not through) the table. Corbin is posted and Sheamus is speared through the barricade. Back up and Corbin jumps Reigns before throwing Jey over a bunch of stuff. Uso is back with a title shot to the face though and Reigns adds a spear. The Superfly Splash gives Jey the pin at 6:10.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and most of that is because of Roman Reigns. THIS is the Reigns that people had been wanting to see for a long time. He was like a bulldozer here and running through everyone in his path, which made for some really awesome moments throughout. That’s the kind of Reigns that looked like the star of the company and someone who could be the champ for a long time with a huge moment being needed to take it from him. I liked this a lot and Reigns came off as the monster they have been wanting for a long time now.

Post match Reigns doesn’t look happy with Uso. Jey grabs the title and teases posing with it but throws the title to Reigns for a smile. Reigns and Uso hug so Jey can leave, with Reigns glaring at him from the ring to end the show.

Video on Drew McIntyre.

From Raw.

Keith Lee vs. Drew McIntyre

Non-title and Lee has new gear again, with the low cut singlet top that Big Show wore for years over his shorts. McIntyre misses a Claymore attempt at the bell and they trade aggressive headlocks. A running crossbody sends McIntyre over the top in a heap and it’s time to forearm it out in front of the announcers’ table. Back from a break with McIntyre not being able to get him up in a fireman’s carry and being forearmed down instead. The Spirit Bomb is broken up though and McIntyre comes back with a spinebuster for two.

A neckbreaker gives McIntyre two more but the Future Shock is powered into the corner. Lee Hulks Up and hits something like a spinebuster of his own for his own near fall. Some shots to McIntyre’s face (after commentary brought up the bad jaw) and a clothesline give Lee two more. The Spirit Bomb is escaped again and McIntyre hits the Claymore but here’s Randy Orton with a chair to McIntyre for the DQ at 12:22.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but this was a matter of time until Orton came in. They don’t want to pin Lee and McIntyre shouldn’t be taking any kind of a pin right now so this was the only way to go. That doesn’t make it better, but it makes it logical. Lee is still impressive in the ring, but

Post match Orton drives the chair into McIntyre’s face and hits a Punt on Lee.

Post break Orton says shame on all of the fans for doubting him for even a second. Of course he is going to make it to Clash Of Champions. He’s been here for twenty years and he has been the only constant. Orton has never walked away from a World Title match and he won’t be doing it anytime soon.

The match on Sunday isn’t your usual World Title match though, is it? Orton walks over to an ambulance parked in the arena and opens the doors, saying he took a ride in this ambulance just a few weeks ago. That came after three Claymores and as he heard the sirens, he was fading in and out of consciousness.

Then he knew what it felt like to be taken out by the Legend Killer. He knew what Edge, Christian, Shawn Michaels, Big Show and Ric Flair all felt like. As he came to in the back of the ambulance, he started to smile. It wasn’t because of the pain, but it was because he remembered what he was capable of doing. He knows what it takes to become WWE Champion and that is where he will go again.

For some people this ambulance represents hope, pain or death. For Orton though, it means his 14^th World Title, so listen up Drew. At Clash Of Champions, Orton is giving Drew one more ride in the ambulance to make his title reign flat line. Orton slams the door to wrap up a good promo.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ricochet

Ali takes him down for some early near falls and they have a quick standoff. A headlock slows Ricochet down for a good two seconds before Ricochet sends him hard into the corner. That earns him a kick to the chest on the way out but Ricochet clotheslines him to the floor. Ali is ready for the moonsault and takes him out with a dive as we take a break.

Back with Ali getting two off a clothesline and hitting an elbow to the back of the head as the aggression is starting to roll. The chops in the corner keep Ricochet in trouble, with Ali ordering him to fight. We hit the chinlock but Ricochet fights up and hits a kick to the face for the breather. The running forearm puts Ali down and a kick to the chest gets two. A hard dragon suplex gives Ricochet two but he gets caught with a high crossbody.

That’s rolled through though and Ricochet’s running shooting star press gets two. Ali doesn’t even let him get up before grabbing a reverse Koji Clutch. A slap to the back of the head doesn’t make Ricochet very happy so it’s off to the pinfall reversal sequence with Ricochet cradling him for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C+. Again, like these two are going to have a bad match when they are feeling it. I’m still not sure why we need to see them fight the Hurt Business week in and week out but at least the team is starting to pick up some wins. This wasn’t a classic by any means, but given what we usually get around here, it’s quite the upgrade.

Post match Ali is frustrated again and walks away this time.

From Smackdown.

We get a sitdown interview with Sasha Banks, beginning with a look at Bayley attacking her two weeks ago. Banks is nearly in tears and says she’s still here as we hear a lot of cheering noises. Cole talks about how Bayley used her and Banks knows that Bayley finds her useless now. She and Bayley used to walk these halls and talk about everything they have done together.

They had planned to take over the whole company together but now she sees these halls and, through tears, she sees all of the things she and Bayley did together. Banks gets a lot more serious and calls Bayley an idiot who is nothing without her. Now Banks is coming for the title. Bayley runs in and blasts her with a chair before wrapping the chair around Banks’ neck again. Some rather short people run in to break it up before Bayley can stomp on the chair. The idea made sense, but Banks isn’t much of an actress and the delivery hurt it a lot.

From Raw.

Retribution hacks the opening feed and here they are to get things going. They have officially signed contracts (because that’s a good company move) and unmask (mostly), revealing Mia Yim, Mercedes Martinez (I believe), Dominik Dijakovic, Dio Madden and a fifth member (Shane Thorne maybe?).

They talk about wanting to drain the lifeblood of this company because this place has betrayed them for the love of money. Cue the Hurt Business to chase them off and issue a challenge for tonight. Cue more masked members of the team to surround the ring and the beatdown is on. The goons are kicked out but the original members get in and the Hurt Business is overwhelmed.

And from Raw again.

Retribution vs. Hurt Business

Retribution is introduced as Slapjack, T-Bar and Mace (all in their half masks). MVP is the odd man out here and we start after a break. Lashley pulls Mace (Dio Madden) in and hammers away in the corner but it’s off to T-Bar (Dominik Dijakovic) to clothesline him to the floor. Cedric comes in to hammer away but gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Slapjack (possibly Shane Thorne).

Some shots to the back allow the tag to T-Bar, who sends Cedric flying. The Neuralizer staggers T-Bar so it’s off to Shelton to clean house. Mace gets in a distraction though and T-Bar scores with a kick to the face. It’s back to Mace for a double suplex but Shelton belly to back suplexes Mace for a breather. Slapjack gets backdropped as well and the hot tag brings in Lashley to clean house. The high angle spinebuster sets up the Hurt Lock but T-Bar hits Lashley in the eye from the apron for the DQ at 6:15.

Rating: D+. I’ll get to the issues with Retribution later but this was a pretty lame six man tag. The ending was horrible too as you have this chaotic and violent group and the best way to have them get disqualified is a poke to the eye from the apron? They couldn’t, I don’t know, triple team Lashley for a bit or do SOMETHING a little more violent? Granted that’s about the third biggest problem with the team so we’ll leave it for now.

Post match all of Retribution hits the ring for the beatdown. Cue Drew McIntyre with the rest of the locker room for the big brawl. Most of the ring is cleared and it’s Randy Orton with an RKO to McIntyre to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As it has been for weeks now, the Reigns vs. Uso feud is the best thing going in WWE. Granted when the other big story is Retribution, that isn’t the highest bar to clear. On the other hand you have Bayley vs. Banks, which has been going for a very long time now but at least they seem to be rounding the turn and heading for the big showdown, possibly in the Cell. Ricochet vs. Ali is very good for Main Event standards, but the rest of the show is your usual offering.

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 23, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the second week of both the return and the Pure Title tournament and things have gone pretty well so far. Having a tournament under these circumstances is one of the smartest (and only) thing that they can do but it’s better than nothing. If it lives up to last week, they’re going to be just fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick look at the tournament.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and throws us to a clip of Jay Lethal defeating Dalton Castle last week.

Lethal says that’s the first step towards becoming the first ever two time champion. He doesn’t care who he faces next week because he wants the best.

We look at the end of Jonathan Gresham defeating Wheeler Yuta.

Gresham says no one is stopping him and it doesn’t matter who he is facing next week.

David Finlay talks about being part of a big wrestling family but he was never forced to stay in the business. Then he went into the New Japan Dojo and was started from scratch because they break you down. He hasn’t been in Ring of Honor since January 2019 because he hurt his shoulder against the Briscoes and missed eight months. Finlay has been working on a variety of offense, including a leg submission.

Rocky Romero talks about everything he has done in Ring of Honor and everyone he has shared the ring with over the years. He loves the idea of the Pure Title tournament because it is everything he loves about wrestling. Romero has wrestled Finlay because and knows all of his weaknesses and strengths. The experience is what is going to matter here though because he has done this for a lot longer than Finlay. Romero is going to win the tournament and put it on his resume, but Finlay is just going to be a footnote.

Pure Title Tournament First Round: Rocky Romero vs. David Finlay

They trade standing switches to start and that’s an early standoff. Finlay headlock takeovers him down but Romero is back up with a headscissors. They go to the corner where Finlay gets in a kick to the ribs, setting up the chinlock. We take a break and come back with Finlay getting two off a dropkick and faceplanting him down. The camel clutch goes on, with Finlay switching it into a cobra clutch for a change.

Rocky fights up into a springboard tornado DDT for the break though and it’s time to kick away at Finlay’s shoulder. Romero goes up and drives a middle rope knee into the arm. Sliced Bread is broken up and Finlay slams him into the ropes, with Romero’s knee getting banged up.

The leglock goes on but Romero reaches over to use his first rope break. The slugout goes to Finlay but Romero is right back with Sliced Bread for two, plus a warning for a closed fist. Romero slaps on the armbar with kicks on the face but Finlay gets his feet on the rope for the break. Another Sliced Bread is countered into a backbreaker and Finlay hits a Last Shot for the pin at 13:03.

Rating: C+. I’m not much of a fan of either of these two but they had a rather nice match here. This was more what the idea of the tournament was supposed to be and they made it work out rather well. It’s nice to see someone younger get the win and Finlay will probably get something from a match against Jay Lethal in the next round.

Matt Sydal talks about having a mind, heart and soul advantage over everyone here. He took Tae Kwan Do and his foot has a big calcified growth on his foot thanks to an injury to make his kicks even worse. When he was starting with wrestling, Delirious was the first person to open his eyes to see how much more there was to this world. They had a match in 2004 and it meant so much to him. Now he needs to win the title to honor those who came before him.

Delirious, with subtitles, talks about being in Ring of Honor for sixteen years but never winning a title. He is a completely different breed and now things are going to change. This is a different Delirious because there is no crowd to make laugh so he is coming in as a beast. He and Sydal first met in 2004 and they have both won over the years. They are different but they are the same and there is no Delirious without Sydal. Delirious is in the tournament because he is bored and wants to be the best in the world.

Pure Title Tournament First Round: Delirious vs. Matt Sydal

The more muscular than usual Delirious dives after Sydal’s leg to start and it’s time to grapple. With that broken up in a hurry, it’s off to a test of strength for a change of pace. They go back to the mat with Delirious’ leglock being countered into a headscissors, which is countered right back into the leg hold. Sydal reverses into another headscissors but Delirious snaps the arm over the top rope, which counts as a rope break. Delirious is smart enough to stay on the arm and we take a break.

Back with Delirious holding a short armscissors but having used a rope break while we were away. They run the ropes into a double clothesline, followed by some kicks to the face to give Sydal two. Sydal kicks him in the legs and head for two more but Delirious is back with a cobra clutch suplex. They go into a pinfall reversal sequence until Sydal slaps on Delirious’ cobra stretch for the tap at 9:57.

Rating: C. This was a bit shorter than I was expecting but you don’t have to stretch things out a long way to get nice results. Sydal winning is fine as Delirious is kind of the designated wrestler if Ring of Honor is in need of a name. It works out well enough and the match was completely watchable, even with a surprise ending as Sydal is now in AEW.

Overall Rating: C+. They have something nice going on with this tournament and we could be in for a nice long run of matches as a result. It’s very structured and given ROH’s history with storylines, that is hardly the worst idea. As has been the case for most promotions restarting, it’s much more about getting ANYTHING out there so while the tournament may not be for everyone, it’s a lot better than nothing.

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 28, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

Clash Of Champions has come and gone and we are on the way to the Cell. That could mean a few different directions, though Orton vs. McIntyre III would seem to be in the cards. At the same time though, the Draft is looming and that means we could be in for a big shakeup in the next few weeks. Hopefully we don’t have a big lull for the next few weeks on the way there. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Ric Flair, Big Show, Christian and Shawn Michaels to get things going. Shawn welcomes us to the show and introduces Drew McIntyre for the big congratulations. Drew talks about knowing all of these people for years, including how they all guided him as far as he has gotten. Drew tells a story of Flair being on the active roster when he first arrived in American (Drew: “Before somebody retired you.”). He couldn’t believe he was on the main roster as Ric Flair and it was one of the coolest things he had ever seen.

Then last night he defeated Randy Orton and is he is still WWE Champion. Shawn talks about how they’re all here to congratulate him and he hopes that Drew isn’t mad about that. If he is mad, it was all Ric’s fault. Drew is cool with them….and here’s Orton on the Titantron. Orton says this is over when he says it is, so Drew knows he is going to beg for another match.

Orton says he won’t have to beg because he is Randy Orton and will get another title shot. He’s here today to say there is a price to pay when you cross the Legend Killer. Orton walks over to….get his bag and leaves. Drew wants to be a fighting champion so tonight, anyone who has never gotten a shot against him can get a title match. Somebody please step up.

We recap Asuka beating Zelina Vega to retain the Raw Women’s Title, followed by Vega attacking her after the match.

Vega says she is ready but here’s Asuka to yell at her. They have to be held apart.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Zelina Vega

Asuka is defending and mouths the Big Match Intros for a nice touch. Vega fights out of an armbar to start and grabs an Octopus on the mat. They head outside with Asuka knocking her down as we take a break. Back with Vega grabbing an armbar and making Asuka hold her up at the same time. Asuka muscles her over with a suplex for the break and tries the Asuka Lock, sending Vega straight to the ropes. A Backstabber gives Vega a quick two but her moonsault only hits knees. Asuka is right back with the Asuka Lock to retain at 8:38.

Rating: C. Nothing close to their match last night but that is usually the case with the post pay per view rematches. They really didn’t need to do a rematch in the first place as Vega got a lot out of last night’s match. This was a downgrade, though it wasn’t terrible by any means. It just didn’t need to happen, but why go with what makes sense when you can just do the same thing?

The legends are still here and a poker game has broken out.

Post break Andrade is in the ring to yell at Zelina Vega for being nothing without him. Vega leaves and Andrade starts ranting about how he was holding the team together last night before Angel Garza got hurt. He is the best in the company and it’s open challenge time.

Andrade vs. Keith Lee

Lee shoves him around to start but Andrade slips away. Some arm cranking has Andrade in more trouble but he goes for the knee to slow Lee down. The running knees in the corner connect but Lee is right back with the Spirit Bomb for the pin at 2:53. Presenting the Spirit Bomb (or hopefully the Big Bang Catastrophe as well) as this sudden freight train that no one can handle is a good way to go and something that could work out well.

Earlier today, the Hurt Business was in catering when a random guy came and took Bobby Lashley’s seat. Lashley showed up and the guy moved over, but that was still Lashley’s seat. Some glaring got rid of the guy, but Lashley had him leave his food anyway. MVP looks a little confused but they all start laughing.

We look back at Akira Tozawa being eaten by a shark.

R-Truth is playing chess with Little Jimmy but here’s a Ninja with a letter for him. It’s in Japanese, but the Ninja provides an English version as well. The letter says that if Truth is readying this, Tozawa has been eaten by a shark. Their battles were epic though and now that he is gone, Truth needs to have this. It’s Tozawa’s black belt, leaving truth to wonder why Tozawa had to be devoured. Tozawa pops out from under a table and wins the title. The Ninja jumps Tozawa though and steals the title, revealing himself as Drew Gulak. Truth hits him in the head and steals it right back.

We look back at the Seth Rollins/Mysterio Family genetics drama last week.

Seth Rollins comes up to Murphy in the back and mentions that the Mysterios will be on the King’s Court tonight. Murphy is in his gear though and Rollins doesn’t like it. Rollins had a suit ready for him and says go put it on, which Murphy begrudgingly does. With Murphy gone, Rollins steals Murphy’s phone and pockets it.

It’s time for the King’s Court with Jerry Lawler bringing out the Mysterio Family. Rey and Dominik want to finish things with Rollins and Murphy but Lawler asks about Murphy talking to Aaliyah last week. She says she’s 19 years old and Murphy talked to her. What she does know is that someone who associates with Rollins needs to evaluate things because he is evil.

Rollins pops up on screen to say he needs to tell them the truth. The truth is that one of them isn’t being 100% honest with the rest of the family. The truth is that Aaliyah might not be telling the truth about Murphy. Rollins shows us a screenshot from Murphy’s phone of Murphy and Aaliyah texting each other.

Murphy apologizes again and Aaliyah seems interested in his offer to spend some time together, even wishing him a happy birthday. Back in the arena, Aaliyah says Murphy isn’t like Rollins and leaves, with Rey and Angie following her. Murphy comes up to Rollins in the back and grabs him by the shirt as Rollins laughs. Dominik runs up and jumps Murphy until agents break it up. The soap opera drama isn’t making up for the fact that this story has been going on for almost five months.

Here are Lana and Natalya to say that they want the Women’s Tag Team Titles because Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax can’t defend them. Adam Pearce comes out and makes a tag match for right now.

Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke vs. Lana/Natalya

Natalya headlocks Dana to start but Dana fights up and hits the handspring elbow in the corner. A cartwheel kick to the face gets two on Natalya but Lana comes in off a blind tag for her own kick to Dana’s face. Lana grabs the chinlock for a bit until Dana fights up and brings Mandy back in. A faceplant gets two on Lana and a jumping knee finishes her off at 3:10.

Rating: D. Yeah this didn’t work and I’m not exactly surprised. These four are not the ones you need out there to make a match work and that was the case here again. Lana, Brooke and Mandy are not exactly polished in the ring and Natalya is hardly the most popular star. This was almost never going to work and it really didn’t here.

We look back at Aleister Black attacking Kevin Owens last week.

Black thought Owens was a good man but Black isn’t buying Owens saying one thing and having everyone change their thoughts on him. Owens has a history of betraying people and at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many people forget and forgive. The eye patch comes off and Black says he will not forget.

The legends are playing poker when the Street Profits come in to join the party.

Kevin Owens vs. Aleister Black

Black has lost the rising board entrance and now has music with a voiceover at the beginning. Owens jumps him to start and the fight heads outside with Black being driven into various things. Black comes back with some strikes of his own, only to get hit in the face. A clothesline takes him down again and the backsplash crushes Black again.

Black is suplexes down again and rolls out to the floor, with Owens hitting a Swanton off the apron. We take a break and come back with Black kicking Owens between the shoulders and adding a running kick to the chest for two. The front facelock keeps Owens in trouble for a bit and a big kick to the head gives Black two more.

Owens gets in a hard shot for his own two but gets sat on top. Black’s superplex attempt is blocked and shoved away but the Swanton hits knees. Black nails a jumping knee to the face for some near falls but the referee yells at Black for attacking on the ropes. Owens slugs back but Black unloads, accidentally hitting the referee in the process for the DQ at 13:18.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the most thrilling stuff after the break and I’m not exactly looking forward to what we are going to be seeing with Black’s latest moodiness. He was getting somewhere with the face run and the longer matches, but this was a bunch of kicks and a chinlock until we got to the finish. Black worked a lot better as a face, but for now we’re stuck getting through this.

Post match Owens gives Black a Stunner.

Mustafa Ali runs into the Hurt Business, who isn’t pleased. They hit him in the face but here are Apollo Crews and Ricochet to say they’ll see them tonight.

24/7 Title: R-Truth vs. Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa

Truth is defending and gets double teamed to start, but Gulak and Tozawa fight over who gets to go for the cover. With that argument out of the way, we hit a double arm crank until Gulak throws Tozawa outside (bumping into the referee in the process). The Gulock has Truth in trouble until Tozawa makes the save. A sitout gordbuster hits Tozawa and Gulak gets AA’d onto Tozawa to retain Truth’s title at 4:17.

Rating: D+. This was a weird situation as they just had a match instead of doing any wacky shenanigans. That being said, it was kind of a downgrade to not have the goofiness as it left them with a run of the mill triple threat. It wasn’t terrible or anything, but this was about five minutes that just came and went.

Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose are coming for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Also, Dana sees Mandy as an inspiration. I’d ask how but that might just make things worse.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Murphy

Dominik starts fast and hammers away in the corner before they go outside. Murphy sends him over the announcers’ table for a nine count but Dominik is back in with a high crossbody. Some shots to the face have Murphy in trouble until he scores with a pump knee to the face. Dominick is back with a tornado DDT and some stomps in the corner send Murphy outside. It’s kendo stick time but here’s Aaliyah to say don’t do it. The distraction lets Murphy roll Dominik up for the pin with tights at 7:13.

Rating: C-. This is a situation where the wrestling doesn’t matter. The problem here is how this story has dragged on for months and they just keep finding ways to extend it. Dominik and the rest of the family aren’t interesting but we’ve had so much between Rey and Rollins that it can’t be done any more. The match was fine, but I can’t bring myself to care about anything involved.

Post match Dominik unloads with the kendo stick but Aaliyah tells him to stop. Dominik says this is for the family but Aaliyah says Murphy isn’t like Rollins. Dominik says she really is naive and she slaps him in the face.

Dolph Ziggler talks to Adam Pearce about his idea for the open challenge. It’s going to be Robert Roode isn’t it?

Here’s the Hurt Business, minus Cedric Alexander, for their six man. Before the match, MVP says Cedric Alexander messed up last week so he’s off at Hurt Business Boot Camp to avoid future mistakes. As for Apollo Crews, he is the definition of insanity as he keeps trying to take on the Hurt Business and gets dropped over and over. It happened at Payback, it happened at Clash of Champions and it is going to happen again tonight.

Hurt Business vs. Ricochet/Apollo Crews/Mustafa Ali

Ricochet and company jump the Hurt Business before the bell and the brawl is on outside. Hold on though as the lights flicker and Retribution’s logo pops up everywhere. We take a break and come back with the match in progress and Benjamin grabbing a chinlock on Crews. MVP comes in but misses the running boot in the corner, only to have Lashley break up the tag attempt. Crews hits a German suplex and frog crossbody to MVP though, allowing the hot tag to Ricochet.

The pace picks up in a hurry but Ricochet has to bail out of the Phoenix splash, allowing MVP to kick him in the face. The Playmaker is countered though and Ricochet hits his own kick to MVP’s face. It’s off to Ali to pick up the pace, including a running neckbreaker for two. Lashley pulls Ali to the floor where Crews makes a save with a moonsault off the apron. Back in and Ali hits most of his tornado DDT (thankfully commentary doesn’t act like it was hit perfectly), setting up the 450 for the pin at 5:23 shown.

Rating: C. This was more of the same feud that we’ve seen from everyone involved and I can take that over a lot of the other things that we have seen on the show. The Hurt Business seems ready to move on but with Retribution in quarantine, there is only so much that they can do. Granted having them lose isn’t the most logical move, but I can go for Ali getting another win.

Ric Flair keeps winning at poker.

Bianca Belair outruns a bunch of other people because she’s the fastest.

Video on Retribution.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for the Open Challenge for a title shot. No one comes out at first so McIntyre asks how Charles Robinson’s day is going. Cue Dolph Ziggler though and we have an opponent.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Robert Roode

Roode is challenging and rakes Drew’s damaged back to put the champ in early trouble. They’re out on the floor in a hurry though, with Drew hitting the reverse Alabama Slam onto the apron as we take an early break. Back with Roode knocking McIntyre into the Tree of Woe, only to have McIntyre sit up for the choke throw off the top. Ziggler offers a distraction though and Roode goes after the leg to take over.

The leg is wrapped around the post and then dropped onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Roode hits a top rope clothesline for two, followed by the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. McIntyre turns it over to send Roode bailing to the ropes for the break and they both need a breather.

It’s McIntyre back up first with the Glasgow Kiss into the overhead belly to belly suplexes. There’s the nip up but McIntyre’s knee gives out. Roode’s spinebuster gets two and McIntyre’s Futureshock gets the same. McIntyre takes Roode out but walks into the Glorious DDT for two more. That’s enough for McIntyre as he hits the Claymore to retain at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Perfectly nice main event here with a bit of drama before McIntyre retained. Roode is someone who may not have the most varied offense but he does everything rather well, which is a style that is going to make anyone look good. I liked the match well enough, even though the challenger was pretty obvious.

We cut to the back where Randy Orton, dressed as a janitor, goes into to the Legends’ Lounge (yes it has its own sign), whips out some night vision goggles, turns out the lights, and apparently nearly massacres everyone with a chair. Orton leaves, throws his hood up, and points referees and trainers to the room to end the show. So….it’s pretty much the same way they set up Summerslam but now it’s the third match in the trilogy and it’s going to be in the Cell?

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling was passable enough tonight and they have set up a few things for the future, but there was a lot of warmed over leftovers on this show and it made the show feel long. Asuka vs. Vega II, R-Truth still doing his wacky 24/7 stuff, MORE Mysterios vs. Rollins/Murphy, the Hurt Business vs. Ricochet N Pals and a spinoff of McIntyre vs. Ziggler to set up McIntyre vs. Orton III. That isn’t quite inspiring stuff and while a lot of what we had here was fine, it wasn’t exactly fun to watch. Oh and there is an open challenge for the World Title and Keith Lee chose to face Andrade. How bright of him.

Results

Asuka b. Zelina Vega – Asuka Lock

Keith Lee b. Andrade – Spirit Bomb

Dana Brooke/Mandy Rose b. Lana/Natalya – Jumping knee to Lana

Kevin Owens b. Aleister Black via DQ when Black hit the referee

R-Truth b. Drew Gulak and Akira Tozawa – Gulak was AA’d onto Tozawa

Murphy b. Dominik Mysterio – Rollup with tights

Mustafa Ali/Ricochet/Apollo Crews b. Hurt Business – 450 to MVP

Drew McIntyre b. Robert Roode – Claymore

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 22, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

We’re still on the way to Bound For Glory and now we have a main event with Eric Young defending the World Title against Rich Swann. Other than that it seems that we are in for a lot more of the Good Brothers, which may or may not be your cup of whatever your beverage of choice is. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel vs. TJP

The winner gets an X-Division Title shot against Rohit Raju, who comes out to watch. It’s a brawl to start with Bey hitting a hurricanrana on Trey before sending TJP outside. Trey and Bey run the ropes until Trey snapmares him down into a standing moonsault for an early two. TJP is back in with the Octopus on Trey before going down into a rollup for two.

Bey hits a DDT on TJP and a Downward Spiral on Trey at the same time for two each, meaning frustration is setting in early. A rolling neckbreaker gets two more on TJP but Trey comes back in to go after Bey. That lets TJP grab a Sharpshooter on Trey and a camel clutch on Bey at the same time. That’s broken up as well and Trey kicks Bey down, only to have TJP come back in with Three Amigos.

Something off the top misses though and Trey strikes them both in the head. A springboard double stomp to Bey’s back into a wristdrag to TJP has both of them down, allowing Trey to hit a neckbreaker for two on TJP. Trey goes up but dives into a cutter from Bey for two of his own. TJP grabs the kneebar on Bey but Trey comes back in with the Fresh Prince Of Mid Air for the pin on TJP at 7:11.

Rating: C+. As usual, this was a lot of fun as they just kept going for the entire match. That’s where the X-Division shines: letting people go in there and fly all over the place for a few minutes to offer some exciting matches. These three do it rather well and that’s what we got here without going on too long. Good opener.

And now, the title match.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. Trey Miguel

Raju is defending and rolls him up with trunks for the pin at 7 seconds.

Eric Young says his conscience is clear because everything else is on Scott D’Amore and Rich Swann.

Kaleb says Tenille Dashwood is ready. Tenille says she is ready. At least they’re on the same page.

Here’s what else is coming tonight.

Kimber Lee vs. Susie

Deonna Purrazzo and Kylie Rae are here as well. Susie throws Lee down into the splits to start but can’t quite do them herself. She can however take Lee down into a jackknife cover for two, setting up a bow. A bulldog gets two more but lee is back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for the same. Susie gets thrown outside for a cheap shot from Purrazzo and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a series of kicks to the head for two and it’s time to crank on the leg. Susie fights up and sends her into the corner but the Arachnarana is countered into a Boston crab. The rope is grabbed and the comeback is on though, with a series of strikes sending Lee into the corner. Lee is back with a powerbomb for two but she takes too long loading up the Swanton. Purrazzo hits Lee by mistake though and it’s the Panic Switch to finish Lee at 11:44.

Rating: C. This is more like it from the Knockouts as they have something beyond the title feud. Susie continues to show more flashes of Su Yung and that is going to make for something interesting in the future. Evil Susie vs. Smiley Kylie could be good stuff, but that might be getting ahead of things. For now, I’ll take perfectly watchable wrestling.

Post match Susie starts to snap but Kylie talks her down. Purrazzo jumps Kylie and comes after Susie’s arm but Kylie makes the save. Kylie promises to win the title and wants the shot at Bound For Glory.

We get a HeathForImpact commercial, with Heath talking about how he wants to wrestle here because he loves wrestling and his best friend is here. That means a quick appeal about Rhino conservation, which can be guaranteed if Heath is around. You can help by just getting Impact officials on their side. Even celebrities approve of this, including David Hasselhoff, Flava Flav, Nancy Kerrigan and Chuck Norris (Cameo is a wonderful thing).

DeLorian Brown wants you to help him because Heath has kids. Heath says his truck got stolen, sending Brown over the edge about how this is different than Bret Hart having his jacket stolen by Repo Man (Or by Jean Pierre-Lafitte. Repo Man stole Randy Savage’s hat but points for trying.). Heath’s kids say Heath should get a job because he can’t do anything else. This was GREAT and you could see all of the effort they put into the thing. Nicely done.

The Good Brothers come up to the Motor City Machine Guns to talk about last week. The Rascalz come in to say they want their shot at the Good Brothers and it seems to be set.

Flashback Moment of the Week: AJ Styles b. Bully Ray to win the World Title at Bound For Glory 2013.

EC3 talks about having what he loves stolen from him. Moose must feel violated and now it’s time to come together to find Moose’s TNA World Title. EC3 gives out Moose’s phone number so fans can send him information as he tries to control his narrative.

Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie argue about their various problems with Taya offering to help Rosemary first. Rosemary: “…really?”

John E. Bravo is with most of the Wrestle House cast so they can get ready for the wedding. The Deaners don’t like being called irrelevant until Wrestle House so they leave for their match. Johnny Swinger and Fallah Bahh get in an argument over who should be the best man. Tommy Dreamer: “MATCH TI…..” Bravo: “THIS ISN’T WRESTLE HOUSE!”

Brian Myers isn’t happy and turns over a table but here’s Tommy Dreamer (back to back segments) to interrupt. Dreamer talks about how this is a new start for Myers so he needs to clean this stuff up. Myers actually agrees.

Cody Deaner comes out for a match but Eric Young jumps him from behind. The beatdown is on with Eric hitting a quick piledriver. Young tries to break the leg so here’s Cousin Jake for the save. Young says that this is by design and his world before jumping Jake from behind. The beatdown stays on and Young asks if Scott D’Amore, Eddie Edwards and Rich Swann are watching. This is his world now and it’s all in his control.

The Deaners are beaten down even more and Young says this is all by design. He goes after Jake’s knee as well, beats up security, and then hurts Jake’s knee again. Cue D’Amore to try and break it up with Eric saying it’s D’Amore’s fault. Eddie Edwards is finally here for the save after a ten minute beating where Young made it very, very, VERY clear that he wasn’t to be blamed for this because it was all D’Amore’s fault and it was by design. There is very little depth or definition to this whole thing and it certainly doesn’t feel like a World Title level feud.

Post break Eddie Edwards demands the rematch with Young so D’Amore gives him one at Victory Road on October 3.

Rob Van Dam vs. Sami Callihan

Katie Forbes is here with Rob and if he wins, she gets five minutes with Sami. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell with Rob going into the barricade. Sami sends him in again, stops to glare at Katie, and hits a running chop to keep Rob in trouble. Rob gets in his own whip into the barricade and it’s Rolling Thunder on the floor. Katie thinks that was hot and Rob hits a running spinwheel kick against the apron.

They get inside for the opening bell with Sami taking him into the corner to hammer away. Rob sends him into the ropes though and Katie gets in a knee, allowing Van Dam to kick Sami down as we take a break. Back with Rob hitting a running dropkick in the corner, followed by a camel clutch. A bit to the hand breaks that up but Rob is right back with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up as well and they trade rakes to the eyes, setting up a DDT for two on Van Dam. Katie gets up on the apron for a distraction though and sprays hairspray in Sami’s eyes. Van Dam rolls him up for the pin at 9:32.

Rating: C-. It really might be time for Van Dam to hang it up as this isn’t working very well anymore. Things have not gotten to the point of embarrassing yet, but that might be pretty soon around the corner. The Katie stuff wasn’t interesting in the first place and has gone downhill in a hurry. Van Dam has been old for a good bit now and this didn’t exactly look great either. He’s still passable, but he might want to think about stopping before it gets worse.

Post match Katie says she has this and stomps away, setting up a running hip attack in the corner. Sami gets up and tries the piledriver but Rob runs in to kick him down. Rob brings in a chair but Sami hits him with it instead. The piledriver plants Katie and Sami counts his own pin.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton say they want the Tag Team Titles but the North come in to say they were champs for over a year. The match is set for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Jordynne Grace

Kaleb (whose chiron says “Kaleb With A K”) handles Tenille’s entrance. Dashwood knocks her into the corner to start and hammers away but Grace gets in an elbow to the face. Grace knocks her outside but misses a baseball slide, meaning the stomping is on. A neckbreaker over the middle rope gets two on Grace and a reverse DDT gets the same. We hit the double arm choke until Grace fights up, only to fail at the Grace Driver.

The Michinoku Driver connects for two instead but the superplex is countered into an Alberto double stomp. The Taste of Tenille gives Tenille two more so Grace grabs a spinebuster for two more. Grace loads up the Grace Driver again but Kaleb offers a distraction, allowing Tenille to hit the Spotlight Kick for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. I like both of them but this was a pretty flat main event. I’m not sure what the deal is with Dashwood, as she seems to have all of the tools to be a big star but it never really clicks. She’s WAY beyond the Emma stuff and feels like her own person. It just isn’t coming together and never really has. I don’t get it, as she certainly feels like a star, but then the bell rings and it all falls away for some reason.

Eddie Edwards leaves the building and someone jumps him.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as the wrestling was just ok and the big angle with Eric only worked so well. He still feels like he’s punching WAY above his head and it’s not working. The rest of the show was decent at best and that’s not quite enough to make me think much of everything. The build for Bound For Glory should help, but this was only so good throughout.

Results

Trey Miguel b. TJP and Chris Bey – Fresh Prince Of Mid Air to TJP

Rohit Raju b. Trey Miguel – Rollup with trunks

Susie b. Kimber Lee – Panic Switch

Rob Van Dam b. Sami Callihan – Rollup

Tenille Dashwood b. Jordynne Grace – Spotlight Kick

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Clash Of Champions 2020
Date: September 27, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

We’re back to the show that is all about titles, which should be the majority of shows but this one is special due to reasons of they need a theme. The big story at the last minute is two matches being changed for reasons that aren’t entirely clear but virus issues seem like a strong possibility. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Lucha House Party vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura, now sleeveless, and Cesaro are defending and it’s Kalisto/Lince Dorado for the House Party. Cesaro takes Dorado down to start and then drops him with a single shot to the face. Back up and Dorado sends him into the corner for a knee to the face and the back to back splashes get two on Cesaro. Kalisto spins into a sleeper on Cesaro but it’s broken up in a hurry. Dorado comes in with a missile dropkick to knock Cesaro into the corner for the tag off to Nakamura as things slow down a bit.

Nakamura kicks him to the floor and then kicks him down back inside, followed by Good Vibrations in the corner. A knee to the chest gets two on Dorado and it’s back to Cesaro for a forearm to the face. Dorado manages a sunset bomb for two of his own, earning himself a big boot from Cesaro. Back up again and Dorado manages to kick Nakamura down, setting up the high crossbody for the breather.

Kalisto…is not tagged in as Cesaro knocks him off the apron. Some more knees in the corner have Dorado in trouble but he rolls over for the hot tag off to Kalisto. Everything breaks down and Kalisto hits a DDT for two on Cesaro. They all head outside with a double superkick dropping Nakamura. Back inside and a pair of moonsaults get two on Cesaro but Nakamura pulls Dorado outside. The reverse exploder sends Dorado over the barricade, leaving Kalisto to be swung into the knee from Nakamura to retain at 10:45.

Rating: C. This started slowly but picked up a lot of steam near the end. I was expecting some kind of an angle with the House Party but thankfully they kept it simple here and had the champs retain as they should. It wasn’t anything special, but it would have gotten a live crowd into the show, which is all you can ask for.

John Cena narrates the opening video, talking about how hard it is to become a champion but then how it is even harder when you realize that some people have trained just as hard as you have. We then shift into a regular hype video on the main events.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Sami Zayn

Hardy is defending in a ladder match with both titles above the ring. We get a classic ladder match moment from all three during the entrances for a nice bonus. The bell rings and Sami informs them that his belt shouldn’t be up there, earning himself a shot to the face. It’s Jeff going for the ladder first but AJ baseball slides it into his ribs. Sami follows with an Arabian moonsault to AJ and it’s time to throw a ladder inside. Hardy is right there to backdrops Sami into the ladder against the ropes and then turns the ladder upside down.

Jeff dives at AJ but only hits the ladder in a bump he shouldn’t be taking. AJ whips Sami hard into the ladder in the corner, leaving AJ as the only person standing. That means AJ can go climbing but he has to come back down for a Pele on Sami (whose back is looking HORRIBLE early on). Jeff goes up to catch him but gets knocked down HARD, only to pop back up to pull AJ down again.

Everyone is down until Sami suplexes AJ into the ladder in the corner. They all head outside with AJ getting the better of things until he misses a charge into the barricade. Jeff hits Poetry In Motion to AJ against the barricade, only to get caught with Sami’s Helluva Kick. Sami goes up so AJ chucks a mini ladder at him, possibly breaking Sami’s hand in the process. Hardy and Styles go up but the ladder tips over into the corner, with Sami wisely covering up and having the ladder only graze his knees.

Sami goes up so AJ tries the Phenomenal Forearm but Jeff shoves the ladder over to knock AJ out of the air. Jeff hits a Twist of Fate on Sami and goes up but Sami is there to grab the ladder. The ladder is tipped over so Jeff starts crawling over the top, leaving him upside down on the end that is going into the air. The ladder goes over the ropes and Jeff crashes down to the floor in another very nasty landing. Sami bridges the ladder between the ring and the announcers’ table but AJ hits the moonsault reverse DDT to take him down.

Sami is put across the ladder and Hardy hits AJ in the face with another ladder. Jeff climbs a big ladder and Swantons through Sami through the ladder for your crazy spot of the match. Cole says this is part of Jeff’s redemption year but Graves asks what good is a redemption year if you can’t get out of bed.

AJ goes up but Hardy turns the ladder over for the next big crash. The THIS IS AWESOME crowd noise is pumped in as Sami sends Jeff into the barricade a few times. With everything else not working, Sami whips out some handcuffs…and attaches Jeff’s EAR to the ladder. Sami isn’t done though and tries to handcuff AJ to the ropes but AJ fights up in time.

Somewhere in there Sami handcuffed himself to AJ though, leaving AJ to hammer away as he realizes what just happened. AJ loads Sami up in a fireman’s carry and climbs the ladder as Jeff, still earcuffed to the other ladder, is back in. Sami has a key and unhooks himself as Jeff rams a ladder into AJ. That means AJ can be cuffed to the ladder hinges, leaving Sami to climb up and win the titles at 26:42.

Rating: B. The handcuffs deal was creative and there were some big spots with a surprise ending, but at the same time I can’t quite feel right when you have people taking a bunch of bumps that they really don’t need to be taking. Jeff is a human wreck and now he’s doing these things that are just going to bang him up even more. I know he’s ok with them, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. This got hard to watch at times, but they didn’t have Jeff rip his ear off to win or something so….that’s a positive?

Post match Sami says he didn’t recapture anything because he is AND STILL Intercontinental Champion.

On the Kickoff Show, R-Truth, in a wig and hat, was panning for more gold because it’s a gold rush.

R-Truth, still in disguise, comes into the referee’s room and yells at Little Jimmy for giving them away. Drew Gulak sneaks in to win the title and runs off.

We get a clip from Jey Uso’s WWE Network Chronicle.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Zelina Vega

Asuka is defending and takes her down with ease to start. A test of strength is teased but Asuka dances away as only she can. Vega gets creative by going after the arm, only to get headlocked for her efforts. An armdrag attempt doesn’t work whatsoever as Asuka reverses into a cross armbreaker. That sends Vega bailing to the ropes and she pulls Asuka down by the arm for a change.

Again Asuka is out of it in a hurry, this time with a hip attack to send Vega outside. Asuka gets pulled bad arm first into the steps though and an arm wringer gives Vega two back inside. The armbar goes on and Vega even flips forward to crank on the arm even more. Vega tries her own cross armbreaker but Asuka switches into a failed Asuka Lock attempt. That sends Vega to the apron, where she avoids another hip attack.

Back in and Vega snaps off a hurricanrana, setting up some running knees in the corner for two (Joe: “THAT WAS CLOSE! THAT WAS CLOSE!”). The Backstabber is blocked so Vega rolls over to kick her in the head for two more. Asuka has had it and tries the Asuka Lock but Vega reverses into a victory roll for two. Another rollup is countered into the Asuka Lock to retain the title at 7:08.

Rating: B-. This was WAY better than it had any right to be with Vega showing off a lot more than she usually gets to do in the ring. Vega took her time to start in on the arm and had Asuka in some trouble before getting beaten. Asuka gave her a lot here and this was a heck of a surprise. Nice job to both of them.

Post match Asuka calls Vega a firecracker and offers respect so Vega bows. Asuka bows back but Vega kicks her in the ribs, sending Asuka into her crazed screams as Vega bails.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Apollo Crews

Lashley, is defending in a rematch from Payback where he took the title from Crews. MVP and Ricochet are here as bonuses. Lashley starts with the power but gets knocked to the floor, setting up a moonsault from the apron. Back in and Lashley runs him over, meaning it’s time for the beating in the corner. MVP yells from the floor, asking if Crews is feeling the hurt and if they are in business. A suplex gives Lashley two and MVP starts more trash talk.

Crews gets in a shot of his own though and hits a running elbow against the ropes. A dive to the floor takes Lashley down again and Crews hits the gorilla press into the standing moonsault for two back inside. Lashley is right back with a superplex for two of his own but the spinning Dominator is countered. Crews hits the standing shooting star into a frog splash for another near fall. Back up and Lashley hits the big spinebuster into the Hurt Lock for the tap to retain at 8:14.

Rating: C+. Another match where they were cranking up the energy before the right decision. There was little reason to have Lashley drop the title here as the Hurt Business seems to be moving on towards a bigger feud with Retribution. I liked what we got here though and that’s a nice thing to say about a match that didn’t feel like much coming in.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Andrade/Angel Garza vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending. Andrade cranks on Dawkins’ arm to start but it’s quickly off to Ford. Garza grabs Andrade from the apron to cut Ford off, meaning Garza can TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. A running kick to the face gets two on Ford as Joe is VERY impressed by Garza and Andrade’s teamwork. Ford fights his way up with a belly to back suplex and the hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house. Garza gets splashed in the corner but Andrade cuts Dawkins off with a dropkick.

A blind tag brings in Garza, meaning he can break up the Cash Out. Ford and Garza go up top with a super Spanish Fly giving Garza his own two. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two more but a jumping enziguri gets Ford out of trouble. The hot tag bring sin Dawkins for the spinebuster (now the Anointment) to Andrade…for the pin at 8:17. Andrade’s shoulder was WAY up at two and no one seemed to expect that as the finish.

Rating: C. Let me guess: that means we get ANOTHER match between these guys. The fact that there just aren’t any more teams available to challenge for the titles should tell you a lot about what the titles mean at this point. The Profits don’t need the belts at this point so find someone new to lose the titles to already.

Drew Gulak talks about always being prepared and gets jumped by R-Truth, who wins the title back.

Here’s Bayley with the chair to laugh about Nikki Cross not being here, even though she would have lost anyway. It’s open challenge time.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Bayley

Only Bayley is defending as Asuka suplexes her down to start. It’s too early for the Asuka Lock as Bayley makes the rope and grabs her own belly to back suplex. Bayley yells at Cole for saying her name and then dives into a Codebreaker. They head outside with Asuka hitting another German suplex but Bayley hits her with the chair for the DQ at 3:38.

Rating: D+. Yeah that’s fine. I’m not sure what else they could have done here as Asuka was a safe pick to make people’s eyes go up at the possibility of a title change before doing the quick DQ to get Bayley out of there. They were in a bad place with Cross’ condition so this was as good of an idea as they could have gone with at the moment.

Post match here’s Sasha Banks in a neck brace to jump Bayley. A kick sends Banks away but Bayley spends too long setting up a chair, allowing Banks to get in some kendo stick shots. A scared looking Bayley runs off.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton for the Raw World Title. McIntyre escaped with a win at Summerslam but Orton kicked him in the head three times. McIntyre did the same to him, meaning they were even on putting the other in an ambulance. Therefore, it was time for an ambulance match for the title.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

Drew is defending and you win by putting your opponent in an ambulance. They slug it out to start but Orton kicks the rope for a low blow. There’s the hanging DDT to plant the champ and it’s time for the Punt….but Big Show of all people shows up to grab Orton’s leg. The chokeslam sends Orton through the announcers’ table and Show leaves. McIntyre drops Orton face first onto the barricade and it’s time to head up to the ambulance.

For some reason there are crutches and chairs inside (the chair even has a red cross) but McIntyre takes too long and gets crutched in the ribs. Orton drives the chair into McIntyre’s bad jaw before trying to put him inside. McIntyre fights out in a hurry though, meaning it’s time to fight around to the side of the ambulance. The driver’s side door is opened up but McIntyre blasts him with the Glasgow Kiss. The Claymore only hits the door, sending it flying off the hinges.

They fight backstage and Drew chops him against a wall, only to be sent into another wall for his efforts. It’s time to go to catering next, where Christian jumps Orton and pounds him down next to the tables. With Christian gone, they head back to the ambulance and Orton gets in a rake to the eyes. Orton sends him through the windshield and they wind up on top of the ambulance. A shot to the face puts McIntyre, with his bloody back, down again and Orton knocks him down to the floor to make it worse.

Orton stands on top of the ambulance but it’s Shawn Michaels running in to superkick him down through part of the set. McIntyre picks him up for the toss into the ambulance but Orton slips out and hits the RKO on the floor. That’s enough to put McIntyre inside for one door shut….and then Orton pauses for a bit. McIntyre shoves him away and goes to the eye, setting up the Claymore. That’s not enough though as McIntyre adds his own Punt to finish Orton at 21:33.

Rating: B. I was worried when Big Show got involved but the ending worked out well. If nothing else, at least they didn’t have Ric Flair come out and shockingly side with Orton so at least they’re doing a bit of thinking. Odds are this goes to the Cell though, because winning two matches isn’t enough to end a feud these days. Good stuff here though, with some rare longer form storytelling from WWE.

Post match, Ric Flair drives the ambulance away.

We recap Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns. It’s a battle of the family, as they are cousins and part of one of the most important wrestling families of all time. Reigns is the big star and Jey wants to know why he can’t be the guy. When someone talks about him, all they ask is which twin is he. Now Jey wants to be the new chief of the tribe and Reigns is not cool with that. Either this same video or a similar version was aired on Smackdown and it is still excellent with a great look at the family.

Smackdown World Title: Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, now shirtless and with Paul Heyman, is defending. Reigns glares him down and drives it into the corner for another sneer. Uso gets shoved away and says he’s trying to get this too. A jump over Reigns in the corner doesn’t get Jey very far as Reigns shoves him outside. Reigns: “How are you going to be the chief if you can’t even stay on the island?” Back in and the jumping clothesline has Jey down for two and Reigns chokes on the rope. Reigns says Jey should have listened to the tribal chief and it’s time to send Jey outside again.

They trade shots to the face and Jey goes onto the announcers’ table. Reigns says he loves him and they head back inside, with Jey getting in a few shots to the face. A Samoan drop gives Jey two but Reigns is right back with the big Superman Punch. It’s already back to the floor for a slugout with Reigns getting the better of it in a hurry. Back in and Reigns says Jey should have laid down and taken the payday but now he has to take this beating. More hard shots to the face have Jey down again. Reigns: “You’re trying to level up but I live at this level.”

Some corner clotheslines rock Jey again but Reigns runs into a shot to the face. Jey sends him shoulder first into the post and it’s a suicide dive to the floor. The jumping enziguri sends Reigns right back to the floor and it’s another suicide dive to keep the comeback going. Reigns hits a high crossbody into a low superkick for two more and they’re both down. The Superfly Splash doesn’t work and Reigns busts out a Rough Ryder of all things for two more.

The spear is countered into a crucifix for two and it’s a superkick into the Superfly Splash for the big near fall. Reigns seems to have hit him low on the kickout though and the fans find this awesome. The spear cuts Jey in half but Reigns doesn’t cover. Reigns says he isn’t ready yet because Jey brought the chief all the way out. He demands that Jey acknowledge him as the tribal chief so Reigns can end this. Jey says no so Reigns spears him again for no cover. Reigns makes him look into the corner and tell the people who the chief is.

That’s still a no so Heyman shouts that Reigns is his tribal chief. Reigns says he needs to heat it from Uso and unloads on him. The referee tries to break it up so Reigns threatens to knock him out and make him lose his job. Reigns demands Jey acknowledge him and knocks Uso silly with shots to the head. Jey is sent face first into the mat and Reigns hammers at the back of his head.

Cue Jimmy Uso to say he’s throwing in the towel. Reigns says Jimmy can come in and acknowledge him and this will all end. Jey says don’t do it so Reigns pulls him back in and drops hard right hands. Jimmy throws in the towel (even Heyman is telling him to do it) for the stoppage at 22:58.

Rating: A. And that’s your winner for “match that should have been a squash and turned amazing because they played it perfectly”. I absolutely loved this and got sucked into the entire thing, as Jimmy coming out was the perfect way to end it. Reigns looks like the most heartless killer in a long time and it’s going to take something special to get the title off of him. I didn’t quite buy Jey as having even a prayer of a chance, but that’s the biggest criticism I can think of in an outstanding display from everyone involved.

Post match Jimmy holds Jey and says Reigns is the tribal chief if that’s what he wants. Heyman puts the lei that Jey wore around Roman’s neck and looks terrified.

Overall Rating: A-. This was a heck of a show that went WAY beyond what it should have been able to accomplish. The only bad thing was Bayley vs. Asuka, which wasn’t even a scheduled match and didn’t break four minutes. The two big matches over delivered and there were some surprises along the way. If there is a drawback, it would probably be the complete lack of impact this show seemed to have (I had to be reminded that any title changed hands only a few hours into the show) so the Champions part was hardly the most important. Other than that though, heck of a show and one of WWE’s best in a good while.

Results

Sami Zayn b. AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy – Zayn pulled down the titles

Asuka b. Zelina Vega – Asuka Lock

Bobby Lashley b. Apollo Crews – Hurt Lock

Street Profits b. Andrade/Angel Garza – Anointment to Andrade

Asuka b. Bayley via DQ when Bayley used a chair

Drew McIntyre b. Randy Orton – McIntyre put Orton in an ambulance

Roman Reigns b. Jey Uso – Jimmy Uso threw in the towel

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