Monday Night Raw
Date: April 10, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

So this show just got a lot more interesting, as we had quite the out of nowhere show last week. That would have been the Vince McMahon version of Raw, but then Smackdown felt much more normal. You can call this one the rubber show I guess, but hopefully last week was just an anomaly. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary welcomes us to the show and says that there have been some travel issues so some wrestlers are late arriving.

Here is Rey Mysterio to talk about how cool it was to go into the Hall of Fame (pause for YOU DESERVE IT) and then wrestle at Wrestlemania. Unfortunately it was against his son and cue Dominik to interrupt. Dominik talks about how Rey has to make everything about himself, just like Bad Bunny, who cost Dominik the match at Wrestlemania.

We see the big angle with Bad Bunny last week, with Dominik calling it music to his ears when Bunny went through the table. Rey says he talked to Bunny last night and he’s coming for revenge. Dominik doesn’t buy it so Rey challenges him to a Wrestlemania rematch. That’s a no, but Dominik knows someone who will.

Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor

Dominik is here too as Finn takes Rey into the corner to start. Rey fights out and snaps off a headscissors but Balor stomps him down against the ropes. Balor chokes on the ropes a bit as they’re certainly in a slow pace to start. Some forearms to the neck set up a chinlock but Rey is right back up. A kick to the face sends Balor outside where the sliding splash can connect as we take a break.

Back with Rey hitting the springboard spinning crossbody for two but the 619 is broken up. Rey takes him up top for a super hurricanrana and a near fall. Now the 619 can connect but the frog splash only hits knees. Cue Dominik with the chain but Rey knocks him down, setting up the dive to take them both out. The second chain shot works on the way back in though and the Coup de Grace to the out cold Rey finishes at 14:12.

Rating: B-. This was a way to keep the Rey vs. Dominik stuff going as the likely tag match at Backlash looms. These two can still go in the ring and have a good match with just about anyone so there was no way this couldn’t work. The ending even played into things perfectly and Rey is protected in the loss.

Earlier today Maxxine Dupri wasn’t happy with how Otis was dressed but we find Lita down. Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan are concerned but Trish Stratus and Bayley come in to accuse them of doing it.

We look back at the Cody Rhodes/Brock Lesnar ordeal last week.

Becky Lynch says Lita is at a local medical facility but Trish Stratus will be teaming with her to defend the titles right now.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Becky Lynch/Trish Stratus

Stratus (substituting for Lita) and Lynch are defending. Rodriguez throws Lynch into the corner to start and it’s Morgan coming in for a running shoulder in the corner. Becky fights back and takes over on the arm, allowing the tag to Trish. Liv’s Matrix is broken up (with Trish getting a laugh) and Becky drops the top rope leg for two as we take a break. Back with Liv fighting out of a chinlock until a double hair takedown means a double knockdown.

Rodriguez comes in to clothesline the also legal Becky, setting up the spinning Vader Bomb for two. Everything breaks down and Becky hits a missile dropkick for two. Rodriguez is sat on top but blocks a double superplex. Instead Trish hurricanranas her down for two but Rodriguez is back to assist Liv with a tornado DDT.

Everyone goes to the corner for the Tower of Doom and they’re all down again. Back up and Rodriguez seems to accidentally slam Becky out of the corner onto Liv for two. Oblivion is countered into the Manhandle Slam but Rodriguez makes the save. Trish comes back in but misses the Chick Kick, allowing Liv to roll her up for the pin and the titles at 15:28.

Rating: B. They were working here and the titles changing hands clean (as clean as you can have with a substitute partner) is a good way to make Rodriguez and Morgan look better. The action did well here and now we can move on to the who jumped Lita story, which probably has quite the details. For now though, the titles are off Lita/Lynch, who never felt like long term champions anyway.

Post match Becky is upset but holds Trish’s arm up, only to have Trish lay her out. They weren’t really hiding that and it’s still the way to go.

Paul Heyman mocks a question about Brock Lesnar attacking Cody Rhodes last week and says Kevin Owens has a problem tonight. Owens has to face Solo Sikoa but Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle aren’t here tonight. Heyman doesn’t buy the travel problems, because they must be scared of Sikoa. Who would take advantage of Owens be on his own? We the ones.

Trish Stratus has nothing to say.

We look back at HHH announcing the Draft.

Damage Ctrl is in the back with Bayley trying to get the team staying together in the Draft. Instead of Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai getting a Women’s Tag Team Title match, Bayley has gotten into a #1 contenders match. That’s not cool with Sky, who goes to talk to Adam Pearce again. Tensions seem present.

Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed

Reed knocks him into the corner to start but walks into a Downward Spiral. Back up and Reed lifts him to the apron where neither can get the better of things. Lashley is knocked to the floor and Reed shoulders him down as we take a break. Back with….a split screen clip from the new movie Renfield. We go full screen again to see Lashley sending him into the corner for a running shoulder to the ribs.

A swinging neckbreaker drops Reed again and there’s a suplex to show off Lashley’s power. The Hurt Lock can’t go on so Reed drops back onto him for the break. Lashley is up before the Tsunami so Reed hits a kind of Thesz press instead. Back up and Lashley grabs the spinebuster but still can’t get the Hurt Lock. They fight to the floor and it’s a double countout at 10:43.

Rating: B. I always appreciate a match where they don’t bother trying to do anything but what they should be doing. Reed and Lashley are two bulls who are going to be able to hit each other really hard and do some cool looking power stuff. That is exactly what we got here and they even kept both of them from taking a loss. Hard hitting match here and I could go for the rematch when they get to do it again.

Post match referees and agents have to break them up.

Here is a banged up Cody Rhodes for a chat. Cody says he usually has one thing to talk about (Seth Rollins, his injury, the Royal Rumble, completing the story) but after last week, things are a little more complicated. He lost at Wrestlemania and there is no one to blame but him. Cody lost to the champion Roman Reigns, which has people giving him some thoughts about what happened. One thing came from Paul Heyman, saying Cody had to earn another shot. Cody has gone from Dashing to Stardust to the EVP to the leader of the pack so there is no earning it because he IS it.

Then you have another factor though and that is Brock Lesnar. The question is why Brock did what he did. Cody heard that Brock was upset about his spot on the Wrestlemania card, but Cody thinks that it was uncertainty about what Cody meant for Brock’s future. We hear about Lesnar’s accolades and yes, Cody is scared of him….but he still wants a fight. Cody wants Lesnar to look in the mirror and see a victim and he’ll fight him anywhere. Say at (Wrestlemania) Backlash? Good stuff here as Cody talked about what happened and still looked to the future.

Usos vs. Alpha Academy

Otis jiggles away from Jey’s waistlock and then easily blocks a sunset flip. Gable armbars Jimmy’s arm over the top and a top rope clotheslines gives Gable two. Jimmy gets taken down and slapped in the back of the head as the Usos are way off to start. A quick Demolition Decapitator hits Gable though and Otis is knocked outside as we take a break.

Back with Gable trying to get over for a tag but there is no Otis. Jimmy chokes on the rope but charges into an exploder suplex. It’s back to Otis for the Caterpillar but Jey makes the save. Jey sends Otis outside but the suicide dive is blocked. Jimmy’s isn’t blocked though and it’s a double superkick to send Otis over the announcers’ table. Gable moonsaults down onto both Usos though and it’s a top rope headbutt for two back inside. The ankle lock is blocked but the Usos get in a blind tag and hit the double superkick. The 1D finishes Gable at 13:02.

Rating: B. Heck of a match here as the Usos sold the idea that they were in serious danger. Alpha Academy are goofs most of the time but they are former champions so this isn’t the biggest stretch. I got into this one and there was even a chance of the big upset. This worked very well and I could go for more of this version of the Academy.

Piper Niven vs. Michin vs. Iyo Sky

The winner gets a shot at Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title. Niven shoves Sky down to start but a double team sends Niven outside. Michin hits a suicide dive but Sky moonsaults onto both of them as we take a break. Back with Niven getting double teamed, including an upside down choke so Michin can hit a dropkick. Sky turns on Michin and takes her down as well, setting up the springboard missile dropkick to Niven. Michin drops Sky and Niven drops the big elbow. A Code Red gives Michin two on Niven but Sky moonsaults in for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: C+. They kept the pace going here and all three got in some stuff. Michin looked better than she has in a long time and Niven was playing the wrecking ball role. Sky winning fits the story best as Damage Ctrl’s problems just might grow despite her success. Now can we have Niven get a win somewhere?

Kevin Owens knows he isn’t smart to face Solo Sikoa on his own tonight but that’s what he has done for his entire career.

Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa

The Usos are here too and Owens has a bad leg, which is exactly where Sikoa starts. The stomps to the leg have Owens in trouble and he is sent outside. A superkick drops Jey and Owens sends Sikoa into the steps, only to have the bad leg taken out again. There’s the running Umaga Attack in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Sikoa still on the leg but Owens gets in some shots of his own. The leg gives out again though and Sikoa superkicks him for two. Owens drops him again and goes up for the frog splash, which bangs up the knee even more. The Stunner is blocked and a Samoan drop gives Sikoa two.

Owens catches him on top for some headbutts but the knee gives out again. Instead Owens slams him off the top and hits the Swanton (that’s a stretch on the bad leg) for two. The Pop Up Powerbomb connects but the knee gives out, allowing Sikoa to block the Stunner. Jey gets in a cheap shot superkick and it’s the Samoan Spike to give Sikoa the pin at 13:25.

Rating: B-. Good brawl here, with Owens selling the leg (mostly) throughout. They were playing into the idea of Sikoa having the numbers advantage so Owens losing here isn’t some horrible defeat. This version of Owens is always going to fight and he was trying as much as he could here, with the fans behind him all the way.

Post match the beatdown stays on but here are Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle for the very last second save. The Usos and Sikoa are beaten up and sent to the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This was great. It was a night full of wrestling as the wrestlers who did make the show and there was nothing close to a bad match. I had a great time with the wrestling we got and they kept some stories advancing well enough. Cody Rhodes got in a good, long form promo and set up what was a fairly obvious match with Brock Lesnar at Backlash. There wasn’t a bad thing on this show and to keep things going so well for three hours, it was a smash hit.

Results
Finn Balor b. Rey Mysterio – Coup de Grace
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Trish Stratus/Becky Lynch – Rollup to Stratus
Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed went to a double countout
Usos b. Alpha Academy – 1D to Gable
Iyo Sky b. Piper Niven and Michin – Moonsault to Niven
Solo Sikoa b. Kevin Owens – Samoan Spike

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.

Wrestlemania XXXIX Night One
Date: April 1, 2023
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
America The Beautiful: Becky G

Dang it feels good to get to write that again. It’s the first night of the show and the card is pretty stacked. This time around, we have the Usos defending the Tag Team Titles against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, John Cena challenging Austin Theory for the US Title and Charlotte defending the Smackdown Women’s Title against Rhea Ripley. Let’s get to it.

Becky G. sings America The Beautiful.

The opening video features a voiceover talking about how only one man could host this cold open and that is…..Kevin Hart! He talks about how this is the greatest show in the world and it is taking over Tinseltown. Everyone is going Hollywood tonight, which sends us to some of the Wrestlemania trailers.

The set is designed like the Academy Awards stage and looks GREAT. WWE knows their production stuff and they’re showing it again here.

Here is Wrestlemania Host the Miz with….Snoop Dogg. Miz compares their resumes and says they’re the same person. He declares them both to be champions, with Snoop saying the real champions are the ones in the audience. Miz runs down the card and says it’s time to go, so let’s do that.

US Title: Austin Theory vs. John Cena

Cena is challenging but first we look at Cena’s record setting Make-A-Wish numbers. There are a bunch of Make-A-Wish kids on stage as Cena makes his entrance (with a new GI Joe themed shirt). Cena runs him over with the shoulder to start and powers Theory into the corner without much trouble. Back up and Theory seems to bite Cena’s ear, allowing him to take Cena down for a change.

Cena gets in a few right hands but Theory is back with a rolling Blockbuster for two. A quick STF is broken for Cena and Theory stomps him down as the cockiness continues. Theory slips out of the AA and knocks him into the corner again but Cena comes out swinging. The sleeper cuts him off but Cena powers out and initiates the finishing sequence. The referee gets bumped so there is no one to see Theory tapping out to the STF. A low blow sets up A Town Down to retain the title at 11:18.

Rating: C. This was in the very basic mode but what matters is Theory pinned him in the middle of the ring. That is the only way this should have ended and the cheating doesn’t matter. Cena can lose every match he’s in for the rest of time and still be an all time legend, so the loss means nothing. You can tell Cena has lost a few steps, but he was perfectly fine out there all things considered. It should be a big one for Theory though and that’s what matters.

Braun Strowman/Ricochet vs. Street Profits vs. Viking Raiders vs. Alpha Academy

Titus O’Neil is on commentary and Valhalla is here with the Raiders. Gable ankle locks Ricochet rather quickly to start before Otis comes in to run Ricochet over. Everything breaks down though (Titus approves) and the Vikings clear the ring. Ragnarok plants Ford but the Raiders stop to pose, allowing Strowman to run them both over.

Gable is back in and….somehow he manages rolling Chaos Theory to Strowman. The fans REALLY like that one but Dawkins breaks that up. Ivar drops Dawkins and goes up, only to miss a moonsault. Strowman comes off the top with a splash of his own to Ivar (dang) but a bunch of people make a save.

We get a Tower Of Doom, but this time it’s Otis and Ivar holding up Dawkins and Gable with Ford above THEM, allowing Ricochet to hit a high crossbody to break it up. Now the Strowman Express gets going until Dawkins shoulders him down for a big surprise. Ricochet springboard shooting stars down onto Erik and Dawkins but the shooting star inside hits knees. Ford adds the frog splash to pin Ricochet at 8:23.

Rating: B. This feels like eight people were told to go out there and have fun with one big spot after another. You got to see the talented stars showing off (almost showcasing themselves) and it worked well. There were no stakes and it doesn’t mean anything for now, but this was a lot of fun.

The UpUpDownDown team previews Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul via video games.

We recap Paul vs. Rollins. Basically Rollins isn’t happy that Paul is getting this much attention without actually being a wrestler. Paul eliminating him from the Royal Rumble and costing him the Elimination Chamber didn’t help either. Since then, Paul has knocked Rollins out a few times (the steel plate in the hand helps), setting up the match.

Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins

Paul comes down on a zipline (and yes he’d mic’d up) and is accompanied by a dancing bottle of his Prime energy drink. On the other hand, Rollins has a conductor from the Los Angeles Symphony (or something close to it) conducting the crowd as they sing his entrance song. Eh point to Rollins. They circle each other a bit to start with Rollins taking him down without much effort. The Stomp misses but Paul pops back up and sends him outside.

Back in and Rollins sends him into the corner, where Paul snaps Rollins’ throat across the top. The Maverick (Buckshot) Lariat connects and Paul stomps away at the ribs. A standing moonsault gives Paul two and it’s off to an Octopus hold on the mat. With that broken up, Paul jumps from the mat to the top but misses the moonsault, allowing Rollins to throw him over the top.

Three straight suicide dives connect for Rollins and he stomps Paul’s hand on the steps. Back in and they trade rollups for two each before Paul hits the loaded right hand….but he can’t cover because of the stomp. The very delayed cover gets two so Rollins loads up another stomp, only to have the Prime mascot pull Rollins out of the way. It’s…..KSI, Paul’s business partner (and a YouTuber/boxer), which allows Paul to knock him onto the announcers’ table.

The big splash is loaded up but Paul hits KSI as Rollins pulls him in the way. Back in and the Pedigree gets two but the stomp is countered into a fireman’s carry gutbuster (or GTS according to commentary). A frog splash gives Paul two so he tries to go Coast To Coast, only to get superkicked out of the air. The Stomp gives Rollins the pin at 16:11.

Rating: B+. As has been the case, Paul continues to be scary good at this stuff. There were some great near falls in there and Rollins was the right choice to help walk Paul through the match on such a hue stage. Sometimes it’s ok to just let the guys go out there and hit one high spot after another, though they even had the hand injury and Rollins going for the Stomp over and over to tie it together. Paul as a special attraction still works well and it will be great to have him around for the future if he wants to.

We recap Trish Stratus/Lita/Becky Lynch vs. Damage Ctrl. Becky needed some help with the numbers game so Lita showed up for the save. Then they won the titles and Trish Stratus showed up to help as well. Now it’s a six woman tag, with Trish slightly miffed at the suggestion that she is Becky’s backup.

Trish Stratus/Lita/Becky Lynch vs. Damage Ctrl

Trish and company get a comic book themed video and come to the ring in black and white with CGI rain. Well that’s different. The brawl is on before the bell and Becky can’t get the Manhandle Slam. An assisted double neckbreaker drops Becky and Sky hits a running boot in the corner. Becky kicks her way out of trouble but Kai breaks up the tag attempt. The second attempt works though and it’s Lita coming back in to clean house (while looking rather slow and hesitant at times).

A cheap shot puts Damage Ctrl back in, uh, control and the beating is on. Lita suplexes her way out of trouble though and it’s Trish coming in to fire off on Kai in the corner. A neckbreaker gets two on Kai but the Stratusphere is broken up. Instead, Trish sends Kai down onto the other two in a big crash. Back in and Becky’s top rope legdrop sets up the legdrop but the Disarm-Her is broken up.

The Manhandle Slam is broken up and Sky gets in a cheap shot, allowing Bayley to hit the Rose Plant for two, with Lita making the save. Everything breaks down and Stratus hits Kai with Stratusfaction. Becky rolls Bayley up for two and everyone but Sky falls to the floor. Sky moonsaults onto the pile and everyone heads back inside for a slugout. Lita hits the Twist of Fate and Trish hits the Chick Kick, setting up the Litasault. Becky adds a super Manhandle Slam to finish Bayley at 14:37.

Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse. It wasn’t exactly great but this was more about having Trish and Lita on the big stage again. They are still legends and of course they’re nowhere near what they once were. Neither of them has wrestled a regular schedule and they’re shells of their former selves. The big thing though is they’re still some of the biggest names ever in women’s wrestling and wrestling legends period. Becky got the pin so it isn’t like one of the legends beat a modern star. It wasn’t very good, but it was also far from some disaster.

We recap Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio. Rey has tried to be the best father he can to Dominik but wasn’t always there because of wrestling. Eventually Dominik got sick of living in his shadow and joined Judgment Day, who he says is his real family. Then Dominik got arrested for invading Rey’s house on Christmas Eve, earning him a jail sentence of…a few hours. Then earlier this month, Dominik insulted his mom and that was enough to get Rey to FINALLY agree to fight him.

We see Dominik being taken from his cell and being put in the back of a police van…which is then backed into the arena. Dominik, still cuffed and in a lucha mask (looks like Rey’s from Halloween Havoc 1997), is taken to the ring by armed guards. Because of course he does.

Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rey on the other hand comes to the ring in a low rider, as driven by Snoop Dogg, complete with the VIVA LA RAZA start to Eddie Guerrero’s theme. After Rey greets Bad Bunny (on Spanish commentary), we’re ready to go. Dominik shoves him around a bit and poses but Rey sends him outside to even things up a bit. Back in and Rey snaps off a running hurricanrana before sending him into the corner for a spanking with a belt.

Dominik rolls outside to throw a drink at his sister Aliyah, drawing her over the barricade. Rey isn’t having that and helps get her back over, allowing Dominik to get in a cheap shot. A Falcon Arrow drops Rey again and Dominik goes outside to yell at his mom. She slaps the heck out of him (oh yeah there’s a reaction) and Rey makes the save, while throwing in a kiss. Dominik gets in a cheap shot back inside as the rest of Judgment Day is here.

Dominik loads up a powerbomb and sends Rey backwards, face first into the buckle (that looked NASTY). Three Amigos are broken up and Rey fights back up but the Judgment Day distraction lets Dominik get in a cheap shot. Cue the LWO (took them long enough) to go after Judgment Day but the distraction lets Dominik hit a 619 into the frog splash for two. With nothing else working, Dominik whips out a chain but Bad Bunny takes it away. The 619 and a frog splash connect to finish Dominik at 14:28.

Rating: A-. This was GREAT and I had a blast with the whole thing. The main thing here is the fans were into it the whole way and carried it so much further. The key to the whole story is that it is something you can relate to. How many parents have had a kid who thought way too much of themselves and ran their mouth to the point where you wanted to (emphasis on those words) smack them? The action was awesome and I wasn’t sure who was winning until the ending, so well done all around. Quite likely Rey’s best Wrestlemania match ever too.

Backlash ad.

We recap Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley. They have met before at Wrestlemania and Charlotte beat her, which has Charlotte believing that she can do it again. This is a different Ripley though and she is ready to prove that she is the best.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is challenging. They hit shoulders to start with Charlotte going down, allowing Rhea to tell her to suck it. Back in and they slug it out, with Ripley knocking her into the corner. Ripley bodyscissors her, followed by a German suplex to cut off the comeback. Charlotte gets in a shot and goes after the knee, as is her custom, but Ripley isn’t having that. Riptide is blocked and they trade big boots to leave them both down.

They slug it out until Charlotte snaps off a fall away slam and goes up top. That takes too long though and Ripley catches her with a release German superplex for two, leaving Ripley stunned. Charlotte goes to the knee again and Natural Selection gets two. They go outside with Charlotte missing a charge into the steps, allowing Ripley to hit a belly to back faceplant for two.

Charlotte rolls some German suplexes but Ripley gets one of her own (with Charlotte almost landing on her head). Charlotte is fine enough to hit a big boot and Ripley is sent outside, where the moonsault connects. The Figure Four is blocked and Charlotte almost runs into the referee, leaving Ripley to hit Riptide for…two (yeah you knew Charlotte would get to kick out of that at least once).

The stunned Ripley gets small packaged for two and the Prism Trap goes on instead. Charlotte makes the ropes and the referee is almost bumped, meaning a spear can give Charlotte two. They slug it out until Charlotte hits another big boot into the Figure Four but Ripley is right next to the ropes. Ripley goes to the apron and they both go up, with Charlotte being dropped face first onto the post. Charlotte is out and the super Riptide gives Ripley the pin and the title at 23:32.

Rating: B+. This started slowly but once they got into the big falls they had me wondering where it was going. While it would have been hard to imagine Ripley losing, there is always that chance with Charlotte in there. What matters is Ripley gets the win that matters and becomes the new star. Charlotte needs to go away from Ripley for a bit (it feels like she hasn’t been on Raw in a long time) and let her be the big deal. For now they, I’ll take Ripley getting the title that she has earned and getting it by pinning Charlotte at Wrestlemania.

Austin Theory brags about his win and asks if you believe in Theory now.

Miz and Snoop Dogg announce the attendance: 80,497. Dogg says the only thing better than those numbers would be if Miz had a match. As it turns out, Miz has put out an open challenge for a Wrestlemania match (even on MySpace) and no one answered. Cue Pat McAfee to say he didn’t see an open challenge but he’s in his Wrestlemania tank top.

Miz says he would love to but just because he is the Wrestlemania host doesn’t mean he can make matches. That’s good for a TINY BALLS chant and McAfee asks who can make a match. Snoop decides he can and the match is on. Miz yells at him but Snoop says “I don’t do this. I rap.” And we’re off.

Miz vs. Pat McAfee

Miz is in street clothes and walks into a spinebuster. McAfee puts him on top and backflips off, allowing Miz to dive into a superkick to send him outside. Miz yells at San Francisco 49 (and wrestling fanatic) George Kittle, who jumps the barricade and clotheslines him, allowing McAfee to flip dive off the pose to take Miz out. Back in and the punt finishes Miz at 3:31.

Rating: C. It was quick, it was funny, they had the celebrity stuff includes and Miz losing is hardly anything new. This was a nice way to give the fans something easy between the Women’s Title match and the main event. Throw in Graves losing his mind over all things McAfee and this was a quick side trip that didn’t hurt anything.

Wrestlemania XL is in Philadelphia.

We recap Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. the Usos. Zayn was at his lowest point just after Wrestlemania last year and needed help. He tried to join the Bloodline and finally got them to say yes, though Jey Uso didn’t trust him. During his attempts to get the team to trust him, Zayn attacked on/off again friend Kevin Owens. Then Roman Reigns changed his mind on Zayn, who turned on Reigns to leave the Bloodline. Jey, who had finally embraced him, walked away as Zayn tried to get Owens on his side. Zayn finally begged enough and got Owens to join him again to fight the Bloodline, including the title match here.

Lil Uzi Vert (a rapper from Philadelphia) performs before the Usos’ entrance and then poses with them.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn

Owens and Zayn are challenging and it’s pretty amazing that they have made it here. Zayn starts with Jimmy but let’s make it Jey instead. Jey takes over and sends Zayn outside for a clothesline and posting. Back in and the champs start taking turns on Zayn, who gets to stagger around like he’s barely hanging in there as he does so well. Zayn finally gets away though and hands it off to Owens who comes in and goes nuts.

A Swanton off the top to the floor takes out both Usos and a bullfrog splash gets two back inside. The Swanton only hits Jimmy’s knees though and Jey adds the Superfly Splash for two. Owens pops back up though and kicks Jimmy into the corner for the Cannonball. Zayn brainbusters Jey into the apron and the Swanton gives Owens two on Jimmy in a near fall. Zayn’s Superfly Splash gets two on Jimmy and there’s the Blue Thunder Bomb but Jey comes in off a blue tag.

A jumping superkick hits Zayn for two and even more superkicks get two more, with Owens making the save. Double basement superkicks get two more on Zayn, who won’t give up. Owens breaks up the 1D though and sends Jimmy into the announcers’ table over and over. Jey makes the save though and it’s a double chokeslam to send Owens through the table. Now the 1D connects on Zayn for two and Jey is livid.

Jey unloads on Zayn in the corner and Zayn of course looks like he’s dead on his feet (or incredibly drunk), with a Helluva Kick from Jey making it worse. The trash talk is on but Zayn hits an exploder into the corner. Owens is back up for the tag and it’s a Helluva Kick to Jimmy and a Stunner to Jey….for two in a heck of a false finish (they got me there). They both stand up (Owens: “LET’S END IT”!) and it’s time for the barrage of superkicks.

Owens gets dropped and Zayn is kicked on the floor, setting up the double Superfly Splash for the very near fall. More superkicks drop Owens but he reverses a superplex into the swinging superplex, allowing the big tag to Zayn. The Helluva Kick in the corner hits Jey and, after Zayn whispers something to him, another Helluva Kick knocks him silly. Owens Stuns Jimmy and the third Helluva Kick finishes Jey and ends the title reign at 24:07.

Rating: A-. This was all about the moment and it was a smash hit. They had set this story up months ago and now they got the chance to pay the whole thing off. The last few minutes were the kind of situation where you could feel the big moment coming but they made you wait for it anyway. It was a heck of a match (cut out the superkick spamming and it’s even better) and the best way to close out a pretty awesome night.

Owens and Zayn celebrate in an emotional moment.

The big highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with only a little bit that wasn’t very good or better. Wrestling aside though, this was built around one important thing: stories that had been set up months in advance and are being paid off. Theory vs. Cena, Rey vs. Dominik, Ripley vs. Charlotte and the main event were all set up a good while ago and we got to see how it went to get us to the payoffs. That made them all the sweeter and it was a much more emotional moment as a result.

As for the show itself, you had a series of strong matches, with Rey vs. Dominik, the Women’s Title and the main event all being awesome, plus a very good showcase match. The six woman tag wasn’t very good and the opener was just ok, but the rest of the show worked well. I had a blast with this show and it felt special, which is the point of Wrestlemania. Nicely done and Night Two has its work cut out.

Results
Austin Theory b. John Cena – A Town Down
Street Profits b. Braun Strowman/Ricochet, Alpha Academy and Viking Raiders – Frog splash to Ricochet
Seth Rollins b. Logan Paul – Stomp
Trish Stratus/Lita/Becky Lynch b. Damage Ctrl – Super Manhandle Slam to Bayley
Rey Mysterio b. Dominik Mysterio – Frog splash
Rhea Ripley b. Charlotte – Super Riptide
Pat McAfee b. Miz – Punt
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens b. Usos – Helluva Kick to Jey

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.

We’re here. It’s finally Wrestlemania Weekend and that means it is time to get ready for the biggest event of the year. As has been the case in recent years, the show will be held over two nights, which might work a little better this year. We know the matches assigned to both nights so now we can have a better idea of what to expect. Both nights have their strengths so we’ll start with Saturday. Let’s get to it.

US Title: Austin Theory(c) vs. John Cena

This is how the show is starting so they’re going with one of the bigger names first. These two have been bickering on and off for months and it might be the time for Theory to take his step to the next level. Cena verbally destroyed Theory a few weeks back and after that massacre, Theory almost has to win. I’m not sure how (or if) they get there, but it is what needs to be done.

I’ve had both winners written out and can’t make up my mind. As much sense as it makes for Theory to win, I could absolutely see Cena winning here for the feel good moment and then dropping the title again at Backlash or even this week. Every instinct I have says Cena but I’ll go with Theory, as my instincts seem to be wrong. Theory retains, but it absolutely would not surprise me to see Cena get the title.

Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

This is the personal match of the night and that should make for a nice showdown. In short, people are wanting to see Rey shut up his loudmouthed son who has run his mouth for months now. They have played the long game with this one and that makes the match feel so much better. I want to see Rey win on the big stage, but there’s one problem with that.

I’ll take Dominik winning here, as he isn’t pushing 50 and isn’t an active Hall of Famer. It makes far more sense for Dominik to win and in this case that is the right thing to do. Dominik has spent months (if not years) trying to forge his own identity and now he almost has one. Having Rey beat him would take away so much of what he has built up. Dominik cheats to win (with the required Eddie Guerrero reference) and brags about it forever, or at least until a likely rematch.

Braun Strowman/Ricochet vs. Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders

This is one of the weirder ideas that WWE has had in a long time as we have a men’s (and a women’s on Sunday) four way tag team match for the sake of getting people on the card. It’s a situation where putting something on the line would make a lot of sense but instead, this is just for bragging rights. Maybe they’ll throw a title shot out there at the last minute, but for now we just have a match.

I’ll go with the Strowman and Ricochet to win, as there is a tendency for the newer teams to get surprise wins. The Academy is busy with the Maximum Male Models stuff and the Raiders would make weird winners. Strowman and Ricochet are fresher than the Profits, who seem like they are heading for singles runs anyway. The lack of stakes make this one all the stranger though, as with nothing to fight for, anyone could win it.

Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

Now this is one of the interesting ones as I could see them going either way again. I don’t think it’s any secret that Paul has been a complete stunner of talent and skill, but one of the key things is that he has only beaten the Miz in a singles match. There is a difference between beating a glorified goof like Miz and pinning one of the biggest stars in WWE at Wrestlemania. I’m not saying it won’t happen, but that is a big step to take.

It’s another coin flip but I’ll take Rollins, who very well could be slotted int the World Title scene shortly after Wrestlemania. The thing about Paul is his celebrity status alone means he doesn’t need to win something like this so going with Paul winning would be a little weird. It’s something that could happen, but I’ll take Rollins to win here, as he should….I think.

Trish Stratus/Lita/Becky Lynch vs. Damage Ctrl

This is your legends match of the show but int his case one of the legends is a reigning champion. The real question is what becomes of the titles shortly after this, as there is a good chance that they are going to change hands before things get much further. Before we get there though, there is a six woman tag to deal with and it might determine where things go from here.

I’ll actually take Damage Ctrl to win here, possibly with the ending helping to set up wherever we are going next with the legends. That opens up more than a few doors, many of which could be rather interesting. What matters is that Damage Ctrl gets back on the winning side and they could do that here by beating the legends and Lynch, who will probably be having the bigger story going forward anyway.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Charlotte(c) vs. Rhea Ripley

There are two options for the Night One main event and this is the singles version. The idea here is that Charlotte is living in the past and thinking that she is facing the same Ripley that she beat three years ago while Ripley knows that she is a different person. Ripley has come a long, long way in the last several months and it is certainly going to be something else coming after Charlotte.

While there is always the “it’s Charlotte” principle, this has to be Ripley winning the title and there is no way around it. I’m not sure why I’m supposed to like Charlotte but she is being presented as more of the hero in this whole thing. Ripley is on fire right now and needs the win or the gap between Charlotte and almost everyone else will get even wider than it already is. Go with the logical move here and pick Ripley.

Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn

Then you have this match which should headline the show. At the end of the day, the Bloodline has been the biggest thing in WWE over the last few years and with the team in more danger than they have been before, it would make sense to put this on last. Otherwise, I would feel sorry for Charlotte and Ripley, who would be left out there to get ignored by the fans.

As much as it seems like this should be a layup, WWE has made me wonder if Owens and Zayn will win the titles. I’ll go with new champions, but it is the kind of choice that will probably be wrong. The Bloodline has to lose at some point and this would be a good place to start. The rest of the story can take pace the following night, but for now the Usos need to go down to the Canadian Connection.

Overall Thoughts

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for Wrestlemania. This year’s card looks great and the first night has a lot of the good stuff. There is a lot to get out of this card and I’d like to see how well the new regime actually runs the biggest event of the year. If nothing else, all of the pieces are there and now they need to actually make all of it work after all of the work they have put in.

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.

Happy Birthday Pop.

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 27, 2023
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the go home Raw before Wrestlemania and that means it is time to get the final push for a lot of this show’s weekend matches. In addition, we’ll have Cody Rhodes facing Solo Sikoa before his final showdown with Roman Reigns on Smackdown. We might get one or two more additions to the card but there isn’t much left to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Miz to get things going. He is fired up to be here and promises to get to the bottom of a very personal feud. This brings out Trish Stratus, Lita and Becky Lynch for a chat. Becky accuses Miz of having small testicles, with Miz saying his wife disagrees. Becky: “It must be comforting to know that Maryse didn’t get around much before you were married.” Lynch talks about how she respect these two but Miz asks Lita and Trish what it’s like to be Becky’s backup. Lita says she feels like a champion but here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt.

Bayley accuses Lita of meaning something 20 years ago but Trish says that title says she means something now. Bayley talks about how being in the ring with these two would be a dream 20 years ago. Now though, it’s still a dream for people who can’t accomplish anything. They want the titles back, which sends Becky into a rant about how many times Damage Ctrl loses, they keep coming back. The triple staredown ensues.

Becky Lynch vs. Iyo Sky

Lynch starts fast with a suplex to send Sky outside. With Damage Ctrl having a meeting, Becky grabs Bayley by the hair to bring her back in. Sky hits a running dropkick to take over but Becky is back with a running forearm for a double knockdown. With Sky on the floor, Lynch hits a baseball slide, followed by a forearm off the apron.

Back in and a layout reverse DDT gets two on Sky as we take a break. We come back with Lynch getting two off a suplex but Sky catches her on top. That means an Asai moonsault can drop Lynch on the floor for two back inside as the fans approve. Over The Moonsault misses though and the Manhandle Slam finishes Sky at 11:50.

Rating: B-. This was another good example of what happens when you have two talented stars going in there and getting to do their thing. Lynch is able to wrestle a good match when she is given the chance and Sky really can make the high flying work as well as probably any woman in the division. Good match here, and the six woman tag could have a lot of potential.

We look back at Cody Rhodes predicting that the Bloodline would turn on Roman Reigns.

Video on Asuka, with various Hall of Famers and legends talking about how awesome she really is.

We recap Logan Paul knocking out Seth Rollins last week. Then in the back, Paul stole the mic and shouted about getting to do it again at Wrestlemania.

Seth Rollins….is interrupted by Mustafa Ali, who wants Rollins to be more positive. Rollins laughs at the Positive Ali idea and the result is a match later tonight.

Seth Rollins vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali forearms him in the face to start and Rollins seems annoyed. A clothesline turns Ali inside out and the stomping is on in the corner. Ali gets tied in the corner for a running stomp, followed by the regular version to give Rollins the pin at 2:07. The stomp in the corner looked painful.

Post match Rollins says if he can’t beat Logan Paul at Wrestlemania, he’s the joke. The match is on Paul’s anniversary and Rollins wants to take him out, so sing that song!

Earlier today Baron Corbin was asking Adam Pearce what was going on with his losses when Chelsea Green interrupted. She wants to know why she isn’t in the Women’s Showcase at Wrestlemania. Pearce says she doesn’t have a partner, but here is Sonya Deville to say Pearce is just jealous that she didn’t do as well as she did in this role. That’s enough or Pearce, who puts them in a qualifying match for the showcase. Corbin is still there and asks “seriously?” but Pearce leaves.

It’s time for a weigh-in between Omos (with MVP) and Brock Lesnar. Before Lesnar comes out, MVP talks about how Lesnar has done great things at Wrestlemania, including beating people like Kurt Angle, Goldberg, Roman Reigns and even…..the Undertaker. Unlike those men though, Lesnar cannot suplex or F5 Omos. With that, Omos weighs in at 410lbs. Cue Lesnar, who goes right after Omos and even picks up the scale, only to get kicked in the face. That’s enough for Lesnar to bail outside and look a bit scared. This was pretty quick but they got the point across.

Video on Charlotte being awesome over the years.

Finn Balor talks about Edge wanting to be inside the Cell with him and says there is nothing more dangerous than a caged demon.

Street Profits/Braun Strowman/Ricochet vs. Alpha Academy/Viking Raiders

Valhalla is here with the Raiders. Dawkins takes Gable down to start but has to slip out of the ankle lock. Strowman comes in to clean house on the villains until Ford (with his own double bicep pose) comes in for some armdrags. Everything breaks down and we get the Ivar vs. Strowman vs. Otis showdown. Otis plants an invading Ford and the Academy stands tall as we take a break.

Back with Erik chinlocking Ford and handing it off to Otis, as Maxxine Dupri is watching in the back. Maxxine likes the Otis shirt coming off for a running elbow (with Otis telling her he’s here). An enziguri gets Ford out of trouble and it’s Dawkins coming back in to clean house. Strowman comes in to do the train around the ring. Ricochet Swantons off of Strowman’s shoulders to hit Erik, followed by Ford (who tagged in) diving OVER Strowman with the frog splash for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: C+. The ending looked great as Ricochet did his crazy flip and then Ford made it look even better. This was probably a lot more interesting than the showcase is going to be, as I still can’t believe there isn’t even a title shot on the line. For now though, this was a good match with a better finish so maybe they’ll surprise me at Wrestlemania.

Cody Rhodes finds it interesting that he has to face the Bloodline’s enforcer this week. The question has been if he has earned it and Cody says he has always earned it. Tonight he beats Solo Sikoa, and at Wrestlemania, it’s Roman Reigns.

This week’s parody trailer: the Bloodline are Goodfellas. At least that matches up.

Video on Bianca Belair coming up the ranks and becoming a major star. Belair really is one of the only women who has come up with no wrestling background and become part of the top group.

Earlier today, Austin theory was in the empty arena and talked about how John Cena allegedly humiliated him on the microphone a few weeks ago. The only thing Cena can’t see is the future, because Theory is a star. It doesn’t matter if Theory is in an empty ring or in a sold out stadium, because he’ll show Cena what a star really is. Good stuff here, but Theory needs to win in a pretty dominant fashion on Saturday.

Stacy Keibler is going into the Hall of Fame.

Wrestlemania Showcase Qualifying Match: Sonya Deville/Chelsea Green vs. Michin/Candice LeRae

Michin gets taken into the wrong corner to start so Deville and green can take turns hammering on her. A double neckbreaker gets Michin out of trouble as everything breaks down. A quick Unprettier gives Green the pin on Yim at 2:57.

Paul Heyman gives a Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes version of the 23rd Psalm before saying Rhodes isn’t ready. Yes he needs to face Solo Sikoa tonight because Roman Reigns has been guided from being the Big Dog to the Tribal Chief. Rhode isn’t ready for Sunday but needs to be ready to take a beating tonight and then another from Reigns. Be ready for pain, and to acknowledge the Tribal Chief.

Here are Dominik Mysterio and Damien Priest (who have been standing in the ring since before a break and Heyman’s interview) with Dominik talking about what a horrible father Rey Mysterio really is. We see Rey punching Dominik and agreeing to face Dominik at Wrestlemania. He should have told his mother to shut up a long time ago and wishes Eddie Guerrero was his real father.

Damien Priest vs. Rey Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio is here with Priest and we’re joined in progress (19 minutes after Priest’s music started to play) with Rey taking Priest down. Priest plants him with a lifting Downward Spiral for two but misses a big boot. The 619 is broken up with a heck of a clothesline but Rey super hurricanranas him down. Now the 619 can connect but Dominik crotches Rey on top for the DQ at 3:10.

Rating: C. This was about having Dominik screw over Rey before they fight at Wrestlemania so there wasn’t much to expect from the match itself. They did as much as they could with the time they had so this was good enough to fulfill its purpose. Other than that, can we please find something for Priest to do? Or at least a feud of his own? It has been a long time now for him.

Post match the beatdown is on but Legado del Fantasma runs in for the save.

Video on Andre the giant, who has a battle royal named after him on Friday.

The Good Brothers and Johnny Gargano are in the Andre battle royal and go to do something else. Rick Boogs is excited about being in and Elias promises to win. Dexter Lumis and Bronson Reed both scare Elias, as does Bobby Lashley.

We look at the Usos jumping Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on Smackdown.

Owens and Zayn talk about how this is going to be the biggest Tag Team Title match of all time. They have to win because the Bloodline has to be stopped.

Gunther vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title and Imperium is here with Gunther. Ziggler hits a dropkick and the jumping DDT but Gunther gets him in the corner for the boot choke as we take a break. Back with Ziggler getting two off a Fameasser but getting chopped HARD out of the air. A German suplex and the powerbomb set up the Last Symphony to finish Ziggler at 5:43. Not enough shown to rate but Ziggler got in some offense before getting crushed by the monster that is Gunther.

Post match Gunther promises the same thing for Drew McIntyre and Sheamus.

Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Paul Heyman is here with Sikoa. A dropkick hits Sikoa to start but he snaps off a Samoan drop for a breather. They head outside with Sikoa being whipped into the steps but he suplexes Rhodes back inside. That’s enough to send Cody outside, where Sikoa can drop him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. The swinging Rock Bottom onto the table has Cody in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Cody fighting out of a nerve hold but getting clotheslined in the corner. Cod jumps over him in the corner and snaps off the powerslam, followed by the Disaster Kick. The Cody Cutter connects and Cross Rhodes drops Sikoa again for a rather delayed two, with Sikoa getting a foot on the rope.

A moonsault misses for Cody but the Samoan Spike misses. Cody grabs another Cody Cutter but here are the Usos (with music), allowing Sikoa to hit a superkick. Spinning Solo gets two (Heyman is surprised) but here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to brawl with the Usos. Another Samoan Spike is countered into Cross Rhodes to finish Sikoa at 12:53.

Rating: B-. Rhodes winning to shake Heyman (and presumably Reigns) up is a smart move and I don’t think Sikoa is going to be ruined by having his first loss be to someone who very well could be World Champion next week. This was the best way to end Raw, as Rhodes only has Reigns left in front of him. We’ll get a showdown on Friday and a match on Sunday, so nice job on setting things up.

A serious looking Heyman pulls out his phone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m sure there are going to be a lot of complaints about this show not being the most exciting or the highest quality and those are pretty fair. At the same time though, this is one of the few shows of the year that isn’t about what takes place between the bells. This show is all about getting things ready for Wrestlemania and it went fairly well, with a few good matches thrown in. Good enough show, but none of it is going to matter once the bell rings on Saturday.

Results
Becky Lynch b. Iyo Sky – Manhandle Slam
Seth Rollins b. Mustafa Ali – Stomp
Street Profits/Braun Strowman/Ricochet b. Alpha Academy/Viking Raiders – Frog splash to Erik
Sonya Deville/Chelsea Green b. Michin/Candice LeRae – Unprettier to Green
Rey Mysterio b. Damien Priest via DQ when Dominik Mysterio interfered
Gunther b. Dolph Ziggler – Last Symphony
Cody Rhodes b. Solo Sikoa – Cross Rhodes

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: February 20, 2023
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re done with Elimination Chamber and that means it is time to get ready for Wrestlemania. The big story is that Roman Reigns retained the World Title over Sami Zayn, who seems promised to rejoin forces with Kevin Owens to fight the Bloodline. We might see the start of that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is Elimination Chamber if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, with Zayn coming up short and Kevin Owens saving him after the match.

Here is Sami Zayn to get things going and he looks to be a wreck. He talks about how everything has been going on for the last few days and the response he has gotten from the fans means more than they could know. After pausing to soak in a few more cheers, Sami talks about feeling guilty for letting people down by not getting the big win. What he understands though is that the story is not over, but it entering its final chapter. There is one more person he needs to talk to though, so Kevin Owens needs to get out here right now.

Cue Owens, with Zayn not being sure what to say. He starts with a thank you and an I’m sorry, but Zayn knows they’re kind of beyond words at the moment. Zayn knows that Owens wants to destroy the Bloodline and that’s what he wants too. That gets Owens’ attention but he says he did what he did on Saturday for himself.

When Owens was getting beaten down at the Royal Rumble, Zayn sat there and watched. Owens wasn’t going to make Zayn’s family go through that too. He told Sami he was done with him in November and that’s still true. If Zayn still needs help taking down the Bloodline, ask Jey Uso. Owens drops the mic and leaves. The reunion is still coming, but we have to wait on it just a little longer.

After we run down the card, Sami Zayn is still in the arena when Baron Corbin runs out to jump him. The beating continues throughout the break and we come back with Corbin calling Zayn pathetic. Zayn is a failure, which is enough to make him charge back into the ring, meaning it’s time for a match.

Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin

Sami knocks him outside and then hammers away back inside as they start fast. Corbin misses a charge into the corner but dives into a chokebreaker for two. We take a break and come back with Zayn hitting a tornado DDT for two of his own. With Corbin on the floor again, Zayn buts out the running flip dive for the big crash. Back in and Corbin clotheslines his way out of trouble, setting up a Deep Six for two more. Corbin hits a running corner clothesline and loads up another, only to get caught with the Helluva Kick for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: C. This was exactly the kind of match Zayn should have had here: a slightly difficult win that gets him back on track after losing the big showdown. That’s all it needed to be and he made it work well, as Corbin is still someone people like to see lose. Corbin’s spiral continues, but I’m sure they’ll reheat him again because they feel it must be done.

We get a sitdown interview with Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. Rhea isn’t focusing on Beth Phoenix anymore because she’s all in on Wrestlemania. Dominik threatens interviewer Byron Saxton with prison violence so we move on to Charlotte. Ripley knows that Charlotte is obsessed with what happened at Wrestlemania three years ago because she knows she’s in trouble this year. If Charlotte wants to put Rhea in her place at Wrestlemania then fine, because that place is Ripley as champion. She’ll be at Smackdown to see Charlotte, and Dominik will tag along to see his dad.

Austin Theory is banged up but he’s ready to defend his US Title against Edge tonight. What bugs him though is that John Cena is back in two weeks and no one is paying attention to the champ. The forever reign continues tonight.

Mustafa Ali vs. Dolph Ziggler

Last week, Ziggler told Ali to smile more and Ali is taking said advice very, very seriously. Ziggler takes him down to start but the threat of a superkick sends Ali bailing to the floor. Back in and Ali takes over, including a kick to the face in the corner. Ziggler plants him with a DDT for two and loads up the Fameasser, only to have Ali reverse into a crucifix for the pin at 2:15. Well that was a surprise and Ali is stunned.

Maryse gives Miz an envelope with something inside it and he’s VERY happy. We’ll see what’s in there next week, but tonight he has to face Seth Rollins. Miz isn’t worried about Rollins, who is too worried about Logan Paul, who Miz made in the first place. The envelope has made Miz’s dreams come true though.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat but Paul Heyman, in a neck brace, cuts him off from the Titantron. Rhodes wants him out here right now but Heyman says that isn’t happening. He is banged up after Elimination Chamber and isn’t going to risk it out there. Elimination Chamber should have been special but it was a rough night.

Heyman gets to the point: Rhodes can’t beat Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania. However, let’s do some hypothetical thinking. Let’s say Rhodes does the impossible and wins the title. Rhodes, without the wise man backing him up, will spend 200 days defending the titles, 50 days at various at charity events, 30 days promoting the events, and even meetings at home. As Dustin Rhodes said, even when Dusty Rhodes was at home, he wasn’t at home.

Is that what Cody wants to do to his family? Heyman isn’t going to say something vile like Roman Reigns will keep Cody’s wife warm because Reigns is a happily married man. Heyman: “But I’m not!” If Rhodes wins, he’ll find out that his Wrestlemania dream will become his own personal nightmare. Cody looks like he’s about to erupt but says he’ll finish the story at Wrestlemania. Heyman playing games is great and Rhodes is selling it like a master as well.

Asuka vs. Nikki Cross

The bell rings and here is Bianca Belair to watch. Once she has a seat, Cross strikes away to no avail, only to miss a running clothesline. Asuka misses a big kick though and gets dropped on the apron as we take a break. Back with Asuka dropping Cross to send her to the apron and then catching her on top. A super DDT gets two (again: if you’re going to introduce a big move like that, don’t just have it be another regular near fall) so Asuka grabs the double armbar to make (the smiling) Cross give up at 9:23.

Rating: C+. The Asuka push continues as she racks up another win. This is a bit of a weird one as Asuka is more than a made star in the division, but she is in such a different presentation that she has to be rebuilt in a way. The new version is working well enough, even as Cross continues to be little more than a bump in a lot of people’s roads.

Post match Belair gets in the ring for the staredown and sign pointing. Asuka chokes on her own blue mist before laughing, which has Belair shaken.

Carmella isn’t thinking about her Road To Wrestlemania but she is thinking about Asuka, so she’s about to make Wrestlemania a lot easier for Bianca Belair. With Carmella gone, Seth Rollins pops in to take issue with Logan Paul messing with his Wrestlemania plans. The joke’s on Paul because pain is coming. Paul isn’t here tonight though, so Rollins will beat up Miz instead.

We look back at Brock Lesnar getting himself disqualified against Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber.

MVP calls Lesnar a coward and issues a challenge to Lesnar for Wrestlemania…..on Omos’ behalf. Lesnar can come answer next week.

Miz vs. Seth Rollins

They go straight to the floor to start with Rollins getting the better of it. A baseball slide sends Miz over the announcers’ table but he’s right back in with a DDT as we take a break. Back with Miz sending Rollins chest first into the corner but getting caught with a running clothesline. Miz’s running knee out of the corner gets two more but he makes the mistake of mouthing the words LOGAN PAUL. Rollins hammers away, hits the Stomp, hits another, and then hits a third for the referee stoppage at 11:03.

Rating: C. So this was more or less Rollins as Asuka, as he got to destroy Miz, who won’t be hurt by the loss in the slightest. Rollins vs. Paul has been all but announced for weeks now so there was nothing noteworthy new there. Other than that, you have Miz with that envelope, which is probably him getting to host Wrestlemania or something else that suits him well.

Adam Pearce gives Carmella her match with Asuka next week. Chelsea Green calls Pearce to complain about her travel arrangements. Pearce’s phone suddenly messes up and he just can’t hear here. We pan over to see the Alpha Academy training for their modeling career but Bronson Reed comes in to glare at them. Reed tells Gable to get ready to model a full body cast.

It’s time for Ding Dong Hello, with Damage Ctrl as the special guests. Bayley praises her friends, with Dakota Kai praising her right back. They have dominated the tag division for 100 days and will keep doing it forever, 100 days at a time. Cue Becky Lynch to interrupt, saying those titles haven’t been defended in forever. She does have an idea for a partner to come after the titles though, so here is Lita to leave Damage Ctrl more than a bit worried. Bayley: “YOU BETTER USE THE DOOR!”

Bayley brings up Lita and Becky’s issues last week but Becky has already apologized. Lita wants another title reign and likes the idea of walking into Wrestlemania as champion. Cowardice is accused but Bayley accepts the challenge on their behalf. Becky and Lita take the belts away and then throw them back, with Damage Ctrl not looking sure about this.

Candice LeRae is talking about Johnny Gargano’s injury status when Nikki Cross pops up again. LeRae is tired of Cross following her and asks why this is going on. Cross whispers something, which is apparently “all her friends are gone and she’s alone”.

Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed

Otis is here too. Reed sends Gable outside for the shoulder off the apron and stops to stare at Otis. Back in and Gable manages a quick ankle lock but Reed powers him off. Gable ax handles him down and hits a Swan Dive for two….as Maxxine Dupri is here. Otis gets distracted, allowing Reed to run Gable over again. The Tsunami finishes for Reed at 3:09.

Rating: C. As much as I could go with never seeing Alpha Academy again, they are at least trying something different here and that is a nice thing to see. At the same time you have Reed, who has the coolest looking splash in a very long time. I’d like to see him getting to do something important, but just having him around is a good thing.

Here is Elias to slightly praise Rick Boogs before making something of an open challenge. Cue Bobby Lashley to wreck Elias with the usual. Lashley says no one can survive him, from Brock Lesnar to Bray Wyatt.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Edge is glad he’s done with Judgment Day and wants to see what Austin Theory has. Theory is someone who can shake the next twenty years in this company, but does he have what it takes? He wants to hold a title one more time and walking into Wrestlemania as US Champion sounds good. Never say never.

US Title: Edge vs. Austin Theory

Edge is challenging and, after the Big Match Intros, takes Theory outside to start. Back in and a Russian legsweep gives Edge two as we take a break. We come back with Edge hitting a clothesline off the apron but Theory takes him into the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the rolling dropkick for two on Edge as we take a break.

Back again with Edge slugging away and hitting a high crossbody to Theory’s back for two. The Edge-O-Matic gets the same and a sitout powerbomb gets two more. Edge grabs the Crossface, sending Theory straight to the rope. The spear is loaded up but here is Finn Balor for a kick to the head, setting up A Town Down to retain Theory’s title at 18:14.

Rating: B. They were having a good match here and the ending took away a lot of the fun. The Edge vs. Balor match is another that has felt locked in for Wrestlemania for a very long time now but my goodness I’m tired of seeing these guys fight. Edge has had some LONG feuds since he has been back and it makes me wonder what else he could do instead of fighting the same handful of people over and over. For now though, nice main event style match with Theory getting another big win to add to his resume.

Post match Balor hits three Coup de Graces to crush Edge and end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing that can be said about this show is that it feels like we are in Wrestlemania mode. You can only get so far with that feeling with Elimination Chamber still around so at least now we can get on to the REALLY important stuff. They are also doing a goo job with making you want to come back next week and now we have a better idea of where some things are going to go. The Wrestlemania card is mostly visible from here, but now we wait for everything to be set up. Solid show this week, as they are putting things together like they should.

Results
Sami Zayn b. Baron Corbin – Helluva Kick
Mustafa Ali b. Dolph Ziggler – Crucifix
Asuka b. Nikki Cross – Double armbar
Seth Rollins b. Miz via referee stoppage
Bronson Reed b. Chad Gable – Tsunami
Austin Theory b. Edge – A Town Down

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: February 13, 2023
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

It is the go home show for the Elimination Chamber and that means we need to finalize everything for the red half of the event. We should be in for some hard pushes, including the contract signing between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. There is also the Lita return last week to deal with so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Becky Lynch, with Adam Pearce, for a chat. Becky is happy to be here and says she even dressed spiffy for us. She thanks Lita for her help last week but realizes that she needs a path to Wrestlemania. That sounds like something to do with a title to her, so she wants in the Elimination Chamber.

Cue Bayley, who says she should be in the Chamber, because Lita CHEATED last week. That match should be stricken from the record book, which sends Bayley and Becky into an argument over Wrestlemania credentials. Bayley says Becky lost in her Wrestlemania main event (Huh?) and brags about defending both Women’s Titles there instead.

With that bizarre bit out of the way, cue Bianca Belair to say all this talk about the title should involve the champ. She wants both of them in the Chamber, so Pearce has an idea: a triple threat between the three of them tonight. If Bayley or Becky win, both of them are in and the Chamber, with seven women, starts in a triple threat. If Belair wins, the two of them are both out of the Chamber. I’m thinking that was either worded badly or I misheard it, because that’s some insane booking otherwise. I’m assuming if Becky or Bayley wins, the winner and only the winner goes in?

Judgment Day is ready for their upcoming week, including tonight and at Elimination Chamber.

Judgment Day vs. Street Profits

Priest hits Ford in the face to start and it’s Balor slingshotting in with a stomp for two. A kick to the head rocks Balor though and it’s Dawkins coming in for a double flapjack to Priest. The house is cleaned and we take a break, maybe three minutes after coming back from the previous one.

Back with Dawkins coming in to clean house but missing the spinning splash in the corner. Not that it matters as Ford tags himself in and catches Balor with a German suplex for two. The Doomsday Blockbuster gets two more and Ford hits the big flip dive onto Priest. Dominik gets brought in and Pounced by Dawkins, allowing Balor to hit the Sling Blade. The shotgun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace to give Balor the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C+. The energy was high but my goodness I could go with them not having the breaks in the middle of the match. What does it even help? You have a somewhat hot match here but instead of letting the fans see it, we get about two half of it due to a pair of breaks. There has to be a better way to format this show and it would be nice if they could make the change.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Edge and Beth Phoenix run in for the save. Beth loads up the Glam Slam on Dominik but Rhea Ripley (not supposed to be here) runs in and lays Beth out with the Riptide.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley for a contract signing. Since Lesnar signed last week, Adam Pearce needs Lashley out here, so here is….a bunch of security. Lashley sets up his own table at the stage and says he isn’t sure about this. He has had everyone from his agent to his kids sign and he doesn’t know if he’s going to do it. Lashley calls him Basic B**** Brock so Lesnar goes up the aisle. Security is dispatched and Lashley backdrops (yes backdrops) him on the floor. There’s the spear to cut Lesnar down and Lashley signs. That was a bit uneventful.

Mia Yim vs. Piper Niven

This is fallout from Niven threatening Yim’s friend Candice LeRae last week. Niven runs her over to start and falls on top of Yim in a slam attempt. Yim grabs a fairly scary looking DDT but charges into something like a Rock Bottom out of the corner. The backsplash gives Niven two but Yim slips out of the over the shoulder piledriver. Instead, Niven grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam (the Loch Ness Slam) for the pin at 2:41.

Long recap of the Jey Uso Saga from Smackdown.

Baron Corbin is asked about his fallout with JBL last week….but we need to cut back to the arena because Sami Zayn is in the ring. He isn’t here to hold up the show but he has something to say to someone and he might not get the chance after this week. Zayn wants Cody Rhodes out here right now and his request is quickly granted. Rhodes asks what Zayn wants to talk about, so Zayn brings up Cody saying he thinks it’s going to be himself vs. Zayn at Wrestlemania.

Zayn wants to hear it from his face and yes, Cody did mean what he said. Fans: “THIS IS AWESOME!” Cody says that with all due respect, that’s not what this is all about. Does Zayn believe that he can beat Reigns? Fans: “OLE!” Zayn says that the truth is he doesn’t know. Reigns is telling the truth when he talks about being on another level. Now after 900 days, does he know if he can take out Reigns?

Yes he believes he can do it but he doesn’t know if he can. Fans: “YOU CAN DO IT!” Cody doesn’t know how to take that but says there is distention in the Bloodline for the first time ever and that is because of Zayn. Everything going on right now is because of him and Reigns is just a man. Go crack him open and take him out, because Rhodes is going to be waiting on him at Wrestlemania.

Michael Cole said Cody can finish hist story, but now it is time for Zayn to finish his. Rhodes goes to leave, but says one more thing: he doesn’t want to see Zayn on Raw next week, because he wants to see him at Wrestlemania. This was more greatness and while I don’t buy Zayn having a real chance to win, they’re pushing the heck out of this and it’s starting to feel bigger and bigger every week.

Nikki Cross and Carmella are ready for a six woman tag, with Asuka coming in, complete with clown look, to scare Carmella off. Candice LeRae comes in to see Cross, asking why she has been following her. Cross laughs.

Baron Corbin is sick of being disrespected and at Elimination Chamber, Roman Reigns beats Sami Zayn. Corbin was the last person to beat Reigns, and then Reigns is going to run through Rhodes at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t get Rhodes, who happens to be behind him. Corbin mocks Rhodes’ brother and dad, which is enough to start the brawl. They fight into the arena with Cody, in a suit, saying get a referee.

Cody Rhodes vs. Baron Corbin

They start on the floor with Corbin being sent into the barricade and then the post. They fight onto the announcers’ table before Corbin is sent into the steps. Cody sends him inside for the first time and hits the Cody Cutter, setting up Cross Rhodes for the pin at 2:03. This made Cody look like a killer and it went very well.

Natalya, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez don’t like the Raw women in the Elimination Chamber. They’re not sure about each other either.

Asuka/Carmella/Nikki Cross vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Natalya/Liv Morgan

Rodriguez fall away slams Cross to start so Carmella comes in, earning a Sharpshooter from Natalya. Everything breaks down and the Smackdown women clear the ring as we take a break. Back with Natalya fighting out of a bodyscissors and bringing Morgan in to kick away at Cross. Everything breaks down and it’s an exchange of kicks to the head. Asuka ties up Morgan’s arms for the tap at 7:13.

Rating: C-. They blazed through this (again, with a mid-match commercial) and it was little more than a way to remind you that the match was taking place on Saturday. There are not many potential winners for the Chamber match so boosting Asuka, one of the potential winners, is a good idea. Nothing to see here for the most part, but at least they didn’t do anything ridiculous.

Otis is having a hot dog but Chad Gable doesn’t approve. Gable throws it away and hits the Maximum Male Models, with Maxxine Durpri thinking Otis could be the face of their brand. She gives him a card, with Gable critiquing the design. Bronson Reed comes up and scares them.

Bronson Reed vs. Mustafa Ali

Reed starts fast and knocks Ali outside. A shot off the apron takes Ali down again but he gets back inside for a running kick to the face. They go outside again and Ali is LAUNCHED over the barricade and into a pile of chairs. Ali’s hurricanrana doesn’t get him very far as Reed runs him over. The Tsunami finishes Ali at 3:09.

Rating: C. There is something so fun about watching someone the size of Reed crush someone, as that Tsunami looks absolutely effortless every time. That is what we got to see again here and it absolutely still works. At the same time, it is becoming more and more clear that Ali is never going to be anything more than this around here, but he does seem to still be putting in the effort. That’s more than some will do so good for him.

Here is Miz for MizTV. Miz isn’t happy about not being in the Elimination Chamber but he’d rather talk about his guest. That would be Seth Rollins, who may be a mastermind, but is his mind in the Chamber or on Logan Paul? First though, Miz looks at Rollins’ huge red boots and asks WHAT ARE THOSE!

Rollins says it’s style so Miz moves on to Logan Paul. That’s not what the people want to talk about so we pause for the fans to sing Rollins’ music. If Miz wanted to hear singing, he would listen to Taylor Swift (Miz: “You’re all jealous because I got tickets and you didn’t!”). Rollins talks about having a dream but Paul doesn’t buy into it. All Paul wants is to be a star and that makes Rollins want to kick his teeth in. Miz: “It sounds like you’re jealous.” Rollins: “Come on Mike. We all know you’re stupid but you’re not THAT stupid.” Miz: “I AM NOT STUPID!”

Miz goes on about their accomplishments and gets hit in the face. Rollins hits him in the face with a chair as well but here is Austin Theory to pull Rollins to the floor. The distraction lets Miz kick Rollins in the face but Rollins takes him down. Theory is back up with A Town Down to drop Rollins.

Elias comes up to see Rick Boogs and compares their backgrounds. If Boogs can impress him tonight, maybe there is a collaboration in the future. Boogs: “RIGHTEOUS!” He’s ready to beat up Miz tonight and Elias approves. Sidenote: MVP was seen talking to Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in the background.

Miz vs. Rick Boogs

Miz is barely able to get to his feet and says the match isn’t happening. Boogs disagrees and jumps him, setting up a pumphandle slam with fifteen curls. The gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam finishes Miz at 1:01.

Chelsea Green comes in to see Adam Pearce and brings up the emails she has sent management. Pearce says he got them and responded to them, but Green wants to be treated like a star. She wants to be in the triple threat match tonight and won’t leave until she’s in. Green feels VERY threatened so Pearce leaves.

Judgment Day promises to win both of their matches at Elimination Chamber. Then Rhea Ripley can go on to win the Smackdown Women’s Title at Wrestlemania. Ripley knows she is going to win and that rise to the top starts at Elimination Chamber.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Video on the Elimination Chamber.

Bianca Belair vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

Non-title and if Bayley (with Damage Ctrl) or Lynch win, they are in the Elimination Chamber. If Belair wins though, neither goes in. Joined in progress with Belair cleaning house but Bayley fights up to take over. Becky dives back in with a save with Belair having to make her own as well. A double DDT plants Belair and Bayley as we take a break.

Back with Belair dropping Bayley onto the turnbuckle for two but Becky sends Belair into the corner as well. Bayley comes back in and takes Becky down for two each, followed by a top rope elbow for two more on Becky (ignore Belair laying on Becky as Bayley went up, which should have been a pin).

The Manhandle Slam hits Bayley but Damage Ctrl makes the save to pull Becky outside. Another distraction lets Bayley can roll Belair up for two. Cue the people in the Elimination Chamber to brawl with Damage Ctrl, leaving Belair to throw Sky onto the pile. Back up and Belair KOD’s Becky onto Bayley (with Becky rolling off for no logical reason), allowing Belair to get the pin at 15:00.

Rating: D+. I don’t even know where to start with this mess. First and foremost, absolutely nothing has changed as a result. Becky and Bayley weren’t in the Chamber coming in and they’re not in it with Raw over. They were both playing with the house’s money and it changed nothing. Then you had all of the (expected) interference, plus the multiple occasions where there should have been pinfall attempts but the referee either didn’t count or one of them rolled away from a legal cover. Bad wrestling, weird stipulations and pieces that were just a mess make what could have been big into a pretty awful main event.

We run down the Elimination Chamber card again to fill out the rest of the show’s time.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show and a lot of that is due to the Elimination Chamber matches. Neither feels remotely important, as you have Asuka, Rodriguez and….are any of the other four realistic winners? Carmella and Natalya aren’t winning and Cross/Morgan are long shots at best. On the other hand you have the US Title match, which has little heat and feels all over the place. Ford and Priest were in a tag match (granted against each other), Rollins is fighting with Miz and talking about Logan Paul and Gargano wasn’t even on the show.

Now on the other hand, there was some good stuff on here. The Cody/Zayn segment was outstanding and Cody looked awesome against Corbin. You also had Reed feeling like a monster, Niven and Boogs being boosted up and Lashley managing to get one over on Lesnar. There was good stuff on the show, but the bad stuff was bringing it right back down. The good news is that Elimination Chamber is over in six days and we can move on to the stuff that really matters. For now, this was another show that would have been great at two hours but was only pretty good at three.

Results
Judgment Day b. Street Profits – Coup de Grace to Dawkins
Piper Niven b. Mia Yim – Loch Ness Slam
Cody Rhodes b. Baron Corbin – Cross Rhodes
Asuka/Carmella/Nikki Cross b. Raquel Rodriguez/Natalya/Liv Morgan – Armbar to Morgan
Bronson Reed b. Mustafa Ali – Tsunami
Rick Boogs b. The Miz – Gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam
Bianca Belair b. Becky Lynch and Bayley – Belair KOD’s Lynch onto Bayley

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: February 6, 2023
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than two weeks away from Elimination Chamber and that means it is time to start getting more qualifying matches out of the way. In addition to that though, we have a cage match between Bayley and Becky Lynch which should be a heck of a showdown. That should be enough but Cody Rhodes will be somewhere as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Edge and Beth Phoenix for a chat, but first we see a clip of Edge quitting at Extreme Rules to save Beth from a Conchairto, which happened anyway. Then they returned at Elimination Chamber, where they took out Judgment Day again. In the arena, Edge talks about how he wanted Judgment Day to be about finding new talent. We hear about the members of the team but then everything fell apart. The team attacked Edge so here is their golf clap. Fans: “YOU STILL GOT IT!” Edge: “I never lost it!”

Beth wants to get the fight on but here is Judgment Day, minus Rhea Ripley, to interrupt. Dominik threatens prison violence, just like he used on Rey Mysterio, and Damian Priest talks about qualifying for the Money….er, Elimination Chamber, to get his US Title back. Edge doesn’t want to hear this and suggests that Dominik isn’t that tough. Beth wants to get her hands on Rhea, so the mixed tag challenge is thrown out for Elimination Chamber. Game on, and so is the fight, with the Street Profits running in. The Glam Slam drops Dominik.

Elimination Chamber: Angelo Dawkins vs. Damian Priest

Everyone is gone from ringside and we’re joined in progress. They head outside with Priest being thrown over the announcers’ table. Back in and Priest hits the toss suplex for two but Dawkins fires off the right hands. Priest slams him on the floor again and we take a break. Back with Dawkins hitting an exploder suplex for two and going up top.

Priest pulls him down into a Downward Spiral for two but the Silencer drops Priest again. A top rope Swanton gives Dawkins two but Priest is back up to kick Dawkins in the head. South Of Heaven is plants Dawkins down rather hard and sends Priest on to the Chamber title shot at 11:00.

Rating: C+. This was a match where there wasn’t much doubt but Dawkins was putting in the efforts to make the most of it. The Profits are already starting to get their singles pushes and they are slowly getting better in both areas. Dawkins getting a singles run of his own would have been a bit much over a former champion, but he certainly did better than I would have expected.

Adam Pearce welcomes the Maximum Male Models to Raw but gets interrupted by Chelsea Green. She isn’t happy with the BELGIAN chocolates she got last week when she wanted Swiss. Therefore, Pearce either needs to get it right or she’ll get him fired with one phone call. Green: “K thanks bye.”

We look at Sami Zayn jumping Roman Reigns on Smackdown but getting beaten down again. Their match at Elimination Chamber is set.

Baron Corbin vs. Dexter Lumis

Johnny Gargano is here with Lumis and JBL is here with Corbin, who takes Lumis down with a chinlock to start. Some elbows to the back of the head set up another chinlock. Lumis fights up with a belly to back suplex but he can’t Silence Corbin. A missed charge lets Lumis hit the Silence for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: C-. Yeah this still didn’t work and I’m not particularly surprised. Corbin has lost all kinds of steam and Lumis is much better before and after the bell than in between them. The match was rather dull and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Corbin taking a bigger backseat in the future, as this stuff with JBL just isn’t working.

We look back at Becky Lynch being attacked in the cage two weeks ago, then attacking Damage Ctrl to even things up a bit.

Lynch is ready to face Bayley inside the cage here in Orlando, where it all began. Bayley made this personal when she brought in Becky’s family so tonight, it is time to play her last card.

We look at the Braveheart trailer from Wrestlemania XXI.

Here is Brock Lesnar (high fiving fans, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do before) for a chat. Lesnar is glad to be here and asks if anyone saw the Royal Rumble. He didn’t like it because Bobby Lashley tossed him out. Lesnar wasn’t here last week because he had to get his mind right. Last week he couldn’t go hunting or ice fishing but all he could think about was Bobby Lashley. To make it even worse, Lashley ruined his steak dinner and his, ahem, time with his wife. Well, maybe after four or five hours after his time with his wife started that is.

Lesnar pulls out a contract for a match with Lashley at Elimination Chamber so he wants Lashley out here for a signing. Cue Lashley to recap their feud and he thinks they need to do a third match on his terms. His team is going to look at the contract and thinks Lesnar should understand. F5ing ensues. You knew the match was happening either at Elimination Chamber or at Wrestlemania so this opens some doors for Wrestlemania.

Dexter Lumis has drawn a picture of the Gargano Family, including Nikki Cross looking on. Cross is behind them and runs off.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Carmella vs. Candice LeRae vs. Mia Yim vs. Piper Niven

One fall to a finish and Carmella bails to the floor to start. Back in and Niven uses the power to take over, including crushing all three at once for some near falls. Niven throws Carmella outside and poses as we take a break. We come back with Yim and LeRae double teaming Niven down.

Niven is back up with a headbutt to Yim but LeRae hits a missile dropkick into a middle rope moonsault for two. Carmella comes back in and stomps away on LeRae in the corner, setting up a Cannonball From Niven. Carmella kicks Niven to the floor and rolls LeRae up for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C. So LeRae needs the win, whatever Yim is being called this week needs a win, Niven is back as the force who needs a win, but the right answer is Carmella, who is the same thing she was before she left for months. Carmella is going to be cannon fodder in the Chamber, which is the case for more than one person in there. Maybe they should get someone a little more interesting, but why do that when you can have Carmella?

JBL quits on Baron Corbin for being such a screwup. Corbin promises he can do better but JBL walks away anyway. Well points for pulling the plug on a bad idea, but odds are we are going to be seeing more Corbin because of course we are. Sidenote: MVP can be seen talking to Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander in the back.

Piper Niven goes after Candice LeRae in the back but Mia Yim makes the save.

Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin vs. Alpha Academy

MVP is here with Cedric and Shelton. Cedric and Gable go to a wrestle off to start with Gable taking him down without much trouble. Otis and Shelton come in with Otis sending him hard into the corner. Shelton gets away and brings in Cedric to clean house in a hurry. The Neuralizer sends Gable outside, where he catches a charging Cedric in an exploder suplex. Back in and Gable hits a top rope headbutt for two as everything breaks down. Gable misses a moonsault though and it’s a Lumbar Check for the pin at 4:54.

Rating: C+. Sure why not. The Hurt Business worked well in its day and it’s not like Benjamin and Alexander have anything else going on. Put them back together and let them see if the magic is still there. I’ll take it over some lame comedy team and MVP can make almost anything work.

We look back at the returning Rick Boogs beating Miz in an impromptu match last week.

Miz swears revenge on Boogs, who comes out of Adam Pearce’s office. Pearce pokes his head out to hear Miz run his mouth, setting up a rematch for next week. With that gone, Chelsea Green pops in and demands an opponent right now or she’ll call Pearce’s manager.

Chelsea Green vs. Asuka

The rest of the women in the Elimination Chamber are here as Green jumps Asuka to start. The lifting Downward Spiral plants Asuka but Green stops to yell at everyone else on the floor. The distraction lets Asuka come back with a bunch of strikes, setting up a double arm crank for the tap at 2:23.

Post match we get the big staredown but here is Bianca Belair to ask who is going to win the Chamber. She knows what it means and wishes them all luck, because she’ll be waiting at Wrestlemania.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about how we are on the Road To Wrestlemania, but first of all, we have a special night for Sami Zayn in his hometown. Cody wishes him luck, but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman is here on behalf of Roman Reigns to congratulate Cody on winning the men’s Royal Rumble. We get a polite handshake and Cody calls him Mr. Heyman before wanting to pull the curtain back.

Cody wants to talk about a moment in 2000, when Dusty Rhodes got a call to work for ECW. Heyman wanted Dusty in ECW to face Steve Corino with promised of great pay, which he received. That run gave Dusty his confidence back and Cody thanks him. Then when Cody was here before, Heyman showed Cody the way so thank you again. Heyman is a bit emotional and talks about how far of a road this has been for Cody. Now though, Cody is trying to take away from Roman Reigns, which makes Heyman wonder how Cody will handle the pressure.

Right down the road from here is the WWE Performance Center, where Dusty Rhodes trained and prepared the top stars of this generation, including Reigns himself. What Cody didn’t do is prep Cody. As a father, Heyman might have wanted Cody to make it on his own (Cody seems to be fine with that) and make it as Cody Rhodes, not Dusty’s son.

Heyman talks about how much he loved Dusty, and in their last conversation, Dusty said Cody was his favorite son…..but Roman Reigns was the son he always wanted. Cody gets in Heyman’s face and says he was just trying to win a title. Now Reigns is going to pay for Heyman making it personal when Cody takes the titles….personally.

Oh yeah this was awesome and they managed to make me more interested in seeing Cody vs. Reigns than they were before. As Cody said, he was just in this to win a title, and now he has something personal to fight about. That has been lacking in the feud, while Sami vs. Reigns has been entirely personal. I don’t know if this makes it more interesting than Sami vs. Reigns, but it cut the gap down fast.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Elias vs. Montez Ford

Austin Theory is on commentary. Elias shoulders him down to start and grabs a chinlock but Ford is right back up with a dropkick. Theory doesn’t like us talking about anything but him as Elias sends Ford outside. We take a break and come back with Elias pulling him off the top and countering a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb. Ford fights up and hits a high crossbody, setting up the clotheslines to keep Elias in trouble. Elias gets sent outside for a heck of a flip dive, followed by the frog splash for the pin and the spot at 10:14.

Rating: C. The Ford singles push has seemed to be on the horizon for months now and maybe this is the first step on the way there. Ford can absolutely hang in a singles match and now he has a US Title shot on pay per view. He does need to (and won’t) win but just being in the match is something noteworthy. That athleticism can’t be ignored and this should be a great boost for his career.

Post match Seth Rollins pops up to take out Theory, including the Stomp on the floor.

Becky Lynch vs. Bayley

In a cage with the rest of Damage Ctrl at ringside. Lynch goes after her to start but gets sent into the cage to cut her off. Bayley starts going up but a dropkick to the cage brings her back down. They go up top with Bayley knocking her down, setting up the top rope elbow for two.

We take a break and come back with both of them going up again and kicking away. Lynch knocks her down for a crash and a near fall but Bayley gets in a whip to the cage. Bayley grabs a kneebar so Becky crawls for the door before sending Bayley face first into the corner. They go up top at the same time again and slug it out until a super Bayley to Belly plants Becky for two.

Instead of going for the door, Bayley tries to climb out, allowing Becky to get up there and catch her. Becky throws Bayley down but Iyo Sky is right up there to cut her off too. Dakota Kai throws in a crutch…..and Lita of all people is here. She takes out Sky with a Twist of Fate on the floor, slams the door on Bayley’s head and sets up Becky’s Manhandle Slam for the win at 15:07.

Rating: B. The Lita stuff was a surprise, but what mattered here was having two top stars having what felt like a main event match. It was the kind of a match that was the main event of the show rather than the last match on the card and they made it work well. I was into this and now I’m wondering where the Lita connection is going. One more match on the big stage, say against Bayley, would be great to see and that might be where we’re going.

Overall Rating: B-. This is another show that was good on its own but would have been great at two hours. If you could cut out a little bit here and there and get it trimmed down, there is almost nothing bad to be found. They advanced the Elimination Chamber card, they had a surprise at the end and they had an instant classic exchange between Cody and Heyman. WWE is in a very good place right now and if they can keep it up through Wrestlemania, we could be in for a classic.

Results
Damian Priest b. Angelo Dawkins – South Of Heaven
Dexter Lumis b. Baron Corbin – Silence
Carmella b. Piper Niven, Mia Yim and Candice LeRae – Cannonball to LeRae
Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander b. Alpha Academy – Lumbar Check to Gable
Asuka b. Chelsea Green – Double armbar
Montez Ford b. Elias – Frog splash
Becky Lynch b. Bayley – Manhandle Slam

WWE, 2023, Monday Night Raw, Edge, Beth Phoenix, Judgment Day, Maximum Male Models, Chelsea Green, Angelo Dawkins, Damian Priest, JBL, Baron Corbin, Johnny Gargano, Becky Lynch, Dexter Lumis, Candice LeRae, Carmella, Michin, Piper Niven, Nikki Cross, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Alpha Academy, Miz, Rick Boogs, Asuka, Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Montez Ford, Elias, Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Damage Ctrl

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: January 9, 2023
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re back to the red show and closing in on the Royal Rumble. There are only three names announced for the Royal Rumbles so far and that means some spots need to be filled. Odds are some of that is done tonight but there is the chance that they’re leaving some surprises this year. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Kevin Owens to get things going and the fans seem to like him. Before he can say much though, here is JBL to interrupt. After insulting the crowd, JBL says no one is buying Owens having a chance against Roman Reigns. JBL brings out Baron Corbin to insult the fans even more, including some University of Alabama insults. Owens buries his face in the turnbuckle as Corbin gets in every standard insult you can imagine. He says he was in a “JBL and Baron Corbin were talking for three minutes but didn’t say anything” coma but for now he’s willing to fight Corbin. Sure.

Baron Corbin vs. Kevin Owens

JBL is here with Corbin, who stomps Owens down in the corner to start. Owens gets in a few shots of his own though and they fight to the floor. That means Corbin can go face first into the announcers’ table but he’s back with a chokeslam onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Owens knocking Corbin off the top and landing the Swanton for two. Corbin comes back with Deep Six for two, only to walk into the Stunner for the sudden pin at 8;37.

Rating: C. Yep, that was a Corbin TV match. Corbin continues to be the definition of “you know what you’re getting” and nothing more, as you can guess almost everything you are going to see when he is in the ring. Owens wasn’t going to lose so close to his title match and Corbin isn’t going to win against that big of an opponent. That left us waiting on the pretty clear ending and that’s what we got, just like any other Corbin match.

Post match the Bloodline runs in to beat on Owens but he grabs a chair and fights them off.

Post break, the Bloodline is going to leave but Adam Pearce comes up to tell them about a Tag Team Turmoil match to crown new #1 contenders. They won’t be around to see it though as they’re banned from the arena, even as Solo Sikoa faces Dolph Ziggler.

We look back at Alexa Bliss snapping again last week against Bianca Belair, who wound up injured. Belair is ok and just needed stitches.

Alexa Bliss pops up on the announcers’ table to say Belair is scared of her, because she is the face of evil. She hasn’t felt this good in a long time and is willing to hurt people….and the Uncle Howdy video starts playing, this time with clips of the old Alexa and Lillie. Cue Uncle Howdy to stare at Bliss and we go to a break.

Bayley vs. Mia Yim

Damage Ctrl is here with Bayley, who says that she is going to prove what she is to Becky Lynch with this beating. The rest of Damage Ctrl leaves as Bayley starts fast, only to get caught with a running neckbreaker. Yim sends her to the floor for a kick to the chest from the apron to send us to a break. Back with Yim fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent to the apron for a Stunner. Bayley suplexes her from the Stunner to the floor but Yim kicks her in the head back inside. The Cannonball misses though and Bayley grabs a backslide with feet on the ropes for the pin at 8:03.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t the most interesting but Bayley needed the win to keep her strong for the real showdown with Becky Lynch. The action was ok enough, though having a break in the middle of an eight minute match is a bit much to take. It also doesn’t help when the most interesting part of the match is figuring out if it’s Mia Yim or Michin.

Johnny Gargano has a knee injury and is out of Tag Team Turmoil.

Candice LeRae is upset for Johnny Gargano not being in Tag Team Turmoil but she likes the idea of challenging for the Women’s Title at Wrestlemania. Rhea Ripley comes in to talk down to her, setting up a match tonight.

Here is Austin Theory to say THE CHAMP IS HERE and everyone has to accept the truth. The truth is that the now is forever and Seth Rollins couldn’t stop him last week. Then Rollins hurt his knee…but here is Rollins, on crutches, to interrupt. One of the crutches is thrown down though and Rollins gets in the ring without a problem.

Theory gets to the point by saying he is better than Rollins and promises to win the Royal Rumble so he can leave Wrestlemania with all of the gold. Rollins says his knee isn’t 100%, but it will be in time for him to win the Royal Rumble. Rollins: “I’ll see you at the Rumble….kid.” With Rollins gone, here is Bobby Lashley to spear Theory down. Lashley says he’s back from his suspension and ready to win the Royal Rumble.

Candice LeRae vs. Rhea Ripley

Candice slugs away to start and counters a big boot into a rollup for two. Ripley finally manages to knock her into the corner though and there’s the toss by the hair. A superplex is broken up though and Candice slams her off the top instead. Another missed big boot sends Ripley outside but she sends Candice into the barricade. Back in and Riptide finishes Candice at 4:16.

Rating: C. They had an interesting story here with Ripley seeming a bit distracted and Candice getting in what she could before the monster caught her. Ripley feels like she is ready to move into the title picture again and that included wrecking Candice on the way. The good thing is Candice didn’t get squashed so it could have been far worse.

Bobby Lashley is in the back when MVP comes in. Lashley won’t shake his hand but MVP thinks a thank you for getting him reinstates is in order. Lashley: “I haven’t punched you in the face yet have I?” MVP says they need to get back to what worked before, as Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin are already back in the right place. Lashley says they’re good, but they won’t be working together. That’s cool with MVP, but just remember that his number is the same.

Video on Cody Rhodes’ recovery from his injury, including an appearance from Brandi Rhodes. To be continued.

Dolph Ziggler is ready for the Bloodline when Mustafa Ali comes in. Ali says they were offered a spot in Tag Team Turmoil but Ziggler turned it down. Last month Ziggler cost Ali the United States Title and now he’s costing him a shot at the Tag Team Titles. Ziggler says it’s not about him tonight and hopes he understands. Ali does not seem to understand.

Video on Bronson Reed.

Reed, who is the same height as Byron Saxton, is cut off by Miz before he can say anything. Miz suggests that Reed is his bodyguard and offers him a spot on MizTV tonight. Reed says there is no us, and if Miz wants something, pay him.

Solo Sikoa vs. Dolph Ziggler

Sikoa runs him over to start and the beating is on fast. The neck crank and nerve hold go on Ziggler but he’s right back up. Ziggler slips out of a powerslam attempt and hits a dropkick, only to be tossed over the top and out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Sikoa hitting the running Umaga attack in the corner.

The chinlock goes on but Ziggler fights up and avoids the charge into the corner. Sikoa is back with a fireman’s carry but Ziggler slips out and hits the Zig Zag for two. Back up and the superkick is blocked, allowing Ziggler to try the Fameasser. That’s pulled out of the air though and a pop up Samoan Spike finishes Ziggler off at 10:51.

Rating: C. The ending was good but the rest of the match was lacking a bit in the excitement department. Sikoa destroyed Ziggler for the most part here and that is a good sign for his future. WWE has turned Sikoa into something of a wrecking ball, which not only makes the Bloodline look stronger, but it also makes someone beating him a bigger deal. Not the most thrilling match, but Sikoa looked good when it mattered.

We look at Dominik Mysterio being arrested and then being hardened in jail.

Damage Ctrl brags about their win until Mia Yim interrupts. Yim calls Bayley a cheater and gets beaten down as a result.

It’s time for MizTV and we get right to the point, with Dominik Mysterio (and the rest of Judgment Day) being brought out as the guest. Dominik explains that you always roll with your crew in prison, but he can’t talk about what happened because snitches get stitches. Dominik: “When life comes at you, you have to grab it by the balls. Kind of like Maryse does to you.”

Then he threatened his cell mate and made sure he stayed safe because that’s how it works. Miz is a bit confused though, as he was told Dominik was in county jail for a few hours. Damien Priest doesn’t like that because it’s time to win Tag Team Turmoil. Violence is teased but here is the OC to interrupt and start the match.

Tag Team Turmoil

There are five scheduled teams with Judgment Day (Damien Priest/Finn Balor) in at #1 and the OC in at #2. Of note: commentary says this is for a RAW Tag Team Title match, not both sets. Anderson elbows Balor down to start and it’s Gallows coming in for some elbows of his own. A shot to Gallows’ face just annoys him so Priest comes in for the battle of the big men.

Gallows takes over again and hands it off to Anderson for the HI YAH kick in the corner. Priest sends him outside though and it’s a whip into the steps as we take a break. Back with Gallows coming in to clean house but Dominik Mysterio grabs Anderson’s leg, allowing Balor to roll him up at 10:17.

Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin are in at #3 and jump Judgment Day from behind to start. We settle down to Alexander knocking Balor down for a kick to the back. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Benjamin comes in with a Dragon Whip to Balor and German suplexes to Balor and Priest. Benjamin tosses Priest into Alexander’s jumping knee for two, with Balor having to make the save. The Neuralizer gives Alexander two but Priest catches a charge with South of Heaven. Balor adds the Coup de Grace for the pin at 15:47 total. Alpha Academy is in at #4 and we take a break.

Back again with Balor hitting a Sling Blade on Gable so Priest can come in with the Broken Arrow. We hit the chinlock, followed by a backbreaker/legdrop combination for two. Gable fights out of trouble and brings in Otis to clean house, including the running splash in the corner to Priest. Otis brings back the Caterpillar and hits the Vader Bomb on Balor…who pulled Gable on top of him. The stunned Otis is kicked in the face to give Priest the pin at 24:33. Hold on though as Balor, who was crushed under both Otis and Gable, is really banged up. Adam Pearce says Dominik is taking Balor’s place and the Street Profits are in at #5.

We’re joined in progress with Dawkins ripping Dominik’s shirt off and handing it off to Ford to hammer on him in the corner. Dawkins comes back in with the spinning splash in the corner as the beating stays on. A toss into the corner allows Dominik to bring in Priest so Ford slingshot flips in (with the camera cutting because WWE cameras can’t sit still) for the showdown. With that not working, Dominik comes in to distract Ford to the floor. That’s fine with Priest, who runs Ford over to send him over the announcers’ table. Dawkins hits the big dive though and we take a break.

Back with Dawkins still in trouble as Dominik grabs a chinlock. Priest adds a slam and Ripley certainly approves on the floor. Dawkins fights up and brings in Ford with a double high crossbody. Dominik gets shoved into a German suplex for two but Priest is back in to blast Dawkins with a clothesline for two more. Priest sends Dawkins over the barricade but Ford is there with the big lip dive over the corner. Back in and the 450 connects, only to have Priest break up the cover. Ford jumps from the floor to the apron to avoid a charge, leaving Dominik to roll him up (with Ripley grabbing the feet for the assist on the final pin at 48:19.

Rating: B-. The match was good for the most part but you could feel the times where they were dragging things out for the sake of filling in time. That’s understandable as they had the better part of an hour to fill, but at the same time it can get a little tiring for a bit. The good thing here was having the Judgment Day hold on throughout, as I was expecting them to lose somewhere in the middle and then have the Profits get the title shot. Good match, even if it felt like they were just putting it out there to fill in the last hour of the show.

Post match the Usos come out to stare down Judgment Day to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Passable enough show here, though it wasn’t the most exciting. There is a good chance that WWE more or less punted this week because of the National Championship game airing at the same time and that is a bit understandable. The good thing is all you need is a bunch of Royal Rumble talk (check) and things feel important as a result. This isn’t a show you needed to watch, but it was acceptable enough if you weren’t watching the game.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Baron Corbin – Stunner
Bayley b. Mia Yim – Backslide with feet on the ropes
Rhea Ripley b. Candice LeRae – Riptide
Solo Sikoa b. Dolph Ziggler – Samoan Spike
Judgment Day won a Tag Team Turmoil match last eliminating the Street Profits

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: December 19, 2022
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Christmas and possibly the last show of the year depending on what they do next week. There is still a lot of time before the Royal Rumble but we have another big match coming up on December 30. John Cena is on his way back to WWE and that should have some people talking. Let’s get to it.

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

Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns are here, with Reigns saying he is around here to deal with Kevin Owens. Reigns has been dealing with Owens and now he has to take care of John Cena again. Now, he is going to torture Owens until Raw acknowledges the Bloodline.

We cut to the rest of the Bloodline beating down Mustafa Ali in an NWO style handheld video attack.

Opening sequence.

Street Profits vs. Judgment Day

Finn Balor/Damien Priest for the team here, with their friends and Akira Tozawa at ringside too. Ford goes nuts on Priest to start but gets sent into the corner. We go split screen to see the Bloodline beating up Andre Chase and Elias, the latter with a guitar shot. Back to full screen with Priest sending the Profits to the floor by himself and we take a break.

We come back with Dawkins coming in to clean house but Priest grabs the South of Heaven chokeslam. Ford is right there with the frog splash before Priest can get back up but Balor is in to dropkick Ford into the corner. Everything breaks down and Tozawa throws a drink in Dominik Mysterio’s (already injured) eyes, allowing Ford to roll Balor up for the pin at 8:56.

Rating: C+. They had the energy going here and it even tied in to what they did last week. At the same time, it was nice to have a different kind of presentation with the cut to the back. It’s nice to have something feel like it is happening in real time and if it takes Elias getting beaten up to accomplish that, good for the Bloodline.

Post match Rhea Ripley punches Tozawa out and challenges him to a fight.

Akira Tozawa vs. Rhea Ripley

Everyone else is here too. Tozawa is really nervous about doing this and gets run over without much trouble. A big boot puts Tozawa in more trouble in the corner and Ripley muscles him over with a suplex for two. Ripley can’t quite powerbomb him, allowing Tozawa to grab a hurricanrana out to the floor. The distraction lets Balor trip Tozawa down so the Profits hit the stereo flip dives. Back in and Ripley misses a charge into the corner but Tozawa misses the backsplash. Riptide finishes Tozawa at 4:30.

Rating: C. This was an example of a man vs. woman match that made sense and could be believed. Tozawa is a smaller guy and Ripley is a giant compared to most of the division. Ripley’s offense looked fine here and I could buy what they were doing. Throw in Ripley winning the match after capitalizing on Tozawa’s mistake and the whole thing worked out well enough.

We look back at Bobby Lashley snapping and getting fired by Adam Pearce as a result.

Adam Pearce won’t talk about Lashley, who should be back soon. MVP comes in, but hang on as someone else has been attacked.

Post break and it’s Dolph Ziggler who has been attacked.

OC vs. Alpha Academy

Anderson shoulders Gable to start and grabs a hiptoss. A double shoulder takes Gable down again but he takes Anderson into the corner. That’s fine with Anderson, who armdrags him right out. Otis comes in and has the power showdown with Gallows. The Academy is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Otis cleaning house but Gable misses a moonsault. Gallows’ superkick sets up the Magic Killer for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. Another perfectly watchable match, even as the Academy is feeling less and less important every week. You can only get so much when they lose all the time and they don’t exactly have much in the way of a story anyway. The OC gets some momentum back and we didn’t have to hear SHUSH too often, so we’ll call this a success.

Post break the Bloodline jumps the OC.

Back from a break and the Bloodline is still in the ring, with Adam Pearce telling them to wrap it up. Sami Zayn promises to do even worse to john Cena and Kevin Owens next week. As the Bloodline goes to leave, AJ Styles jumps them but gets pulled off by security.

We look at Alexa Bliss becoming #1 contender and then having to snap herself back to reality.

AJ Styles wants the Bloodline tonight and gets Sami Zayn.

We get a sitdown interview between Bianca Blair and Alexa Bliss. Belair gets right to the point by saying she doesn’t trust Bliss, who says she is turning into a shell of a human being she doesn’t even recognize. Belair asks about the Bray Wyatt connection, but Bliss says this isn’t about him. Bliss was winning titles before Belair got here and that’s kind of a mic drop moment. Then Bliss hits Belair in the head with a vase.

Miz vs. Dexter Lumis

Ladder match with two bags of money hanging above the ring and Johnny Gargano at ringside. They go for the ladder to start, with Lumis getting the better of it and crushing Miz in the corner with the ladder. With Miz down in the corner, Lumis teases pushing the ladder down for a low blow. Instead he leaves it a big short and dropkicks it between Miz’s legs, sending him outside. Miz is able to get up top and save the money and they go crashing down onto the ropes.

We take a break and come back with both of them on top of the ladder so Lumis can punch him down. Miz shoves the ladder over this time though and goes up, only to have Lumis pull him down as well. The Silencer is countered into a neckbreaker onto the apron and Lumis is down again, much to Gargano’s annoyance. Miz crushes Lumis in the ladder and rolls a chair at Gargano.

With Gargano backed up, Miz buries Lumis and the ladder with chairs. A table is teased but Miz beats up Gargano instead of climbing. Lumis uses the distraction to fight up and Rock Bottom Miz onto the announcers’ table covering. Lumis misses a dive off the ladder and through the announcers’ table. Miz goes up but Lumis cuts him off again and tries to pull down the money…but Bronson Reed returns and cuts Lumis off. The Tsunami crushes Lumis and Reed helps Miz get the money back at 18:20.

Rating: D+. This was all about the surprise return and that doesn’t matter much when the match is rather dull on the way there. This is a match that would have been better served as a regular one on one match at about half the length, as They had far too many instances of “climb, cutoff, climb cutoff, climb, cutoff”. This feud is likely to continue, though having Reed back could boost things up quite a bit.

Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles

No one else is at ringside for a change. Styles starts fast and knocks Zayn to the floor for the slingshot forearm. Back in and a hot shot cuts Styles off, only to have him come back with some kicks of his own. Zayn is sent outside again and dropped for a second time, but he is fine enough to break up the Phenomenal Forearm as we take a break.

Back with Zayn grabbing a brainbuster for two but getting caught with the Phenomenal Blitz. The moonsault reverse DDT is cut off though and Zayn exploders him into the corner. The Helluva Kick is countered into the Calf Crusher though, with Zayn having to make it to the rope. Cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction though, with Styles going outside to beat him up. The referee is distracted as well though and Sikoa gets in a Samoan Spike. Zayn adds the Blue Thunder Bomb for the pin at 12:51.

Rating: B-. The Bloodline numbers game continues and that is the way this should have gone. You don’t need Zayn losing so close to his huge match with Reigns at the end of the year and Styles is as bulletproof as you can get around here. If nothing else, this could open up more things by having Styles go after the Bloodline and Sikoa in particular, so they did what they should have done with a good match here.

Here is Seth Rollins (home state boy) for a chat. The fans are REALLY happy to see him and Rollins seems happy to be back. Rollins says Roman Reigns doesn’t run Mondays and no one can stop him. Cue Austin Theory to say he can beat Rollins, even if the fans think Theory sucks. Theory thinks Rollins is fine after Bobby Lashley took his frustrations out on a referee, but Rollins praises him anyway.

Rollins talks about how great Theory is, but he’ll never be on Rollins’ level. Theory talks about wanting to rise up but Rollins calls himself Everest. The fight is teased but here are the Usos, leaving Rollins and Theory to stand next to each other. Theory runs off (shocking) and the beatdown is on but Kevin Owens makes the save. Security breaks it up, but Owens suggests they keep this going. The match is on for later.

Becky Lynch wants to face the best version of Bayley, so let’s do this one on one. Tonight it’s going to be one on one or one on three but she’s ready either way.

Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

The rest of Damage Ctrl is here too. A dancing Becky soaks in the fans’ cheers to start and a frustrated Bayley gets armdragged down. Becky boots her to the floor and hits a flying forearm and we take a break. Back with Becky fighting out of a chinlock and winning a slugout to leave both of them down. The Bexploder drops Bayley and the middle rope legdrop gives Becky two.

A backslide gives Becky two but Bayley is back with a sliding lariat. The Bayley to Belly gives Bayley two but Becky is right back with Diamond Dust of all things for two of her own. Damage Ctrl breaks up the Manhandle Slam so Becky threatens them with a….TV monitor. Before that can go anywhere it’s a double ejection, but the distraction lets Bayley get in a monitor shot. The Rose Plant finishes Becky at 14:42.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up for awhile until Bayley had to cheat to win. There is something to that ending as Becky had said she wanted to face Bayley at her best and on her own but didn’t get to do that here. Good stuff from two very talented stars and it would not surprise me to see this come back again on a bigger stage, like say the Royal Rumble.

Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens are ready for the Usos, though Owens remembers Rollins trying to steal his Wrestlemania main event earlier this year. Rollins seems ready to go anyway.

Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens vs. Usos

Non-title and the brawl is on before the bell with Owens and Jimmy heading outside. We get the bell with Rollins hammering on Jey in the corner. The fans are pleased as Rollins elbows him in the face and hands it off to Owens for a clothesline. Jimmy manages a shot from the apron though and Jey knocks Rollins to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Rollins getting the hot tag to clean house, including the Sling Blade to Jey. Owens comes back in with a frog splash for two on Jey, but the Swanton only hits raised knees. Cue Solo Sikoa but the Good Brothers come in to take him out. Jey gets Stomped on the floor but Austin Theory pops up with a belt shot to Rollins. Jimmy superkicks Owens for two but Owens is back up with a superkick of his own. The Pop Up Powerbomb finishes Jimmy at 10:57.

Rating: B. While Lynch vs. Bayley was all about getting in a competitive match, this was more about tying all of the insanity together until the ending. The Usos losing is an event these days and even though this wasn’t for the title, Owens and Rollins overcame a bunch of shenanigans to score the big upset. That is a rare loss for the Bloodline and it gives Rollins a nice hometown moment. Imagine that for a change.

Post match Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have a staredown but nothing gets physical to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Save for that ladder match, this was a heck of a show with a bunch of good matches throughout. What mattered here the most though was having so many things woven throughout the show. There were plot elements that came up multiple times over the course of the night and it felt like an event rather than just another show. It never made sense to have things be so cut and dry around here, so this was a very nice change of pace. Pretty awesome show and if you cut that ladder match down, it’s a great one.

Results
Street Profits b. Judgment Day – Rollup to Balor
Rhea Ripley b. Akira Tozawa – Riptide
OC b. Alpha Academy – Magic Killer to Gable
Miz b. Dexter Lumis – Miz pulled down the money
Sami Zayn b. AJ Styles – Blue Thunder Bomb
Bayley b. Becky Lynch – Rose Plant
Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens b. Usos – Pop Up Powerbomb to Jimmy

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: December 12, 2022
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are crawling towards the Royal Rumble and it seems like the build has been put on the back burner for at least a few more weeks. This time around the main focal point is finding a new #1 contender for the United States Title as Bobby Lashley faces Seth Rollins in what should be a good one. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss

For the #1 contendership to Bianca Belair and the rest of Damage Ctrl is here with Bayley. Not that it matters as here is Becky Lynch to beat up Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai and chase them out of the arena with a chair, leaving it one on one. Cue Bianca Belair to watch as things get even bigger. Bliss starts fast and knocks Bayley outside, where it’s time for a breather. Back in and Bayley gets smart by stomping on the foot, earning herself a running crossbody. Bayley manages to knock her outside again though and we take a break.

Back with the fight going outside again where Bliss kicks at the ribs and knocks Bayley down, setting up the cannonball off the apron. Back in and a DDT gets two on Bayley, who is right back with a sunset flip into the corner for two. They head outside again with Bayley teasing going after Belair, allowing Bliss to knock her back again. They go inside again with Bliss dropkicking her into the corner, setting up Twisted Bliss for the pin and the title shot at 13:00.

Rating: C-. Yeah this didn’t exactly work, as they were going outside every few moments, seemingly with no clue about what else to do. The ending was also pretty flat, as Bliss just won almost out of nowhere. Bayley will probably be getting ready for a showdown with Becky Lynch sooner than later, but it’s going to be a bit difficult to buy Bliss as a threat to the title. At least she’s a fresh challenger though and that’s nice for a change.

Post match Belair comes in to shake hands but Bliss would rather have a hug. That works for Belair, but Bliss pulls her in for Sister Abigail. Bliss’ face goes all evil but then she snaps back to reality and leaves, looking upset with herself.

We look at Kurt Angle spraying the Alpha Academy with milk on Smackdown.

The Alpha Academy isn’t happy and claim Angle is a dinosaur. The OC comes in to say Japan thought it was hilarious, setting up AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable tonight.

We look at Austin Theory winning the US Title at Survivor Series.

AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable

Mia Yim and Luke Gallows (no Karl Anderson) and Otis are here too. Styles starts fast and kicks him down, setting up his own SHUSH. A backbreaker puts Gable down but he manages to send Styles outside for an Otis cheap shot. Styles gets dropped onto the apron and sent into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Gable rolling German suplexes until Styles escapes to set up the Pele kick. An overhead belly to belly drops Styles but Gable is right back with the ankle lock. That’s reversed into a Calf Crusher which is reversed into an ankle lock. With Styles slipping out of that as well, it’s a northern lights suplex to give Gable two. The moonsault misses though and it’s the Styles Clash to give Gable the pin at 9:07.

Rating: C+. Not bad, though the Alpha Academy continues to feel like one of the least interesting and important teams in a good while. They have been beaten down so hard that it stops mattering and that is where we are again. Gable can still go in the ring and working with Styles was going to almost guarantee that things went well, but they need to find something new for the team to do if they are going to ever mean anything.

Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis are going over some detailed drawings to decide what to do with Lumis’ money. Candice LeRae comes in to suggest doing something related to the holiday season. This seems better than the drawings, including fully functioning Iron Man suits and Bluey bling.

Judgment Day vs. Street Profits/Akira Tozawa

In the back, the Profits are asked why they saved Akira Tozawa, with the answer being IT’S AKIRA TOZAWA! Dawkins is driven into the corner to start and Balor fires off some shoulders to the ribs. Priest comes in for a heck of a right hand but Dawkins gets over to Tozawa anyway. A running chop in the corner cuts Tozawa off so he tries a chop to Priest. The ensuing glare allows Balor to blast Tozawa with a clothesline as we take a break.

Back with Tozawa fighting up and diving over to Ford for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Ford is launched over the announcers’ table. We settle back down to Dominik Two Amigoing Ford to make things worse. A cheap shot in the corner keeps Ford down with the referee missing a tag to Dawkins. Ford finally backflips out of a belly to back suplex and enziguris Balor, allowing Ford to get over to Dawkins for the tag.

Everything breaks down again but Balor grabs a Nightmare on Helm Street for a double knockdown. Tozawa and Dominik come in with the former unloading with right hands. Priest comes back in to wreck people until Tozawa dumps him out. Dominik grabs a rollup for two but Tozawa sends him outside for the suicide headbutt. Back in and Tozawa DDTs Balor and Dominik but Priest Razors Edge tosses him inside, allowing Mysterio to get the pin at 14:47.

Rating: B-. This got rolling near the end and a lot of that was due to Tozawa. It’s kind of interesting to see him go from nothing joke stories to a few decent midcard matches out of nowhere. The talent is there, so why not let him show what he can do in a match that actually matters (at least somewhat) for a change? WWE can always use fresh blood and if Tozawa can help, good for him.

Dexter Lumis and Johnny Gargano clean out a merchandise stand and, after a break, give the gear away to fans. Cue Miz to steal the bag of Lumis’ money but Adam Pearce cuts him off and says give the money back. Miz isn’t happy and wants to face Gargano again. Gargano calls him Mike, resulting in a shout of MY NAME IS THE MIZ! Gargano: “Ok Miz.” Lumis will face Miz for the money next week….and let’s make it a ladder match, with Miz putting up his own share of money, double or nothing.

Miz says he doesn’t have money, but Gargano doesn’t buy it. Miz: “I have a ton of money in my accounts….that my wife controls.” Instead, he gets an allowance and has to ask if Maryse will give him an advance. That works for Gargano, but for tonight, Miz gets to give out this merchandise, dressed as an elf. Pearce approves and Gargano gets the bag of money back. As has been the case with this story, there are some funny moments but the segments take WAY too long to get to the point.

Iyo Sky vs. Candice LeRae

The rest of Damage Ctrl is here too, with Bayley joining commentary. Sky flips out of a headscissors to start so Candice scores with an enziguri. That earns her a flapjack as Graves complains about Bayley’s headset not working. The beating continues as we take a break, coming back with Candice slugging away.

They fight to the floor with a poisonrana planting Sky hard so Candice can get two back inside. Sky palm strikes her into a bridging German suplex for two before going up. Candice tries to catch her but Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride is broken up. The Over The Moonsault finishes for Sky at 10:22.

Rating: C. Good enough, but Candice continues to be just kind of there most of the time. She can have a watchable match but I could go for something a little stronger than that most of the time. That being said, the women’s division doesn’t have the strongest depth and a rank between the top stars and the cannon fodder is a good idea.

We look back at Kevin Owens and Matt Riddle failing to beat the Usos last week, with Riddle being sent out on a stretcher.

Owens isn’t happy with the loss but Elias comes in to cut him off. With Owens’ mouth hanging open, Elias asks Owens to have his back tonight against Solo Sikoa. Owens goes on a rant about everything Elias did to him earlier this year. That was Ezekiel, but Elias thinks they should wipe the slate clean, with Owens ranting about how that doesn’t make sense. Elias says he needs Owens, who walks away, comes back, and walks away again. Owens being the one who remembers things is an interesting choice and works for him.

Post break, Elias is in the ring for a tribute song to Matt Riddle. The song is about how they’re friends and even bros but now it’s time for Elias to beat Solo.

Elias vs. Solo Sikoa

Sami Zayn is here with Sikoa. Elias kicks away to start but gets knocked down without much effort. Back up and Sikoa fires off the chops, only to get kicked out of the corner. Elias knocks him outside and we take a break. We come back with Sikoa missing the middle rope headbutt, allowing Elias to score with the jumping knee for two. Sikoa isn’t having that and hits a superkick, setting up Spinning Solo for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C. This was a match where there wasn’t much doubt about who was winning and they didn’t veer away from that whatsoever. Elias isn’t going to be the one to beat Sikoa and I don’t think anyone really expected him to be. Instead, we had a completely watchable match between two guys who had a bit of an issue coming out of last week. It wasn’t exactly memorable, but Sikoa continues to be pushed strong.

Post match Sikoa hits a Samoan Spike and loads up the running Umaga attack. Cue Kevin Owens for the save though and the Bloodline bails. Elias thanks Owens and gets Stunned to even things up a bit after everything Ezekiel put him through.

Video on the history of Tribute to the Troops. This would mainly be back when WWE went overseas and it felt special, rather than now when it’s a tacked on hour after a TV taping.

We get some photos of Miz as an elf, giving out merchandise to kids. Why they had that outfit ready might be better left unanswered.

Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Dominik Mysterio is here with Ripley while Asuka has no paint on her face for a change. Asuka goes for the arm multiple times but can’t get the armbar early on. Ripley powers her down but gets pulled into an armbar. With that broken up, they fight to the apron with Asuka hitting the Codebreaker to send Ripley outside.

We take a break and come back with Ripley missing a splash and an exchange of kicks leaving both of them down. Asuka manages to send her to the apron for the running hip attack to the floor. A Dominik distraction doesn’t quite work as the Asuka Lock goes on. Dominik puts the foot on the rope for the break, earning himself the mist from Asuka. That’s enough of a distraction for the Riptide to finish Asuka at 11:31.

Rating: C+. Asuka’s face change was a nice surprise but at the same time, it’s not going to mean much if she loses again right after. Asuka is still one of the most talented stars in the division, but every week it feels more and more like she is just someone there to make others look good. That being said, Ripley has felt like she is ready to break out for months now (if not longer) and this was another step there.

Post break Dominik is getting his eyes cleaned out as the rest of Judgment Day freaks out.

We look at Dolph Ziggler returning last week to go after Austin Theory.

Ziggler talks about what the United States Title means and how Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley are going to go to war tonight for a chance at being champion. As for Theory, he needs to learn what being a champion means.

Video on Bobby Lashley.

Miz gave out more gifts.

Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley

For a future US Title shot. Lashley shoulders him down to start and they’re on the floor early, with Rollins being sent into the barricade. Rollins manages to post him though and a running knee off the apron drops Lashley as well. Back in and Lashley suplexes him over the top and out to the floor before grabbing the steps. The referee cuts that off so Lashley sends Rollins over the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Lashley taking him up top but getting bitten back down. Rollins hits a high crossbody into an enziguri to send Lashley outside, setting up the series of suicide dives. They get back inside where Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow for two but Lashley sends him back outside. The posting rocks Rollins but he’s right back in with a basement superkick. Rollins’ frog splash gets two so he tries the stomp, which is reversed into the Hurt Lock. The referee gets bumped so Lashley’s spear only gets a delayed two. Another spear is countered into the Pedigree to give Rollins the pin and the title shot at 12:55.

Rating: B-. That’s a great counter for the spear that Rollins has used before, but the fact that you could kind of see it coming tells you just how many people in WWE use the spear. Rollins winning is the more interesting way to go and Lashley is not going to be happy with that referee issue. They did a nice job with making the match seem big though and that is an important part of making the US Title feel important.

Post match Lashley goes after the referee so here is Adam Pearce. Lashley shoves him too and gets fired to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Overall, the show was a bit better than ok, but almost entirely skippable. There was nothing going on that you needed to see or that would be required viewing whatsoever, with the focal point being setting up two title matches, plus a ladder match for money. There are far worse shows to watch out there, but you’re going to be a lot better off reading a recap than spending three hours on this one.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Bayley – Twisted Bliss
AJ Styles b. Chad Gable – Styles Clash
Judgment Day b. Street Profits/Akira Tozawa – Toss Razor’s Edge to Tozawa
Iyo Sky b. Candice LeRae – Over The Moonsault
Solo Sikoa b. Elias – Spinning Solo
Rhea Ripley b. Asuka – Riptide
Seth Rollins b. Bobby Lashley – Pedigree

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.