IMG Credit: WWE

Backlash 2004
Date: April 18, 2004
Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Attendance: 13,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Remember last month at Wrestlemania XX when the main event was an instant classic? Well now we’re doing it again with Chris Benoit coming in as the World Heavyweight Champion. That’s not the worst idea in the world as the first match was so great that there’s almost no way this won’t be awesome too. Throw in Randy Orton going to the gallows to face Cactus Jack and we could be in for a very good night. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the original triple threat, with Shawn Michaels and HHH saying it won’t happen again. Benoit disagrees, as you might have guessed. No other match is mentioned.

Ric Flair vs. Shelton Benjamin

Fallout from Benjamin beating HHH twice in a row. Flair makes the referee hold the ropes open for him, which is quite the Flair thing to do. Shelton easily takes him down to start and does it again with a fireman’s carry. That earns Shelton a shove so he slaps Flair in the face, meaning it’s time for the Flop. The Stinger Splash misses but Shelton just lands on the top rope, because of course he can.

A clothesline puts Flair on the floor as this is one sided so far. Back in and Shelton hits another clothesline but Flair goes for the knee, as you knew was coming. The leg gets wrapped around the rope and Flair stomps away, setting up a pretty early Figure Four. Shelton gets out so it’s chair time as JR wonders why Flair doesn’t just bring in a bazooka.

The chair doesn’t really matter as Shelton scores with an enziguri but can’t follow up because of the knee. The Dragon Whip keeps Flair down and Shelton whips him over the corner. Back in and Flair gets slammed off the top but finds some brass knuckles. The Stinger Splash makes him drop them right back though and the top rope clothesline gives Shelton the pin.

Rating: C. Totally fine match here with Flair making Shelton look good. This is the kind of win that Shelton needs to rack up to support the HHH wins. Flair may put a lot of people over but he’s not exactly one to lose stock or status as a result. Just keep talking about how he’s Ric Flair and let him do his signature stuff and he’ll be right back where he needed to be. Not many legends get that and few of them got it like Flair.

Randy Orton talks about how he’ll beat Cactus Jack just like every other legend. He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself. Orton is NOT scared, even after seeing everything Foley has done over the years. Tonight, Orton is going to show a new side of himself and Foley will never forget it. Foley is like an old, sad, toothless dog who needs to be put down. That’s the best promo Orton has given to date and you can see how much he’s grown out of this feud.

Tajiri vs. Jonathan Coachman

Coach actually armdrags him down to start and avoids an early spinning kick. Some more kicks hit the leg but the big one to the head misses. They head outside with Tajiri kicking the post, allowing Coach to wrap the leg around the post. There’s a shinbreaker as Coach must have been watching some Flair tapes. Tajiri escapes a second shinbreaker into a sunset flip but Coach is right back on the knee. Even the announcers are impressed by Coach, who grabs the rope like a veteran would do.

After a leglace, Coach goes up top but Tajiri kicks the rope to crotch him. Coach gets caught backwards in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the back and a kick to the head gets two. Back up and Tajiri grabs the Tarantula, which is broken even faster than usual. Cue Garrison Cade with a right hand to drop Tajiri though and Coach rolls him up for the pin.

Rating: D+. This was surprisingly not terrible as Coach wrestled a perfectly watchable match. He’s perfectly fine for a low level heel and it’s not like Tajiri losing here hurts him very much. I can always go for something that sounded like filler turning into a match that isn’t half bad. Nice little surprise here.

Long recap of Chris Jericho vs. Christian/Trish Stratus. Jericho fell for Trish but it turned out that it was a bet between himself and Christian. Trish’s heart was broken but Christian beat Jericho up to try and give him some tough love. It turned out that Trish had gotten together with Christian and they’re out to ruin Jericho’s life.

Christian/Trish Stratus vs. Chris Jericho

Lawler drools over Trish again so JR goes on a rant, saying Lawler has no idea if she has feet because his eyes never go that low. Jericho is back to being from Winnipeg for the sake of crowd support. A slap takes Christian down to start and Trish bails straight to the floor so the chase is on. Jericho is smart enough to slow down and backdrop Christian as the fans chant a rather rude term at Trish. Well I think it’s Trish but I could be wrong.

Christian gets sent outside so Jericho hits the springboard dropkick as Trish is starting to panic. Back in and Jericho accidentally shoves Trish off the apron but the distraction lets Christian drape him over the top. Trish is able to come in for some slapping, which certainly seems to appeal to Lawler. Does that surprise anyone? One grab at Trish’s foot is enough to send her running to the corner for the tag so Christian rips as Jericho’s face. The Walls attempt is broken up but Jericho lands head first on Christian’s crotch.

The Flashback (which is almost never called such) gives Jericho two so Trish slaps Jericho again, this time allowing Christian to his a reverse DDT out of the corner. Jericho pops right back up and sends Christian outside, meaning it’s time for the expected spanking. That’s enough for Christian to come back in and deck Jericho, who clotheslines Trish before knocking Christian down as well.

The Lionsault hits knees as JR is sick of hearing about Lawler wanting to go check on Trish. A Texas Cloverleaf stays on Jericho’s ribs but he rolls out pretty quickly and slaps the Walls on the returning Trish. That’s broken up in a hurry as well, so Christian tries the Unprettier but gets catapulted into Trish in the corner. You knew that was coming. Jericho hits the enziguri for the pin.

Rating: C+. I still like this feud a lot and they had to let Jericho get a win back here to make up for Wrestlemania. Christian and Trish colliding like that was the most logical finish they could have used and Jericho gets to fight another day as you know this is continuing. Issues between the new couple would make sense here and it’s not like their relationship was the strongest in the first place.

Eugene comes in to the women’s locker room while Gail Kim is changing and asks for an autograph. Screaming ensues until William Regal makes the save, though not before taking a long look at Gail. Why exactly are they here anyway?

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Lita

Lita is challenging after winning a joke of a battle royal. Lawler is drooling over Victoria’s gear (fair enough) and mistakes holes for polka dots. They hit the mat to start for some near falls and bridge up, though not into a backslide. A lockup sends them falling out to the floor with Victoria looking to take a bad looking bump. Back in (with Victoria limping a bit) and we hit another pinfall reversal sequence with Lawler being a big fan of the camera shots.

Victoria’s dancing moonsault gets two and cranks on Lita’s arms for a bit as JR has had it with Lawler’s comments (again). There’s a surfboard and you can see the images going through Lawler’s mind. Back up and Victoria tries the spinning side slam but Lita reverses into a nice headscissors to the crowd’s delight. Lita scores with a suplex and nips up, followed by a quick hurricanrana. A sleeper of all things puts Victoria down and you can hear the fans lose their energy.

Victoria makes the rope and now the side slam connects. The moonsault…I don’t know if you can say hits or misses. Lita was supposed to roll away but she doesn’t roll fast enough, meaning Victoria “missed” but landed on her nearly perfectly anyway. The reverse Twist of Fate gives Lita two so it’s time for the snap DDT, only to have Victoria reverse into a small package to retain.

Rating: D-. Pretty terrible match but the JR/Lawler banter was the most memorable thing here. There’s something hilarious about JR getting so annoyed and Lawler going full speed ahead with his shtick. Other than that though it was a bunch of bad spots (that moonsault was ridiculous) and a flat ending.

Post match Molly and Gail run in for the DQ, thereby validating their presence.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack. Last year, Orton went after Mick Foley, who wasn’t ready to face a young gun like Orton. Foley went away for a few months but came back to face him, eventually setting up a handicap match at Wrestlemania. Orton pinned Foley, but now Mick wants a one on one match under hardcore rules with Evolution banned from ringside. They actually agreed, but Foley realized that this needed something special. Like Cactus Jack, which has Orton scared. As it should.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack

Foley is challenging (and looking slim here) and it’s hardcore. Orton comes out with a garbage can full of toys, including a barbed wire 2×4 with the wire moving around. Oh dear you really have to go with quality in this case. Jack of course brings out Barbie and uses it to knock a trashcan out of Orton’s (wrestling in his shirt to start) hands. More big swings miss and Orton does the smart thing by running for his life. A drop toehold sends Jack into the steps and Orton gets Barbie (JR: “I can see Orton playing with Barbie.”) so Jack punches him in the face. You don’t touch a man’s barbed wire baseball bat.

Orton smashes him in the head with some trashcan shots so Jack kicks him in the face and shows him how it’s done. They get inside for the first time with Jack hitting a running knee lift and dropping a leg for two. A baseball slide sends Orton right to the floor but he gets out of the way before Jack can try the middle rope elbow. They head up the ramp with Orton belly to back suplexing him down for two. With the wrestling not working, Orton just slams him head first into the ramp to scramble some brain cells.

A ram into the steps scrambles some knee cells but Jack kicks him low to avoid the barbed wire going into his face. It’s Socko time, which really feels out of place in this match. Actually hang on as Jack does an informal poll, which tells him to use the bat. The first good shot to the head busts Orton open (there’s something so eerie about watching it stream down someone’s face) and Jack drives it into his face again. JR: “He could be on the cover of Disfigurement Weekly!” You can see the look in Jack’s eyes as he hammers Orton down in the corner and hits the running knee.

Orton loses his shirt and Jack legdrops Barbie between Orton’s legs. Jack goes over to Orton’s weapons and throws the 2×4 down in disgust. Instead, let’s go with gasoline and a lighter. He pours the gas onto Barbie but here’s Eric Bischoff to say the show will be shut down if he lights that up. That’s enough to bring Jack to his senses as Orton looks to be near shock. Instead of the fire…here’s a board covered in barbed wire. The fans know this is about to get really nasty but Orton pulls out some powder to save his life and slams Jack onto the wire.

Orton whips him into the board in the corner (after a great reversal tease) and Jack’s arm is cut open. The RKO is loaded up but Orton gets thrown onto the tacks and MY GOODNESS he is covered in them. That’s the kind of visual you really don’t see in WWE and that is a great look. They fight up the ramp and Jack throws him off the stage, through some tables. Orton is still down (and remember, his back is full of tacks) so Jack dives off the stage with the big elbow for two. I bought that as the finish when I watched this live and I bought it again here.

Back in and the double arm DDT gives Jack two so he goes after the board again. That’s enough of a delay for Orton to get in some Barbie shots and Jack is bleeding from the face. One more shot knocks Jack down but he lands on Socko. The Mandible Claw goes on but Orton gets in a low blow. The RKO gets two and there’s that shocked look on Orton’s face again. Another RKO onto Barbie is enough to retain the title.

Rating: A. I’ve always loved this match and it’s one of Foley’s last great performances. The match was exactly what it was supposed to be as Orton shows that he has the guts to survive anything and was that match that ever top star has to have at some point in their career. This took Orton completely out of his comfort zone and that’s when you can see the greatness coming out. It’s the same story as the HHH match at the 2000 Royal Rumble, which is something that is always going to work. Outstanding match here with Foley playing the role to perfection and Orton getting everything he could have out of it.

Flair and Batista are immediately out to carry Orton to the back. HHH comes up to Orton in the back and says that’s what Evolution is all about. He even says he’s proud of Orton. With Orton carried away, HHH says he wouldn’t bet against himself tonight. Beating Shawn is always great but beating Chris Benoit in Canada is where the money is at.

La Resistance vs. Hurricane/Rosey

This was made on Heat and welcome to the death slot guys. There are so many empty seats opposite the hard camera that the camera is suddenly much tighter with the regular shots only popping up for a few seconds at a time. Hurricane works on Conway’s wrist to start before Rosey comes in to hiptoss his partner onto him. A powerslam gets Conway out of trouble and it’s Grenier coming in for a suplex as the announcers talk about Orton vs. Jack. Normally that gets on my nerves but what are you expecting here?

Grenier slaps on a bearhug and here’s Eugene as the already nothing match breaks down. Rosey comes in and cleans house as Eugene starts playing with the Quebec flag. The French guys get sent to the floor so Hurricane can dive onto the two of them, leaving Hurricane to get inside and run the ropes. Cue Regal for the save as a mask less Hurricane hits the Eye of the Hurricane for the pin.

Rating: D-. I don’t like to use this term but this was what it was and that’s all it was going to be. There was no chance that this match was going to be anything more than a five minute nacho break match and that’s what they did. I don’t blame them a bit for the match not being very good as it’s not like they had anything to work with here.

We recap Edge’s return, which hasn’t been the most thrilling thing in the world so far.

Edge vs. Kane

Edge’s hand is in a cast and he’s suspended if he uses it. Edge, who has been very aggressive since coming back, backs up into the corner to start before being planted with a two arm chokeslam. A middle rope clothesline gets Edge out of trouble and Kane bails to the floor before the spear can launch. For some reason Edge thinks it’s a good idea to follow him, allowing Kane to send the bad hand into the steps.

Back in and the hand work begins so the fans would rather shout about Earl Hebner screwing Bret and something that happens in the crowd. Edge scores with a spinwheel kick but charges into a big boot. The top rope clothesline misses and Edge hits the implant DDT. The threat of a spear sends the referee to the floor so Edge kicks Kane low, hits him with the cast, and nails the spear for the pin.

Rating: D. As I said in the previous match, what in the world were you expecting here? The big story of the match was Kane working on Edge’s hand and Edge not exactly looking as fired up as he’s been before. It was boring but they kept it short, which does make things a little better. Hopefully Edge can shake the rust off quickly.

We recap the main event. HHH, Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels had a masterpiece last month at Wrestlemania so let’s do it again. I’ve heard of worse ideas and there’s almost no question that this will be awesome. Both HHH and Shawn swear that lightning won’t strike twice and Benoit is ready to prove them wrong all over again.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit is defending and gets the hero’s welcome, which is always cool to see. They stare each other down to start until Benoit chops HHH with Shawn joining in. Benoit isn’t cool with someone stealing his chop fest though and chops the skin off Shawn’s chest. Shawn grabs a swinging neckbreaker but HHH is back in with the jumping knee to the face. It’s too early for the Pedigree but HHH and Shawn get together and knock Benoit to the floor.

That means it’s time for the champ to throw some German suplexes and Shawn gets whipped out to the floor. He’s right back up on the apron to break up an early Crossface and Benoit knocks him off the apron again. HHH catches him on top and Shawn comes back in to knock Benoit outside. The facebuster drops Shawn and there’s the Swan Dive from Benoit as they’re doing a good job of keeping things moving here instead of having it be one on one for long stretches at a time.

The referee gets bumped (kind of early for that) and Benoit gets the Sharpshooter on HHH. Shawn comes diving in for the save so Benoit Crossfaces him down. That’s broken up so here’s the required Shawn Sharpshooter in Canada as Earl Hebner runs in as the replacement referee. Now that we’re past the absolutely 10000% required Montreal reference because every city in Canada is the same, it’s time for the YOU SCREWED BRET chant.

Benoit gets the Crossface on Shawn until HHH makes the save. HHH stomps Benoit down in the corner but Shawn is back up. Benoit and HHH are knocked to the floor but Shawn’s big dive sends him crashing through the announcers’ table. Back in and HHH hammers on Benoit, which at least gives us some relief from YOU SCREWED BRET. Benoit goes shoulder first into the post and we hit a camel clutch.

The fans get behind Benoit again so HHH pounds in some right hands to the head. The facebuster only sends Benoit into the rolling German suplexes to put HHH in trouble again. A quick Pedigree connects though, drawing Shawn back in for another save. Everyone is down and Shawn nipping up doesn’t exactly please the fans. The top rope elbow hits HHH and Sweet Chin Music knocks Benoit off the apron. HHH is right back up with a low blow to Shawn for a close two but gets backdropped to the floor.

We’re late in the match and HHH is on the floor so it’s sledgehammer time. A shot to Shawn’s back (just like at Summerslam) has him writhing in agony but the fans would rather look at something in the crowd. Benoit breaks up a hammer shot to Shawn’s head and, after shrugging off a whip into the steps, catapults HHH into the steps. Back in and Sweet Chin Music is countered into the Sharpshooter with Benoit pulling him away from the ropes. HHH tries to come in for the save but Shawn finally taps to retain the title.

Rating: A. They wisely tried a different approach this time around than at Wrestlemania, which makes a lot of sense as there’s no point trying to equal or top something that was perfect in the first place. Benoit has now made both of them tap in the middle of the ring to finally prove that he’s the better man. That’s about as definitive of a push as you’re going to get and the match was another classic. They went with a slower pace and less violence here as there was more of a question about who might win here. Wrestlemania was clearly Benoit’s night and it was a smart move to switch things up here. Great match, all over again.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s an eight match card and the two important matches (the only two to break twelve minutes) were excellent. That’s really all you need for an awesome show and the bad stuff, while quite bad, was also quite short. The three awful matches (Women’s Title, La Resistance vs. Hurricane/Rosey and Edge vs. Kane) didn’t add up to the length of either big match so literally, either Orton vs. Foley or the main event outweighs the three bad ones time wise. They got as close to perfection as they could have with the two big matches here and that’s exactly what they should have gone for. Check those two matches out.

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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 15, 2004
Location: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

Is it too much to ask to have more than one big story on the show? Last week saw JBL announced as the new #1 contender in a story that dominated the last two weeks. The second biggest story has been Booker T. vs. Rob Van Dam, which feels a long way down the ladder. That’s the main event tonight though so maybe it’s going to get a little better. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week’s big angle, partially set to Steve Blackman’s music for some reason.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Eddie Guerrero to open things up. He’s received about 27 phone calls this week from Kurt Angle (complete with an imitation, with Angle insisting that he DOES NOT suck), demanding an apology. JBL isn’t a great American because of his riches. See, JBL has been trying to pull one over on the fans by saying he’s from New York in his business suits. Eddie looks at him and sees a great American sellout.

JBL’s money doesn’t make him better or smarter than anyone else….and here’s an approved message from JBL on the screen. It’s a campaign style ad focusing on Eddie’s lying, cheating and stealing, which has a small vocal minority. Real Americans need to silence that voice and support a good man like JBL. Eddie says he’s tired of dealing with this same stuff since he became champion and he’s sick of it. Yeah he does all those things but he worked hard to get here. It took him seventeen years to get his first title shot and it wasn’t handed to him in a bogus award ceremony. Now JBL is #1 contender so let’s do it tonight.

Instead here’s Kurt Angle, who doesn’t appreciate any of this. Angle doesn’t appreciate him (how rude) so Eddie can have his title match tonight. Now it’s JBL in the limo to interrupt. He’d love to face Eddie tonight but after a week of shaking hands and kissing babies (and some baby mamas), he’s a little tired so the match can’t take place tonight. Angel agrees and lets JBL have his title match at Judgment Day. Tonight, it’s Eddie vs. Big Show. Eddie is stunned, as am I over this somehow taking nearly eighteen minutes.

Post break Show comes in to see Angle and JBL. He wants to know if he has a WWE Championship match tonight, but that’s a big negative. Show yells at both of them and isn’t happy with being their enforcer. If he can’t beat Eddie tonight, he quits.

John Cena vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Non-title and there are a lot of Cena signs in the crowd. We have two champions in the ring so the opening commentary is all about Big Show vs. Eddie Guerrero. Cena doesn’t respond well to being slapped in the face and slaps Chavo even harder as the announcers actually notice a match going on.

A headlock and a clothesline keep Chavo in trouble and it’s off to the second headlock on the mat. Chavo sends him outside and Chavo Sr. gets in a cowboy boot to the back of the head. Back in and we hit a camel clutch (continuing the family tradition) for all of five seconds before Cena powers out. A dropkick gives Chavo two but Cena is right back with the running shoulder. The Throwback, followed by taking Sr. out, sets up the FU for the pin.

Rating: D+. You would kind of expect something a little better from two champions, but I can’t say I’m surprised that the Cruiserweight Champion was beaten clean in such short order. I could have gone for a botched interference from Sr. or something but it’s not like the Cruiserweight Champion is on the US Champion’s level in the first place.

Video on Booker’s initial complaints about being on Smackdown. It looks like we’ll be going over the whole history to set up the main event. All two weeks of it.

Rene Dupree is having a new romantic dinner with Fifi (a different dog this week) and announces his new interview segment starting next week: Cafe de Rene.

We look back at Big Show attacking Eddie by powerbombing him onto a lowrider…in October of last year. Did we really need to have a flashback for a one off match?

Charlie Haas is warming up when Jamie Noble comes in. Jamie tells him to not worry about amateur wrestling when he faces Rico. It might as well be an intergender match. Charlie isn’t worried so Jamie talks about all the things Rico might do. The final advice: don’t let Rico get you from behind. Nunzio comes in and wishes Haas good luck too.

Rico vs. Charlie Haas

Jobber entrance for Charlie. Rico and Jackie Gayda pose on a mini stage on the way to the ring. We start with some prancing and Charlie is disgusted by an early lockup. Charlie takes him down and shouts about Rico being sick so Rico reverses and starts groping. Rico gets behind him and Charlie bails to the ropes as this is firmly in bad comedy territory.

A sunset flip lets Rico pull the trunks down, meaning more humor. Charlie forearms him in the face and chokes away as the announcers find this hilarious. Rico slips out of a suplex and kisses Haas, who bails to the floor. That’s enough to send Haas bailing to the floor for some water, but Rico pulls up his thong to scare Haas off for the countout.

Rating: F. Hey, did you know that wrestlers who may be gay are “sick” and apparently disgusting? They also seem to be completely incapable of not molesting their opponents, which seems to be the case with every WWE wrestler using the same gimmick. This is always so dumb and I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse.

Post match Haas vomits. Fair enough.

JBL promises Show a pizza if he wins but Show says he’s doing this for himself.

A man in a white beard is surrounded by candles and reads a bunch of Bible verses. His name is Mordecai and he’s here to be the right hand of the destroyer. Oh dear indeed. Cool vignette though.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Big Show

Non-title with Show’s career on the line. Show wastes no time in hammering away and a headbutt puts Eddie down. Some tosses send Eddie from corner to corner and there’s a choke for good measure. Eddie gets smart by stomping on the foot but another headbutt keeps him in trouble. Show makes it even worse with the loud chops but a low bridge takes him to the floor.

Eddie dropkicks him down again and we take a break. Back with Show choking on the mat before starting in on the arm. He even gets smart by wrapping Eddie’s arm around the rope. That doesn’t suit Show very well so let’s try a bearhug instead, followed by a big boot. It’s right back to the arm, which really doesn’t seem right coming from Show. Eddie’s comeback is cut off by a clothesline and Show walks around the ring a bit. Now that suits him very well.

Eddie gets knocked outside and finds a wrench under the ring, which he loads into the back of Show’s boot. The referee catches Show pulling it out and the distraction lets Eddie hammer away. Is there a reason why he didn’t distract the referee and hit Show with the wrench? A middle rope tornado DDT puts Show down but the kickout sends Eddie into the referee. With no one looking, Eddie gets in a low blow and another DDT, setting up the frog splash for the pin.

Rating: D. Well this didn’t need to be fifteen minutes long to put it mildly. To be fair though, Show was in need of knee surgery (hence him leaving) so he probably wasn’t moving nearly as well as he would have otherwise. Eddie won just as he should have and he did what he could, but there’s a limit to what a hampered Show can pull off.

Post match Eddie leads the fans in an extended Goodbye Song, which seems to hurt Show’s feelings.

Clip of Van Dam winning his first match on Smackdown and Booker being miserable.

Show is leaving and runs into Torrie laughing with the makeup lady. That must be about him so Show gets in her face and leaves. Torrie is terrified and leaves because she doesn’t have a match tonight.

Teddy Long introduces Mark Jindrak, who has the perfect body and the looks of Adonis. Mark looks at himself in a mirror and Teddy calls him the Reflection of Perfection over and over.

Mark Jindrak vs. Spike Dudley

Jindrak throws him into the corner to start and starts talking trash, followed by a pretty impressive dropkick to knock Spike off the top. A delayed one arm vertical suplex keeps Spike down and the belly to back suplex into a side slam finishes him in a hurry. Total squash.

Video of Booker walking out on Van Dam tonight. Do they really need to stretch out a show this much?

Raw ReBound looks at just about everything on the show.

Torrie goes to leave but Show comes up (from the direction that Torrie was looking, though she’s still surprised) and yells at her for laughing. He kicks in the windows of her car as Torrie begs him to calm down. Show breaks more windows and then turns the car over. Torrie runs away screaming and Show very slowly walks after her. Somehow this took nearly five minutes.

In case we didn’t spend enough time on it already, here are two replays of the car being flipped.

Booker T. vs. Rob Van Dam

It’s the rare serious Van Dam this week. Rob stomps him down in the corner to start and gets two off a standing moonsault. They head outside with Booker in even more trouble, this time off some kicks to the ribs. The spinning kick to the back knocks Booker off the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Booker hot shotting him for what sounds like his first real offense. Booker hits a neckbreaker and Tazz thinks he’s going after the neck. Even Cole mocks him for making such an obvious observation and Booker drops a knee for two. We hit the chinlock for a few seconds before Van Dam is back up, only to be kicked right back down.

The Book End is blocked and Van Dam hits his step over spinning kick to the face. Rob’s springboard kick to the face gets two and the split legged moonsault gets the same. Booker rolls away from the Five Star though and Booker superkicks him into the ropes with Rob’s arms getting tied up. A bunch of right hands actually get Booker disqualified at the five count. You don’t see that every day.

Rating: C-. It was far from great or even very good but at this point I’ll take anything I can get. The feud isn’t quite as big of a deal as WWE seems to think it is, though there’s a story to it that doesn’t revolve around the idea of Rico kissing someone or a cowboy hat, which puts it ahead of a lot of the stuff on this show.

Post match Booker beats on him a little more and does a Spinarooni.

Show has somehow caught Torrie (who was running while he slowly walked) and has her above a conveniently placed ledge. He threatens to throw her off the ledge until Angle shows up. Angle says he’s the one who gets in trouble if something happens to Torrie and violence is threatened. Torrie is allowed to leave so Angle goes after Show, who chokeslams him off the ledge, setting up a loud THUD. We look down and Kurt is unconscious with blood flowing from the back of his head and his leg bent at a rather nasty angle. So that’s it for Show and Angle seems to be close to dead. I guess that’s at least half of a happy ending?

Overall Rating: D-. Another horrible show, this time with the completely stupid Rico match, Torrie running away like the girl in a slasher movie and Angle being nearly murdered. Eddie and Big Show had a horrible match and now we’re gearing up for JBL vs. Eddie in over a month. If Van Dam vs. Booker is as good of a secondary story as they have, it’s going to be a very, very long year.

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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: September 11, 2018
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Vic Joseph

We continue to build towards the Cruiserweight Title match between Champion Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy, though there’s also Drew Gulak running around, which could mean a few things. There’s a chance we’ll see another title match between now and the Australia show and that might be a little more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening card rundown.

Opening sequence.

There are still a lot of empty seats but it’s a far better situation than last week.

Buddy Murphy vs. Gran Metalik

They trade some very early and non-near falls to start and we have a standoff. Metalik knocks him to the floor but Murphy ducks the baseball slide and punches him in the face. That goes nowhere and Metalik hits a moonsault off the top to take Murphy down again. Back in and Murphy sends him face first into the post to set up the chinlock.

That doesn’t do much so Murphy puts him on the top, earning himself a sunset bomb for a big crash as Murphy is in trouble. A reverse Sling Blade (more of a bulldog than a clothesline) sets up a springboard back elbow for two but the Metalik Driver isn’t happening. Murphy crotches him on top and hits a double powerbomb for two of his own.

An exchange of kicks to the face sets up the Metalik Driver for two and they’re both in trouble. Metalik tweaks his knee on a backflip though and Murphy knees him in the head. Wouldn’t it make more sense to knee him in the knee? Either way it sets up Murphy’s Law for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C. I’m pretty much over watching any combination of Murphy/Tony Nese fighting with the Lucha House Party but who else is Murphy supposed to beat up before he gets his title shot in Melbourne? The match was perfectly watchable but they were stuck underneath a firm ceiling and that was obvious here.

Post match Murphy says that’s one step closer to the title at Super Show-Down.

Mustafa Ali has been medically cleared to return to the ring.

We look back at Ali’s medical issues, which have put him somewhat at odds with Drake Maverick.

Cedric Alexander comes in to see Ali. After pleasantries are exchanged, Alexander mentions that he’s teaming with Akira Tozawa tonight. Tozawa is rather intimidating.

Mustafa Ali vs. Michael Thompson

Before the match, here’s Hideo Itami to interrupt and speak some Japanese to Ali. Actually he missed Ali and hopes that he’s feeling better. Ali chops away to start and hits the rolling X Factor. Looking up at Itami doesn’t matter much as it’s the tornado DDT into the 054 for the pin at 1:45. Well Ali is back.

Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher come in to see Maverick before their main event tag match tonight. Other than a threat of having the AOP destroy them if they talk about the AOP again, there’s nothing to see here.

Noam Dar makes fun of how Lio Rush talks.

Rush tells Dar to keep his name out of his mouth.

Rush vs. Dar next week.

Cedric Alexander/Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak/Jack Gallagher

Gulak and Alexander start things off but the threat of an early Lumbar Check sends Gulak into the corner. Gallagher comes in and starts on Alexander’s wrist but Tozawa comes in to fire off some chops. We settle down to Tozawa getting something like an Octopus Hold on Gulak until Gallagher comes in for a double slam to take over.

An uppercut stops Tozawa’s comeback cold and Gallagher is smart enough to draw Cedric in, allowing more clubberin. A kick to the ribs allows the hot tag off to Alexander a few seconds later though, setting up the Neuralizer for two on Gallagher. Everything breaks down and Gulak gets kicked to the floor, leaving Gallagher to hit the running corner dropkick for two on Alexander.

Gulak is back in for a running clothesline/leg kick combination for the same near fall. Cedric avoids a double suplex though and Tozawa tags himself in to clean house with the kicks. The top rope backsplash misses though and Gallagher’s headbutt sets up the Gulock for the tap at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This was all it needed to be as Gulak gets to keep some of his momentum as we head towards his title shot…whenever that’s actually going to be. Tozawa is a fine choice to take the fall like this as it’s not like he has anything better to do at the moment and his intensity alone is going to be enough to keep him strong in the future.

Post match Maverick says Gulak gets his title shot next week.

Overall Rating: C. This show really does go by the strength of its Cruiserweight Title matches. Therefore, this week’s show wasn’t all that great, mainly due to there not being much of note. The end of the show announcement did help though and that’s going to make next week’s show a little more interesting. There’s a chance that they’ll have Gulak take the title via cheating as a transitional champion to Murphy, which could keep Cedric strong for later. Or they’ll just have Gulak lose again because the Australia show is more important than the week to week show. You never can tell around 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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: September 12, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

We’re still in the hunt for Aleister Black’s attacker and that can make for some interesting television. Other than that though, the big story seems to be Johnny Gargano finally cracking and not being able to keep going as Johnny Wrestling due to losing everything that matters to him, including the fans’ support. Let’s get to it.

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

Tommaso Ciampa arrived earlier and had nothing to say.

Opening sequence.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch vs. Cezar Bononi/Adrian Jaoude

This is Lorcan’s first match back after suffering a broken orbital bone in June. Burch and Bononi start things off with Danny headbutting him into the corner for an uppercut. It’s already off to Lorcan for a double suplex but Bononi uses some trunks to pull Burch into the wrong corner. Jaoude cranks on both arms before tossing Burch down and handing it back to Bononi. That’s not enough to keep Burch away from Lorcan though and it’s time to clean house, including some hard shots to the face. Burch comes back in as Lorcan lifts Jaoude up for a hanging DDT and the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C-. There is nothing wrong with a solid face tag team who hit people in the face really hard. Burch and Lorcan aren’t likely to ever get the Tag Team Titles but they’re a great middle of the road team who can give you a very good match under the right circumstances. Not bad at all here and Lorcan looked good in his return.

Here’s Ciampa, now with music and a cool heart monitor sound during his entrance. You can also hear some pops for him, which you had to know were coming. Ciampa says that music is his personal way of telling the fans to shut up. He’s seen everyone pointing their finger at him for attacking Black, but what is that based on? Ciampa doesn’t play make believe and bases his opinions on facts. If he wants to confront someone, he comes out here and does it to their face.

The thing is, Black would have lost even if he had made it to Brooklyn because Black loses, Gargano loses, Ciampa wins. The title tells Ciampa that it felt really good to be back in the main event of Takeover and Ciampa is the greatest success story in the history of NXT. He is YOUR NXT Champion and to be a winner, follow his lead. Oh that sounds like it’s going somewhere.

Shayna Baszler vs. Violet Payne

Baszler wastes no time in taking her down and hammering away as this isn’t likely to last long. A kick to the chest sets up the arm cranking and egads that’s painful to watch. The stomp on the bent elbow into the Kirifuda Clutch makes Payne tap at 1:27. That was a massacre.

Post match Baszler comes back to the ring and chokes her out two more times.

Heavy Machinery thinks Ciampa attacked Black when Ciampa walks up to yell at them. Dozovic calls Ciampa dumplin and challenges him to a fight but William Regal comes in to demand Ciampa come to his office.

The Undisputed Era isn’t worried about the War Raiders because Roderick Strong always beats his son at hide and seek. The viking helmets are so seventh century and Kyle O’Reilly can’t go out and get groceries because he’s too famous. Adam Cole wants to talk about next week’s champion vs. champion match because the winner gets to lose to win. No one is on their level and that is undisputed.

Lars Sullivan vs. Raul Mendoza

That silhouette of Sullivan is a great visual. As for Mendoza, it might be time for him to get a new accolade besides being in the Cruiserweight Classic. Mendoza’s kicks to the leg have no effect but a Disaster kick works a bit better. That’s about it for the good though as Sullivan picks him up and tosses him from one corner to the other without much effort. The neck crank goes on, which isn’t a move you see in a squash, meaning they seem to see something in Mendoza (as they should).

Mendoza jawbreakers his way to freedom and avoids a charge to send Sullivan into the post. Another enziguri sets up a springboard missile dropkick but Sullivan catches him with a pop up powerslam. Some crossface shots to the face set up the Freak Accident for the pin at 4:12.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash and that’s a good sign for Mendoza. He might not do anything spectacularly but he’s got something to him and I could see him becoming a nice fixture in the midcard. Sullivan is going to be a big deal around here for a while though as pushing a monster like that is about as much of a layup as you can get.

We look back at Ricochet taking out Pete Dunne by mistake in their tag match two weeks ago.

Dunne is worried about his champion vs. champion match next week because he’ll have to figure out how to put two titles on his mantle.

Ricochet likes that Dunne doesn’t think he can handle these high pressure situations. He’s been in high pressure situations far longer than he’s been in NXT and next week, Dunne is just another hurdle to leap over. Ricochet might not be the best talker but he has the charisma to make whatever he says work.

Video on the Forgotten Sons, playing up the whole forgotten aspect for the first time. Now that is something I could get behind.

Last week, Aaliyah and Dakota Kai were arguing when Lacey Evans and Deonna Purrazzo came up to join the respective sides. Tag match next week.

Kairi Sane is investigated for the Black attack and seems to be cleared. Kassius Ohno (in a Cesaro/Kidd shirt) replaces her but Regal doesn’t need to talk to him. Sane just gave him an alibi but Ohno still isn’t happy. Maybe he needs to sit in the crowd at Takeover to get noticed. When Regal’s shiny new toy gets here, Ohno will take care of him. Bro.

Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross

Cross sits in the corner but Belair shoves her down. That seems to make Cross happy, so she waves and shouts HI BIANCA. A monkey flip puts Belair down and it’s off to a sleeper, with Belair reversing into a backbreaker in short in order. Belair puts on a bearhug and a gorilla press makes things even worse.

Cross avoids a splash though and it’s a Thesz press into the right hands. That’s enough to send Belair outside so Cross ties her up in the ring skirt and unloads with forearms to the chest. The hair whip to the ribs puts Nikki down but she chokes Belair onto the ramp. Bianca drops her down for the big crash though and it’s a double countout (or no contest as the ring announcer says) at 5:17.

Rating: C-. This was more of a “come back next time” match and that’s fine. You can only have Belair run through everyone before she runs into a different kind of animal in Cross. Belair is almost guaranteed to win the rematch but at least they gave her a little bit of a sweat. It’s still clear that she’s one of the big prospects in the division though and that’s going to be the case for a long time.

Post match the fans want to see them fight so Cross chases her into the crowd. A high crossbody off the announcers’ table leaves Belair laying and Cross smiling to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. There’s nothing wrong with a show designed to st things up for later and that’s what we had here. You can see some things being set up for later and that can make for some good television going forward. NXT has a great track record with stuff like this and they’re more than capable of taking all these things in some good directions.

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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: September 12, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We have to be about done with Atlanta as we’re only two and a half weeks away from Death Before Dishonor, meaning Ring of Honor will only have one more week to waste time before starting its nothing push to the show. Tonight is a thirty minute Iron Man match for the World Title with Jay Lethal defending against Jonathan Gresham. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian

We’re joined in progress with the fight already going hard as Kazarian hits a nice hiptoss neckbreaker. The slingshot Fameasser sets up the slingshot hurricanrana to put Mark down on the floor. Mark is right back with a Blockbuster off the apron but he stops to throw a barricade. Back in and Mark hammers away in the corner, only to get caught in a Backstabber. Kazarian’s slingshot dropkick in the corner has Briscoe in trouble and we take a break. We come back with Jay Briscoe at ringside and distracting Kazarian for a shot to the back. The Froggy Bow misses and Kazarian grabs a quick crucifix for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: D+. Just not enough time here and there’s no way around something like that. The feud has some legs and the Addiction vs. the Briscoes is fine for a pay per view Tag Team Title match. The Briscoes need competition and they’re as good of an option as anyone else. It’s not like there are many other options.

Post match the beatdown is on until Scorpio Sky runs in. Punishment Martinez comes in as well though and So Cal Uncensored is beaten down.

Clips of some recent attacks, which feels quite a bit like filler.

Here are some clips of a brawl between Cheeseburger and the Dawgs after a match, with Ian saying they’re keeping this short to make sure the Iron Man match gets its full time. You mean they don’t have the whole show structured down to the minute? I can’t grasp this. Cheeseburger gets beaten down but spits at Will Ferrara, who palm strikes him down.

Video on Bully Ray and Silas Young’s issues. After Ray turned on him last week, Young yelled at him in the back.

ROH World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham

Lethal is defending and it’s a thirty minute Iron Man match. Feeling out process to start, as you might have expected. Gresham gets taken into the corner but shoves Lethal away as they still haven’t really gotten going yet. Lethal works on a wristlock but gets taken down by the leg, which Gresham rolls into a headlock exchange. That leads to a standoff as they’re certainly taking their time here, as they should.

Gresham gets taken into the corner again and we take a break. Back with things getting a bit more heated with Gresham throwing a punch and getting chopped into the corner. A belly to back suplex gives Jay two and another suplex gets two more. We hit the sleeper for a few moments before another chop exchange goes to Jay. The announcer says fifteen minutes gone by, though I’ve got it closer to eleven. Gresham gets more intense and kicks the arm out, followed by a tilt-a-whirl armbar into a faceplant.

Back from another break with Gresham dropping the arm onto the apron. They get back in and it’s an armtrap headlock as Gresham is certainly focused. Gresham wraps both arms around his leg and cranks back as we hit twenty minutes (not quite seventeen by my clock). Back up and they chop it out again with Lethal getting the better of it, eventually enziguring Gresham as we take another break.

We come back again with Gresham being knocked down but slipping out of the Figure Four. Instead it’s the Lethal Combination for a close two. At twenty five minutes down, Gresham gets two off a bridging German suplex. A cross armbreaker is countered into a countered Figure Four attempt and Gresham slaps on the Octopus Hold for a tap at 22:58, though the clock is still all over the place. Gresham is stunned and Lethal goes right at him with three minutes remaining on the official clock. The Figure Four goes on and Gresham is in big trouble. After over a minute and a half in the hold, Gresham taps out at 25:23 to tie things up.

We’re told there’s a minute left so Gresham tries a bunch of rollups for two each until time expires at 26:41. Hang on though as Gresham wants five more minutes of sudden death and Lethal says start the clock. They strike it out with Gresham’s enziguri rocking Lethal. La majistral gives Gresham two as we’re a minute into overtime.

Lethal is right back with a torture rack and the top rope elbow for two with three minutes left. It takes some time to get back up until a pinfall reversal sequence takes us to two minutes left. Lethal knocks him down again though and the Lethal Injection retains the title at 33:25 (counting the break between regulation and the start of sudden death).

Rating: B-. Bad timing issues aside, this wasn’t all that great of a match and didn’t need to be under Iron Man rules. They did a good job of setting the match up well over the last few weeks but at the end of the day, it didn’t feel epic and was nowhere near as great as they tried to make it out to be. Lethal never felt like he was in danger and the overtime was pretty obvious given how much time was left in the show. It’s good, but really nothing that hasn’t been done better before.

Overall Rating: C+. They tried for something different here and it worked about as well as it was going to. The main event was good and is somewhat worth seeing, but it’s nothing that you can’t see done better elsewhere. Again though: the next pay per view is in less than three weeks and you would barely know it from this show. Why is that so hard to figure out around 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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

Two more will have started by the time you get done reading this.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-tournament-palooza/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 12, 2004
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for Backlash and we’ve actually got a big time main event this week. Last time, we had a huge closing angle to set up an eight man tag main event with Evolution facing off with Mick Foley/Shelton Benjamin/Shawn Michaels/Chris Benoit. The question now is can they live up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the eight man tag being set up, starting with HHH being counted out against Shelton.

A bandaged Shelton yells at Eric Bischoff (with Johnny Nitro in the background, somehow still with Barbie) for letting everything happen last week. Threats are made but Shelton’s partners come in to get him out before it gets bad. Foley takes Barbie back and violence is promised later.

Here’s Foley for the opening chat. Foley tells us to be very very quiet because he’s hunting Randys. Barbie is back where she belongs but tonight, he has to hand her over to someone, just not a nimrod like Johnny Nitro. Tonight he’s going to have to follow a few rules that won’t let him do what he wants to Orton. This is going to be his first match on Raw in four years and with his incredible partners behind him, he’s going to do some Mick Foley romping and stomping.

The problem is that on Sunday, he’s worried about getting obsessive when it comes to hurting Orton. That might not be the person that he wants to be. That’s a problem as Orton may be a jerk but he’s one of the best wrestlers in the world. Foley doesn’t want to extinguish one of wrestling’s brightest lights at Backlash…but he knows someone who would love to. That would be Cactus Jack, who Foley explains just in case you’ve forgotten. In short, Foley has a conscience but Jack just doesn’t care. Orton comes in and gets chased off just as fast.

This is one of the reasons Foley is my favorite wrestler of all time. Instead of playing multiple characters and rarely acknowledging the previous versions. Foley however is the real person who can turn into whatever he needed at the time. It’s such a different way of doing different characters and rather fascinating.

Kane vs. Grandmaster Sexay

Well there’s a surprise return. This would be Sexay’s first match on Raw since May 2001. Kane looks disgusted by his mere presence and shrugs off the early right hands. A missed elbow lets Sexay get two and an enziguri staggers Kane again. The big boot (which didn’t connect) puts Sexay down and it’s the side slam into the chokeslam for the pin. Not as much of a squash as you would have expected.

Trish Stratus is annoyed at having to face Chris Jericho on Sunday. Eugene comes up and recognizes the makeup lady but calls Trish s***. William Regal comes in for the save and Christian calms her down. He’ll do the work on Sunday and Trish can get the pin.

Tajiri vs. Five Star Ninja

Coach is here with the masked Ninja. Given the average size, generic movements and full body costume…it’s obviously Al Snow because Coach doesn’t have any other friends. Before the match, Coach says Tajiri wants to face him at Backlash, but that only happens if Tajiri can beat the Ninja. JR: “What’s the difference between a five star ninja and a two star ninja?” King: “Three stars.”

Feeling out process to start with Tajiri getting the better of a wristlock battle. The Ninja strikes away but gets kicked in the arms, followed by the handspring elbow. Tajiri goes for the mask but gets kicked in the back of the head. King: “Don’t tug on Superman’s cape and don’t ever try to unmask a ninja.” The referee gets poked in the eye and doesn’t see Coach break up the Tarantula with a cheap shot. That’s only good for two as JR makes fun of Coach’s screaming. Tajiri kicks him twice in a row for the fast pin.

Rating: D. I’m fine with them setting up something like this as it’s an actual story with a reason for the two to be fighting and a way to get to the match. That’s more than you get with a lot of the things around here so somehow, this is better than a lot of the current stories. Not bad, especially considering how low level this is.

Of course it’s Snow.

Ric Flair yells at Bischoff about Shelton and gets a match with him at Backlash. He opens the door and is immediately punched out by Shelton, who seems to become the only wrestler in history to actually watch the show live on a monitor. A beatdown ensues and Flair is left laying.

HHH talks about how the main event of Wrestlemania was great but now they all have something to prove. Benoit needs to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. Shawn needs to prove that he’s still the Showstopper. HHH will prove that he’s still the best in the world.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel with JR mentioning that this is the arena where Jericho debuted. Jericho can’t wait for Backlash because he’ll finally be getting the match he’s wanted since Wrestlemania. What a long wait it must have been. He rips on Trish some more, saying it’s Y2J vs. CLB vs. FDDBBTH and once he gets the W, their careers will DOA and they’ll be MIA, just like DDP, forced to sell DVDs of the OC from HBO on AOL and QVC at the DMV and all the while, Trish will wish she had a little Vitamin C baby.

Jericho knows Trish likes it rough, so he starts barking. That brings up the clip of Trish barking for Vince three years ago, complete with some added sound effects. You can imagine the name that Jericho calls her as a result and brings up last week’s loss in the battle royal. That brings him to Lita, his guest for the week. Lita comes out but Trish jumps her, drawing out Bischoff to make a match.

Lita vs. Trish Stratus

Joined in progress with Trish hammering away and Jericho still at ringside. That means Christian comes out to even things up as Trish gets two off a bicycle kick. The chinlock keeps Lita down for a long time until Lita fights up with a knee in the corner. Stratusfaction is countered into a belly to back suplex and some HORRIBLE right hands keep Trish in trouble. A Russian legsweep gets two and Trish misses a charge to send her outside. Lita suicide dives onto her but Christian whips her into the barricade for the DQ.

Rating: D. Just a mess of a match and Lita’s comeback wasn’t exactly strong. I know these two are considered the greatest women ever until the Women’s Revolution but they really leave a lot to be desired more often than not. To be fair though, compared to some of the other women of their era, they were leaps and bounds ahead and I get why they’re beloved.

Post match Jericho beats the heck out of Christian but takes too long going for the Walls on Trish, allowing Christian to beat him down. Trish slaps Jericho in the face, allowing Christian to hit back to back Unprettiers. The Chick Kick wraps it up.

La Resistance wants to show the United States the error of their ways and they’ve moved to Quebec to be closer to their mission. As Conway goes on a rant against America, Eugene comes in behind them and plays with the Quebec flag. Regal makes the save.

Here’s Johnny Nitro for a chat. Nitro isn’t happy with what Edge did last week and would like Edge out here right now. Cue Edge, with his hand still in a cast. Nitro gets to the point: if Edge uses the cast against Kane, he’s suspended. Edge doesn’t care and spears Nitro down.

Sylvan Grenier vs. Hurricane

Feeling out process to start with Hurricane scaring him down off the superhero pose. A cheap shot in the corner doesn’t work for Grenier but he drops Hurricane ribs first across the top rope. Grenier knees him in the ribs a few times and sends Hurricane into the corner to stay on the ribs. We hit the abdominal stretch as Lawler thinks JR should steal Hurricane’s mask and be the Lone Ranger. A gutbuster gets two….and here’s Eugene with a stuffed bunny for Conway. That’s a no so he tries Grenier instead, with the bunny being ripped in half. The distraction sets up the Eye of the Hurricane to end Grenier.

Rating: D-. While Trish vs. Lita wasn’t very good, this was just really dull and there’s no other way to put it. La Resistance as the evil French (Canadian) guys isn’t interesting and putting them with Eugene isn’t going to make that any better. It’s a case of characters not working and WWE chugging away with them anyway because they don’t know when to give up, which is never a good idea.

Shawn Michaels has been asked how he’s going to top the Wrestlemania triple threat. It’s easy: He’s Shawn Michaels and that’s what he does. Three men are going to try to top what they did, but only one is walking out World Heavyweight Champion. “Why? Because I’m Shawn Michaels.” is the most Shawn answer ever and also rather accurate.

Smackdown Rebound, looking at JBL becoming #1 contender because there’s nothing else going on around there.

Video on Mick Foley’s history of violence, including clips of the Japanese death matches. This is just a way to catch the newer fans up and that’s fine.

Orton is very scared as he realizes what he’s gotten himself into.

Backlash rundown.

Chris Benoit talks about Wrestlemania being the biggest night of his life. It wasn’t about luck because it was all the hard work paying off. He’s going to do it again at Backlash and luck will have nothing to do with it. These short promos have all been very good.

Evolution vs. Shawn Michaels/Chris Benoit/Shelton Benjamin/Mick Foley

Shawn and Flair get things started in a good idea, though there aren’t many bad combinations to be found here. Flair gets sent into the corner and Shawn gives us a strut and WOO. A slap to the face sets up the Flair Flop, which still gets a reaction because it’s a funny spot. Some chops set up the backdrop and it’s off to Foley for the running knee lift. A right hand knocks Flair into the falling tag to HHH….which doesn’t count for whatever reason. The announcers sound confused as well and I can’t blame them.

Anyway, Benoit comes in to fire off some chops to Flair, who crawls over to tag HHH. This one counts, despite the referee’s back being to them this time. I know he’s been around forever but come on Chioda. Benoit throws HHH from corner to corner, including a trip to the good corner for some shots to the head. The jumping knee gets HHH out of trouble but it’s way too early for the Pedigree. It’s not too early for the Sharpshooter though and everything breaks down (BIG pop for that). Evolution is cleared out and Shawn dives onto everyone but Orton.

Back from a break with Benoit in trouble and HHH coming in sans tag (it doesn’t really matter) to choke away. Some chops to Flair allow the first hot tag to Foley for a right hand to knock Orton off the apron. The running knee in the corner rocks Flair and Shelton springboards in with a clothesline. A low bridge sends Benjamin to the floor though and HHH whips him into the corner for bad measure.

Back in and Shelton fights out of the corner until a spinebuster plants him all over again. The abdominal stretch goes on (with Orton pulling from the apron) for a bit until Foley comes in for a save. That’s not enough for the save though as Flair hammers away to keep Benjamin in trouble. We haven’t seen much from Batista so he gets to stomp on Benjamin’s ribs until a Dragon Whip finally allows the hot tag to Michaels. Shawn cleans house and hits the flying forearm on Orton, only to nip up into Batista’s big clothesline.

Everything breaks down and Shawn drops the top rope elbow on Orton. Sweet Chin Music hits Flair but Shawn walks into an RKO. It takes a long time to cover though, allowing Benoit to make the save with a Swan Dive. Foley backdrops HHH to the floor to break up a Pedigree and grabs the Mandible Claw on Orton. Batista makes the save but Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music on Orton for the pin.

Rating: B+. Who knew that putting eight highly talented wrestlers, including some of the best ever, in a long match with some very good young guys and letting them all do something would result in an awesome match? The crowd ate this up and the fact that they had so many Backlash matches in one showcase was all the better. This was a blast and flew by with a great ending to make it even better. Check this out if you get the chance.

Benoit and Shawn stare each other down as HHH pulls himself up between them to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, this did what matters most for a go home show by making me want to see the pay per view. They built things up, even if the stories aren’t that great in the first place (Coach vs. Tajiri). The big matches look awesome though and the show has the potential to be outstanding, with this being the last big push that it might have needed. The main event is the only thing worth seeing, but the show did its job.

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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: September 11, 2018
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re five days away from Hell In A Cell and for the most part the card is already set. That means a lot of setting up the parts of the card that are already established, which can make for some entertaining television. We also get to find out who will be facing the New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with an eleven bell tribute to the victims of 9/11. Nothing wrong with that.

Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title. Before the match, Hardy talks about being ready to face his demons head on, which is what he’ll be doing on Sunday inside the Cell. Hardy has no fear and on Sunday he’ll unleash his anger to make Randy Orton fade away and classify himself as obsolete. Nakamura bails to the floor at the bell and bites his finger before Hardy knocks him into the barricade. A running dropkick sends Nakamura into the barricade again and we take a break.

Back with Hardy fighting out of a waistlock but getting caught in a cravate. The hard knees put Hardy down and a spinning kick to the head makes things even worse. Hardy scores with a quick Sling Blade but the sitout gordbuster is countered with a knee to the head. The Whisper in the Wind drops Nakamura again but the Swanton is countered with a good crotching.

A running knee to the ribs sends Hardy to the floor and it’s off to another break. Back again with Jeff dropping the legdrop between the legs but getting kicked in the head. Kinshasa misses and Hardy hits the Twisting Stunner. That means the Swanton but here’s Orton for the DQ at 15:24.

Rating: C-. Total mentions of Nakamura’s United States of Nakamura deal from a few weeks ago: zero, which shouldn’t surprise anyone at all. Since we NEED Hardy vs. Orton in the Cell, there’s no room for the US Champion/Royal Rumble winner/Wrestlemania World Title challenger on this show most weeks. The match itself was fine but nothing that we haven’t seen before, especially with the predictable ending.

Post match Orton grabs a chair but Hardy takes it away and lays him out. The Twist of Fate sets up a Swanton to leave Orton laying.

Miz insists that Maryse is introduced first because she’s going to be stealing the spotlight tonight. Daniel Bryan took three years to come back from his injury while Maryse is back five months after having a baby. Miz calls Bryan and Brie Bella’s marriage one of convenience because they can’t do any better. Now that Bryan has to protect the environment, Brie has to wrestle to pay the bills. Nice shot there, though Brie in the ring makes me cringe.

Earlier today, AJ Styles was in the empty arena to talk about how Samoa Joe knows how to get under his skin. He knows AJ has a temper but after being friends for twenty years, AJ knows how to get under Joe’s skin too. Joe’s strength is intimidation but AJ knows he’s a piece of garbage. When the bell rings, the intimidation ends because this is the house that AJ Styles built and it isn’t for sale.

We look back at last week’s argument between Becky Lynch and Charlotte with Becky being edgy because they don’t want to just go with what the fans want.

Charlotte requested to face Sonya Deville tonight because she wants competition. On Sunday, she’s betting on herself.

Raw Rebound.

Charlotte vs. Sonya Deville

Non-title and Mandy Rose is in Sonya’s corner. Charlotte is fine with taking it to the mat to start and grabs a headlock. She can’t pull off the bridge into the backslide though and Sonya kicks away in the corner. Charlotte is right back with a knee to the neck and a kick to the chest as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte fighting out of an abdominal stretch and hitting a belly to back suplex. A backbreaker keeps Sonya in trouble but the moonsault hits knees. Sonya gets two off a spinebuster but Charlotte is right back with a slingshot sitout powerbomb (that could be a finisher for someone), followed by the Figure Eight for the tap at 9:48.

Rating: C-. That’s the kind of match that a big star can benefit from: being made to sweat by someone who is a step beneath her. Sonya gets to look good with some of her big offense while Charlotte has to actually work a bit before getting the not exactly in doubt win. It’s a good idea and something that could benefit others on the roster.

Post match Charlotte takes a picture with a fan but Becky Lynch is disguised in the crowd and jumps the champ. Always works.

Samoa Joe reads a bedtime story (complete with book) about AJ Styles, who built a house but then forgot his friends who helped get him there. One of his friends promised to make things better by beating Styles up, which leads them to Sunday where AJ will get to go back to his family. After he wakes up of course. The last shot of the book is Joe as champion with Styles’ family for a rather evil visual.

The rhyming here was a good idea as they’ve done some solid work with the promos leading up to the match. It’s amazing how much you get out of switching up a few things like this. The best part is they can back it up in the ring, which is the part that lacks in so many of these well built feuds.

Becky has nothing to say.

Earlier today, Kofi Kingston, in his interviewer attire, followed the Bar but didn’t actually talk to them.

The Bar vs. Rusev Day

The winners get to face New Day on Sunday so New Day is on commentary. Joined in progress with Sheamus clotheslining Rusev for two before handing it off to Cesaro for the chinlock. That sets up the required comeback and it’s off to English for a clothesline to the floor and a dive onto Rusev. A DDT gets two on Sheamus but a Cesaro distraction lets Sheamus knee English in the head. The double teaming begins and it’s Cesaro chinlocking English as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus going shoulder first into the post so Rusev can come in and clean house. The Accolade has Cesaro in trouble so Sheamus makes a save. A double DDT gets two on Rusev and Sheamus powerslams him for the same. Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick but English takes it for Rusev, setting up the jumping superkick to finish Sheamus at 13:24.

Rating: C. I’m glad they went with the bit of a surprise finish here as you could have penciled in the Bar to win here from the beginning. Every now and then you have to switch in a little change of pace and Rusev Day is a better, more interesting option than the Bar anyway. Not a great match, but it was fine for what it was.

Rusev Day yells at New Day.

Video on Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss. Thank goodness they’re doing these on their own and not as inset videos during other matches.

R-Truth vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Carmella is here with Truth and it turns out she’s rather suited to be the good looking dancer who shouts a lot. They slug it out to start with Almas getting the better of it but having his suplex reversed into a gordbuster. Truth can’t hit the ax kick so Almas poses in the ropes. Carmella goes after Zelina Vega and the distraction lets Almas roll him up for the pin at 2:42. Just a quick match and Almas gets a win. If nothing else, Truth and Carmella are great together.

Naomi and Asuka don’t like the IIconics. Asuka seems to like the idea of the Glow.

Brie Bella vs. Maryse

Brie now has the Seattle Seahawks colors too. Maryse bails to the floor at the bell and Miz gives her a good luck kiss. Back in and Maryse hides in the ropes before heading outside again. Brie grabs the mic and calls Maryse a coward. Feel the burn I guess. Miz doesn’t like this and talks about how Maryse gave birth just five months ago. This city doesn’t deserve this match so Miz and Maryse are out. Brie chases Maryse down and sends her into the apron but Bryan going after Miz lets Maryse get in a kick to the head for two. The YES Lock has Maryse in trouble but Miz pulls Brie out for the DQ at 4:40.

Rating: N/A. I don’t use that very often but this wasn’t a match. They “wrestled” for about twenty seconds near the end of their angle and that’s about it. I know WWE might be a little worried about the two of them wrestling, but if that’s the case they shouldn’t be in the main event of this show. Now we’re going to have to hear even more about how much of a legend Brie is, but at last Nikki’s match last night was a match as opposed to this angle that they tried to call a match.

Post match the brawl is on with Bryan running Brie over by mistake. Maryse sends Brie into the apron a few times but Brie comes back with her terrible punches. Bryan gets back in and takes Miz down with Brie punching him into a clothesline to the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. While not great, this week’s show had one major thing that Raw was lacking: a clear goal. Other than the occasional one off line, there was no mention of Evolution or Super Show-Down because they were focused on building up Sunday’s show. I don’t need to hear about a bunch of stuff taking place next month when there’s a pay per view in five days. The promos were rather good as well and I’m wanting to see some of the matches on Sunday. That’s what a go home should do and they did it here, without spending all that time on stuff that we can get to later on.

Results

Jeff Hardy b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Randy Orton interfered

Charlotte b. Sonya Deville – Figure Eight

Rusev Day b. The Bar – Jumping superkick to Sheamus

Andrade Cien Almas b. R-Truth – Rollup

Brie Bella b. Maryse via DQ when The Miz interfered

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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 10, 2018
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Renee Young, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Hell in a Cell, though I’m not sure how much attention that is going to get since we’re about a month away from Super Show-Down and a month and a half away from Evolution. WWE doesn’t seem to mind about going that far into the future so Sunday might not get the most attention. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman to open things up with the roster (the lower portions of it that is) around the ring. Dolph says we told you so because they beat the Shield down. We get a recap of Strowman vs. Reigns, which has morphed into the trio vs. the Shield. This led up to last week’s huge beatdown, with most of the roster getting together to wreck the Shield, with Seth Rollins nearly being thrown through a police van window.

Back in the arena, Strowman calls Ziggler and McIntyre his Dogs of War, which really doesn’t fir a guy wearing pink tights. Cue the Shield to beat down the guys at ringside with Dean Ambrose busting out some ax handles to make things easier. Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre bail and Shield stands tall to wrap a pretty hot opening. Above all else: it was eleven minutes, not twenty.

Earlier today, the Riott Squad wrecked the Bellas’ locker room. That’s like desecrating a national monument.

The Shield is trying to keep up the fight but cops cut them off. Baron Corbin tells Shield to get out or forfeit their titles. Rollins, seemingly with a plan, says no problem and they leave.

Nikki Bella vs. Ruby Riott

Ruby headlocks her down to start as the announcers IMMEDIATELY start talking about how the Bellas are such legends and how the locker room reveres them. Maybe if the Total Bellas cameras are around. An STO gives Riott two but Nikki hits that lame spear. Ruby kicks the rope to send Nikki outside though and we take a break.

Back with Nikki hitting a spinebuster and some clotheslines, followed by the Disaster Kick (one of the few things that looks good) for two. Sarah Logan offers a distraction though and it’s a Downward Spiral to give Riott two of her own. Back up and the Rack Attack 2.0, with Brie intercepting Logan, is good for the pin on Riott at 9:13.

Rating: D+. Perfectly watchable match, which is about par for Nikki. That’s all well and good(ish), but you would think the twins were Moolah and Trish in their primes based on the commentary. It’s kind of hard to take that seriously when you see what the other women, if nothing else some of the bigger names in the Mae Young Classic, are doing.

Big Show is on the stage with some pediatric cancer survivors. Cool indeed.

More kids got wrestling personas. Stephanie handles their introductions because of course. Gripes about narration aside, there is nothing wrong with this whatsoever and it’s always going to bring at least a smile.

Show talks about how greater these kids are than wrestlers trying to win a match. Each one gets their own introduction.

We look back at last week’s Shawn vs. Undertaker segment. I really hope this doesn’t set up Shawn getting back in the ring.

Drake Maverick gives AOP (yes that seems to be their official name, likely because Vince had a random idea one night) a pep talk. I’m sure they’ll need it.

AOP vs. Ronnie Ace/Nathan Bradley

Ace tries his luck on Rezar, earning himself an early fall away slam. A powerslam puts Bradley onto Ace and it’s the Super Collider for the pin at 1:18.

Video on Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton in the Cell.

HHH arrives in a limo.

Here’s HHH for a chat. HHH talks about how the era was back and the upcoming Undertaker match was on. Undertaker dominated a poll among the fans and that didn’t bother him. It did however bother Undertaker last week when Shawn Michaels picked HHH. He watched it back and Undertaker hadn’t lost respect for HHH or Shawn, but for himself. Undertaker has lost a lot since those matches and now he’s just a reputation. Now it’s personal though and HHH is going to put him down. More great stuff here as they’re doing everything they can (and succeeding) to turn this into an epic showdown.

We recap Shield’s issues tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre vs. B Team

The B Team is challenging. Ziggler and Dallas start things off with Bo hitting an early neckbreaker for two. Axel comes in and slugs away as we take a break. Back with McIntyre working on an armbar before stomping on Axel’s hand. A superkick into a reverse Alabama Slam gives McIntyre two but Axel catapults Ziggler into the corner. Everything breaks down and Ziggler rakes Dallas’ eyes, setting up the Zig Zag/Claymore combination to retain at 8:48.

Rating: D. The B Team are still comedy guys and there’s still no reason to believe that Ziggler and McIntyre shouldn’t slaughter them. They were fine for what they were as short form comedy goofs but they were designed to lose huge to a better team. There’s nothing wrong with that, but this match should have been what the title change was: near if not complete and utter dominance.

Post match Ambrose and Rollins run in to beat down Ziggler and McIntyre, who bail before McIntyre can get Stomped.

Video on the Undertaker vs. Mankind Cell match, with Foley being here tonight to commemorate the 20^th anniversary. I mean, it was two and a half months ago but points for the thought? Maybe?

Corbin yells at Ambrose and Rollins for coming back in but they insist that they’re individuals and not the Shield. They threaten to have Corbin arrested for filing a false police report last week with the local sheriff coming in to read him his rights. Corbin wants to talk in private and Dean says they won’t press charges. WWE really needs to have David Otunga explain how law works.

Kevin Owens vs. Tyler Breeze

Cole: “We thought Kevin Owens had quit.” Well he did quit, but what we’re curious about is why he’s back. No match as Owens wrecks Breeze before the bell and gives him the apron bomb.

Post destruction, Owens says Corbin immediately called him after he quit and begged Owens to come back. Owens agreed, under the condition that he suffers no consequences for his actions. Therefore Owens is back and blames Bobby Lashley injuring Sami Zayn for the whole thing. This is still his show and you can expect agony, anarchy and destruction. You can almost picture Lashley’s hand being raised from here.

Video on AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, which is miles ahead of anything on Raw at the moment.

Bobby Roode/Chad Gable vs. Ascension

Rematch from last week where the new team won. Gable tags himself in to suplex Viktor a few times but Konnor kicks him in the face. The chinlock goes on early and it’s Konnor’s running splash setting up a Viktor jumping knee for two. Gable backdrops his way to freedom and hands it off to Roode to clean house. Roode loads up the GLORIOUS pose but Gable tags himself in again and hits Rolling Chaos Theory for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: D. They’re not exactly hiding what they’re going for here and that’s not the worst idea in the world. There’s a story there of having Gable turn heel because his partner isn’t doing enough, but WWE isn’t likely to think that way with a story like this. What we’re getting is long overdue though and finally getting it done is the right call. I mean, it should have happened months ago but at least it’s happening.

WWE has been nominated for People’s Choice Awards. Good for them.

Ziggler is annoyed at the Shield being back when Corbin comes in to announce McIntyre and Ziggler defending the titles against Rollins and Ambrose. It’s what Stephanie would want you see. Strowman is off to hunt the Big Dog.

Ronda Rousey/Natayla vs. Alexa Bliss/Mickie James

Alicia Fox is in Bliss and James’ corner. Natalya and Bliss start things off with Bliss being taken down off a headlock. The basement dropkick gives Natalya two and it’s off to Rousey for a nice reaction. Of course Mickie comes in as well, meaning Rousey gets to toss her down and bring Natalya back in.

The threat of a Sharpshooter sends Mickie bailing to the ropes and Alicia gets in a cheap shot from the floor. Bliss comes back in for an armbar attempt, drawing Rousey in for a glare. Everything breaks down and a Hart Attack (with Natalya playing her father of course) takes us to a break.

Back with Bliss throwing Mickie into the corner but stopping to mock Rousey’s punches, allowing Mickie to make the hot tag. Rousey is a bit too aggressive though and Mickie gets in a cheap shot to give the villains control. Bliss stomps away in the corner and James kicks her in the ribs to put Rousey in some very rare trouble. Rousey start throwing punches though, including rolling into a right hand to Bliss. James gets tossed around and the armbar is good for the tap at 13:53.

Rating: C. Perfect formula based tag match here and that’s a good idea for Rousey. They were playing up the rib injury here and that’s the kind of thing that can give Sunday’s match a little flavor. You can only have her steamroll people for so long and while the idea of Bliss hanging with her is a stretch at least, someone has to do it.

Post match Bliss kicks Rousey in the ribs to bang them up a little more.

Video on the Smackdown Women’s Title match. I can dig this cross promotion.

We run down Sunday’s card.

Elias spits water at someone when Strowman comes through the hallway, screaming for Roman.

Rousey is ready to fight again and doesn’t worry about her ribs.

Here’s Elias to talk about how he’s perfected rock and roll. The fans certainly seem to approve and he wants to know who wants to walk with him. Of course he makes fun of the Saints, swearing the Drew Brees told him that the season was already over. Cue Mick Foley, with a bad looking perm, to interrupt.

Foley says he’s a big fan and while Elias isn’t Nita Strauss, Elias doesn’t have a sincere bone in his body. Elias talks about being in the arena to watch Foley vs. Undertaker inside the Cell. That was a special moment but now Foley is a sad man who has been singing the same sad song for twenty years.

Foley actually isn’t here to discuss the past but rather the future. Apparently Foley lives pretty close to Stephanie McMahon and went to her with an offer. He wants to be part of Sunday’s show, which has made him flash back to 1998. That night, Foley got off the stretcher and got back on the cage. That’s why this Sunday, he’s going to be the guest referee for Reigns vs. Strowman. Elias doesn’t like the idea and tells Foley to leave while he can. That’s not cool with Foley, who is allowed to make one match tonight to take some pressure off of Corbin. The match is after a break.

Strowman wrecks more stuff.

Elias vs. Finn Balor

Elias starts fast with a clothesline and we hit the early neck crank. That lasts even less time than usual as Balor is back up with a basement dropkick. Elias whips him hard into the corner though and grabs a nerve hold. Balor pops back up again and hits a Sling Blade, only to charge into a jumping knee. Back from a break with Balor sending him to the floor but Elias charges back in with a hard clothesline. An electric chair Batista Bomb gets two but Balor grabs a small package for the pin at 10:18. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here, again, as neither really has anything going on at the moment. That being said, I’ll take this over another Balor vs. Corbin match anytime as at least this one had some potential to be entertaining, just from Elias having a microphone. At least they both made it onto the show, and that’s about all the positives there are here. Just a match really.

Earlier today, Bobby Lashley was working out when Lio Rush was talking him up. Lashley got a bit annoyed but told Rush to motivate him. I’ll take the cruiserweights doing these little roles. It’s far better than signing new talents when you already have them there in the first place.

Strowman knows Reigns is here and is going to call him out from the ring.

Undertaker is here next week.

Here’s Strowman to call out Reigns. No one shows up and Strowman says Reigns won’t be able to run on Sunday. Strowman will get his hands on Reigns and then hurt Foley far worse than Undertaker ever did. Reigns pops up on the announcers’ table so Strowman goes after him, earning himself a Samoan drop off said table through part of the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This show has gotten lost and is having a really hard time getting out. Again, at least part of that is due to trying to hype up multiple shows at once. The big story is still Undertaker vs. HHH with Reigns vs. Strowman a close second. The problem is they’re not making me believe that this Sunday’s show means much. It’s pretty clear that we’re heading to a big six man tag between the top trios and while that’s good, it’s not exactly making me want to see the next matches.

Strowman and Reigns have a very long history together but you don’t hear anything about that. Instead it’s all based on the cash-in from a few weeks ago, which isn’t worthy of a Cell match. Then there’s Foley being added, which comes off like a way to get people to care about the match when the match itself isn’t doing so. Other than that it’s the Tag Team Title match, which is the logical way to go but doesn’t feel like it’s all that important. The rest of the card…bleh. Look at this week’s show. Of the six matches featured, four of them involved all people who aren’t on Sunday’s card. How is that the best go home show they have?

Results

Nikki Bella b. Ruby Riott – Rack Attack 2.0

AOP b. Ronnie Ace/Nathan Bradley – Super Collider

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre b. B Team – Zig Zag/Claymore combination to Dallas

Chad Gable/Bobby Roode b. Ascension – Rolling Chaos Theory to Viktor

Ronda Rousey/Natalya b. Alexa Bliss/Mickie James – Armbar to James

Finn Balor b. Elias – Small package

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/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

It’s time to go see the in-laws again so I’ll be down for a bit.  The time situation won’t let me do any live shows while I’m gone but I’ll be doing them ASAP as I’ll have some down time over there.  I already have all the columns and 2004 shows written in advance so they’ll be up as usual.  I’ll try to throw out some old school stuff to fill in some of the gaps.

KB