IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 28, 2018
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Things continue to chug along around here as we have the continuing stories of AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe and The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, plus a title match between new Women’s Champion Charlotte and Carmella. The latter could be the most interesting as it seems WWE has already pulled the plug on Becky Lynch’s heel turn and might be giving the spot to Charlotte instead. Let’s get to it.

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

They are now Lord Xavier the Wise, Sir Kofi the Brave and Big E. Hang on though as Big E. wants a cool name too. Booker says he already has it though. Big E.: “You just went FULL SAXTON ON ME!” Booker: “Tell me you didn’t just say that.” Booker officially welcomes them to the Five Time Champions Club and the celebration is on, including the Spinarooni. Woods and Kofi do one of their own (Woods’ was better) and Big E. does one, albeit with some help from his partners. The Booker cameo was fun and this was all it needed to be without going long.

The Bar vs. The Colons vs. Good Brothers

The winners face the winners of another triple threat for the right to face New Day at the pay per view. New Day has their own commentary table again as Anderson and Sheamus hit the mat to start. Sheamus can’t do much with him so it’s off to Cesaro, who gets taken into the wrong corner for some double teaming. Primo tags himself in so Anderson sunset flips him, only to have Epico come in for the save.

New Day is busy trading pancakes as the regular announcers talk about World Records. Anderson hits a running kick to the head in the corner but Epico shoves him to the floor. Back from a break with Anderson fighting out of an over the shoulder backbreaker and finally bringing Gallows back in. A pumphandle slam and running splash get two on Cesaro. Everything breaks down and it’s a belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination to drop Cesaro. Epico saves Primo from the Magic Killer and it’s a double Backstabber to Gallows. Cesaro breaks up the cover though and steals the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C-. New Day didn’t add a thing here as their commentary was only played for about ten seconds combined. We’re likely looking at New Day vs. the Bar at the pay per view and while that’s a good match, it’s not something that I need to ever see again. Get some fresh blood in there already.

In the back, Rusev Day comes in to see Paige, who says they’ll be in the other triple threat match along with Sanity and the Usos. Rusev thanks Lana for getting the opportunity but it was actually Aiden English.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte, with Becky’s edited promo which makes her sound like she’s been ripped off instead of snapping.

Here’s Jeff Hardy, with RKO painted on his face, to talk about Randy Orton getting inside his head. Orton has messed with his mind and made him believe that he can fly. We see a clip of last week with Hardy Swanton Bombing Orton through a table. That made Jeff feel rebroken by fate so Orton needs to get out here and finish what he started.

Orton is glad to see Hardy being back to what he truly is but he’s not finished working on Jeff yet. This version is the one that Orton is going to take away. You can call him whatever you want, but all that matters is RK….Jeff: “NO!”. They’re going to be inside the Cell. Egads Jeff is going to die. Orton doesn’t say yes but that seemed official.

Carmella laughs about how she’s beaten Charlotte twice and tonight she completes the trifecta because Charlotte didn’t beat her at Summerslam. She leaves and R-Truth comes in asking which way she went. Tye Dillinger comes in to try and talk him down but Truth thinks that’s good planning. Tye is rather confused and says this is his life.

Naomi vs. Billie Kay

Before the match, Billie says she’s clairvoyant and sees Naomi losing again, just like she lost to Peyton Royce last week. Naomi knocks her down and stands on the hair while dragging Billie around. That seems to annoy Billie more than anything else and she yells a lot, only to get kicked in the head. Naomi bulldogs her into the corner and gets two off a rollup. The kickout sends Naomi’s head through the ropes, where she waits on Peyton to hit her spot and kick her in the head, allowing Billie to get a rollup pin at 1:53.

Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella look at Brie punching the Miz last week and seem rather proud.

Here are Bryan and Brie for a chat. Bryan is tired of Miz acting like he’s not a coward and bragging about his punching. That’s why it was so nice to see Brie come in last week and punch him in the face. Brie talks about how great it was and Bryan says it was also really hot. He can’t wait to see her in the mixed tag but here are Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega to interrupt.

Vega brags about Almas and thinks that since Miz has already outsmarted Bryan, it’s time for Almas to outwrestle him. Almas says he’s the only star in this ring so let’s do this right now. Bryan can’t do that, but does ask for someone to come make it for them. Paige eventually does come out and, after catching her breath, makes the match.

Andrade Cien Almas vs. Daniel Bryan

Feeling out process to start with Bryan sending him into the ropes, allowing Almas to hit the tranquilo pose. With Miz and Maryse, in matching AWESOME jerseys, watching in the back, Almas grabs an inverted Gory Stretch before hitting one of the loudest chops I can remember in a long time. Bryan avoids the running knee in the corner though and Almas falls to the floor. The running knee from the apron doesn’t miss and Miz and Maryse walk away from the monitor as we take a break.

Back with Almas holding Bryan in a triangle choke over the ropes because Smackdown knows how to do something other than a chinlock. Bryan catches him on top but here’s Miz (no Maryse) for a distraction. A suicide dive takes him out but the distraction lets Almas hit a springboard corkscrew dive. Almas hits an inverted tornado DDT for a close two but the moonsault hits raised boots. The YES Lock has Almas in trouble but Brie has to deal with Vega. Maryse runs in and posts Brie so the hold is broken, allowing Miz to run in for the DQ at 9:25.

Rating: C+. We’ll call the ending a pleasant surprise as I was fully expecting Almas to tap there. Almas doesn’t need to be losing big matches like that over and over again so protecting him is a good sign. Now just give him a win or two and maybe we’ll see someone get elevated towards the top of the card.

Post match Almas hits the Hammerlock DDT and Miz Crossfaces Bryan. With Bryan helpless, Brie takes the running knees from Vega and a DDT from Maryse. The Skull Crushing Finale plants Bryan and Miz kisses Maryse.

Charlotte is sick of being blamed for Becky not being able to win the big one. She’s worked hard to get here and Becky can have the spotlight, after Charlotte takes care of Carmella.

Here’s AJ Styles to discuss Samoa Joe attacking him again last week. The rematch is official for Hell in a Cell (not announced as being inside the Cell) and AJ admits that Joe is great with the mind games. Why can’t Joe just come face him like a man though? It’s because Joe isn’t a man and the mind games are going to end right here, right now. AJ doesn’t have to wait for their match so Joe can get out here right now.

Joe pops up on the screen and is standing in the parking lot. He calls AJ’s wife and asks how “our” little Annie (AJ’s daughter) is. He knows why Wendy is angry and says he’ll keep the promise that AJ never kept. Make sure to save him a plate at the back to school barbecue next Sunday and maybe he’ll stop by next Tuesday. More good stuff here, as you had to expect.

Hardy vs. Orton is confirmed in the Cell.

AJ is running through the back to find Joe and nearly knocks out a production guy.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Carmella

Charlotte is defending and they have a lot of time. Carmella gets two off a rollup as the fans are already asking for Becky. A headlock keeps Charlotte in trouble so she suplexes Carmella down, which at least quiets the BECKY chants for now. The moonsault takes too long to set up though and Charlotte gets shoved into the barricade. Carmella hits the suicide dive for two and we take a break.

Back with Carmella hitting a headscissors and shouting a lot, as is her custom. Charlotte gets kicked in the chest but rolls through a high crossbody for one. The champ goes up but gets pulled back down in a pretty good looking super hurricanrana. Carmella slaps her in the back and screams a lot, followed by a pair of not very superkicks for two. Charlotte shrugs it off and hits a spear, followed by Natural Selection. The Figure Eight goes on and Carmella finally taps at 13:02.

Rating: D+. As usual, I have no reason to buy Carmella getting in any kind of offense on Charlotte but that’s what we’re stuck with. Thankfully Carmella lost clean here and we can get away from her for a bit. She’s fine as a short term champion but the four month title reign and seeing her ruin Asuka was WAY too much from here. Now we can move on to the better stuff and I think you know what’s coming.

Post match here’s Becky to jump Charlotte (to some loud cheers) and says she’s getting the title back at Hell in a Cell, “you b****”. Becky leaves and we get a bunch of replays to fill in the show as it feels like they went home way too early. That was more full on heel from Becky (and it went about as well as the other stuff) so I’m not sure what was up with that edited promo last week.

Overall Rating: B. Smackdown is just a fun show and that was the case here. They kept things moving with nothing really dragging and advanced some stories that I want to see. I’m curious about why Joe vs. AJ isn’t worthy of the Cell but Orton vs. Hardy is. They could do a bit better with their pay per view choices but at least the TV is good and they’re setting up stuff that could go in some interesting directions. Nice work this week.

Results

The Bar b. The Colons and Good Brothers – Double Backstabber to Gallows

Billie Kay b. Naomi – Rollup

Daniel Bryan b. Andrade Cien Almas via DQ when Miz interfered

Charlotte b. Carmella – Figure Eight

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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: August 27, 2018
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman

I’m interested in where the big story goes this week. Last time around Shield came in and cost Braun Strowman the chance to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, which in theory should make them villains. I mean, Strowman told everyone what he was going to do and Reigns knew he was there but Shield came out anywhere. Maybe we’ll get something this week, especially with the Cell coming up. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Roman Reigns to open things up and the fans aren’t exactly thrilled. He does however do the always cool fist bump to a very excited kid. Cole recaps last week’s match with Finn Balor, calling it a “thirty minute barn burner”. Eh, nineteen minutes, thirty minutes. Close enough. Cole also talks about Reigns defending the title over the weekend at live events, which is a nice touch.

Reigns says he told Braun Strowman to meet him out here at 8pm and it’s 8:05. If Strowman isn’t out here, the open challenge is on because he won this title to defending it. Cue Strowman to say he doesn’t think much of Reigns because of how he got out of trouble last week. Reigns says the Shield is a brotherhood of workhorses. All Strowman knows how to do is say GET THESE HANDS, but those hands never raise titles. Reigns has won everything there is to win around here so cash in that briefcase and let’s have this title match.

Strowman isn’t doing that tonight because he knows Rollins and Ambrose will run straight in for the save. Instead, he’ll cash in on September 16 inside the Cell, where no one can help Reigns. That’s cool with Reigns, but here are Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre to interrupt. Ziggler says Summerslam was a crime because the Intercontinental Title was stolen from him. He’ll cash in his rematch clause on his terms, but for now he needs a new challenge.

Drew says Reigns and Strowman are at the top of them mountain and now they have to come tumbling down. That’s a challenge, but Reigns wants to do it right now. Baron Corbin comes out, approves Strowman’s cash-in for the Cell, and makes the tag match that was just announced.

I’m split on the Strowman vs. Reigns announcement. I really, really like the idea of announcing the cash-in in advance to mix things up for a change, but Strowman is done when he loses again (which he will). It’s almost like having Reigns wait an extra four months to get the title was a really bad idea as Reigns is going to keep the belt for a LONG time, meaning Strowman still isn’t going to win and we spent over a year waiting on him to get a grand total of nowhere. But hey, at least Reigns had another crowning moment, because winning the World Title in the main event of Wrestlemania was just a thing.

Corbin comes to the ring and announces himself vs. Finn Balor, right now, meaning he’s ready and Balor isn’t.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

Corbin runs him over and does the slide underneath the ropes clothesline. The chinlock (take a shot) goes on as the fans think Corbin can’t wrestle. Balor fights up and jumps over the ropes, only to get knocked to the floor. Back in and we hit the chinlock again (that has to be a rib of some sort) before Corbin throws him outside again. A Sling Blade on the floor puts Corbin down and we take a break.

We come back with, you guessed it, Corbin holding a chinlock. The second slide underneath the ropes is cut off by a forearm but Deep Six gets two. Corbin gets knocked outside for the big flip dive but he can’t hit the Coup de Grace. Instead Corbin hits him with the chair for the DQ at 11:10. Actually hang on as Corbin says he forgot to mention that this was No DQ. More chair shots set up the End of Days for the pin at 12:38. So Balor goes from squashing Corbin at Summerslam to nearly winning the Universal Title to losing to Corbin in a pretty weak match to continue their already too long feud. Thanks for that WWE.

Rating: C-. This can be added to the list of matches I never need to see again. That being said, I could probably see the match coming up again at the pay per view, possibly even in the Cell. The problem continues to be that WWE seems to have no idea how to end a feud, because there’s no good reason to keep this going after the destruction at Summerslam. Give Balor ANYTHING else to do, like feud with Ziggler or McIntyre for example. Actually we can’t do that either, because their several months long feud with Rollins is still going. See how this is a problem?

Clip of HHH’s big speech against Undertaker last week.

Various legends (Jeff Jarrett, Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Christian and Mick Foley) have weighed in on the match. It’s not that big of a deal.

Dana Brooke and Apollo Crews talk about flips and getting Dana on Evolution. Titus O’Neil comes in and says she has a match tonight. It’s against Sasha Banks. Dana is nervous and leaves as Apollo thinks Titus is nuts. Titus believes in her though and Apollo goes along with it.

Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke

Dana rolls her up for one to start and seems to let Banks up before the kickout. The threat of a Bank Statement sends Dana bailing to the floor but it’s time to pose back inside. A step up enziguri gives Dana two and she hammers away with some right hands. The top rope Meteora drops Dana and the Bank Statement is good for the tap at 2:31. Dana got in some offense here and it was nice to have Banks and Bayley get away from the Riott Squad for a bit.

Jinder Mahal comes up to Dean Ambrose and talks about all the anger inside him. Meditation is offered and Dean sees himself breaking a lot of Mahal’s bones. That’s enough for Mahal.

Here’s a well received Seth Rollins for a chat. He looks at the Shield shirt and says it’s time for the family business. They’re proud of being workhorses (second member of the team to say that) so let’s have an Open Challenge. Cue Kevin Owens to a MONSTER pop to say that his return to Raw has been a nightmare. If he had his best friend at Summerslam, he would be Universal Champion right now. The terrible summer ends tonight because he isn’t leaving here without a title, even though he’d rather be in Montreal. Owens speaks some French

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens

Rollins is defending and Owens is still rather popular here. Feeling out process to start with Rollins hitting a clothesline to put Owens on the floor. Back in and Rollins hits a slingshot Fameasser onto the middle rope. A clothesline off the steps puts Owens down and we take a break.

We come back with Owens holding a chinlock and getting two off a backsplash to the arm. The armbar goes on and Rollins starts to scream. They head outside with Owens missing the Cannonball into the barricade, allowing Rollins to chop away. Back to back suicide dives have Owens in trouble but he blasts the third attempt with a right hand. Rollins hits the other dive anyway and we take a second break.

We come back with Rollins hitting the frog splash, stopping to shake his bad arm, and then getting two. Owens sends the bad arm into the post and puts on a Crossface. As Rollins crawls to the ropes, Owens turns it into something like a camel clutch to keep Rollins in trouble. A foot on the ropes gets Rollins out of trouble and frustration is setting in. Some right hands to the face just annoy Rollins and he jumps over the Pop Up Powerbomb. A low superkick rocks Owens but he counters the Stomp into a Stunner of all things for two.

The fans are WAY into this and Owens takes him up top, only to get reversed into a running buckle bomb. Owens no sells it and superkicks Rollins for a hot near fall and they’re both down. It’s Owens up first but Rollins catches him on top and they slug it out. Rollins gets shoved down and lands on the arm but is still able to avoid a moonsault. The Stomp retains the title at 22:11.

Rating: B+. Heck of a fight here and I was actually buying the chance that the title was going to change. Owens is someone who can bring the great stuff when he’s given the chance and that’s what happened here. It’s amazing how much better Rollins is when he doesn’t have Ziggler doing the same stuff every week as this was a nice change of pace.

Post match, Rollins nods at him in respect.

Kurt Angle isn’t sure if his vacation is permanent or not.

We recap the opening segment.

Strowman officially gives Corbin the briefcase to confirm the cash-in.

Back from a break with Owens sitting in the ring in a chair. He says he quits and leaves, taking the tape off his hands as he goes.

Ziggler and McIntyre are ready to face Strowman and Reigns because there is no way they’re healthy either physically or mentally after last week. It’s time to change things around here.

B Team vs. Revival

Non-title and JoJo seems to laugh during the B Team’s entrance. Scott Dawson really isn’t happy with B Team holding the titles and sent out a tweet apologizing to the Midnight Express for allowing it. Axel gets sent into the corner to start but comes back with a running dropkick. The announcers talk about Owens, which does mean more at the moment. Revival is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Dallas trying to fight out of a chinlock but getting taken down with a drop toehold.

A tornado DDT doesn’t work though and Dallas hits his hanging swinging neckbreaker. Wilder seems to be holding his neck and brings Dawson in while laying on the apron. The hot tag brings in Axel to clean house but Wilder breaks up the PerfectPlex. A small package has Axel covered but Dallas turns it over again, just like at Summerslam. Unlike at Summerslam, this one is only good for two and the Shatter Machine finishes Axel at 8:50. That’s the B Team’s first loss and thankfully Wilder seems fine.

Rating: D. Another match that just came and went as WWE gets to show off its creative muscles by using option B to set up a title match. The whole point of the B Team is they use dumb luck to win matches and now they’re just losing clean in a short match on Raw. That’s the result of their face turn though, because WWE doesn’t know many ways to book a face act.

Post match the Revival holds up the titles and says we went from the Road Warriors to the Andersons to this. They can take the titles whenever they want them so keep the them warm. Top guys out.

Here’s Elias for some guitar. He talks about how things will get tough but never stray from the truth: WWE stands for Walk With Elias. The fans seem to agree but it’s time for Elias to sing. Actually hang on as Elias just had a moment of clarity. When Drake said he started from the bottom, he meant Toronto. Cue Trish Stratus of all people to interrupt and of course that gets a reaction. Elias makes this seem like a big deal for her and Trish says she’s a fan.

Trish tells him to hold his applause and shut his mouth but Elias says another performance in Toronto is like the Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup: it’s never happening in their lifetimes. Trish: “Kind of like you winning a WWE Championship.” She talks about ending her career here in Toronto but she’s coming back to face Alexa Bliss at Evolution. Elias says he’s looking forward to the swimsuit pillow fight so Trish tells him to get out. She clearly just wants to walk with Elias but he doesn’t date women in their 60s. That’s good for a slap and here are Ronda Rousey and Natalya as Elias bails.

Natalya vs. Alicia Fox

Before the match, Alexa Bliss says Trish is looking great but all that Stratusphere Yoga isn’t going to get her ready for the beating at Evolution. For tonight though, Bliss says she’s invoking her rematch clause against Rousey at Hell in a Cell. Of course it’s not here because she doesn’t like Canada and those accents freak her out. Mickie James comes out to keep an eye on Trish and we’re ready to go.

The threat of an early Sharpshooter freaks Fox out so Natalya dropkicks her in the ear instead. Back in and Fox knocks her down for two and asks WHAT IS GOING ON. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s the Sharpshooter to make Fox tap at 2:15. Like the Canadians were losing here.

Post break Trish, Ronda and Natalya run into the Bellas and take a picture.

More legends speak on HHH vs. Undertaker.

Corbin is calling for a masseuse when Bobby Lashley comes in to laugh at him. Therefore, Lashley can face someone next.

Bobby Lashley vs. Ascension

Lashley runs Viktor over with a shoulder to start but Konnor gets in a shot from behind to take over. Viktor’s front facelock has almost no effect and gets thrown away. The spinebuster gives Lashley the pin at 2:26.

Dean Ambrose vs. Jinder Mahal

Dang he looks a lot like HHH. Ambrose clotheslines him outside in a hurry and chops Mahal up against the barricade. Back in and Mahal knees him in the face, followed by a knee drop for two (I guess they’re both like HHH). Ambrose drops him ribs first on the top rope, shrugs off the Khallas, and finishes with the Dirty Deeds at 3:48.

Rating: D. The match was nothing but happy days are here again with Jinder being treated like the jobber that he always should have been. A win over him doesn’t mean anything but Dean gets to look dominant after a competitive match last week. Thankfully they didn’t try to make this competitive because Mahal is right back where he was two years ago, but with a big line on his resume.

Strowman and Reigns don’t like each other but they’ll work together tonight. In 20 days, Strowman destroys him. Reigns says in 21 days, Strowman is waking up.

Next week: Bellas vs. Riott Squad, B Team vs. Revival for the titles and Shawn Michaels talking about HHH vs. Undertaker.

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns/Braun Strowman

Roman and Ziggler start as it’s already after 11pm. A clothesline puts Ziggler on the floor and Strowman approves. The apron dropkick rocks Ziggler but McIntyre kicks Roman in the face to take over. Back in and Ziggler gets two off the running DDT, followed by the sleeper. The big jumping elbow gets two and it’s right back to the sleeper.

Reigns finally shoves him away and the big boot drops Ziggler. The hot tag attempt is broken up by McIntyre, who throws Reigns with an overhead belly to belly. Reigns Superman Punches Ziggler out of the air and Strowman gets the hot tag….but doesn’t get in. Reigns gets stomped down as Strowman watches from the apron. The referee disqualifies…..I’m not sure actually but the match ends at 8:50.

Rating: D+. Just an angle and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s something wrong with wasting the last year plus on Strowman for the sake of having him be Reigns’ first victim, but that’s another rant for another time. As usual McIntyre looks better in ten second than Ziggler looked working most of the match, but that goes without saying.

Post match Strowman says he’s not finished with Reigns and beats him down. Ziggler and McIntyre join in until Ambrose comes in for the failed save. Rollins runs down and gets beaten up as well. A bunch of powerslams leave the Shield laying and Strowman poses with his new friends to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to think of this show. I wasn’t bored and they kept things moving, but there were so many issues in it that the good took some hits. First of all there’s the big angle, which makes me shake my head at how long we waited on Reigns to win the title, all while Strowman was the most popular guy in the company. I’m so glad that we spent all that time, just so Reigns can have a big name victim. It’s nice that they have something in mind, but this company really doesn’t buy into the concept of striking while the person is hot.

Then there’s the women’s stuff, which was more of the “oh we’re all sisters and love each other” between the Bellas and Rousey and Natalya, which is really just rather annoying. Then again that may be the Bellas in general (I guess wine and lingerie weren’t paying the bills now that Cena is gone).

Evolution is turning into one of the weirder builds they’ve done in a long time, especially since it’s over two months away and there are two other big shows in the middle. I’m curious about where Lashley and Owens’ stories are going, though at the same time you have Balor vs. Corbin killing interest every time the non-Demon version of Balor is out there.

It’s like they’re trying to focus on everything at once and that doesn’t really work when the stories aren’t the greatest in the first place. The show wasn’t bad, but I could go for them cooling it with Super Show-Down and Evolution for a week or two. At least until after the Cell, which should be a bigger deal than it’s being made out to be with two and a half weeks of shows left.

Results

Baron Corbin b. Finn Balor – End of Days

Sasha Banks b. Dana Brooke – Bank Statement

Seth Rollins b. Kevin Owens – The Stomp

Revival b. B Team – Shatter Machine to Axel

Natalya b. Alicia Fox – Sharpshooter

Bobby Lashley b. Ascension – Spinebuster to Viktor

Dean Ambrose b. Jinder Mahal – Dirty Deeds

Roman Reigns/Braun Strowman b. Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre via DQ when Ziggler and McIntyre double teamed Reigns

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #19
Date: August 24, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schaivone

We should be running out of matches from the New York tapings but tonight we’ve got something big. This week it’s Fenix and Pentagon Jr. defending the Tag Team Titles against ACH and Rich Swann. That should be a heck of a match, even though Swann and ACH lost to the Hart Foundation last week. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap last week’s Dojo Fight with Tom Lawlor defeating Parrow but having to save his trainer Seth Petruzelli.

Lawlor swears vengeance. Tonight the Dirty Blonds face Team Filthy and next week, Lawlor will send Colonel Parker’s stud Jake Hager to the glue factory.

Opening sequence.

The Stud Stable is really not happy with Parrow. Colonel Parker is proud of the rest of his team though. Hager is ready for Lawlor next week.

Dirty Blonds vs. Team Filthy

That would be Fred Yehi/Simon Gotch for the ones in need of bathing. Yehi starts with Patrick and knocks him around with little to no effort. It’s off to Brien, who gets kicked into a good looking belly to back suplex as the early control continues. A neck snap across the top rope puts Gotch down though and it’s Scott coming in to hammer him upside the head. Yehi gets suckered in so a double suplex can drop Gotch. The referee is yelling at Brien so Lawlor hits Patrick in the back with a chair, which he throws to Parrow. Gotch grabs a small package for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: D. Nothing to the match due to the time, but it does keep the feud going. That being said, I’m not sure why the feud is continuing. I don’t remember the Stable winning a single match in the story yet, which makes me wonder why it’s still going. At least the better team is winning, though it’s not like the Stable is horrible or getting squashed.

ACH and Rich Swann complain about the heat but they’re ready to be Tag Team Champions.

Tommy Dreamer is ready for WarGames and goes over the history of some of his career in Florida. WarGames has been around before the Elimination Chamber or Hell in a Cell and you lay it all on the line out there. He’s ready for Sami Callihan, who has done everything imaginable to him before. Dreamer’s idol Dusty Rhodes (who invented WarGames) is going to have the best seat in the house when Dreamer becomes the Innovator of Violence in his first WarGames. Good stuff.

Matt Striker goes over the rules of WarGames and plugs the rest of the card. I’m looking forward to that show.

Ricky Martinez vs. ???

Martinez is Salina de la Renta’s (sweet goodness this week) newest client. The unnamed jobber bows to Martinez to start but has his kick to the head shrugged off. A backbreaker sets up a belly to back faceplant to give Martinez the pin at 1:01. It was a little sloppy, but that’s how you make someone look like a star.

Video on Low Ki vs. John Hennigan from last week.

Low Ki says he told us so and he’s accepting challengers from anywhere, including a Club or from the Underground.

Clip of Team Strickland getting jumped last week.

Sami Callihan doesn’t care about Dreamer being on the team because he’s ready to do whatever it takes.

Abyss promises to bring the violence to WarGames. That’s why you bring him in.

We look back at the opening match.

Lawlor wants his World Title match but can only see the Stud Stable. He wants Hager next week and the match has been set.

Salina, now in a different outfit, has no comment on the lawsuit from Fenix and Pentagon Jr. Low Ki is going to make short work of Fenix because no one is going to cut his plans short. The interviewer being intimidated by Salina continues to be a good little story.

Tag Team Titles: ACH/Rich Swann vs. Lucha Bros

Fenix and Pentagon are defending. Pentagon and Fenix handle their own introductions because luchadors introduce luchadors. The champs get knocked to the floor to the start and Swann declares himself the best in the world. He and ACH take their time getting ready to dive though and Fenix rolls back in for a double cutter. A powerbomb/top rope double stomp DESTROYS Swann for two as a suicide dive sends ACH into a bunch of chairs in the crowd.

Back in and Swann’s chest is ripped apart by some chops, followed by a running kick to the leg. Fenix puts on the chinlock to keep Swann in trouble as the announcers debate whether Konnan made up all the issues with Salina to steal her talent. ACH comes in and gets kicked in the leg again, followed by the big chop against the ropes. A springboard headbutt (looked like it was going to be a springboard hurricanrana but Fenix pulled up) rocks ACH instead but he’s right back with a sliding kick to Fenix’s head.

ACH slingshots down onto Pentagon and a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a snap German suplex gets two on Fenix. The champs are right back up though as Swann gets on the apron to see ACH send them into each other. Swann comes in with a hurricanrana to Fenix and a superkick to Pentagon. Fenix gets caught on top and Swann hurricanranas him onto Pentagon for two as it’s time to get fired up.

Stereo tiger bombs get two on the Bros but Pentagon is back up with a Sling Blade. The Codebreaker into the top rope double stomp has Swann down and ACH gets superkicked out of the air. ACH is fine enough to send the champs together and fireman’s carry them both at a time. Fenix slips off so ACH throws Pentagon onto him before collapsing. Swann and Pentagon set up the big showdown and slug it out but the Pentagon Driver (good one) is only good for two.

Somehow Fenix is back up and rolls into a cutter for two on ACH, only to have Swann hit a quick middle rope 450 for the same. Everyone is spent so they shout a lot and chop around in a circle until everyone is down again. Fenix and ACH forearm it out and Swann knocks Pentagon down with one shot. Stereo handspring cutters from ACH and Fenix both miss and it’s another group knockdown. ACH gets caught on top but he catches Fenix on top just as quickly. Swann goes after him and gets sunset bombed back down. ACH is knocked outside and it’s the spike Fear Factor to retain the titles at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This was all about four guys beating each other up and doing a bunch of flips and kicks in the process. That’s all it needed to be too and I had a blast watching them do these painful looking things to each other. There was no logical way to put the titles on Swann and ACH after last week’s loss but egads they made it a fun match on the way. Really good stuff here and a ton of fun.

Quick video on LA Park, who will face Pentagon at WarGames.

Overall Rating: C+. The rest of the show wasn’t great but the main event eats up about a third of the time and that’s all awesome stuff. Other than that though, things are looking up towards WarGames and I’m actually looking forward to the show. Just keep things going strong as we get closer to the big show and build it up well, which is all you can hope for with a wrestling show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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

Smackdown
Date: March 25, 2004
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Attendance: 4,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re past the Draft Lottery and the big move saw HHH come over to the blue brand. That opens up several doors and after the end of Raw, there’s a good chance that we’ll be seeing him challenge Eddie Guerrero for the SmackDown World Title again soon. Other than that, the big name would be Rob Van Dam, who could help move some people forward. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a long recap of the Draft picks, with a long look at HHH and Paul Heyman. With Heyman quitting, there is no Smackdown General Manager. I think we have a plot point.

Opening sequence, featuring a lot of Eddie Guerrero.

Here’s HHH….’s music but instead we get Kurt Angle in a suit. He gets straight to the point: Heyman ha quit so we need a new General Manager. Tazz: “It’s gotta be Stephanie McMahon. It’s gotta be.” And it’s Angle, because Tazz isn’t that bright. Angle is putting his wrestling career on hold so he can be in charge. He won’t back down from anyone, including HHH.

Earlier today, HHH demanded a rematch with Eddie Guerrero but got turned down, partially because he’s been traded back to Raw for the Dudley Boyz and Booker T. (along with Miss Jackie and Rico, with A-Train and Chuck Palumbo also going to Raw, though none of those are announced here). Booker comes out to say he’s not happy to be here. He liked wrestling on Raw because the fans over there appreciated him.

Video on the European tour, including John Cena in a kilt.

Rob Van Dam vs. Charlie Haas

After we hit the pose, Van Dam sends him into the ropes but gets carried like a fireman. Some spinning kicks have Haas in trouble and some armdrags set up an armbar. Van Dam tries to go up top but gets shoves off and into the barricade, which tends to happen to him quite often. Back in and Charlie ties the leg up in the rope for some stomping and it’s off to a half crab.

Since Rob is Rob, he uses the free leg to kick his way out of trouble. Another kick to the face has Charlie in trouble and Rolling Thunder gets two. Haas’ rollup in the corner gets the same, though the feet on the ropes help a bit. Charlie unhooks the turnbuckle pad but gets small packaged for the fast pin.

Rating: D. That was certainly a match. Van Dam isn’t exactly the best in the world in this situation and even someone talented like Haas can’t get much out of him. Van Dam needs to either be a big underdog or on a team as he’s not exactly going to get much otherwise. Pretty bad match here but Van Dam is going to be a big star no matter what.

Clip of Rene Dupree being drafted to Smackdown.

Clip of the big brawl that ended this week’s Raw with Steve Austin getting involved.

Billy Kidman vs. Rene Dupree

Rene has Fifi the poodle with him. Kidman can’t get a hiptoss to start but he can get a hurricanrana to bring on the early frustration. Back in and one heck of a whip into the corner allows Dupree to pose and the French Tickler elbow gets two. We hit the bearhug, which isn’t something you would expect from Dupree.

That’s broken up in a hurry and Kidman makes the comeback, including a middle rope elbow. Kidman does his own French Tickler and hits a dropkick but gets crotched while going for the shooting star. An over the shoulder sitout powerslam (which had no snap or force to it and Cole called it a powerbomb) gives Dupree the pin.

Rating: D+. Dupree has charisma and works better as a singles guy than in La Resistance but there’s only so much you’re going to get out of a three and a half minute match with a pretty weak looking finisher. Kidman is very good for a role like this though and is a big reason why he stayed around so long.

Post match here’s John Cena to say Tazz is a thug and Cole is gay. He wants to make sure that Dupree is prepared bro: don’t leave your wallet anywhere near Guerrero. More gay jokes aren’t funny and that’s that. Cena has found his swagger since winning the title and it’s sending him through the roof.

Video on Undertaker beating up Paul Heyman last week.

Teddy Long tries to recruit Scotty 2 Hotty and Rikishi and gives them a card. Josh Matthews looks interested but they’re “playas only cracka”.

Eddie comes in to welcome Rob Van Dam and Spike Dudley to the show but Booker doesn’t have time for this nonsense. He talks down about Smackdown and that’s not cool with Eddie, who won’t stand for someone disrespecting the show. Booker: “Consider yourself insulted.” The fight is quickly broken up and I think we have a main event.

Dudley Boyz vs. Basham Brothers

It’s a fight to start until we settle down to Bubba chopping Danny into the corner. D-Von comes in for some right hands but it’s off to Doug as the punching match continues. A neckbreaker from Bubba mixes things up a bit but it’s right back to the crossface shots. The double flapjack gets no cover and it’s time for some Twin Magic so Danny can come back in and take over. The abdominal stretch goes on for a little while but D-Von powers out and brings Bubba back in. That means more hard shots to the face and a sidewalk slam gets two on Doug. The Flip Flop and Fly into What’s Up sets up the 3D for the pin.

Rating: D+. This was every Dudley Boyz match I’ve seen in years and your mileage may vary on that. There’s no way around the fact that they haven’t changed things up in a long time and that was the case here all over again. They can be a nice addition to the division but they’re not going to be anything special.

Booker comes in to ask what Angle is going to do about Eddie so Angle goes into an explanation of how worn out Eddie is. Therefore, Booker gets a title shot tonight. Why is that not at the next pay per view?

Cruiserweight Title: Chavo Guerrero vs. Spike Dudley

Chavo is defending and the Dudleys are still at ringside. They trade hammerlocks to start and a frustrated Chavo hides in the ropes. The Dudley Dog is broken up with a nasty bump out to the floor but Bubba and D-Von scare Chavo Sr. away. Back in and Chavo puts on a seated abdominal stretch for all of a few seconds. Spike gets free and small packages him for two, followed by the top rope double stomp for the same. The Gory Bomb is reversed into a sunset flip for two more but Spike misses a missile dropkick. Now the Gory Bomb can retain the title.

Rating: C-. Spike was trying here and this was a much better fit for him. You can only have him do the ultra underdog role for so long and putting him against someone like Chavo, who isn’t that much bigger than Spike, worked well. Not much time to do anything, but Chavo needs some fresh challengers.

We look back at the APA splitting last week and Bradshaw talking about being a big time financial analyst.

Here’s Bradshaw in a suit with the white cowboy hat, now under the name John Bradshaw Layfield. Bradshaw says he was horribly misunderstood last week because he and Faarooq have been up and down more roads than almost anyone. He can’t be held responsible for what Ron Simmons did for him though, because Bradshaw has all kinds of things going on. We hear about his portfolio, his book, his upcoming radio show and appearances on FOX News. He can’t give all that up and no one would give up all he has.

There is no right or wrong in society but rather everyone is out to get something for themselves. People like him run industries and governments and he’s never sold anything but stock. He’s succeeded in everything but wrestling, because he thought a friendship was better than success. The impact is coming and business is about to pick up.

And so it begins. This seems like the kind of gimmick that would be a lame midcarder but since WWE has a tendency to go insane with some of its pushes, we could be in for a very long and rough road from here. At the end of the day, Bradshaw hasn’t been more than a Stan Hansen ripoff and now he’s some mixture of Money Inc. That doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence.

Bob Holly speaks for some of the locker room, telling Booker that no one wants him here. After Eddie gets done with him, the Smackdown locker room is waiting for him. Given that names such as Holly, Billy Gunn and Funaki are here, I get why Booker isn’t feeling threatened.

Smackdown World Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Booker T.

Eddie is defending. Feeling out process to start with Eddie taking him down but getting punched in the corner. A snapmare sets up a very early chinlock on Booker until he jawbreaks his way to freedom. Booker gets his own chinlock and has it broken up just as fast. The slingshot hilo gives Eddie two and it’s off to the third chinlock in….well way too little time to have three chinlocks.

Back up and Eddie gets in a very snappy dropkick but walks into a hot shot. We come back from a break with Eddie in another chinlock (two apiece now) before Booker gets creative with a sleeper. A cover gets two and we hit the sleeper again. This time Eddie gets out a little faster and hits a flapjack for a breather. It’s way too early for the frog splash though and Booker hits a superplex for a delayed two.

A side slam stays on Eddie’s back and IT’S ANOTHER CHINLOCK. He’s been working on the back and he can’t do a half crab? Booker chokes on the rope but only manages to fire Eddie up for some right hands. Another backbreaker is countered into a headscissors but the Book End gives Booker two. The side kick gets the same and Booker can’t believe these kickouts. Eddie ducks the ax kick though and the Three Amigos connect. The frog splash looks to finish but we’re edited to Bradshaw coming in for the DQ.

Rating: C+. Once they got past the crazy amount of chinlocks, they settled down and had a pretty good match. The ending isn’t exactly a brilliant idea though as Booker would have been perfectly fine as a one or two off pay per view challenger for the title while Bradshaw established himself a bit more. Instead though, we seem to be sailing straight into the new character getting a mega push right off the bat. We’re so lucky.

Bradshaw Clotheslines Eddie down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Not great wrestling and a pretty horrible new villain to wrap up the show doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence. This was all about a big welcome to all of the new stars and….yeah they’re people who have been around for a long time now and are now just on a blue show instead of the red one. It’s not their worst effort, but it’s another restart without much fire behind the new cast.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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: August 23, 2018
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Vic Joseph

Here are Summerslam results if you need a recap.

No Way Jose vs. Mike Kanellis

Mike headlocks him to start as we hear about Maria Kanellis injuring her wrist but trying to get back by Evolution. That’s one of the first times we’ve heard any specifics about her status. Jose pops up without much effort and grabs a hiptoss, only to miss a charge into the corner. Showing some intelligence, Mike stomps away on the arm but spends too much time blowing a kiss, allowing Jose to avoid a charge of his own. A fireman’s carry flapjack gets two but Mike snaps the arm across the top rope. Kanellis’ superkick gets two but he’s slow going up, allowing Jose to punch him out of the air for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C-. Better than most Main Event matches and that’s always nice to see. They were trying something with the arm and Kanellis was a little better than usual here. I get why Jose stays on Main Event so often as his energy is going to be more than enough to get the crowd going at the start of the night. Mike though….just hope Maria gets back soon.

From Raw.

The women’s division is around the ring (including the Bellas) for the presentation to Ronda Rousey and here’s Stephanie strutting to the ring to soak in their applause. After putting over Evolution, we see a package on Rousey destroying Alexa Bliss last night to win the title. Stephanie is proud of Rousey because this never would have happened without Stephanie’s business prowess. She shined Rousey up like a diamond and now everyone around the ring wants to be like Stephanie and Ronda.

Here’s Rousey but Stephanie wants to know why the fans aren’t chanting for her. Rousey says this isn’t about Stephanie for once and wants to know why the women aren’t all in the ring. They get on the apron and Rousey cuts Stephanie off again, saying that this is about everyone instead of just one person. Rousey puts over Natalya as the cornerstone of the division and the Banks vs. Bayley match from Takeover a few years back. She’s not Brock Lesnar because she’s going to be a fighting champion.

Stephanie says it’s true that Rousey isn’t Lesnar because this isn’t the Rousey who wanted to break people’s arms. Just look at poor Alexa Bliss, like in this clip where Rousey dislocated her elbow. Rousey wants to break everyone’s arm and take all of the spotlight. Actually that’s not true as Rousey is only going to break the arms of those who deserve it.

Stephanie gets her arm barred again (with the elbow being regularly bent, meaning it shouldn’t hurt that much) and since it’s not Wrestlemania, it works just fine. The face women, including the Bellas, pose with Rousey and it’s a big group hug because they’re all sisters or something. I’m not sure why this was necessary but at least it ended well.

From later in the night.

Stephanie is getting her arm looked at with Corbin and Bliss in the trainer’s room with her. Angle comes in and Stephanie yells at him, saying he needs a vacation. Stephanie makes Corbin the new acting General Manager. If that means one less boss, fine. I’m so sick of this story anyway that I’ll take any change at this point.

We get a clip of the Becky Lynch promo and subsequent brawl with Charlotte from Smackdown, but I’m not going to copy it from the old review as usual because it’s rather different. The version aired here doesn’t include Lynch ranting against the fans or really anything to suggest that she’s a heel. In other words, it’s made to look like she’s a fired up woman who got ripped off, suggesting that they’re changing the entire story. That might not be the worst idea, though it’s a pretty hard about face.

From Smackdown, unedited this time.

Miz and Maryse open things up with Miz looking rather serious until the Daniel Bryan chants start up. Miz says he was able to close his eyes and feel that in a way he never could before. Two nights ago, something happened at Summerslam and now he has a family to think about. Maryse is hugging Miz as he looks near tears and says that with a heavy heart….hang on as he needs to cry some more. He announces his retirement and there’s a YES chant.

Actually it’s his retirement of ever facing Daniel Bryan again because Sunday was a satisfying conclusion. Miz did exactly what he promised to do when he beat Bryan in front of a sold out Barclays Center. The 100 punches from Bryan didn’t equal one Miz punch because he has the hardest punch in this entire arena. Bryan promised to punch him but when Miz did it, he got the pin. Miz praises Maryse and plugs Miz and Mrs. but here’s Bryan to interrupt.

Bryan calls Miz a coward over and over again as Miz hides behind Maryse. It doesn’t matter what Bryan calls him because the record books will always say that Miz got the win at Summerslam. Bryan asks him to shut up for once because Miz is just hiding behind things, like the makeup he’s wearing right now. On Sunday, Bryan got to do what he wanted: expose Miz as a wannabe Hollywood star cosplaying as a wrestler.

Maryse tells Bryan to change his name to Daniel Bella but here’s Brie to punch Miz in the face. Miz and Maryse bail and Bryan announces a mixed tag for Hell in a Cell. Good thing Maryse chose now to bring Brie into it. I can go with this as A, Brie was always less annoying than Nikki and B, this isn’t the kind of match that should be in the Cell so having it move forward in another way is the right idea.

From Smackdown again.

Renee Young brings out AJ for an interview on the platform. AJ isn’t happy with what happened at Summerslam but he wouldn’t change a thing. He has a promise for Joe: the next time Joe mentions his family’s name, he’ll rip Joe’s heart out. Joe trips AJ from behind and pulls him down off the platform for the Koquina Clutch knockout. Joe: “OH WENDY!” AJ can’t come home and tuck in the kids because he’s already gone to sleep.

Stills of New Day winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

Rhyno vs. Mojo Rawley

Mojo grabs the rope to get out of an early armbar attempt and we take a very abrupt break. Back with Rhyno fighting out of a chinlock and a collision staggering Mojo. The running shoulder in the corner sets up a belly to belly for two but Mojo chop blocks the knee. A running right hand in the corner sets up the sitout Alabama Slam to finish Rhyno at 6:52 in a match that had a lot clipped out in the middle.

Rating: D+. That clip in the middle didn’t do them any favors and I’m curious about what they did in the middle. Rawley has completely stopped meaning anything on Raw after his short push came to an abrupt ending, which is kind of a shame as he’s not a bad heel. Rhyno is the same guy he’s been for the last ten years and that’s why he’s still got a job to this day.

From Raw to wrap things up.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor

Reigns is defending and runs Balor over to start. Balor does his jump over the top to avoid a charge but gets punched in the face to send us to a break. Back with Balor fighting out of a chinlock (good grief come up with something else) and kicking Reigns into the barricade. The running apron kick is broken up and Reigns drops him onto the apron. A hard whip sends Balor into the corner and Reigns yells at him a bit.

Balor takes him down though and scores with the double stomp to the chest. That’s all for the comeback as Reigns takes him into the corner for the clotheslines but Balor knocks him to the floor again. A good looking running flip dive has Reigns in trouble and we take a break. Back with Reigns hitting an uppercut but getting caught by a Pele. Balor gets all fired up and stomps away with an aggression you don’t often see from him. Reigns is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two but the Superman Punch is countered into an Eye of the Hurricane for a very hot two as the fans are completely into this one.

Rating: B+. The fans helped carry this one and they had me believing that a title change might happen. I mean, that went away as soon as Cole kept saying “HE’S GONNA DO IT!” but they had me for a few seconds. Reigns needs a win like this and as usual, when he’s putting in the effort, the match was very good. Really strong main event and the post match stuff is going to be a big deal.

Post match Strowman is in the ring and kicks Reigns down as the cash-in is…..hang on a second as we’ve got Shield music (and no bell, meaning the cash-in didn’t take place). Cue Rollins and Ambrose in the Shield gear as the fans are VERY pleased. Strowman goes after Reigns but the triple beatdown is on. The trio knocks Strowman outside but he fights off the TripleBomb, only to get speared down. Now the TripleBomb connects to end the show.

I’m not sure what the thinking here is, but Strowman looked like a face with the cash-in and Shield looks like heels by thwarting the cash-in, but since Shield won’t be booed, they’re going to wind up being the faces no matter what. It should be fun seeing WWE try to twist Strowman into a heel, especially when he was willing to fight Shield on his own and Reigns welcomed the challenge of a cash-in.

Overall Rating: C+. The talking carried this show (again) as the promos have been on fire as of late. This was an interesting week for WWE as it felt like they were more worried about keeping the Brooklyn crowd from taking the shows over, but that made for some very good television. I know it gets boring at times and I’m right there with those making the same complaints, but when WWE turns it on, they can still do some great stuff.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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: World of Sport

World of Sport
Date: July 28, 2018
Location: Epic Studios, Norwich, England
Commentators: Alex Shane, So Cal Val, Stu Bennett

So at the end of 2016, there was a one off British wrestling show called World of Sport, which was a callback to the big British wrestling TV show from the 1970s and 80s. It aired once, wasn’t very good, and was supposed to be the start of a new series. Well that series is now here, only a year and a half (plus) later. It’s a ten episode series so we might as well take a look at them all. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the pilot episode.

Stu Bennett (Wade Barrett) narrates the opening video, talking about how this is the new era and only the but make it to this platform.

The announcers welcome us to the show, with Val replacing Jim Ross from the pilot. I think things are starting to go downhill.

Rampage vs. Adam Maxtead vs. Sha Samuels vs. Justin Sysum vs. Crater

Elimination rules. Who are these people? Not important enough to mention, but Crater is a huge masked man. I don’t think there is an opening bell as Samuels and Rampage double team Sysum, the smallest guy in the match, to start. Bennett joins commentary as Crater comes in to clean house. Adam can’t slam Crater so Crater gives him a demonstration and chokes on the ropes….for a very quick DQ.

Crater cleans house post elimination and we’re down to four. Now that the announcers have told us that it’s an elimination match, Samuels and Rampage beat on Sysum a little more. Sysum fights back and scores with a middle rope crossbody but is already back in trouble when we come back from a replay. Back with Samuels clotheslining Rampage by mistake, allowing Sysum to get a rollup for the elimination.

Rating: D. Oh this isn’t going well so far. Keep in mind that this is a brand new series. Unless you watched (and remember) that pilot from December 2016 (hopefully they aired it before this first episode), Grado is a complete stranger but he’s the World Champion and these five guys are all fighting for a title shot.

Who are these people? Which one is the blue eye? Why are Samuels and Rampage friends? Where have I seen that Bennett guy before? There are five people fighting at once? I’ve watched a lot of wrestling and knew what was going on, but how many new fans are going to be watching this for the first time and just got totally lost? It’s not a great idea to come charging out of the gate like that and this wasn’t exactly a great match either. What we saw was fine, but it came and went with no one other than Crater getting to stand out, and that was just because of his look. Really rocky start and hopefully it gets better.

Post match, Bennett says that since Rampage beat the count, tonight’s main event is a three way for the title.

Don’t try this at home.

Will Ospreay vs. British Bulldog Jr.

This could be rather interesting. Hopefully commentary explains why the guy with BRITISH in his name who comes out to Rule Britania has a Canadian flag on his trunks. Ospreay wastes no time in flipping around into a dropkick but it’s too early for the big dive. Instead he backflips into the pose, allowing Bulldog to hit a dropkick of his own. Thankfully Bennett mentions Bulldog being half Canadian as Bulldog hits a slam and the delayed vertical suplex (required).

Ospreay slips out of a Brock Lock and kicks Bulldog down as we go to our fourth replay in less than three minutes. A springboard….something (the camera changed angels as he made contact) gives Ospreay two and a standing corkscrew moonsault gets the same. Shane: “Eat your heart out Harry Potter. Will Ospreay is a wizard.” The deadlift German suplex plants Ospreay, who seems to be favoring his knee. Bulldog clotheslines him for two as the replays and camera cuts continue.

A C4 gives Ospreay the same and he reverses the running powerslam into a dragon suplex. The spinning kick to the head gives Ospreay two as the rapid camera cuts continue. Ospreay’s shooting star (cut) hits feet (cut to crowd) and he bounces backwards (cut), allowing Bulldog to suplex him for another near fall. A Batista Bomb gets two more but Ospreay slips out of a superplex to hit the Cheeky Nandos kick. Ospreay loads up the springboard Oscutter but gets caught in a super powerslam (cool) for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C+. Well, it was better than the opener, but a lot of that is going to be due to having two very talented guys in there and allowing them to do some stuff. Ospreay is the kind of guy who is going to be able to get cheered all day and British Bulldog Jr. is a layup on a show like this. Or any show actually as he’s rather good. The cutting is REALLY annoying though as it’s every ten seconds at most. Slow things down a bit.

There’s going to be a Tag Team Title tournament but Kip Sabian and Iestyn Rees don’t want to hear about the rest of the teams. When you’re as good as they are, you’re the only team.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Martin Kirby/Joe Hendry vs. Iestyn Rees/Kip Sabian

The fans REALLY likes Hendry, or at least they’ve been coached about how to wave their arms to his music. Shane sums up Rees and Sabian as the bully and the big mouth. That’s not exactly an in-depth analysis, but it’s a description that tells you something about these guys and that’s a step in the right direction. Hendry wrestles Sabian down to start and it’s Kirby coming in to work on the arm.

Sabian runs him over a few times and keeps posing but gets taken down by a headscissors. A little cheating from Rees (which Barrett calls skullduggery, because he’s awesome) allows Sabian to score with a springboard dropkick on Hendry. We hit the double arm crank and Hendry gets driven into the corner to keep him in trouble. Hendry’s rollup gets two but the kickout sends him into Kirby, who lands on a cameraman.

A side slam into a slingshot legdrop gets two on Hendry but he gets his knees up to avoid a splash. That’s enough for the tag….or at least it would be if Kirby didn’t walk out on Hendry. Just to show off a bit, Hendry, who isn’t a big guy, gives them both a fall away slam at the same time and it’s an ankle lock to Sabian. Rees breaks it up with a missile dropkick, followed by a powerbomb/top rope clothesline for the pin on Hendry at 7:43.

Rating: C-. Sabian and Reese are a nice heel team and Hendry has more charisma than he knows what to do with, which is a good sign as he now has a built in feud with Kirby. This was a good way to showcase everyone involved, save for maybe Kirby who didn’t really do much here. It’s not a bad match or anything, but it’s more about setting stuff up for the future and that’s fine.

World of Sport Title: Rampage vs. Justin Sysum vs. Grado

One fall to a finish. Grado is defending and Bennett rants about him dancing his way to the ring. Rampage has Samuels and another guy named CJ Banks (had to look him up) with him. Sysum doesn’t have anyone with him but he does wear a cape. Rampage knocks the champ down to start but gets elbowed and punched to the floor. That allows Grado to sidestep a shoulder block, sending Sysum flat onto his face in a cute moment. Grado gyrates a bit and helps Sysum throw the rampaging Rampage over the top to keep it one on one.

Rampage and company pull Sysum to the floor so Grado cannonballs onto them off the apron for a big crash. With Sysum on the floor, Rampage slams Grado for two but here’s Sysum again with a top rope clothesline. Grado kicks him down and adds a cannonball in the corner, followed by a cutter to Rampage. Sysum makes the save and hits a 450 for two more on Grado but Rampage breaks it up. Rampage throws Sysum to the floor and hits an implant DDT on Grado for the pin and the title at 5:22.

Rating: D+. It wouldn’t make sense if we didn’t have another fast match which had some flashes of interesting stuff sprinkled in. The wrestling was ok with Sysum looking good, but the best thing here was getting title off of a comedy guy and onto someone who can be a fine heel champion. Just more rushed stuff here and I didn’t have any kind of connection to anyone involved.

Next week: a ladder match and the first Women’s Champion. That’s kind of a lot for the second week of a series.

Overall Rating: D. I feel like I’ve just watched a three hour show but it was crammed into 45 minutes. There was WAY too much going on here and no time was spent introducing anyone (I only know Grado because of TNA). This was a REALLY bad idea for a first episode, though there are some good things here and there.

You had the good second match, some names who were able to look good while given the chance, and the title change to end the show. The problem is I had to stop and think about those things because none of them were allowed to have the time to develop or sink in. That’s where we get to the biggest problem.

Again though, the problem was presenting this as the debut. They moved in and out so fast and really expected the fans to know who these people were or not care enough about them. I learned something about Grado, Sabian and Rees. Other than that, everyone came and went so fast that I can barely remember their names, including the person who won the title in the main event. Sysum and Ospreay were impressive, but other than that no one’s in-ring work really stuck out.

It’s not a complete disaster, but it feels like no one working on this really knew what they were doing. I really hope this gets better because there is some good stuff here (the set, some of the talent) but the problems (STOP CUTTING THE CAMERA EVERY TWO SECONDS) heavily outweigh the positives.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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

Ring of Honor
Date: August 22, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Where are we again? I know it’s the start of a new taping cycle but when these shows run together as badly as Ring of Honor’s do, it’s rather hard to remember what happened last week. My guess is a big tag match with Cheeseburger being annoying and something about the TV Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scorpio Sky vs. Chris Sabin

They actually shake hands to start with the fans starting some dueling chants. Sky armdrags him down so Sabin shouts DETROIT CITY. A pinfall reversal sequence doesn’t get anyone anywhere so Sky hits a double stomp to the back. Sabin gets sent outside for the big dive and there’s a legdrop on the apron for two. Back in and a double clothesline doesn’t go anywhere so Sabin enziguris him for a longer double knockdown. Sabin kicks him in the chest twice in a row and we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a missile dropkick and spinning Sky into a DDT for two more. Sky snaps off a super hurricanrana though and a kick to the head rocks Sabin again. A slingshot cutter gets the same and Sky is getting frustrated at the kickouts. Sabin grabs the arm and spins him around into a cradle for two, followed by a knee to the head and Cradle Shock for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine match here as I’ve always liked Sabin a little more than Shelley in the ring. Sky has a different look than a lot of the people around here with some muscles to his frame and that makes a win for a technical guy like Sabin. I could see Sabin getting a nice singles push around here and having another hand with some success like Sabin is always a good thing.

Post match Alex Shelley says their careers have gone on for a long time now. He’s realized that there isn’t much left for either him or the Motor City Machine Guns in wrestling. A few weeks ago he was in a dentist’s chair having his broken teeth fixed for the third time. There isn’t a reason for him to be around anymore, so maybe this isn’t a retirement because that’s not what wrestlers do.

Maybe this is just a see you later, but Sabin needs to validate everything they’ve done over the years. He can do that by winning some gold around here, starting with the TV Title. We get a loud THANK YOU chant but here’s Punishment Martinez to jump them from behind. Before he can smash Shelley’s face into a chair, Sky makes the save with a chair of his own. That could be interesting.

Kenny King is ready to do whatever he needs to do to make Marty Scurll take a knee tonight.

Kelly Klein is on commentary for the next match.

Karen Q vs. Jenny Rose

Karen’s pre-match promo talks about wanting to end her losing streak which Rose talks about wanting to be Women of Honor Champion, which starts with Karen Q. Rose starts with a rollup for two and reverses a suplex into a small package. A running clothesline gets yet another near fall as Klein really isn’t impressed. Karen avoids a charge and chokes in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Karen cutting her down with a clothesline and choking on the ropes. Some running elbows in the corner mix things up a bit and an exploder suplex gets two on Rose. Jenny is right back with a fisherman’s suplex for two of her own and a spear is good for a nearer fall. That’s enough to get Kelly off the apron to throw her mouth piece at Jenny. That’s enough of a distraction for Karen to hit a full nelson slam for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: D. This was another lifeless women’s match with two people I know nothing about. I’m not sure when these matches to set up the feuds take place but I’d assume on the Honor Club exclusive shows. If those are the best they can do, I’m really not sure why the division exists at the moment. It’s not the worst, but it’s something that comes and goes every week without actually getting anywhere.

Post match Klein jumps Rose as Karen looks on.

Jonathan Gresham has come a long way in Ring of Honor but hasn’t been able to beat Jay Lethal. Jay admits that he underestimated Gresham but that won’t happen again. They meet again in three weeks in an Iron Man Match for the title.

Chris Sabin finds Alex Shelley down in the back, holding his mouth with a chair next to his head. Always interesting.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: FR Josie vs. Eli Isom

Erg is this still a thing? Josie calls himself the resident body guy and has to look at his hand to remember that he’s supposed to win. Isom blocks an armdrag and throws Josie with a suplex. A springboard misses though and Josie kicks him in the face, only to dive into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Cue JEFF COBB (Matanza from Lucha Underground) to take out Isom for the DQ at 52 seconds.

Cobb beats both of them up and suplexes them at the same time to a big reaction. Fair enough as the guy is awesome.

The Kingdom is ready for the Bullet Club next week.

Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll

Marty spins behind him to start and let’s hit that bird pose. They go to the mat for a slow paced mat sequence (not a bad thing), including an exchange of headlock takeovers and that’s a standoff. Marty takes him down with a drop toehold and there’s the surfboard double stomp to the legs. Back up and King goes with the faster pace, including a legsweep into some….I think dancing?

They head to the floor with King sliding underneath the ropes and forearming Marty in the jaw before taking the umbrella away from him. The distraction lets Marty take him down by the wrist and kick King in the face. Back from a break with Marty getting two off a superplex but not being able to get the chickenwing. A spinning enziguri gets King out of trouble and a spinebuster gets two.

King blocks a low superkick and slaps on a Last Chancery as a nod to Austin Aries. The rope is grabbed so Scurll snaps off the brainbuster for two. He takes too long loading up the fingers though, allowing King to try a Royal Flush, which is countered into a DDT for two, even with trunks. Marty grabs the umbrella again but King rolls him up instead and puts his feet on the ropes for the pin at 13:42.

Rating: C+. So King is a heel again? Sure why not. I’m not sure what the point is in turning him when he seems to be feuding with Aries, but it’s not like King is doing anything at the moment. I’m surprised to see Scurll take a loss, even a dirty one, as the Bullet Club doesn’t lose very often. Not bad, but just a match really.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the midcard edition of the show and that’s not the most thrilling week in the world. The wrestling wasn’t too bad but at the same time it was a bunch of stuff that didn’t feel all that important. At least the Cobb debut went very well and he could be a star around here in short order. Oh and Lethal vs. Gresham in a few weeks should be fun. Pretty skippable show, save for Cobb.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #18
Date: August 17, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

We’re still in New York and that means we have a big time World Title match as Low Ki defends against John Hennigan (or whatever they’re calling him this week). While I doubt they’ll change the title again so soon, it should be an entertaining match, which is almost always the case when Hennigan is involved. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jim Neidhart.

We recap Hennigan beating Teddy Hart to earn the title shot in a rather flippy do match.

Before the show, the Hart Foundation got in ACH and Rich Swann’s faces before their match later. Brian Pillman Jr. is already nailing his dad’s mannerisms.

Rich Swann/ACH vs. Hart Foundation

That would be Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. with Pillman in their corner. Before the match, we get the Canadian national anthem. Striker: “Tony why are you taking a knee?” Tony: “Well I did play high school football.” Teddy shakes ACH’s hand but won’t look him in the eye for a show of disrespect. Smith shoves the much smaller ACH down with ease and Smith strikes a quick pose. ACH’s chop just hurts his own hand but a dropkick to the leg makes some more sense.

Smith calmly runs him over and it’s off to Hart vs. Swann. Teddy easily takes him down into the Rings of Saturn, though they don’t last long. Instead Swann nips out of a wristlock, leaving Hart to climb the corner and bounce around into a wristdrag. Back up and Hart snaps off a powerslam for two, drawing a chant for Teddy. Hart jumps over him in the corner, lands on Swann’s back, and snaps off a Code Red.

ACH makes a save so everything breaks down with Smith throwing them both to the floor as we take a break. Back with ACH hitting Hart with a Pele and a frog splash but Smith makes the save. The cocky ACH puts on the Sharpshooter with Smith making another save, albeit an angrier one this time. Swann goes up but Pillman hits him low with a cane shot, allowing Hart to hit an electric chair Backstabber for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C+. I like ACH and Swann but there was no question about pushing the Harts here. It makes far more sense as they have a big family name, work well together, and can get some attention on your product. Smith is a force and could be a big deal if he’s pushed properly, which somehow hasn’t happened anywhere yet.

We get a WarGames Control Center (SWEET) with an explanation of the match’s rules, which seem to be the original version (SWEET AGAIN). In addition to the show’s namesake match, there will be a World Title match plus PCO vs. Brody King. The tickets are only $10, which is actually a steal.

Shane Strickland (in an Austin Theory shirt) is ready to announce the newest member of his WarGames team but first he has to give John Hennigan a scouting report on Low Ki. Strickland’s advice: don’t let him kick you in the head. The team isn’t worried about Team Callihan adding Abyss, but here is Team Callihan to jump them from behind. Tommy Dreamer makes the save and is officially part of Team Strickland.

Hennigan is banged up before his title shot tonight.

Konnan is very pleased with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. leaving Salina de la Renta and joining him because they’re like scarecrows: they’re outstanding in their field. Ok that was actually kind of clever. Fenix and Pentagon seem very pleased with their decision.

Tom Lawlor is training at his dojo with Seth Petruzelli when the Stud Stable comes in for the Dojo Fight. They’ve got a referee with them (they come prepared) and Jake Hager talks trash, but it’s going to be Parrow fighting for the Stable instead. Lawlor throws some rights and lefts to start before driving Parrow against the cage. Parrow gets him on the ground and swings Lawlor into the cage to break up an armbar. Back up and Lawlor uses a pipe in the ceiling to hit a hurricanrana (giving me flashbacks to the Dungeon matches back in the WWF) before slapping on a Kimura for the tap.

Not a match, but an MMA guy beating a wrestler in an MMA fight isn’t the most shocking thing in the world. I’ll certainly give them big points for doing something different though, as having the same matches over and over again is rarely a good idea. This worked well enough. Post fight, Lawlor refuses to let go of the hold until he sees Petruzelli down and goes over for the save.

Salina intimidates the interviewer and Low Ki isn’t scared about having to defend against Hennigan tonight. Ki is looking forward to Hennigan’s challenge and promises to make him a sacrificial lamb. Hennigan needs to go back underground because the impact of tonight is going to be brutal.

We get a tale of the tape for the title match. Always appreciated.

MLW World Title: John Hennigan vs. Low Ki

Hennigan is challenging and has bad ribs from earlier. Thankfully Ki is in regular gear instead of the suit. Feeling out process to start as Tony gives us some history of Black Friday Management (thank you, as it was treated like something we should know despite being from the original incarnation of MLW). Hennigan drives him into the corner but gets pulled into an armbar over the ropes.

That’s broken up in a hurry so they go to the mat for a grappling session. Hennigan works on the leg as Striker mentions that Hennigan will be in WarGames. Makes sense given the segment earlier. Ki steals Hennigan’s bandanna and you know that makes things more serious. They separate again as we’re still waiting for this to really take off. A test of strength takes Hennigan down and Ki actually breaks his bridge a few times. You don’t often see that.

They grapple some more with Ki grabbing a guillotine choke, sending Hennigan straight to the ropes. We get a rare smile from Ki and it’s a lot more intimidating than I was expecting. Hennigan knees him into the corner but a springboard is broken up and the big crash to the floor has Hennigan in trouble. Ki walks him around the ring while adding in some chops and it’s off to a triangle headscissors back inside.

A gutwrench keeps Hennigan in trouble as Salina continues her evil stare. Hennigan can’t get him up for a suplex so Ki grabs an abdominal stretch to keep things logical. The hold is broken and Hennigan goes with right hands to the head in the corner, which is probably a smart move as grappling hasn’t been his strong suit so far. The sliding German suplex drops Ki, with Tony saying he’s never seen it before, even though Hennigan used it last week.

Rating: B-. This is actually a tricky one as they went in a completely different direction than you would have expected. I’m not sure if it worked nearly as well as they were expecting, but it was certainly different. As long as it’s not a disaster, which this wasn’t, I can give them credit for trying to do something new. I’d have preferred to see their usual stuff, but what they did was more than fine and it was a good match as a result.

Next week: Team Filthy vs. the Dirty Blonds and ACH/Rich Swann vs. Fenix/Pentagon Jr. for the Tag Team Titles.

Overall Rating: C+. They did things differently almost all the way up and down the card here and that’s a good sign. You can’t just keep doing the same stuff over and over again because things are going to get stale. There’s nothing wrong with having a signature style, but you have to mix things up often enough to let that style work better in the long term. That’s what they did here and it helped a lot. I’m also liking the build towards WarGames better than what they did for Battle Riot, so things are starting to come together on the more long term aspects of the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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

205 Live
Date: August 21, 2018
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

I’m not sure what to expect from this show. Sure there was a big time Cruiserweight Title match on Sunday, but it’s not like that meant much for the post-Wrestlemania show. Cedric Alexander is still Cruiserweight Champion and now he needs a new challenger. That might not be established tonight, but we will have a tornado tag team match between Lucha House Party and Buddy Murphy/Tony Nese. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick recaps the title match and hypes up tonight’s matches. That’s a rather nice way to open the show, even if it’s just a way to kill time while the shows change over.

Opening sequence.

TJP vs. Noam Dar

Rapper Wale is on commentary for celebrity reasons. TJP has a slightly different version of his theme. Before the match, TJP says he can’t wait to get back to Los Angeles. He brings up Dar’s knee issues and his kneebar finisher so tonight is close your eyes time. Or you could just leave, as one more empty seat in a sea of them won’t matter that much. Wale brings up Dar’s relationship with Alicia Fox, which ended last April. This guy is going to be on commentary all night isn’t he?

Dar drives TJP into the corner as Wale can’t get the initials in the right order. Hang on a second though as TJP bails to the floor and grabs a mic so he can introduce Wale. TJP dabs at him (Wale: “Nobody dabs anymore!”) and gets dropkicked by Dar, leaving Wale to call him PJ. Dude, it’s THREE LETTERS. TJP gets sent into a variety of things and a snapmare sends him into the ropes. Dar slugs away as Wale talks about hosting the New Day vs. Usos rap battle from last July. A running dropkick sends TJP outside as Nigel can’t pronounce Wale’s name (it’s Wah-Lay).

Back in and a quick DDT gives TJP two as Wale talks to his rap friends. We hit a Tequila Sunrise on Dar to work on the knee for all of two seconds. Another leglock allows TJP to point at Wale and then a curb stomp keeps Dar down. Dar stops a slingshot hilo with a raised knee, which is a bad idea when your knee has been worked over for a few minutes. Wale has moved to intentionally misspelling TJP’s name. It doesn’t make it any funnier, but at least it’s a change of pace.

A right hand to the face gets Dar out of trouble and a release northern lights suplex gets two. TJP pulls him down into the kneebar though but Dar is too close to the ropes, as is almost always the case with the first kneebar attempt. Back up and Dar kicks him in the leg, followed by the Nova Roller for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. I like TJP far more than Dar but it seems that WWE wants to push Dar a bit harder at the moment. The running kick is better than another frog splash or 450 so at least it’s a little change of pace. TJP is still one of the best guys on the roster with the leg stuff, but I get why they would rather have him making people look good instead of pushing him.

That’s it for Wale, thank goodness.

Clip of Sunday’s title match.

Earlier today, Drew Gulak was in the empty arena and said Cedric got lucky on Sunday. If Cedric cares about his legacy, he’ll give Gulak a rematch.

Drake Maverick isn’t so sure because Gulak needs to earn a rematch. Request denied at the moment.

Akira Tozawa vs. Colin Delaney

Or not as Gulak, Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher run in and beat up both guys.

Gulak accuses Cedric of running scared and wants an answer to the challenge right now. Cue Cedric to say that if he’s the scared one, why does Gulak have Thing #1 and Thing #2 out there? Maverick comes out to hold Cedric back as Gulak goes full Green Eggs and Ham. Gulak wants to know what the Age of Alexander is. Whatever it is, is absolutely sucks. The fans want a fight and Cedric finally gets through the referees to chase Gulak off.

Lucha House Party vs. Tony Nese/Buddy Murphy

Tornado rules with Lince Dorado/Gran Metalik for the House Party. Lince starts fast with a high crossbody to take them both down, followed by a launch into a double dropkick. The running flip dives are broken up so the House Party settles for the hard chops on the floor instead. Stereo backdrops over the top set up stereo top rope Asai moonsaults as Dorado and Metalik are moving as one so far. Things settle down with the fights splitting off, including Murphy slamming Dorado’s head into the ramp.

Dorado dropkicks both of them off the apron but the big running flip drive is caught in midair, setting up a powerbomb against the barricade. Back in and Nese starts in on Dorado’s injured thumb but Murphy can’t get the case off. Metalik gets up and walks the rope for a dropkick on Nese, only to have Murphy powerbomb him down. A pumphandle slam/running neckbreaker (more like a running shove to the back of the head) keeps Metalik in trouble and Dorado gets sent into the post.

It’s not much of a posting as he’s back in with a double missile dropkick just a few seconds later as the back and forth continues. Murphy hits Nese by mistake and a hurricanrana gives Dorado two as everyone is down. Dorado tries a double springboard moonsault press but only Nese goes down, which drags Murphy down with him in what might have been a botch. A running tornado DDT has some more luck on Murphy with a near fall but Nese crotches Dorado on the top.

Metalik breaks up the double superplex and actually doesn’t set up a Tower of Doom. I’m as shocked as you are. Nese gets knocked down and the shooting star gets two, leaving everyone down. Murphy and Dorado head up top but Nese is right there with a German superplex, though he ties himself in the Tree of Woe, allowing Metalik to walk the ropes for a dropkick.

Murphy is still up top though and hits a top rope Meteora to put Metalik down, meaning another four way knockdown. The House Party is up first with the superkicks and some alternating moonsaults get two on Nese with Murphy diving in for a save. Even Nigel is impressed by the House Party here so you know this is good. Nese German suplexes Metalik into the corner but the running knee is blocked.

Dorado misses a dive off the apron so Metalik walks the ropes for a hurricanrana to pull Nese off the top and into Murphy for a crazy looking crash, causing Metalik to lose his mask (Kalisto is right there to cover his face like a good buddy). Murphy shoves Kalisto against the announcers’ table so Kalisto trips him down (the first time he’s gotten involved), setting up a Code Red to give Metalik the pin at 17:20.

Rating: A-. I had heard some high praise for this match coming in and they more than lived up to the hype. The House Party has lost a lot over the last few months so giving them a big win is a good idea, while also showing how much better they are as a team. This was a wild and fun brawl and that’s the kind of match that these guys needed. Just a lot of fun with the match getting the time to reach that other level that this show doesn’t reach often enough.

Overall Rating: B+. Sometimes you need to have things just go nuts and put on an entertaining show. The Cruiserweight Title stuff was good too, though I need a little better reason to see a rematch than “I want a rematch and you’re a coward”. Still though, if it means Gulak gets the title one day, everything will be fine. Throw in Wale leaving after about fifteen minutes and the show became a combination of a lot of fun and a relief at the same time. Check out that main event.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: August 22, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s time for a big night with two major matches. This time around we have a Trick or Treat match (whatever that means, which around here could be anything) between the Mack and Mil Muertes but the real selling point is the main event. Tonight, Lucha Underground Champion Pentagon Dark defends against Cage in a Last Man Standing match. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Cage vs. Pentagon Dark, Drago and Aerostar’s trust issues and Mack vs. Muertes.

Melissa Santos is putting on her makeup when Dragon Azteca Jr. comes in. Dragon knows she misses Fenix, which she admits is getting worse and worse every day. He puts the half medallion around her neck. Melissa says he’s a great friend and leaves.

Famous B. is back, though in a much more traditional looking suit.

The Mack vs. Mil Muertes

It’s a weapons cage match (including a knife and an ax) with pin or submission only to win. Before the match, Catrina gets in Melissa’s face and tells her to introduce her “the right way b****.” Melissa says no so Catrina sends her face first into the cage, gives her the lick, and rams her head into the floor. Mack’s running enziguri has little effect so Muertes hits him with the kendo stick and a trashcan. A few more shots to the head don’t do much good on Muertes so it’s a snap powerslam and a pumpkin to Mack’s back.

Mack scores with a running DDT to slow Muertes down but he’s right back up to spear Mack into and then through the cage wall. Escape doesn’t count so Muertes DDTs him on the floor before climbing over the side. A high crossbody (and a good one at that) takes Mack down and it’s time for the knife. Muertes slices Mack’s head open and licks the blood off because he’s one of the creepiest guys around.

Despite the blood loss, Mack manages a release spinebuster through a table. Just like everything else though, Muertes doesn’t seem phased and sends Mack through another table to keep him in trouble. Mack fights out of a Flatliner through a table and some Stunners put Muertes down. For some reason Mack decides to go up top in front of a table, meaning he earns the super Flatliner through said table for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you just need a monster wrecking a popular guy to remind you who is in charge around here. Muertes is still one of the most dominant people in the company and that needed to be reestablished in a match like this. Mack is going to be fine after the loss as he’s a charismatic enough guy to bounce right back. Good destruction, even with the knife being a bit much.

Catrina won’t lick Mack.

Famous B., from his wheelchair, handles the introductions for the next match.

Aerostar vs. Jake Strong

B.: “Introducing first…..oh s***.” Aerostar isn’t scared so Strong punches him in the face and suplexes him back in from the apron. A quick crucifix gives Aerostar two and the rope walk dropkick gets the same. Aerostar gets knocked out of the air though and the ankle lock is good for the tap at 2:14.

Post match Strong won’t let go so Drago runs in for the save.

The Worldwide Underground is giving Johnny Mundo and Taya their wedding presents, including a trip to the Slamtown Spa and Resort, a portrait of Mundo as Lucha Underground Champion, and a title shot the week after the wedding. The Underground’s agent can’t get in and Ricky Mundo’s doll wants to kill him. Ricky stabs him with a pen as Taya and Johnny get matching bandannas. Geez the murders are spreading around here.

Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Dark vs. Cage

Pentagon is defending and it’s Last Man (or Machine) Standing. After a break, Cage goes straight at him on the floor and we’re ready to go in a hurry. A bottle to the head has no effect so Cage uses the broken bottle to carve up Pentagon’s head. Cage puts a table in the corner but gets caught in a Death Valley Driver to put him through it instead. With Pentagon’s mask half torn off (to the point where you can see his forehead), he caves Cage’s head in with a chair.

A top rope double stomp onto the chair has Cage in more trouble but he’s fine enough to take it outside and powerbomb the champ against the barricade. Cage sets up two tables on the floor so Pentagon throws in some more toys. One heck of a trashcan lid shot to the head rocks Pentagon and there’s the apron superplex to put them through the tables. It’s Cage up at five and for some reason he helps Pentagon to his feet. With another table set up next to the apron, Pentagon wins a fight and Death Valley Drives Cage through it in a sick looking crash.

Of course that’s not it as the Drill Claw plants Pentagon for so little time that the referee doesn’t even count. Another lid shot staggers Cage, sending him onto yet another table in the ring. That means a super Canadian Destroyer but Pentagon is already getting more weapons because he knows it’s not enough. Six chairs are set up in the middle of the ring….and Pentagon package piledrives him through them. That’s STILL not enough so Pentagon Pillmanizes one arm, breaks both of them, and then since Cage is getting up again, curb stomps him THROUGH A CINDER BLOCK to retain at 13:13.

Rating: B+. Throughout a lot of this match, I was thinking it was just your run of the mill violent brawl. Then we got to the ending, where Pentagon unloaded on Cage and threw everything he had at him to FINALLY put the machine away. That last few minutes had me wondering what was left to stop Cage and it was one heck of a visual. The same is true of Pentagon’s mask being ripped off, which made him look like the conquering antihero, which is a great way to wrap things up.

Pentagon poses and, again, looks like the biggest star ever around here.

Next week: the wedding. That….sounds amazing.

Overall Rating: A-. That last three minutes alone are enough to make this a great show but then you have another murder (with a PEN), Pentagon looking like a star, and the whole carving up someone’s head with a knife. This was one of the most violent wrestling shows I’ve seen in a long time and that’s exactly what they were going for. Well done all around, but check out that main event for sure.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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