IMG Credit: Highspots

Lucha Aboveground
Date: May 5, 2019
Location: Hebron Hall, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Marty DeRosa

This is one of the shows I picked up in the big Highspots sale earlier this year and this time around it’s a video download, meaning I have even less to go on. We’re looking at $5 Wrestling this time around and I’m not exactly thinking this is going to be the most serious stuff in the world. Let’s get to it.

As usual, this isn’t a promotion I know anything about so I’m sorry in advance if I miss any plot points (if there are any).

Colt and Marty speak some Spanish to open the show with Colt not being pleased with the quality of his seven grade Spanish class education. We get a preview of the show, with various wrestlers being named with El in front of their names. Even the referee will be under a mask!

They are even going to have a five (or six) way match with the loser getting unmasked. Colt: “And more money for losing his mask.” Colt has also been giving Rush commentary lessons in exchange for teaching him Spanish. The two of them bicker a bit about throwing it to an interview and no, they don’t think that will be edited out. This isn’t going to be the most serious thing in the world is it?

Interviewer Jake Manning is with Mr. Thunderbolt, who has been having a social media feud with Jeff Hart that only Manning knew about. Thunderbolt talks about how there was a guy who thought he was too good for $5 Wrestling a few years ago, so he can come see Thunderbolt today. Then he speaks some Spanish and Manning says the guy who runs Lucha Underground is ticked. As for Hart, who says he is from Canada, Thunderbolt has a George South shirt, which is pink and black. That’s as close as Hart is ever going to get to being Canadian.

Apparently Hart has said he b**** slapped a woman, and since Thunderbolt (a man) is Ladies Champion, that isn’t cool. Then Hart kept running his mouth and Thunderbolt knows that he is a crack mouth (Jake: “And a meth mouth.”). This is wrestling, and Hart needs to either get ready to get hurt or get out of the business. Last time Hart challenged Jake Manning so tonight, Thunderbolt will fight for him.

Manning interviews Jeff Hart, who threatens to break Manning’s hand. Hart won’t look at the camera and calls Thunderbolt a b****, just like every American woman. See, Thunderbolt can’t understand English and Hart will destroy the storm. He can beat up a tornado and he’ll do it again. Manning mentions Matt Hardy’s old “I can slam a tornado” theme so Hart threatens to slap him again.

Hart is a legend and wants to face the Great Muta and Abdullah the Butcher. Manning looks astounded as Hart threatens to stab Abdullah in the fork (yes in the fork). Hart: “Iron Sheik, go f*** your mother!” Manning, seemingly trying not to burst out laughing: “Anything else you have to say?” Hart: “Jake Manning, go f*** yourself.” You can hear the production team laughing out loud as Hart walks off. Hart had an accent and seemed to have some kind of a speech issue and the interview kind of implied he had some mental trouble as well, so this was more than a little awkward at times. Funny, but awkward.

Mr. Thunderbolt vs. Jeff Hart

Colt and Marty are on commentary and we can see them watching from behind ala Mystery Science Theater 3000. We even have a masked lucha referee. Thunderbolt jumps him before the bell to start fast and Thunderbolt, who looks to be near middle age, hiptosses him down a few times and hits a delayed slam. Back up and Hart bails to the floor, leaving Thunderbolt to drop to the mat with no one there to jump over him. Hart stalls on the floor and yells at a woman dubbed Local Babe.

Back in and the headlock doesn’t last long for Thunderbolt so he runs him over with a should. We get some miscommunication so Thunderbolt grabs a headlock (Colt: “Just grab a head kid!”) to take him over. That’s reversed into a headscissors as commentary mocks Hart’s lack of mobility. Thunderbolt manages to handstand his way to freedom and grabs a headlock. That stays on for a good bit as Thunderbolt talks to Hart a bit. Some bad choking goes on and it’s time to discuss what kind of drink Hart would prefer.

A distracted referee doesn’t see Hart get in a low blow so Thunderbolt rolls to the floor for a breather. Hart’s running leg nudge hits Thunderbolt and the referee trips as he follows them out. That’s about as par for the course as you could get around here and I’m glad to see it. Back in and Hart kicks away (Marty: “Eat your heart out Miz.”) but Thunderbolt starts firing up.

A clothesline connects and they’re both down again. Back up and a running….uh….well contact of some kind takes Hart down for two. Commentary can’t believe that a kid is yawning again in the front row but get distracted by Hart trying a Stunner but Thunderbolt falls backwards. Somehow that’s enough for Hart to get the pin at 9:44.

Rating: D+. Oh I was right about what I was getting myself into here and I’m cool with that. You had two rather overweight guys doing their thing out there (whatever that thing is supposed to be) and while it wasn’t exactly a masterpiece (or even anything resembling good), that was kind of the point and it worked well enough.

The crowd is uh, not quite impressed. Cabana: “MUY BIEN!”

Raider Rock (who looked to be about 52 years old and has a growth on his face) is ready to defend the honor of his student, Psycho, against King Jeremy Snaker. Psycho was injured in a car wreck and Rock has a bad elbow. Last night, Raider cheated to beat him (Manning: “Nobody saw that but it happened!”) but he’s ready to dominate, terminate and exterminate. Manning calls him out for saying his catchphrase really fast and explains how important a catchphrase is. Rock tries it again and gets it a little better this time.

Jeremy Snaker, with his valet Avril, talks about beating up Rock yesterday (with Manning again saying that no one saw that) and won’t answer questions about Avril being an old flame. Manning has been watching the Dark Side of the Ring on Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth so he tells Avril to stay away from Lex Luger. Snaker hopes Rock can keep up and no he didn’t visit Psycho in the hospital. Avril says Rock and Psycho got what they deserved.

So if you’re not getting this, the idea is that these people either aren’t wrestlers or actors. It’s being presented like they were brought in off the street but have characters and history, which does kind of fit into the overall theme. It’s taking a lot to get used to, but Manning is making it work by playing it mostly straight. Or as straight as you can be in a situation like this.

UCWF Title: Jeremy Snaker vs. Raider Rock

Rock is challenging and has a bad arm but demands that it’s title vs. career. Snaker takes him into the corner to start and kicks away as commentary tries to recap the story again. As commentary makes fun of Snaker for being dressed like Diesel, Snaker hits a piledriver and grabs an armbar. Snaker goes after the leg to change things up, with commentary not getting the logic. Rock takes him down before they awkwardly collide in the corner.

Snaker awkwardly kicks and chops in the corner before completely whiffing on a running enziguri, sending commentary into hysterics. Another missed superkick sends Rock into the corner anyway and a spear gets two. A very sloppy Pedigree (Colt: “That’s a Pedi-disagree.”) gets no count as Rock pops up (work with me here) and dropkicks the knee. Rock grabs a half crab and pulls back on the chin for the tap and the title at 4:33.

Rating: C. This was entertaining in a completely horrible way and that’s what they were shooting for. I’d be curious to know where they find these guys but that makes it all the more mysterious….I think. The Pedi-Disagree line was great and got an actual chuckle, which you don’t get very often out of a show like this. Keeping it short was important too, but it’s not like the wrestling is important in the slightest around here.

Post match Rock says he’s getting rid of his demon (?) side, meaning no more face paint.

Manning is with Wrestle Ranger (a guy in a cheap looking White Power Ranger costume, but today he’s LUCHA LIBRE Ranger. They aren’t sure about the copyright issues but they’ll roll with it anyway. Tonight, Ranger is in a five (or possibly six) way match where the loser must unmask.

It’s ok though, because he’s used to working with five other people and he’s usually the best of them all. Manning: “I should have watched more show I must not speak of.” After hoping that Zordon is the right reference (Manning: “It’s either him or Gandalf.”), Manning asks Ranger about his chances, with Ranger crediting his special coin. That sends us into references of Super Mario, Transformers and Voltron.

One Horned Liger is back in $5 Wrestling and he’s glad that he was asked to return. He even has all new gear, even though he has been unmasked before. Manning takes the blame for this, saying he had been drinking a lot that night. Liger: “If it happens, it happens.”

El Moono Dos vs. El Quako vs. Miguel Leavy vs. One Horned Liger vs. Wrestle Ranger

Everyone is in a mask and I think this is one fall to a finish. The masses go after the huge Quako until Moono spinebusters Ranger. Liger gives Moono a Codebreaker (for a face first fall) into a Cannonball in the corner for two and it’s ranger chopping Moono out to the floor. Quako comes in for a double chokeslam but falls down himself, allowing Leavy to hit a basement dropkick.

Miguel hits a Samoan driver for two on Ranger and it’s Quako hitting running splashes in the corner. The big splash crushes everyone as Quako’s shorts have mostly fallen down. Ranger and Liger clear the ring until Liger dives onto a bunch of people at once. Ranger slips on a springboard before diving onto even more, leaving Liger to hit a Swanton for the pin on Leavy at 5:16.

Rating: D. This was the first match on the show that was neither good nor funny, which brought it way down. For the first time it felt like they were trying too hard for the gag and even the shorter length didn’t help things. The botch felt right at home, but there was too much going on here to make it work.

Post match Leavy is unmasked as….Mike Leavy. This is treated as a big surprise.

Leavy says he is here because he is in demand and his manager insists no one can handle the Strong Arm. Maybe he can start losing to bigger and bigger names! Jake Manning things he could be the Jim Duggan of the promotion. Mike: “I hope to win. Realistically I might not.”

Little Donnie is ready to challenge Big Donnie and Porkchop Cash Jr., but he doesn’t have a partner. He isn’t picky though. The Burke County Boys (Big Donnie and Porkchop) come in to say they’ll give Little Donnie another beating. Little Donnie says he’s gotten beaten up a few times before, sending Manning into a rather nice speech about how he wishes he could be Little Donnie’s partner but he has to work the camera. And now we’re done because the knots on Little Donnie’s head are making Manning uncomfortable.

Terry Houston vs. Black Angel

Houston jumps him from behind as commentary laughs about their attires. Some shots to the face have Angel in trouble so Houston very slowly walks around. A slam gives Houston two and it’s time to choke a bit. Angel slowly fights up and hammers away so Houston hits a headbutt. This goes as poorly as you would imagine and it’s Angel getting in a swinging neckbreaker for the pin at 4:01.

Rating: D. Yeah the charm is wearing off fast with this show and that’s not going to make the last two matches much easier to watch. This was the battle of the big men and thank goodness it was short. Even with the four minute run time, there was a lot of stalling, making me long for the days of the Colossal Jostle.

Now it’s Dynamite, a bald guy who seems more interested in dancing with the fans than making a save. He walks around the ring, (accidentally knocking over a young girl in the process), poses and dances some more….and then leaves, all while Little Donnie has been taking a horrible beating (as in the beating itself was done horribly). Hold on though as the music starts again and this time Dynamite comes out in his wrestling gear for the actual save. Dynamite clears the ring and we’re making this a tag match.

Burke County Boys vs. Dynamite/Little Donnie

For some reason, Little Donnie tarts despite barely being able to stand. The huge Big Donnie splashes him in the corner and Cash comes in for two off a suplex. Little Donnie fights up for a chop off (Commentary: “BIG CHOP! PORK CHOP!”) and it’s back to Big Donnie to keep him in trouble in the corner. A big splash to the back set up a rather large Rings of Saturn before Cash is back in for some fish hooking.

Little Donnie fights up with a snapmare and cranks on both arms, because he’s not that bright you see. Big Donnie comes back in for a jumping kick to the chest (rather generously called a dropkick) and we hit the chinlock. Little Donnie finally gets up, hits Big Donnie once, and walks over for the tag to Dynamite.

House is cleaned as a manager we saw earlier in the night comes out to check on the fan Dynamite ran over earlier. Big Donnie hits a splash for two on Dynamite (Marty: “What did Dynamite do to that man???”) but pops back up with a cutter for his own two on Cash. Dynamite and Big Donnie fight to the floor with Dynamite chasing the Boys off with a chair but it’s a double countout at 7:29.

Rating: D+. This actually had a story to it but the joke of them being so inept at what they’re doing wore a little thin. Having an actual story, at least one which seemed to have some legs to it, is a nice change of pace though and we haven’t seen that throughout the show so far. Bad match, but it was nice to see a different presentation.

$5 Wrestling Champion Freight Train, sounding like a bit of a country hick, says he’s ready for Deon Johnson tonight. Deon isn’t going to take him off the tracks and Train isn’t letting Johnson get away with what he has been saying. He also isn’t saying Johnson’s tag partner’s name because he isn’t on the show. Train even calls out Johnson’s sister (Deonna) to come to the ring and take a Train Wreck of her own. She can go “crying like a woman” when she sees her brother getting beaten up by the Freight Train.

Yes he has a big gut because of all the beer and fried chicken but he’s been exercising because he doesn’t back down from no man. Train has a smooth belly and knows how to cut promos real good (his words) and he’s tall like Shaquille O’Neal. It’s Choo Choo time and he’s going to do some Shaq Fu tonight. Train: “I used to play the Shaq Fu game.”

He talks about playing it on Super Nintendo AND Sega Genesis before throwing a few kicks of his own. Train apologizes for sweating like a preacher while cutting his promo, because it’s hot in here and he’s sweating while cutting a promo. He promises to “smack the Hershey chocolate” off of Deon Johnson three different times and yes it’s Choo Choo time.

That was one of the most fascinating promos I’ve ever seen and it was actually in a good way. It started off sounding like it was going to be stupid and stereotypical, but Train was so incredibly bad and just kept going that it went back around and became funny. He repeated things multiple times, had some of the longest run on sentences I’ve ever heard and rambled beyond belief, all of which combined to make the whole thing incredible. It went on for the better part of five minutes and I wound up wanting to hear more. Well done, albeit by being so bad.

$5 Wrestling Title: Freight Train vs. Deon Johnson

Johnson is challenging and has strawberry themed gear. They talk trash to start, with the much bigger Train shoving him down. More staring ensues and Deon powers him into the corner, only to get bopped (not so much punched) n the head for a trip to the floor. Back in and the trash talk continues until Deon fails at a slam attempt. Train slams him down with ease and it’s time to stall some more.

Back in and Johnson unloads in the corner, only to get knocked down with a single shot. A low blow finally slows Train down and Johnson kicks away at his knee. Johnson’s manager (billed as Ric Flair’s nephew) chokes Train in the corner, meaning that Train can do more of his form of selling, which is him making various wincing faces while standing still in the corner. Train knocks him down again and we hit the chinlock, which doesn’t touch the chin and doesn’t seem to have much locking included.

That’s good for two arm drops before Johnson fights up and actually knocks Train down. Johnson drops an elbow for two and we hit a facelock, again minus the lock. For a bonus, Johnson rubs his gum over Train’s head and then takes out his teeth to put them in Train’s eye. Hold on though as Johnson gets in a shouting match with Dynamite in the front row. Train hits a running splash in the corner and CHOO CHOO sets up a running forearm (which looked like it was out of a wrestling scene in a sitcom) to retain the title at 9:22.

Rating: C-. Much like Train’s promo, this is firmly in the “so bad it’s funny” category, which works out well for the entire show. Train is one of the more interesting people to watch on the whole show, even though he might be the worst performer around. He’s literally just a big guy who jogs people over and that’s all he needs to be. It’s terrible, but it’s a funny kind of terrible and that’s ok.

Post match Train’s manager and Dynamite come in to celebrate.

Commentary talks about how Dynamite, who was retired, is creeping back in and seems ready to steal the show again. They recap the event and no one is happy with Jeff Hart being back. Cabana talks about how we need a fake Jake Roberts and a fake Diamond Dallas Page. If you’ve never wrestled before, come on down and we’ll put you on the roster! Commentary signs off, but not before mocking fans who have downloaded or torrented the show. Cabana: “It’s five dollars!” More quick jokes about how awesome this show is wrap us up.

Probably the most important thing though is this show lasts an hour and a half. They don’t overstay their welcome, which means the world on a comedy show. It isn’t quality and it isn’t something I want to watch regularly, but for the price (and I got it on sale) and some of Marty and Colt’s jokes, watching a random show from these guys is not the worst idea.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 12, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips

It’s the second night of the Draft and that means we get to see the final rosters set up, or at least the rosters that matter. Next week will likely be their final nights on Raw and then it’s off to the races the night after the Cell. That means we need to build towards the pay per view as well so let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Randy Orton to start things off. He’s ready to win the title in the Cell, but one thing you can’t deny is that 2020 has been the year of Drew McIntyre. Not only has McIntyre become WWE Champion, but he has been running through his competition. That’s all well and good, because last week he got taken out by the RKO, and that is going to be the case again in the Cell.

Cue McIntyre, who says he kicked Orton in the head at Clash Of Champions for everyone else, but next time, it’s going to be for himself. Drew wants to fight now though and the brawl is on at ringside. Orton gets dropped onto the announcers’ table and bails, with McIntyre saying he has three hours to do this tonight.

Here’s Stephanie McMahon for the first batch of draft picks.

To Raw: The Fiend Bray Wyatt

To Smackdown: Bayley

Raw: Randy Orton

Smackdown: Street Profits

Raw: Charlotte

The Fiend is interesting and the Profits moving over is your biggest “well duh” moment around after Friday.

Aleister Black vs. Kevin Owens

No DQ. They brawl on the floor to start before heading back inside so they can both miss finishers. It’s already back to the floor with Black kicking him in the head but Owens is back with the Cannonball against the barricade. it’s table time, with Owens going up onto the barricade but being slammed off onto the announcers’ table, which doesn’t break (but the top does go flying).

Back from a break with a chair in the ring and a legsweep sending Owens face first into the seat. Black throws a few more chairs inside but Owens uses a chair to block the running knee. A DDT onto the chair gives Owens two and he opens up four chairs next to each other. The superplex attempt is broken up so Black hits a top rope Meteora through the four chairs, say it with me, for two. The table is set up inside but the Black Mass is blocked. Owens hits the Stunner and then powerbombs Black through the table for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: C+. They did some big stuff here, but you really can feel how little impact the big spots have these days. A DDT onto a chair and a Meteora through four chairs are only getting near falls and they aren’t even getting that much drama. It’s certainly not a problem just with this show or match, but dang it takes away a lot of the impact.

More picks:

Raw: Braun Strowman

Smackdown: Daniel Bryan

Raw: Matt Riddle

Smackdown: Kevin Owens

Raw: Jeff Hardy

Smackdown is actually hanging in there for a change, and getting rid of Strowman is almost addition by subtraction.

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz and John Morrison talking about some of the biggest changes so far. Miz calls out Morrison for using Seth Rollins’ catchphrase, but it’s cool because he’s on the other show. This week’s guests are Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose, with Mandy not being happy with Miz causing her to be sent to Raw. Miz thinks Mandy is happy here and offers her his back for a thank you pat.

That isn’t happening, so Miz moves on to Mandy possibly turning on Dana like she did on Sonya Deville. They’re ready for tonight’s battle royal but here are Natalya and Lana to ask why those two blondes are being interviewed instead of the two of them. Lana talks about how awesome they are with their social media influencing so Mandy tells them to stick to Tik Tok dancing because they don’t win much. The brawl is on and we take a break.

Back with MizTV continuing and Miz talking about the debut of Miz and Mrs. He has a Plan B, so here’s his next guest: John Morrison. John talks about how everyone is wondering when the Dirt Sheet is going to debut…and here’s Lars Sullivan to wreck the show, with Miz bailing to leave Morrison to take the beating on his own. That includes a Freak Accident, with Miz looking terrified.

We look at the New Day being split up with Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods, the Smackdown Tag Team Champions, coming over to Raw.

Adam Pearce is with Kofi/Woods and the Street Profits, who trade titles to make things a lot easier to understand. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode come in and say they want a title shot tonight, which is granted.

More picks.

Raw: Retribution

Smackdown: Lars Sullivan

Raw: Keith Lee

Smackdown: King Corbin

Raw: Alexa Bliss

Not much here, though I’m surprised at Sullivan staying on Smackdown.

Here’s Seth Rollins for the big farewell. He wants to soak it all in one more time because Raw is losing a huge name. Above all else, Raw is losing a leader and no, there is no one to step up and take his spot. It won’t be Dominik or Rey Mysterio because they are going to Smackdown with him. Rollins knows this is a bad night for everyone so…..actually never mind as here’s Jeff Hardy to interrupt.

Seth laughs off the idea that Hardy is going to be a leader and thinks Jeff should be more focused on Lars Sullivan this week (this surprises commentary, even though the match was announced earlier). Rollins goes to leave but here’s AJ Styles to say he is the leader around here but Seth gets in his face. Hardy dives onto both of them and says get a referee out here for a triple threat tag match.

Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins

I guess Jeff is a fan of Andre the Giant’s promo stylings. AJ goes after Jeff’s leg to start and Rollins is sent outside. The fight is on but Rollins comes back in for the double teaming. AJ rolls Rollins up for two and Seth is sent outside again. The Whisper in the Wind is broken up and Hardy is sent outside, meaning Rollins can take him out with a dive. Rollins sends AJ outside as well and dives onto both of them as we take a break.

Back with Rollins holding Hardy in a chinlock with AJ out on the floor. Rollins gets up and shouts about how he runs this house but AJ gets back in. Hardy is back up with a Whisper in the Wind to both of them and everyone is down. A standing Hennig necksnap hits Rollins and Hardy adds a sitout gordbuster for two on Styles. Rollins breaks up another cradle on AJ, who is back up with a reverse DDT for two more on Hardy.

It’s Rollins coming back in with a Falcon Arrow for two on AJ but the Stomp is broken up with a tornado DDT from Hardy. The Swanton is broken up but AJ pulls Rollins into the Calf Crusher. That’s broken up with a rope break so Jeff hits the Swanton with AJ stealing the near fall. The Twist of Fate hits AJ but here’s Elias to BLAST Hardy with a guitar, giving AJ the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B. This was mostly action packed and they did a nice job with the surprise finish. It might have gone through one near fall too many, but there was more than enough action to make it work. I’m not huge on Elias, but it’s nice to have him back after such a long absence. Also, at least a Raw wrestler won here as you probably wouldn’t want a Smackdown guy winning over two people actually sticking around.

More picks.

Raw: Elias

Smackdown: Sami Zayn

Raw: Lacey Evans

Smackdown: Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Raw: Sheamus

Lacey and Sheamus are some interesting picks, if nothing else for the sake of switching up that pretty nothing Smackdown women’s division.

Lana/Natalya vs. Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke

Dana tries to make up for last week with a better headscissors to Natalya (if that’s the bar she has to clear, even Dana might be able to make it work), who is back up with a belly to back drop. Lana comes in for a suplex to Dana and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Natalya does the same and hands it back to Lana for a crossface armbar. Dana fights up and gets over to Mandy for the tag so house can be cleaned. Mandy knees Lana down and Dana climbs onto her shoulders for the Swanton and the pin at 4:12.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t exactly a great match and that wasn’t the point anyway. Mandy and Dana are here as the new pretty blonde team and they fill the roles well enough. It isn’t like Lana and Natalya mean anything as a team but at least Lana didn’t get crushed and drive through a table again.

Post match Mandy and Dana leave as Natalya says this isn’t working. She says she’s done and walks away from Lana, who cries. Ah, there’s your humiliation for the night.

The Hurt Business talks about how they’re here for Retribution, but Ricochet comes up to say he’s here for one last match on Raw. That’s why he wants one more match with the Hurt Business so let’s blow it off tonight. If Ricochet wins, the feud is over, but if Ricochet loses, he’ll join the team. Cedric Alexander would love to take him up on that.

Angel Garza vs. Andrade

Zelina Vega is on commentary. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS to start and grabs a headlock on Andrade to start. Andrade isn’t having that and hammers away with elbows to the head, followed by a kick to the taped up thigh. A superkick gives Garza two but Andrade hiptosses him into the corner. Andrade hits the Judas Effect to send Garza outside but Garza sends him into the apron. Back in and the Wing Clipper finishes Andrade at 2:55.

Post match Vega checks on Andrade but here’s Alexa Bliss (who Vega had insulted during the match) to hang upside down in the corner. The Fiend pops up and it’s stereo Sister Abigails to plant Vega and Andrade. Bliss and Fiend stare at each other again.

More picks.

Raw: Nikki Cross

Smackdown: Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode

Raw: R-Truth

Smackdown: Apollo Crews

Raw: Dabba-Kato

Well thank goodness we got the Dabba-Kato sweepstakes out of the way.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode vs. New Day

Kingston and Woods are defending and still have the Big E. intro. Ziggler rolls woods up to start but Woods is back on top of him for two of his own. The grappling continues until it’s Roode coming in to headlock Kingston. That’s broken up and Kofi hits his jumping elbow to Roode’s face. Ziggler gets in the Fameasser though and we take a break.

Back with Kofi getting stomped against the ropes and Roode dropping the middle rope elbow for two. Kofi gets a boot up though and hands it off to Woods to snap off a running headscissors to Ziggler. The Honor Roll hits Roode and a running dropkick through the ropes takes Ziggler down again. Woods’ springboard tornado DDT gets two and he gorilla presses Ziggler, who blocks a drop into a kick to the face.

Ziggler hits a running DDT for two more and Roode’s spinebuster is good for the same. A kick to the head gets Woods out of trouble as Kofi takes Ziggler out on the floor. It’s back to Kofi who kicks Roode in the head as well. The top rope double stomp/backbreaker combination (now the Midnight Hour) finishes Roode at 11:56.

Rating: C+. The match was fine enough but sweet goodness I could go with never seeing Ziggler in an important match again. There wasn’t any drama in the match in the first place as the Street Profits are already going to Smackdown, and it’s Dolph Ziggler. I’m not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in him, but WWE isn’t going to stop putting him in big spots no matter what because we’re just that lucky.

Elias says that was the first single off his album Payback, as Hardy hit him with a car and took him out for months. Charly Caruso says that Hardy was never proven to be the driver so the real one might still be out there. Elias shrugs that off and says that he is releasing his magnum opus, a new album, on October 26. Next week though, it’s a concert.

We look back at Mustafa Ali being revealed as the leader of Retribution.

Ricochet vs. Cedric Alexander

If Ricochet loses, he’s in the Hurt Business, which is here at ringside.. Alexander kicks him in the face to start and we’re already into the chinlock. That’s broken up so Alexander hits him in the face a few times (MVP: “SLAP HIM FOR ME ONE TIME!”). Ricochet is back up with a half nelson suplex but he has to bail out of the 450.

A kick to the head staggers Alexander but he’s right back with the Michinoku Driver for two. The referee goes down and MVP throws Ricochet a chair, which he uses on….no one, instead going with the Eddie Guerrero move of throwing it to Alexander and grabbing his head. The referee gets up and that’s enough for the DQ at 5:27.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but I liked the ending, which was a nice touch around Eddie’s birthday. That’s something they haven’t used in a little while and it was a nice way to get them out of a bit of a corner. Good enough match here, but it’s time for Ricochet (and Apollo Crews) to move on so it works out best for everyone.

We look at Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee last week. They meet again next week, and it’s SANCTIONED.

It’s time for the final picks.

Raw: Titus O’Neil

Smackdown: Carmella

Raw: Peyton Royce

Smackdown: Aleister Black

Raw: Akira Tozawa

That’s a good round for Smackdown as it’s nice to see someone who hasn’t gotten the big chance yet getting another start. Black did well with Paul Heyman so maybe it can work out again.

Battle Royal

Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lana, Mandy Rose, Natalya, Dana Brooke, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Bianca Belair, Tamina, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan

The winner gets a title shot at Asuka, on commentary, at some point in the future. Before the match, Nia says either she or Shayna is going to win the battle royal so everyone can jump over the top right now. The brawl is on instead and we get the Nia vs. Tamina showdown, with Tamina being thrown out in a hurry. Billie goes after Jax and gets sent to the apron, where she hurts herself by shouldering Nia in the ribs. Nia headbutts her out as Asuka is very, very excited on commentary.

Jax shrugs off the group elimination attempt and dumps Mandy and Dana at once. Everyone goes after Nia again and Shayna gives them the final boost for the elimination. Nia freaks out…..and drives Lana through the announcers’ table again. I can’t help but sigh and not be even slightly surprised. We cut to the back where Orton and McIntyre are brawling and take a break.

Back with Billie having been eliminated during the break. Lacey and Nikki fight in the corner until Lacey forearms her out,. Shayna Kirifuda Clutches Riott on the apron but can’t get her out. The Clutch has Belair in trouble again but she flips out and tosses Baszler for an upset. The Riott Squad tosses Belair and we’re down to Morgan, Riott, Evans and Natalya. It’s time for the quick tag match, with the Squad being sent over the top and eliminated at the same time, leaving us with Evans vs. Natalya for the title shot. Lacey grabs a waistlock before kneeing Natalya in the ribs.

A big slap ricks Evans again as Asuka has left commentary and is watching in the back for no apparent reason. They fight out to the apron with Lacey being sent into the post but saving herself. Natalya charges into a boot and has to hang onto the middle rope with her feet dangling. She gets back up as well until Lacey tries a hurricanrana for some reason. That earns her a whip into the post for the elimination…but here’s Lana, who was never eliminated, to knock Natalya off the apron for the win at 11:24.

Rating: D+. Hokey sweet freaking goodness I cannot stand that finish and WWE absolutely LOVES the thing. Lana vs. Asuka sounds like a pretty bad idea but maybe Nia can come in and drive her through a table again. The match wasn’t very good, but the ending made it even worse because that’s about as dumb and overused of an ending as you can have in a battle royal.

Post match here are Orton and McIntyre to brawl again, with agents and referees breaking it up to end the show. It feels like they forgot Orton and McIntyre were supposed to be a big deal until the end of the night.

Overall Rating: C-. The length got them again here as this show was looking good to start and then collapsed under the length. It was too long and the stuff we got wasn’t exactly enough to make it a great night. I like some of the moves and I’m going to have to look at the whole thing before passing judgment on the Draft. Overall, the show was far from bad, but the extra hour is what holds it back from being as good, or at least easy to watch, as Smackdown. Oh and nothing from Mustafa Ali? Not even a quick promo?

Results

Kevin Owens b. Aleister Black – Powerbomb through a table

AJ Styles b. Jeff Hardy and Seth Rollins – Styles pinned Hardy after a guitar shot from Elias

Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke b. Natalya/Lana – Swanton to Lana

Angel Garza b. Andrade – Wing Clipper

New Day b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Midnight Hour to Roode

Ricochet b. Cedric Alexander via DQ when the referee thought Alexander used a chair

Lana won a battle royal last eliminating Natalya

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 9, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the post Draft show and I can’t imagine much of anything is going to change very much around this show. That might not be the best thing in the world, but 205 Live isn’t exactly the top priority around here. I’m having to strain to remember what happened last week, which isn’t a good sign for any show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ariya Daivari vs. Jake Atlas

Daivari does seem to be in better shape and starts jabbing away. Atlas knocks him into the corner and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Back in and a quick neckbreaker over the middle rope puts Atlas in trouble again. A chest first whip into the corner sets up a chinlock on Atlas, with Daivari slamming him head first into the mat. Atlas fights up and they slug it out until Daivari grabs a layout reverse DDT.

Rating: C-. The match wasn’t all that interesting in the first place but both guys were looking crisp for the most part. That being said, the ending didn’t do it any favors as the idea was to set up a likely tag match next week. It isn’t exactly a top level feud in the first place and now we get to see more. This could have been worse though, and I’ll take that on this show.

Post match Nese leaves and Daivari smiles, setting up the hammerlock lariat to lay Atlas out again.

We look back at Brian Kendrick beating Ashante Adonis a few times but Adonis keeps learning.

The Singh Brothers are coming back but this time, it’s the Bollywood Boyz. As it should have been a long time ago.

Video on Santos Escobar retaining the Cruiserweight Title over Isaiah Scott at Takeover.

Brian Kendrick vs. Ashante Adonis

Trilogy match time and commentary casually mentions that this is the 200^th episode. Adonis’ headlock doesn’t work so well but a dropkick puts Kendrick down on the ropes. A Cactus Clothesline puts both of them outside and it’s Kendrick sending him into the barricade. The Russian legsweep sends Adonis into the barricade again and a leg lariat gets two back inside.

The armbar goes on for a bit, followed by a bunch of forearms to put Kendrick down in the corner. A high crossbody into a DDT gives Adonis two, followed by a spinebuster for the same. Kendrick is back with four straight big boots to set up the Captain’s Hook but Adonis rolls out. Adonis hits a low superkick and the Long Kiss Goodnight (superkick) finishes Kendrick at 8:27.

Rating: C. The match itself was fine, but it was nice to see them trying to make someone into a new star. This show really needs someone like that and while I’m not sure if Adonis is the kind of person to become the next big thing, he is someone fresh and that is a great thing to see. They also built this up with Kendrick beating Adonis before until he Adonis finally learned enough to get the win.

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a bit of a mixed bag for the show as they need to add in a new star but also set up a feud between the more established stars. In other words, you would have no idea that the main shows had been completely reset. I’m still not sure what the solution is around here, but what they’re doing isn’t going to draw in any extra viewers.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring Of Honor
Date: October 7, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s time to wrap up the first round of the Pure Title Tournament and that is kind of a shame. The tournament has been rather nice so far and a lot of that is the back to basics approach. This is what I wanted when I heard AEW say they were going to treat wrestling like a sport and it is working so far, albeit in small doses. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video saying “FOLLOW THE TREND”.

Opening sequence.

Video on the Pure Title Tournament.

We look at Fred Yehi beating Silas Young last week.

Yehi says he respects Young but now he’s ready for whoever he gets next week.

We look at Josh Woods beating Kenny King via judges’ decision last week.

Josh Woods is proud of his win but has to take back thoughts that Silas Young (his mentor) is lucky to not face him.

Rust Taylor talks about growing up in a very small town so he played sports for something to do. He loves all of the mechanics that come with grappling. After a bad period in his career, he was ready to quit but he kept going and got all the way here again. Taylor wants to face Tracy Williams at his best or it won’t mean anything.

Tracy Williams talks about how he grew up fighting with his friends and then went down to Philadelphia to learn to wrestle. Since then, he has become much more comfortable with his technical wrestler status and is ready for Taylor. Williams likes going after the neck and when he reaches his limit, the Hot Sauce comes out.

Pure Title Tournament First Round: Rust Taylor vs. Tracy Williams

They fight over some grappling to start with neither being able to get much of an advantage. Taylor starts working on the arm but Williams takes it to the mat and slips out. An armdrag into an armbar has Williams down again but he pops right back up for some strikes. Williams gets him to the mat to crank on the leg for a change before grabbing an STF. That’s enough to make Taylor use his first rope break so he takes Williams down and hammers the arm.

Williams is back up with a World’s Strongest Slam and we take a break. Back with Taylor kicking at the arm and pulling it into an armtrap armbar. Williams slips out and elbows at the ribs before it’s time to chop it out. A cross armbreaker sends Williams to the rope for the break and some more strikes give Taylor two, with Williams using another break. Taylor gets him down into a Rings of Saturn with the legs, meaning it’s the third rope break so Williams is completely out.

A seated armbar has Williams screaming again so he grabs the rope, but it means nothing this time. Instead he pulls Taylor outside for the big crash and they’re both down as time is running out. Taylor throws him back in and kicks away, earning himself a heck of a clothesline for two. Williams grabs a quick piledriver and slaps on the Crossface for the immediate tap at 14:25.

Rating: B. They surprised me a bit with the ending here as Taylor was winning throughout and then got beaten in a hurry in the end. It wasn’t so much that he got caught by someone more experienced, but rather Williams flipped a switch and won the thing. That’s not the most thrilling ending, but Taylor looked good here before losing to the better man. Really good technical stuff until then though and that’s what matters most.

Tony Deppen is ready to win the tournament because this is what he does. He was a punk rock skateboard kid and that means he didn’t have much in the way of a wrestling background. As a smaller guy, he looked up to people like Bryan Danielson and Kyle O’Reilly. Everything he learned about PJ Black, he learned on Wikipedia, but since he doesn’t have a Wikipedia, there is nothing to be learned about him. He is fighting for his child and he is never going to stay down.

PJ Black has been a wrestler for a long time and has trained with shamans and witch doctors. He talks about walking around barefoot in the woods because of the exchange of positive ions. Black talks about teaching Brian Johnson and wanting to teach him a thing or two. He doesn’t know much about Deppen but tonight he’ll show everyone what he can do with pure wrestling instead of just showing off his high flying.

Pure Title Tournament First Round: PJ Black vs. Tony Deppen

Black has Brian Johnson with him and grabs the wristlock to start. A headlock takeover puts Deppen down as well and there’s an armdrag into an armbar to do it again. Back up and Black hits a spinning kick to the face but Deppen’s STF attempt makes Black use his first rope break. Black rolls him down into a double arm crank but has to hit a clothesline to cut him off.

The arm cranking continues and there’s a stomp onto Deppen’s arm to make it worse. Black’s springboard is dropkicked out of the air though and we take a break. Back with Deppen sending him face first into the buckle for two but missing a top rope double stomp. Black kicks him in the head to put Deppen down but Deppen grabs the leg for an STF.

That means a second rope break and Black heads outside, only to get caught with the suicide dive. Back in and Deppen’s top rope double stomp gets two so Black grabs a cutter for two more. An over the shoulder powerbomb spun into a DDT gets an even closer two and Black is rather stunned. With nothing else working, Black hits a crucifix driver for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: C. I didn’t like this one as much as the opener but it was still fine enough. Deppen was tough and resilient but there was only so much of a reason to believe that he would be moving on here. The wrestling was fine enough, but the lack of drama hurt it, as did Black just hitting a few moves in a row for the win.

Here are the updated brackets:

Jay Lethal

David Finlay

Fred Yehi

Tracy Williams

Jonathan Gresham

Matt Sydal

Josh Woods

PJ Black

We get a CONTROL YOUR NARRATIVE (meaning EC3) video to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Another entertaining hour and that’s the best thing you can say about a show a lot of the time. We’re down to eight in the tournament and I’m curious to see where they are going from here. You could see multiple people winning and hopefully we can get some rather good tournament matches. I’ve liked the first round and maybe we can see a few more good weeks.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 6, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

The march to Bound For Glory continues and that means we have some stuff to set up. It also means more of Eric Young as World Champion and that isn’t exactly the most inspiring material in the world. Last week’s focus was on the tag division, though I’m not sure if that’s going to carry over here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, including clips from Victory Road.

Opening sequence.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Myers

They trade shots to the face to start with Dreamer taking it outside in a hurry. Myers is sent into the steps and they brawl around a bit, as you probably expected. Dreamer’s chop hits post and a suplex onto the ramp bangs him up even more. Back in and a belly to back suplex sets up the chinlock on Dreamer, who has already lost his bandanna. The armbar goes on for a bit before Myers has to elbow him down again. Some elbow drops set up the trash talk and it’s back to the chinlock.

Dreamer fights up and catches him with a powerslam out of the corner. The cutter gives Dreamer two but Myers is back with the Michinoku Driver for the same. Myers misses a top rope elbow and gets DDTed for two. Dreamer misses a middle rope elbow (or close to it) and gets implant DDTed for two (what great symmetry) and Myers’ frustration is setting in. Myers grabs a kendo stick but Dreamer takes it away. That means Myers begs off…but then takes it away and canes Dreamer for the DQ at 9:22.

Rating: D. And that’s a Tommy Dreamer match, consisting of brawling, Dreamer laying around a lot and then the wacky ending, all while Dreamer isn’t as important as various companies think he is. Myers beating Dreamer up for eight minutes and then going into that lame of a finish doesn’t help anyone, but odds are we get a rematch at Bound For Glory because…well it’s Dreamer and we owe him something I guess.

Post match the beating continues until Scott D’Amore comes out for the save.

Commentary talks about Bound For Glory’s bigger matches.

Moose looks for the TNA World Title in various random places.

John E. Bravo is spending a fortune on the wedding and asks the wedding party to help pay for it. That isn’t happening, but Fallah Bahh says he’ll find the money. The argument is on and a tag match seems teased.

Here’s Rohit Raju with another opportunity. He has given more chances than people have had excuses for why their lives are terrible. Everyone wants this title so let’s see who is answering the Defeat Rohit challenge. Cue Willie Mack, but Raju says he had his chance at Victory Road. We need a fresh challenger.

Rohit Raju vs. Jordynne Grace

Raju stalls in the corner, because we do things on his time. After a minute of stalling, Mack grabs the title from the floor, allowing Grace to roll him up for the pin at 1:14.

And no Grace isn’t champion because it was non-title. Raju praises her for the win but makes it VERY clear that he is still champion. We follow Raju to the back, where Scott D’Amore makes a six way title match with Raju defending against Grace, Mack, TJP, Chris bey and Trey Miguel. D’Amore being all fired up and excited for Raju is funny.

Fallah Bahh challenges Hernandez to another arm wrestling match but bumps into him to spill a drink, sending Hernandez off a huff.

Rascalz vs. XXXL

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz here with Wentz being shoved off the top during the entrances. That leaves Dez to be pulled apart and dropped down and we take a break. Back with Acey knocking Dez into the corner and throwing him down with a suplex. Larry comes in for a chinlock, followed by a splash for two.

Dez’s attempts at fighting up actually staggers Larry enough for the tag off to Wentz. House is cleaned and a standing shooting star gets two on Larry. The Rascalz strike Larry down and Acey clotheslines him by mistake. Acey is superkicked to the floor, leaving Larry to get caught with the shove moonsault for the pin at 9:56.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here and that’s hardly surprising. The Rascalz might get back into the Tag Team Title picture after Bound For Glory and now that the North aren’t the champions, they might actually have a shot. XXXL is hardly the most thrilling team but at least they serve a purpose well enough.

Fallah Bahh steals Hernandez’s money while Hernandez is in the shower. Is anyone ever going to SPEND that money? Or maybe put it somewhere else?

We go to Rich Swann’s medical clinic to see how his physical therapy is going. The doctor says he’s doing fine but Eric Young, disguised as a medic, jumps him and destroys the leg again.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready for Ace Austin and Madman Fulton when the Good Brothers come in. Threats are made and the Brothers say they’ll be watching the main event so nothing goes badly before Bound For Glory.

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie vs. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan

They shout at each other to start until Taya knocks Kiera down and hammers away. There’s the running hip attack in the corner and the running knees in the corner make it even worse for Hogan. Rosemary comes in for an exploder suplex, which accidentally sends Hogan into the corner for the tag. Steelz walks into a suplex as well and the Upside Down goes on.

Hogan makes a save and it’s Rosemary getting stomped in the corner. Steelz loads up a baseball slide but Rosemary just growls at her to cut things off. A suplex puts Steelz down and the hot tag brings in Taya to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s a parade of superkicks into a German suplex to drop Hogan on her head. A double underhook drop (Angel Garza’s Wing Clipper) finishes Steelz at 9:15.

Rating: C-. Total formula tag match here and it worked out well enough. I’m not wild on some of the women’s tag teams but Rosemary and Taya are entertaining enough. Granted more of that is in their backstage antics and you only get so much of that live. Hogan is the better of the villains here and Steelz is dragging her down, but not all that much.

Deaners vs. Johnny Swinger/Crazzy Steve

Jake throws Steve a beer to start and Steve’s monkey gets a sip as well. Swinger doesn’t approve and comes in, only to get caught in an atomic drop. The comeback doesn’t take long as Swinger gets Cody into the corner, where Steve offers a fork and a spoon. Swinger: “NOT YET!” The chinlock goes on for a bit before Swinger goes to grab Steve’s monkey. That doesn’t work so well as Cody grabs the Deaner DDT for the pin at 2:59.

We look back at Victory Road, where Deonna Purrazzo broke Susie’s arm.

Kylie Rae gets rather emotional about Susie’s injury when Kimber Lee comes in to laugh at her. Rae snaps and knocks her out before panicking over what she just did.

Scott D’Amore finally agrees to sign Heath because he recognizes Heath’s determination. They both have a proposal, with D’Amore rolling up his sleeves. Heath can’t be serious about this because it’s not like he won an Olympic gold medal. Maybe Heath should sign and work towards this instead. Heath isn’t sure but D’Amore gets up and storms off with no contract.

Post break Rhino asks Heath how it went, with Heath yelling at him for saying how much greener the grass was here. Drew McIntyre is mentioned as Heath leaves, with Rhino looking stunned.

EC3 drops the TNA World Title off of a bridge.

Sami Callihan loses his mind over the video of Ken Shamrock beating down Eddie Edwards receiving “45 million likes”. It means the old Shamrock is back and he needs to beat someone else up. Like the production guy who walks past them.

Here’s what’s coming up next week.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton

Non-title. Sabin and Austin trade some quickly broken wristlocks to start with Austin not being able to nip out of one. A dropkick into an armbar keeps Sabin in control and it’s off to Shelley for a running kick to the chest. The Guns stay on the arm with Shelley cranking away, only to get caught in a sleeper. That’s broken up but Austin brings in Fulton to start cleaning house.

Shelley gets sent face first into the buckle a few times and it’s a side slam/springboard legdrop combination for two. Austin busts out the playing card to cut Shelley’s fingers before handing it back to Fulton for the choking. Sabin’s save attempt just gets himself choked as well but Shelley grabs Fulton low. That’s enough to make Austin hit Fulton by mistake and it’s Sabin coming in off the hot tag to clean house.

A missile dropkick to the back of the head staggers Austin but he kicks Sabin in the head. Everything breaks down and Fulton is low bridged to the floor. Fulton is back up to shoves Sabin off the top but the Guns are fine enough to strike away and put Fulton down. The Dream Sequence hits Austin but Fulton suplexes both Guns. Cue the North to get on the apron but the Good Brothers get rid of them. Skull and Bones finishes Fulton at 12:57.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have the champs lose here so that’s certainly a plus, though I’m not wild on the monster taking a fall to anyone. You were waiting for the interference too, but they got me into the match enough that it wasn’t the worst feeling. Pretty good match, though the four way is going to need to be nuts.

The Guns and the Brothers yell at each other to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show is at the weird lull before Bound For Glory as the show is set up but now we need to pause for a bit until we get to the pay per view. That makes for some weaker shows, including stuff like this with Dreamer getting ten minutes, the Deaners and XXX both getting matches and the stuff with Hernandez continuing. It wasn’t a terrible show, but just get to Bound For Glory already.

Results

Tommy Dreamer b. Brian Myers via DQ when Myers used a kendo stick

Jordynne Grace b. Rohit Raju – O’Connor roll

Rascalz b. XXXL – Shove moonsault to Larry D.

Deaners b. Johnny Swinger/Crazzy Steve – Deaner DDT to Swinger

Motor City Machine Guns b. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Skull and Bones to Fulton

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 8, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re back to a normal Main Event here and hopefully they have figured out what the new normal is going to be. The show has been offering something new in the way of having some bigger, or at least fresher, names and that is a very good thing. You can see some of the same names over and over around here, so it’s nice to get some fresh blood in there. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Billie Kay vs. Peyton Royce

Remember when these two were seemingly setting up for a big showdown feud? They lock up in the corner to start but neither can hit a hiptoss. Royce gets in a faceplant but Peyton flips over her back and hits a dropkick, allowing her to strike her pose. Billie takes her straight back down and we hit the chinlock. A running forearm gives Billie two more and the chinlock goes on again. Peyton fights up with some forearms and kicks to the chest, followed by a rolling kick to the head. The spinning brainbuster finishes Kay at 5:52.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to make of these two and for the life of me I have no idea why WWE split them up. Peyton is rather good but I’m not sure why WWE thought she was ready to be on her own. Throw in that she hasn’t really done anything without Billie around and it makes even less sense, which is why it’s perfect for WWE.

Quick look at Roman Reigns destroying Jey Uso.

From Smackdown.

Here are Heyman and Reigns for Reigns to be officially crowned Tribal Chief. Heyman, sounding shaken, says it’s time for the crowning, but Reigns says he wants to hear Jey Uso acknowledge him. Cue Jey to say he doesn’t know Reigns, who showed his true colors on Sunday. Jey did as well though, because Reigns beat him up. Reigns won’t break his spirit though, and if Jimmy didn’t throw in the towel, Jey would be champion.

Reigns says if Jey wasn’t proud of what he did, Clash was the worst night of his career, both professionally and personally. That’s not what he wanted to do going into that match because he was trying to help Jey. All he wanted to do was put his name in the main event for once. He loves Jey more than Jimmy does and all Jey had to do was acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief.

All he wanted was to represent the family to the fullest, but Jey disrespected him. Jey broke his heart and even now, Jey can’t look him in his eyes. If Jey wants another shot, sure he can have it. We’ll do it at Hell In A Cell, but it will have the highest stakes in WWE history. Reigns hugs him and whispers something in his ear that the microphone doesn’t entirely pick up and walks off with Heyman.

Jey cuts him off though and says whatever the stakes are, Reigns is on. Cole implies that the match is going to be inside the Cell but neither Jey nor Reigns said that. With Reigns and Heyman gone, here is AJ Styles to say it doesn’t matter who gets the most chicken bones at the end of the table. AJ says Jimmy is the better athlete anyway and Jey is just the runt. Jey knocks him outside and hits a dive off the announcers’ table.

We look back at Seth Rollins continuing to meddle in the Mysterios’ lives.

From Raw.

Here is Seth Rollins to receive Murphy’s apology. Cue Murphy, who isn’t exactly looking happy. Rollins wants Murphy to get on with it already and gets all the more frustrated when Murphy says nothing. He even grabs Murphy by the beard, shouting that he made Murphy what he is. Murphy charges at him and the fight is on with the two of them heading outside.

Rollins whips out the kendo stick but Murphy drives him into the barricade and gets in some swings of his own. They get inside with Rollins begging off and getting beaten up even more. Rollins calls for Aaliyah to come out here and then apologizes after another stick to the head. Murphy begs off so Rollins goes for the eye and gets in his own stick shots. It’s chair time but here’s Aaliyah to cover Murphy. The Mysterios run out to chase Rollins off and we see Rollins watching from the back. Dominik tries to talk Aaliyah out of this because of everything he has done.

Murphy storms off on his own.

Video on Bayley vs. Sasha Banks.

Akira Tozawa vs. Andrade

Tozawa goes with the spinning kicks to the air to start as Andrade just kind of stands there. Andrade takes it to the mat with a headlock and then goes with a standing version instead. Tozawa sends him outside but gets tripped up on the apron to send us to a break. Back with Tozawa needing the rope to escape a chinlock. That’s really not a good sign for his future prospects.

Andrade sends him into the corner and we hit the chinlock again. A kick to the ribs connects and indeed it’s ANOTHER chinlock. Tozawa finally fights up and reverses a belly to back suplex into a crossbody. A hurricanrana into the Shining Wizard has Andrade in trouble but he cuts off the strike rush. Andrade’s German suplex is countered into a victory roll for two but Andrade is back with a Judas Effect. The hammerlock DDT finishes Tozawa at 8:01.

Rating: D-. Oh man this was a rough one to watch as Andrade clearly was not interested in doing anything here. Tozawa was doing what he could but you can’t get very far when the other guy is not giving even the slightest hint of effort. This was a really bad match, and that’s all due to the lack of effort on one side.

From Raw.

Randy Orton is in the back where he talks about how he could have left Clash Of Champions as WWE Champion. Instead, he left in an ambulance. He remembers a little bit about the match, which included Big Show, Christian and Shawn Michaels all interfering and Ric Flair driving the ambulance away. All Orton felt was excruciating pain and then the next night, Drew McIntyre stood in front of the four of them and celebrated.

That sight made him sick and then the four of them played poker all night. It was too much for Orton, so he turned out the lights, grabbed some night vision goggles, and beat all of them down. Orton talks about how all four of them looked lost and how he attacked them, including chair shots and a Punt to Shawn Michaels. He wishes he could have seen Drew’s face when he heard what happened. McIntyre still has to deal with Orton, so let’s do it in the Cell. McIntyre bursts in and beats Orton down until agents and referees break it up. Kind of a long way to get to the obvious but it was a little bit of a different presentation.

From later in Raw.

Drew McIntyre/Street Profits vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Randy Orton

The good guys waste no time in cleaning house and we take a break. Back with Dawkins diving over for the hot tag to Ford so the pace can pick up in a hurry. Ford’s standing moonsault gets and it’s off to Roode, who scores with the spinebuster for two. Orton pulls Ford outside and drops him hard onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Orton slowly hammers away but stops to mock McIntyre, allowing Ford to score with a DDT. The double tag brings in McIntyre and Ziggler, with Drew launching him into the corner.

That’s enough for Ziggler though as McIntyre pulls Orton in to start the brawl. Roode and Ziggler make the save and everything breaks down. Dawkins’ Anointment is countered into a DDT though and he winds up right in front of Orton. The hanging DDT plants Dawkins but he’s right back with the Anointment into the Cash Out with Roode and Ziggler diving in for the save. McIntyre tags himself in as Ziggler hits the Fameasser on Ford. The Claymore puts Ziggler on the floor and there’s another to Roode. Orton is back up though and the RKO finishes McIntyre at 10:14.

Rating: C+. They kept the pace up here and I can go for putting off the announcement of Roode and Ziggler getting a title shot for as long as I can. Pinning the champ to build up towards a title match is a good idea and something that has worked for the better part of ever. Go with something that works and keep Ziggler away from any title at the same time. That’s certainly a nice way to end the show, even if we’ve seen it before.

Overall Rating: D+. The original stuff dragged down everything else they were doing as there isn’t much you can get out of scheduling a pretty obvious pair of Cell matches, both of which we just saw at the last pay per view. Not much to see here, but your expectations should be pretty low coming in for the most part anyway. It helps to bring in some bigger names, but can we make it not Andrade next time?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 12, 2006
Location: ipayoneCenter, San Diego, California
Attendance: 11,700
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re on the way to Judgment Day and that means it’s going to be a bad night for Rey Mysterio. Last week he got destroyed by Mark Henry and tonight it’s probably going to be the Great Khali. But hey, at least he can beat JBL at the pay per view and that makes up for everything, right? Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Rey Mysterio becoming the underdog World Champion and getting destroyed by Mark Henry last week. Tonight it gets even worse with Great Khali.

Here’s John Bradshaw Layfield, who set up Mysterio’s battles with the giants, to get things going. He talks about how Rey is “a tough little Mexican fighter” and worries that Rey is going to take his innertube back to Mexico. The fans stop to chant for Eddie, who JBL agrees was great, but JBL was greater. Then he took the US Title from Chris Benoit and at Judgment Day he’s going to be the first ever double champion.

After that, he’ll offer Rey’s family a job. Dominik can shine his boots, Rey’s wife can do his dishes in a short little Latino dress, but Rey can sell drugs, get into prostitution or work a donkey show in Tijuana. Rey finally comes out to clear the ring in a hurry. JBL can say these things with some conviction, but dang the times have changed.

Super Crazy vs. Nunzio vs. Kid Kash

The winner gets Gregory Helms, on commentary, for the Cruiserweight Title at the pay per view. It’s a brawl to start with Crazy being sent outside and Nunzio being backdropped out after him. Everyone gets back in for an exchange of rollups for two each until Kash’s clothesline gets two on Nunzio. Kash kicks Nunzio off the top and hits his moonsault for two more with Crazy making the save. Crazy covers both of them for a near fall each and Nunzio makes his own save. Nunzio loads Crazy up in a Doomsday Device but Crazy victory rolls him for the pin as Kash misses the high crossbody.

Rating: C. It was fine enough action but there was no hiding how unimportant everything they were doing was here. The Cruiserweight Title hasn’t meant anything in years and you can see how far it is falling almost every week. Points for trying to do something and having an action packed match, but this was the popcorn/nacho portion of the show.

The returning Kurt Angle storms into Teddy Long’s office to demand a match with Mark Henry. Long says no because Angle isn’t cleared so Angle grabs him by the jacket. The match is on for the pay per view.

Gymini vs. Mike Wellington/Joey Ryan

The Gymini are Jesse and Jake, while Ryan (yes that Ryan) has belt loops on his trunks. Jake powers Wellington to the apron to start and hits a clothesline back inside. Ryan comes in and gets kicked in the head, followed by a double shoulder for a bonus. Some elbows to the back of the head set up a chinlock, with Jesse pulling the hair. Wellington gets slammed onto Ryan and a double toss into the air for a big crash finishes Ryan without much effort.

Rating: D+. There is something rather cathartic about seeing Joey Ryan getting beaten up. Total destruction here of course as WWE has almost always known how to push two big monsters like this. I’m not sure how far they can go from here, but they can do this match well enough, especially given how short it was.

Various wrestlers like the See No Evil premiere, with Kurt Angle having to hide behind Viscera.

We look at Finlay beating Chris Benoit to make the semifinals of the King of the Ring.

Here are Booker T. and Sharmell for a chat. Booker is upset that Kurt Angle was thrown out of the tournament because he was looking forward to the match. He doesn’t want a forfeit so Angle can come out and face him right now (Angle was escorted from the building after talking to Long). Booker even gives him a ten count, with a pause for one last beg at nine, before declaring himself the winner. The celebration is on, complete with spinning Sharmell around and a Spinarooni.

King of the Ring Semifinals: Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley

They fight over a lockup to start with Lashley eventually powering him into the corner. Lashley takes him down with an explosive single leg but Finlay is back up with a clothesline. The chinlock goes on for a good while before Lashley is back up with a big boot. A gorilla press gutbuster has Finlay in trouble and a running clothesline in the corner rocks him again.

Some forearms gets Finlay out of trouble though and he chokes with the ring skirt. The chinlock goes on again and a pull of the trunks takes Lashley down again. Cue Booker and Sharmell, with the former sitting on the throne to see Lashley get his knees up to stop a splash. Lashley gets caught in the ring skirt for another beating though and we take a break.

Back with Finlay working on an arm, with an elbow into the shoulder for a bonus. A running shoulder gives Finlay two but Lashley gets fired up and snap off the overhead belly to belly. The running powerslam connects but Finlay blocks the spear with a boot. Finlay throws in the chair and grabs the Shillelagh, the latter of which is taken away. The referee is dumb enough to get rid of it, allowing Finlay to get in a chair shot. Lashley shrugs it off and hits the spear for the pin.

Rating: C+. The chinlocks took something out of this but they made Lashley look like a monster and that’s the important part. Lashley is showing some different offense out there most weeks and that’s an encouraging sign for someone who could do three moves and get by on his look alone. Finlay continues to be a nice gem and they worked well together.

Post match Lashley tells Booker to get out of his chair before he gets thrown out.

Here are MNM for a chat. Johnny Nitro says they’re the hot team and the sexiest champions of the century. They don’t like Paul London and Brian Kendrick getting in their way, which is why they got three straight Snapshots last week. After we see a clip from last week, Melina talks about how those punks are just trying to get a rub from the champs. Cue Jillian Hall, who talks about beating up Melina at the makeup table. Melina says Jillian looked better with the growth on her face. The fight is almost on but here are London and Kendrick to pants the champs. Hall rips off Melina’s skirt too and the good guys run.

Mark Henry vs. Paul Burchill

We get the debut of Henry’s signature song. Henry clotheslines him down and hits a kick in the ribs as this is feeling squashish. Burchill is tossed outside in a heap (with one hand) and Henry throws him back inside for a bonus. There’s the running splash in the corner and a second one against the post has Burchill pretty much done. Back in and Henry hits two more splashes, grabs the mic to say Kurt Angle is getting the same thing. The World’s Strongest Slam is good for the pin.

Rating: D. This was little more than a way to keep Henry warm before his match with Angle. It was nothing we hadn’t seen before but there was only so much you can get out of this version of Henry. Also, so much for Burchill, but how long was a Pirates of the Caribbean tribute character going to last?

Tatanka is still becoming a Lakota warrior.

Big Vito says he and Nunzio are going out tonight. Nunzio needs to go get a shower but Orlando Jordan cuts him off, saying that he saw someone who looked a lot like Vito in drag in a club in London. Nunzio doesn’t buy it.

Judgment Day rundown.

Rey Mysterio vs. Great Khali

Rating: F. What do you even say here? This came off as more of Vince and WWE being annoyed at the fans for wanting something and punishing them for it after giving them what they asked for. They do this with so many of their titles and then wonder why it isn’t as important or why the fans are walking away. It made Mysterio, who could potentially draw some money, look like nothing and Khali isn’t likely to get a title shot anytime soon, but at least they advanced Mysterio vs. JBL, which I’m sure people will be flocking to pay for. I remember thinking this was stupid in 2006 and it is even worse now, which doesn’t surprise me.

Post match JBL gets in Rey’s face to talk about how he let everyone down. JBL has another opponent for next week. Tick tock. JBL shoves him to the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Well that happened. This was not WWE’s finest hour as they don’t seem to have a clue about what they want to do here so the solution is to squash the World Champion on back to back weeks. It was a rough sit as this show doesn’t exactly have star power and they are going out of their way to damage the star power that they do have. Bad show here, and WWE isn’t helping itself.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 8, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

The comeback continues as we are now into the second week of the Heritage Cup tournament. I’m still not sure what to think of last week’s first match but I certainly didn’t hate it. Hopefully we get another good one this week, though it takes the right kind of match under these rules. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside/Dani Luna vs. Amale/Nina Samuels

Luna and Samuels start things off with Samuels working on the arm. That’s reversed into Luna’s wristlock and Brookside comes in for a headlock takeover. A double chop puts Samuels down again but it’s off to Amale to take over on Brookside. The running kick to Luna’s chest gets two but she’s back with her own double clothesline. Brookside comes back in and charges straight into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to put her in trouble for a change.

Samuels gets two off a reverse suplex but doesn’t like it when Amale comes back in. Brookside rolls away from Amale and makes the hot tag to Luna so the pace can pick up. The beating is on but Samuels doesn’t seem to care from the apron. Samuels offers a rather weak tag and then drops down as Amale gets closer. So it’s down to a handicap match with Luna suplexing Amale and handing it off to Brookside for a Brookside Bomb into a powerbomb for the bridging pin at 7:12.

Rating: C-. I’ve liked Brookside for a long time now so it’s nice to see her getting a win, but at the same time history has shown that pushing Samuels only works to a certain extent. This was a little bit of a strange choice overall, but the women’s division needs new stars so this works as well as anything else. Amale and Luna looked fine too so maybe they have several new ideas in mind.

Ilja Dragunov doesn’t have time for questions so he goes up to Sid Scala, with Pete Dunne there as well. Dragunov wants Walter or Alexander Wolfe so the tag match is made for next week.

Piper Niven isn’t all that impressed by Kay Lee Ray giving us a state of the women’s division tonight but she’ll be there.

Saxon Huxley vs. Jack Starz

Huxley throws him into the corner to start and knees Starz in the ribs to break up a wristlock. Some arm cranking keeps Starz in trouble but Starz climbs over his shoulders to set up a dropkick. Huxley unloads in the corner though and sends him flying again. A torture rack doesn’t last long for Huxley so Starz dropkicks the knee out for two. That’s about it for the comeback as Starz hits a running knee to the ribs and an over the shoulder powerbomb drop (basically the Big Ending with Starz facing up) for the pin at 5:18.

Rating: D+. There is only so much you’re going to get out of these two. They aren’t the most interesting people in the world and Starz is little more than the show’s designated jobber to the stars. Huxley has never done anything for me since he debuted and this newer version of him isn’t exactly changing my expectations.

Video on Gallus.

Pretty Deadly thinks they were impressive against the Hunt but won’t talk about Eddie Dennis.

Xia Brookside and Dani Luna are looking forward to Ray’s address.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules.

Heritage Cup First Round: A Kid vs. Flash Morgan Webster

Kid takes him down by the head to start and armbars Webster down for trying to escape. The grappling continues but we wind up at a standoff on their feet, as tends to be the case. Morgan sends him to the apron for a springboard dropkick as the first round ends. We start the second round with Kid grabbing another headlock on the mat before switching over into a bow and arrow. Webster gets out again and works on Kid’s arm, which barely gets him anywhere. They go back to the mat for a pinfall reversal sequence with Webster stacking him up for the pin at 2:00 of the second round (5:23 overall).

The third round begins with Kid driving him into the corner for little avail. Kid’s arm cranking is on again but this time Webster reverses into a double arm choke. With that broken up, Webster is back up with the Rude Boy Block for two and a reverse hurricanrana connects as time expires. Round four begins with Webster hitting a nasty running knee to the face for two and going up top. Kid is right there with a super Spanish Fly and a hard superkick for the pin at 48 seconds of the round (9:56 total).

We’re tied up going into the fifth round and Kid smacks him in the face early on. They trade loud strikes until Webster gets two off a Falcon Arrow. Kid is back up with another kick to the head but Webster headbutts him down. Webster sends Kid outside for a suicide dive but it’s something like the Rings of Saturn to make Webster tap at 2:57 (13:11 total).

Rating: C+. I’m starting to get the hang of this idea and that’s going to make things easier. It’s such a different concept but when you ignore the 2/3 falls stuff, it’s basically a longer match with some breaks in the middle and that’s fine. I liked this one well enough and Kid continues to look like a rather nice project in the making. Webster losing isn’t the biggest surprise, but he hung in there after a bit of a weak start. Good match and the rules are starting to feel more natural.

Webster doesn’t look happy but he does shake hands.

Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov for the UK Title in three weeks.

Video on Dragunov’s path to the title shot. Walter talks about making Dragunov but this is his profession and he isn’t losing the title. We see some clips of their WXW matches with Dragunov shouting that Walter will not break him.

Flash Morgan Webster has been attacked and Mark Andrews runs up to check on him.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray to talk about how awesome her title reign has been. Cue the four women from tonight’s tag match, plus Piper Niven. A big brawl breaks out with extra women joining in. Ray tries to leave but Jinny catches her near the entrance. Jinny knocks Ray back to ringside and Niven cannonballs onto a bunch of people. Aoife Valkyrie hits a big dive of her own and Ray leaves to end the show. Kind of a weird segment but it did get some people on camera.

Overall Rating: C. This was more like the normal version of the show and I’m getting into the Heritage Cup. They are starting to showcase more of the roster in a good way and now that we have the big title match set, there is a point to a lot more of this. For a show that was mainly focused on the midcarders, this worked out rather well as NXT UK is starting to feel like its old self in a hurry.

Results

Xia Brookside/Dani Luna b. Amale/Nina Samuels – Brookside Bomb into a powerbomb to Amele

Saxon Huxley b. Jack Starz – Over the shoulder powerbomb drop

A Kid b. Flash Morgan Webster 2-1

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 1, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the first show after Clash Of Champions, meaning we are probably not going to be seeing a single thing from Raw. That can make for some interesting shows, but what can be even more interesting is having some bigger names around here. That has been the case in the last few weeks so maybe it can continue here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Erik vs. Riddick Moss

Moss’ headlock doesn’t last long as Erik shoves him off and knees him in the ribs. Moss is back with a spinebuster and we hit the front facelock. A suplex gives Moss two and we hit the chinlock. Erik is right back up with a suplex and the shotgun knees to the chest. A cross between a spinebuster and a Boss Man Slam gets two on Moss but he gets to the apron for a snap over the top. Moss’ neckbreaker is good for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: D+ They were starting to get somewhere before things wrapped up. Someone is going to have to explain Moss to me. He’s pushed on Raw Underground, he’s winning matches here, he’s been on Raw before, and yet for some reason he isn’t on the regular Raw’s these days. Is he that much worse than some of the people on the show?

We look at Asuka beating Zelina Vega at Clash Of Champions.

We recap the Smackdown side of Clash Of Champions.

From Raw.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Zelina Vega

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

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

From Raw.

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

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

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

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

From Raw again.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Murphy

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

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

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

Humberto Carrillo vs. Dolph Ziggler

Speaking of names you wouldn’t expect on the show. Ziggler grabs a headlock to start but Carrillo is back up with a wristlock to get out. An elbow to the face staggers Ziggler but he’s right back with his own elbow. There’s a neckbreaker for two on Carrillo and it’s time to grind a forearm into the face. Carrillo is back up with the springboard armdrag and we take a break. Back with Ziggler working on a Kimura but Carrillo fights up with some shots to the face. The missile dropkick drops Ziggler for two and there’s a springboard spinning kick to the face for the same. Ziggler is back with the Fameasser for two but he misses the superkick. Carrillo’s moonsault misses though and now the superkick can finish Carrillo at 9:15.

Rating: C. The match was better than usual for around here because there were more talented people involved. This isn’t that big of a surprise but it’s great to see someone like Ziggler around here. Well maybe not great but it’s at least something different and allows them to use their crazy deep talent pool.

We look back at Drew McIntyre retaining over Randy Orton in the ambulance match.

From Raw.

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

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

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

From Raw.

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

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Robert Roode

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Rating: C+. This was a better than usual Main Event with the surprise of Dolph Ziggler and some good recaps from Clash Of Champions and the bigger parts of Raw. I don’t like having Smackdown basically wiped out, but it makes sense given how much things change with a pay per view. Pretty good show here though, and that’s always nice to see.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: October 7, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

Takeover: 31 has come and gone and not a lot has really changed. The big stories coming out of the show include Ember Moon and Toni Storm returning, but the surprise ending saw Ridge Holland jump into the main event scene by attacking Adam Cole. I’m curious about where that is going to be heading so let’s get to it.

Here is Takeover if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Takeover.

Opening sequence.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Kushida

Fallout from an argument in the locker room. They trade slaps to the face to start and it’s Kushida taking him down to the mat for the grappling. Kushida hits the basement dropkick and bulldogs the arm down, only to have Ciampa hit his own dropkick to break up a handspring. The chinlock into a backbreaker makes Ciampa smile and a neckbreaker cuts off Kushida’s comeback attempt.

Another chinlock stays on a little while longer Ciampa takes him to the apron for Willow’s Bell but has to kick Kushida outside instead. We take a break and come back with Ciampa chopping away in the corner and knocking him from the top to the apron. Kushida sends him arm first into the buckle and stomps on the hand to stagger Ciampa.

A German suplex into a kick to the head sets up a triangle until Ciampa powerbombs his way to freedom. Back up and they slug it out until Ciampa gets two off a suplex. The Fairy Tale Ending doesn’t work because of Ciampa’s banged up arm so it’s time for Kushida’s stomps to the back. The Hoverboard Lock goes on, drawing in Velveteen Dream to hit…Ciampa by mistake, drawing the DQ at 14:34.

Rating: C. They had me worried that one of them would take a fall here but seeing Velveteen Dream out there again immediately rather than taking some time off after the Takeover beatdown doesn’t exactly have me interested. Dream is firmly to the point of a heavy sign and that’s never a good thing. Good match, but the ending was a soul crusher.

Post match Kushida hammers on Dream, including a dive to the floor.

Here’s Ember Moon to a nice reception for a chat. Moon talks about how long she has been gone but she got on her motorcycle and found clarity. Now she has found Ember’s law (yes she knows it’s corny) and it says no one is walking over her. She wants the Women’s Title so here is Io Shirai to interrupt. Before anything can be said though, here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt….but Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai jump her from behind. Moon runs in for the save so here’s William Regal to make a tag match main event.

Drake Maverick arrived earlier today and said he and Killian Dain have been planning for their tag team future. Dain comes in and says they aren’t a team, but Drake already has a match for them. He even has some great music for them.

Shirai says she didn’t help Moon because it’s not her problem. Her problem is defending the Women’s Title. Fair point.

We look at the ending to Takeover with Ridge Holland leaving Adam Cole’s body laying at ringside.

The Undisputed Era says Kyle O’Reilly has nothing to be ashamed of but since Ridge Holland broke his ribs, he has some paying to do. And that is undisputed.

Drake Maverick/Killian Dain vs. Ever Rise

Maverick and Dain’s music includes whistling, so you know it’s special. Dain starts but chops Maverick in the chest for the tag instead. Parker grabs Maverick by the hand and brings Martel in, allowing Maverick to come back with a dropkick. Martel shouts that Dain doesn’t like Maverick and Dain seems to agree. A cheap shot annoys Dain though so he comes in and decks Ever Rise before pulling Maverick to the ropes. That means it’s time for Dain to clean house but Drake tags himself in. A big knee rocks Parker and Dain powerbombs Maverick (Drake: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING???”) onto Parker for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C-. I know it’s a little ridiculous and the wacky tag team partners has been done to death, but it’s not like the tag division has anything going for it at the moment. See what you can find with these two and maybe it can go a little somewhere. Drake’s charisma alone should carry him a long way and Dain is a good monster so why not.

Post match Drake struts/dances in celebration so Dain knocks him out instead. He does carry Drake to the back though so he isn’t all mean.

We look at Toni Storm returning at Takeover.

Toni Storm talks about being gone for the longest time in her career so she could clear her head. She needed a change of scenery and this is a new Toni Storm.

The Garganos were walking their dog and Candice thinks they deserve rematches. Johnny has a plan….but Indi Hartwell has sent them a big TV. Johnny: “FREE TV!”

Austin Theory vs. Leon Ruff

Theory walks into a cutter for a quick two and Ruff hits a dropkick into a neckbreaker. A clothesline gives Ruff two more but he slips on the ropes and walks into the ATL to give Theory the pin at 1:51.

Post match Theory brags about how great he is, mainly because he had the time to warm up. This is a warning to everyone: he is the future of NXT and no one can do anything about it. Cue someone to disagree.

Austin Theory vs. Dexter Lumis

Lumis throws him into the corner and hammers away to start. It’s a Thesz press into some right hands to keep Theory in trouble, meaning it’s time to head outside. We take a break and come back with Theory hitting a belly to back suplex for two. The crossface chickenwing goes on, followed by a standing moonsault for two on Lumis. That just seems to annoy Lumis, so Theory grabs a front facelock to keep him down.

Theory hits a snap suplex for two and a stomp to the chest is good for the same. Lumis is right back up with a spinebuster to cut Theory off and the comeback is on. A slingshot suplex gives Lumis two but Theory snaps off a dropkick. Lumis just pops up and hits a Rock Bottom into the Silencer for the win at 12:04.

Rating: C. I like Theory quite a bit, but I don’t know if there has ever been an NXT wrestler I don’t get as much as Lumis. The whole thing just misses for me on every level and I don’t really see that changing no matter what he is going to be doing for the time being. For some reason NXT loves the idea of pushing the heck out of him though, no matter how little sense it seems to make.

Post match Cameron Grimes runs in with the Cave In to plant Lumis.

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez don’t like Ember Moon coming in here and trying to jump the line. As for Rhea Ripley, no one is getting the Women’s Title shot but them.

Cameron Grimes attacked Dexter Lumis for not answering him last week. Don’t mess with him because he’s going to the moon.

Video on Finn Balor defending the NXT Title against Kyle O’Reilly at Takeover. Both of them were injured, with Balor having his jaw broken in two places.

Video on Damian Priest.

Priest says anyone who wants the North American Title can come get a Reckoning.

Ridge Holland vs. Danny Burch

Holland grabs a quick nerve hold to start but gets taken down with a wristlock. Back up and Burch hammers away in the corner, setting up a middle rope dropkick to drop Holland again. A German suplex sets up a Crossface but Holland pops back up with the Northern Grit for the pin at 2:06.

Post match the beatdown stays on so here’s Oney Lorcan for the save. He knocks Holland outside and there’s the slingshot dive….and Holland’s leg buckles. Oh dang that doesn’t look good.

Gargano is watching the TV, which had a USB included. There is a clip from the battle royal of Indi Hartwell saving Candice LeRae over and over. They might be starting to like her.

Timothy Thatcher hurts a lot of people while talking about how you aren’t defined by your losses.

Holland gets taken out on a stretcher and throws up the thumbs up, which makes me think that this is worse than it seems: he’s an Orange Cassidy fan.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Xia Li

Shotzi’s tank is now Halloween themed. Shotzi starts fast with the reverse Sling Blade but Xia fires off the knees to the face. They both wind up on top with Shotzi knocking her down, setting up the top rope backsplash for the in at 1:48. Nothing wrong with getting her on TV before Halloween Havoc.

Post match Boa brings Xia a letter, which seems to make her nervous.

Rhea Ripley/Ember Moon vs. Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez

Moon has new music and wristlocks Kai down to start. A backsplash gives Moon two and there’s a suplex to take Kai down again. Gonzalez comes in but can’t hit a powerbomb. She can however take Moon into the corner so Kai can come back in and strike away. Kai is sent outside for a suicide dive, followed by Ripley’s running Cannonball onto Gonzalez. Back in and Ripley kicks Kai in the face, only to get kicked outside by Gonzalez.

We take a break and come back with Gonzalez choking Ripley, who comes back with a kick to the head. Kai comes back in with a cravate but Ripley throws her away again. The hot tag brings in Moon to start cleaning house. The sliding Downward Spiral gets two on Kai, who comes right back up with a kick to the face.

Gonzalez’s powerslam gets two but Ripley is back in with a powerbomb for two on Kai. The Kairopractor gives Kai two on Ripley so Moon comes back in with a discus lariat. Rhea clotheslines Gonzalez to the floor but gets kicked in the face by Kai. Moon is back up with a powerbomb of her own to Kai and Gonzalez and Ripley fall over the announcers’ table. Back in and the Eclipse finishes Kai at 11:51.

Rating: C+. This accomplished its main goal of getting Moon back in the ring and having her hit her big finisher for the pin. You can also add in Gonzalez and Ripley getting to do their thing, making this a pretty enjoyable main event. Moon doesn’t exactly feel like a major star, but it’s better than leaving her to rot on the main roster again.

Overall Rating: C+. This was one of the weaker NXT’s I can remember in a pretty good while. Some stuff happened, but it felt like a show that just came and went for the most part. Nothing on the show really stood out, which is probably going to be due to the champs being stuck in interviews without having anything going on. Pretty skippable show this week, though coming off such a fast Takeover, it’s probably fair for them to have a breather.

Results

Tommaso Ciampa b. Kushida via DQ when Velveteen Dream interfered

Killian Dain/Drake Maverick b. Ever Rise – Dain powerbombed Maverick onto Parker

Austin Theory b. Leon Ruff – ATL

Dexter Lumis b. Austin Theory – Silencer

Ridge Holland b. Danny Burch – Northern Grit

Shotzi Blackheart b. Xia Li – Top rope backsplash

Rhea Ripley/Ember Moon b. Raquel Gonzalez/Dakota Kai – Eclipse to Kai

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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