There are more than three you know.

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

What does it say that I had to look up the results from last week’s episode? This series really doesn’t have a lot of staying power and that’s been an issue for a long time. Last week’s main event saw SCU winning the Tag Team Titles to give them some security as the year comes to a close. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Christopher Daniels being injured two weeks ago and SCU winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Opening sequence.

The Kingdom vs. The Boys

It’s TK O’Ryan/Matt Taven for the Kingdom here. Taven isn’t impressed and says he’ll handle this one by himself while O’Ryan sits in on commentary. Before the bell, Taven hits one of them with the belt and it’s a glorified singles match to start. We’ll say Boy #1 gets DDT’ed down and Taven even fans him down. That’s…nice of him I guess?

We take an early break and come back with Taven hitting a running knee to #1’s face but #2 comes in for a headscissors. #2’s dive is caught in the air so #1 dives onto both of them for the double knockdown. Vinny Marseglia pops up from underneath the ring though and pulls #2 under. The Climax finishes #1 at 6:12.

Rating: D. Just an angle here and while that’s fine, it could have been a little more interesting if they had come up with something a little more interesting. Maybe it’s the Kingdom not exactly being thrilling or maybe it’s the Boys, but this wasn’t exactly thrilling. At least Taven is facing Dalton Castle at the pay per view instead of going after the World Title, but you know that’s coming.

Cody talks about Final Battle being the anniversary of him losing the World Title. Since then, he’s never gotten his one on one title shot and that changes at Final Battle. Cody was pretty serious here and it worked….I think.

Ian brings Jonathan Gresham to the ring for a chat. Gresham, who is tiny compared to Ian, isn’t on the Final Battle card yet while his tag partner Jay Lethal has a World Title defense. He’s here to prove that he’s the best technical wrestler in the world so it’s Open Challenge time for the pay per view. All the best technical wrestlers in the world can come see him….and here’s Zack Sabre Jr. on the screen. He’ll show up at Final Battle for the challenge in his ROH debut. Wait, how in the world has Sabre never worked here before??? Anyway that should be a good one.

Daniels is on the phone with someone named Joe (presumably COO Joe Koff) and promises to send the signed documents to him the next day. SCU is there with him and the two of them have contracts. Daniels doesn’t though and the two of them are worried about him. He’ll come up with something.

Kelly Klein vs. Jenny Rose

The winner goes on to the four way title match at Final Battle and Rose is in a football jersey for some reason. They don’t even wait for the bell and start fighting in a hurry with Klein taking over off some knees to the face. Rose gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Rose rolling out of the corner but getting pulled back in for a choke. That earns Klein a slam off the top and a spear gives Rose two. Some knees to the back keep Klein in trouble but she’s right back with K Power (spinning AA) for the pin at 7:35.

Rating: D+. I know I’ve said it before but EGADS this division is just not working. There’s a history between these two but I have no idea who Rose and Klein are (as in I know nothing about them) and that doesn’t make for an interesting match. The wrestling wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t tell you who else is fighting for the title and really, I don’t care.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Jeff Cobb. That could be a heck of a hoss fight.

Quick vignette of a heart monitor line spiking over and over. No idea who that is.

Young Bucks vs. Briscoes

The winners face SCU at Final Battle. Mark jumps over Nick to start so Nick hits a springboard flipping wristdrag to take over instead. Everything breaks down in a hurry with Matt firing off the kicks and throwing Nick into the air for a double dropkick. A neckbreaker to Mark in the corner sets up a quick slingshot splash and the Bucks are in trouble as we take an early break.

Back with Matt in trouble as the Briscoes take turns hitting him in the head. The choking on the ropes keep Matt in trouble and Mark is smart enough to knock Nick off the apron before Matt can get to the corner. As tends to be the case though, the hot tag goes through all of five seconds later and the Bucks put on stereo Sharpshooters. The Briscoes grab the ropes and start throwing the Bucks around. Redneck Boogie gets two on Matt and Jay grabs his own Sharpshooter on Matt.

Another rope break sends us to another break and we come back with Nick starting to clean house. Mark gets catapulted into a kick to the face in the corner and a slingshot splash gives Nick two. They slug it out with the Briscoes getting the better of it until the Bucks superkick their way to freedom for two. It’s Meltzer Driver time but Jay throws in a chair. Matt gets one of his own and stereo chair peltings give us a double DQ at 12:09.

Rating: B-. These teams have great chemistry together and that was the case again here. The ending pretty clearly sets up the triple threat match at Final Battle and there’s nothing wrong with that. You really wouldn’t want to have either of these teams go over the other so the three way is the best idea, even if we just saw it a few weeks back. Good main event with a big match feel.

Post match Jay and Matt fight over a chair and the referee gets decked. The teams don’t seem to mind and keep slugging it out until security comes in to separate them. Cue SCU to say oh well, we can just fight you both at Final Battle. Oh and we can make it Ladder War. The deal is on to end the show.

Actually hang on as we get that heart monitor thing again.

Overall Rating: C-. Strong main event aside, this wasn’t exactly a great show. I’m glad they set up one of the biggest matches for Final Battle but other than that, this was a bunch of boring wrestling with little angle advancement. There’s some good stuff in Ring of Honor but when it misses, it really misses badly. At least the main event was there to help things, but it couldn’t quite save the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: June 28, 2004
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

With less than two weeks to go, it’s time to get focused on Vengeance. As it turns out, last week’s main event had no bearing on the pay per view as HHH is getting his World Title shot (I’m stunned too.) despite not beating Eugene. Other than that we have the continuing issues of Kane fathering Lita’s baby, which isn’t likely to get much attention tonight because Kane is getting a World Title shot against Chris Benoit. Let’s get to it.

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

Last week, WWE won some awards. Good for them.

We open with a recap of HHH vs. Eugene, featuring HHH snapping and beating him down, drawing in Benoit for the save. Benoit accidentally chaired Eugene though and got laid out by HHH to end the show. That’ll show Eugene for getting over without being named HHH.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Evolution to get things going. HHH says tonight’s main event doesn’t matter because he’s facing the winner at Vengeance no matter what. For tonight though, he’d like Eugene to come out here because they’re still friends. A nervous Eugene comes out, complete with a bandage with a drawn on smiley face. HHH talks about how there are mean people around here, like Chris Benoit. All HHH was doing was trying to prepare him last week because if HHH really wanted to hurt him, Eugene wouldn’t be here.

The reality is that Benoit can’t stand Eugene and wants to hurt him. HHH doesn’t usually talk like this, but Benoit is nothing but a jerk. HHH: “I said the J word!” Orton looks very confused as HHH tells Eugene that they’re still friends. Tonight, Eugene gets to be an honorary member of Evolution. That means a round of hugs but here’s William Regal to say it’s a trap. HHH brings up Regal to work for Bischoff to get rid of Regal in exchange for his job. HHH: “YOU MAKE ME SICK!” This brings out Bischoff, to make HHH vs. Regal with Eugene as guest referee.

Again, this story is fascinating in a way. The character work and manipulation of Eugene is very entertaining as you can see the character changes throughout and that’s making for some entertaining TV. That being said, there is the issue of why HHH is doing this in the first place. He has the title shot and he has Evolution. Is there really a reason why he doesn’t just have them beat the heck out of Eugene and make them leave? Sure Bischoff is going to be happy to see Eugene get crushed, but this seems to be taking the very long way around when there’s an easier path to get what everyone wants.

Chris Jericho/Edge vs. Randy Orton/Batista

Well it was good last week. Orton tags out instead of fighting Jericho so it’s a right hand to Batista’s face to no avail. Batista takes him down and hammers away with right hands to the head as the fire alarm seems to be going off. Evolution takes turns hammering on Jericho’s head as the alarm keeps going. Someone might want to look into that sooner or later. The alarm is finally cut off, drawing a round of applause from the crowd.

Batista gets two off a big side slam but Jericho dropkicks him into the ropes for a breather. It’s still way too early for the hot tag, which is fine as Edge did more than enough work in the first version. Orton’s dropkick gets two but he walks into the sleeper drop, setting up the hot tag to Edge. That means some house cleaning but you know this one is getting some time so it’s only the preliminary house cleaning. They’re not to full dusting yet you see.

The Edgecator has Orton in trouble until Batista saves, only to get double dropkicked to the floor. Edge hits a baseball slide and Jericho adds a sweet dive to drop Batista as we take a break. Back with Edge taking Orton into the corner but Batista comes in again for a running powerslam. Orton stomps away and drops some legs for two before handing it back to Batista for a seated full nelson.

That’s finally reversed with a ram into the corner but Orton is fine enough to slap on a bodyscissors. Edge finally fights up again and makes the hot tag off to Jericho so the pace can pick up. The bulldog sets up the Lionsault but Batista moves, leaving Jericho to stick the landing. Batista’s spinebuster is countered into a sunset flip with Edge dropkicking him down for the two. Back up and Batista blasts Orton with the clothesline but manages to kick out of the Walls. Edge spears Batista, setting up the Lionsault for the pin.

Rating: B. Are these people capable of having a bad match at this point? You could mix and match these guys for months for good matches, which is exactly what they’ve done to some great results. Jericho vs. Batista and Edge vs. Orton (the latter of which is already set) for Vengeance sound fine for me.

Post match the announcers talk about how impressive was that Jericho overcame a concussion to win here. If he had one, he certainly didn’t act like it.

Video on Kane announcing that Lita’s baby is his, wrecking Matt Hardy’s marriage proposal in the process. That’s such a horrible move and I love it. Lita’s crying line of “but the baby might be yours” makes it even better.

Flair comes up to HHH and asks about Eugene being an honorary member of Evolution. Flair: “It’ll kill our gimmick brother!” HHH explains the whole idea by saying that his deal with Bischoff is simple: get rid of Eugene and get a title shot at Vengeance. Flair brings up the obvious: why not just beat Eugene up right now and be done with it? Apparently HHH is going to use Eugene’s talents to get the title back. Then he’ll give Eugene what he deserves.

Now that’s more like it. The scheme is making things more complicated than they need to be and HHH is looking like a maniacal villain. Imagine that: actually explaining a crazy idea and not leaving your audience scratching your heads and hoping they just don’t ask a bunch of questions that point out all the holes in your story. HHH’s plan is pretty stupid, but it makes sense to him and that’s all that matters.

Divas Search video, this time from New York. Again, almost none of them are named, though Michelle McCool is seen.

A crying Lita can’t get in touch with Matt. Stacy Keibler comes in and asks what’s wrong. My goodness this woman gets dumber every week. Lita was trying to do what was right and explains that Kane was going to keep hurting Matt until Lita did what he wanted. She’s not sure who the father is.

JR is in the ring to interview Kane, though this time the ring is at least surrounded by cops. You know, those guys with such great track records in wrestling. Kane gets right to the point: there’s no one that is going to stop him if he decides to go after JR again. JR shrugs that off and asks about Kane attacking Shawn Michaels last week. Shawn robbed him of the World Title and since Shawn got in his way, it was time to make him suffer.

As for Lita, Kane just wanted something that he never had. He wants an offspring that he can mold to continue his legacy. Kane took every precaution to make sure Lita would get pregnant. This way Kane gets everything that he wants, including the World Title tonight. Oh yeah that’s another thing Kane has going on right now. Then in eight months, he gets to be a father.

JR brings up the chance that Lita’s baby is Matt so violence is imminent, only to have Matt run in for the save. Bischoff has to tell security to break it up. Matt gets dragged away and Bischoff says the main event isn’t being ruined. Since it’s so unfair to Kane, we’ll change the rules a bit. Tonight, Benoit has to win by submission only but Kane can win by pinfall, submission, countout or DQ. Kane has another evil smile.

William Regal vs. HHH

This is Regal’s first match in over a year and Eugene is guest referee. HHH drives him into the corner to start so Regal takes over with a hammerlock. Regal kicks away on the mat like a true villain should but Eugene asking for a clean break allows HHH to get in a right hand. Back up and Regal slugs away with HHH doing a faceplant. An exploder suplex gets two but Flair throws in some brass knuckles. Regal clocks HHH and takes them away but Eugene disqualifies him before he can actually use the knuckles. Eugene: “You weren’t supposed to do that!”

Rating: D. The wrestling wasn’t the point here as it was more about the angle advancement, which is starting to make me wonder. Eugene is already starting to feel like he’s in over his head here and if this all ends with HHH getting a definitive pin over Eugene, it’s going to be a bad idea at the end of the day.

Post match HHH shoves Regal into Eugene, sending him into a rage with a beatdown on Regal. HHH and Flair calm things down and Regal is left laying.

Sgt. Slaughter/Rhyno vs. La Resistance

Non-title. This is the last show before the 4^th of July so it’s as good as we can get. Slaughter is looking very lean here compared to some of his recent appearances. Rhyno is ready to fight early on and shrugs off some Conway chops. A hard shoulder puts Conway down but Grenier gets in a cheap shot from behind.

Slaughter is drawn in so the double teaming can continue, which you would think he would see coming. A neckbreaker gets two on Rhyno and we hit the chinlock. Rhyno fights up and hits a belly to belly, allowing the how tag off to Slaughter for the house cleaning. The Cobra Clutch is broken up but Conway makes the save with a DDT. Rhyno gets shoved off the top and it’s Au Revoir to finish Slaughter.

Rating: D+. All things considered, this was just a step beneath a miracle. Slaughter’s annual appearances are rarely anything to see but this was a watchable match. Having it be non-title helped a bit too as hearing that the titles are on the line makes me roll my eyes and go “this again?” more often than not. This didn’t feel as annoying and the match being a bit better helped too.

HHH tries to calm Eugene down but then brings up Benoit hitting him in the head with a chair last week. Then Regal shoved him down, even though Eugene didn’t do anything wrong. Kane chokeslammed him too. They hurt him, but Evolution will never hurt him. As much as the plan is convoluted, HHH has been nailing the acting part and comes off as totally evil.

Diva Search. Some made it, some didn’t, one was Michelle McCool.

Vengeance rundown. Jericho vs. Batista is confirmed.

Coach and Bischoff are in the office for some exposition. Bischoff will be off next week and therefore we need a boss. Since, you know, WE MUST HAVE A BOSS! Coach won’t be in charge though because Eugene will be running the show. That actually has a lot of potential.

We look back at Benoit having to pin Kane instead of winning with the Crossface.

Smackdown Rebound featuring the Great American Bash. Haven’t we suffered enough?

Raw World Title: Kane vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit is defending and can only win by submission while Kane can win by any means. The referee holds the title upside down, which is a lot more annoying than it should be. Kane loses an early slugout so it’s time to start in on the knee. The Sharpshooter is kicked away of course but Kane misses the big elbow. Benoit can’t get the Crossface so Kane throws him over the top.

Back from a break with Benoit chopping away in the corner but getting hit in the face. They head outside with Kane posting him for a bonus. That gets nine on the floor and two in the ring as I wonder why Kane doesn’t just destroy Benoit with a chair. Benoit can’t win by DQ so Kane can’t get disqualified, so what’s stopping him? Benoit sends Kane face first into the steps and JR LOSES IT on Lawler for asking about Kane’s kid again. I haven’t heard him yell that loudly in a long time.

Back from another break with Kane holding a chinlock before kicking him in the face to cut off a comeback. The chokeslam is countered into the Crossface but Kane gets up and slams him down for the break. A Tombstone attempt is escaped and Benoit rolls the German suplexes. Benoit hits the flying headbutt and covers but the referee reminds him of the rules.

With Kane down, Benoit goes up again but has to counter a chokeslam by snapping the arm across the rope. Kane goes shoulder first into the post and the Crossface goes on again. The roll over doesn’t work as Benoit holds on, even with both of them on their backs. That actually looks even more painful than the regular version and Kane taps to retain Benoit’s title.

Rating: B-. And that’s that for Kane. I’m kind of surprised at the chemistry these two have together and the matches have been a nice showcase for Benoit. The story here was fine and Benoit was in trouble at times, but the Vengeance title match being announced made it rather clear that the title wasn’t changing hands. It’s ok to have a match with a pretty obvious ending at times though and that was the case here.

Post match Kane chokeslams Benoit but here’s a very smiley Lita. She hands the title to Kane and raises his hand before kicking him low. Kane shrugs it off and loads up a chokeslam but lets her go because of the baby. Benoit hits him with the belt and poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was solid this week but I keep going back and forth on the HHH/Eugene thing. It goes against what made Eugene work but the bigger problem is it’s turned into a HHH story featuring Eugene than anything else. The performances have been very good though and the positives outweigh the negatives, which is more than you can expect in a lot of stories. It’s good for now, but I’m worried about where it might be going. The rest of the show was mostly good and nothing stood out as horrible, so I can definitely go with this after last night’s pay per view.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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

NXT
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: San Jose State University Event Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

It’s a special show this week as the talent was given a week off from tapings with this show filmed before Takeover: WarGames II. As usual, NXT knows how to set things up in advance and odds are we’ll have a good night of wrestling, even if we don’t have a lot of angle advancement to look forward to. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Mighty vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

Burch and Thorn start things off with Danny starting in on Thorn’s taped up shoulder. Lorcan comes in but gets dragged into the corner for the tag off to Miller. Lorcan is fine enough to slap on a half crab with Burch coming in for a Crossface on Thorn. The Mighty bail to the floor for a bit until Miller comes back in for a shot to Lorcan’s face. A rake to the eyes keeps him in trouble and we hit the chinlock. That lasts as long as the average chinlock but Lorcan’s comeback is cut off with an uppercut.

Thorn cranks on the neck until Lorcan fights up and makes the hot tag, allowing Burch to clean house. The elevated swinging neckbreaker is broken up and Thorn hits a hard dropkick to put Lorcan down. Lorcan is right back up with a half and half suplex, setting up a big dive over the top to take both of them down. Back in and Thorn gets out of something that looked like a Doomsday Device and Thunder Valley is loaded up. Burch tackles Miller though and Lorcan gets a sunset flip for the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C+. This was perfect for a show like this as neither team has anything going on at the moment so having the four of them get out there and do something is a nice break for them. Burch and Lorcan are a good tough team and the Mighty…well they have a good name at least. Yeah they never clicked for me and that’s still the case. They’re better as heels though.

Post match the Mighty jump them from behind and send them into the steps.

We look back at EC3 upsetting Adam Cole a few weeks ago, only to have the Undisputed Era lay him out, including a chair to the knee.

Still of Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler at Takeover: WarGames II with the other Four Horsewomen costing Sane her chance to get the title back.

Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai and Io Shirai aren’t done with Baszler, Maria Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. How about a six woman tag?

EC3 vs. Marcel Barthel

EC3 is looking especially fired up. Barthel shouts a lot so EC3 grabs a headlock early on. That’s driven into the corner and the break lets Barthel hit an enziguri to really take over. White Noise gives Barthel two and, of course, it’s off to the chinlock. EC3 pops up with right hands and an elbow to the jaw, followed by the 1%er for the pin at 4:07.

Rating: D+. Not much to this one but Barthel continues to be a good jobber to the stars with great intensity. It makes people who beat him look more important and that’s the right idea for something like this. EC3 continues to be in that weird place where he looks ready for the main roster and doesn’t have much going on down here, but he’s stuck waiting for the callup. At least he’s winning though.

Post match EC3 says he wants Bobby Fish for attacking his knee. He’s coming for Fish’s head, knees, and everything in between.

Donovan Dijak, now known as Dijakovic, is coming and looks like an MMA fighter.

Candice LeRae won’t answer questions.

Mia Yim vs. Vanessa Borne

Vanessa shakes her hand and slaps her face, sending Mia up to the next level early on. The early armbar sends Vanessa scrambling but she gets pulled back in, despite grabbing the ring skirt. That’s enough for her to get in a shot to the face though and Yim is in some trouble.

Borne hammers away in the corner and gets two off a swinging suplex, which the announcers call creative. That’s not exactly creative, and neither is the chinlock that follows. Yim’s armbar cuts off Borne’s momentum and a Tarantula keeps her in trouble. There’s a running dropkick into the corner, followed by a running big boot. Eat Defeat finishes Borne at 4:18.

Rating: C-. Borne is another good example of someone who can make others look good and doesn’t need to get a big win to stay over. She can win some smaller matches and use that capital to lose to others, as has been the case for years. Yim isn’t likely to get pushed towards the top of the division, but she could be fine as someone who gets an occasional house show title shot and has good matches with people on their way up the card.

Tommaso Ciampa talks to the title, saying about how he only needed one chance to show that he’s the best of all time. Next week, he and Goldie are coming to the ring and the NXT fans better follow his lead. That’s better than the cliched “give me the respect I deserve”.

Lars Sullivan vs. Keith Lee

They stare each other down to start and Sullivan powers him into the corner. Lee blocks a shot to the face and takes it back to the middle, only to be run over by a charge. A slam is broken up though and Lee gets one off a crossbody. Lee tries a slingshot but gets kicked out of the air, followed by a belly to back throw for one. Sullivan hits a middle rope headbutt for two more and it’s off to the big chinlock.

Some rams into the corner can’t keep Sullivan’s grip broken as he grabs Lee all over again. Lars misses a charge into the post though and Lee slugs away, including a slingshot crossbody for two. A clubbing shot to the head just gets a glare from Lee and the Pounce sends Sullivan all the way outside. That means the big dive for two back inside as the fans are way into these near falls. Lee’s middle rope moonsault misses and a good looking Freak Accident gives Lars the pin at 8:00.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a hoss fight with both guys beating the heck out of each other for a few minutes and just having a good time with the whole thing. Lee losing is fine as Sullivan is either done with NXT or just about to be gone to the main roster so it’s not like the loss hurts Lee all that much. Almost no one has been able to hang with Sullivan but Lee had him in trouble. That’s how you make him look good, which was the entire point here.

Overall Rating: C+. We can add this to the show that NXT knows how to pull off: the kind that means nothing but still has some entertaining stuff. There wasn’t much going on that is going to matter long term here, but they made it an entertaining fifty two minutes of wrestling anyway. That takes talent, and is the kind of thing that the main roster hasn’t shown the ability to pull off in a long time. Well done again, as usual.

Results

Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan b. The Mighty – Sunset flip to Miller

EC3 b. Marcel Barthel – 1%er

Mia Yim b. Vanessa Borne – Eat Defeat

Lars Sullivan b. Keith Lee – Freak Accident

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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

NXT UK
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

You can always get something out of a guaranteed new champion and that’s what we have tonight. We’ve got the finals of the NXT UK Women’s Title tournament with Rhea Ripley facing off with Toni Storm for the title. After Storm won the Mae Young Classic, it would make sense to have Ripley get the title here but you never can guess what you might see. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the tournament, which might have had more impact if it hadn’t taken place over the course of two weeks.

Opening sequence.

Joe Coffey vs. Sid Scala

Joe has his brother Mark and Wolfgang head to the back as he has this. Actually hang on as Scala is in a suit because still injured. He has a replacement though.

Joe Coffey vs. Tyler Bate

This works. Tyler slugs away to start and hits a knee to the face out of the corner. A dropkick sends Coffey to the floor for a suicide dive and Tyler hits a diving uppercut for good measure. Cue Mark and Wolfgang for a distraction though and Joe drives him into the apron to take over. Back in and Tyler can’t get the fireman’s carry as Joe slips off and headbutts him down. Joe even mocks the Moustache Mountain pose so you know it’s serious.

The swinging butterfly suplex has Bate in more trouble and it’s off to the nerve hold. That’s switched over to a crossarm choke but Bate eventually reverses into one of his own. Bate’s doesn’t last as long though as he gets caught in an overhead belly to belly for two more. Bate is too banged up to grab an exploder suplex so he settles for the standing shooting star instead.

With Joe in trouble, Mark gets up on the apron for a distraction so Joe can grab a powerslam for two. Cue a limping Trent Seven (What took him so long?) to help even things up a bit as Bate still can’t get a fireman’s carry. Joe misses a spinning high crossbody and Bate scores with a lariat. Now Bate can get the fireman’s carry into the airplane spin and even gets in the reverse version. The rolling Liger kick looks to set up the Tyler Driver 97, drawing in Mark and Wolfgang for the DQ at 9:47.

Rating: B. That was this close to being a great match but the finish kept them just a bit short. You can see the six man from here and that’s a fine way to go. Bate might not be as good as Dunne (But who is?) but he’s more than capable of having a very good match with just about anyone. Joe wasn’t bad either and this was a rather entertaining start to a big show.

Post match the brawl is on until Pete Dunne makes the save. Did we ever get an explanation for why Dunne is friends with Seven and Bate around here?

Dan Moloney vs. Ligero

The bigger Moloney puts Ligero on the apron to start but gets kicked in the face for one. Ligero gets out of a sitout powerbomb and another dropkick gets two more. Moloney’s spinebuster is good for one and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch. Back up and some chops keep Ligero in trouble as the fans are singing something about Sin Cara. Ligero fights out of the corner and hits a top rope seated senton, followed by a springboard Sliced Bread for two. Moloney gets sent outside for the running flip dive, followed by a springboard tornado DDT to put Moloney away at 5:13.

Rating: C. Ligero isn’t anything that hasn’t been done better before but he’s fine for a role like this. You always have room for a good luchador and that’s what Ligero can do just fine. Moloney was just a guy here putting Ligero over and didn’t exactly show off all that much. That’s not a bad place to be either though as every promotion needs some long term jobbers.

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. Zack Gibson/James Drake

The fans are already taking their shoes off in protest of Gibson. Speaking of Gibson, he takes Williams down to start and then into the corner for the tag off to Drake. Williams has some more luck with him in the form of a springboard back elbow to the jaw. It’s off to Jordan, who throws Drake down and stops to dance, because that’s about all his character has going for him. Nigel and Vic get in an argument over Vic’s dancing abilities as Gibson comes back in for a double chop to the throat.

The chinlock goes on and now the fans are standing up because they hate Gibson so much. Seriously that’s an awesome status to have. Drake’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s back to Gibson to dodge some lame right hands. The chinlock goes on all over again as the fans sing about Gibson again.

Jordan can’t get anywhere on his comeback as Gibson takes him down with a leglock so Drake can come back in. Drake misses a charge in the corner though and that’s enough for a hot tag to Williams. A very quick faceplant gets two on Gibson and the good guys hit some dives. That’s about it for the offense though as Drake and Gibson shrug it off, setting up the Ticket to Ride to finish Williams at 8:26.

Rating: D+. Sweet goodness Jordan is worthless. He’s like the nothing jobber partner on an episode of Superstars when you have a jobber to the stars doing everything he can against a good team. Gibson has brought Drake up by sheer force of being a crazy over heel, and that can make for a nice team in a promotion that doesn’t have very many of them in the first place.

Johnny Saint brings out the new Women’s Title.

NXT UK Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

For the inaugural title. Storm wastes no time in slugging Ripley down into the corner for the running hip attack. Ripley falls to the floor and eats a suicide dive but another hip attack hits the barricade. They head to the apron and Storm Zero is countered with a backdrop, leaving Toni nearly in tears from the pain.

Back in and a hard whip keeps Toni in trouble, followed by the shoulders to the ribs. The fans are behind Storm, even as she gets caught in a bodyscissors to stay on the ribs and back. Ripley switches over to the standing Cloverleaf, sending Storm over to the ropes for the break. The back is fine enough to roll some German suplexes, followed by a headbutt into a bridging German suplex for two.

A running knee attack in the corner gets two and the fans chant Evolution, not realizing that this wouldn’t air for a month after that show because…I have no idea actually. Storm Zero is countered with another backdrop over the top with Storm’s back hitting the apron again. Riptide is escaped but Toni’s back gives out on Storm Zero, setting up Riptide to give Ripley the title at 9:27.

Rating: B. This was good stuff with Ripley getting to win clean in the end with her finisher instead of having the cheating finish to set up a rematch. They went with the right call here of having a definitive winner and that’s the way they should have gone here. Storm already has the bigger honor anyway and can come back to win a regular title later on.

Post match Saint and HHH present Ripley with her title.

Overall Rating: B+. The two big matches here were more than enough to make the card work well and the other two matches weren’t bad enough to bring the show down. This was a show they needed to do and the Women’s Title being won is a good stepping stone. They built it up as a big deal and it came off as a big deal. Now just build up some more names and see where they can go from here.

Results

Tyler Bate b. Joe Coffey via DQ when Mark Coffey and Wolfgang interfered

Ligero b. Dan Moloney – Springboard tornado DDT

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams – Ticket to Ride to Williams

Rhea Ripley b. Toni Storm – Riptide

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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

NXT UK
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for a title match as Jordan Devlin has challenged Pete Dunne for the NXT UK Title and gets his shot here. It’s not like there is anyone else to get the shot at the moment so they might as well go with Devlin. Other than that we’re likely going to get some build towards the first ever Women’s Title match, which should be taking place next week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers hype up the upcoming title matches.

Xia Brookside/Millie McKenzie vs. Charlie Morgan/Killer Kelly

Xia grabs a top wristlock on the very tall Morgan to start things off. A headstand lets Morgan reverse into a regular wristlock so Brookside grabs a hurricanrana to get out of trouble. The rather popular Millie comes in for a swinging neckbreaker and it’s time to start in on the armbar. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Kelly, who gets armbarred as well, this time with the shoulder at a really painful looking angle.

Kelly finally sends her into the corner for the break and, with her arm apparently not wrecked, hammers away on the mat. Millie pops up for a hard release German suplex (Fans: “SUPLEX MILLIE!”) and it’s back to Xia to pick up the pace. That’s cut off with a toss into the post but Millie is right back with a spear to Morgan, giving Xia the jackknife rollup pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Millie definitely has star power and Xia’s look alone will keep her in a good place for a long time. Being the daughter of a big time WWE trainer won’t hurt either. I still haven’t gotten much out of Kelly, but I’ve heard good things about her stuff from outside NXT UK. That’s not exactly unheard of so maybe she’s better than I’ve given her credit for.

Ashton Smith vs. Eddie Dennis

Smith, who isn’t the taller one for a change, spins out of a wristlock to start but bounces off a shoulder block attempt. A dropkick staggers Dennis and a leg lariat puts him on the floor. The suicide dive just isn’t working though as Dennis drives him back first into the apron instead. Back in and Dennis gets into his cocky mode before hitting a judo throw for two.

The cravate goes on for a bit, until Smith fights up with a quick backbreaker. A springboard dropkick puts Dennis on the floor for a big flip dive (no hands of course) and a top rope leg lariat gets two. Dennis gets some boots up in the corner and goes up, only to get staggered with a dropkick. The superplex is countered into the Severn Bridge though and the reverse implant DDT gives Dennis the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. Smith’s offense looks good as he’s a big guy with some great athleticism. That’s the kind of style that makes him a valuable commodity, but there’s something so interesting about Dennis. It’s kind of a mysterious aura and that’s much more important than the athleticism. Anyone can show off in the ring, but being someone who gets your attention is what matters.

We recap Saxon Huxley and Joseph Conners splitting last week.

Joseph Conners vs. Saxon Huxley

They go right at each other to start with Huxley uppercutting him into the corner. Some right hands have Conners in trouble until some knees to the ribs cut Huxley off. A hard clothesline lets Conners hammer away on the mat as the fans call him Judas. Things slow down a bit as we hit the chinlock. Since Conners doesn’t like the JUDAS SUCKS chants, he puts Huxley on the top for some forearms to the back. Huxley makes the comeback with a running knee and a dropkick, only to miss a charge. A sitout Rock Bottom spinebuster gives Conners two, followed by Don’t Look Down for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: D+. The brawling was fun but neither of these guys do anything for me. They’re just generic brawlers who don’t stand out in any way. I mean, other than Huxley’s look of course. Neither has any kind of a character to be seen and the story was started last week and blown off a week later. That doesn’t do them any favors and it’s a problem on a lot of the roster.

Video on Toni Storm, who wants to make history. She doesn’t just want to win because she needs to win. Ripley isn’t getting the title because it’s Toni time.

Video on Rhea Ripley, who tried being nice last year in the Mae Young Classic but would rather be ruthless and get what she wants. She’s not worried about Toni Storm because Toni isn’t Rhea Ripley.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin is challenging and gets taken down by the wrist. That’s reversed into a headscissors but it turns into a slap off with Dunne getting the better of things. Devlin takes him down by the wrist to little avail as Dunne monkey flips his way to freedom. One heck of a forearm drops Dunne but he pops back up with a heck of a clothesline. It’s time to bend Devlin’s fingers back before Dunne just stomps on Devlin’s head. You can’t say he doesn’t vary up his offense.

Devlin avoids a charge though and kicks at the back before going with some more slaps to the face. A standing moonsault hits Dunne’s legs for two but he’s up with a glare and a hard forearm. This time it’s Devlin getting dropped so Dunne hits a running forearm in the corner. The snap German suplex sets up the X Plex into a cross armbreaker but Devlin rolls onto him for two and a break. Dunne tries a charge but runs into a backdrop driver for a closer two than you might expect.

A standing moonsault misses though and Dunne unloads with stomps on the fingers. The Spanish Fly plants Dunne but he’s right back with a Koji Clutch. With that broken up, Dunne tries a stomp to the hand on the steps but gets shoved off, sending him face first into the steps. Devlin isn’t done and hits a Spanish Fly off the steps. That’s enough for a dueling MAMA MIA/HOLY S*** chant, with the fans not quite in sync.

Both guys have to dive back in to break the count, with Devlin grabbing a reverse hurricanrana for two more. The fans accurately declare this awesome but switch to oooo as Dunne punches him in the face to block a standing Lionsault. Dunne back’s is killing him though and he can’t follow up, allowing Devlin to roll to the apron.

Devlin sends him back first into the post and a super Spanish Fly (dude learn a new move) gets two more. That’s good for a standing ovation and Devlin follows up by removing Dunne’s mouthpiece and hitting a superkick. Devlin’s moonsault is countered into a triangle choke and Dunne breaks the fingers to make Devlin tap at 15:10.

Rating: A-. Devlin had been growing on me for a bit and this was the big match that he had been needing. These guys beat the heck out of each other with Dunne’s back injury slowing him down just enough to keep Devlin in there. Dunne, the hometown boy, was being outwrestled by the talented Devlin but took over when Devlin tried to go a little too high. The brawling worked well for Dunne too, including the whole breaking fingers thing. Great match here, as tends to be the case with Dunne.

Overall Rating: B+. That main event alone is enough to make the show work as the top stars around here carry things as far as they need to go. They’re got a star on their hands whenever someone takes the title from Dunne, which almost has to be coming sooner rather than later. The rest of the show was entertaining as well with all but the Conners vs. Huxley match exceeding expectations. Just get some better character development and everything will be great.

Results

Xia Brookside/Millie McKenzie b. Charlie Morgan/Killer Kelly – Spear to Morgan

Eddie Dennis b. Ashton Smith – Reverse implant DDT

Joseph Conners b. Saxon Huxley – Don’t Look Down

Pete Dunne b. Jordan Devlin – Dunne snapped Devlin’s fingers

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: November 27, 2018
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Michael Cole, Renee Young

It’s time for the playoffs, meaning we’re down to four teams left on either side. Tonight we’ll get down to the final two Raw teams and given the options we have, I’m not sure what to expect here. Well other than some bad wrestling and unfunny comedy because this show isn’t something anyone is taken seriously. Let’s get to it.

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

Raw Division Quarterfinals: Ember Moon/Curt Hawkins vs. Alicia Fox/Jinder Mahal

The women start things off with an exchange of rollups until Moon headscissors her into the corner. Mahal comes in and Moon wants to face him, knowing how worthless Hawkins really is. I mean, she’s not wrong. Mahal punches him down and slaps on a headlock takeover but Hawkins scores with a dropkick. A clothesline puts Mahal on the floor but Hawkins stops to go after the Singh Brothers, allowing Mahal to get in a shot to take over.

Back in and we hit the chinlock on Hawkins, because that’s all Mahal knows how to do. Actually I sit corrected as Mahal switches off to a cravate to show some range. And never mind as it’s right back to the chinlock, just to keep things comfortable. Hawkins fights up and sends Mahal outside for the hot tag off to Moon so the pace can pick up.

The spinning suplex out of the corner is broken up so Moon settles for a low superkick instead. The Eclipse connects…but Hawkins tags himself in and covers out of desperation for win. Since that doesn’t count, Moon Eclipses one of the Singh’s, leaving Mahal to hit the Khallas on Hawkins for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: D. Well of course we’re getting more Mahal. The guy can’t even win a match on Main Event but he’s one of the final four options for the #30 spot in the Royal Rumble. Oh and make sure to push the heck out of Mahal and Fox, because it’s so wacky to have them advance this far after being a disaster in the regular season. This felt like a way to laugh at the fans and pull the rug out from them, which seems like the goal more often than not.

Asuka and Miz are ready for Naomi and Jimmy Uso next week.

Naomi and Jimmy Uso are ready for Asuka and Miz next week.

Fox and Mahal promise to win next week. Mickie James comes in and says Fox should watch this.

Raw Division Quarterfinals: Bobby Lashley/Mickie James vs. Bayley/Finn Balor

The men start things off but Lashley tags out less than a second in. That means a lot of stalling until a Lio Rush distraction lets Mickie get in a cheap shot to take over. The way too early chinlock goes on, followed by a neckbreaker for two on Bayley. We hit the bodyscissors as they don’t exactly seem interested in going full speed ahead here. Bayley gets up and it’s a double clothesline to set up the double tag.

That’s a bit of overkill as only one is needed but I guess that’s making up for the weaker effort. Balor tries to pick up the pace but gets knocked off the apron and into the announcers’ table. Since that’s only good for two, Lashley sends him outside again and mocks Braun Strowman’s run around the ring, allowing Balor to hit the Sling Blade. Mickie is right there to pull Bayley off the ropes though and there’s no tag.

Back up and Lashley misses a charge into the post, allowing the hot tag off to Bayley. A flapjack cuts her off in almost no time though and the top rope Thesz press gets two. Bayley fights out of the MickieDT but Rush breaks up her dive. Balor throws Rush outside and hits the flip dive onto both guys, leaving Bayley to grab the Bayley to Belly for the pin on James at 9:20.

Rating: C+. That’s one of the better matches of the entire season so far for the simple reason that it felt like they were trying. Instead of having a dance off or doing something stupid, you had two teams fight each other because they wanted to advance on in the competition. That hasn’t been the case for most of the season and it was very, very nice for a change.

R-Truth and Carmella are ready for Jeff Hardy and Charlotte next week.

Jeff Hardy and Charlotte are ready for R-Truth and Carmella next week.

Balor and Bayley try the Dirty Dancing lift to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The second match was much better than the first and that’s enough to make this a better show than we’ve had in a few weeks. If nothing else it’s great to have the ending in sight, because we’ve sat through this whole thing for so long that there’s no charm left to it. Hopefully the finals are good, because what we’ve gotten so far hasn’t exactly been worth seeing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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 #32
Date: November 23, 2018
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

It’s a big night in Chicago as we have Shane Strickland getting his rematch for the World Title against Low Ki. Strickland hasn’t been around much lately and seems to be far more distant than he used to be. That doesn’t bode well for his future, but stranger things have happened before. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Sami Callihan jumping Tom Lawlor a few weeks back. Egads enough of that clip. Thankfully it leads into last week’s rather good street fight. This set up Simon Gotch turning on Lawlor in a pretty well done angle.

Salina de la Renta kicks a briefcase over to Gotch as a thank you for last week. Gotch is pleased with the money inside and offers his services for any future jobs. Salina doesn’t trust him, but offers to double the pay if Gotch takes out Lawlor in Miami. That sounds nice, but Gotch would rather she trust him. He’ll take Lawlor out for no money instead. Salina gives him a bit of an “ok whatever” look and leaves.

Opening sequence.

In Miami, Gotch vs. Lawlor with no ropes and no holds barred.

Trey Miguel vs. Kotto Brazil

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is on commentary and thinks Miguel is Ricochet. I mean….yeah I can get that actually. Friedman laughs off the idea of the two of them being threats to the title and doesn’t like Tony asking where Aria Blake is. Miguel shoulders him down to start but gets taken down with a headscissors. Friedman: “You’ve got two flippy-do guys out here who know a lot of moves. You know what move neither of them have ever learned? Charisma.” My goodness this guy is suddenly awesome. Tony: “…Did you just say flippy-do guys?”

Miguel gets kicked out to the floor but catches Kotto with a right hand. Friedman: “What a nerd!” Back in and Brazil gets crotched and it’s time to stomp away. Friedman actually sees something in Miguel but doesn’t think much of Brazil, who has as many brain cells as teeth. Bocchini comes to his defense and Friedman shoots him down in a hurry. As Miguel takes him down with a chinlock, Rich suggests that Friedman is afraid of Brazil and Friedman bursts out laughing.

Brazil’s comeback is cut off by a knee to the face as Friedman wants to hear some of Tony’s golden tongue. Miguel sends him into the rope but gets caught with a sloppy looking reverse hurricanrana (not a move you can risk botching that much) and Brazil starts striking away. Brazil sends him into the barricade with a pair of suicide dives and a big flip dive takes Miguel down again. Friedman: “Get out of the way Trey you idiot!”

Back in and Miguel hits a spinning right hand (Friedman: “Is it another flip? SHOCKING!”) to the jaw for two. Miguel ties him up in the ropes with Brazil’s head tucked underneath the buckle for a 619. Miguel’s bottom rope springboard cutter (which looked like he nearly fell down) has Friedman freaking out but a middle rope version is shrugged off. A standing Sliced Bread #2 finishes Miguel at 10:02.

Rating: C+. The match was your usual entertaining flip based match but Friedman absolutely stole the show here. I haven’t been big on his in-ring work but this was hilarious as he pointed out the inherent flaws in most of these matches while talking about how much better he was than Brazil, setting up a match between the two down the line. Good enough match, hilarious everything else.

Shane Strickland had no comment as he arrived earlier.

Rush is still coming.

Confirmed for the first Miami show: the Lucha Bros defend against the Hart Foundation, Lawlor vs. Gotch with wins only coming by knockout or submission, PCO vs. LA Park in a falls count anywhere match, Rush vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Andrew Everett making his MLW debut.

Confirmed for the second Miami show: Lawlor vs. LA Park and Low Ki vs. Konnan for the World Title (I’m still wondering what they’re going to do there) and Friedman vs. Jason Cade, Kotto Brazil and a mystery opponent for the Middleweight Title in a ladder match.

Brazil is ready to change the title picture but Friedman jumps him from behind.

The Hart Foundation say Tommy Dreamer is no Dusty Rhodes but he’s a little better than Kevin Sullivan. Dreamer is nowhere near Brian Pillman, or any of the other Hart Family members for that matter. Pillman says Dreamer is just trying to be Dusty and he’s been trying to make that dream last for way too long. The cane has already gone upside an old man’s head so Dreamer’s dreams are getting eaten. Pillman is actually a heck of a heel promo, which can serve him well.

Gringo Loco vs. Marko Stunt

Stunt really does look like he’s about 12 years old and it’s not working. Loco drops to his knees to make things a little more fair and Bocchini says Stunt reminds him of a Wrestling Buddy. With that not going anywhere, Stunt snaps off some headscissors and hurricanranas, which do look rather crisp. Stunt kicks him to the floor for a suicide dive and a top rope hurricanrana drops Loco again.

Back in and Stunt gets crotched on top, allowing Loco to hit a standing moonsault. We look at the crowd for a bit, making me think there might have been a botch in there. Something close to a Whisper in the Wind drops Loco and a very fast hurricanrana gives Stunt two. Loco tosses him into the air but Stunt spins around into a Codebreaker for the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C. I’ll give Stunt this: he’s WAY more exciting to watch than Cheeseburger and that puts him ahead. Stunt at least does some cool looking moves instead of running palm strikes, which at least gives you a reason to watch him. At least he finally won something too, as you can only have him lose so many times before it looks stupid.

Salina and Low Ki run into Stokely Hathaway…who doesn’t say anything.

MLW World Title: Shane Strickland vs. Low Ki

Low Ki is defending and has Salina and Ricky Martinez with him. Feeling out process to start with Ki taking him down to the mat and winning an early grapple off. Shane finally slips out for a standoff but gets caught in an armbar over the ropes to keep Ki pretty firmly ahead. Back in and Shane tries to pull him down into more grappling and is promptly caught in something like an STF. Shane escapes and scores with a discus lariat as things head outside.

The champ gets sent into the barricade and it’s time to head back inside for a quickly broken seated abdominal stretch. An atomic drop into a backbreaker gives Shane two but his suplex is countered into a drop onto the top rope, giving us the always cool shot of a cameraman being knocked down. Ki sends him into various things and drives an elbow into the head back inside. The reverse chinlock goes on for a bit until Shane comes up with some shots to the face.

That’s fine with Ki, who headstands in the corner and drops back into a kick to the chest for two more. Now it’s Shane caught in a seated abdominal stretch before Ki switches to a standing version. Shane fights out and we see Hathaway watching from the crowd. The champ gets sent hard into the corner and a belly to back suplex gets two. A reverse sitout gordbuster (cool) gives Shane the same and he loads Ki up on top. Ki shoves him away and clotheslines the referee by mistake.

Another shot to the face sends Ki into the barricade and Shane drops him face first onto the barricade. The Swerve Stomp connects back inside but there’s no ref. A new one slides in for the very delayed two so Martinez gets on the apron for a distraction. With no referee, Ki pulls Shane’s HAIR out of his head and rolls him up for the pin to retain at 16:22.

Rating: C+. It was good enough but this never felt like a must see match and Shane wasn’t exactly hitting the close near falls. You really can see Shane falling from stardom before your eyes and that’s not the best thing in the world. He could have been the franchise player around here but there’s only so much you can do when WWE comes calling. This was a lot of hard strikes and grappling so it was entertaining, but it didn’t feel urgent and that’s a problem.

Post match Ki and company head to the back, leaving Shane to rant about the hypocrisy around here. He puts his body on the f****** line around here every night and this is how the company treats him. With Hathaway looking on from the crowd, Shane tells everyone to shut up because they’re the big problem with everything. Shane talking to Court Bauer and Bauer alone: Court is the problem around here and Shane is terminating his contract. The mic is cut and security tries to get Shane out of the ring. He finally storms off through the crowd to end the show. Good angle to end Shane’s time here with some great emotion.

Overall Rating: C+. The angle at the end was a big deal as you can feel MLW moving away from its roots and growing up a bit. You can only go with the original stars for so long and Shane was the first big name they had. That had to be done at some point and it’s what they got done here. Other than that, you had a pretty average show, but the Miami cards have my interest and I’m curious to see where some of these things go. Not a great show, but they have me watching more each week so they’re doing something right.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: November 27, 2018
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s a night of returns this week as both AJ Styles and Becky Lynch are scheduled to appear, at least according to the preview. Of course the preview was rather wrong last week so you never know what you might get. My guess is three new authority figures, two long chinlocks and a rematch in a wrestling ring. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Paige to get things going and she wastes no time in welcoming Becky Lynch back. That’s good for a huge pop and Becky says when you’re the hottest thing going, any time away is too much. She was ready for Survivor Series but Charlotte had to fight for her, so Charlotte needs to come out here right now. This brings out Charlotte, with Becky saying that she told Charlotte to give Ronda the beating that she would have and Charlotte came close. Of course, if Becky had been in there, Ronda wouldn’t have been standing the next day.

Charlotte must be confused though, because it took her channeling Becky to give Ronda that beating. Charlotte says not quite because she was just being herself. She’s the only woman on either roster capable of giving Ronda that kind of a beating. With her genetics and mindset, she can do whatever it takes to get the job done. Becky says Charlotte just went from copying her old man to copying the Man but at least she beat the phoniness out of Charlotte over the last few months. Charlotte: “Man, Nia must have hit you harder than I thought.”

Charlotte is ready to fight again right now but Paige says not so fast. They can fight, but they’ll do it at TLC in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. This brings out the IIconics, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville and Zelina Vega. Any of them deserve a title shot, but Paige just won’t give them a chance.

This brings out Naomi, Asuka, Lana and Carmella to say any of them could be champ. Becky is willing to fight any of them right now but Paige says not so fast. If they all want to fight, we’ll have a battle royal tonight and the winner is added to the TLC match to make it a triple threat. Becky sounded great here and is just on another level right now.

Usos vs. The Bar

Non-title and there’s no Big Show due to an argument with the Bar earlier today where Cesaro took a right hand. The Usos start fast and go after Cesaro’s arm but Jimmy gets punched into the corner. Some stomping has Jimmy down as we take a break. Back with Jimmy still in trouble but Sheamus misses a charge, allowing the hot tag to Jey. Everything breaks down and Jey’s dive is cut off by an uppercut.

Sheamus adds a middle rope knee for two but gets sent shoulder first into the post. A superkick gets two on Sheamus but the Double Us is broken up with an uppercut to Jimmy and double knees to Jey. The spike White Noise is broken up and Jimmy rolls Cesaro up for two. A blind tag brings Jey back in and it’s a superkick into the Superfly Splash for the pin on Cesaro at 8:48.

Rating: B-. There were some great near falls in there, but my goodness find some fresh teams to fight. You have all kinds of people floating around WWE and so many of them have nothing to do. Make some new teams or throw in some of the older ones. Send the Usos over to Raw and bring….I don’t know, the B Team and Heath Slater/Rhyno over or something. Neither would be better than the Usos, but at least it’s something new.

New Day is laughing at a clip of Miz losing last week and Miz isn’t happy. Miz gets a match set up as a result, but Big E. lets it slip that he’s a big Marine fan. Pointing and wailing ensue.

Here’s AJ Styles for his first comments since losing the title. The 14 days since he lost the title have felt like a lot more than the 371 days he held it. He hates losing, but it was the way he lost. After a clip of the loss, AJ talks about the aftermath being what bothered him. We see a clip of Bryan’s speech about being a new man last week and AJ talks about how Bryan has been nowhere to be seen over the last week. Bryan better come out of his little chamber and show up at TLC. Make sure to bring the title though, because it belongs to AJ. Good fire from Styles here and the match should be great.

Video on Lars Sullivan.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev

Non-title. Nakamura jumps Rusev before the bell and hits Kinshasa. No match.

The roster is on the stage and Michael Cole is in the ring for a celebration of Jeff Hardy’s 20 year anniversary of signing with the company. Jeff comes out and we get a retrospective video on his career, showing just how big a deal he really was. Jeff isn’t sure how he did a lot of that stuff but thanks the fans for standing by him and being with him all these years. This isn’t a retirement speech because he’s got a lot left in him. He thanks his family for being there…and here’s Samoa Joe to cut him off.

Joe talks about being ready to drink a toast to Jeff, but you shouldn’t have alcohol around him. That was a great video package, especially since Jeff was so out of it he probably doesn’t remember a lot of it. Joe doesn’t like the idea of Jeff being given another chance when Joe hasn’t had his first.

Jeff doesn’t mind being put up on a pedestal no matter what he’s done, but those demons are always in the back of his mind. The next time, and there will be a next time, that Jeff messes up, there is a Samoa Joe path to recovery and it’s one painful step. Jeff says he’s always ready to live for the moment so let’s have a moment right now. And of course Joe walks away. Those were some harsh words but Joe needs to win something and it’s not like Hardy is there for much more than putting people over at this point anyway.

The Usos and Naomi sell stuff.

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz

Miz works on a wristlock as pancakes are thrown around at ringside. Kofi sends him outside though and a big dive takes us to a break. Back with Kofi hitting the Boom Drop but Trouble in Paradise is caught. The SOS is reversed into a failed Skull Crushing Finale attempt, followed by an SOS to give Kofi two. Miz’s DDT gets the same but Big E. offers a pancake distraction so Kofi can grab a rollup for two more. A knee to the ribs cuts Kofi down so Miz DROPKICKS WOODS to take out the trombone. Miz grabs a chair but walks into Trouble in Paradise for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C-. Well that was random. Kofi beating Miz is fine and it helps a bit that Miz going after the rest of the team cost him the win. It’s certainly better than having the Lucha House Party fight with an advantage and then still pretending to be the heroes. This seems to be building to Shane vs. Miz and….dang that makes me cringe a bit.

Here’s Randy Orton, carrying Rey Mysterio’s mask, for a chat. He talks about how people haven’t been happy with what he did but to him, it felt euphoric. Orton never understood what was so important about a mask like this because he never bothered to learn the history. What he did last week was meant to embarrass and humiliate Rey and bring him off the pedestal that the fans have put him on. At this stage in his career, all Rey is is just another of Orton’s victims.

This brings out Rey, still in a neck brace. The fight is on in the aisle with Orton getting the better of it and taking the brace off. Rey fights back and scores with a quick 619 to set up a second 619. It’s time for a chair but Rey takes too long and gets caught in the hanging DDT. Orton isn’t done and wraps the chair around Rey’s neck to slam it into the steps. Doing it again makes Orton look like that much more of a villain and that’s interesting.

Miz comes in to see Shane McMahon and asks where he was. He can’t will this team into existence and calls the Best in the World trophy their baby. They need to get it together.

Battle Royal

Carmella, Asuka, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Naomi, Zelina Vega, Lana

The winner gets to join the TLC match at TLC and Charlotte and Becky are sitting at ringside. It’s a brawl to start of course and Vega is out less than a minute in. Lana is sent through the ropes (not eliminated) and Vega beats her up as we take a break. Back with the IIconics dumping Lana and Asuka sending the two of them to the apron. A hip attack eliminates both of them but Carmella kicks Asuka in the head.

Asuka kicks her out anyway but gets beaten down by Sonya and Mandy. A jumping knee to the face rocks Asuka but Naomi makes a save with some forearms. Mandy blocks a hurricanrana though and puts Naomi on the apron. Naomi pulls her out as well and backflips on the apron before sending Mandy into the post for the elimination.

Sonya knees Naomi out and it’s down to two, which the fans really like. Asuka starts throwing the kicks but gets taken down by a double leg. Mandy offers a distraction and gets kneed in the face, leaving both of them to be pulled over the top and out to the apron. Sonya makes the mistake of trying a charge though and gets kneed in the face to send Asuka to TLC at 10:19.

Rating: D+. This was quick and not terrible and I’ll certainly take what I can get with Asuka. She’s long overdue for a rebuild and just putting her in the title match is better than anything she’s done in a long time. I wouldn’t have her win the title or anything of course but it’s a little breath of air in the title picture and that’s almost always a good thing.

Overall Rating: C-. While not a great show, this blew away anything Raw did last night and that makes it easy to watch. The wrestling wasn’t the best thing in the world, though the segments were there to pick things up. Hopefully things continue to stay interesting and we get a strong build towards TLC. As long as Becky gets to keep talking like she did here, everything should be awesome.

Results

Usos b. The Bar – Superfly Splash to Cesaro

Kofi Kingston b. The Miz – Trouble in Paradise

Asuka won a battle royal last eliminating Sonya Deville

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

This one might be a bit interesting.

How would have HBK faired in today’s wrestling climate? It could have be in either WWE or in the indie scene. Would he have been huge or just been see as another face by the fans?

Now this is an interesting one, and not just because the wife is a huge Shawn fan and might kill me depending on how I answer.

We’ll start with the indy scene, which is where Shawn would thrive. At the end of the day, how many wrestlers were inspired by Shawn? He was one of the first showstopper style wrestlers, whose focus was more on stealing the show rather than…well anything else really. If you got a pop from the crowd, you were doing exactly what you were supposed to do.

Did anyone do that better than Shawn? He knew how to play to a crowd like no one else and could steal a show so perfectly. There’s one other major point in his favor though: at the end of the day, Shawn is one of the most talented in-ring performers in history, if not of all time. That kind of talent is going to rise to the top as people would see just how good he was. Shawn could steal the show against anyone and he would do it on any stage.

The same holds true for WWE, though maybe not to the same degree. The style that Shawn worked would get over, but at the same time it would be partially smothered by everything else going on. His time as a face wouldn’t work so well as faces tend to get destroyed anymore and his over the top heel antics wouldn’t be allowed anymore. The talent would get him wherever he needed to go and he would be a star, but I don’t think he would be able to get as far otherwise. He’d be a huge fan favorite, though not likely the kind who got pushed as a major star.