205 Live
Date: August 7, 2018
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s kind of a weird feeling to have a big time title match coming up around here. Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander will be defending against Drew Gulak at Summerslam and that makes for some interesting times. The rest of the show might not be as impressive, but Alexander vs. Gulak should be more than fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick narrates the preview for tonight’s show, even running down the card in order. You mean half of it isn’t going to be made as we go?

Opening sequence.

Lucha House Party vs. Tony Nese/Buddy Murphy

Kalisto and Lince Dorado (with a bad thumb) for the House Party here, allowing Nigel to take even more shots at the team. Murphy knees Lince in the face to start but it’s off to Kalisto in a hurry. This goes a bit better with a kick to the head and the hurricanrana driver getting two on Murphy. Nese comes in and pulls Kalisto to the floor for a ram into the apron though and the bad guys take over again.

Murphy throws Kalisto off his shoulder and face first onto the mat with Nese adding a moonsault for two. We hit the chinlock for a few moments until Kalisto rolls over to the apron and gets in a kick to the head. Nese is fast enough to get over and break up the tag though, allowing Murphy to grab a bridging German suplex for two more.

The hot tag connects a few seconds later (that’s quite the WWE trope as well) and it’s a dropsault for two on Nese. Kalisto comes back in for a Falcon Arrow with Murphy diving over for the save. Dorado is fine enough for a double Golden Rewind and the stereo flip dives to the floor have Nese and Murphy in trouble. Nese escapes the Salida Del Sol and Murphy trips Kalisto, allowing a rollup with tights to give Nese the pin at 10:39.

Rating: C. Nese continues to be not great while the House Party is a perfectly fine midcard act around here. They’re more or less the gatekeepers for the upper half of the card and that’s a good place to be in. Murphy is someone who should be moving back towards the main event scene, or on the main roster in a Mojo Rawley kind of character. But why do that when you can let him languish around here?

Mustafa Ali is fine after a quick trip to the hospital. He slowed down a bit and now he’s good for tonight’s main event. Drake Maverick says he has nothing to prove but Ali tells him to worry about Hideo Itami.

Hideo Itami thinks Ali should have showed him more respect.

Video on Noam Dar, who is back from his injury, which he considered a wake up call. TJP has messed with him and that’s not cool with Dar.

Noam Dar vs. Sean Maluta

Maluta was in the Cruiserweight Classic and has been on NXT since. Dar tries a waistlock to start and gives Maluta a clean break when he grabs the rope. A kick to the knee takes Dar down though and you can see the grimacing on his face. That just earns Maluta some strikes to the face as TJP is watching from the back. The running kick to the head (the Nova Roller) gives Dar the pin at 2:24.

Video on Jack Gallagher, Drew Gulak and Brian Kendrick beating down Cedric Alexander last week.

Alexander doesn’t think much of Gulak needing the help and would be glad to beat up Gallagher next week.

Gulak accepts the challenge for Gallagher because it’s time to teach people like Alexander that wrestling is what matters around here. He does NOT need help beating Alexander because Gulak can make Cedric tap out.

Mustafa Ali vs. Hideo Itami

Feeling out process to start with Itami barely avoiding a kick to the face but getting taken down instead. A spinning kick to the face puts Itami on the floor instead and Ali follows with a big flip dive. Ali comes up holding his back and a high crossbody seems to bang it up even worse. The delay lets Itami take over and, of course, shout RESPECT ME. They head outside again with Ali’s chops being no match for Itami’s kicks to the chest.

Itami dropkicks him HARD into the post and Ali’s back is hurt even worse. Ali is almost dead so Itami throws him back in for two. Itami demands respect (GOOD GRIEF SAY SOMETHING ELSE ALREADY!) and knees him in the ribs. A comeback consisting of a chop and a crucifix is cut off when Ali tries the rolling X Factor and takes a crazy hard kick to the head. Great selling there too as Ali looked like he got hit by a bus. Ali is fine enough for some more kicks to the head and now the rolling X Factor is good for two.

An exchange of strikes to the head puts both guys down for a well earned breather. Back up and Ali’s spinning tornado DDT is countered into a Falcon Arrow and Itami can’t believe the kickout. Ali somehow gets up and comes off the middle rope with a sunset flip but keeps rolling into a sitout powerbomb for his own big near fall. Itami’s weird spin into the kick to the head is blocked twice so he belly to bellies Ali back first into the corner for two, despite Ali looking rather un-alive.

A crazed Itami misses a dropkick to drive Ali head first into the steps and Ali gets up for a tornado DDT from the middle rope to the floor. Back in and Ali loads up the 054 but can’t stand up, allowing Itami to kick him down into the Tree of Woe. Itami hits some running dropkicks on the defenseless Ali for the academic pin at 16:33.

Rating: B. This was a great mixture of storytelling and action with Ali’s body giving out on him after spending months leaving it all in the ring every single night. It worked for Shawn Michaels in 1995 and it can work here too. What we got here was more great stuff from Ali, who knows how to play the underdog and hang in there against anyone no matter what is thrown at him. I had a lot more fun with this match than I was expecting, especially considering the amount of RESPECT ME’s from Itami.

Ali collapses as he tries to leave the ring. The referee is asking him questions like what year it is, which Ali has trouble answering. Drake Maverick wants medics out here and holds Ali’s

Overall Rating: B. The story at the end was good stuff and capped off a solid show with a very entertaining main event. The show has needed the other big story to go with the title picture and that’s what they have now. I can’t believe it but 205 Live is becoming a rather fun show that I want to watch week to week. Given where they were just a few months ago, that’s rather impressive.

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

Smackdown
Date: August 7, 2018
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

We’re in the final stages of the Summerslam build and that means there isn’t much left to do. The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan match was confirmed earlier today so, aside from setting up the Tag Team Title match, everything is going to be ready pretty soon. That means we only have to get through the rest of the build, which can make for some fun television. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Randy Orton to a heck of a face reaction to open things up. Orton talks about Jeff Hardy calling him out last week and we see the beatdown that ensued, including Orton wiping away Hardy’s face paint. He liked feeling Hardy squirm last week because he’s here to take out everyone that the fans have put on a pedestal. Orton is going to become so violent that he’s going to make people want to change the channel.

You can believe in your superheros like Hardy but Orton is here to destroy them all. When he started his career here, he was the youngest guy in that locker room. Since then he’s become a thirteen time World Champion and won everything that there is to win. The fans have made their choice and Orton has chosen to erase everyone the fans believe in. You can call him the Legend Killer, the Viper, the Apex Predator or whatever else you want, but all that matters is RKO.

I’m digging this Orton character change. He’s someone who has a long history and has done almost everything he can do in WWE. Changing things up like this is a great idea and one of the only ways you can get him booed as a heel. Orton is so good at what he does but he needs to be freshened up a bit. Having him go after the popular guys is a good idea, but he’s going to be turned into a face again by the end of it because of how well he pulls the thing off.

Becky Lynch and Charlotte are in the back to discuss Charlotte being added to the Women’s Title match. Lynch was really looking forward to getting a shot at the title, but now there’s a big blonde boulder in the way. Charlotte did what she had to do and Lynch is cool with that. They’re fine for their tag match tonight because they’re not like Sasha and Bayley.

Charlotte/Becky Lynch vs. Iconics

Carmella is on commentary. Before the match, the Iconics play a word association game about how sad this place is and how Carmella is going to win. Becky is going to stay in Charlotte’s shadow because she’s always a bridesmaid and never a bride. As usual, history isn’t WWE’s strong suit. The fans dub this boring, though it’s hardly that bad. Charlotte starts in on Billie’s arm to start and a pair of double hiptosses have both Aussies down. It’s too early for the Disarm-Her though and they bail to the floor. Charlotte dives onto both of them as we take a break.

Back with Billie and Charlotte hitting stereo big boots because Smackdown isn’t the kind of show that has to comeback from a commercial with a chinlock. Becky gets the tag and starts cleaning house but Billie breaks up the Disarm-Her. Charlotte tags herself back in and moonsaults onto both of them, setting up the Figure Eight to make Peyton tap at 6:18. Way too little shown to rate but the idea here was Charlotte stealing the spotlight.

New Day is proud of their commentary last week but now it’s time to try their hand at backstage interviewing, with Kofi in a blue suit and blond wig. They’re not worried about facing the Bar or the Bludgeon Brothers because both teams will bow down to the power of positivity. New Day cracks up and says they can do that too. Even Renee Young is smiling.

Earlier today, Miz accepted Daniel Bryan’s challenge for Summerslam.

Byron Saxton will have an interview with Miz later tonight and Corey Graves is stunned.

Becky and Charlotte are excited about their win but things will be different at Summerslam. They’ll have to be great against each other instead of with each other.

Video on AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, set to Joe’s great promo from last week about how Styles has sacrificed everything to be WWE Champion, including his family. AJ’s family will be cheering for Joe at Summerslam so daddy will finally be home.

Here’s AJ for a chat. AJ talks about how a lot of things go on between these ropes, including a lot of trash talking. That can get personal and Samoa Joe did that last week. AJ is doing this for his family, just like a lot of people do. That’s what he’s supposed to do as a father and as a man. He misses his kids’ little league game and birthdays. Two days ago, he celebrated 18 years with his wife, but she’s basically a single parent because he can’t be there. We’re supposed to give our families what they need and occasionally you can give them what they want.

AJ wants to be there to pick his kids up when they fall and Joe knows all of this. Joe knows AJ’s wife and kids and AJ isn’t going to let Joe get his hands on this title. At Summerslam, Joe isn’t walking out the WWE Champion because he’ll be lucky to walk out period. Very intense stuff from AJ here, which is a place he doesn’t go to very often. It’s also nice to have these promos not be interrupted by something or someone. Just let them talk and see what they can do.

Lana is getting ready for her rematch with Zelina Vega when Rusev comes up. He’ll be in her corner tonight to make sure it’s a Happy Lana Day. That makes Lana happy but here’s Aiden English to apologize to her again. Rusev accepts, but thinks English should stay in the back tonight. English looks disappointed.

Lana vs. Zelina Vega

Rematch from last week with Rusev and Andrade Cien Almas as the seconds. Vega slaps her in the face to start and gets kicked to the floor. That lasts all of two seconds as Lana throws her back in to start the brawling. Zelina’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Lana suplexes her down and drops some elbows. Almas jumps onto the apron and the distraction lets Vega score with a jawbreaker. Rusev throws Almas around but Vega kicks him in the back of the head. That earns Rusev a posting but Lana kicks Vega in the head. Cue English to save Rusev, knocking Lana down again. The running knees in the corner finish Lana at 3:36.

Rating: D+. Much like last week, the match wasn’t great but Lana didn’t embarrass herself out there, which means she’s making actual progress. She already has the charisma and the association with an act like Rusev Day could allow her to go pretty far. As is the case with so many people, she just needs ring time so having matches like this is the best thing for her.

Shinsuke Nakamura isn’t going to be facing Jeff Hardy at Summerslam because Hardy was erased. He’ll face what’s left of Hardy, but here’s R-Truth to challenge Nakamura for the US Title instead. Nakamura: “How are you going to do that?” R-Truth: “The same way everyone else does: I’m going to pin Carmella.” Nakamura speaks Japanese and Truth is horrified, because he can’t repeat that in public. It’s bad enough that the match with Carmella is off and he wants Nakamura tonight. Truth continues to be one of the funniest guys in WWE, just by following WWE logic.

Byron is in the ring to interview Miz, who pops up on screen instead of coming to the ring. He calls Byron a bad announcer and plugs the success of Miz and Mrs., which doesn’t have a single bad review on Rotten Tomatoes. Byron keeps asking about the match with Bryan but Miz ignores him to plug the show. Tonight he learns CPR, which would be a good idea for Bryan because he needs to resuscitate his career. Miz finally mentions it, saying he’s become a star while Bryan has been working in a garden.

Bryan needs this match while Miz needs to be recognized as WWE Champion. Miz is here night after night while Bryan has been off in bed crying. He’s not hiding from anyone and at Summerslam, Bryan is getting exposed as being beneath Miz. Go talk to Bryan about it because he’s probably off eating kale and talking about his wife. Bryan runs into the room, beats up security and punches Miz a few times until a potted plant to the back of the head lets Miz escape. The string of good promos continues tonight, but that kind of goes without saying for these two.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. R-Truth

Non-title. Corey says he can understand more of Nakamura’s song than Truth’s. Nakamura chokes him in the corner and says COME ON so Truth charges at him with a rollup. Now it’s Truth shouting COME ON before taking him down with a hurricanrana. Nakamura gets in a kick to the back of the head and hooks a triangle choke but Truth gets over to a rope. A reverse exploder puts Truth down and Kinshasa is good for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D. Exactly what you would expect here with Truth getting in some entertaining stuff but falling short against the bigger name. It’s rather impressive that Truth is still completely watchable at 46 years old, which is far beyond the end a lot of careers. If nothing else just let him do his funny cameos in the back and he’ll be around forever.

You know how the Bludgeon Brothers haven’t cared who they fight at Summerslam? It’s still true as they promise to break whoever faces them both physically and mentally. They’re going to have fun.

Bludgeon Brothers vs. 3SK

Non-title as this is a 3-2 handicap match. The Brothers dropkick two of the guys off the apron (Roman Reigns Starter Kit and Tazz Jr. according to Graves) and Rowan crossbodies them. The other guy gets kicked in the face and Harper is slammed onto the other two. A powerbomb/middle rope clothesline combination gives Harper the pin at 1:27. That’s the kind of squash that makes these two look great.

Summerslam rundown.

Tag Team Title Tournament Finals: New Day vs. The Bar

The winners get a shot at Summerslam. The fans want pancakes so Xavier Woods, on the floor for this one, throws some into the crowd. Big E. and Cesaro actually grapple a bit to start but it’s time to swivel the hips. Kofi comes in and sticks the landing on a monkey flip to frustrate Cesaro even more. It’s off to Sheamus, who knocks Kofi to the floor in a heap so New Day stops to check on him. A hard uppercut keeps Kofi down and Cesaro grabs a chinlock back inside.

Back from a break with Kofi still in trouble (but not in a chinlock) but avoiding a charge so Big E. can come in for the belly to belly suplexes. More hip swiveling (it’s his gimmick) looks to set up the Warrior Splash but Big E. has to knock Cesaro off the apron instead. A Rock Bottom out of the corner gives Big E. two on Sheamus and it’s back to Kofi vs. Cesaro. The SOS gives Kofi two but Big E. makes a hot tag, only to miss the apron splash. He seems to have banged up his arm and the distracted Kofi takes the Regal Roll on the floor.

A double implant DDT gets two on Big E., with the fans sounding very relieved on the kickout. We settle back down with Big E. in trouble and take a second break. Back again with Big E. still in trouble, including Sheamus kicking him in the face to set up Cesaro’s superplex into a top rope knee from Sheamus. That’s only good for two though so Sheamus tries a Texas Cloverleaf.

Big E. uses the leg strength to kick him to the floor though and the hot tag brings in Kofi. A springboard shot to the head drops Sheamus and the Boom Drop has him in even more trouble. Air Kofi hits both Sheamus and Cesaro, followed by a top rope double stomp for two on Cesaro. Big E. is sent outside again and a double backbreaker gets two on Kofi. The Brogue Kick misses and Kofi’s dropkick is enough to bring Big E. back in.

The Midnight Hour is quickly broken up though and a spike White Noise gets….two again as Kofi makes a very last second save. Cesaro swings Big E. into the Sharpshooter as Kofi hits a tornado DDT to plant Sheamus on the floor. Big E. can’t get to the ropes as Cesaro rolls over into a Crossface. That’s powered out as well, with Big E. muscling him up (that’s just scary strength) into the Midnight Hour for the pin on Cesaro at 25:10.

Rating: A-. Now that’s more like it with two great teams getting to show off for a long time in an entertaining match. New Day winning wasn’t the biggest surprise in the world and it’s VERY nice to not go to another triple threat match, which I was expecting for a long time during the match. The Bar not being able to make TV for months is absurd given how awesome they were here, but you can’t expect something like that to matter in wrestling.

The Bludgeon Brothers look on to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was an excellent show with great promos and an outstanding main event with everyone working hard and getting ready for Summerslam. It’s amazing how much better this was than Monday Night Raw, which was downright unwatchable last night. Just go with a build that works and isn’t full of rematches, bad promos and Roman Reigns overload. Is that really too much to ask?

Results

Becky Lynch/Charlotte b. Iconics – Figure Eight to Royce

Zelina Vega b. Lana – Running knees in the corner

Shinsuke Nakamura b. R-Truth – Kinshasa

Bludgeon Brothers b. 3SK – Powerbomb/Middle rope combination to ???

New Day b. The Bar – Midnight Hour to Cesaro

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 6, 2018
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman

With less than two weeks to go before Summerslam, we have the main event set, along with the issues between Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. It’s hard to say what else we might get set up in the next two shows, but tonight will be focused on Ronda Rousey’s in-ring TV debut. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video showing the whole Lesnar/Paul Heyman/Angle story from last week.

Opening sequence.

Here are Angle and Baron Corbin with Kurt hyping up Rousey’s match tonight. She’s a former UFC Champion who has no problem fighting on Raw. Corbin warns Angle to watch it but Angle goes on a rant about Brock having no integrity after last week. Heyman still has his job though because he did get Lesnar out to the ring before the show. Cue Roman Reigns to interrupt to say Lesnar attacked because the Big Dog wasn’t here to protect the yard.

Corbin laughs at this but Reigns is worried about a potential Lesnar suspension. That’s not happening and the Summerslam match is still on. Angle wants to see Reigns give Lesnar the beating he deserves, which Corbin thinks is rather unprofessional. Reigns accuses Corbin of running away last week but Corbin says he left after beating up Finn Balor. The guy who actually won the Universal Title. Corbin yells at Angle for just being the guy that makes matches so Angle makes Reigns vs. Corbin right now.

Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin

Corbin hits him in the face before the bell but Reigns gives him a Superman Punch for two. Back from an early break with Corbin sliding under the bottom rope for the clothesline, giving Reigns a look like he just dislodged something from his throat. We hit the chinlock for a bit until Corbin just slams Reigns head first onto the mat. He’s not the most diverse guy in the ring but he can make things look painful.

Another chinlock goes on for a few more moments so Reigns fights up with a clothesline to the floor. The apron dropkick connects but Corbin posts him to send us to a second break in less than nine minutes. Back with Corbin holding a chinlock (dude, enough) and Reigns fighting up with clotheslines (dude, also enough).

The Deep Six gets two but Reigns hits his second (a lot of repeating in this match) Superman Punch for the same. Corbin looks to take a walk, drawing out Finn Balor to cut him off. The third Superman Punch, this one off the steps, drops Corbin and the spear gives Reigns the pin at 18:45.

Rating: D. Back in the 80s, Dusty Rhodes yelled at Big Bubba Rogers for botching a move. His words: “Don’t do s*** you don’t know how to do.” That’s the case with putting Baron Corbin in these long matches. He doesn’t know how to do them and we’ve seen him go nearly forty minutes combined in the last two weeks with about six chinlocks combined. Corbin has two cool moves. Let him do those, then get out in about eight minutes. The matches are boring and Reigns wasn’t helping things here. Also, who is Reigns going 18 minutes with a guy like Corbin less than two weeks before the World Title match at Summerslam?

Post match Balor dropkicks Corbin into the corner and hits the Coup de Grace.

We recap Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre jumping Seth Rollins again last week.

Rollins comes in to see Angle and gets a tag match set up for tonight with a partner to be named. They wouldn’t bring Dean Ambrose back tonight would they?

Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley

Fallout from last week’s brawl in the locker room. Roode slugs away and dropkicks Rawley off the apron as we take a break. Back with Rawley holding a waistlock (better than another chinlock) and dropping a knee to the ribs for two. The waistlock goes on again (Mojo: “How you feel right now? A little bit glorious?”) until Roode fights back with more right hands. Roode’s neckbreaker drops Rawley and the Blockbuster does it again. Rawley tries a fireman’s carry but Roode slips out and hits the Glorious DDT for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: D+. You build Mojo up for a few weeks and have Roode pin him clean? Other than the song, what is there to like about Roode? The match was more boring stuff as neither guy showed any energy and, just like the first match, a lot of it was spent in a hold on the mat. The ribs didn’t even go anywhere this time. I like Rawley so I’m annoyed to see him lose, but having it be to Roode is even worse.

Elias is in the back and seems to be in the middle of filming another documentary. The first one was decent enough so why not.

Here’s Elias to play some guitar. He brags about the album’s success, which is pretty impressive to only have four songs. The documentary came out last week but it was wrong, which is why he’s filming his own version. Elias wants the camera crew to circle around him but the audience isn’t right. Maybe their faces could be blurred or cropped out with another crowd? I don’t think Elias knows what cropping means. Elias isn’t happy, just like he wasn’t last week when bobby Lashley interrupted him.

Cue Lashley to say that he liked the original documentary but Elias wasn’t a fan. That thing made him seem egotistical! Lashley is here to steal the spotlight, just like when he came back in April. Lashley’s comeback has been a joke, but he doesn’t want to hear anything else from Elias. The filming crew leaves and Elias throws a clipboard at him so the beatdown can be on. Lashley gets in a spinebuster and has the cameraman film while he gives Elias the delayed suplex. At least do a delayed Jackhammer.

Cole makes it clear that Ambrose will NOT be Rollins’ partner. Thanks for taking care of the option people might be interested in seeing.

Tyler Breeze offers to be Rollins’ partner, saying he’s kind of gorgeous if you’re into that whole Crossfit Jesus look. Breeze offers the Shield fist when Reigns comes in to say he has Seth’s back. In case 18 minutes of Reigns wasn’t enough for you.

Titus O’Neil vs. Rezar

Rezar knocks Titus down as we hear about his MMA career. Titus’ right hands give him a breather and a big boot rocks Rezar. Akam offers a distraction though and Rezar gets in a big boot of his own. A spinebuster finishes Titus at 3:12.

Rating: D. At the beginning of this match, the announcers talked about Titus being almost a hometown boy here after college and his charity’s big Back to School Bash event, which was a really cool event. Better make sure to do this match, which could have been swapped with last week’s match IMMEDIATELY because this great feud, which started with the Authors squashing Titus Worldwide in two minutes, needs to be advanced. Little things like that almost bother me as much as the big dumb things they do.

Braun Strowman vs. Jinder Mahal

Clip of Rollins and Reigns doing the Shield pose with a fan over the weekend.

Corbin gives Angle a phone call from Stephanie McMahon, who has an order for him. Angle isn’t pleased.

We get a sitdown interview with Reigns to talk about his match with Lesnar. We go through their whole history, including the great Wrestlemania XXXI match, the pretty bad Wrestlemania XXXIV match, the stupid Greatest Royal Rumble match and then last week’s Lesnar segment, which really had nothing to do with Reigns. He’s sick of Lesnar using WWE and disrespecting the fans, so Lesnar is learning a lesson at Summerslam.

This was a long recap of their story, and did little more than tell us that it’s been going on for a very long time. Your stat of the night: Lesnar has held the title 487 days. He’s had five televised title defenses and three of them have been against Reigns. Two of them have also involved Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman. In total, four different people have gotten title shots in 487 days.

Corbin tells Reigns that he can’t be Rollins’ partner due to Stephanie’s orders. If he tries to wrestle, he’ll lose his Summerslam title shot. Handicap match time, but only after Reigns punches Corbin in the ribs.

Balor vs. Corbin is set for Summerslam.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre/Dolph Ziggler

Rollins slaps McIntyre in the face and gets a chase going, setting up a low superkick to really put him down. Ziggler distracts Rollins on top though and McIntyre tries to catch a high crossbody. I say try because McIntyre kind of drops him on the knee but Rollins seems to be ok.

The armbar goes on for a good while until Ziggler comes in for the first time. It’s not a good time though as he misses a charge in the corner, allowing Rollins a much needed breather. McIntyre posts himself and it’s a Sling Blade to Ziggler. The suicide dive sends Ziggler into the barricade and there’s the buckle bomb back inside. Rollins avoids the Fameasser but McIntyre runs him over again. The superkick puts Rollins away at 7:07.

Rating: C-. I can’t count how many times I’ve said this in recent years, but I’m already burned out watching these two fight. Starting with Ziggler’s title win on June 18, that’s the sixth time he and Rollins have been against each other in some form. You have this big of a roster and there’s no other way to do this feud? Have them fight some jobbers to the stars and then cut promos. Is that really thinking outside the box anymore?

Replays show that Ziggler wasn’t legal. Ok then.

Video on Alicia Fox, trying to make her seem important before her match with Rousey. Did you know she’s been on Total Divas???

B-Team vs. Revival

Non-title. B-Team now has a very new theme, sounding like a high school cheer. I liked their old theme but this fits them much better. Wilder and Axel start with the former being taken into the wrong corner. Dallas comes in and gets the same treatment, with Revival clubberin away. It’s off to Dawson for a chinlock….and there go the lights. They come back up and it’s Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt on the apron instead. The two of them come in and it’s a no contest at 3:10.

Rating: D. Well at least Revival didn’t lose. We can have the triple threat match at Summerslam because Heaven forbid we don’t have one of those crammed in. This division isn’t in great shape right now and Matt/Bray aren’t really adding anything to it other than a face team. But hey, at least another comedy team gets the titles.

We get a sitdown interview with Paul Heyman, who doesn’t know where he stands with Brock Lesnar. Brock has disconnected his phone number and won’t respond to intermediaries. Heyman looks like he’s about to burst into tears as he says Lesnar is just going to get annoyed at this interview. He considers Lesnar a friend and this isn’t how he pictured it ending.

They had talked about riding off into the sunset together with the Universal and UFC Heavyweight Championships on his shoulders. Heyman starts crying but says just do it. When asked about any potential new clients, Heyman says it would be inconceivable just a week ago, but doesn’t say year or no. He still picks Lesnar, because he’s never been so angry. Reigns doesn’t stand a chance. This was the best thing on the show tonight, mainly because it was actually different.

We look back at Strowman turning over the stage.

Summerslam recap.

Riott Squad vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Sasha starts with Morgan and sends her face first into the middle buckle. Bayley comes in for the sliding clothesline and an armbar on Logan. The middle rope crossbody gets two but Bayley goes hard into the corner to put her in trouble. Back from a break with Logan holding a chinlock (of course) to keep Bayley down. Bayley powers up and sends her into the corner before avoiding a charge from Morgan.

The hot tag brings in Banks to clean house, including a knee to Logan’s face. The super hurricanrana from Bayley sets up the top rope Meteora for two on Logan with Morgan making the save. Bayley loads up a dive from the apron but a hooded woman pulls Morgan out of the way. The hood comes off to reveal Ruby Riott, whose distraction lets Logan roll Banks up for the pin at 10:39.

Rating: D+. I’m glad to have Ruby back but I’m so over the Bayley/Sasha program. Are we supposed to be setting up a handicap match for Summerslam? We went from the I love you to this in the span of three weeks? I can understand why they would back off of that, but a little closure, even a line explaining why it’s barely been mentioned since then, would have been nice. Or at least any kind of story to be seen here.

Video on Ronda Rousey’s WWE career so far, including her success and being in the title match when Alexa Bliss cashed in Money in the Bank, setting up their match at Summerslam.

Next week: B-Team vs. Revival vs. Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt for the Tag Team Titles.

Ronda Rousey vs. Alicia Fox

Natalya and Alexa Bliss are the seconds. Before the match, Bliss is asked about Rousey and mocks the interviewer for not being able to come up with something better. Fox shows a clip of herself beating up Rousey last week and talks about how great Rousey is at everything else. Was she the captain of the Raw Survivor Series team? Bliss cuts her off and thanks Fox for everything she’s done. Rousey can deal with what’s left of Rousey in Brooklyn and here’s Rousey to cut her off.

We get the Big Match Intros and Fox chills in the corner at the bell. Rousey isn’t impressed by the trash talk and shoves her to the floor. Back in and Fox bails right back to the floor again. A Bliss distraction doesn’t work very well as Natalya cuts her off, only to be posted. Fox tries a charge at the distracted Rousey but the referee stops her for some reason.

Fox pounds away in the corner….and there’s the death stare. The rights and lefts have Fox rocked and the judo throws have Fox rocked. Fox bails for the third time but Rousey follows her for a whip into the barricade. Back in and Fox gets suplexed with ease, followed by the armbar (with a lot of shouting to Bliss) for the tap at 3:47.

Rating: C+. The stuff where Rousey was smashing Fox was fun but this would have been better served as bell, armbar, bell. To be fair though, it’s kind of hard to complain when Rousey beating the heck out of people is some of the most entertaining stuff WWE can do. Maybe not as fun as WWE trying to turn Fox into something worthy of the spot but still fun nonetheless.

Post match Rousey gets interviewed by Bliss tries a sneak attack. Rousey flips her over and gives Bliss a look saying “are you kidding me?” Bliss bails and Rousey promises to win the title.

Overall Rating: D. This was the rough show that only WWE can pull off. The Heyman promo and the Rousey destruction were fun but other than that, it felt like WWE dragging us along on the way to Summerslam whether we like it or not. It’s the same problem that has been around for so long: it’s really hard to make myself are about the same matches on pay per view that I’ve seen on TV so many times already. The Reigns vs. Lesnar stuff has been a rough sit and I have a feeling it’s not going to be the end of Reigns being screwed out of the title. I didn’t like this show and it was getting harder and harder to watch all night long.

Results

Roman Reigns b. Baron Corbin – Spear

Bobby Roode b. Mojo Rawley – Glorious DDT

Rezar b. Titus Worldwide – Spinebuster

Jinder Mahal b. Braun Strowman via DQ when Strowman used the briefcase

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre b. Seth Rollins – Superkick

B-Team vs. Revival went to a no contest when Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy interfered

Riott Squad b. Bayley/Sasha Banks – Rollup to Banks

Ronda Rousey b. Alicia Fox – Armbar

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

Battle Riot
Date: July 27, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

I’ve been watching Major League Wrestling since it was brought back after a fifteen year hiatus (in other words, when it was a new company with a name that was used before) and it’s already time for a big special. In this case that would be Battle Riot, featuring forty man Royal Rumble style match, albeit with pinfalls and submissions to go with over the top eliminations. Let’s get to it.

The opening video explains the idea of the namesake match, which is good for the equivalent of a Money in the Bank contract. A few names are listed but I’ll save them for the actual match.

Opening sequence.

Stephen DeAngelis, the former ECW ring announcer, is handling introductions tonight. The set looks pretty much the same, though with a big Battle Riot graphic and the camera a bit closer and slightly elevated.

Myron Reed vs. Kotto Brazil

Reed is making his debut. They flip around without much contact to start and it’s a double nipup. Reed kicks him in the face out of the corner and knees Kotto down for two, giving us some very early frustration. Brazil takes him down into something like a kneeling YES Lock as the announcers talk about MMA taking over wrestling style. Very true indeed. Neither can hit a belly to back suplex and it’s stereo crossbodies for a double knockdown. They’re certainly mirroring each other so far and that’s perfectly fine.

Kotto drapes him over the ropes for a kick to the floor, followed by a pair of suicide dives. Being a bit greedy, Kotto tries the third but Reed runs back in for a dropkick to send Kotto outside this time. A big dive over the top (looked good) as Striker asks if Reed’s bleach blond hair is a tribute to Butch Reed, sending Tony into a short fit of laughter. Kotto grabs a suplex and puts on a modified Sharpshooter (he leans down on the back instead of stepping over) but Reed is too close to the ropes.

A nipup gets Reed out of the way of a standing Lionsault and he plants Kotto with a cutter. The 450 hits knees and gets reversed into a small package as the fans are rather pleased. Back up and Reed’s Stundog Millionaire (not a cutter Striker) doesn’t do much good as Kotto hits a running Sliced Bread (definitely not a cutter Tony) for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. Both guys need some polishing and it should have been a minute or two shorter but this was the right way to go for an opening match. You get the fans going with some fun high flying and let everyone have a good time out there. Brazil is starting to become a nice player and I could see him getting a shot at the new Middleweight Title before too long.

Maxwell J. Friedman isn’t concerned about facing Joey Ryan tonight because he’s too excited about being in New York City. It’s his hometown and he’s going to become the first Middleweight Champion. Why? He’s just better than Joey.

Konnan is ready to come out of retirement in the Battle Riot. He’ll be on point like a decimal.

We get a vignette of skulls saying the dead will rise. LA Park is coming.

Joey Ryan had to drop five pounds to make weight, meaning he had to drop all lollipops and baby oil. No one is holding Friedman’s wealth against him but Ryan is rich too. The difference is Ryan made it in a wrestling ring, meaning he’s really good at this. He’s bringing sleazy back and he’s bringing the Middleweight Title with it. This was completely different than most Ryan promos I’ve seen and it worked very well. He can do serious (with a little sleaze thrown in) and that’s always nice to see.

Team Filthy draws their numbers (sweet) and Tom Lawlor doesn’t want to talk about his loss to Jimmy Havoc. He let the match end for the sake of Havoc’s health you see. He’s filthy, but he’s a thoughtful filthy.

Middleweight Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Joey Ryan

This is for the inaugural (good looking) title and Ryan has only wrestled once for the promotion, which was last year in a loss to Friedman. Joey brings a lollipop with him and hands it to a fan. Tony: “Now that we’ve got that out of the way.” The oil goes down the trunks and we’re ready to go. Maxwell’s waistlock is broken up by Joey reaching his hand towards the crotch and that’s not cool.

They fight over a far less gropey wristlock until Ryan again tries to get him to touch it. Friedman agrees to touch it if they shake hands. Striker: “If you build it they will come. Pardon me.” Tony: “I’ll never be able to watch that movie again.” I really wouldn’t mention movies after saying that line Tony. Friedman misses a right hand but scores with a flying armbar, followed by a regular armbar to get us away from the odd stuff for a change. Tony equates this to the Andersons, but I don’t remember Arn giving fans lollipops.

The hold doesn’t last long as Ryan comes back with a reverse t-bone suplex as Matt goes into a weird rant about millennials. Tony: “I’m getting hot just listening to you talking about it.” Friedman stomps on the arm and spits at Ryan, who actually seems to be offended. They ram heads and Friedman is very wobbly, eventually falling head first into Joey’s crotch.

Joey pops up and no sells an atomic drop, which hurts Friedman’s knee. Striker: “WHY WOULD THAT HURT???” He also thinks there might be something in there. I’m not touching that one (no pun intended) and it’s a lollipop being pulled from the trunks. It goes into Friedman’s mouth but he pokes Ryan in the eye instead. The package shoulder breaker gives Friedman the title at 7:55.

Rating: D+. This is a situation of knowing what you’re going for and I don’t think it hit. The match was for the inaugural title and they just had a comedy match instead of fighting hard to become champion. They cut good, serious promos coming into the match but that didn’t match the tone here. It was nice to have the arm stuff and there was a story going on but it was fighting with the comedy stuff for time.

Post match Friedman spits out the lollipop and brags about how awesome he is. After calling the interviewer a dollar store Oprah, he says you can cut the line when you’re this good. He’s a supernova and everyone needs to get in their Honda Civic and get more bags of Cheetos while they watch someone better than them.

Sami Callihan and his cronies pick their names. Sami stops the tumbler, hands them their numbers and draws his own.

We look back at Low Ki winning the World Title last week.

Swoggle is underneath the tumbler to draw, even though Sami and company were said to be the last people picking. The interviewer says she hopes it’s a lucky one. Swoggle: “Because of the leprechaun thing. I bet one of the WWE writers gave you that one.” And I’d bet that you probably wouldn’t be here without those writers. He looks at his number and says it’s the old Bushwhacker Luke. That sounds like something a WWE writer would have booked in the first place.

Video on Shane Strickland having issues with Salina de la Renta and eventually losing the title.

Salina is proud of Low Ki for forming a partnership with his Black Friday Management. Low Ki is ready to fight anyone from any company. He was in the original MLW and part of Gary Hart’s Black Friday Management. Low Ki has had to survive in New York City and no one can ever deny his ability to fight.

Battle Riot

It’s a forty man Royal Rumble with pinfalls, submissions or over the top eliminations with one minute intervals. The winner gets a World Title shot anytime anywhere. Pentagon Jr. is in at #1 and Fenix is in at #2 for a guaranteed hot start. They fight over some rollups to start and trade kicks to the head for a double knockdown and it’s Brody King in after about 75 seconds (no company can get these clocks right). King hits some clotheslines but the brothers get together and double team him down in short order.

Ken Doane (Kenny of the Spirit Squad) is in at #4 and the SPIRIT SQUAD chants begin. Tom Lawlor is in at #5 to crank up the star power. A rear naked choke gets rid of King in a hurry Lance Anoa’i (son of Samu) is in at #6 but the Bros are ready with chops. Rey Horus (El Dragon Azteca Jr. from Lucha Underground) is in at #7 and a bunch of people start kicking each other in the head. Fenix misses a double stomp to Doane on the apron but the ramp saves him, which is another unique way of doing things.

Kevin Sullivan of all people is in at #8 and he wastes no time in using the golden spike. Lawlor chokes him out in less than thirty seconds, which Striker puts over as a huge deal. I get the idea but he’s 68 years old. The huge Fallah Bahh is in at #9 and crushes Horus with a crossbody but there’s no elimination. Swoggle is in at #10 (Bushwhacker Luke never had that number) and starts biting some people’s tights. That gives us a grouping of Pentagon, Fenix, Doane, Lawlor, Lance, Horus, Bahh and Swoggle.

A series of German suplexes (Striker: “He’s small so let’s call it an Austrian suplex. Do you get it?”) have almost everyone down until Lance kicks him in the head. Samu, as in Lance’s father, is in at #11 for a series of headbutts. Father and son headbutts put Bahh down but Lance dumps his dad. ACH is in at #12 as the ring is getting pretty full. That goes nowhere so it’s Konnan in at #13 (to a big pop). An STO into the Tequila Sunrise takes Lawlor down with ACH making a save.

Barrington Hughes is in at #14 for the big man showdown with Bahh, as Pentagon Backstabs ACH for the elimination (not mentioned or shown but you can hear the three count). Bahh and Hughes bang into each other for the old monster battle. Tony: “IT’S THE BELLY BUMP!!!” Swoggle interrupts and Lawlor chokes him out for an elimination. Jimmy Yuta is in at #15 as Lance and Doane get crushed in the corner for a double pin, even though Lance’s shoulders weren’t down.

Konnan gets knocked down and pinned as well, followed by the Bros backdropping Bahh out. The momentum takes the two of them out as well as we lose six people in about ten seconds. Kotto Brazil is in at #16 and hits Yuta with a slingshot spear. Horus takes another splash in the corner and it’s Richard Holliday (pretty standard looking guy who is described as marketable) in at #17. A few stomps to the back are cut off with a Hughes chop in the corner.

Fred Yehi is in at #18 and slugs it out with Brazil, who gets planted with an Alabama Slam into a faceplant (that’s a new one). Lawlor adds a powerslam for two with Horus not being able to make a save in time. Jason Cade is in at #19 and immediately gets in a fight with Yuta. That goes nowhere so everyone goes after Hughes, who tosses Horus as an appetizer. They get him out, but he takes Yuta, Cade and Holliday with him, leaving Lawlor alone in the ring. Teddy Hart is in at #20 for what could be an interesting showdown. Well at least it could be if Hart didn’t go up and moonsault onto the pile of people outside to eliminate himself.

Vandal Ortagun is in at #21 and a cross armbreaker gets rid of him in about thirty seconds. Mikey Mondo (also of the Spirit Squad) is in at #22 and gets choked out just as fast (though he never stops blowing the whistle, even after being knocked out). PCO (Pierre Carl Ouellet is in at #23 and I’m curious about this as I’ve heard so many great things about his newest run. Lawlor’s Crossface doesn’t work so he punches PCO in the face. A chokebomb plants Lawlor for no cover as LA Smooth (son of Afa, brother of Manu and Samu) is in at #24.

PCO gets knocked down in the corner for the Umaga hip attack but pops back up with a clothesline to get rid of Smooth. Simon Gotch is in at #25 and slugs away at PCO, who knocks him down without much effort. Team Filthy beats on PCO until Homicide is in at #26. Lawlor and Gotch stand back and let him work over PCO until Davey Boy Smith Jr. is in at #27. With everyone other than PCO in a Tower of Doom, the Blue Meanie of all people is in at #28 for some dancing.

Homicide joins him for a bit before tossing him out without much effort. Team Filthy gets rid of PCO (I can get why he’s hot right now as he’s huge and has a good look. I’ve also heard very good things about his Frankenstein inspired promos.) Michael Patrick of the Dirty Blonds is in at #29 and stands in the middle of the ring so everyone can bring it. Sami Callihan is in at #30 and gets rid of Homicide, giving us Lawlor, Gotch, Smith, Scott and Callihan. Everyone gets knocked down with Sami alone on one side (good visual) and Sawyer Fulton is in at #31 to give Sami some help.

Shane Strickland is in at #32 and goes right for Sami, which isn’t the most surprising thing in the world. Fulton cuts Shane off with a low blow until Leon Scott (Sami’s other crony) is in at #33. A double clothesline gets rid of Davey (fans are NOT happy) and Drago is in at #34. The ring is getting full again as everyone chops away. Leo Bryan (Wasn’t that spelled Brien before?) is in at #35 but the Blonds can’t get rid of Gotch. Joey Ryan is in at #36 and gets Sami all the way to the apron (Tony: “One is sick and the other is sicker.”).

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is in at #37 and goes right after Ryan to keep up their earlier issues. Team Lawlor gets together to dump both Ryan and Friedman and Jake Hager is in at #38. Hager knocks Scott out and saves himself from Sami and Fulton. John Hennigan is in at #39 and dives over the top with a clothesline to Sami in a sweet entrance. Hennigan dumps Patrick and Hager/Bryan get rid of Gotch. It’s Jimmy Havoc in at #40, giving us a final grouping of Lawlor, Bryan, Callihan, Fulton, Strickland, Drago, Hager, Hennigan and Havoc.

Drago is out first to get us down to eight. Shane’s top rope double stomp hits Bryan and that’s enough to get rid of him. Hennigan saves himself from Sami and rolls Fulton up for an elimination. Shane tosses Havoc and saves himself from being eliminated by Sami. That’s not good enough for Sami, who piledrives Shane on the apron to get rid of him. Lawlor chokes Sami out on the apron to get us down to Lawlor, Hennigan and Hager. Not bad for a final trio and certainly three of the bigger names. The Moonlight Drive is broken up and Hager shoves Hennigan out to give us the final two.

A powerslam plants Lawlor for two but he’s back with a triangle choke over the corner. The fans are behind Lawlor (the underdog here in a bit of a twist on the booking), even as he’s powerbombed out of the corner. Hager gets caught in a German suplex but Lawler can’t follow up due to exhaustion.

Rating: C. This was a tale of two matches with the first half not being much and the second half being a lot of fun. I get why they bumped it up to forty (it did have a great ring to it) and the match was perfectly fine, but it would have flowed better with thirty people instead of forty. Still though, for their first big event, this was far from bad and the ending made Lawlor look like a star.

Post match Lawlor says he’s earned what he deserves whenever he wants it. The L in MLW now stands for Lawlor.

Overall Rating: C+. While not great, it’s a strong enough first special and I could see them doing even better when they have more experience. Lawlor looked great, we have a new title, and it’s easy to build some feuds off of the main event. This show has done more than a lot of other promotions can’t do: establish a strong baseline that you know they won’t go underneath. Things are good around here at the moment and I want to see where things go from here.

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

Summerslam 2004
Date: August 15, 2004
Location: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 17,640
Announcers: Jim Ross, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Tazz

Dudleys vs. Paul London/Rey Mysterio/Billy Kidman

The BK Bomb (Sky High) gets two on Spike and everything breaks down. London dives off the top to the floor to take out Bubba as Rey and Kidman hit a Hart Attack on Spike. 619 to Spike sets up the Shooting Star for two but D-Von makes the save. Rey dives at D-Von but only hits barricade before Ray kills London with a clothesline. Kidman tries to fight off both big Dudleys on his own but walks into 3D with Spike getting the pin.

Matt Hardy vs. Kane

Booker T. vs. John Cena

Intercontinental Title: Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Batista

Jericho counters the Edgecution into a Walls attempt but Edge counters that into a small package for two. Edge rolls through a cross body for two but now the Walls go on full. Jericho pulls him away from the ropes and Edge is in big trouble but Batista makes the last second save. He sends Jericho into the post but gets caught by a tornado DDT from Edge for two.

Chris is back up just in time to break up the spear to Batista, because why would you want the monster taken down? Batista hits the spinebuster on Jericho for two as Edge saves. He escapes a spinebuster from Batista as well before getting two on a rollup to Jericho. Jericho makes another comeback on Edge with the fans entirely behind him. The bulldog takes Edge down but he has to dropkick Batista down, allowing Edge to spear his fellow Canadian down to retain.

Rating: C-. This came off like a forced heel turn for Edge and the full turn would be coming very soon. Jericho being the big favorite was only somewhat surprising as he was a native countryman but you would expect Edge to have been a bit popular there. The match was nothing special but the idea was to keep Batista down which is a nice rub for him and his time was coming soon.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle

A boot shot to the head puts down both Angle and Reigns but Eddie throws the boot down and drops to the mat like a good cheater. The frog splash gets two and the fans changes sides again. Eddie complains to the referee and the ankle lock goes on again, this time forcing the tap out.

HHH vs. Eugene

They slug it out to start and HHH stomps him into the corner. Eugene comes back with an elbow to the face and a backdrop, sending HHH rolling to the floor. An ax handle off the apron puts HHH down and the booing begins. As in people are booing Eugene. This sounds like a good time for a sidebar.

In other words, the Eugene character was a full on success. This is where WWE screwed everything up. Instead of just letting Eugene be what he was and make occasional appearances to pop the crowd (or open house show matches beating some annoying heel), they pushed it too far. The minute they put him in a story about the world title with main event level guys, it was all over.

Smackdown World Title: Undertaker vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Now Old School connects and a downward spiral gets two before Taker cranks on a triangle choke. Back up and they trade big boots but Taker has to knock Jordan off the apron. JBL takes him down and wraps the leg around the post before cracking the ankle with a chair. The bad knee is rammed into the announce table and we head back inside with JBL busting out a Robinsdale Crunch of all things.

Taker chokeslams JBL through the roof of his limousine for revenge and to fill in some time. JBL does a stretcher job.

Wrestlemania 21 is in LA.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit

Orton puts Benoit over his shoulder for a powerbomb but steps forward into a neckbreaker for two in a nice move. We hit the chinlock which is actually a smart move here. Back up and both guys hit cross bodies for a double knockout. They slug it out with the champion taking over via a series of forearms to the head. Orton blocks the rolling Germans but gets caught in a northern lights for two.

Orton celebrates as Benoit leaves but Chris comes back and demands that Orton be a man and shake his hand.

Ratings Comparison

Dudleys vs. Billy Kidman/Paul London/Rey Mysterio

Original: B-

Redo: C

Matt Hardy vs. Kane

Original: B

Redo: C

John Cena vs. Booker T

Original: D

Redo: D+

Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Batista

Original: C

Redo: C-

Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle

Original: C-

Redo: B

HHH vs. Eugene

Original: D

Redo: D-

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Undertaker

Original: B-

Redo: D

Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton

Original: A

Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: C+

Redo: D

What was I thinking on that Undertaker match?

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

Summerslam 2003
Date: August 24, 2003
Location: America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 16,113
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s one of the biggest shows of the year and I can’t bring myself to get excited over it. This show really hasn’t been built up very well with only the Smackdown World Title match with Kurt Angle defending against Brock Lesnar offering much interest. The rest of the show feels very flat, especially the Raw World Title match which should have been Goldberg vs. HHH. Let’s get to it.

The United States Marine Corps Color Guard presents the flag and Lillian Garcia sings the National Anthem. As always, it’s an outstanding performance.

The opening video shows a beach but the sun goes behind a cloud and the shot shifts to the Elimination Chamber. The narration basically makes it sounds like the Chamber is poisoning everyone’s souls and turning them all evil, including Kane, who isn’t even in the thing. I’d bet money that Jim Ross wrote that, thinking it sounded even more dramatic than when he gives the Cell human characteristics.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. La Resistance

La Resistance is defending and Bubba brings out the American flag. The Dudleys jump them in the aisle and the beatdown is on with D-Von choking Dupree with the robe. An armdrag into an armbar (FEEL THE HATRED!) doesn’t go very well as Dupree takes D-Von into the corner so the champs can take over. D-Von is right back with the shots to the head, allowing the tag off to the very loud Bubba. It might be annoying, but I can always go for a partner making noise and being active on the apron instead of just standing there.

Grenier gets tied in the Tree of Woe so Bubba can stand between his legs for a loud scream. It’s not quite table time, allowing Grenier to get in a cheap shot so the champs can really take over. Dupree grabs a bearhug, which is quite the odd visual on someone as big as Bubba. A Bubba Bomb gets him out of trouble though and the not very hot tag brings in D-Von for the house cleaning.

Dupree gets powerslammed for two but the champs clear the ring again. The double spinebuster gets two on D-Von (there’s the crowd reaction, and all it took was kicking out of the champs’ finisher). Bubba comes back in for the Flip, Flop and Fly, followed by What’s Up on Grenier. 3D connects but Grenier pulls the referee out, allowing a cameraman to deck D-Von with his camera, giving Dupree the pin. It’s the serviceman from Raw of course.

Rating: C-. The match was ok, but not exactly the hottest choice in the world for an opener. Having the Americans lose to the EVIL Frenchmen doesn’t quite get the show off on the right foot and now we’re likely to see another rematch between these teams as this feud to show off THE POWERS OF AMERICA continues. La Resistance is fine to hold the titles, but they need something more than “we are French and therefore evil”.

Post match Spike Dudley comes in and gets beaten down as well. So after the big American military opening and carrying the flag, the Dudleys lose to the heatless champions again. The Dudleys would get the belts back a month later, but instead we need to see them lose here. Of course we also needed this match instead of the World’s Greatest Tag Team, Rey Mysterio, John Cena or Christian.

Coach tries to talk to the Dudleys but makes the mistake of praising La Resistance’s success. Bubba declares that people who hate America suck and promises to get the belts back.

Christian asks Eric Bischoff why he’s not on the show but Eric blames Steve Austin. Since he can’t wrestle, he offers to be Bischoff’s backup tonight. Bischoff has a plan though and promises to tell the world what happened with Linda on Monday.

We recap A-Train running Stephanie McMahon over last month and costing her a match against Sable. This turned into A-Train vs. Undertaker and WWE actually expects us to believe that this isn’t going to turn into Sable vs. Stephanie again.

A-Train vs. Undertaker

Sable is with A-Train in a rather nice outfit. Undertaker has bad ribs so he dodges a bit to start instead of going in full steam ahead. Instead of staying on the ribs, A-Train tries a headlock, allowing Undertaker to knee him in the ribs and take over. The running DDT gets two on A-Train and Old School connects early on. A shot to the ribs finally cuts Undertaker off (thanks for finally getting the idea Train) and some forearms to the ribs are good for two.

A-Train stays on the ribs with a vertical suplex, followed by a headbutt. Cole: “It’s like being hit in the head with a typewriter.” Normally I would question that, but Cole is the kind of dolt who would do that for fun. Undertaker manages Snake Eyes and a double clothesline puts both guys down for a quick rest.

A slugout goes to Undertaker (well duh) and a big legdrop gets two. For some reason Undertaker tries the Last Ride but a shove gives us a ref bump. The Derailer of course gets a delayed two and the referee gets bumped again. That is way, WAY too popular of a booking trope these days. A-Train hits the bicycle kick to take Undertaker down but gets a chair kicked into his face for two. The chokeslam gives Undertaker the pin.

Rating: D. Matches against power guys like this can be Undertaker’s bread and butter but there’s only so much you can do to make A-Train interesting. The match wasn’t terrible and they kept it slow enough, but this Undertaker stands up for Stephanie thing is about as forced as you can get. There’s only so much you can do as a surrogate for Vince vs. Stephanie, especially when the best villain available for the spot is A-Train.

Post match Undertaker loads up the Last Ride but Sable comes in and rubs his chest. Undertaker grabs her by the throat and STEPHANIE IS BACK!!! WE CAN LIVE HAPPY LIVES AGAIN!!! Stephanie gets to do some catfighting until A-Train pulls Sable out. I guess this is what passes for a big moment around here.

Some fans in the front row think Goldberg is going to win the Chamber. Uh, thanks for that.

We recap Shane McMahon vs. Eric Bischoff, which starts off looking a lot like Shane vs. Kane. Bischoff then decided that he hated Shane for stealing WCW from him back in 2001. You know, because that’s a story people were thinking about. Eric went after Shane, including having Kane attack him and cost him a match against Eric.

Then Eric went to Connecticut and may have forced himself on Linda McMahon. It came out of almost nowhere and really was more of a complicated way to get to Kane vs. Shane. It’s more of WWE thinking you could just toss a McMahon into a story and everything would be fine, which doesn’t work as well when you do it in two straight matches.

Shane McMahon vs. Eric Bischoff

Before the match, Bischoff addresses what happened with Linda, saying it happened again and again and again. Now he knows where Shane gets all of his energy, so here’s Shane in a….complete non hurry actually. Shane pounds him down in the corner with reckless abandon (Or is it still Ruthless Aggression?), followed by some forearms to the ear (called crossfaces by JR).

Eric can’t make it up the aisle as Christian might be coming off like a good idea right about now. A baseball slide sends Eric into the barricade as this has been one sided so far. Shane’s dancing punches take Bischoff down again but the Coach of all people comes in to chair Shane down. Let me make sure I’ve got this straight: Bischoff thought COACH was a better option than the Intercontinental Champion? I get that they want to protect Christian from having to get beaten up by Shane but that makes no sense from Bischoff’s perspective.

Eric says he’s restarting the match as falls count anywhere with no disqualifications so Coach sends Shane into the steps for two. They head inside where Bischoff tells the production staff to cut JR and King’s microphones so Coach can do live commentary in the ring. Bischoff throws kicks as Coach does the traditional job of mocking JR. Shane finally gets in a kick of his own and scores with a DDT, only to have Coach hit him low.

That’s enough to make the glass shatter, as everyone knew was coming. Coach does the “I’m not touching you” thing until Shane shoves him into Austin, meaning the beatdown can be on. The dispatching doesn’t take long and Austin orders JR and King’s mics be turned on again. Austin is about to leave but Shane grabs Bischoff’s hand and slaps Austin in the jaw, meaning a Stunner is perfectly acceptable. Shane pulls him up at two though, as the big elbow drives Bischoff through the announcers’ table for the pin.

Rating: F. What did this accomplish? There’s no reason this couldn’t have been the end of Monday Night Raw as the big deal was Coach turning heel. Use this valuable pay per view time (some of the biggest pay per view time of the year) on the people who matter, not for the sake of making Kane look good because he never gets to do that otherwise. This was really annoying, especially when you consider everything that was left off the show so this could get a lot of time.

Beer is consumed post match because this hasn’t eaten up enough time yet.

HHH and Ric Flair get very serious with Randy Orton, telling him that he needs to focus on keeping the title on HHH and nothing more. Orton: “What? I got it.”

US Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit vs. Tajiri vs. Rhyno

Eddie is defending under tornado rules and one fall to a finish. Tony Chimmel tells us that this is the four way for the US Title before telling us that this is the four way for the US Title. It’s a brawl to start with Eddie staying on the floor, which might not be the smartest move in the world here. With Tajiri sent outside, Benoit snaps the Crossface onto Rhyno, drawing Eddie in for the save. Rhyno clotheslines Tajiri for two and Eddie is there for the save again. Eddie gets triple teamed but Rhyno shifts over to Benoit for some reason.

A powerslam gives Rhyno two on Eddie as it’s still all over the place, albeit not at the fastest pace. Rhyno and Benoit are sent outside, leaving Tajiri to monkey flip Eddie for two. All four are back in with Rhyno superplexing Eddie for two with Tajiri making the save. Tajiri gets the same by kicking Benoit in the head but the champ saves this time. A headscissors puts Rhyno on the floor and Eddie’s rope walk hurricanrana gets two on Benoit.

Tajiri comes back in and gets caught in the Lasso From El Paso but Benoit quickly follows with a Crossface on Rhyno. Eddie isn’t sure what to do but Tajiri making the ropes makes his decision much easier. That earns Eddie a Crossface of his own until Rhyno and Tajiri break it up. Rhyno busts up Tajiri’s spine for two and it’s Benoit rolling some German suplexes to make Tajiri feel even worse.

Tajiri manages to get in one of his own though and bridges back for a close two, leaving everyone down at once. Back up and Tajiri gets Benoit in the Tarantula, leaving Rhyno to Gore Eddie. The problem is Eddie had the US Title in his hands to bust up Rhyno’s shoulder, leaving him down in pain. Benoit’s Swan Dive gets two as Tajiri dives in for a save, only to have both of them fall outside. Eddie sneaks in with a frog splash to pin Rhyno and retain the title.

Rating: B-. This was a good match that was trying hard to be great. There were a few too many dead spots in there though and they never hit a higher gear that they were capable of, but at least they did well with what they did. Eddie stealing the pin after cheating with the belt makes perfect sense for him and it’s the right idea to keep the title on him with the roll he’s currently on.

We look at Brock Lesnar destroying Zach Gowen, who will be out for a good while as a result.

Earlier tonight on Heat, Matt Hardy accepted a forfeit win over Gowen.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle. Brock beat Angle for the title at Wrestlemania and Angle went on the shelf. While he was out, Angle and Lesnar became friends, which lead them to Vengeance where Angle won the title back in a triple threat. A few weeks later, Lesnar turned on Angle to join forces with Vince in the name of being the REAL Brock Lesnar. Brock attacked Angle in a cage and left him laying, which has only ticked Angle off coming in to the title match.

Smackdown World Title: Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar

Brock is challenging and we actually get an old school rules explanation from the referee. They hit the mat to start with Angle getting the better of it (not exactly shocking) and frustrating Lesnar early on. Another takedown looks to set up the ankle lock but Kurt goes to a headlock that Brock can break far more easily. Odd thinking there. Back up and Brock shoves him away without too much effort so Angle armdrags Lesnar outside, frustrating Brock all over again.

Kurt follows him outside and starts in on Brock’s knee before sending him into the barricade. Back in and the first suplex gets two on Brock, who responds by gorilla pressing him out to the floor in a big crash (great visual with Angle just falling to the floor). Now it’s Brock’s turn for a suplex as he’s starting to look all surly. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two on Kurt and we hit the rear naked choke before that meant much to a lot of fans. It’s off to a regular bodyscissors instead, followed by a chinlock.

Of course Angle fights up (after Brock let go of two better holds), this time being cut down by a hard knee to the ribs. A hard clothesline drops Angle again and the move that would become known as Shell Shock (complete with walking around the ring) gives Brock two. Some shoulders in the corner stay on Angle’s ribs so Kurt hits him in the face. You don’t do that to Lesnar though and Angle gets more shoulders to his ribs for his efforts.

Brock’s big running charge goes into the post though and Kurt’s running shoulder block staggers Lesnar. A dropkick to the knee has Brock in more trouble and it’s time to roll the German suplexes (with Lesnar holding the shoulder off each one). The Angle Slam doesn’t work and Brock goes back to the ribs with a spinebuster. Since one finisher is countered, the other has to be as well so Kurt reverses the F5 into a good looking DDT for two of his own. Now the Angle Slam is good for two and Angle is even more fired up.

In my favorite Angle spot, he puts the straps back up so he can take them down all over again. The ankle lock goes on but Brock rolls forward, sending Angle into the referee. Kurt charges at him for what looks like a sunset flip but stops halfway, wrapping his legs around Brock’s neck and arm (almost in an upside down triangle choke). Since that’s not the easiest hold to maintain, Angle switches over to the ankle lock for the tap but there’s no referee.

Cue Vince to chair Angle in the back, setting up the F5 for a delayed two. Another F5 is reversed into the ankle lock to put Brock in real trouble. He grabs all four bottom ropes but the hold isn’t broken for absolutely no apparent reasons, meaning Brock has to tap to retain Angle’s title.

Rating: B+. It’s not quite their Wrestlemania match but Angle getting his win back makes sense….in theory. They’ve been building Lesnar up as the unstoppable monster for the last few weeks so it would have made sense to have him win here (with Vince’s help) before losing the rematch down the line. That being said, I’m fine with Angle retaining here as it makes sense from the long term. In other words, this one depends on how you look at it, but it’s a rather strong match either way.

Vince gets an Angle Slam through a chair to wish him a happy birthday.

We recap Kane vs. Rob Van Dam. Kane lost his mask and despite Van Dam trying to calm him down and say that he didn’t need the mask, Kane went crazy and started destroying everything in his path. This included beating up Van Dam, Shane McMahon and Linda McMahon and setting Jim Ross on fire. This seems to be setting up Kane vs. Shane, but first Van Dam gets his shot tonight.

Kane vs. Rob Van Dam

No Holds Barred, which is added right before the match. JR refers to Kane as the “byproduct of an inbred mongrel dog”. As I so often wonder of both JR and Jim Cornette: WHERE DO THEY COME UP WITH THIS STUFF??? Van Dam tries to start fast but gets clotheslined down in short order. They head outside with Kane sending him into the barricade but charging into a boot, allowing Rob to follow up with another kick to the face.

Van Dam gets posted though and it’s time for a ladder. Rob is smart enough to kick it into his face, followed by a top rope kick to the chest. A crossbody puts them both on the floor and of course Kane takes over again. The announcers talk about what Kane did to Linda, which is both a good and bad idea. It’s good in that it shows you what Kane is capable of and how evil he is, but it also shows you how unimportant this match is because it’s all about Shane vs. Kane down the line.

Back in and another kick to Kane’s face knocks him into the corner (there’s certainly a pattern here) as JR deems Kane smelly. Kane shoves Rob off the top and down onto the barricade as the violence starts to go the monster’s way again. The ladder to the face drops Rob again and it’s time for some simple choking. Thankfully the referee doesn’t break it up because that comes off as barring a hold, which might get a lawyer involved with his life.

Rob gets kicked outside again and this time Kane follows by going to the top, only to dive into the barricade by mistake (that looked bad on replay as Kane seemed to slip, leaving him without enough distance and sending him head first into the barricade). Now it’s Rob getting in a ladder shot, which Kane of course shrugs off.

A DDT on the floor knocks Rob silly but he’s able to drop toehold Kane into the steps. The spinning kick from the apron drops Kane again, followed by Rolling Thunder onto the chair. Kane sits up so Rob dropkicks the chair into his face for good measure. The Van Terminator misses though and a Tombstone onto the steps is enough to end Rob.

Rating: B. Nice brawl here but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it didn’t mean anything given the story they’ve already told us is coming. Rob was trying here though and made the match fun, especially with the story of the wrestling going to Van Dam and the hardcore stuff going to Kane, but we’re heading for Kane vs. Shane and everyone knows it.

Bischoff is banged up and doesn’t want to talk about his loss but Linda McMahon comes in. Eric starts stammering and gets slapped in the face as the billionaire gets revenge. I can totally relate.

Flair gives HHH a final pep talk.

The Chamber is lowered.

Long recap on the main event, which also features a look at the Chamber. HHH was scheduled to defend against Goldberg one on one but a torn groin necessitated a multi-person match because Heaven forbid HHH take a spear and Jackhammer and lose in a short match with the excuse that he wasn’t ready or was wrestling hurt or any other idea they had. Somehow we get Kevin Nash in another main event though, because that’s what the world was waiting for. There have been some personal issues added after the match announcement but it still feels a little thrown together.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Goldberg vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Nash

The intervals are three minutes this year because we need to move this along. Goldberg slips during his entrance, which is edited out of the Network version (though he goes from standing in the middle of the stage to a few steps to the right off a camera cut). Shawn and Jericho start us off as the fans chant for Goldberg. They hit the mat to start for the Flair pinfall reversal sequence before trading slaps.

Shawn backdrops him but has to switch to a small package to escape the Walls attempt. Jericho can’t hit the Lionsault so instead we’ll listen to JR mess up history by saying this title has only changed hands once before in Arizona. That’s some nice sounding trivia, but remember that this title isn’t even a year old yet and has its own lineage. Sure that doesn’t mean much, but this is the way WWE has set things up and they can’t keep it straight. Anyway, Orton is in third with a high crossbody for two on Shawn, followed by the signature backbreaker gets the same on Jericho.

The RKO is broken up though and Jericho backdrops Orton onto the steel. Now the Walls work just fine on Shawn but it’s Kevin Nash in fourth. That’s enough for Jericho to break it up and go after Nash, who isn’t happy with his new haircut. I find it rather spiffy, even as Nash throws Jericho into the Chamber wall. Nash’s side slam gets two on Orton and Jericho is busted open. Nash goes over for a Jackknife, only to get superkicked down, allowing Jericho to roll him up for the pin, meaning Nash was in there for all of two minutes.

HHH is in fifth….and Shawn superkicks him right back into the pod. Nash isn’t done yet though and Jackknifes Jericho and Orton as a parting gift. Shawn, who is down off throwing a superkick, covers both villains for two each. Everyone punches it out until Goldberg is in to complete the field. Right hands and forearms abound and it’s the spear to get rid of Orton in short order. Jericho gets launched onto the cage floor again and another spear sends him through the Plexiglas.

As Goldberg gets back in, Shawn scores with a forearm followed by the top rope elbow. Sweet Chin Music misses though and it’s a spear and Jackhammer to get us down to three. The same thing gets rid of Jericho and it’s HHH (who still hasn’t gotten out of the pod) vs. Goldberg for the title.

Flair shuts the pod again and holds it shut as well as he can, only to have Goldberg break the “unbreakable Plexiglas”. Some right hands keep HHH in trouble and Goldberg sends him into the Chamber walls a few times. A clothesline takes him down again and HHH is busted open. Goldberg loads up the spear but Flair slips HHH the sledgehammer to knock Goldberg cold and the title is retained.

Rating: D. This wasn’t even twenty minutes long. The best way to describe this match would be a middle finger to the fans who are nearly dying to see HHH lose that freaking title already but we need to make sure he’s ready to give Goldberg the rub or something. I’m not sure how WWE can validate keeping the title on HHH when they have Goldberg right there and HHH can barely move, but I’m sure it’s just the right thing to do, at least according to HHH. That’s 2003 in a nutshell: cheer for whomever you want, but you get HHH.

The rest of the match was of course nothing because Goldberg was the only person who could conceivably win the thing. Instead of something competitive and compelling, it was fifteen minutes of waiting around on Goldberg, then Goldberg crushing people for a few minutes, and then HAHA IT’S THE SLEDGEHAMMER AGAIN! The ending was so deflating that there’s not

Evolution beats Goldberg down and handcuffs him to the Chamber because WWE needs to demonstrate how to book Goldberg.

Overall Rating: D. The show isn’t even that bad, but rather almost completely flat. There are a few good matches with Brock vs. Angle being a highlight but that just made me want to watch the Wrestlemania match again. The TV coming into this show has been really dull due to a lot of McMahons and while they were used more sparingly here, you could still feel them throughout the whole show. That main event really took the life out of the whole thing though and there was nothing else that was going to fix things. Not a good show, but it could have been worse.

Ratings Comparison

La Resistance vs. Dudley Boys

Original: C

2013 Redo: D+

2018 Redo: C-

A-Train vs. Undertaker

Original: D

2013 Redo: D

2018 Redo: D

Eric Bischoff vs. Shane McMahon

Original: D

2013 Redo: N/A

2018 Redo: F

Rhyno vs. Tajiri vs. Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero

Original: B-

2013 Redo: B+

2018 Redo: B-

Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: A-

2013 Redo: B

2018 Redo: B+

Kane vs. Rob Van Dam

Original: C-

2013 Redo: C-

2018 Redo: B

HHH vs. Goldberg vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Nash vs. Randy Orton

Original: D

2013 Redo: C-

2018 Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: D+

2013 Redo: C

2018 Redo: D

That’s one of the hardest swings I’ve ever had on a show but you can see a little consistency in there somewhere.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/08/06/history-of-summerslam-count-up-2003-brock-vs-angle-ii/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/08/08/summerslam-count-up-2003-meet-the-old-hhh-same-as-the-new-hhh/

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

Summerslam 2002
Date: August 25, 2002
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial, Uniondale, New York
Attendance: 14,797
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Tazz, Jim Ross

Not much of an opening video other than the theme song over shots of the crowd.

Opening sequence.

Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio

Ric Flair vs. Chris Jericho

Ad for a Hogan DVD.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge

The Un-Americans are ready to give the greedy Americans more. More of the Un-Americans that is.

Tag Team Titles: Goldust/Booker T. vs. Un-Americans

Christian gets two on a backbreaker, which JR says works on the back. Something like a Boss Man Slam gets Goldust out of trouble but Christian grabs a front facelock. As you might expect, that means a missed tag so Goldust has to catapult the champions into each other.

Rating: C. The match was fine but the ending brought it down a good bit with the standard WWE style finish hurting things a lot. At least we had a good match to get there and the Un-Americans are still fine for heel champions. The Test stuff gets annoying but you had to know it was coming as soon as the ref went down.

Intercontinental Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Benoit

This is Raw vs. Smackdown and Benoit is defending. A kick to the leg sends Benoit outside but he comes back in and easily takes Van Dam down until Rob starts spinning around to escape. The release German suplex drops him again though and Benoit starts in on the neck to set up for the Crossface later on.

Video on the Un-Americans to set up Test vs. Undertaker.

Undertaker vs. Test

Undertaker goes into the crowd and grabs an American flag for some posing.

HHH vs. Shawn Michaels

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock. Lesnar won the King of the Ring tournament to earn this show and Rock won the title at Vengeance. Brock has run through the company but this is by far his biggest test to date.

Undisputed Title: Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock

Lesnar is challenging and has Paul Heyman in his corner. The fans are ALL OVER Rock as he charges right into a belly to belly, further banging up his already injured ribs. Some backbreakers have the fans cheering for Rock though and Brock takes him outside for a beating in the crowd.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQKDV5O

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

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

Ratings Comparison

Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A-

2017 Redo: A-

Chris Jericho vs. Ric Flair

Original: B

2013 Redo: C

2017 Redo: C+

Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge

Original: C+

2013 Redo: B-

2017 Redo: B-

Un-Americans vs. Booker T/Goldust

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D+

2017 Redo: C

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Benoit

Original: B

2013 Redo: B

2017 Redo: B

Undertaker vs. Test

Original: D

2013 Redo: D

2017 Redo: D

Shawn Michaels vs. HHH

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2017 Redo: A+

The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: C+

2013 Redo: B-

2017 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2017 Redo: A

Still a masterpiece.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/08/05/history-of-summerslam-count-up-summerslam-2002-best-summerslam-ever/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/08/07/summerslam-count-up-2002-the-performance-of-a-lifetime/

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

Main Event
Date: August 2, 2018
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

You never know what you’re going to get around here and that’s one of the reasons that makes this show interesting. Well as interesting as it’s going to be. This week’s TV was the usual up and down so it all comes down to the match and segment selections, plus whatever new stuff they have. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Nikolai Volkoff and Brian Christopher.

Opening sequence.

Zack Ryder vs. Mike Kanellis

Didn’t we see this last week? Ryder starts fast with a faceplant and flapjack as the announcers talk about him being only a single win away from being a Grand Slam winner. Egads what a thought. Kanellis sends him face first into the middle buckle though and fires off some shoulders in the corner. We’re already off to the chinlock but the Woode Awakening gets Ryder out of trouble. Ryder goes to the middle rope, only to drive into a powerbomb for two. A good superkick gives Kanellis two but Ryder catches him on top with a super hurricanrana. The Broski Boot sets up the Rough Ryder for the pin at 5:44.

Rating: C. This match had no right to be any good but they worked hard and got a good match out of it. Kanellis could be worth something if they gave him a better gimmick and had Maria to get him some heat. Ryder continues to be great at what he does, but it would be nice to have him actually get the chance to do it every now and then.

From Smackdown.

Renee Young brings out Becky Lynch for a chat. Becky knew she would get back to the top of the mountain if she kept fighting. She hasn’t had a title match since Wrestlemania XXXIII nearly a year and a half ago. Now she’s back and just has to beat Carmella again to become Smackdown Women’s Champion again. Becky wants to go into Evolution as the champion but here’s Carmella to interrupt.

Carmella admits that she lost fair and square last week and that scares her. Becky has worked her way to the top and has been there to mentor Carmella every step of the way. She was the first woman to be drafted to Smackdown and Carmella was literally the last person drafted. With some tears in her eyes, Carmella talks about having to block out all the haters who say she’s not worthy of the title.

Now she’s getting to go into the biggest match of her career against her idol and they’re going to kill it. We’ll ignore why Carmella would want to have a great match rather than successfully defend her title but here’s James Ellsworth’s music. The distraction lets Carmella jump Becky from behind (as you knew was coming) and load up a chair. Cue the returning Charlotte for the save.

From later in the night.

Charlotte vs. Carmella

Non-title but if Charlotte wins, the title match at Summerslam is a triple threat. Before the match, Carmella says her fashion sense is just as flawless as her wrestling abilities. Charlotte may not want to admit it but Becky is rooting against her. Carmella moon walks away to start so Charlotte shoulders her down and says all night baby.

A t-bone suplex into a nipup puts Carmella on the floor but Charlotte misses the slingshot dive. Carmella sends her into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Charlotte missing a moonsault and getting sent outside so Carmella can stomp away. Carmella takes her down with a chinlock and things slow a bit.

Charlotte fights up and hits a big boot before sending Carmella outside for a moonsault off the barricade. Natural Selection gives Charlotte two but the Figure Eight attempt is broken up. Carmella’s superkick gets two and she can’t believe all these kickouts. For some reason Carmella tries the Figure Four but gets reversed into the Figure Eight for the tap at 12:46.

Rating: C-. You know, I really could go for something other than putting two challengers over the champ to set up a title match. Granted I could also go for the lack of triple threat matches. It’s cool that Charlotte is back and there’s nothing wrong with putting her right into the title scene, but egads I’m over the triple threat title matches, especially if Carmella retains and we go on to Becky vs. Carmella one on one like we could have had in the first place.

From Raw.

Alicia Fox vs. Natalya

Bliss and Rousey are the seconds. Natalya goes aggressive to start and tries an early Sharpshooter but Fox gets to the floor and pulls Natalya into the ring skirt. After beating the heck out of a tied up Natalya, Fox grabs the chinlock inside. That goes as long as you might expect but an abdominal stretch lasts a lot longer. Fox even one ups it by jumping up and wrapping her legs around Natalya’s waist (that’s a new one). The bridging northern lights suplex gets two and Fox goes after Rousey, allowing Bliss to get in a cheap shot. Fox’s running big boot is good for the pin at 5:05.

Rating: D+. There’s something likable about Fox and it’s good to have her back. If nothing else another person on the roster lets you keep some matches fresh instead of burning through the same ones over and over again. The match was more storyline than wrestling but Fox looked better than she did in most of her pre-injury matches.

Post match Rousey goes after Fox and hits the spinning Samoan drop. The numbers get the better of her for a bit but the villains get chased off.

From Smackdown again.

Here’s Daniel Bryan to plug Evolution (this is why I wanted to wait for after Summerslam, as Evolution is getting almost as much if not more attention) because it makes him think of his wife Brie Bella. Brie was in the ring when the Give Divas A Chance campaign started. The two of them have fought for respect for years now but every time they’ve taken a step forward, it’s been two steps back.

We see a clip from last week of Miz throwing the fake baby at Bryan and beating him down. That bothers him because Miz taunted him for two years while hiding behind the wall of Bryan’s injury. But then Bryan was cleared and Miz had to find a new way to hide. Last week Maryse and the baby were the new wall because Miz knows he would get destroyed in a fight.

Miz pops up on screen with security around him. He doesn’t want to hear this from Bryan because we’re not in the indies. If Bryan wants to fight, call Miz’s agent because he’s on the set of Miz and Mrs. right now. Bryan calls him a coward again so Miz brings up the Talking Smack segment from 2016. This right here, the eternal conflict, is all Bryan wants because it’s what furthers Bryan’s career. It took Bryan ten years of fighting on the indies to get noticed but Miz just yelled at Bryan for five minutes and got famous.

Bryan says that’s the difference between the two of them: Bryan is in this for the passion and Miz just wants fame. It’s been done before and better, but Miz is never going to be the Rock or John Cena. If Miz needs a big stage, come fight Bryan at Summerslam. Miz laughs it off and says the YES Movement is dead because everyone has moved on. No one wants to hear from Bryan because all the fans see when they look at him is this, and the screen is filled with pictures of crying babies. More great stuff from these two as there’s a natural chemistry there and I’m fine with waiting on the match announcement, as it’s not like it’s a secret.

Curt Hawkins vs. Tyler Breeze

Breeze takes him into the corner to start as Percy talks about seeing Breeze wearing Crocs. Hawkins scores with a knee to the ribs and blocks a sunset flip. A whip to the corner has Breeze down and we take a break. Back with Hawkins elbowing him in the face but missing the top rope version. The Stroke gives Hawkins two and a heck of a clothesline is good for the same as frustration is setting in. Instead of taking his time, Hawkins goes over to Breeze and eats a Supermodel Kick. The Unprettier gives Breeze the pin at 8:50.

Rating: D+. Breeze is someone who could have been something special on the main roster but they had to reset everything once he got to the main roster because NXT serves no real purpose as a developmental program most of the time. At least he got somewhere with the Fashion Police thing but I had a great time watching him in NXT and now this is a big night for him.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Samoa Joe with a message to AJ. He puts a stool in the ring and talks about how much he respects what AJ has done for the title, making it the most prestigious in WWE (the fans gasped a bit on that). AJ has put the title in front of what he wants and even in front of his own family. Last week AJ came out here and told a story about being able to talk to his daughter about being anything she wants to be.

The truth is that AJ is barely home long enough to hug his child, let alone look her in the eye. AJ is more comfortable living out of a suitcase than being at home with his family. He’s a great champion, even though he’s a failure as a father. Come Summerslam, AJ’s family will be cheering for Joe because it means they’ll have daddy back but Joe will be WWE Champion. This was more great stuff and as usual, it’s not about what Joe is saying but rather the intensity with which he says it. In a word, Joe comes off as real and that’s something most people can’t do in wrestling anymore.

We look at Paul Heyman trying to get Brock Lesnar to go to the ring on Monday. That meal he listed still makes me a bit hungry, save for the medium well steak.

From Raw again.

Here are Angle and Corbin to address Heyman and Lesnar. Heyman does come out with no energy, knowing what’s about to happen. The fans greet him with the Goodbye Song and Heyman says Lesnar isn’t coming out here tonight. That sends Angle over the edge into a rant about what a champion does, like doing charity work, reaching out to the community, and DEFENDING THE TITLE. Angle: “BROCK LESNAR MUST BE THE WORST UNIVERSAL CHAMPION OF ALL TIME!” Fans: “YES!!!”

Heyman actually agrees and says he tried to rehabilitate Lesnar because he’s one of the few people Lesnar tolerates. Kurt doesn’t buy it but Heyman says take this out on Lesnar because Brock doesn’t respect anyone. However, Heyman thinks the world of Angle and would like to have a better working relationship with him. Angle fires him anyway, sending Heyman diving to Angle’s leg.

Cue Lesnar to give Heyman the greatest relief of his life. Lesnar finally gets in and hands the belt to Heyman before grabbing a mic. That’s rarely a good idea. He asks if Angle and Corbin have a problem with him….and there’s an F5 to Angle before a word is said. Corbin immediately leaves and Heyman slaps Brock on the back. Brock grabs him by the face and makes Heyman look at Angle. The fans want Strowman (or maybe Roman) but get Brock leaving to end the show. So yeah, that’s it and no, this isn’t going to get the result that the company wants, especially in New York.

Overall Rating: C. The opening match was good and the rest of the show did its job of recapping the rest of the week. Summerslam continues to not be the hottest build in the world as there’s a lot going on and not enough time to focus on most of it, but that’s the case for a lot of the big shows. Lesnar vs. Reigns is one of the least interesting main events in a long time and while the fans are starting to boo him, they’re not exactly thrilled with Roman (I’m still not sure if the cheers were Roman or Strowman on Monday). That’s the biggest story and with that on top, there isn’t much time for the rest.

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

Lucha Underground
Date: August 1, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Things are getting rough for Pentagon Dark as he has Cage on one side and the new Gift of the Gods Champion Dragon Azteca Jr. on the other. That means we could have the title match on a week’s notice, but you never know how much things are going to change around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap: Dragon Azteca Jr. wins Gift of the Gods, Big Ryck (!) telling the Mack to make money back in the day, Worldwide Underground vs. Reptile Tribe and Cage vs. Pentagon Dark.

Daga vs. PJ Black

Reptile Tribe vs. Worldwide Underground. Daga starts in on the arm and tries a guillotine, only to get suplexed down to break it up. Some rolling suplexes stay on the back but Black switches over to a double arm crank. Daga chops him out of the corner though and DDTs Black into a guillotine. This isn’t quite the match that I was expecting coming into this and that’s a nice surprise.

A rope break gets Black out of trouble and he slaps on a quickly just as broken dragon sleeper. Daga’s crossface is broken up and Black kicks him in the head, only to get crotched on top for taking too much time. They hit a pinfall reversal sequence but Daga rolls into a crucifix hold with a keylock to make Black tap at 7:30.

Rating: C. Not bad here and the change in style was a nice surprise. Black going completely away from the high flying but still managing to pull off a perfectly watchable match is a good sign for his future. You can only do the same stuff over and over again so often before it stops having the same effect. Spacing it out like this is a good idea.

Post match the Reptile Tribe comes out but the Worldwide Underground save Black from Vibora’s Tombstone. Some kendo stick shots put Vibora on the floor but Kobra Moon says Johnny Mundo’s future is the Tribe. Next week they’ll have a match and if the Underground loses, Johnny has to join the Tribe. If the Underground wins though, Moon will grant Johnny a wish.

The Mack is getting ready when Catrina pops in. Mil Muertes is coming for him but Mack doesn’t seem worried. Catrina pops open a locker to reveal BIG RYCK’S SKULL. Well that accelerated quickly.

Here’s Dragon Azteca Jr. to talk (half in English and half in Spanish) to say he’s going to honor his ancestors by becoming Lucha Underground Champion. He wants to cash in at Ultima Lucha IV but until then, come try and take the title from him.

Trios Titles: Paul London/Saltador/Mala Suerte vs. The Mack/Killshot/Son of Havoc

Mack and company are defending. We’re already in a big staredown less than twenty seconds in until it’s Killshot vs. Suerte. Things speed up with both guys flipping around but not making much contact. Instead it’s off to Havoc, who gets dropkicked in the mask and it’s off to London. Mack and Saltador come in with the champ taking over off a kick to the face and a standing moonsault as everything breaks down.

Suerte trips Killshot off the apron and Saltador hits the big flip dive. Back in and the Tower of Doom (Striker: “LONDON’S FALLING!!!”) plants everyone, followed by a series of strikes to the face. Killshot starts cleaning house with the running stomps and Meteora from the apron, followed by crushing Saltador with the top rope double stomp. A frog splash from Mack should be good for the pin but Killshot moves in and steals the pin to retain at 7:21.

Rating: C+. Total spot fest here and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially around here. What there is a problem with though is the way the Trios Titles are defended. How many times can we have champions who don’t get along because one of them have some kind of selfishness issue? This isn’t even the first time it’s happened with Son of Havoc. Maybe we need a regular Tag Team Title instead. It’s not like this is really working.

Cage/??? vs. Pentagon Dark/???

It’s a double mystery partner match and the partners are King Cuerno for Cage and….no one for Pentagon, who wants to fight on his own. Pentagon strikes away and sends them both to the floor for the big flip dive. Both villains get sent into things at ringside but Cuerno jumps Pentagon from behind.

Back in and Cage drops a top rope elbow (because of course he can fly too) as we settle down into a more stable formula. Cuerno kicks him in the face but gets caught in the Backstabber out of the corner. A superkick rocks Cage and there’s the middle rope Canadian Destroyer for two. The numbers catch up to Pentagon through as a Thrill of the Kill plants him….and that’s enough for the hired gun as Cuerno leaves. The Drill Claw ends Pentagon at 5:41.

Rating: D+. This was much more of an angle than a match and that’s fine. I like that they’re doing things other than just having the same match over and over again like you would see in WWE. Mix it up a bit with stuff like this and the feud can go on even longer. This can set up Pentagon vs. Cuerno before Pentagon gets back to Cage and that’s the way to go. Not a very good match, but it advanced the story like it was supposed to do.

Post match Cage gives him a Conchairto and poses with the title.

Johnny Mundo and Taya are going through a temple Indiana Jones style (Mundo is in a Jones hat and says he hates snakes) when they run into Vibora. A movie style fight (including quick cuts) breaks out and a ball bat shot between the legs drops Vibora. Taya and Mundo kiss….and she DECAPITATES VIBORA! Drago comes in and roars to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The weird feeling of the season is back, which again has to do with needing to get rid of so many people who weren’t going to be around. The wrestling was somewhere in the middle and while I kind of liked the ending being so completely ridiculous, I was getting into Vibora and he’s, you know, dead. What we got wasn’t bad, but the stories they’re focusing on still aren’t working for me and I’m not sure how long it’s going to take to change that.

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

Smackdown
Date: March 4, 2004
Location: Savannah Civic Center, Savannah, Georgia
Attendance: 4,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We have two shows left before Wrestlemania and the show is mostly set on the blue side. It includes the best built match on the card with Smackdown World Champion Eddie Guerrero defending against Kurt Angle. Last week Angle turned it into a morality play, which makes for an interesting story between the two. Let’s get to it.

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

Paul Heyman is in his office and welcomes us to the show, which is a very stressful time for him. He narrates a recap of last week’s show with Eddie trying to get at Angle and getting arrested for his efforts, which Heyman says is a familiar place for him. Tonight, both of them will get to tell their side of the story live, in the ring. By that, he means Eddie is ordered to apologize.

Opening sequence.

Steve Austin’s music hits and here’s Brock Lesnar riding out on Austin’s ATV. Lesnar admits to stealing the ATV (I think he’s made that clear) and says it’ll drive over anything, except a tow truck. Unlike Austin, Lesnar has the courage to come on another man’s show and do something he feels like doing. We get a clip of the F5 to Austin and Lesnar promises that Goldberg is next. Actually someone else is next.

Hardcore Holly vs. Brock Lesnar

Holly charges in and kicks Lesnar to the floor but walks into a big spinebuster back inside. It’s already off to the gutwrench that dominated their Royal Rumble match because it worked so well the first time. As Cole calls their Royal Rumble match a classic (egads man), Holly fights up but gets clotheslined outside. Holly manages to post the shoulder and gets two off a belly to back suplex. Lesnar shakes that off though and hits the F5 for the pin. Too short to rate but much more energetic and better than the “classic” at the Rumble.

Post match Lesnar has some beers to Austin’s music.

Danny Basham vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Scotty headlocks him down to start and hits a suplex into some dancing. That earns him a posting and a Fujiwara armbar (makes sense) keeps the shoulder in trouble. The hold doesn’t last long (they probably don’t have the time) so Scotty comes up with a superkick but the referee yells at Rikishi. The distraction lets Doug come in instead, setting up a small package for the pin on Scotty. Just a way to set up the title match at Wrestlemania.

Video on Angle vs. Guerrero.

Angle joins us via satellite and talks about all the horrible things you hear athletes doing today. You can’t open the paper without seeing someone with a drug or legal issue. He’s not going to let that happen again with Eddie. Cole talks about Eddie’s public apology tonight but Eddie isn’t buying it. Would Cole be ok with his children acting like Eddie? If his actions are able to change one person’s mind about Eddie, the boos are worth it. He won’t let people like Eddie take over this company.

This was a great lesson in heel psychology. A heel doesn’t have to be right in their actions. All they have to do is justify their actions in their own mind, which is what Angle has done here. Angle has turned heel, but he still thinks he’s doing the right thing and views himself as the hero in the whole thing. That makes for a great heel turn and Angle is selling it very well.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Funaki

Non-title. Funaki dropkicks him to the floor to start and adds a baseball slide to break up some consultation with Chavo Sr. Back in and Chavo takes over with a shot to the ribs and an abdominal stretch. With the hold on, Chavo Sr. jumps on commentary to complain about his son having to defend the title nine times at Wrestlemania. Funaki gets two off a bulldog as the fans aren’t exactly thrilled here. A high crossbody drops Chavo but Sr. gets on the apron for a distraction. Chavo rams the back of Funaki’s neck into his knee and steals the pin after kind of a weird finish.

Rating: D. I’m not sure what the point is in having Chavo win the match here and take away whatever momentum Funaki could have as a challenger. I know he doesn’t have much of a chance to win the title but why give him a loss when you don’t have to? This could have been good if they had some more time but at three and a half minutes, it’s the longest match on the show so far.

Heyman tells Dawn Marie that it’s time for Eddie’s apology.

Video on the South Africa tour.

Heyman and Dawn Marie are in the ring but he sends her to the back in case things get ugly. Here’s Eddie (on foot this week) and Heyman lays out the reasons Eddie needs to apologize, including knocking Dawn Marie down last week. Eddie actually apologizes….but he was lying! He even mocks Heyman for falling for something like that and looking like the deer in the headlights. Eddie is proud of being a father, husband and the WWE Champion who represents these fans. He going to walk into Wrestlemania XX as WWE Champion but then he’s walking out just the same.

Heyman is livid and says the only thing he disdains more than Eddie as WWE Champion is Eddie as a person. He wishes his hands weren’t tied by the board of directors or he’d give Eddie a beating himself. Eddie: “You couldn’t beat me if I had both hands tied behind my back.” You can figure out where this, including the ending of the show, is going. Heyman makes a match between the two of them for later tonight with Eddie handcuffed. Eddie’s face is perfect as he couldn’t look more relaxed about the whole thing.

Billy Kidman/Ultimo Dragon/Rey Mysterio vs. Tajiri/Sakoda/Akio

It needs the time, but I can’t believe the Cruiserweight Open is getting two matches of build. Or that Dragon is still employed. Dragon misses an early spinwheel kick but settles for rolling out of a sunset flip and kicking Sakoda in the chest. Tajiri and Kidman come in with more kicks having Kidman in trouble.

Akio slaps on a bearhug as Tazz completely loses himself in a discussion of what would happen if Tajiri and Akio wind up fighting for the title. Even Cole calls him out for making no sense and Tazz actually concedes. You know it’s stupid if even he’ll admit it. Kidman gets in a bulldog and dives over for the hot tag to Mysterio so things can pick up in a hurry. Everything breaks down and Dragon dives onto Sakoda but Tajiri breaks up the 619. Kidman dives onto him instead and Rey’s spinning DDT finishes Akio.

Rating: C-. This needed about three more minutes as it was really turning into the usual awesome cruiserweight spot fest, which is what these six should be doing. Mysterio is the top challenger for the title at Wrestlemania so having Kidman or Dragon getting the pin here would have made sense, but at least we got something with a little more time.

Heyman swears vengeance on Guerrero and Dawn Marie isn’t talking him out of it.

Here’s the World’s Greatest Tag Team dressed up as the APA (with Shelton as Bradshaw and Charlie as Bradshaw for some reason). Southern jokes run amok, including shots at beer drinking, smoking and marrying your sister’s cousin. Bradshaw thinks Haas and Benjamin are a couple of sexual tyrannosauruses but it’s time for a song.

Just when I’m thinking the only thing missing is a West Texas Rednecks song, THEY SING A WEST TEXAS REDNECKS SONG with APA Is Crap. Cue the real APA for the brawl, followed by the Bashams and Scotty 2 Hotty/Rikishi. So yes, sixteen people are going to be in two bad Tag Team Title matches. Is it too early to request a battle royal instead? Throw the cruiserweights in there and you’re already at 26.

Wrestlemania recall: Rock vs. Hogan. Well that works, even if they don’t show the Hulk Up.

Big Show vs. A-Train

First up, Cena makes American Idol jokes and promises to win the US Title. The energetic Cena gets shoved down, bringing a smile to his face. They head outside with A-Train clotheslining the post by mistake to give Cena a target. Back in and some arm cranking doesn’t get Cena far as A-Train uses the good arm to clothesline him down.

It’s time to work on Cena’s bad knee with A-Train in trouble as we take a break. Back with Cena firing off some right hands and forearms until more shots to the knee cut him off. Cena’s big clothesline gets him out of trouble and there’s the Shuffle. The FU gives Cena the easy pin.

Rating: D. I can appreciated A-Train working on the knee and all that good stuff but there wasn’t exactly much to see here. They were going with the idea of Cena fighting a giant to set up his more important match against the other giant so the booking is sound, but there’s not much of a way around such a lame match.

Post match Big Show comes out to brag about how awesome he is and lists off the things he’s done. The girls may love Cena’s abs but Big Show isn’t exactly impressed. At Madison Square Garden, everything ends for Cena.

Wrestlemania rundown. It looks good, but really, really long.

Heyman tells the referee to make Eddie’s handcuffs tight. Oh and Heyman will keep the key so he can beat some sense into Eddie.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2004 is announced:

Jesse Ventura

Harley Race

Billy Graham

Tito Santana

Sgt. Slaughter

Bobby Heenan

Don Muraco

Greg Valentine

Big John Studd

Junkyard Dog

Pete Rose

I’m glad the thing is back, but for the first class in nearly ten years, they don’t really have a major headliner, at least not for their time in WWE. Some big names, but the biggest WWE name is….Heenan? Ventura? Maybe Slaughter? Not exactly the big headliner you would expect.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Paul Heyman

Non-title with Eddie’s hands cuffed behind his back and the announcers acting like this is Austin vs. Hogan. Heyman talks a lot of trash and gets kicked into the corner where he shouts in pain. Another kick is enough for Heyman and he walks out….with Angle replacing him as the match ends.

Angle gives him a death stare that would intimidate Ivan Drago before slowly taping his fists. Not being the brightest guy in the world, Eddie gets into the ring (still cuffed) instead of running through the crowd. Angle slowly gets in and stalks Eddie before taking him down so the proper beating can begin. The taped right hand puts Eddie down and the fans chant for the champ. You can see the fear in Eddie’s eyes as he knows he’s screwed. Angle picks up the belt and knocks Eddie cold to end the show. More great stuff from Angle, who came off like a heartless machine here, which makes me want to see Eddie fight back.

Overall Rating: D+. Eddie and Angle are carrying this show on their backs but the weight is a little too much for them. Looking back over this show, there is next to nothing going on that would make me want to see what’s next for Smackdown. We’re ten days from Wrestlemania and there’s one Smackdown match worth seeing. The problem continues to be cramming so much stuff on there and the bad is outweighing the good. I’ve said something similar to this before and it’s true here: the good is very good but the bad is much more uninspiring and dull, which can be a lot worse than bad.

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