Smackdown
Date: September 9, 2022
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

Clash At The Castle has come and gone and that means it is time for the setup to Extreme Rules. The show is in less than a month and since there is not likely to be a Roman Reigns match, we’ll need a new main event. That could go in a few different ways and we might get an indication of that this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash At The Castle if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Solo Sikoa costing Drew McIntyre the World Title at Clash At The Castle.

Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium

Kaiser knocks Holland into the corner to start so it’s off to Vinci, who gets elbowed in the head a lot. Butch works on Vinci’s fingers before Gunther comes in for the big chop. We take a break and come back with Holland being taken into the corner so Vinci can come in for a suplex. Gunther comes in for some chops but Holland busts Vinci’s spine, allowing the tag to Butch. Everything breaks down and it’s Gunther vs. Sheamus on the floor, which is broken up rather quickly. Back in and Vinci pulls Butch into a hard clothesline to send us to another break.

We come back again with Butch fighting out of Gunther’s Boston crab but not being able to make a tag. Gunther and Sheamus have their staredown but Butch gets in a shot of his own, allowing the tag to Sheamus. Vinci and Kaiser are taken down, setting up the twenty five forearms to the chest and related areas on Kaiser. The Irish Curse and Brogue Kick hit Vinci, who isn’t legal, allowing Kaiser to grab a rollup for two.

Holland comes back in for the big lariat on Kaiser but Gunther chops him in the back of the head. Sheamus and Gunther get in the big fight and the fans are really happy. Everything breaks down and it’s a triple fight until Holland suplexes Kaiser down HARD, with Kaiser landing on his knee (uh oh). The knee is fine enough to hit the European Bomb to finish Holland at 19:02.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, as they seem to be building up to another Sheamus vs. Gunther showdown. Those two can beat the fire out of each other as often as they can and it probably wouldn’t get old for a long time. I’m not sure what kind of a brawl they could have at Extreme Rules, but hopefully it doesn’t get too gimmicky as that doesn’t fit for Gunther.

Condolences are given to Queen Elizabeth II.

Here are the Usos and Sami Zayn for a chat. Sami is rather fired up to be here and Jimmy seems pleased too, but Jey just glares. Jimmy talks about how deep the Bloodline runs and introduces Solo Sikoa (with a highlight package from his time in NXT because WWE is finally learning). Solo says if you create problems, he’ll finish them and he is here to stay. Cue Drew McIntyre to clear the ring with a chair, with Sami taking a shot for Sikoa.

Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Toxic Attraction

Non-title and Toxic Attraction praises Rodriguez on the way to the ring. Jayne: “Aliyah…uh you’re pretty!”. Jayne kicks Rodriguez in the ribs to start but Rodriguez takes over without much trouble. Aliyah comes in and gets thrown at Dolin for two but gets pulled into the corner so the double teaming can begin. A running backsplash hits for Aliyah for two and Jayne cranks on both arms. Aliyah ducks a clothesline though and rolls over for the hot tag to Rodriguez. A spinning side slam drops Dolin and the twisting Vader Bomb elbow gets two. Aliyah breaks up the double suplex and the Tejana Bomb finishes Jayne at 4:58.

Rating: C-. Just like on Monday, you can’t help but feel like the titles are already in jeopardy and there is a good chance that they are changing hands next week. That is why the champs get a win here to boost them up a bit, though Aliyah continues to be little more than a person who happens to be in Rodriguez’s corner while she wrecks things. Even Toxic Attraction’s pre-match promo made it clear that Aliyah means very little, and that might come into play during the title match next week.

We recap Adam Pearce snapping on Ronda Rousey last week, with Rousey ripping his arm apart as a result.

Xia Li vs. Natalya vs. Sonya Deville vs. Lacey Evans vs. Ronda Rousey

Elimination rules for the Extreme Rules title shot against Liv Morgan (watching in a sky box). Everyone goes after Rousey to start until Natalya tries to Sharpshooter Li. That’s broken up and Rousey armbars Natalya for the tap at 1:19. Li breaks up Rousey’s armbar to Evans and Evans has to do the same for Evans.

Deville is back up for a choke to Li and Rousey armbars Evans for the stereo eliminations at 2:20. That leaves Deville vs. Rousey with Rousey taking her down and hammering away. Piper’s Pit is countered into a choke and they crash out to the floor but they’re right back in. Piper’s Pit hits Deville and an ankle lock with a grapevine finishes Deville at 4:31.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to make of this one, as Rousey just wrecked most of the Smackdown women’s division in less than five minutes. If you want to make Rousey the champion again then do it, but don’t have Morgan get destroyed at the pay per view and then keep the title on some fluke. This sets up the title match, but I’m worried about what they’ll do when they get there.

The Usos fire up Solo Sikoa when Sami Zayn interrupts for a staredown. Solo thanks him for the help out there and accepts Roman Reigns’ endorsement as proof of Sami’s status. Jey still isn’t convinced and says Solo needs to do his thing tonight. Sami is ready to go but Jey says everyone is going on there.

Shayna Baszler tells Ronda Rousey to take Liv out. That seems to work for Rousey, who seems to think she can do what Baszler couldn’t.

Maximum Male Models/Los Lotharios vs. Hit Row/Street Profits

Mansoor gets in trouble to start and the good guys chase everyone else off the apron and we take a break. Back with Adonis in trouble but Humberto accidentally takes Angel out. The hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house as everything breaks down. Humberto breaks up the big dive so Dawkins backdrops him to the floor. Dawkins hits his own big dive and Top Dolla loads up his own, only to have Maxxine break it up. B Fab isn’t having that and the brawl is on, leaving Mace to take the Heavy Hitter for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C. They do seem to be doing something with Hit Row as the team is being treated as a threat, though having them around an established team like the Street Profits is only going to work for so long before they feel overshadowed. Granted it doesn’t help when they’re beating a team like the Models, who are little more than jokes. Los Lotharios aren’t much better, but a little variety would be good for them.

Here is the Alpha Academy for a chat. We hear about how great the team is and the catchphrase is demonstrated before Chad Gable talks about how annoyed he is at the returning Braun Strowman. More bragging and threats ensue until Strowman storms the ring and wrecks them both, including a powerbomb to Otis. That seems to work.

Drew McIntyre says Clash At The Castle should have been the greatest moment of his life but it wasn’t because of Solo Sikoa. Now it is time to face the consequences and Sikoa isn’t going to like them.

Drew McIntyre vs. Solo Sikoa

The Usos and Sami Zayn are here too. McIntyre starts fast and knocks Sikoa around without much trouble. The Futureshock connects early and Sikoa bails outside for a meeting. We take a break and come back with Sikoa holding a nerve hold. McIntyre fights up but gets knocked into the corner for the running Umaga attack. Back up and McIntyre gets in an elbow to the face but has to drop the Usos.

Sami breaks up the big flip dive and the distraction lets Sikoa hit the superkick for two. McIntyre is sent outside for the beating from the Usos but the Street Profits run in for the save. Ford hits the big dive, leaving McIntyre to Claymore Sikoa to the floor. The dive is loaded up but Karrion Kross comes in with the KrossJacket to choke McIntyre for the DQ at 10:30.

Rating: C+. They had me worried at the end there and then saved it with the interference rather than Sikoa taking the Claymore for the pin. I get that you don’t need Sikoa to get a pin over McIntyre straight off and it would be too far, but they did a nice job with finding a way out of the clean loss. Sami and the Usos continue to be a great wildcard and it could be a lot of fun to see Zayn be the one who breaks the Bloodline apart from within.

Kross chokes McIntyre out to end the show (with the camera fading to black and commentary screaming for someone to help McIntyre in a great feature).

Overall Rating: C+. Much like Raw, I’m curious about how much of this show went down this way because of the travel fatigue. They were coming off of a weird run of shows over the weekend and that might explain why this one was a bit off. They did take some steps towards Extreme Rules and you can probably guess some of the card from here. Certainly not a bad show, but nothing that has me wanting to see what is next all that badly.

Results
Imperium b. Brawling Brutes – European Bomb to Holland
Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez b. Toxic Attraction – Tejana Bomb to Jayne
Ronda Rousey b. Xia Li, Natalya, Sonya Deville and Lacey Evans – Ankle lock to Deville
Hit Row/Street Profits b. Maximum Male Models/Los Lotharios – Heavy Hitter to Mansoor
Drew McIntyre b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when Karrion Kross interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 5, 2022
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Clash At The Castle and that means we have about a month to go before Extreme Rules. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of Clash rematches at the show, some of which might be set up tonight. In addition to that, the extreme starts tonight as we have a steel cage match with US Champion Bobby Lashley defending against the Miz. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash At The Castle if you need a recap.

Here is Edge to get things going. Edge wants to talk about Dominik Mysterio, who he has watched grow up. He sees Dominik like family and is here to help the Mysterios against Judgment Day. Is it because of that one accidental spear? If so Edge is sorry, but what is going on with Dom? Rey raised him better than that but Edge is a different beast entirely. If Dom thinks he’s a man, then he needs to come out here and pay a man’s price.

Cue Rey, but Edge says that isn’t the Mysterio he wanted. He calls out Dominik again, only to get Rhea Ripley instead. She talks about Edge and Rey thinking Dominik as just a little boy, but she saw the potential in him and turned him into a man. Cue Dominik with his hair slicked back and in all black, so Rey says snap out of it and make things right. Rhea says Dominik isn’t listening to Rey anymore and Edge can’t stop his judgment day. Rey says he can’t be part of this and walks away, but stops to talk to Dominik in the aisle.

Dominik won’t even look at him, though he might be listening to the EDDIE SUCKS chants. Rey walks off and looks back (great shot) as Edge tells Dominik to get in the ring. Cue Finn Balor and Damian Priest from behind to jump Edge and the beatdown is on. Rey comes back and gets taken out as well. A Coup de Grace onto a chair onto Edge’s knee likely writes him off TV for the time being, with Rey coming in to clear things out. Priest puts his arm around Dominik, who seems to have joined the team.

Earlier today, Miz and Ciampa arrived, with the former not wanting to talk about Dexter Lumis being in the back of his car as he left last week. Then eh asks why he is never asked how he is doing. Interviewer: “How are you?” Miz: “None of your business.” They walk over and see a car turned upside down. Uh oh.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy vs. Los Lotharios vs. Street Profits

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot and whoever gets pinned gets to explain why the Viking Raiders aren’t included. Woods and Garza start things off but we pause so Garza can TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. Then Garza tags in Kofi so New Day has to face off. They get smart by going New Age Outlaws with Woods laying down so Kofi can steal the pin, which draws in everyone for the save.

New Day is left alone in the ring and for some reason they don’t do the same thing again, instead hitting stereo running flip dives onto everyone else as we take a break. Back with Ford kicking his way out of trouble and handing it off to Dawkins to clean house. Dawkins hits his own running flip dive, leaving the once again legal Ford to have to flip out of the American Automatic.

Back in and everyone but Alpha Academy go up top, with Ford and Woods being slammed out of different corners. Humberto’s moonsault hits raised boots and Otis plants Ford for two with Kofi making the save as we take a break. Back with Ford throwing Otis down but getting caught on top by Los Lotharios. With the two of them taken out, Ford dives onto Otis but gets ankle locked by Gable….and never mind as Braun Strowman is back. Strowman wrecks everyone and we’ll call it a no contest at about 14:30.

Rating: C+. The match was fun while it lasted but this was all about the big surprise in the end. The other good thing is that none of the teams are actually getting a title shot at the moment, because there is no reason to have any of them get a chance. New Day and Profits vs. Usos have both been run into the ground so let’s move on and do something fresh, hopefully with the Vikings, who should be the #1 contenders anyway.

Post match Strowman wrecks everyone, including powerslamming Dawkins through the announcers’ table.

Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Ash/Doudrop

Non-title. Aliyah tries to take Doudrop down to start and gets hit in the face for her efforts. A running hurricanrana goes badly as well and Doudrop swings her into the buckles a few times. We see Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky watching in the back and they are officially dubbed Damage Control.

Nikki takes Aliyah down out of the corner for two, with Rodriguez having to make a save. The tag brings in Rodriguez a few seconds later and house is cleaned. Rodriguez can’t powerbomb Doudrop though and a backsplash gives Doudrop two. Everything breaks down and Aliyah pulls Ash off the apron, leaving Rodriguez to manage a Tejana Bomb out of the corner to pin Doudrop at 3:31.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it was a good enough way to get the new champs on the show. I don’t know how long they are going to hold the titles but at least they got to win a match and hold up the titles for a week. Odds are those titles are Damage Control’s to win, though the question is when they get there.

Rey Mysterio says he needs to talk to Dominik but he will never put his hands on his son, no matter what Judgment Day does to him. For tonight though, he wants any member of the team one on one.

We look at Sheamus getting a standing ovation at Clash At The Castle.

Here is Austin Theory for a chat. Things went well on Saturday and Crown Jewel (Theory: “Just kidding, Clash At The Castle!”) was a success. He’s still the youngest Mr. Money In The Bank ever, but unlike everyone else, he keeps getting up after being knocked down by a World Champion boxer. Theory is glad that Roman Reigns is still champion because they have history together. His jaw still hurts and here is Kevin Owens to interrupt.

Owens wonders what’s wrong with Theory’s jaw and then remembered that he got KO’D! Oh and he found his first name again! Owens can’t stand delusional people and no one is more delusional than Theory. What Tyson Fury did to him on Saturday was a good thing, because if Theory had cashed in, Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns would have put him down.

Theory brings up how long it has been since Owens won a title. Owens talks about how he had McIntyre and Reigns beaten and the only reason Theory has the briefcase is because Owens wasn’t in the ladder match. As Owens gets into a frenzy, he thinks a referee is about to come down here and one of them is going to say let’s fight (Owens: “That’s me!”) so let’s go.

Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory

Theory bails to the floor to start and gets run over, setting up a corner clothesline back inside. There’s the Cannonball to send Theory back outside, where the apron frog splash crushes him to take us to a break. Back with Owens fighting out of a chinlock and sending Theory face first into the announcers’ table. A backsplash hits Theory for two back inside but he manages the rolling dropkick for two. The chinlock goes on and we go to a split screen to see Fury knocking Theory out again on Saturday.

Owens fights up and forearms away, setting up a series of clotheslines to the floor. A Swanton to the floor only hits raised knees though and we take another break. Back again with Owens hitting the middle rope Swanton but getting knocked down again. A Town Down is blocked and Owens nails a superkick, only to be sent outside. Theory sends him HARD into the steps for a close nine count and takes Owens back up top. That earns Theory the swinging superplex and the Pop Up Powerbomb sets up the Stunner to give Owens the pin at 16:52.

Rating: B-. They got some time here, minus the pair of commercials, so this was a rather nice showcase for Owens. I’m still not big on seeing Theory lose over and over again, but at least he is back on TV and has his first name back. The problem with Money In The Bank right now is having to deal with such a dominant champion, so we could be waiting around for a good while. That isn’t likely to go well for Theory either, as things have already been going badly for him and could get even worse.

Miz still doesn’t want to talk about Dexter Lumis, but he is cool with the United States Title match tonight, because he is better than Bobby Lashley one on one.

Long recap of Clash At The Castle.

Video on a soldier who earned the Medal Of Honor.

Here is Damage Control for a chat. Bayley brags about their win at Clash At The Castle and says imagine what they can do to the rest of the women’s division. Sky promises to take the Tag Team Titles next week because Kai wasn’t legal last week. Bayley wants Bianca Belair too, so here is Belair to say let’s do it right now. That’s a no from Bayley because she isn’t working on Labor Day, but for now all we’re doing is celebrating that she beat Belair, YEAH.

Belair remembers it took three women to beat her and she still has the title, so Bayley is in control of nothing. The trio heads to the floor, with Bayley saying she has nothing to prove to Belair. She’ll take the title when she wants it and promises to get it one way or another, which seems to be a threat from Sky and Kai.

We take a long look at Drew McIntyre’s entrance at Clash At The Castle.

Johnny Gargano is glad to be back here but Austin Theory comes in to say Gargano has been Johnny Talking since he got back. Gargano says that’s true, but he’s back in the ring next week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest

Rey goes right at him to start but has to escape the South of Heaven chokeslam. A big boot drops Rey fast and a running shoulder to the ribs makes it even worse. Another charge only hits post though and Rey hammers away as hard as he can. A springboard spinning crossbody lets Rey fire off more right hands to the face but Priest gets in a few shots to take over again. Rey dropkicks him to the floor but gets dropped again as the rest of Judgment Day comes out.

We take a break and come back with Rey fighting out of a chinlock and sending Priest outside for more kicks. Back in and Rey hits a Lionsault, followed by a spinning DDT for a breather. The 619 is countered though and Priest kicks him in the face again. Back up and Rey tries another 619, only to get cut off by Dominik. That’s enough for the South of Heaven to finish Rey at 13:28.

Rating: C+. Rey knows how to deal with a monster like this and Priest looked good in victory. Dominik costing Rey the match makes it even better and odds are we’re coming up on the Mysterio showdown, whenever they actually get there. Rey isn’t going to be hurt by the loss and now the question becomes how well Dominik can be presented on his way to the match with his dad. Priest was just the heavy here but he knows how to make it work so this went well.

Post match Rhea Ripley says that Dominik is ready to get rid of Edge next week.

We look back at Braun Strowman attacking everyone again.

Strowman says he’s back and no one is safe. See you on Smackdown.

We look back at Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle on Saturday.

Riddle says he let his emotions get the better of him.

Rollins is proud of his win and moving on to bigger and better things.

United States Title: The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Miz, with Tommaso (yes Tommaso) Ciampa is challenging inside a cage. We get the Big Match Intros and Miz jumps him with the title before the bell. They go to the floor (not an escape as the match hasn’t started yet) with Lashley being double teamed for some double applause. Lashley’s arm is crushed with the steps and we take a break before the match actually starts.

We take a break and come back with the match joined in progress as Miz covers him for two. Miz stomps away and the YES Kicks get two more. Lashley gets fired up and hits a swinging neckbreaker before sending Miz into the cage a few times. The threat of a spear sends Miz bailing for the door but even Ciampa’s assist can’t get him outside. Lashley sends Miz into the cage a few more times but Miz goes for the bad arm to block the Hurt Lock. That’s enough to send Lashley up the cage, only to have Ciampa swat him down with a chair. Miz is back up with a running knee for two and we take another break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of a Crossface and taking Miz up for a top rope superplex and two. Miz avoids a spear to send Lashley into the cage, setting up the Skull Crushing Finale for two. Back up and Lashley goes for the door but has to knock Ciampa down, allowing Miz to slam the door on Lashley’s head over and over. Miz goes to escape…and Dexter Lumis has crawled out from underneath the ring. That makes Miz climb back in and the spear retains the title at 13:58.

Rating: C+. See how easy it is to make a title feel important again? Over the last few weeks, Lashley has been defending the title because people have been trying to take it from him. That puts Lashley on a winning streak, which is what you need to make a champion feel that much more important. It is such a simple idea and it worked well here. Miz did his thing and the Lumis deal at the end was the logical way to go, making this a good main event on both fronts.

Post match Lumis climbs into the cage and Lashley shuts the door. Lumis chokes Miz out and…strokes his head to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The positive about this show is really simple: they had stories going on throughout the match and added in wrestling to fill things out. They didn’t waste much time (fair enough on the video packages as a lot of the roster was in Wales two days ago) and the feuds were advanced. Throw in a big return from Strowman and this was an efficient and even well done Raw. Good show here as the show is starting to get into more of a much needed rhythm.

Results
New Day vs. Alpha Academy vs. Los Lotharios vs. Street Profits went to a no contest when Braun Strowman interfered
Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah b. Nikki Ash/Doudrop – Tejana Bomb to Doudrop
Kevin Owens b. Austin Theory – Stunner
Damian Priest b. Rey Mysterio – South of Heaven
Bobby Lashley b. The Miz – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 25, 2022
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We’re officially in an all new era as Vince McMahon is completely gone and HHH is now in charge of creative. That may sound very interesting on paper but I would give it another week before you see any major changes. There might be some surprises here and there this week though as it’s the go home show for Summerslam. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Miz and Logan Paul mid-brawl in the ring with referees having to break it up. There’s your fresh way of starting the show.

With that out of the way, here is the Bloodline for a chat. Roman Reigns gets to the point by having the Garden acknowledge him before handing it off to Paul Heyman. After the mic goes out (Heyman: “We have a sound guy that must be from New Jersey or something. We want your name written down. You’re the next one out the door.”), we hear about everything Brock Lesnar has done over the years.

Lesnar has ruined a lot of things over the years, including the Streak, but he won’t do that on Saturday when Roman Reigns nears 700 days as Universal Champion. Reigns is tired of hearing about Lesnar every time you mention his name so it is time to send Lesnar back to Canada to slaughter a bunch of hogs. Heyman explains the concept of Last Man Standing, which is how Reigns is finally going to get rid of Lesnar once and for all.

Now cue Theory with the briefcase, but Reigns says that if you’re going to come out here, get in the ring and acknowledge the Tribal Chief. Theory stares Reigns down, but Reigns says that Theory’s daddy isn’t here to protect him anymore. Fans: “WHO’S YOUR DADDY?” Reigns says it’s going to be him if Theory doesn’t mind himself. The Bloodline goes to leave but Jimmy Uso taps Theory on the neck. A briefcase shot to the back…actually doesn’t get any reaction from Jimmy, as the Bloodline leaves in peace.

Post break Theory is still in the ring but Drew McIntyre cuts him off.

Theory vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre starts fast and hammers away with the power but gets caught with a jawbreaker. Theory gets to stomp away in the corner until McIntyre blasts him with a clothesline. Futureshock connects but Theory rolls outside before the Claymore can launch. That’s cool with McIntyre, who drops him chest first across the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Theory sending him outside and then whipping him hard into the steps. Back in and McIntyre reverses a suplex into one of his own before winning the slugout. The Claymore is loaded up again but here are the Brawling Brutes to jump McIntyre for the DQ at 9:37.

Rating: C. I liked this one well enough as you had Theory in there with a fresh opponent but he also didn’t use the briefcase for the DQ. It was nice to not go with the obvious ending that Theory has been using as they actually mixed it up a bit. Now just let Theory win a match and we might be getting somewhere.

Post match the beatdown is on until Bobby Lashley makes the save. Theory has to bail before he gets wrecked as well.

Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre vs. Theory/Sheamus

Joined in progress with Lashley beating on theory before handing it off to McIntyre. A cheap shot from behind puts McIntyre down though and it’s Sheamus coming in to choke away in the corner. The Irish Curse plants McIntyre and Sheamus hammers away but he won’t tag Theory back in.

That’s enough for McIntyre to get in the Glasgow Kiss and bring Lashley back in. Sheamus gets suplexed and knocked outside, where Lashley’s spear to Theory is cut off by Sheamus’ knee. Butch gets in the ring for a distraction so Ridge Holland can go after McIntyre. That’s fine with McIntyre, who suplexes Butch onto Holland, earning the Brutes an ejection and we take a break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked down again so Sheamus can come back in. Lashley spinebusters his way to freedom and the hot tag brings in McIntyre to clean house. A Sky High gets two on Theory but McIntyre gets low bridged to the floor, leaving Lashley to hit the big spinebuster on Theory. Sheamus breaks up the cover with a top rope knee so McIntyre takes him outside. The fight is on until Sheamus hits the White Noise on the floor. Theory is back up but cue Dolph Ziggler for a distraction so Lashley can grab the Hurt Lock for the tap at 12:20.

Rating: B-. This got some more time and advanced Lashley vs. Theory a bit more. Sheamus vs. McIntyre is already set for Friday so they got a little extra time of their own here. It might not have been the best match but it was an effective bit of storytelling and there is always room for that.

Post match Theory goes up the ramp but gets superkicked by the Usos. Roman Reigns comes back out to hand Theory his briefcase.

We look back at 20 years of Rey Mysterio in WWE.

Rey arrived with his wife and kids earlier tonight.

Dolph Ziggler says he wants Theory to back up his potential. AJ Styles comes in to say he likes that idea but here is the Alpha Academy to interrupt. A tag match is set up.

Here is Rey Mysterio, with Dominik, for the 20th anniversary celebration. Rey talks about having his first match in Mexico at 14 years old and now here he is. Rey can’t believe he made it here after making all kinds of legendary rivalries. As a smaller guy and a proud Latino, he became World Champion at Wrestlemania XXII and made a lot of friends along the way.

Rey thanks Dean Malenko, Konnan, Batista, Kurt Angle and Edge, but then there is Eddie Guerrero. He thanks Eddie for always watching over him and feels truly humble for all of the support he has received for the last twenty years. Rey also thanks his family (watching backstage along with some friends) and Dominik in particular but finally he needs to thank the fans. We get some thank you’s in Spanish but here is Judgment Day through the crowd for their scheduled match.

Mysterios vs. Judgment Day

Joined in progress (a theme tonight) with Dominik taking over on Balor before sending him into the corner for right hands from Rey. We get the Eddie dance in the corner as Rey hammers away, only to get sent face first into the buckle. Priest comes in for the hard whip into the corner and the toss suplex gets one.

It’s back to Balor for the chinlock but Rey pops u for a quick escape. Dominik comes back in to clean house, including a dropkick to put Balor on the floor. Priest cuts off Dominik’s dove and sends him into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Dominik hitting a reverse Sling Blade and bringing Rey back in for a kick to Priest’s head.

A top rope seated sent on gets two on Priest, who boots Rey down for two of his own. It’s back to Balor, who has to avoid the 619 and hit the Coup de Grace for two as Dominik saves. With nothing else working, Balor tries the Eddie Guerrero chair trick but Rey does the same thing right back. A double 619 sets up the frog splash to finish Balor at 11:29.

Rating: C+. This feud really needs to wrap up already because it has already run out of steam. Granted that might be due to Judgment Day being treated as a bunch of losers for so long now but I’m sure they’ll stretch it out again. It was nice to see Rey get a win on his big night, though the evening is young and ripe for something happening later.

We look at Cody Rhodes winning the ESPY Award for WWE Moment of the Year.

The Mysterios join their family and friends backstage with drinks being poured. Rey also gets what looks like his gear from Halloween Havoc 1997. Rhea Ripley comes in and pie faces Rey’s daughter, meaning it’s Judgment Day coming in to beat Rey down (Balor: “It’s not your anniversary. It’s my birthday!”), including Priest powerbombing him onto a table.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat, but first we see how her match with Becky Lynch at Summerslam. Cue Becky but Belair cuts her off with the EST names. Becky decks her and the brawl is on with referees having to break it up. Short and to the point here.

Alexa Bliss is ready for Doudrop tonight and then is coming for the title.

Rey Mysterio is pretty banged up but Dominik has to chase off Judgment Day. The distraction lets Rhea kick Rey in his bad arm.

Doudrop vs. Alexa Bliss

Nikki Ash is here with Doudrop and her distraction lets Doudrop hit a running crossbody for an early two. The chinlock goes on to keep Bliss in trouble but she fights up and kicks away. A running basement dropkick gives Bliss two but she has to avoid a charge in the corner. Doudrop is favoring her shoulder so the referee checks on her, allowing Ash to shove Bliss off the top. Not that it matters as Bliss grabs a tornado DDT for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as Bliss’ offense was a bit hard to buy against a monster like Doudrop. That being said, Doudrop hasn’t meant anything in a long time so the result wasn’t a surprise. At least Bliss seems to have something in mind now and her getting back into the title picture wouldn’t be the biggest stretch.

Post match Bliss signs a fan’s sign for a nice moment.

AJ Styles tells Logan Paul that he doesn’t know much about him, but if Paul doesn’t like Miz, AJ must like him.

It’s time for the debut of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive TV and he gets straight to the point by calling Miz out. An insult to the size of Miz’s testicular fortitude, here is Maryse to answer instead. Maryse can’t pronounce genitalia but she does have some statistics about average size. Paul: “Who measures their testicles?” Cue Miz to say he does, as does every single man in this arena. Miz yells about how he gave Paul everything and now Paul is ruining it. Paul says Maryse has a bigger set than Miz and the brawl is on, with Ciampa running in to help beat Paul down. The Skull Crushing Finale drops Paul.

The Street Profits and the Usos have a staredown with Jeff Jarrett in the middle. Trash is talked but Jarrett says he wants peace kept tonight, because he’ll remember it on Saturday.

AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler vs. Alpha Academy

Before the match, Chad Gable praises himself and mocks Styles and Ziggler as a thrown together team. Like the New York Knicks! AJ starts fast with the drop down into the dropkick to send Gable outside. There’s the big slingshot dive and we take a break. Back with Otis running over AJ, who manages to slip over for the tag to Ziggler. That’s fine with Otis, who drops Ziggler with a hard elbow to the face. Gable comes in and misses the moonsault, allowing Ziggler to hit the superkick. Everything breaks down and AJ knocks Gable into a Zig Zag for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. Pretty much just a “there” match with Styles and Ziggler having nothing in common and now getting a tag match for whatever reason. They did need to get Ziggler something to do until Theory is freed up so maybe this is the best that they have. Then again, the Alpha Academy doesn’t mean anything anymore after so many losses so this was some decent filler and little more.

Summerslam rundown.

Bloodline vs. Riddle/Street Profits

Dawkins takes Jimmy down to start and hands it off to Ford. Jimmy pulls Ford into the corner for some choking from Jey and Reigns but Ford is fine enough to grab the arm. Riddle comes in for the rapid fire kicks and the Usos are sent outside, with Ford hitting the big flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Riddle getting stomped in the wrong corner, including some from Reigns himself. Reigns cranks on the arm and hands it back to Jimmy, who misses a splash in the corner. That’s enough for the tag to Ford, who starts the house cleaning with some kicks to the head. Reigns comes in off a blind tag though and a release Rock Bottom plants Ford hard for two. Ford got busted open somewhere in there and the Usos make it worse with something like a top rope Demolition Decapitator.

We take another break and come back with Ford managing to knock Reigns down. Riddle gets the tag to clean house and everything breaks down in a hurry. That includes a bunch of moves with the word Bro, including the springboard Floating Bro to the floor. Reigns tags himself back in and drops Riddle for two, with Ford making the save. Jimmy hits a big dive onto Ford on the floor but Dawkins takes him out. Riddle hits the hanging DDT on Reigns but the RKO is shoved off, allowing Reigns to hit the spear for the pin at 19:25.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting and long main event tag match that is going to work more often than not. Riddle taking the fall is a bit sad to see, but it is a fall against Reigns and the Profits have a title match at Summerslam so it could have been a worse pick. Good, long match here though and sometimes that’s what you need.

Post match here is Seth Rollings to give Riddle a Stomp onto the steps to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but it was WAY better than the last few terrible weeks. There was a bit more energy to the show and while we didn’t get anything significantly different, I’ll take some slight changes over what we were getting and hope for more after Summerslam. Other than that, the sad part of this show is how Madison Square Garden feels like any other arena. There was little here that made the Garden feel special and that is sad for the World’s Most Famous Arena. Overall though, this was a breath of fresh air and I’ll take that any week.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Theory via DQ when the Brawling Brutes interfered
Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre b. Theory/Sheamus – Hurt Lock to Theory
Mysterios b. Judgment Day – Frog splash to Balor
Alexa Bliss b. Doudrop – Tornado DDT
AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler b. Alpha Academy – Zig Zag to Gable
Bloodline b. Riddle/Street Profits – Spear to Riddle

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 11, 2022
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re well on the way to Summerslam and that means the card is mostly set. I’m curious to see what that means we are going to be seeing added to the show, as that can often be more interesting than seeing things built up even more. If nothing else, Brock Lesnar is here tonight so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap from Smackdown with Roman Reigns saying things pick up when the Big Dog comes around.

Here is Brock Lesnar to get things going. Brock says God bless Texas and even takes his hat off to show some manners. Reigns talks about how Roman Reigns has been living high on the hog and at Summerslam, the hog is being slaughtered, like Lesnar does on his ranch. Violence is promised, but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Lesnar: “Speak of the hog.” Heyman talks about how Lesnar is a monster, but the fans say Heyman sucks. Lesnar asks if Heyman is going to say anything worthwhile, sending Heyman into a rant about how this match plays into Lesnar’s hands.

We hear about how Lesnar is a killer and someone who will destroy everything. Reigns is approaching 700 days as Universal Champion and that is a streak Lesnar won’t break. Heyman will have Reigns ready, even if that means reaching up Lesnar’s a** and ripping out his heart. Lesnar isn’t sure what to make of that but here is Theory to interrupt. Theory promises to win the title at Summerslam, but Lesnar tells him to come down here and let’s do it right now.

We see a clip of Lesnar beating Theory up in the Elimination Chamber, which Theory says is what could happen to Reigns. It could happen to Lesnar too, and here is the Alpha Academy for a distraction. Chad Gable’s chop block just annoys him and the ring is cleared out with no trouble. Lesnar F5’s Otis through the announcers’ table for a bonus. And that’s how Brock Lesnar is used this week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor

Damian Priest and Rey Mysterio are here too and before the match, Priest says that the Mysterios being attacked last week was one for the old guys. Now Rey has nothing to offer Dominik but an ugly mask and some old, tired tricks that aren’t even his. The offer is tossed out to join the Judgment Day again but Dominik turns them down. Balor points out what happens to people they don’t like and we see the beatdown on Edge from a few weeks ago. Balor calls Rey a bad father and the villains are cleared out without much trouble.

As for the actual match, we’re joined in progress after a break with Balor choking on the ropes until Rey is back with a kick to the floor. The big dive connects but Balor is back up with a backbreaker to take over again. Rey fights back but gets caught on top with a shot to the knee.

Said knee is fine enough to send Balor outside for a sliding sunset bomb into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Rey hitting a super hurricanrana for two, despite having one good leg. The 619 connects but Balor avoids the frog splash. Rey crucifixes him for two but Balor is back with something close to 1916. The Coup de Grace gives Balor the pin at 10:12.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t a great match but Balor vs. Rey is going to work just because of the two people involved. There is so much talent involved that it will be fine enough, which is about what we got here. What matters is continuing the story, which could mean the end of Dominik and that is a very promising world.

Post match Dominik checks on Rey as Judgment Day looks down at both of them.

Here is Becky Lynch before the Raw Women’s Title match. She gets on the announcers’ table and rants about how she should have gotten her rematch but didn’t have a shortcut like Liv Morgan or a title shot like Carmella is getting tonight. Lynch gets where she goes because she is that good and works that hard, so tonight she is DEMANDING the title shot at Summerslam.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Belair is defending and drives Carmella into the corner without much trouble to start. They go outside with Belair sending her into the corner, only to stop to yell at Lynch as we take a break. Back with Carmella grabbing a figure four necklock across the ropes. Carmella goes up, only to get pulled out of the air and caught with a delayed vertical suplex for two. The trade rollups for two each and Belair hits a double chickenwing facebuster.

Raised knees block the handspring moonsault though and Carmella rolls her up for two more. The low superkick is countered into a faceplant on the turnbuckle but the KOD is countered into an X Factor (nice) for another near fall. Belair is back with a clothesline, only to get caught with a spinebuster. Carmella low bridges her to the floor, where Carmella rakes her eyes. That earns her a posting and Belair throws her back inside. Cue Becky for the distraction so Belair gets counted out at 11:47.

Rating: C. Of course they did. Of course they did. Of course they have to keep Carmella in this spot, meaning she is probably going to get a title match at Summerslam out of all this stuff. I’m sure Becky vs. Bianca is coming, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Carmella added somehow. Pretty good match here, but the result is pretty awful.

Post match Carmella holds up the title until Belair finally punches her in the chest. The KOD plants Carmella, because THIS FEUD MUST CONTINUE SINCE A CLEAN WIN MEANS NOTHING!

Here’s the same creepy vignette from the last few weeks.

We look back at Miz and Ciampa joining forces to beat down AJ Styles.

Here are Miz and Ciampa for MizTV. Ciampa wants to open eyes around here and Miz can help him do that better than anyone else. This sends Miz into a rant about Logan Paul, who has posted a video saying that he is still coming for Miz. That doesn’t work for Miz, who offers Paul one more chance to be his partner, or he’ll just team with Ciampa to win the titles.

Cue AJ Styles to say Miz has found someone to do his dirty work, which sounds like the actions of someone with…..Miz: “DON’T YOU DARE!” AJ calls him a coward….with tiny, tiny testicles. Styles clears the ring and here is Ezekiel to interrupt. His brother Elias talks about how Styles really is phenomenal. He was almost as insistent about that as he was about Miz having tiny testicles. Ezekiel has been talking to Adam Pearce and the scheduled handicap match is now going to be a tag match.

Ezekiel/AJ Styles vs. Ciampa/Miz

Joined in progress with Ciampa working on Ezekiel, who comes back with some shots to the face. Miz comes in and gets knocked down as well, meaning it’s back to Ciampa, who gets suplexed for his efforts. A cheap shot from the apron puts Ezekiel in trouble though and Ciampa sends him into the barricade, setting up the pat on the back.

We take a break and come back with Ezekiel fighting out of Ciampa’s chinlock and slugging his way out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Styles to clean house, including a gutbuster for two on Miz. The short DDT plants AJ but the fireman’s carry neckbreaker gives Styles two, with Ciampa making the save. AJ puts on the calf Crusher until Ciampa makes another save, this time hammering on Styles until it’s a DQ at 11:32.

Rating: C-. Well I guess it’s better than Ciampa taking another pin. I’m not sure how much better it is to have Ciampa in this team than in anything else but at least he has something to do. Still though, actually having him get a win that matters would be better, though I’m not sure if that is something that is actually going to happen. So call it an upgrade? Maybe?

Post match AJ hits Ciampa with the slingshot forearm to the floor as Miz bails.

Riddle talks to Bobby Lashley about their tag match with Seth Rollins and Theory later tonight. Before that, maybe they can watch Stranger Things together so Riddle doesn’t get scared! Lashley is going to go warm up instead.

Alexa Bliss/Asuka vs. Doudrop/Nikki Ash

Asuka knocks Ash down without much trouble to start and it’s off to Bliss for some rollups. Doudrop comes in off a blind tag though and runs Bliss over. Some forearms allow Ash to come back in for a quickly broken chinlock. Bliss avoids a charge in the corner, allowing Asuka to come back in and strike away at Doudrop. Asuka knees Ash out of the air and adds the sliding kick for two. Back in and Bliss hits her DDT to pin Ash at 4:12.

Rating: C-. The good thing here is that they didn’t have this go on too long, as there was little doubt about who was winning. Bliss has been on a roll since being back and Asuka is Asuka, meaning there isn’t much for Doudrop and Ash to do. This was one of those “get them on the show” matches and that’s fine for a short one.

We look back at the Street Profits getting a shoulder up against the Usos at Money In The Bank but losing anyway.

Jimmy Uso vs. Angelo Dawkins

Jey Uso and Montez Ford are here too. Before the match, the Usos brag about how great they are. This brings out the Street Profits to be rather serious and say that they’re going to win at Summerslam because they want the smoke. And now here’s R-Truth, to say he needs to serve as counselor here. That isn’t going to work for the Usos, unless R-Truth can be the referee for the Summerslam rematch.

Well……actually he is a certified WWE referee so he demonstrates refereeing abilities. Jimmy calls R-Truth a clown, so R-Truth is ready to fight. A handicap match is set up, but now it’s Omos and MVP interrupting. MVP thinks Omos should be the referee, but R-Truth doesn’t think Omos can count to ten. MVP: “Neither can you Truth.” The Profits are in and R-Truth is in, complete with a REMEMBER THE ALAMO (which Riddle said tonight too), so Omos and the Usos knock everyone down without much trouble.

Usos/Omos vs. R-Truth/Street Profits

R-Truth gets caught in the corner to start with all three villains getting in a forearm or two. Some shots out of the corner get R-Truth out of trouble and he flips out of a belly to back suplex. The Profits come in without a tag and hit stereo dropkicks, sending the Usos to the floor. Some dives hit the Usos (though Dawkins mostly crashes in a NASTY landing) but Omos pulls R-Truth out of the air and drops him on the apron to take over.

We take a break and come back with Omos still working on R-Truth as a power giant should. Jey comes in and gets knocked down, allowing the hot tag off to Ford. House is cleaned, including an enziguri to put Omos on the floor. Omos gets posted and a Doomsday Device (back elbow instead of a clothesline) gets two on Jimmy with Jey making a save. Dawkins hits the spinebuster but Omos tags himself in for the chokebomb and the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. It was a bit random, but I will absolutely take this over another singles match between one of the Profits and an Uso. There is no need to keep doing that same thing so mixing it up with some fresh faces is a good idea. I’m not sure if Dawkins needed to take the fall when R-Truth was right there but Omos getting the pin at all is good enough.

Seth Rollins is ready for tonight’s tag match but he doesn’t think much of Riddle attacking him last week. Riddle is just a bro that Randy Orton felt sorry for and now there is no Randy to hide behind. Rollins moves on to talking about Cody Rhodes but here is Theory to ask for Money In The Bank cash-in advice. That works for Rollins and they go off for a chat.

Creepy vignette again.

We look at Miz calling out Logan Paul again earlier tonight.

Paul has responded and wants Miz one on one at Summerslam. He’ll be here next week and (with eyes bugging out) it’ll be AWESOME!

Bobby Lashley/Riddle vs. Seth Rollins/Theory

Rollins knocks Riddle down and drops a knee to start before handing it off to Theory. Some rapid fire kicks in the corner drop Theory and it’s Lashley coming in for a change. A DDT to Rollins and a Downward Spiral to Theory at the same time gets two so Riddle comes back in. Everything breaks down and Rollins is sent outside for a ram into the post….and we have Dolph Ziggler?

We take a break and come back with Rollins hitting a reverse superplex on Riddle for a near fall. Theory comes in but charges into a choke from Riddle. That’s enough for the tag back to Lashley so house can be cleaned. A forearm to the back of the head cuts him off though and Rollins adds a frog splash for two. It’s back to Riddle for the Randy Orton comeback on Theory as Lashley spears Rollins through the barricade. Theory blocks the RKO and rolls Riddle up with feet on the ropes, only to have Ziggler (Remember him?) shove them off. The RKO gives Riddle the pin on Theory at 13:40.

Rating: C+. I kind of like the ending as Theory doesn’t have anything specific going on other than teasing a cash in, so give him some kind of a match at Summerslam instead. It isn’t like Ziggler has been around in the better part of ever anyway so bring him back in for something like this. Good enough match too, with the twist helping a bit.

Post match Ziggler superkicks Theory to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the kind of show that felt long and then went even longer than that. There was some good action here and there, but for the most part it felt like a show where they were trying to fill in as much time as they could. Summerslam got a bit of a build, but the show was rather uninteresting and there wasn’t much worth getting excited about here.

Results
Finn Balor b. Rey Mysterio – Coup de Grace
Carmella b. Bianca Belair via countout
Ezekiel/AJ Styles b. Miz/Ciampa via DQ when Ciampa wouldn’t stop attacking Styles
Alexa Bliss/Asuka b. Doudrop/Nikki Ash – DDT to Ash
Omos/Usos b. R-Truth/Street Profits – Chokebomb to Dawkins
Riddle/Bobby Lashley b. Theory/Seth Rollins – RKO to Theory

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 4, 2022
Location: Pechange Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s a special day as we are live on a major holiday, meaning there will be a grand total of no one watching this show. We’re also fresh off of Money In The Bank and one briefcase is down, as Liv Morgan is the new Smackdown Women’s Champion. Theory is no longer the US Champion but he is Mr. Money In The Bank, which he probably will be for a long time since I’m not sure if Roman Reigns works here anymore. Let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

Ric Flair’s WOO is back in the Then, Now, Forever opening.

The opening video features a look at some very American things before promising to celebrate freedom and breaking the bank tonight. Kind of weird that they didn’t go with a more traditional 4th of July video.

Here is new United States Champion Bobby Lashley to get things going. Lashley is very happy to be back and welcomes us to the show. It’s the man that makes the title and there is not another man in any division or promotion who can beat him for this title. Cue Theory to say he is a young Mr. Money In The Bank and while Lashley won the first half, Theory had a great comeback and came through in the clutch.

Lashley isn’t impressed, but Theory announces that he is getting a rematch at Summerslam and then is cashing in that night to leave with both titles. Lashley is ready to go right now but Theory knocks him down with the briefcase. That’s broken up and Lashley hits the big spinebuster to send Theory running.

The Mysterios are glad to be home.

Judgment Day vs. Mysterios

The villains jump the Mysterios before the bell and we start during the break. Back with Rey fighting back on Priest but a springboard is broken up with a shot to the face. Dominik is taken outside and sent into the barricade as we take a break less than two and a half minutes after we came back from the other one.

Back with Rey hitting a super seated senton on Priest but Dominik charges into a boot in the corner. Rey’s super hurricanrana gets two on Priest, setting up the double 619. A frog splash hits Balor’s raised knees so Dominik brings in a chair. Balor takes that away, meaning it’s time for Rey’s second Eddie tribute in thirty seconds…..and him falling down is enough for the DQ at 9:13.

Rating: C. This has been the latest edition of “Eddie Guerrero was awesome and you will remember that forever” theater, with a special encore at the end. Judgment Day losing to something screwy like this isn’t a good thing to see but at least the Mysterios didn’t get beaten down in their hometown. Granted the night is young, so you never know how bad it could get for them.

We look at Logan Paul signing with WWE and wanting to face the Miz.

Miz knows what it’s like to bring celebrity status into WWE and wants Paul to retract his statement about them being enemies. Now he’s ready to beat AJ Styles and prove the size of his testicles.

And now (well, earlier today), the Street Profits held a 4th of July party, but the Alpha Academy comes in to mock the Profits for losing last night and for not understanding what this holiday is about. Gable gets slapped in the face and the solution is Otis vs. Angelo Dawkins in a hot dog eating contest.

Judgment Day jumps the Mysterios in the back.

AJ Styles vs. Miz

Styles strikes away to start and sends Miz outside as we take an early break. Back with Styles in trouble and Miz hitting the short DDT for two. Not that it matters as the Phenomenal Forearm finishes for Styles at 6:25. Not enough shown to rate but this was nothing.

Post match Ciampa runs in to jump AJ but Styles fights back. Miz is back in with the Skull Crushing Finale and shakes hands with Ciampa, likely sealing Ciampa’s fate.

We recap Liv Morgan winning Money in the Bank and cashing in on Ronda Rousey later that night. Then Rousey was all happy and ok with losing the title.

Here is a crying Liv Morgan for her big championship speech. The fans say she deserves it but she says WE deserve it. She believed in herself and the fans believed in her, which gave her the confidence to do everything on Saturday. This is for all of us…..and here is Natalya to interrupt. Natalya wants the thank you for softening up Rousey and wants the title shot. Liv says bring it and you know where to find her but here is Carmella to interrupt. Carmella wants them to go back to Smackdown and Liv mocks her for the loss on Saturday. The double beatdown is on until Bianca Belair makes the save. Adam Pearce, tag match.

Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair vs. Carmella/Natalya

Joined in progress with Natalya coming in and getting headlocked by Morgan. That’s fine with Natalya, who takes her down and hits the basement dropkick for two. The Sharpshooter goes on so Belair tosses her hair over so Morgan can pull herself to the corner for a tag. Belair comes in but gets caught in another Sharpshooter. That’s broken up so Natalya posts her as we take a break, just over three minutes after coming back from the last one.

Back with Belair fighting out of a chinlock but getting stomped in the corner by Natalya. Belair gets over for the tag off to Morgan for a Codebreaker but Natalya drops her as well. Everything breaks down and Morgan has to kick off a Sharpshooter attempt. Oblivion finishes Natalya at 10:12.

Rating: C-. Yes, their big idea for Liv’s first night is a match with Natalya and Carmella, because that’s the best we can do on the 4th of July. I’m not sure how that is the best they have for her, but it isn’t like her title win was the kind of thing that deserves much better. I like Liv a good bit, but this isn’t the kind of thing that gives me the greatest hope for her future.

Back to the party, with Veer Mahaan having his food stolen, Omos throwing Reggie around and Ezekiel talking about bad 4th of July experiences with his brothers. Then Ezekiel sprays ketchup on Seth Rollins.

We get the creepy video from Money In The Bank, featuring various artifacts from various stars over the years.

Seth Rollins vs. Ezekiel

Rollins sends him into the corner but Ezekiel takes it to the floor for a breather. Back in and Rollins grabs a neckbreaker for two, only to have Ezekiel kick him out of the corner. Ezekiel takes Rollins down on the floor and we take a break. Back with Rollins hitting a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle, only to get kneed out of the air for two. Ezekiel pulls him out of the corner for a helicopter bomb and another near fall, followed by some rollups for the same. Rollins is back with the Stomp for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C. Watchable enough match, but Ezekiel was in over his head here and that was fairly obvious. Odds are Rollins is being set up for another match with Riddle, likely at Summerslam, so he needed a boost here. Ezekiel is in danger of having his feud with Kevin Owens cool off while he’s gone, but how much longer could that have gone anyway?

Post match Rollins loads up another Stomp but Riddle runs in with the RKO to lay him out.

Earlier today, Akira Tozawa beat Otis and Angelo Dawkins in a hot dog eating contest, winning more than both of them combined. Chad Gable wants a recount but Otis isn’t feeling good.

Bobby Lashley/Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy/Theory

Dawkins and Theory start things off with Theory taking over and handing it off to Gable to go after the leg. That’s broken up and it’s Lashley and Ford busting out the double suplexes, with salutes. Dawkins adds the running flip dive and we take a break. Back with Ford knocking Theory down and diving over to tag….no one, as Gable pulled Dawkins off the apron.

Lashley gets the tag a few seconds later and starts cleaning house as Dawkins launches Theory over the announcers’ table. Lashley powerslams Gable but Otis makes the save. That’s fine with Lashley, who spears Otis to set up Ford’s frog splash. Gable makes a save this time and starts throwing suplexes, setting up a moonsault for two on Lashley. The American Automatic (Rolling Chaos Theory) is loaded up but Lashley escapes and hits the spear to pin Gable at 10:02.

Rating: C+. Best match on the show so far, and that is at least partially due to Otis and/or Dawkins not getting sick halfway through. There is always room for a good six man tag and this worked well enough, as the good guys didn’t get handed a fast loss. Gable is still better than what he is doing here but at least he is getting some TV time.

Post match, Otis vomits and we get a slow motion replay.

Becky Lynch doesn’t care about any of this and wants the Women’s Title back. She is ready for Asuka but Asuka isn’t ready for her.

And now, Uncle Sam’s 4th of July celebration, with R-Truth dressed as Uncle Sam. We hear about this being the greatest holiday, which celebrates America’s victory over the aliens in 1996. Sam reads his favorite passage from the Constitution: “WELCOME TO EARTH!” Cue Ludvig Kaiser and Gunther to interrupt so pain can begin.

Gunther vs. R-Truth

Non-title. Graves about Gunther: “He is not human. He is like a piece of iron.” Nice Rocky IV line, but you got the countries wrong you buffoon. Big boot, clothesline and powerbomb finish for Gunther at 48 seconds.

Alexa Bliss wants the title back but Asuka comes in to yell at her.

Same spooky vignette from earlier.

Video on Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns.

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch

Street fight and they both have weapons. It’s a brawl to start with Asuka kicking her down and hitting a chair shot to the back. Becky manages to get a chair into the corner but Asuka breaks that up and hits a dropkick off of another chair. A powerbomb off the apron is broken up and Becky hits a Bexploder onto the pile of chairs on the floor. They trade chair shots until Asuka hits a running hip attack into a chair into Becky through the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Becky going up top but getting caught with a chair. A superplex onto the pile of chairs rocks Becky so Asuka puts a trashcan over her and strikes away. There’s the missile dropkick to drop Becky for two so it’s time to set up the table. With that blocked, Asuka loads up the mist, which Becky blocks with a well timed umbrella. Asuka takes her up top but Becky is back with the Manhandle Slam through the table for the pin at 11:40.

Rating: B-. It was ok, but it was little more than a house show main event. They have probably had this match about a dozen times in front of not that many people and that is not a bad thing. They never came close to another gear or anything close to it, but Becky getting her big win is a good idea. Now just don’t have them fight ever again.

Becky says she’s back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The show wasn’t the worst, but it felt every bit of its three hours plus a lot more. That made for a very rough night as the matches were only so good for the most part. The 4th of July stuff wasn’t awful, but Otis vomiting and the Uncle Sam stuff didn’t have me begging to see more. Overall, this was the definition of a holiday show: they knew no one was going to be watching and presented a show that wouldn’t change a thing in three hours. This wasn’t a nightmare, but it was dull and that is often worse.

Results
Mysterios b. Judgment Day via DQ when Finn Balor was accused of using a chair
AJ Styles b. Miz – Phenomenal Forearm
Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair b. Carmella/Natalya – Oblivion to Natalya
Seth Rollins b. Ezekiel – Stomp
Bobby Lashley/Street Profits b. Theory/Alpha Academy – Spear to Gable
Gunther b. R-Truth – Powerbomb
Becky Lynch b. Asuka – Manhandle Slam through a table

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 27, 2022
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith

It’s a very special night as John Cena is here to celebrate twenty years (to the day) of his WWE debut. That should be enough to carry the night and that might need to be the case. This is also the go home edition of Raw for Money In The Bank, meaning it’s time to build momentum, establish dominance, and maybe even come up with an original tagline for what the participants are doing. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, John Cena returned to quite the hero’s welcome, meeting a bunch of applauding wrestlers and backstage workers. He does kind of deserve it.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

T-Bar, Mustafa Ali, Shanky, Akira Tozawa, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Jinder Mahal, Riddle, Miz, AJ Styles, Ciampa, Reggie, Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Veer Mahaan

Tozawa is tossed out fast and Mahaan clotheslines Benjamin out. The Mysterios and Ali get together and eliminate Mahaan, leaving R-Truth to try to dance with Shanky. Mahal is having none of that though and Truth is tossed. Styles eliminates Mahal and Shanky, with T-Bar throwing Reggie onto them.

We take a break and come back with Ali gone at Ciampa’s knee but Styles knocks Ciampa out. Miz blocks Rey’s 619 and hits the short DDT, which isn’t enough for the elimination. Dominik tries to get rid of Ziggler but gets tossed himself. Miz manages to toss Rey but can’t do the same to Riddle, who gets back in underneath the bottom rope. Ricochet knocks T-Bar to the apron, where he pulls Ricochet out with him.

Ricochet gets thrown onto a standing ladder before diving back to the apron. A not so great headscissors takes T-Bar out as we take another break. Back again with Riddle, Miz, Ziggler, Ricochet, Nakamura and Styles still alive. Miz hits a middle rope ax handle on Riddle but hurts his leg on the landing and goes down. Nakamura knocks Ziggler out but gets kicked to the floor by Riddle. Miz is down on the floor (not eliminated) with medics looking at his knee as Ricochet is catapulted onto the middle rope.

A spinning crossbody is dropkicked out of the air by Styles, who throws Ricochet out. That leaves us with Riddle vs. Styles, with Corey saying we’re down to two. Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but Miz pops up to pull Styles out, meaning it’s Miz vs. Riddle. The hanging DDT drops Miz but he counters the RKO into the Skull Crushing Finale. Riddle manages to hurricanrana him out to the apron and the RKO is good enough to give Riddle the win at 19:23.

Rating: C. It was a battle royal and they almost had to go with Riddle getting the win here. At the end of the day, he has one of the biggest stories in the company at the moment and it involves Roman Reigns. As for the match itself, it was a long battle royal but at least they had some star power there at the end and that is what makes these work as well as they can most of the time.

Commentary: The field is complete!

Commentary: There is one spot left!

Get it together people.

The Street Profits introduce John Cena….but he’s on the wrong side, meaning the camera has to swing around a bit. They ask Cena for advice at Money In The Bank but he reminds them of their success. Cena tells them to never stop, which they interpret as……Never Give Up.

Shawn Michaels, Big Show (he doesn’t even go here), Booker T., Daniel Bryan (he doesn’t even go here either), Trish Stratus and HHH all congratulate Cena on his 20 years.

Riddle is fired up about Money in the Bank and shakes Kevin Patrick to blow off some of the steam.

Jimmy Uso vs. Montez Ford

Uso runs him over to start but gets armdragged into an armbar for his efforts. That’s broken up and they head outside, with Ford being sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Ford fighting up and hitting a clothesline, followed by a kick to the ribs. The running Blockbuster gives Ford two and he hits a heck of a dive against the barricade. Back in and one heck of a frog splash finishes Jimmy at 9:50.

Rating: C+. They had a good enough match here, but I could go for ANYTHING ELSE to keep the story going until Saturday. Have them talk to each other if you have to, but find a way to fill in the gap a bit differently. They’ve done this over and over now and odds are we’ll see it again on Smackdown, because you have to complete the concept you see.

The Mysterios run into Finn Balor and Damian Priest. Balor talks about Rey coming up on his 20 year anniversary but says Rey hasn’t been doing so well as of late. Priest gives Dominik a sales pitch and Rey has to be held back. The match seems to be set for next week in San Diego.

Here’s a long John Cena career retrospective, complete with a look at Cena debuting against Kurt Angle and Undertaker giving him the famous handshake of respect. We also see stuff on his Make-A-Wish work and wrap it up with the testimonials. I know he might not be the most popular and there are some fair criticisms about him, but my goodness Cena is one of the all time legends for a reason.

Here is Miz for a chat, but first we need to look at Logan Paul training at the Performance Center. Miz promises that he and Paul will be back at Summerslam, but first we need to look at Miz turning on Paul at Wrestlemania. Miz mocks the idea of the interviewer being a journalist and hypes up his own media career. After Wrestlemania, he told Paul that was an education and promises that they will be Tag Team Champions. The only disappointment is AJ Styles, which prompts a question about Miz’s tiny……and we are NOT making that a thing. Cue AJ to deck Miz and the match is on.

AJ Styles vs. Miz

Styles starts fast and hits the drop down dropkick but Miz is right back with a shot of his own. The running crotch attack in the ropes drops AJ again and the ax handle gives Miz two. The chinlock goes on for a bit, only to have Miz get knocked to the floor. Styles misses the moonsault though and Miz drops him again as we take a break.

Back with Miz hitting the YES Kicks but AJ snaps off a German suplex for a breather. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker gives AJ two but Miz gets in a shot of his own to cut him off. AJ counters the Skull Crushing Finale into a rollup for two and there’s a brainbuster to leave both of them down. Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but Miz bails to the floor and takes the countout at 13:00.

Rating: C. Not exactly a great match but Miz being a coward continues to work out for him. This felt like a match sent out there to fill in time though and that is rarely a good feeling. It was fine while it lasted, but both guys seem to be waiting on something to do. Miz has that in the form of Logan Paul, though I don’t know about Styles at the moment.

John Cena meets Ezekiel, which has him a bit confused. Cena asks about Elias, who is apparently giving Elrod (yes Elrod) a tour. His advice to Ezekiel though: never forget who you really are. Ezekiel leaves but Theory comes in and hypes himself up, listing off his accomplishments. Oh and Cena is a grown man wearing jorts. Theory loads up the selfie but Cena slips away.

Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, JBL, Chris Jericho (there’s a gasp), Stephanie McMahon and Steve Austin all pay tribute to John Cena.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat. After a look at Carmella jumping her last week, Belair lists off her catchphrases and tells Carmella to come get her right now. Cue Carmella to say she has the beauty and the brains and is going to take the title on Saturday. Kevin Patrick tries to ask Belair another question so Carmella tries a cheap shot, which earns her a right hand to the face. Belair stands tall. This felt like they had to get these two on the show and they couldn’t think of anything else.

Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss are friends now but they won’t be on Saturday. Badly written lines with worse line reading ensues.

Liv Morgan vs. Alexa Bliss

Asuka is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with some grappling going to Bliss. She misses the moonsault knees though as Asuka can’t quite master English again. Bliss avoids a middle rope dropkick and grabs the chinlock. Back up and Oblivion misses, allowing Bliss to grab the DDT. That’s countered into a rollup to give Morgan the pin at 3:23, leaving Asuka worried/surprised.

Rating: C-. Asuka was a bit of a distraction here but the match wasn’t going to be much in the first place. This felt like the kind of match where Morgan was supposed to build momentum but, as is the case every time, it has nothing to do with a ladder match. I don’t know how much of a chance either of them have on Saturday, though I can take these two getting a few minutes to remind us that they’re around.

Video on John Cena’s Make-A-Wish stuff. Still absolutely incredible.

Here is Vince McMahon to introduce John Cena, who comes through a tunnel of adoring stars. With Vince gone, Cena says this is a milestone, which he rarely likes to celebrate because he is always looking forward. However, tonight he has been looking back at what he has done and he couldn’t do it without these people. Cena has been allowed to do this for two decades and that is because of the fans.

The people have been honest enough to tell him when he sucks and kind enough to tell him when he doesn’t. Cena has been waiting for that right moment and this feels like that right moment. We get a THANK YOU CENA chant and he says his heart is beating out of his chest. Cena thanks the fans for moments like that one and for making him who he is. He has always said WWE prepared him for anything and he doesn’t mean Fast and the Furious or Peacemaker.

WWE has made him a better human being, person and husband. Spending moments with the families he has spent time with today has taught him empathy and kindness. The fans have taught him humility and perseverance and every time he gets in the ring, he gives everything he has because these fans give him everything they have. This isn’t about a last name but about people coming together and he’s 45 years old. He doesn’t know when you’ll see him again, though he isn’t saying it isn’t happening. Fans: “ONE MORE MATCH!” Cena: “It ain’t just gonna be one. Don’t worry about that.”

It isn’t about him but about us. If you like something, tell the people. If you see something that sucks, tell the people. Cena thanks the people and asks Laredo to show what kind of noise they can make. Some catchphrases wrap us up. Cena didn’t say much here, but it felt a lot more real than some of the things he usually says. Good stuff, even if it didn’t mean a great deal.

Alpha Academy vs. Bobby Lashley

Theory is guest enforcer. Lashley can’t clothesline Otis down to start but he can shoulder him down. Theory gets on the apron to break up the suplex attempt though, leaving Lashley to send Otis into the corner. Lashley chases Theory outside, allowing Chad Gable to hit a flip dive off the apron. Otis adds the splash and we take a break.

Back with Lashley still in trouble but fighting out of a neck crank. Otis breaks up a superplex and powerbombs Lashley down, setting up Gable’s moonsault for two. Otis goes up this time but Lashley catches him in an electric chair. Gable comes off the top, only to land in the Hurt Lock for the tap at 8:18.

Rating: C. All this match did is make me wonder why we didn’t get to see this match last week to set up Lashley vs. Theory at Money In The Bank. It kept Theory from taking a loss and served the entirely same purpose. At least they kept Lashley looking strong and he should be in for a good match against Theory at the show.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lashley fights them all off.

We look at Cody Rhodes defeating Seth Rollins inside the Cell and Rollins attacking him the next night on Raw.

We get an interview with Cody, who has his pectoral muscle taped up while sitting in a gym. Cody says he might have been flying a little too close to the sun and now he is out for nine months, though he is trying to beat that. He gives his thoughts on the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, which includes Rollins. If Rollins wins, Cody will be the first to congratulate him.

Seth Rollins comes up to John Cena in the back and laughs to the tune of Cena’s music. Rollins compares their careers and success before saying he’ll win Money in the Bank. Then Omos pops up to scare Rollins a bit, which MVP seems to like. Rollins looks to Cena for help but Cena wishes him luck and bails.

Money in the Bank rundown.

Becky Lynch vs. Tamina vs. Doudrop vs. Nikki Ash vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Xia Li

Elimination match and everyone jumps Becky to start. The ring is cleared other than Tamina and Doudrop but Nikki breaks up the staredown. Ash breaks that up but the fight goes through anyway, allowing Becky to come in with a Molly Go Round to Doudrop. Li comes back in to roll Becky up for two but Li has to deal with Ash. The Manhandle Slam gets rid of Li at 2:32 so it’s Shayna coming in to go after Becky.

With that broken up, Doudrop comes in to crush Shayna in the corner but Tamina makes a save. Ash sends Tamina into Becky’s missile dropkick, only to have Becky Disarm Ash for the tap at 4:25. We take a break and come back with Becky suplexing Baszler against the barricade but Doudrop crushes Becky and Tamina against the same barricade.

Back in and we hit the Tower of Doom to leave everyone laying again in the big crash. Baszler kneebars Tamina but gets splashed by Doudrop for the pin at 10:55. Tamina Samoan drops Becky but misses the Superfly Splash. Doudrop Vader Bombs Tamina for the pin at 12:22, ending my thinking that WWE might actually go there. That leaves Doudrop to miss the Vader Bomb on Becky, who is back with a super Manhandle Slam for the win at 13:18.

Rating: C+. Did they just forget about Becky being a heel for a night? This was Becky mowing down the women’s undercard without much trouble and acting like a total heroine the whole time. I was slightly worried that they would go with Tamina here but they got Becky into the match, as they needed to do. Just remember what kind of a person she is at the moment.

Overall Rating: C. Cena carried this show with star power alone because the rest of the show was only so good. It was about building up two spots in the ladder matches and a few other things for Saturday, as the card is only looking so interesting. You can only get so much out of a pay per view that is about a future title shot rather than the title that night, which might explain why it is in the friendly confines of an arena. The show wasn’t all that exciting, but Cena helped it along well enough.

Results
Riddle won a battle royal last eliminating Miz
Montez Ford b. Jimmy Uso – Frog splash
AJ Styles b. Miz via countout
Liv Morgan b. Alexa Bliss – Small package
Bobby Lashley b. Alpha Academy – Hurt Lock to Gable
Becky Lynch won a five woman elimination match last eliminating Doudrop

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 30, 2022
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Jimmy Smith

It’s the go home show for Hell In A Cell and there are four matches announced for the card. I’m not sure what they are waiting for with adding on more matches, but you have to think that something takes place this week. However, it is also Memorial Day, meaning there is a good chance that very little is going to happen here. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Becky Lynch to get things going. She hasn’t been out here to start things off in a bit and she knows the people here are glad she has lost everything. Lynch doesn’t care what these people think, because she collects enemies. We flash back to Money in the Bank 2020, with Asuka winning the briefcase. Then Lynch handed her the Raw Women’s Title because she had to go become a mother.

That made Asuka a selfish monster….and here is Asuka to interrupt. She mocks Becky for being a baby and promises to win the title on Sunday. Cue Bianca Belair, who isn’t happy with Asuka kicking her last week and isn’t too fond of Becky either. She is sure the title isn’t going anywhere though and the fight is on, with Asuka hip attacking Becky to the floor, leaving the other two in the ring.

Asuka vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title and Becky Lynch is on commentary. They flip and jump over each other to start until Asuka kicks her in the ribs. Back up and Belair gets to the middle rope where she, as always, tells Asuka what she can kiss. After the backflip over Asuka, Belair gets pulled down for a kneebar, followed by a guillotine choke. That’s reversed into a suplex for two but another suplex sends both of them crashing to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Asuka hitting a German suplex into the running hip attack for two. Belair catches her on top though, only to moonsault backwards, allowing Asuka to hit a middle rope dropkick for two. A missed charge in the corner lets Belair try the KOD, but Asuka flips out and lands on her feet. Asuka comes up holding her knee though (Becky is VERY pleased) and needs a breather on the floor. Back in and a quick knee gives Asuka two but the Asuka Lock is countered. Asuka tries a rollup, which is quickly stacked up to give Belair the pin at 13:05.

Rating: C+. This match and the last segment let me figure out what I don’t care for with Belair. Her matches are usually good (this one was) and she can do things no one else can do, but none of her matches feel natural. Every time she does something it feels like it’s “ok, time to do this” or “this is where I do thing #3”. Between the kiss it deal or the moonsault off the ropes or the dance or whatever, it feels like she is walking step by step through a script that was planned in advance. It feels robotic and very rarely does she shake that off.

Post match Becky comes in and lays them both out.

Mysterios/Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens/Alpha Academy

Gable headlocks Rey to start but can’t hold onto him, allowing Dominik to come in instead. Dominik takes Gable to the corner and runs the ropes for a wristdrag. Everything breaks down and a triple dropkick sends Otis outside. Gable knocks Dominik off the ropes though and a whip sends him into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Rey dropkicking Owens to break up a Sharpshooter, allowing the tag to Ezekiel. Everything breaks down and Ezekiel cleans house with some Stinger Splashes. A spinning powerbomb gets two on Gable and a hurricanrana sets up a missed 610 on Owens. That leaves Owens to superkick Gable by mistake and it’s a double 619 to rock Gable again. Ezekiel’s spinning suplex finishes Gable at 8:32.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice action here and that shouldn’t be a surprise. Owens losing it more and more over Ezekiel is some nice stuff, even if it makes me want to watch Bobby Heenan trying to find out who Giant Machine really is. I’m still not caring about the Mysterios all that much, but at least it’s better than watching them deal with Veer Mahaan.

Post match Owens is ticked and wrecks the announcers’ table as the Academy isn’t pleased.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins.

Here is Cody for a chat. Cody talks about having the potential to do great things and how his father knew how to see that potential in others. His father told him about the potential in Seth Rollins and then one day Cody was facing Rollins at Wrestlemania. That made Cody nervous, because he couldn’t come back with a loss. Cody didn’t lose there and he didn’t lose at Wrestlemania Backlash.

Now they’re going to the Cell and Cody is going to be able to lose all of his self control because Rollins will be locked inside with a man who wants to hurt him. Cue Rollins to interrupt through the crowd to say he just doesn’t like Cody. All Rollins hears in his sleep is CODY CODY CODY and he can’t stand it any longer.

Six years ago, Cody left WWE and found some friends who wanted to tear down everything Rollins built. Now Cody is back, but he doesn’t get to tear down Rollins’ kingdom. You don’t get to take a sledgehammer to Rollins’ throne and then try to take it from him. On Sunday, Rollins is going to end him and we can wake up from this American nightmare. Cody asks what is stopping him from coming after Seth right now.

Rollins seems to have reality set in on him and Cody takes the jacket off. Rollins comes to the barricade but turns away, only to have Cody come a charging. They fight back to ringside with Cody driving him through the barricade. Referees break it up but they keep fighting, then referees break it up but they keep fighting. They’re finally split apart and kept apart as the fans approve. As they should, as this was the kind of personal brawl that they needed. Rollins now has given a reason to hate Cody and that opens things up a lot more. Good stuff.

Doudrop vs. Alexa Bliss

Nikki Ash is here with Doudrop. Bliss gets powered into the corner and taken down for an early two. Back up and Bliss headscissors her into the corner, setting up a some basement dropkicks. Doudrop runs her over again but misses a Vader Bomb, allowing Bliss to go up, take out Ash, and hit Twisted Bliss for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: D+. I can’t get over how ridiculous the Nikki visuals are, as you have Bliss in the standard (or close enough) gear, Doudrop as the monster, and Ash still in the superhero gear. The match itself was your usual big vs. little match, which only kind of works most of the time. I don’t quite buy Bliss pinning Doudrop after a splash but it isn’t like Doudrop has meant anything in months.

Last week, MVP beat Bobby Lashley and made the Lashley vs. Omos match on Sunday into a handicap match.

It’s time for MizTV, because it feels like we have one of these every week. Miz plugs the season premiere of MizTV next week but here are the Street Profits to interrupt. They talk about Hell in a Cell on Sunday and hype up the card but realize they need to ask Miz about the show. Miz is ready to answer but IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT HE THINKS. Miz puts his hand up and they mock him asking what that means.

Then the 24/7 goons come running in and the Profits get involved as well. It turns into a multi person brawl until Tamina hits a Samoan drop on Dana Brooke to win the title. Tamina picks Akira Tozawa up and kisses him, only to get taken down in a backslide to give Tozawa the pin and the title. So what in the world was the original point of this segment again?

We recap Mustafa Ali’s issues since he came back to WWE as he tries to win the US Title.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ciampa

Theory is on commentary and if Ali wins, he gets a US Title shot. Ali sends him into the corner to start but Ciampa is right back with a knee to the face for two. Ciampa elbows him down and grabs a chinlock before stomping on Ali’s head. The second chinlock doesn’t last as long as Ali is back up with a kick to the face to send Ciampa outside. There’s a suicide dive, with Ali almost going head first into the announcers’ table. Ali goes up but Theory pulls him off the ropes for the DQ at 3:24.

Rating: C-. Well at least Ciampa didn’t get pinned again. I know it’s false hope but my goodness I was hoping he could do SOMETHING on the show. Instead, he might as well be in the corner to my left, because he is little more than a background guy while the real stars are out there. Nothing match, but at least Ali and Theory are getting to do something.

Post match, Theory lays out Ali and says we’ll do the title match right now. Oh and Ciampa disappeared because he means nothing.

US Title: Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Theory is defending and Ali pulls himself up, only to get thrown back down. A whip into the corner rocks Ali again but he manages a superkick. Ali goes up but gets crotched, setting up the A Town Down to retain the title at 1:43.

Hold on though as here is Adam Pearce to say let’s run it back on Sunday.

Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura dub themselves the Bronin and Ronin and promise to take the Tag Team Titles.

Usos vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Riddle

Non-title but a CHAMPIONS CONTENDERS match. Jey gets taken into the wrong corner to start and it’s time for alternating kicks to put him in trouble. That’s broken up and it’s off to Jimmy for a Samoan drop. Jey comes back in to whip Riddle hard into the corner but another kick gets Riddle out of trouble. Nakamura comes back in with Good Vibrations to Jimmy. There’s the sliding German suplex but Jey comes back in to cut Nakamura off. The Superfly Splash gives Jey two and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura getting over to Riddle for the hot tag but the hanging DDT is broken up. Nakamura tags himself back in as Riddle is being suplexed to the floor and it’s Kinshasa to Jey. Jimmy makes a save to leave everyone down but it’s Riddle back in with the snap powerslams. Now the hanging DDT can plant Jey, only to have Jimmy hit Riddle with the scooter for the DQ at 11:35.

Rating: C+. Thirty minutes or so? Is that how long it was since they did THE EXACT SAME ENDING? You have a match for a title shot and someone gets disqualified to earn said title shot and they do it TWICE IN THREE MATCHES??? That is another level of lame booking and I can’t even be shocked that they did it. The match itself was good as you probably expected, but that ending was so dumb that it took away any interest I had in what they were doing.

Post match Nakamura breaks up the double Superfly Splash and Riddle hits the super RKO on Jimmy.

Mustafa Ali is ready for his title match on Sunday. He keeps getting knocked down but he is going keep getting back up and win the US Title in his hometown. Then Theory jumps him again and takes a selfie with the title over Ali. Normally this would set up a big title win for Ali, but I’d hope you aren’t that gullible.

Hell In A Cell rundown, including Judgment Day vs. AJ Styles/Finn Balor/Liv Morgan.

Video on Memorial Day.

Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley

Morgan has been standing in the ring for about ten minutes now, following Ali’s promo, the pay per view rundown, a commercial and the Memorial Day video. Ripley had it better, having only stood there for the commercial and Memorial Day video. Morgan gets knocked into the corner to start but comes back with a choke. Some rams into the corner can’t break it up so Ripley drops backwards onto her for the real break. Ripley takes it to the floor and puts Liv on the apron, only to get caught in a hurricanrana. That isn’t working for Morgan either though as she gets dropped on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Morgan in trouble as Damian Priest and AJ Styles are at ringside. Ripley yells about how Liv dragged her down to her level as I would like to again point out YOU WERE A TEAM FOR A MONTH AND A HALF! STOP ACTING LIKE IT WAS SOMETHING! Morgan fights up and sends her outside for a high crossbody but Priest trips Morgan up. Styles cuts that off and Morgan reverses Riptide into a Backstabber for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C-. Sure why not. You have Ripley, who is FINALLY getting pushed as the monster that she should be and she loses to perennial loser Liv Morgan to set up a six person tag on Sunday. Morgan even overcomes the interference to win to make it even worse. I’m sure Ripley will be fine, but my goodness stop giving people losses like this and the acting like they mean nothing.

Post match Priest takes out Styles. Cue Finn Balor to take him out, allowing Morgan to dropkick Ripley so our plucky band of heroes can stand tall.

We look at the Cody/Seth brawl again.

And now, a contract signing because yes, this is how we’re ending the show. Bobby Lashley, Omos and MVP all come to the ring with Adam Pearce in charge. MVP promises to destroy Lashley in the Cell and says there is no Almighty Era without him. This Sunday, it ends once and for all. MVP signs and he hands it to Omos to do the same. Lashley says he never needed MVP but MVP says he’s talking too much so sign the contract.

The contract is signed and Pearce goes to wrap it up but MVP says we’re not waiting for Sunday. Security comes in and are cleared out just as fast…and here is Cedric Alexander to help take Lashley down. That’s fine with Lashley, who drops Alexander but gets kicked in the face by Omos. A table is set up in the corner and Omos loads up the powerslam, only to have Lashley slip out and spear him through it to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a great example of a show where the wrestling itself worked but everything else dragged it down. Having two matches end in DQ to set up title matches, with a title match squeezed in between, is hardly thought out planning and they kept the dumb rolling by having Morgan beat Ripley. If you want to do something with Morgan, send out ANYONE other than Ripley for her to beat. Were Sonya Deville and Carmella busy?

That being said, there were good parts of the show, including the Cody vs. Seth brawl and a fair few of the matches. The problem, as usual, was most of that last hour, as it is clear that they are front loading the show and ending it with the lamer stuff. That makes for a very long time to wrap things up and that was the case again here. While there was good wrestling, it was surrounded by stuff that was either annoying or just bad, and that makes for a pretty frustrating show.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Asuka – Rollup
Mysterios/Ezekiel b. Kevin Owens/Alpha Academy – Twisting suplex to Gable
Alexa Bliss b. Doudrop – Twisted Bliss
Mustafa Ali b. Ciampa via DQ when Theory interfered
Theory b. Mustafa Ali – A Town Down
Riddle/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Usos via DQ when Jimmy used the scooter
Liv Morgan b. Rhea Ripley – Backstabber

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 9, 2022
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Wrestlemania Backlash and now it is time to start getting ready for Hell In A Cell. This means that we are likely in for MORE rematches, as WWE continues to get more time out of their one set of ideas. Not much happened last night on the Raw side, but Cody Rhodes’ rise continues. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last night’s main event, with Roman Reigns pinning Riddle so the Bloodline could beat RKBro/Drew McIntyre.

Here is RKBro for a chat. Randy Orton talks about how they came up short last night, but that was just a battle and they will win the war. The original plan was for a Tag Team Title unification match, but Roman Reigns cut that off because he knows the Usos can’t beat RKBro. That’s why they’re going to Smackdown this week and DEMANDING that Reigns allow the match. If Reigns doesn’t say yes, it shows how little he believes in his cousins.

Cue the Street Profits, who are scheduled to challenge RKBro later tonight. They are going to be winning the titles tonight and then unifying them against the Usos because they want the titles and the smoke. Riddle: “RKBro 4:20 says we just smoked your a****”. I think that’s a yes. To a match that was already set.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. RKBro

RKBro is defending and Ford takes Riddle down early to start, setting up Ford’s version of Randy Orton’s pose. Back up and Riddle tries an armbar, allowing Riddle to mock Orton’s pose for a bonus. It’s off to Dawkins, who gets taken into the corner so Orton can come in. The assisted Floating Bro gets two as Riddle comes back in and sends Dawkins outside. The penalty kick is blocked though and Ford hits the big flipping dive to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Riddle fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken back into the corner to keep him in trouble. Riddle flips out of a suplex though and the hot tag brings in Orton to clean house. The hanging DDT plants Dawkins and it’s right back to Riddle, who accidentally dives onto Orton on the floor. Back in and the frog splash gives Ford two on Riddle with Orton making a VERY last second save. Ford goes up again but this time the frog splash is countered into an RKO to give Riddle the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. Those RKOs out of nowhere are still great and that was the case for the pin here, as Riddle makes up for mistakenly taken out Orton earlier. This should be enough to set up the Tag Team Title match, likely inside the Cell, in the match that shouldn’t have been initially advertised for last night. Still though, nice enough match here and Orton’s reactions are getting louder and louder.

We get a….my goodness we get an old school platform style interview (platform, edge of the stage, same thing) with Theory. He isn’t worried about defending the US Title against Cody Rhodes later tonight and is the youngest United States Champion for a reason. Is it because every previous champion has been older than him? He is the future and the future is Theory.

Here are Edge (who has hacked his hair off) and company, now including Rhea Ripley, for a chat. Edge talks about how he listened to the fans for years and all it got him is a Hall of Fame ring. He is bigger than the Hall of Fame. You can point at any part of him and he has had surgery on it. Everyone here tries to stand by their principles and then go home like a bunch of keyboard warriors. Edge holds a mirror up to all of them and they see someone ugly and wrong.

Damian Priest says the truth hurts and while he and Edge could destroy everyone’s favorites, but now they have Rhea Ripley by their side. Ripley says this was the easiest decision of her life because she wanted to be like them. She is done signing autographs at the airport and then seeing them sold on eBay.

That brings her to Liv Morgan and tonight it is time for Liv’s destruction. Edge talks about everyone believing that Ripley was holding Liv down and takes credit for slitting Liv and Rhea up. He saw potential in Ripley and wants her to run everything over. This movement isn’t done and they are looking for more….and here is Liv Morgan to interrupt.

Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley throws her into the corner to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs but Morgan is back with a springboard hurricanrana. That earns her a kick to the chest and some right hands on the mat, setting up the bodyscissors. Liv fights out of the Riptide and kicks away, setting up the springboard Codebreaker for her own two. Ripley knocks her back down and grabs the Prism Trap for the tap at 5:40.

Rating: C-. Hey remember when These two were partners for like a month and then lost their two title shots and then they split up and it was nowhere near as big a deal as WWE presented it as being? Well this was Ripley winning the singles match between the two of them. I don’t think this goes anywhere else, save for having Liv as the designated woman in mixed tags as a group of guys go after Edge N Pals, assuming that has any value.

Post match Edge tells Ripley to put the hold on again so Liv taps again. Cue Finn Balor, with AJ Styles, because it’s his turn now.

Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Priest throws him into the corner to start and seems to be rather pleased with himself to start. Some more striking and pounding has Balor in trouble but he comes back with a dropkick to the knee. Some shoulders to the ribs in the corner have Priest in trouble and Balor counters a chokeslam into a rollup for two. There’s the Sling Blade to send Priest outside but Ripley gets in the way of a dive. That allows Edge to come in with the spear on Balor for the DQ at 4:19.

Rating: C. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere but it makes sense to have Edge want to hurt Balor rather than worry about the win or loss. That’s kind of the point of the team and they will likely get to stand tall after a beatdown. I’m expecting a big tag match next month, but that needs to be it for the feud so Edge and company can move on. To what….I’m not sure.

Post match Styles and Styles get beaten down.

Alpha Academy promises Kevin Owens DNA evidence next week that will prove that Ezekiel is Elias. Owens is happy because his brother Ken Owens is here to compete against Ezek…er, Elias.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP hyping up Omos’ win over Bobby Lashley last night. MVP starts to explain what happened to Lashley but here is Cedric Alexander to interrupt. Alexander keeps saying THEY DID IT and seems to think that he’s back in the team. That doesn’t seem likely, but here is Lashley to clean house, though MVP escapes. Cedric springboards into the Hurt Lock to really leave him laying.

Sonya Deville isn’t happy with Adam Pearce’s formal investigation but he promises her quality competition later tonight.

Sonya Deville vs. ???

Before the opponent is announced, here is Pearce to say that as a result of the formal investigation, Sonya is FIRED as an official, but she is still an active star, meaning she is having a match with this person.

Sonya Deville vs. Alexa Bliss

DDT and Twisted Bliss finish Deville at 34 seconds.

We look back at Cody Rhodes beating Seth Rollins last night.

Ezekiel vs. Ken Owens

It’s Kevin in a gray wig, because Ken is his older brother. Ken goes on a big rant about how he can’t stand liars like Elias and how stupid the people are here for buying this. The wig eventually comes off (with Ezekiel giving a funny shocked face) and the fight is on, but Alpha Academy runs in to beat Ezekiel down. No match.

We recap the return of Asuka to interrupt Becky Lynch.

Becky interrupts Asuka in the back and doesn’t get why Asuka is getting a title shot. Not so fast as Asuka has to beat Bianca Belair to get a title shot, which has Becky confused about the idea of beating a champion to get the chance to beat the champion (preach it). Becky talks about handing Asuka her last title but Asuka screams that she didn’t need Becky’s help. Asuka shouts about Becky acting like a baby instead of a mom, causing becky to say that Asuka is the one with the weird green tears on her face as she walks away.

Veer Mahaan vs. Frank Lowman

Lowman has a bit of size to him and says he doesn’t want to get taken out on a stretcher. He has a wife though and three triplets to go with her, so he is doing this for his family. Lowman gets in a shot to start but is taken down by a Thesz press (minus the press). A side slam sets up the Million Dollar Arm. The Cervical Clutch makes Lowman tap. Lowman was one of the better looking jobbers in a long time.

Cody Rhodes is proud of his win over one of the best in the world. Now he is seeing someone with limitless potential like Theory, but you have to dig deep to find that potential. Theory better be ready to dig deep.

US Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Theory

Cody is challenging and they lock up to start. Theory takes him down and strikes a quick pose so Cody hits a forearm to the face. That’s fine with Theory, who snaps the arm across the top rope and scores with a rolling dropkick. A dropkick to the knee cuts Cody off again but he’s right back with a springboard kick to the face. Something off the apron is broken up though and they go to the announcers’ table, which sends Theory running back inside.

We take a break and come back with Cody fighting out of a chinlock and they both hit crossbodies for a double knockdown. A powerslam gives Cody two and a moonsault is good for the same, meaning frustration sets in. Back up and Theory elbows him in the face, setting up the fisherman’s buster onto the knee. Cody isn’t having that and hits the Disaster Kick into the Cody Cutter but Seth Rollins comes in for the DQ at 13:08.

Rating: B-. They were starting to cook a bit near the end, but Rollins’ interference might as well have had a big countdown clock running for the entire match. You knew they were going to go to a third match between those two, probably in the Cell, and now they have a reason. At the same time, I like the idea of using a title match to set up one more fight. Cody gets screwed out of something he wants and Rollins keeps him from getting something he wants. Not a bad way to go.

Post match Seth Stomps Cody onto the announcers’ table and screams about Cody never taking anything else from him again.

Doudrop/Nikki Ash vs. Naomi/Sasha Banks

Non-title. Doudrop headbutts Naomi away to start and sits down on her to break up a sunset flip attempt. The cobra clutch goes on for a bit before a running corner splash crushes Naomi. A step up enziguri gets Naomi out of trouble though and it’s Banks coming in with a high crossbody, which is pulled out of the air for a slam. Nikki tags herself in (Doudrop doesn’t approve) and covers for two but Banks fights up and gets over to Naomi. The Codebreaker/Bubba Bomb combination finishes Nikki at 4:10.

Rating: C-. Anytime WWE wants to drop the Doudrop name and the Ash gimmick, I’m certainly cool with it. These are two talented women who could be doing something and are instead left as little more than losers, especially Nikki with that dead end idea. I could see both of them being released soon too and while that is sad, odds are they aren’t going to get to do anything of note anytime soon.

Post match Doudrop yells at Nikki but Miz, guest referee for the next match, comes out to cut them off.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ciampa

Miz is guest referee and neither of the two of them get an entrance. Ali grabs a rollup for no cover to start so Ciampa runs him over and stomps away. A running knee knocks Ali off the apron and a clothesline on the floor makes it worse. That lets Ciampa sit on the announcers’ table for his pat on the back but Ali rolls him up for….a very delayed one back inside. The chinlock goes on but Ali comes back with a hard clothesline. Ali hits a superkick and a tornado DDT for a VERY delayed two. Ciampa uses the distraction to hit a reverse DDT for the very fast pin at 5:33.

Rating: D+. It’s an idea that you have seen time after time and this happened to be the latest instance. I’m glad Ali is back and a feud with Miz isn’t the worst thing, but Ciampa being little more than a pawn who isn’t given as much as a decent introduction is a sad thing to see. You know, because this show is so flush with interesting talent that they can throw Ciampa out there with nothing behind him.

We get what sounds like a mashup of the Lacey Evans Story. Has she just been traded and we’re supposed to forget last week’s Smackdown?

We look at Bobby Lashley attacking Omos/MVP/Cedric Alexander earlier.

Lashley wants Omos in a cage next week.

Dana Brooke and Tamina have talked to R-Truth about getting divorces, but here are Reggie and Akira Tozawa with flowers and candy. Then R-Truth serves them with divorce papers. Well not so much Tozawa, as he runs away without taking them.

Asuka vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title CHAMPIONS CONTENDER match and Becky Lynch is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Belair flipping over her and telling Asuka to bring it. Belair goes with a leapfrog and runs Asuka over. With Asuka down, Belair loads up the handspring moonsault but Becky pulls her to the floor for a whip into the steps and the DQ at 2:59.

Post match Becky beats Asuka down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show started well and then fell hard, as most of the last hour, plus some more before that, was rather rough. Three disqualifications in nine matches is a lot, but the biggest problem continues to be the lack of a World Title. You have Edge and company as the monsters but with no one to chase, they are only so interesting. Nothing on here feels especially important and it comes off like they’re trying to find a way to get to the next pay per view without having a main story. That can work every now and then, but when it is the feature, there is a big problem.

Results
RKBro b. Street Profits – RKO to Ford
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan – Prism Trap
Finn Balor b. Damian Priest via DQ when Edge interfered
Alexa Bliss b. Sonya Deville – Twisted Bliss
Veer Mahaan b. Frank Lowman – Cervical Clutch
Cody Rhodes b. Theory via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered
Naomi/Sasha Banks b. Doudrop/Nikki Ash – Codebreaker/Bubba Bomb combination to Ash
Ciampa b. Mustafa Ali – Reverse DDT with a fast count
Bianca Belair b. Asuka via DQ when Becky Lynch interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 2, 2022
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania Backlash and that means it is time for the final push towards the event. Granted after last week’s Smackdown, everything has changed again as we have a six man tag between the Bloodline and RKBro/Drew McIntyre. Yeah just a six man, with no titles currently on the line. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. Paul Heyman handles Roman Reigns’ introduction and Reigns himself tells North Carolina to acknowledge him….but RKBro runs in to RKO the Usos. Cue Drew McIntyre with Angela the sword, leaving Reigns looking worried. The sword is dropped down so McIntyre gets in, with the Usos and RKBro joining them. Referees come down to break up the fight and we take an early break.

Earlier today, Ezekiel met with the Street Profits and had a drink. Kevin Owens (in a Becky Lynch shirt) and Alpha Academy came in to accuse Ezekiel of cheating at the lie detector test. A six man was set up for later.

Street Profits/Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens/Alpha Academy

And now it’s later. Gable gets double flapjacked (with Montez Ford looking like he was trying something else) for an early two and the armbar goes on. Gable reverses into one of his own before it’s off to Otis. The power starts cranking up but a triple dropkick knocks him to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Ford still in trouble and Owens hitting a middle rope moonsault to the legs for two. Ford fights out of a chinlock and scores with an enziguri for the double knockdown. The hot tag brings in Ezekiel to clean house, including a heck of a Stinger Splash. Everything breaks down and Owens trips Ezekiel so Gable can grab a rollup for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why you need to have Ezekiel take the pin here, but I’m sure we needed to protect the Profits more than someone they’re trying to present as something. Owens vs. Ezekiel is probably coming next week on Raw with some weird truth stipulation, though I’m still not sure what the endgame is with Ezekiel. That being said, it’s more interesting than anything Elias had done in months, so we’ll call this an upgrade.

AJ Styles isn’t happy with Edge and Damian Priest and he’s ready for them at Wrestlemania Backlash.

We look at Sonya Deville trying to cheat Bianca Belair out of the Raw Women’s Title last week but not being able to pull it off. After the match, she yelled at Carmella and Zelina Vega for screwing up.

Adam Pearce has been ordered to put Deville into a six woman tag, with Deville saying it should be No Holds Barred. Pearce seems to shoot her down but reminds Deville that she has no executive power.

Veer Mahaan vs. Burt Hanson

Before the match, Hanson says he is scared to death but he has always wanted to compete on Raw in his hometown and now he is making his dream come true. Mahaan throws him around to start and hits the Million Dollar Arm. The Cervical Clutch finishes at 1:32.

Post match Mahaan puts the Clutch on again in the ropes, allowing commentary to continue saying CERVICAL CLUTCH over and over again.

We look at Edge and Damian Priest taking AJ Styles out.

AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest

If Styles wins, Priest is barred from ringside on Sunday. Before the match, Edge insults the city and the sports teams it doesn’t have. Styles comes out to cut them off and they start fast with Priest throwing him around. The chinlock goes on for a bit before AJ fights up and sends him outside. The slingshot forearm connects but Priest is right back up. AJ gets lawn darted into the post and we take an early break.

Back with Styles hitting the torture rack spun into a powerbomb for two. Priest fights him off again and grabs the South Of Heaven chokeslam for two of his own. Styles loads up the Calf Crusher but an Edge distraction breaks it up. That’s fine with Styles, who rolls Priest up with a cradle for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. The match was pretty cookie cutter for the most part, but what mattered here was getting to the next logical point in the feud. Styles needs some kind of help to deal with the numbers game and getting rid of Priest will be a nice step. At the same time, this opens the door for someone else to join up with Edge and Priest, which opens up some possibilities.

Post match Edge jumps Styles but Finn Balor runs in for the save. That’s a good partner for Styles and Too Sweeting ensues.

Cedric Alexander comes up to Omos and MVP for some sucking up. He even has a match with Bobby Lashley tonight to prove himself, with MVP and Omos saying they’ll be watching. Alexander can leave now.

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz not being happy about what his guest did last week. Cue Mustafa Ali as his guest, but his music cuts off during his entrance. Then “Must’s” microphone doesn’t work, even as Miz talks about how the fans forgot about him during his hiatus. Miz: “Please Must, don’t go to Twitter and complain.” Ali steals the Miz’s microphone and says that he goes to the people when he is frustrated, but Miz gets his own mic to work again as Theory interrupts.

Theory has some good news for Miz: he has gone to Vince McMahon and suggested that last week’s loss to Ali be stricken from the record books. Ali wants Theory’s US Title, and that’s fine with Theory, who has gotten Ali a Champions Contenders match tonight. Theory says he doesn’t know if Ali can handle the heat, but Ali says if anyone can handle the heat from back there, it’s him. That’s cool with Theory, so let’s make the contenders match a handicap match.

Miz/Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Joined in progress with Corey Graves daring to accidentally call him AUSTIN theory. A low bridge sends Ali out to the floor and it’s Theory getting two off a stomp to the stomach back inside. Ali fights out of a chinlock and sends Miz into the corner, setting up a neckbreaker for two of his own. Theory offers a distraction though and the Skull Crushing Finale gives Miz the pin at 2:52. Well Ali did better than I was expecting: he lasted one week.

Post match Ciampa runs in to jump Ali as well.

Earlier today, Reggie tried to talk Dana Brooke into a honeymoon but they ran into R-Truth, Akira Tozawa and Tamina. The argument over the 24/7 Title was on but Nikki Ash ran in to steal the title before running off. Dana told Reggie to get her a rematch tonight.

24/7 Title: Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Ash

Ash is defending and ties Brooke up in the ring skirt to forearm away early on. Back in and Brooke hits a flipping neckbreaker for the pin and the title at 1:34.

Post match everyone goes after the title, like they always do, but Brooke manages to escape. Then she tells Reggie that she wants a divorce.

Becky Lynch rants about how Asuka is trying to steal her comeback story. This is Becky’s story and it starts with ending Asuka.

Here is Seth Rollins for his own appreciation night. Rollins thinks it is appropriate to give him a night of praise, including a spotlight. The fans chant for Cody Rhodes, which doesn’t sit well with Rollins. He is ready for Cody at Wrestlemania Backlash, but here is Cody to interrupt. Cody talks about how he has been courteous to Rollins since he returned, but that loss is hanging around Rollins’ neck. Rollins doesn’t like being called delusional and says that Dusty Rhodes didn’t win the WWE Title because he wasn’t good enough. The beating is on with the Cody Cutter sending Rollins running.

Bobby Lashley vs. Cedric Alexander

MVP and Omos come out at the bell, with the former mocking Lashley for not being able to beat Cedric and thinking he could beat Omos. Alexander gets in some cheap shots to work on the knee but gets sent into the barricade. Back in and a spear (big one too) sets up the Hurt lock to finish Alexander at 2:36.

Liv Morgan is ready to take out Rhea Ripley.

We look back at AJ Styles beating Damian Priest.

Wrestlemania Backlash rundown.

R-Truth gives Reggie his business card as a certified divorce attorney. He is A Squire after all, which he explains as they walk past Nikki Ash. Doudrop pops up to yell at her and ask if Ash is ready to be more serious.

Becky Lynch/Sonya Deville/Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka/Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair

Becky slaps Asuka’s hand away to start but gets backed into the corner for her efforts. Deville comes in so Asuka hands it off to Belair, meaning Deville needs to hide in the ropes. It’s off to Ripley, who gets taken down to the mat so Liv can come in. Some running shoulders rock Becky and a middle rope dropkick gets two. Ripley offers a distraction so Liv dives onto her to let off some steam. A baseball slide drops Liv though and Becky’s top rope leg gets two as we take a break.

Back with Ripley working on Liv’s back as everyone but Deville claps on the apron. Liv escapes the Manhandle Slam though and grabs a DDT, allowing Belair to come back in and slam Ripley. Belair goes up but gets double superplexed back down, with Liv making the save. The big tag brings in Asuka as everything breaks down until Deville and Morgan trade rollups for two each. Deville’s running knee gets two on Morgan but she’s right back with Oblivion for the pin at 15:10.

Rating: C+. That was certainly a way to go, though I’m not sure who is next for Belair at this point. Deville has had her shot and now Morgan is winning, but Morgan isn’t going to be a major challenger. Odds are Belair doesn’t defend on Sunday, and right now that might be for the best as I don’t think there is anyone ready for the shot, at least not based on how the booking has been going.

Overall Rating: D. I have no idea what planet this show was supposed to be on and that doesn’t make me think much about Sunday. The main event story here was either the six man tag (which isn’t for a title) or the six woman tag (which also isn’t for a title). It was like they were trying to make every story equally unimportant and unfortunately they succeeded. Nothing on Sunday feels special, as it comes off like WWE is saying the show doesn’t matter. Why they would want to do that I’m not sure, but the pay per view has taken a hard turn and Raw felt like it didn’t know it was coming.

Results
Kevin Owens/Alpha Academy b. Ezekiel/Street Profits – Rollup to Ezekiel
Veer Mahaan b. Bert Hanson – Cervical Clutch
AJ Styles b. Damian Priest – Rollup
Miz/Theory b. Mustafa Ali – Skull Crushing Finale
Dana Brooke b. Nikki Ash – Flipping neckbreaker
Bobby Lashley b. Cedric Alexander – Hurt Lock
Bianca Belair/Liv Morgan/Asuka b. Sonya Deville/Rhea Ripley/Becky Lynch – Oblivion to Deville

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 11, 2022
Location: Little Caesar’s Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Jerry Lawler, Byron Saxton

We’re back to normal this week as the Wrestlemania Weekend glow is gone. Now we get to see what the regular crowds are like and how they respond to what WWE is offering. At the same time, we get to see how things go when WWE doesn’t have to try as hard. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes’ return at Wrestlemania and wanting to become the WWE Champion to honor his father.

Here is the Miz for MizTV. Miz wastes no time in introducing Cody Rhodes, though he does make sure to insult the fans a few times. Miz accuses Cody of taking too long to come out but Cody says it has been awhile since he was in front of a crowd like this one. Hang on as Cody gets to pose a bit more and the fans certainly like him. We hear about Cody being the grandson of a plumber but without the Rhodes name, he would just be a plumber. Cody says it would be nice to be a plumber right now because Miz is full of….and he stops himself.

Miz hasn’t changed a bit in years and that makes him reliable. Cody is here to win the Undisputed Universal Heavyweight Championship belt, though Miz points out that it’s a title because a belt holds up your pants. We hear about how Seth Rollins wants a rematch where Cody can’t surprise him but the fans cut off Miz again.

Miz gets in Cody’s face and says he knows where Cody has been for six years but Cody says hold on. He respects Miz and all of his accomplishments but maybe Miz is threatened by him. Cody has enjoyed their chat but he’s looking forward to their match, which will be his first on Raw in six years. Miz goes for the sneak attack and gets sent outside. Cody kept the reaction for another week so they might be on to something here.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Veer Mahaan

Veer runs him over to start but Dominik is up with a superkick. A missed charge sends Veer outside, where he sends Dominik into the barricade. The baseball clothesline drops Dominik on the floor and another does it again inside. The cervical clutch (camel clutch/Gargano Escape hybrid) finishes Dominik at 1:58.

Post match Mahaan puts the hold on again, then lets it go, then puts it on again, leaving Dominik to take a stretcher out.

Post break, Dominik is put into the stretcher.

Veer Mahaan says he strikes fear into the hearts of men.

We look back at Edge and Damian Priest taking out AJ Styles last week.

Styles is scared of what he is going to do to Priest tonight. Priest walks up so AJ gets in a fight with him, with agents having to break it up.

AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest

During his entrance, Priest says he is here to prove that he is worthy of working with Edge. Styles slugs away to start and hits a clothesline to put Priest on the floor. There’s the forearm off the apron to send Priest over the barricade. A whip into another barricade has Priest in more trouble and we take a break.

Back with AJ bleeding from the head but still managing to hammer away. The Downward Spiral plants Styles though but the Reckoning is countered into a Pele. Styles tries the Phenomenal Forearm, which is countered with a kick to the head. Hold on though as Priest drops to a knee and the lights go out. The purple spotlight comes on Priest….and we take another break. Back again with….the match being over, we’ll say at 13:05.

Rating: C. That’s WWE for you. They set up a match but then realize that they don’t want either of them to lose so they get creative and give us whatever this was. I’m sure there is some internal WWE logic behind what happened, but since WWE can’t bother to explain any of this stuff, we’re left sitting here wondering what the heck just happened. More importantly though, I’m left sitting around wondering why I should care if they’re just going to end a match like that.

AJ isn’t happy and says Edge is his no matter what.

Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz

Hold on as here is Seth Rollins at the bell to conduct the crowd in his entrance theme. Miz gets in an early kick to the face but Cody snaps off the powerslam to send Miz outside. Back in and we hit the cravate to hold Miz in place before Cody sends him face first into the buckle. Miz gets in a shot to the face though and the chinlock goes on. Jimmy calls it a beautiful one and Cody is sent outside as we take a break.

Back with Cody hitting a suplex for two, with Miz being sent outside for a suicide dive. They get back in and Cody misses something off the top to damage his knee. The Figure Four goes on and stays on for a good while, but Cody finally turns it over for the break. Back up and the Cody Cutter sets up the Cross Rhodes at 11:50.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that can boost Cody a bit: he beats an established name clean in the middle of the ring and starts looking like a force. That makes two matches for Cody and two wins over former World Champions. He has a long way to go, but they are starting off well and that’s more than I would have bet on in this case.

Post match Rollins (who didn’t do anything during the match) grabs the mic and says he heard Cody mention the word REMATCH. Rollins could go for that and Cody accepts the challenge, date to be announced.

We recap the debut of Ezekiel from last week, much to Kevin Owens’ annoyance.

We meet the newest member of the Raw roster: Tommaso Ciampa (thankfully not renamed to Steve Lewis), but Ezekiel comes up to introduce himself. Ciampa is glad to meet him but Owens comes in to say that’s Elias. Ezekiel and Ciampa say not quite and Owens thinks he is the only sane person left around here.

Liv Morgan vs. Naomi

Naomi rolls her down to start and hits a quick kick to the face for an early two. A double jumping kick to the face drops Liv again but she’s back with a rollup. That means a pinfall reversal sequence until Naomi gets a rollup pin at 2:18.

Here is Bobby Lashley in the VIP Lounge despite not being a guest. He barely beat Omos so now it is time for him to wreck this set. Cue MVP and Omos, with the former threatening lawsuits if Lashley breaks anything. Lashley wants Omos right now but MVP says Omos is learning to be a businessman so he’s waiting until the money is right. That’s fine with Lashley, who still wants an explanation from MVP.

Believe it or not, MVP actually gives him one, saying that when he returned to WWE, Lashley was floundering. Lashley had talent but he wasn’t going anywhere so MVP had to save him. Lashley accuses MVP of being on a farewell tour and a lot of yelling ensues. MVP says Omos is going to destroy Lashley, who promises to take Omos down again and then take MVP out. With that taken care of, Lashley throws a bunch of the set out of the ring.

We recap the double engagements in the 24/7 Title shenanigans.

R-Truth, Akira Tozawa and some others have a bachelor party with Reggie, but aren’t happy that Dana Brooke and the 24/7 Title are at a bachelorette party. It’s time to break it up.

Austin Theory asks the bosses for a US Title shot next week. Deal, and you can just call him Theory. Oh screw off. Kevin Owens comes in to take Theory’s place and demands proof that Ezekiel and Elias are different people. That information is confidential (Owens: “HIS LIBRARY CARD IS CONFIDENTIAL????”) so next week, Owens will make him take a lie detector test. With Owens gone, Sonya Deville says she has a deal in place for Bianca Belair’s first title defense.

Bianca Belair vs. Queen Zelina

Non-title. Belair blocks a rollup to start and runs her over but Zelina takes her down for a Last Chancery. That’s broken up with straight power and Belair hits a gorilla press drop. The KOD connects to finish Zelina at 2:08.

Post break, Sonya Deville is in the ring to announce Belair’s first challenger. It wasn’t an easy pick as she had a lot of options, but Belair is ready for anyone. Deville has an open contract and Belair signs without a second thought. The opponent is……Deville herself, who takes out Belair’s knee and hits a running knee to the face.

We go to the bachelorette party, where Tamina agrees to keep the truce with Dana Brooke tonight. After their honeymoons though, it’s open season for the 24/7 Title. Los Lotharios come in for the Kiss Cam but Nikki Ash has a surprise: a pair of strippers, but one of them is a referee. Tamina breaks up the cover and slides Nikki down the bar as R-Truth, Akira Tozawa and Reggie come in. R-Truth gives them a speech about how the love of the title is all that matters. He’s a certified marriage guy (and has a certificate to prove it) and bans all attacks on Dana until after next week’s double wedding. And now, dancing.

Adam Pearce isn’t happy with Sonya Deville but she asks what he can do about it.

Alpha Academy vs. RKBro

Non-title and before the match, Chad Gable brags about his intelligence, his degree, and everything about himself in general. Orton takes Gable down to start and hands it off to Riddle for some kicks to the chest. Otis comes in to run Riddle over though and we take a break. Back with Gable working on Riddle’s arm but Riddle fights up and brings Orton back in to clean house. A rollup gives Gable two but Orton grabs the RKO for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C+. This was pretty good stuff while it lasted and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. These teams have done well in their previous matches, though it is pretty clear that the Academy is on their way down. RKBro vs. the Usos is going to be a big deal and they don’t need the Academy there for that kind of a match.

We cut to the back where the Usos arrive. After a break, here are the Usos, with Orton saying the Big Dog let his b****** off the leash. The Usos laugh it off and get straight to the point: they want the title unification match. Riddle thinks that sounds like something out of Avengers with Thanos trying to get all of the crystals together. Cue the Street Profits to interrupt, because they should be at the front of the line. Jimmy: “There’s only one line and it’s the BLOODLINE!” The Profits and the Usos are ready to go and Orton makes the match.

We recap Veer Mahaan taking out Dominik Mysterio earlier in the night.

Street Profits vs. Usos

Non-title and RKBro is at ringside. Ford dropkicks Jimmy down to start and hands it off to Dawkins, who suplexes him onto Jimmy for one. Jey comes in and gets elbowed down for two, only to have Jimmy come back in off a blind tag. A double spinebuster drops Dawkins and a top rope forearms to the chest gets two.

Dawkins tries to fight out of the corner but gets caught with a jumping enziguri. The Usos head outside to glare at RKBro, only to have Ford flip dive onto them. Ford dances a bit as we take a break. Back with Dawkins fighting out of a chinlock, allowing the double tag off to Ford for the house cleaning.

A running Blockbuster gets two on Jey and Dawkins pulls Jimmy to the floor for a right back. Back in and the Doomsday Blockbuster gets two more on Jey. Jimmy cuts off Dawkins’ dive and superkicks him down, only to have the Superfly Splash hit knees. Ford adds the frog splash for two with Jey making the save. Dawkins is sent into the post and it’s the 1D to finish Ford at 15:11.

Rating: B-. This match got the time that it needed to be better and that is what made it work. Again, I don’t think the Profits are going to matter all that much in the picture so it was a good idea to get rid of them here. Go with the Usos vs. RKBro on the big(ish) stage and leave the other teams out of the picture for the time being.

Post match the champs stare each other down and hold up the titles. The Usos leave but RKBro has to take out the Profits. That’s enough for the Usos to superkick Orton down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t quite last week, but they did keep some momentum going after the post Wrestlemania Raw. That’s more than I would have bet on with this show as WWE has a tendency to drop down a good bit with Wrestlemania season over. You can see a lot of Backlash being set up and now they have another few weeks to really set things up. I’m cautiously optimistic for the next few weeks though and that is a nice feeling.

Results
Veer Mahaan b. Dominik Mysterio – Cervical Clutch
AJ Styles vs. Damian Priest went to a no contest
Cody Rhodes b. Miz – Cross Rhodes
Naomi b. Liv Morgan – Rollup
Bianca Belair b. Queen Zelina – KOD
RKBro b. Alpha Academy – RKO to Gable
Usos b. Street Profits – 1D to Ford

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