Smackdown
Date: August 30, 2024
Location: Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before Bash In Berlin and we happen to be in Berlin. In this case we have an open challenge for LA Knight’s US Title, which could go in almost any way. At the same time, we have the push towards the pay per view, which includes one more showdown between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, wrestlers came to work.

Here is LA Knight to get things going. Knight says it has been 27 years since WWE has had a major televised event in Berlin. Last week, he had his first title defense in the United States’ capital of Washington DC, so he might as well defend it in the capital of Germany as well. It’s the day before Bash In Berlin so get someone out here to get bashed right now. Cue Germany’s own Ludwig Kaiser to quite the reaction, promising to take the title back to America as the European Title. Knight calls the reactions quite impressive but he isn’t letting this title go.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Knight is defending. They fight over a lockup to start with Knight taking him into the corner. Kaiser grabs a wristlock but Knight reverses into one of his own and cranks away. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Kaiser as we actually talk about Alex Wright (including the Berlyn days). They go outside with Kaiser sending him into the steps, setting up a hard ram to crush Knight against the steps again.

We take a break and come back with Kaiser hammering away as commentary points out how weird it is to hear him cheered. Knight fights up and drives him into the corner before it’s time to go outside for the rams into the announcers’ table. Back in and a neckbreaker into a middle rope elbow gives Knight two but Kaiser kicks him down for the same. A running knee to the face connects for Kaiser and a Death Valley Driver (Barrett: “Kaiser Roll!”) gets two. Not that it matters as Knight is right back up with the BFT for the pin to retain at 12:00.

Rating: C+. This was a strange choice for such a match as Knight is the rather popular star and he was put in there against one of the few people the fans would prefer to him. I get the idea of putting Kaiser in there to get cheered, but having him in there against Knight was a bit of a surprising choice. The match itself was fine enough, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there, but I was more than a bit surprised that they went in that direction.

Video on Gunther vs. Randy Orton.

Video on Nia Jax, this one a full on music video for a change.

Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin vs. Legado del Fantasma

Crews dropkicks Berto (now in trunks rather than tights) down to start and it’s off to Corbin, who kicks both villains down without much effort. Berto offers a distraction though, allowing Garza to get in a kick from behind to take over. Back up and Corbin throws Crews over the top and onto both of them as we take a break.

We come back with Crews getting beaten up on top but avoiding a charge into the post. Corbin comes back in to pick up the pace, including a fireman’s carry backbreaker on Garza. A suplex cutter gets two on Berto as everything breaks down. Berto hits a springboard spinning kick to Crews and everyone is down, with the fans giving a standing ovation. Corbin gets sent into the steps, leaving Crews to kick Berto down. Not that it matters as Garza comes back in to toss Crews into a knee (the MTY, short for Monterrey) for the pin at 9:07.

Rating: B-. This got going near the end and I could have gone with seeing more from them. It helps when you have no expectations coming in and then get to see some people going out there to tear the house down in one of their only chances to do so. At the same time, it’s kind of a shame to see Corbin go from being in a featured spot in NXT earlier this year to a low level tag team like this, as it was feeling like he could have been something once he got back up here. Maybe that happens, but it feels like it is going to take time to get there.

The Bloodline promises to take out DIY and the Street Profits tonight, with Solo Sikoa promising violence. After that match next week, he’s coming for the WWE Title.

We get another of those quick looks at the city, which is a nice touch for these international shows.

General Manager Nick Aldis is here to show us a package on the European tour. With that out of the way, he brings out Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes for their big showdown before tomorrow. Owens asks Cody what he wants to talk about, though he is at least nice enough to explain the joke. Believe it or not, Cody would like to talk about the title, but Owens would rather talk about what happened to Cody’s knee.

Cody insists that his knee is fine and tries to shift over to last week, when they beat A-Town Down Under. What interests Cody is the time when it looked like Owens was thinking about hitting him with a chair. Owens says he wasn’t going to do it, even though everyone he’s ever turned on deserved it (again, save for Kofi Kingston). Cody brings up their past together, and how Owens was in a lot of the same rooms Cody was in when he traveled the world after leaving WWE.

Owens deserves more credit but brings things back to Cody’s knee. He’s been hearing about the knee not being so great, and if it’s fine, why didn’t Cody take a knee during his entrance? Maybe we shouldn’t have this match if Cody isn’t 100%. Yesterday was eight years to the day of Owens winning the Universal Title but all anyone talked about was HHH. He doesn’t want another tainted victory, which Cody doesn’t want to hear.

Cody says he’s going to win tomorrow, but are they still going to be friends? Owens throws the mic down and says something we can’t hear before walking off, leaving Cody looking upset. That’s a fine way to go, as Owens not wanting to hurt his friend by going after the knee will make for a solid story during the match.

A-Town Down Under laugh at Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews, with Corbin not having it. With the good guys gone, Waller apologizes to Theory for causing trouble lately and they’re ok.

Giovanni Vinci is back next week.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

They start fast with Andrade sending him outside for a springboard spinning dive. Back in and Andrade knocks him into the corner for a top rope double stomp to the apron. We take a break and come back with Hayes being kicked into the corner, allowing Andrade to hit a running forearm. The double jump moonsault gives Andrade two but the First 48 cuts off the running knees. Andrade rolls him out of the corner into a powerbomb, with the turnbuckle being ripped off in the process.

The running knees are cut off with another superkick but Andrade is back with a springboard reverse Spanish Fly for two as we take another break. Back again with Andrade hitting a super fall away slam splash for two more as the fans are rather appreciative. The spinning back elbow gives Andrade another near fall so he takes Hayes up, only to be dropped face first onto the exposed buckle. Nothing But Net gives Hayes the pin at 13:13.

Rating: B. Normal good match between these two and you can all but guarantee a fifth match, especially with a graphic saying that Andrade was 2-1 against Hayes during the match. It’s a fine way to boost both of them up, as there is something to be said about having good wrestlers have impressive matches with each other. They even had something new with the buckle pad here, which helped things stay fresh.

We recap Michin vs. Nia Jax.

Video on Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill.

Bash In Berlin rundown.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Michin

Jax is defending in a street fight. In the back, Michin promises you’ll remember her as she brings out a shopping cart full of weapons. Michin slugs away with a kendo stick to start and grabs a hurricanrana driver for an early two. The table is loaded up but Jax cuts her off with a kendo stick shots to the ribs. Michin gets in a shot of her own and loads up the table as we take a break.

Back with Jax dropping Michin with a shot to the face and setting up a table in the corner. Michin uses the delay to hit a missile dropkick but Jax shoves a tornado DDT onto a trashcan. Some trashcan lid shots to the head rock Jax for two so Michin takes forever to find another trashcan. Jax puts her on the table but gets powerbombed through it….and here is Tiffany Stratton, but Jax scares her out of cashing in. Cue the returning Bayley to take out Stratton, leaving Michin to kick away at Jax. A Samoan drop sends Michin through the table though and an Annihilator onto the trashcan finishes for Jax at 10:53.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure that they were even trying to hide the fact that Michin wasn’t much of a serious challenger. That’s not something you need to do every time but adding in the weapons made it a bit better. This was more about Jax getting to look dominant, but the tease of a cash in and Bayley returning were enough to put it over the top.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case lately with similar shows, this was more for the live crowd than anything else. Bash In Berlin is all but ready to go and there wasn’t much added here. The two title matches were fine for stand alone matches, but the only thing that felt like it was going to tie into the pay per view was the Cody/Owens showdown. I’d rather they take it easy like this than push too hard, but this wasn’t one o the better go home Smackdown’s, at least not compared to the really hot ones.

Results
LA Knight b. Ludwig Kaiser – BFT
Legado del Fantasma b. Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin – MTY to Crews
Carmelo Hayes b. Andrade – Nothing But Net
Nia Jax b. Michin – Annihilator

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

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Smackdown
Date: August 23, 2024
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over a week away from Bash In Berlin and the Smackdown side of things seems to be mostly ready. At the same time though, Roman Reigns was taken out by the Bloodline last week and that is not going to go well. I’m not sure if Reigns is going to be back tonight, but the Bloodline almost has to take a victory lap. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline taking out Roman Reigns last week, with Jacob Fatu doing most of the damage.

Here is A-Town Down Under with the Grayson Waller Effect to get things going. They start fast this week because their guest is none other than Cody Rhodes, who the fans seem to life. The villains cut off his entrance though, which is not exactly well received. Cody loads up his catchphrase, which Waller finishes for him to push another button. Waller says the idiot fans don’t know the real Cody, whose friends keep getting beaten up. Cody: “Are you done?”

Waller probably thinks that Kevin Owens getting a title shot is charity but Owens has not stopped fighting the Bloodline since before Cody came back. He has never used Owens, but can Waller and Theory say the same about each other? Waller is using Theory and the fans are waiting for Theory to do something about it. Waller shifts the focus back to a video on Owens, showing him attacking various friends and associates (including Chris Jericho in an all time segment with the Festival OF Friendship), including Sami Zayn and Sami Zayn (Again).

Cue Owens to interrupt, saying everyone he turned on in that video, save for Kofi Kingston, deserved it. Cue Nick Aldis, with Owens cutting him off to ask him to make the tag match. Aldis says it’s on, but Owens asks if he can punch Waller in the face. Aldis: “Make it quick.” The fight is on, but Owens is sent into Rhodes for the tension inducing moment.

United States Title: LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Knight is defending and Escobar has the rest of Legado del Fantasma with him. Hold on though as the rest of Legado jumps Knight on the floor before the bell, which is at least worthy of a mass ejection. Knight says ring the bell and avoids an early charge to get two off a rollup.

We take an early break and come back with Knight in trouble as Escobar crushes him with a frog splash for two. An elbow drop misses though and Knight hits an atomic drop into a discus lariat for the double knockdown. Knight stomps away in the corner and gets two off a Side Effect as the fans are rather pleased. The BFT and the Phantom Driver are both broken up so Escobar takes him to the middle rope. That’s broken up for a middle rope LA Elbow, setting up the BFT to retain the title at 9:07.

Rating: C+. Knight gets attacked and injured before the match, fights from behind and retains the title over someone with some status. That’s as simple as it can get and it worked just fine here, with Knight getting his first successful title defense. It’s a case where they didn’t need to make this complicated and it went perfectly well.

We look at Carmelo Hayes beating Andrade last week.

Hayes says Andrade is never going to be as good as he is. Cue Andrade and they have to be held back, with another match being set up for next week.

Santos Escobar yells at the rest of Legado del Fantasma for costing him the match. Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews come in to laugh, with Escobar wanting to face Corbin next week.

Blair Davenport/Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Naomi/Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

Dawn actually takes Naomi down to start, which doesn’t last long as Belair moonsaults over her and sends Dawn outside. The big dive takes Dawn out again and we take an early break. Back with Belair grabbing a slingshot rollup for two on Davenport, who stomps Belair in the back for two. The villains get in a triple choking pose on the ropes and some running knees get two more.

Fyre grabs a Black Widow but Dawn gets caught cheating, allowing Belair to backbreaker her way to freedom. The tag brings in Cargill to clean house but Davenport hits a quick superkick. Naomi comes in to pick the pace up again, with a hanging faceplant/DDT to Dawn and Fyre. Belair hits a big dive to the floor, taking out Cargill as well as some villains. That leaves Naomi to hit the split legged moonsault to finish Davenport at 9:33.

Rating: B-. This started slowly but the last two minutes or so went nuts with everyone getting a chance to shine. Belair and Cargill are already set for a Women’s Tag Team Title shot at Bash In Berlin, though it was nice to see them not get a pin over the champions here to set it up. If nothing else, Dawn and Fyre need to be kept strong, which isn’t always the case around here.

We look at WWE in Germany back in the mid 90s, with Natalya of all people narrating.

Here is the Bloodline for their Tag Team Title shot. Before the match, Solo Sikoa requests acknowledgment and says the OTC is DONE. Sikoa says he is next in line for a title shot after Bash In Berlin, but first there is something wrong with the Tag Team Titles. He tells Jacob Fatu to step up…and hand Sikoa his title. Actually, give it to Tonga Loa, because Fatu is Sikoa’s personal enforcer and not part of a tag team. Cue the Street Profits and B-Fab to mock the new version of the team before we get going.

LA Knight issues an open challenge for a US Title shot next week.

Tag Team Titles: Bloodline vs. Street Profits

The Bloodline is defending. Dawkins hammers Loa into the corner to start but it’s Tama coming in for two off a jumping neckbreaker. Ford comes in to drop Tama and a standing moonsault gets two. An assisted neckbreaker gets two on Ford, who is right back with a jumping enziguri. Dawkins comes back in with a double flapjack as everything breaks down, with Ford being LAUNCHED over the top and onto the steps.

We take a break and come back with Ford hitting a jumping DDT, allowing the diving tag off to Dawkins. Everything breaks down and the Silencer his Tama with Loa having to make a save. The fight goes outside, where Fatu hits some superkicks. That’s enough for Tama to hit a running Downward Spiral for the pin on Dawkins at 9:11.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to change things over to the other Bloodline, which is apparently something that can just be done around here. It makes things that much easier to do though and I’ll take that over some complicated situation. The match itself was a good, fast paced match, but the Bloodline isn’t about to lose the titles anytime soon.

Post match the beatdown continues until DIY makes the save. That doesn’t work either though as Fatu and company wreck the good guys.

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens have a bit of a strained chat, with Owens bringing up turning on so many people. Cody seems to trust him though.

B-Fab says DIY and the Street Profits are fine, with Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell going into the trainer’s room to check on them.

Michin talks about overcoming negative expectations to get this far while breaking a lot of things.

Nia Jax glares at Pretty Deadly and Tiffany Stratton about fixing her crown. With the three of them gone, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are overheard mocking Jax, who glares them away.

Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens vs. A-Town Down Under

Rhodes works on Waller’s arm to start and it’s quickly off to Owens for a backsplash. A double back elbow gets two more on Waller but Theory offers a distraction, allowing Waller to get in a cheap shot. Owens gets punched down and we take an early break. Back with Owens fighting his way out of trouble and making the tag off to Rhodes. The Disaster Kick sends Waller outside, with Rhodes sending Theory over the announcers’ table.

Back in and Waller cuts Rhodes off, allowing Theory to get in some choking. The chinlock goes on so Owens plays cheerleader, which brings Rhodes and the fans right back up. The Cody Cutter drops Theory but Waller’s distraction draws Owens out to the floor. Rhodes sends both of them outside though and the diving tag brings in Owens, who drops outside to beat them up in a fresh location. The Cannonball hits Waller in the corner and the Swanton gets two, with Theory making the save. Not that it matters as the Pop Up Powerbomb gives Owens the pin on Waller at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This was more about whether or not Rhodes and Owens could get along and it went well enough, even as A-Town Down Under’s downward spiral continues. The team seems destined to fall apart sooner than later and it might be with Theory getting the needed boost as a result. They did what they needed to here though and I’ll take that for a main event.

Bash In Berlin rundown.

Back in the ring, Owens picks up the title and teases hitting Rhodes but hands him the title instead, leaving Rhodes looking rather relieved to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was only so much that could be added for this show and it wound up doing well enough with everything they had. The main matches are set for Bash In Berlin and there was only so much that could be done here. There is nothing wrong with spending a show advancing stories though and that is what they made work this week. You don’t really need to see this one, but it did accomplish a few things.

Results
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar – BFT
Naomi/Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Blair Davenport/Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre – Split legged moonsault to Davenport
Bloodline b. Street Profits – Running Downward Spiral to Dawkins
Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens b. A-Town Down Under – Pop Up Powerbomb to Waller

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

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Smackdown
Date: August 16, 2024
Location: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

We’re just over two weeks away from Bash In Berlin and the show’s biggest match is officially set, as Kevin Owens will challenge Cody Rhodes for the Smackdown World Title. That’s big enough, but other than that, Roman Reigns is back as well, meaning it’s time to go after the new Bloodline. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns returning and wrecking the Bloodline last week.

Tiffany Stratton and Pretty Deadly are in the ring to introduce Nia Jax for her championship celebration. Jax is carried to the ring on her throne and seems a bit overwhelmed by all of the….pink. Jax: “My style is more destruction.” She brags about her success and is proud to be YOUR Women’s Champion, so everyone can bow down to her. Including Stratton. First up though, Pretty Deadly sings an original song about how great Stratton is…and here is Michin with a kendo stick to clean house.

Naomi, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair enjoyed that and are ready to celebrate, but here is Carmelo Hayes to say they’ll be celebrating when he beats Andrade.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Andrade chases him to the floor to start but Hayes catches him on the way back in. A hard springboard clothesline drops Andrade again but he comes back with a dropkick. With Hayes knocked to the floor, Andrade drops him again with the middle rope moonsault (and it connects rather well). Back up and Hayes manages to knock him off the ropes and onto the apron for a crash as we take a break.

We come back with both of them going to the top for Andrade’s super Spanish Fly and a near fall. Hayes’ superkick is shrugged off and they trade suplexes to give Hayes two. Nothing But Net misses and they trade rollups for two each. Andrade’s spinning elbow gets two and the fans deem this awesome. The Message is loaded up but Hayes reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: B. This is what Hayes has been needing as he hasn’t won an important match in a good while. The fact that the two of them have chemistry together makes it even better, as they had a heck of a match. I’m not sure if this is going to be enough to move Hayes that far forward, but at least he is getting a clean win to boost him up a bit.

Post match Hayes gets a little too braggadocios and the brawl is on again, with referees breaking it up.

Tama Tonga presents Solo Sikoa with the lei, but Sikoa says if Roman Reigns takes it back, Sikoa will have to acknowledge him.

Giovanni Vinci is coming.

Naomi vs. Blair Davenport

They slug it out to start with Davenport managing to drop her. Back up and Naomi knocks her out to the floor, setting up a dive off the apron. A high crossbody gets two on Davenport back inside and we take a break. Back with Naomi grabbing a headscissors and stating the comeback, setting up the splits splash for two. A kick to the face sends Davenport into the corner but she’s fine enough to block the split legged moonsault. Davenport’s knee to the head finishes at 6:50.

Rating: C. I’m still not getting the appeal of Davenport. She’s fine enough with the stuff in the ring but she’s not someone who gets my attention. I can go with trying someone else though as you always need fresh blood, but this hasn’t been off to a great start. On a sidenote, yes Naomi lost in her hometown, though this didn’t feel like the old school humiliation losses. That’s nice to see, as it came off more as a run of the mill loss which happened to take place in a certain place.

A-Town Down Under argue about Kevin Owens, who pops up behind them to say they’re right: he does get everything handed to him. Owens is willing to take Grayson Waller out there right now and beat him up to prove a point.

Tribute to Afa, with a bunch of legends talking about the Wild Samoans.

Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Owens dropkicks him into the corner at the bell and hits a backsplash as the fans rather approve. They go outside with Owens hitting a running clothesline but Theory’s distraction lets Waller hit his own clothesline. For some reason Waller sits on the other side of the barricade, with Owens popping up behind him to drag him back.

A cheap shot puts Owens down though and Waller’s middle rope elbow gets two. Owens knocks him off the top and hits the Swanton for two but Waller’s neck snap across the top is good for a breather. The rolling Stunner takes too long though and Owens hits the Stunner for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C. This was little more than a workout for Owens before his big title match in a few weeks and that’s all it needed to be. Owens could use the boost, as he hasn’t picked up many big wins lately, which granted is kind of the point of the title match. Waller losing isn’t going to hut him, especially to a star as big as Owens.

Post match Owens jumps Waller again but Theory makes the save and the villains grab chairs. Cody Rhodes runs in for the save and house is quickly cleaned. Owens is behind Rhodes with the chair but picks up the title instead. The fans don’t like that, but Owens hands it back to Rhodes as the fans sing the champ’s song.

Solo Sikoa wants Roman Reigns to acknowledge him.

Legado del Fantasma is at dinner and Santos Escobar thinks the team has gotten complacent. He won’t have the team name diminished and next week, he’ll be the US Champ.

Here is LA Knight to say that looked like a fun dinner. Santos Escobar might have forgotten who he is but next week the BFT is going to make him forget where he is. Escobar thinks Knight is trash, but the trash is going to put him on his a**.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven thank Michin for breaking up the celebration earlier. Michin is happy because she is getting a title shot. Then Jax jumps her.

Street Profits vs. DIY

For a title shot against the Bloodline. Ford and Gargano lock up to start with Ford flipping out of a wristlock. They both miss kicks to the face and it’s an early standoff. Dawkins and Ciampa come in, with the former hitting a jumping elbow to the face. A double flapjack sends Ciampa outside, where Dawkins runs him over again and we take a break.

Back with Gargano making the comeback and getting a quick two on Ford. DIY is sent into each other but Ciampa comes back in to clean house anyway. A running knee gives Ciampa two but Dawkins powers out of One Final Beat. Everything breaks down again and Gargano and Ford hit slingshot dives to the floor. Back in and they trade superkicks for a double knockdown and we take another break.

Back again with Ford’s 450 hitting Ciampa’s raised knees and a Shatter Machine gets two on Ford. The Revelation gets two on Ciampa with Gargano making a save of his own. Ford gets sends outside and it’s a superkick into the Fairy Tale Ending for a rather near fall on Dawkins. Gargano dives onto Ford but the slingshot spear is countered into the swinging butterfly suplex. The Doomsday Blockbuster hits Gargano and Dawkins cuts off Ciampa, leaving Ford to get the pin at 15:17.

Rating: B. This was an all action match and it would have been even better if about half of it wasn’t missing due to commercials. DIY can still bring it when they get the chance and the Profits got their first big win without Bobby Lashley in a little while. Awesome main event here, with a fresh title match being set up.

Here is Solo Sikoa with Tama Tonga (no Tonga Loa) to order Roman Reigns to acknowledge him. The fans won’t acknowledge him either but if Reigns wants to be the Tribal Chief again, come make it happen. This brings out Reigns, with Sikoa handing the lei off to Tama and telling him to leave. The brawl is on but Tama comes back in to start the double teaming. Reigns shrugs that off and cleans house, including the spear to Sikoa. Reigns gets the lei back…and Jacob Fatu is back to jump him.

The running Umaga Attack hits in the corner (leaving Reigns’ eyes bugging out in a funny visual) and Reigns is powerbombed through the announcers’ table. Tama puts the lei around Sikoa’s neck and the Bloodline poses over Reigns to end the show. This was needed as there was little reason to believe that Sikoa and the Tongas were going to be a long term problem for Reigns. Fatu is a different kind of beast and could give Reigns a real problem.

Overall Rating: B. You had a pair of good to awesome matches and a big angle in the end to make the show work rather well. Reigns being back is still the biggest story on the show but at least Rhodes vs. Owens got a bit of a boost of its own. This show continues to feel about a few big things mixed with a few more minor things, but it’s a formula that works well, especially when you have two matches that were quite the successes.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Andrade – Rollup
Blair Davenport b. Naomi – Knee to the face
Kevin Owens b. Grayson Waller – Stunner
Street Profits b. DIY – Doomsday Blockbuster to Gargano

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.

Smackdown
Date: August 2, 2024
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before Summerslam tomorrow and that means it is time for a pretty big match on the way. In this case that means we have the Tag Team Titles on the line as DIY defends against the Bloodline in what might be a massacre. Other than that, it’s time for the big push towards Summerslam so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He asks what we want to talk about but thinks WHO we want to talk about might be a better question. Cue Solo Sikoa, on his own for once, to tell the crowd to acknowledge him. The fans aren’t pleased, but Rhodes talks about how they are both younger brothers. Sikoa is all about the Bloodline’s theatrics but tomorrow the bell is going to ring.

Rhodes gets serious, until Sikoa asks if he is done yet. Rhodes says Sikoa is the self proclaimed Tribal Chief but Rhodes is the WWE Champion. He sits on a throne and can do so because of what people like people like Randy Orton and Kevin Owens did. Rhodes mentions beating Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match, but Sikoa says Reigns was weak. Sikoa is dangerous though and tomorrow, he’ll show Rhodes how dangerous he can be. He wants Rhodes to put his money where his mouth is, but cue the Bloodline through the crowd.

Rhodes realizes Sikoa wants it to be a Bloodline Rules match tomorrow (despite Sikoa never saying it) and calls out the Bloodline. He isn’t scared of any of them and the Bloodline Rules match is on. Sikoa threatens Rhodes with the Bloodline but Rhodes says all he has to do is beat the Tribal Chief. Since the Tribal Chief isn’t here, he’ll settle for the wannabe. They got to the point here, but Sikoa wasn’t able to keep up with Rhodes on the mic and it didn’t make for the best segment.

Carmelo Hayes goes to the barber shop and talks about his breakout performance against Andrade. It’ll be different the next time they face off.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Feeling out process to start with Hayes being cocky as usual. Andrade isn’t having that this time and takes over but the threat of the Message sends Hayes bailing to the floor. We take a break and come back with Hayes sending him knees first into the steps, setting up a superkick for two. Andrade fights up and takes over, only to miss the running knees in the corner. Hayes misses the Fade Away but something like a springboard hanging suplex puts Andrade down. Hayes goes up top until Andrade catches him for a superplex as we take another break.

Back again with Andrade sending him out to the floor, setting up a middle rope moonsault. They get back in and Hayes hits a spinning faceplant, only to walk into the spinning elbow for a close two. Andrade’s double jump moonsault gets two so he grabs the Figure Four. That’s broken up so Andrade tries the Message, which is reversed into a rollup, which is reversed into a rollup to give Andrade the pin at 16:06.

Rating: B. I’m a bit surprised at the result, but at the end of the day it is nice to see Andrade getting a chance like this. He is getting some momentum together and it would be cool to see that turned into something. Hayes loses again, but at least it wasn’t in a way that left him looking weak. Good match here, as these two work well together.

Santos Escobar says he’s going to take out Apollo Crews tonight and yells at Berto and Angel for losing in the gauntlet match last week.

Apollo Crews vs. Santos Escobar

Baron Corbin and the rest of Legado del Fantasma are here too. Escobar starts fast and knocks him into the corner, setting up a slingshot hilo. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Escobar two and we hit the waistlock. That’s broken up and Crews comes back with an overhead belly to belly. Angel tries to offer a distraction but gets decked by Corbin. Crews’ standing moonsault gets two but…someone grabs Corbin’s leg from underneath the ring. The distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C. This was more about the shenanigans outside, as there is little reason to believe that Crews was going to be a serious threat to someone who was a much bigger star. In theory this should be one of the last matches in the feud, but there is always the chance that things could be stretched out even further. At least Corbin didn’t lose, which is not something I was expecting to say anytime ever.

It seemed to have been a member of Legado grabbing Corbin’s leg rather than a surprise.

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are ready to get their Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Here is Nick Aldis, with some unnamed yet totally legitimate “Cleveland dignitaries” to welcome hometown star Logan Paul. This brings out Paul, who immediately goes into mocking LA Knight, who is desperate to take the US Title. Paul sees Knight’s appeal to the fans, as he’s a guy who never made it, just like everyone here. Paul can’t relate to everyone here because he’s great and he made it.

That’s why we’re here, including these dignitaries. Aldis says he couldn’t find anything about these dignitaries on Google, but Paul insists they’re legit. We have a banner to unveil, but instead it says YEAH over Paul’s face. Cue Knight to say the sunglasses are making it hard for him to read the banner, so maybe the people can tell him what it says. Fans: “YEAH!” Paul: “CONGRATS! YOU PEOPLE CAN READ!”

Knight points out that Paul is from the suburbs before going to the back to find another banner for Paul. We follow Knight to the back, where he finds Pretty Deadly, who are practicing for their musical. That won’t work, but no one has a banner for him. Instead, Knight goes to the back to Paul’s Prime truck so Paul charges after him, with Knight stealing the truck. Paul: “THAT’S A CRIME!” Knight getting under Paul’s skin is a good way to go, but he has to win that title.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are ready for Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.

Logan Paul wants to know what Nick Aldis is going to do about this. Aldis will take it up with the dignitaries.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

Cargill and Belair are challenging and jump the champs before the bell. The champs say they can go so it’s Cargill splashing Dawn in the corner. Belair comes in to stomp away and stereo gorilla press drops have the champions in trouble as we take a break. Back with Cargill kicking Fyre away but Dawn pulls Belair down off the apron.

A Backstabber/Swanton combination gets two on Cargill, who suplexes both of them down at once for a needed breather. Belair comes back in with a double high crossbody as it’s time to clean house. Belair hammers away in the corner on both champions until Fyre slips out and grabs the hair. The handspring moonsault gets two on Fyre with Dawn making the save. Cargill pulls Dawn to the floor for a superkick…and here is Blair Davenport to jump Cargill for the DQ at 7:23.

Rating: C. The ending isn’t the biggest surprise as there was almost no reason to believe that Dawn and Fyre were going to be able to survive against the ream team of Belair and Cargill. Having Davenport get involved isn’t the worst idea, but hopefully she can live up to the spot they are putting her in. It hasn’t exactly worked so far, but maybe that changes this time.

Post match destruction ensues, with Cargill being sent over the announcers’ table.

Summerslam rundown.

Video on Nia Jax vs. Bayley.

Jax gives Tiffany Stratton a custom Money In The Bank briefcase, with Stratton being VERY excited. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven come in o mock the briefcase

DIY is fired up to face the Bloodline, with Johnny Gargano talking about how this is his hometown and there are over 10,000 members of his family waiting for the Bloodline.

Tag Team Titles: Bloodline vs. DIY

The Bloodline, with Tonga Loa and Solo Sikoa, is challenging. Tama powers Ciampa into the corner to start and runs him over as we take a break with the champions in early trouble. Back with Fatu’s running splash only hitting the post, allowing Gargano to come back in. Everything breaks down and Fatu is taken down by a flip dive off the apron. A super Air Raid Crash gives Ciampa two but Fatu is back in to take over. The running hip attack hits Ciampa, setting up Tama’s top rope splash for two with Gargano making the save.

Fatu’s running hip attack on the floor only hits steps, leaving Ciampa to roll Tama up for two. A Shatter Machine hits Tama but Loa offers a distraction, allowing Sikoa to Samoan Spike Ciampa. Tama’s spinning reverse DDT gets two on Gargano but he superkicks his way out of trouble. There’s the suicide dive to Tama and a poisonrana to Fatu…which just wakes him up. The pop up Samoan drop sets up the triple jump moonsault. The implant DDT gives Fatu the pin and the titles at 9:10.

Rating: B. Yeah they had to. There was pretty much no reason to have DIY retain here as they have gotten their big win and special moment. The Bloodline is by far the bigger deal right now and giving Fatu a spotlight is that much better. It was even a fast paced match with DIY giving it everything they could before falling to the monsters.

Overall Rating: B. With most of Summerslam set, there wasn’t much here that needed to be changed, save for the Bloodline Rules stipulation being added. Other than that, it was a pretty good night of action with the Tag Team Title switch in the end being rather noteworthy. All that matters is tomorrow though, and there is every chance they could have a smash with the show. The show before it did well enough, though this one didn’t have quite the same pressure.

Results
Andrade b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup
Santos Escobar b. Apollo Crews – Phantom Driver
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre via DQ when Blair Davenport interfered
Bloodline b. DIY – Implant DDT to Gargano

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

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AND

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Summerslam 2020
Date: August 23, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

We’re a year removed from this show and things have indeed changed a bit. For one thing, we are FINALLY out of the Thunderdome, which was a full two days old when this aired. In something that hasn’t changed, I have no idea what happened at this show, save for the main event. That’s kind of nice for another look so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: US Title: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Crews is defending and it’s strange to see him as just a guy in trunks and not….whatever he would become next year. As a bonus, the rest of the Hurt Business is banned from ringside. MVP takes him down into a very quickly broken knee bar but Crews is back up with a sunset flip for two. That’s enough for MVP to bail to the floor as things cool down a bit. Back in and Crews flips away from him, setting up a quick dropkick for two. MVP is fine enough to toss him over the top and out onto the steps as the beating begins.

The running boot misses in the corner so Crews goes up, only to get crotched on top. The superplex brings Crews back down but MVP lands hard and the delayed cover gets two. A clothesline puts MVP on the floor and there’s the big flip dive to take him down again. They both dive back in to beat the count and it’s time to slug it out. Crews gets the better of things and it’s a spinebuster into the standing moonsault for two. The toss powerbomb retains the title at 6:37.

Rating: C. This was about as Kickoff Showey of a match as you could get and it happened to have a title on the line. There was nothing wrong with it and Crews gets a win to make him feel that much more important as US Champion. You’re only going to get so much out of a standard Raw level match and this was about it. Not bad, but as forgettable as any other Kickoff Show match.

The opening video is much more about the Thunderdome than anything else, though the matches themselves do actually get some attention. Well the bigger ones at least. The Smackdown World Title match between the Fiend and Braun Strowman has a tagline of “You’ll Never See It Coming”. That’s one way of advertising things.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Asuka

Bayley is defending as part of the Bayley/Sasha Banks Are The Most Amazing Women Ever stretch. Granted it wound up being pretty awesome so it’s kind of hard to complain all that much. Banks (the Raw Women’s Champion and Bayley’s partner as the Women’s Tag Team Champions) is at ringside too as they fight over the grappling against the ropes to start. Asuka dropkicks her in the ribs to take over and pulls Bayley down into a reverse Koji Clutch.

The foot on the rope gets Bayley out of trouble in a hurry so she bails to the apron, allowing Asuka to kick the leg out again. There is something fun about watching Asuka pick someone apart like that and it always works. Bayley gets kicked out to the floor and Banks is already looking worried. Asuka grabs a DDT (or close enough) off the steps for two back inside but Bayley manages to snap her neck across the middle rope for a much needed breather.

Some stomping sets up the chinlock with Bayley shouting a lot as she keeps Asuka down. Back up and a quick Bayley to Belly gets two but Asuka kicks her in the head for a double knockdown. A German suplex into the hip attack gives Asuka two and they head to the apron for the slugout.

That doesn’t last long so they head back inside for an exchange of leglocks. Asuka knees her in the face for two but Bayley is right back with a running sunset flip into the corner. The “patented” (I want paperwork) top rope elbow is countered into a quickly broken cross armbreaker so Asuka is back with a kick to the head. Banks takes the running hip attack though, allowing Bayley to grab a rollup to retain at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Good and logical choice for an opener here with Asuka fighting as hard as she could to pick up the first title. That didn’t wind up working out, but they did a nice job of going back and forth against each other. What mattered here was having Asuka seem ready to pick up the win until Banks’ interference was enough to throw her off for a split second. Nice match with the story making perfect sense.

Post match Banks (who faces Asuka later tonight) and Bayley beat Asuka down and leave her laying.

Dominik Mysterio asks Rey Mysterio to let him go out there alone tonight. Rey, realizing how much of a disaster it would be to ask fans to care about Dominik on his own, says no but is finally talked into staying in the back.

Video on Retribution’s path of….well really just annoyance so far, though this period of breaking stuff would be their apex as a team.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Garza and Andrade, with Zelina Vega (who recently poisoned Montez Ford), are challenging and Kevin Owens is on commentary. We get the traditional rain of red solo cups to start as the Profits’ inset promo talks about how they are here for revenge. Andrade slugs away at Ford to start but gets caught with a big jumping clothesline. A jumping hurricanrana brings Andrade off the top and there’s the double flapjack to drop Garza.

Ford loads up the big flip dive, but gets countered into a double powerbomb onto the floor (as tends to happen). Back in and we hit the armbar on Ford, allowing Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS (Vega approves). A cross armbreaker over the ropes has Ford in more trouble and it’s back to Andrade for an armbar of his own. Garza adds a running knee to the ribs (and promises to win the titles, which Owens does not like) and the running kick to the ribs makes it worse.

There’s the top rope Alberto Double Stomp for Andrade’s next near fall. Ford flips out of a belly to back suplex though and the enziguri sets up the diving tag to Dawkins. Chris Jericho’s Judas Effect only takes Dawkins off one foot (ha) and he spears Andrade down. Ford comes back in with the crazy high crossbody but Garza rolls through for two, even with Vega holding his feet on the rope. Vega gets on the apron to yell but Ford knocks Garza into her. The Sky Cash Out into the twisting frog splash retains the title at 7:50.

Rating: C. Total Raw match here which was the latest exhibit of how much charisma that Garza has. The guy can make anything look better but Andrade had the star power and that is what gets you ahead around here. This feud, or some form of it, went on for the better part of ever and never once got interesting because the Profits were that much better. Now get some fresh competition in the tag division.

The long form celebration is on.

Bayley and Sasha Banks don’t like Kayla Braxton’s questions but know that Sasha will beat Asuka tonight. Bayley even busts out a broom because it’s going to be a sweep.

We recap Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose, which has been going on for a long time. Sonya got jealous of Mandy getting all of the attention and eventually turned on her by calling her selfish. Since it’s WWE, we’re supposed to side with the bombshell model, which was made even worse when Sonya was about five levels ahead of Mandy on the mic. Sonya cut off some of Mandy’s hair so the hair vs. hair match was set.

Then a psychotic fan broke into Deville’s house with zip ties and a knife, likely in an attempt to kidnap and/or kill Deville. Rose happened to be staying there and the two got away as the stalker went into the wrong part of the house. This sent Deville into a lengthy legal process and since her lawyer felt that cutting her hair off was a bad idea, it was turned into a No DQ Loser Leaves WWE match. Fair enough, but next time you have a crazed stalker who might be trying to kill you, make sure you think of kayfabe. Go out separate doors or something and worry about being stabbed later.

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

No DQ and the loser leaves WWE. Mandy offers a handshake to start so Deville rolls her up for two. Back up and Mandy hits her in the face and they head outside with Deville getting suplexed onto the ramp. A clothesline off the announcers’ table puts Deville down again and let’s get a table. As usual, that takes way too long and it’s Sonya ramming Mandy into the announcers’ table to take over.

Back in and a running knee to the chest gets two and it’s a dragon sleeper with a bodyscissors to put Mandy in even more trouble. The trash talking fires Mandy back up though and it’s a jumping knee for two on Sonya. It’s back outside for more ramming into the announcers’ table before Mandy slides chairs over the regular table, with Sonya having to duck the decapitation attempts. That’s either brilliant or really stupid and I’m not sure which. Back in and three straight running knees set up Angel’s Wings to crush Sonya. Another running knee gives Mandy the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C-. This had the intensity but dang Mandy is not the greatest in the ring. I completely get why WWE would want to push the heck out of here but Sonya was so much more of a complete package and felt like a natural. It’s a shame that she had to go away, though it was a rare instance where something is more important than wrestling (egads that’s hard to say).

Post match Otis comes out to celebrate with Mandy (Yeah remember when that was a thing?), who fails at the Caterpillar.

Here’s what’s coming on the WWE Network!

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio. This was part of the never ending Rollins vs. Mysterios feud, which saw Rollins gouge Rey Mysterio’s eye out. Dominik is willing to fight for his father in a street fight, which also happens to be his in-ring debut. Rollins also destroyed Dominik by tying him into the ropes and destroying him with a kendo stick for a pretty nasty moment. Other than that though, this feud was complete death by this point and this was the match that I was dreading coming into the show.

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Street fight and Rollins, with Murphy, is in gear inspired by Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc 1997. Rey is here with Dominik, as you might expect. Rollins wrestles him down without much trouble to start and seems rather comfortable. He’s so comfortable that he offers Dominik a headlock before tripping him down with ease. Dominik gets in a few right hands before getting dropped again. A springboard armdrag and then some regular versions have Rollins down, which is just a step too far.

Rollins drops him again and gets a kendo stick, which is dropkicked out of his hands. Dominik gives chase but gets knocked down, only to have Rollins kick the stick away. The one armed camel clutch has Dominik in more trouble and Rey is nervous. The Sling Blade lets Rollins work on Dominik’s hand and Murphy sends in a chair. Seth yells at Rey a lot as he stomps away but the Stomp (that’s confusing) is countered into a drop toehold into the chair. The Buckle Bomb is countered into a hurricanrana into the corner to stagger Rollins again as this comeback needs a crowd reaction.

A tornado DDT out of the corner gets two and the kendo stick shots have Rollins in more trouble. Dominik goes up but it’s Rollins running the corner for the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two. Rollins is mad (as he should be) and it’s time to kendo stick Dominik for a change. Murphy throws in a table but Rollins takes too long going up, allowing Dominik to hit a super White Russian legsweep through the table. Since wrestling logic is a thing, Dominik is fine and hits a frog splash for two.

Dominik takes too long grabbing things again, allowing Rollins to superkick and kendo stick him some more. Saxton: “Rey can do nothing to help his son!” As you try to see the invisible wall keeping Rey from doing anything, Rollins pulls out some handcuffs. Cue Rey’s wife Angie to try and do something but Rey holds her back.

Murphy loads up the steps to take out Dominik’s eye, meaning the invisible wall is smashed as Rey finally gets involved (making the last five or so minutes subject to wrestling logic). With Dominik as backup, Rey is quickly cuffed to the ropes as the villains look up at Angie. Dominik is back up to make the save this time….and his frog splash hits knees, because he isn’t very good at this. Rollins tells Rey to reach for Dominik and then hits the Stomp for the pin at 22:36.

Rating: C-. Being away from this story for a year has taken away some of the bad feelings about it, but this still wasn’t very good. Above all else, this was WAY too long as Rollins felt like he was dealing with an annoyance than any real threat. Dominik isn’t an embarrassment in the ring by any means but he also isn’t ready to be in a 20+ minute featured match at Summerslam. He looked ok for a debut, but the length of the match (and the feud) dragged it way down.

The villains sneer post match and Rey hugs Dominik.

Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka

Banks is defending and has Bayley in her corner. Commentary points out that Banks has never had a successful singles title defense, which does not bode well for her future. Banks goes straight for the knee (ala Bayley in the first match) but Asuka spins up and fires off the Kawada kicks. A sliding forearm (minus some power because of the knee) sends Banks outside and Asuka is right there with a kneebar on the floor.

They wind up on the apron, where Asuka kicks the post by mistake. Bayley cranks up the trash talk (because she’s very good at that) and Banks takes her back inside to fire off kicks in the corner. Banks switches to the shoulders but gets caught in an electric chair faceplant. Asuka can’t be trusted with two legs in front of her and Banks has to bail to the ropes to escape the kneebar.

With that broken up, Asuka gets a bit creative by taking her up top for a super DDT. The missile dropkick gives Asuka two but Banks goes after the knee again, setting up the double knees in the corner. They’re both down so Bayley goes into coaching mode….and Asuka immediately grabs the ankle lock. Bayley isn’t good at coaching. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock which is countered as well. Bayley’s distraction fails and the Asuka Lock goes on again to make Banks tap for the title at 11:31.

Rating: B-. I liked this one a good bit as Banks and Bayley had a plan to take Asuka out but still couldn’t do it. That’s a nice way to make Asuka look even more impressive while also continuing the build to Banks vs. Bayley. They took their time to get there but Bayley was awesome almost every step of the way. Banks held up her end as well and it was a heck of a match on top of the storytelling.

Post match Banks glares at Bayley, who begs forgiveness.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the Raw World Title. Orton has attacked a variety of legends, which has McIntyre ready to fight back and defend their honor, along with his title. McIntyre talked about how Orton has been protected for years while McIntyre fought every day to get here. They did a nice job with the culture clash here and the video does a good job of making this feel big.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre is defending and we get a quick inset promo from Shawn Michaels, who wants Orton to get Claymored. Orton bails to the floor to start as the mind games are going strong early on. Back in and Orton begs off again but does hit a few right hands before bailing to the floor for a second time. This time the chase is on but Orton catches McIntyre on the way back in. The RKO attempt is blocked so McIntyre shoulders him down. Another threat of the RKO sends McIntyre bailing outside and you can see a bit of shock.

Back in again and McIntyre unloads in the corner but has to block the RKO for a third time. The ensuing charge sends McIntyre shoulder first into the post and Orton sends him into the barricade to make it worse. A posting sets up a drop onto the announcers’ table and then Orton does the latter again. Orton gets a bit creative by suplexing McIntyre off the table for a delayed one (that kickout at one was a good deal for McIntyre).

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the Orton Stomp and some slow staring at the….uh, screens. McIntyre comes back with a Stunner to the knee in the corner and a spinebuster for the double knockdown. With the knee banged up, McIntyre goes Flair with the Figure Four (nice job given Orton attacking Flair and other legends leading up to this). Orton can’t roll out so he grabs the referee for a distraction and goes to the eye to escape. McIntyre’s eye looks to be cut a bit as they slug it out from their knees. Make that from their feet, with McIntyre having to block the RKO again.

The overhead belly to belly sends Orton flying and McIntyre does it again for a bonus. A top rope shot to the head drops Orton and McIntyre nips up as the adrenaline starts flowing. McIntyre loads up a superplex, gets knocked into the Tree of Woe, and pulls himself up to send Orton flying with the choke superplex as usual. As impressive as that is, commentary shouldn’t be that impressed or surprised, but WWE commentators are seen as stupid for a reason.

The Futureshock gets two but McIntyre misses coming off the top. Orton’s powerslam gets two and he is busted open as well. The hanging DDT is broken up and it’s a Cactus Clothesline to put both of them on the floor. They get back in fast but this time the hanging DDT connects. With nothing else working, Orton loads up the Punt but McIntyre cuts him off. The Claymore misses so Orton tries the RKO again, only to get caught in a backslide of all things to retain the title at 20:34. Commentary shouts about how Orton NEVER SAW IT COMING because they need to hit that tagline.

Rating: B. I liked this one a good bit as they were playing up the story they had established coming in. The idea was that Orton was the seasoned veteran who had learned from the legends and he was cheating every chance he had here. Throw in the RKO as the ultimate weapon (which he never hit, as it is probably being saved for later) and this was a chess match with McIntyre using everything he could while Orton just waited to hit the RKO. I liked what they were doing and the ending worked well. Good match, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Orton looks up at McIntyre from the floor because this isn’t over.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt for the Smackdown World Title. These two have been feuding for MONTHS in one bad match after another. Last month, they fought in the swamp (because reasons) and Wyatt made Alexa Bliss appear because Strowman has always wanted her. Strowman doesn’t buy it because he knows the Fiend is going to corrupt her as well. Bliss slapped Strowman a bunch so he teased attacking her but decided to fight the Fiend instead. In other words, this feud was really, really stupid and nothing they were changing made it any better at all.

Smackdown World Title: The Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and this is Falls Count Anywhere. Fiend is driven back into the corner to start but comes back with a heck of a clothesline to drop Strowman. They’re already on the floor with Fiend busting out a toolbox. A few shots with said toolbox don’t do much to Strowman, who runs Fiend through the barricade. Strowman chokeslams him onto (not through) the announcers’ table and a steps shot to the face drops Fiend again.

Back in and the powerslam sends Fiend right back to the floor, which doesn’t mean as much as he can get pinned out there as well. Strowman kicks him up the ramp and they fight backstage. Fiend whips him into a few walls and Sister Abigail gets two. They come back into the arena where Strowman is sent into the video screen to bust up some of the color.

The Mandible Claw goes on but Strowman gets up anyway and shoves him into the apron for the break. Back in and another powerslam gets another two on Fiend so Strowman yells a lot. Strowman grabs a box cutter from the toolbox and starts cutting up the mat to expose the wood. That takes WAY too long so Fiend is back up with a Rock Bottom and a pair of Sister Abigails onto the wood for the pin and the titles at 11:58.

Rating: C. The shorter time helped but egads this feud was death and everyone but WWE seemed to know it. You could have seen this title change coming from before Extreme Rules last month, making for a very long and slow build. They kept this the way they should have and the lack of anything involving Bliss helped here. It could have been worse, but you’re only getting so much out of a hoss fight like this one. As long as Strowman isn’t champion any longer though, it’s an upgrade.

Post match Roman Reigns is back (for the first time since March) with the spear to the Fiend and the beating is on. Another spear hits Strowman and Reigns shouts about how they aren’t monsters unless he’s here. Reigns bends a chair over Strowman and spears Fiend down again. He grabs the title, says it has always been his, and calls Fiend a freak in a mask. Cole: “WE NEVER SAW THIS COMING!” Reigns would win the title a week later, as he should have, along with joining Paul Heyman, which was an amazing twist.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of an odd show as the stuff that was good was quite good but the weaker stuff just felt tacked on. WWE was still figuring things out after getting into the Thunderdome and this came off as somewhat of a Summerslam in name only. It certainly isn’t a bad show with the Bayley/Banks/Asuka stuff and McIntyre vs. Orton all being good. Tighten things up a bit and it could be great, but for now it just has to settle for being pretty good.

Ratings Comparison

Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Original: C
Redo: C

Asuka vs. Bayley

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Street Profits vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Original: C
Redo: C

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

Original: D+
Redo: C

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Original: D+
Redo: C-

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B
Redo: B-

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: B+
Redo: B

Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Original: C+
Redo: C

Overall Rating

Original: C
Redo: B-

I’m not sure if that overall rating makes sense but the rest of the show was certainly in the same ballpark, save for Rose vs. Deville.

Here is the original review if you are interested:

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.

Smackdown
Date: July 19, 2024
Location: CHI Health Arena, Omaha, Nebraska
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

We are just over two weeks to go before Summerslam and last week saw what seemed to be two title matches all but set for the show. Cody Rhodes is likely to defend the WWE Title against Solo Sikoa and Logan Paul is likely to defend the US Title against Kevin Owens, but the matches still need to be made official. That is what we might be seeing again here so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes agreeing to face Solo Sikoa for the title at Summerslam and the ensuing beatdown at the hands of the Bloodline. Randy Orton ran in for the save but got beaten down as well.

Here is Rhodes (minus the suit for a change) to get things going. After acknowledging boxing champion Terrance Crawford (in the front row and just happening to have an upcoming title fight) and having the title match against Sikoa confirmed for Summerslam, Rhodes talks about Orton being attacked last week. Rhodes was laid out and could be injured again, which hurt Rhodes because he sees Orton as family.

As for Sikoa, Rhodes once told him that he wasn’t ready…and here is A-Town Down Under to interrupt. They yell at Rhodes for causing their issues last week and the brawl is on, with Rhodes being sent outside. Crawford hands Rhodes his chair though and Rhodes gets to clear the villains out. This was more a way to have Rhodes rubbing elbows with another sports champion and that was fine.

Carmelo Hayes is ready for Andrade and says he won’t miss.

Cody Rhodes asks Nick Aldis for a match with A-Town Down Under, but he has to find a partner.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes flips over him to start but Andrade flips out of a headscissors for an early standoff. They trade kicks to the face until Hayes ties her in the ropes for the Fade Away as we take a break. Back with Hayes working on the arm but Andrade uses the other arm for a hard clothesline.

Some dragon screw legwhips take Hayes down and the running knees in the corner give Andrade two. Hayes grabs a spinning faceplant for two but Andrade knocks him off the top for the double moonsault. Andrade’s spinning back elbow gets two more, only to dive into the First 48 for two more. Not that it matters as Andrade is right back with the Message or the pin at 9:50.

Rating: B. This was a match that felt like it should have been just another match but they wound up rolling to a good one. That’s more than I would have expected and I was wondering which way they were going. Neither of them needed to lose but I can go with Andrade getting a win to boost him up for a bit, though it would be nice to have it actually get a follow up.

We look back at Nia Jax scaring Tiffany Stratton out of cashing in Money In The Bank/

We get a split screen sitdown interview with Jax and Bayley. Jax promises to put Bayley out of her misery, which has Bayley rolling her eyes. Bayley says Jax hasn’t changed since they met and brings up Jax injuring her years ago. Jax is clumsy and reckless (Jax DID NOT like that) but Bayley is leaving Summerslam as champion. Jax: “Is this done yet?” And she storms off.

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair argue with Chelsea Green and Piper Niven over who gets to talk to Nick Aldis first. A match is made.

Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green

Jade Cargill and Piper Niven are here too. A German suplex drops Green early but she slips out of the KOD. Green rolls her up but Belair reverses into one of her own for the win at 57 seconds. Well that was quick.

Post match Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre pop up on screen to say they’ll see about giving Belair and Cargill a rematch.

Nick Aldis is in the ring for the contract signing between LA Knight and Logan Paul. Knight and Paul come to the ring, with the latter wondering why he should give Knight a title shot. Knight says that might be true, but every time they have been face to face, Knight has owned and cooked him. Paul has come a long way by winning the US Title but the Knight broke into Paul’s house and even pinned him. Paul: “Listen to yourself SHAUN!” (Knight’s real first name).

Knight is the only one who needs this match, because his entire existence is built in this ring. Paul lists off everything else he has done and says Knight wants Paul’s accolades without being him. He calls Knight a fraud, which Knight finds interesting because Paul is a champion who won’t fight. That’s enough for Paul to sign but he can’t take anything from Knight because Knight doesn’t have anything. Paul bails but then charges back in, only to have to bail from the threat of the BFT. Good stuff here, though Knight almost has to win. I’m just not sure that he will.

Video on Tiffany Stratton.

LA Knight runs into Santos Escobar, who says he would beat Knight one on one. Knight says if Escobar wants in, ask his mom fr Knight’s number. A match seems likely.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin

Nia Jax is here with Stratton. Michin starts fast by dropkicking her into the corner and a Cannonball gets two. A Jax distraction on the floor lets Stratton hit a hard Alabama Slam as we take a break. Back with Stratton knocking her down for two more but a second Alabama Slam is blocked. A running neckbreaker puts Stratton down and a tornado DDT gets two. Stratton is back up with a running hip attack and a running dropkick for two of her own.

Michin’s middle rope dropkick puts Stratton on the floor but she’s back in with a Regal Roll. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever is loaded up but cue Bayley for a distraction. Bayley hits Jax in the head with the briefcase and proceeds to destroy it, with the distraction letting Michin get the rollup pin at 8:07.

Rating: C+. This felt like it was teasing a mixture of both a new briefcase and Stratton cashing in sooner than later. Maybe they let her wait a long time like others, but it would not shock me to see her get the title fairly soon. Jax is almost destined to get it first, but Stratton almost has to, as it just suits her so well.

Solo Sikoa talks about how hard it is being the Tribal Chief but wonders who is going to step up and team with Cody Rhodes. Whoever that is will be disrespecting the Bloodline, because he is the Tribal Chief and you will acknowledge him.

We look at DIY beating A-Town Down Under in back to back weeks, though Jacob Fatu wrecked them last week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Cody Rhodes has found a partner.

Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens vs. A-Town Down Under

Rhodes knees Theory in the ribs to start and hands it off to Owens to knock him out to the floor. Back in and a quick cheap shot takes over on Rhodes as the fans are all over Waller. Owens comes back in and slugs away without much trouble, including an enziguri and Cannonball to Waller. Theory offers a distraction though, allowing Waller to block the Swanton.

We take a break and come back with Waller holding Owens in a cravate and adding some knees to the face. Owens breaks up a superplex (commentary pointed out how you can’t superplex him) and hits the Swanton, allowing the tag off to Rhodes for the house cleaning. Waller comes in off a blind tag though and hits a quick faceplant for two. Waller’s knee almost hits Theory again but the distraction lets Owens get in a quick Stunner. Cross Rhodes finishes Theory at 11:52.

Rating: B-. Perfectly watchable main event here as the question was more about whether the Bloodline would interfere before or after the pin. A-Town Down Under continues its downward spiral and that does not seem likely to change anytime soon. The action was fine enough, but this was more about getting Rhodes in the ring, which is often a good idea.

Post match the Bloodline comes in and, just like last week, makes Rhodes watch as one of his friends is wrecked. Rhodes is TripleBombed through the announcers’ table to end the show. Is Rhodes going to be the one to bring back Roman Reigns to help him in the fight? That could work.

Overall Rating: B. This was another show where they covered a good bit of stuff (two matches set for Summerslam, Bayley setting her sights on Tiffany Stratton, the tease of Cody Rhodes needing a savior) and had a pretty sweet opener as a bonus. They are getting ready for the big show in just over two weeks and this is the kind of show that they needed. Good stuff here and they are getting closer to the really big stuff in the next few weeks.

Results
Andrade b. Carmelo Hayes – Message
Bianca Belair b. Chelsea Green – Rollup
Michin b. Tiffany Stratton – Rollup
Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens b. A-Town Down Under – Cross Rhodes to Theory

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

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Smackdown
Date: July 12, 2024
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are done with Money In The Bank and the main Smackdown stories are Tiffany Stratton winning the women’s briefcase and Solo Sikoa pinning Cody Rhodes in the main event. The latter seems likely to be the setup for the Smackdown World Title match at Summerslam but we have a few weeks to get there. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline defeating Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens at Money In The Bank.

Here is Tiffany Stratton to get things going. Stratton says it is officially Tiffy Time as she has won the briefcase and Trish Stratus isn’t here to ruin her moment again. The fans are REALLY into this as Stratton threatens all three Women’s Champions but here is Bayley to interrupt. She is impressed with Stratton living up to the expectations and reminds us that she won the briefcase in 2019. Stratton says that was a million years ago and brags about her rapid success.

Bayley threatens her against cashing in but here is Nia Jax to remind us that she is getting the title shot at Summerslam. Bayley says she isn’t a hugger anymore because she is the Royal Rumble winner and Women’s Champion so Jax isn’t going to beat her. However, just in case she does, Stratton might be there to cash in. Jax shrugs that off and says Bayley is going to be the victim at Summerslam. Stratton cuts off Bayley but Michin runs in with a kendo stick for the save. That’s a nice tease of Stratton cashing in on Jax later on, though we have to get to Summerslam before that can happen.

Chelsea Green, in a neck brace, with Piper Niven, is waiting to yell at Nick Aldis.

Michin vs. Nia Jax

Tiffany Stratton and Bayley are here too. Michin strikes away to start but a tornado DDT is easily blocked. The running hip attack in the corner hits Michin and we hit the cobra clutch. Jax sends her flying and hits a running splash in the corner before dropping Michin face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Jax powering out of a guillotine choke to leave both of them down. Back up and a middle rope hurricanrana drops Jax but Stratton and Bayley get into it on the floor. The distraction lets Jax grabs the kendo stick but Michin reverses into a tornado DDT. Not that it matters as Jax hits the Annihilator for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: C+. This was Jax getting to wreck someone else before her title match in a few weeks. That is something that works well most of the time and Jax is as much of a monster as you’re going to have these days. Michin is someone else who can be heated up for something like this without being used in a bit spot, which is a valuable asset to have around.

Post match Bayley goes after Jax but Stratton gets in a briefcase shot to cut her off. Jax drops the big leg on Bayley and goes to leave….so Stratton teases cashing in. That’s cut off by a quick glare from Jax, who isn’t happy.

The Bloodline is fine with their recent violence, even if it didn’t need to be that way. Tonight, everyone will acknowledge Solo Sikoa.

Earlier today, Andrade was having a sitdown interview about his performance in the Money In The Bank when Carmelo Hayes interrupted. Hayes wondered why he wasn’t getting more attention, so Andrade said he was next.

Angel/Berto vs. Baron Corbin/Apollo Crews

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here as Corbin launches Crews onto everyone else to start fast. Corbin clotheslines Berto and hands it off to Crews, who gets stomped down in the corner. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside as we take a break. Back with the Garza Special not quite connecting so Berto comes in for a springboard spinning kick to the head.

Corbin Death Valley Drivers his way out of trouble though and it’s off to Crews vs. Angel. Everything breaks down and Corbin has to drop an interfering Santos Escobar. The referee yells at Corbin and the distraction lets Escobar knee Crews in the face. Garza grab the Wing Clipper for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as the makeshift team loses to the established one, even with some interference. I’m not sure how much of a point there is to this story, but the interesting thing is Corbin. After turning things around in NXT, he has barely been a thing on the main roster, again making me wonder why he was brought back in the first place.

Pretty Deadly interrupts Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, as they need to talk to Nick Aldis about Pretty Deadly: The Musical! They literally get in line behind Green and Niven when LA Knight comes out of the office, carrying a contract.

Randy Orton is in the back with Cody Rhodes and talks about how he has Rhodes’ back tonight, even if Kevin Owens isn’t here tonight. Orton seems to hint that he is coming for the title when the Bloodline stuff is over.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. He isn’t Mr. Money In The Bank, but we do see him pinning US Champion Logan Paul to qualify for the ladder match in the first place. That brings him to the contract in his hands, which is for a US Title shot at Summerslam. Both he and Nick Aldis have signed it but Paul hasn’t, because he isn’t here. Again. No worries though because Knight will get him to sign and then take that belt (yes belt) at Summerslam.

Video on Blair Davenport.

Naomi vs. Blair Davenport

Davenport shoulders her down to start but Naomi slides underneath a clothesline and grabs a headlock. Naomi sends her into the corner for a running dropkick and the splits splash gets two. Back up and Davenport gets in a stomp to Naomi’s bad shoulder, which is posted hard as we take a break. We come back with Davenport twisting the arm around again and hitting a low superkick for two. Naomi fights back and gets two off a hurricanrana driver. They trade rollups for some near falls until Naomi hits a Bubba Bomb for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. Davenport hasn’t done much for me either in NXT or on the main roster and that was the case again here. She’s just kind of a generic villain who attacks the heroes before being dispatched. I need a bit more than that, especially with the amount of depth that the division has right now.

We look at DIY winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Naomi runs into Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. They walk down the hall, where Cargill says Nick Aldis isn’t here tonight. Everyone standing outside his office (Why does he have one if he isn’t here?) overhears and storm off. Blair Davenport comes in and shakes Naomi’s hand. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven come in to rant, allowing Davenport to jump Naomi from behind.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. A-Town Down Under

A-Town Down Under is challenging in a rematch from last week. Ciampa chases Waller outside to start and they all get inside, where the champs hit stereo dropkicks. Waller shoves Theory out of the way though and takes over on Ciampa as we take a break. Back with Waller hammering Ciampa down and handing it back to Theory, who gets dropkicked out of the air.

The tag brings Gargano in to clean house, including the slingshot spear for two on Theory. Everything breaks down and Ciampa rolls Theory up, with Waller making the save off a Downward Spiral. Ciampa ducks Meet In The Middle and Waller knees Theory by mistake. The Shatter Machine and Meet In The Middle finishes Waller to retain at 7:15.

Rating: C+. This felt like a way to wrap things up between these teams for good and that’s all it needed to be. DIY still feel like a pair of underdogs so giving them a win like this, even with the villains messing up, is a good thing. They’ll need some fresh challengers, while the villains seem like they could be on their way to splitting up.

Post match Jacob Fatu runs in to wreck DIY, including a pair of awesome moonsaults. Cue the rest of the Bloodline and, post break, Solo Sikoa wants to be acknowledged. The fans want Roman but Sikoa talks about the people who have refused to acknowledge him. Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns refused, but Reigns will if he wants to come back. Now it is Cody Rhodes’ turn, so here is Cody to interrupt.

Cody says he’ll have to speak to Nick Aldis, but you can more or less guarantee the title match is on against Sikoa at Summerslam. Cody is ready to fight tonight so the Bloodline surrounds him, meaning the fight is on. Randy Orton runs in for the save but the numbers game gets the better of him. Cody gets tied in the ropes and Orton is TripleBombed through the announcers’ table. The Bloodline poses to end the show. Cody vs. Sikoa felt all but set and now it more or less is all but set, so….progress?

Overall Rating: C. With just a few weeks to go before Summerslam, this was the kind of show that they needed to have, even if it wasn’t that great. While the matches aren’t officially set, they’re all but guaranteed and that is good enough. That being said, it’s a show you absolutely did not need to watch, which is going to happen occasionally.

Results
Nia Jax b. Michin – Annihilator
Angel/Berto b. Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin – Wing Clipper to Crews
Naomi b. Blair Davenport – Bubba Bomb
DIY b. A-Town Down Under – Meet In The Middle to Waller

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

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AND

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Money In The Bank 2024
Date: July 6, 2024
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back up north and it’s one of the biggest shows of the year. As has been the case lately, we have a five match card, but those are five pretty big matches. In addition to the two namesake ladder matches, we also have the Raw World Title, the Intercontinental Title and a stacked six man tag. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is the spy vs. spy theme, with the idea of a heist to get the briefcases.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade vs. LA Knight vs. Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes

It’s a brawl to start as you might expect, with Uso and Knight clearing the ring. The first ladders are thrown in, with McIntyre using one of them to clean house. Gable goes up top to catch McIntyre and grabs a cross armbreaker, with Andrade springboarding in to drop Gable with a legdrop. Hayes is in to take everyone out and it’s McIntyre vs. Uso, meaning the CM PUNK chants are out in full.

A spear cuts McIntyre down but Gable is back in, only to get kicked in the face by Uso. Gable is back up with some German suplexes, including rolling Chaos Theory to Hayes. Knight grabs a neckbreaker to drive Gable into a ladder and then takes Hayes outside for the rams into the announcers’ table. Hayes fights up again and goes for a big ladder, only for Gable to cut him off with a smaller ladder.

Andrade makes a save but McIntyre is there to break everything up as well. Knight is there with a BFT to McIntyre, setting up Uso’s Superfly Splash. Uso and Knight slug it out on top of the ladder but Hayes is back in to shove the ladder over, sending them into the ropes. Hayes flip dives onto Gable and goes up for Nothing But Net to Uso. Hayes goes up but gets caught in a NASTY sunset bomb onto a bridged ladder (Hayes bounced off that thing).

Gable suplexes Knight over the top and onto a ladder bridged onto the announcers’ table. That lets Gable go up but Uso moves the ladder, leaving Gable hanging. Uso spears him down and goes up but the briefcases is swinging. McIntyre THROWS a ladder at Uso and hits the Claymore, allowing him to pull the briefcase down and win at 16:33.

Rating: B-. It was a ladder match without much drama about the winner, which didn’t make for the most thrilling showcase. McIntyre felt like the only viable option to win the thing and then they went exactly in that direction the whole time. What we got was good, but there are only so many things you can do to make one of these things work after it has been done so often over the years.

We recap Sami Zayn defending the Intercontinental Title against Bron Breakker. Zayn is the underdog champion and Breakker is the physical freak with unlimited potential.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

Zayn is defending and gets thrown around to start. Breakker is so confident that he offers Zayn a slap, which Zayn accepts. That earns Zayn a drive into the corner but Zayn fights out with some right hands. Breakker is sent outside for the Arabian moonsault but Breakker is right back with a belly to belly.

Zayn gets back up with a rope walk tornado DDT for two and they need a breather. Breakker gets sent outside but Zayn’s moonsault is cut off. A posting slows Breakker down but the diving DDT is countered with a hard clothesline. Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two, only to have Breakker catch him on top.

The Frankensteiner connects for two and they go outside again, with Breakker missing a spear but avoiding the contact into the steps (that’s the kind of learning he did against Dolph Ziggler during his NXT run). Instead Zayn is sat onto the announcers’ table for the clothesline and a big crash. Back in and Zayn is fine enough to hit the exploder into the corner, only for Breakker to cut off the Helluva Kick. The gorilla press powerslam looks to set up the spear but Zayn kicks him away. The Helluva Kick retains the title at 13:13.

Rating: C+. That was rather underwhelming, with the match never coming close to a higher gear. Breakker never seemed to go all out to beat him here and it showed rather badly. They were going for the idea of Zayn being the smarter champion over the inexperienced Breakker, which only kind of worked and was far from great in any way.

Here is host Trish Stratus to talk about her history in this arena. She won titles, had her retirement, and was the mystery partner of this man…..so here is John Cena. The fans go nuts, even as Cena’s towel says THE LAST TIME IS NOW ad his shirt says “After This, You Can’t See Me.” Cena says the fans are here to cheer, but tonight, he is here to officially announce his retirement from WWE.

Cena talks about his time in Toronto and how much he loves the Canadian fans. Whether WWE is hot or cold, Canadians always show up. So why retire now? It’s because this is Money In The Bank, the ultimate symbol of opportunity. Next year, Raw debuts on Netflix and he’ll be there for the first time.

We’ll also see some lasts, including his last Royal Rumble, the last Elimination Chamber, and in Las Vegas, the last Wrestlemania he’s going to compete in. He’s going to open the press conference after the show and answer all questions about his retirement. For now though, Cena wants to say thank you to everyone involved. He’ll be back in Toronto, but if you want some, come get some, because the LAST TIME is now.

Well that’s kind of a huge one and while you knew it was coming, it’s almost hard to fathom that it’s happening. Wrestlemania is going to be the Cena show all over again (I’m sure CM Punk will be thrilled) and at the end of the day, it really should be. Like him or not, Cena is one of the biggest stars ever and that is worthy of this kind of a spot.

Damian Priest wants to face Seth Rollins on his own and Finn Balor isn’t pleased.

We recap Seth Rollins challenging Damian Priest for the Raw World Title. Priest won the title at Wrestlemania but wants to prove he can beat Rollins, who was happy to get a title shot.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending. Rollins chops away to start but gets taken out with the Broken Arrow. A lifting Downward Spiral gives Priest two but Rollins knocks him outside for a breather. The suicide dive sends Priest into the announcers’ table and they head back inside. A basement superkick rocks Priest and Rollins hits a springboard Swanton into a Lionsault for two.

Priest fights up and tries the Razor’s Edge but Rollins slips out and hits a running knee. A buckle bomb hits Priest, who is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two. We pause for Priest to make sure Drew McIntyre isn’t coming out before they slug it out. Priest’s kick to the head looks to set up South Of Heaven but Rollins slips out and hits the Stomp (or something close to it) for two.

Back up and Priest hits the Razor’s Edge for two and frustration is setting in. With Priest going up, Rollins runs the corner into the superplex and the Falcon Arrow gets a weird two (as the referee just kind of stopped counting. Cue Drew McIntyre with the briefcase and he’s cashing in so this is now a triple threat! And the bell…..rings so it’s on!

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

Priest is defending and cuts off an early Claymore attempt. Instead a jumping kick to the chest (not quite the Claymore) hits Priest and CM Punk is here to go after McIntyre. Punk blasts McIntyre with the chair…but stops to look at the title. Punk picks up the title and clocks McIntyre before sitting down on the announcers’ table (Cole: “What are you doing Phil?”). The South Of Heaven chokeslam finishes McIntyre to retain Priest’s title at 15:50 (between both matches).

Rating: B. Ignoring how nice it is to have one of the briefcases already out of the way, there is something to be said to having Punk cost McIntyre AGAIN as it is one of the better stories WWE has presented in a good while. I want to see those two fight, and that will likely be happening sooner rather than later. At the same time, Rollins is no longer allowed to challenge Priest for the title, meaning Gunther vs. Priest is rather likely for Summerslam. That’s certainly a way to go, but Priest is being built up fairly well on the way in.

Post match Rollins yells at Punk, who doesn’t seem to care.

Naomi vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Iyo Sky

It’s a brawl to start (shocking I know) so Green is left alone with a ladder…but she’s scared of heights. Instead she tries to poke at the briefcase with the ladder, allowing Sky to springboard in with a dropkick. Sky knocks Stratton into a ladder in the corner and hits the running Meteora for a bonus.

Valkyria and Stark come back in to clear the ring, with Stark suplexing Valkyria down. A Samoan drop onto a ladder has Valkyria in more trouble and a twisting moonsault…completely misses Valkyria in a terrible looking crash. Naomi is back in to jump Stark and hits the splits legdrop onto the ladder. The split legged moonsault onto Stark onto the ladder connects but Stratton is back in to clean house. Stratton goes up and hits a big flip dive onto a bunch of people, leaving Green to set up the big ladder.

Valkyria goes up but Sky ties her up in a Tree of Woe in the ladder. That just leaves Valkyria to sit up and hit a German suplex to send Sky crashing down HARD. Stark and Stratton go up top and fight on top of the ladder until Naomi makes a save. Naomi winds up doing the splits between two ladders before taking Stark down at the same time. It’s time for some tables with Green and Stratton taking their sweet time setting them up.

A bunch of people go up but Green and Stratton make the save with some ladders. Stratton gets sent face first into the ladder and Valkyria gets powerbombed onto one of the bridged ladders for a nasty crash. Green cuts Naomi off and hits something like an Unprettier onto the ladder. Sky and Stark are up top and Sky kind of TOMBSTONES HER ONTO A BRIDGED LADDER. Green uses the chance to go up and….doesn’t quite win as Stratton comes up as well. Green gets launched off the top and through the tables at ringside, allowing Stratton to win at 16:51.

Rating: B+. Now this was more like it, as you had everyone going nuts and leaving it all in the ring with one big spot after another. That piledriver onto the ladder and Green’s free fall both made me gasp and that is a great sign. This was one of the better ladder matches I’ve seen in a long time and they picked the right winner on top of that. Awesome stuff here.

We recap the main event, with Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton teaming up against the new Bloodline. Solo Sikoa has turned the team into a group built on violence, even taking out Paul Heyman. Now it’s time to try to slow them down.

Trish Stratus is in the back when Tiffany Stratton interrupts her. Stratton wants her to offer some praise, but Stratus says it’s what matters when you cash in that briefcase. Stratton thinks it’s sad that Trishy Time is over.

Bloodline vs. Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens

Sikoa starts with Rhodes but hands it off to Tama to really get going. Rhodes takes Tama into the corner so Owens can come in and hammer away, including a SUCK IT. It’s off to Orton for the right hands but Fatu gets the tag and you can tell the fans are into this. Orton hits the hanging DDT but Fatu pops up, scaring Orton as he loads up the RKO. A basement superkick takes Orton own and Sikoa is able to come in and glare menacingly.

The slow beating is on until Orton suplexes Tama down. Owens comes back in to hammer away a bit and there’s the Cannonball. A Swanton gets two, with Fatu making the save. Fatu hammers on Owens and it’s back to Sikoa for the running hip attack in the corner. Fatu’s hip attack connects as well and it’s back to Tama to hammer away.

The slow beating continues with all of the Bloodline getting in their shots, only to have Fatu miss a charge into the post. Cody comes in to clean house, including the Cody Cutter to Tama. Fatu gets backdropped into the timekeeper’s area, leaving Sikoa to hit a not great spear for two on Rhodes. The referee gets bumped, so the Cross Rhodes into a frog splash into the RKO to Sikoa doesn’t get a cover.

Fatu is back up to break up the TripleBomb but the referee gets crushed against the steps again. Owens superkicks Fatu and hits him with the big Prime bottle, setting up a frog splash to put Fatu through the announcers’ table. Owens loads up the package piledriver but Loa hits him low (twice, with the first one seeming to miss) Back in and Orton busts out a bunch of RKO’s but gets Samoan Spiked by Sikoa. Rhodes hits two Cross Rhodes on Sikoa but Fatu is back in with a twisting flip dive off the top. An implant DDT hits Rhodes and the Samoan Spike finishes for Sikoa at 24:40.

Rating: B. That ending probably sets up the main event of Summerslam and that’s all this needed to do. It was a good enough brawl at the same time, and while it might not have been an all time main event, it did its job. Fatu did rather well in his in-ring debut as well, as he felt like an unstoppable monster at times. Good stuff here, with the ending being what mattered.

Overall Rating: B. This wasn’t some blow away, all time great show, but for the main show of the month, it did well enough. Part of the problem with Money In The Bank is that it’s more about setting up things for later rather than doing anything on its own. That worked out more or less the same here, as the briefcases are for later (well, the one that made it through the night at least) and the main event set up a Summerslam match. Not a great show, but it did what you should have expected.

Results
Drew McIntyre won the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Sami Zayn b. Bron Breakker – Helluva Kick
Damian Priest b. Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre – South Of Heaven to McIntyre
Tiffany Stratton won the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Bloodline b. Randy Orton/Kevin Owens/Cody Rhodes – Samoan Spike to Rhodes

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

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AND

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

We have arrived at one of the biggest WWE events of the year as it is somehow already time to bring back the briefcases despite the previous cash-in being about three months ago. In addition to the ladder matches, we have the usual variety of matches taking place, but as has been the recent custom, there are only five total matches. Let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn(c) vs. Bron Breakker

This is a story that has been done before and thankfully it tends to be Zayn’s specialty: a monster opponent who leaves Zayn looking like he has no chance of survival. In this case though, Breakker seems like he could be in for his first big main roster title win, which could be the start of a major career. At the same time, it is only about three months removed from Zayn winning the title in the first place and that would be a quick turnaround.

I’m not sure how and it might not be a good idea, but I think Zayn retains here. We are so recently removed from the all time dominant title reign and putting the title on another beast like Breakker seems a bit soon. At the same time, they are going to need something to protect Breakker here, as there is zero reason for him to be taking a clean pin, even to a veteran like Zayn. They might change the title here, but I’ll say Zayn escapes for now.

Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton

Here we have what might be the biggest story in WWE at the moment, as Solo Sikoa is claiming to be the new Tribal Chief as Roman Reigns is out. That leads to a number of interesting options, including what happens when Reigns returns. Sikoa is going to need something big to keep him occupied on the way there though and I think it starts with an important moment here.

It’s hard to believe that this ends with anything but Sikoa pinning Rhodes to set up the title match at Summerslam. That makes all the sense in the world and seems to be what they are telegraphing, which is absolutely not a bad way to go. The makeshift team will put up a heck of a fight, but this is Sikoa’s chance to get the biggest win of his career and set the stage for probably his biggest match ever. We’ll go with the easiest way to get there as the Bloodline wins as Sikoa pins Rhodes.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

As usual, this is a case of eliminating the options that are not going to happen and getting us down to the most realistic. We’ll get rid of Carmelo Hayes and Andrade as they just aren’t happening. That leaves us with LA Knight (not likely, with Logan Paul probably costing him the briefcase at some point), Gable (same thing, but with the Wyatt Sicks), Jey Uso (maybe but a long shot) and one more option.

I’ll go with the simple and easy pick here and say Drew McIntyre, as he is the best possible choice. After everything he has been through with CM Punk, it is time to give him a win and it would fit nicely as he was cashed in on just a few months ago. There is the option that Punk costs him again, but that might be once too many times, even after McIntyre attacked Punk last month. I’ll take McIntyre to win here, but it’s the definition of anything could happen, as always.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

This one is trickier as there is only one option (Zoey Stark) who won’t be winning. That leaves the rest of the field rather wide open and that could make for an interesting situation. In this case, I’m not sure I can see Iyo Sky winning as she was just in the title picture at Wrestlemania. Lyra Valkyria doesn’t feel likely either, which leaves us with a couple of realistic options.

While Naomi holding the briefcase and possibly cashing in on her friend Bayley is an option (and maybe a strong one), I’ll go with what makes the most sense here and say Tiffany Stratton. There is a chance that Chelsea green wins for the nice Canadian moment, but Stratton having the briefcase and holding it over everyone’s head feels so perfect that I’ll go with that as the pick, but it’s another case where I’m far from confident.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest(c) vs. Seth Rollins

This is a match where the bigger question is where we’re going from here. The title match itself is big enough, but it brings up the question of what happens next month at Summerslam. Gunther is already waiting on the winner and I can’t imagine that Priest is going to be the one defending against him. That leaves the question of a possible cash-in or Rollins taking the title here, and I think you know where it’s going.

Even though it would feel like a return to where we were coming into WrestleMania, I’ll take Rollins to win here and go on to Summerslam for the big showdown with Gunther. That match was teased earlier this year and it could be a heck of a fight if we go there, so I’ll go with what makes sense. Rollins winning might not be the most interesting option, but it sets up the best possible outcome.

Overall Thoughts

These five match specials are a good way to go for WWE as they leave you wanting more but still deliver enough. There are some big matches on the card and we should be in for another solid one. Money In The Bank has a built in advantage of being a ladder match with some stakes, though the rest of the card is going to have to more than pull its weight. I’m optimistic about this one though and that’s always a nice feeling to have.

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: June 28, 2024
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in the World’s Most Famous Arena and it could be interesting to see what that means for the new version of WWE. The big story coming out of last week’s show is the debut of Jacob Fatu as the Bloodline is looking stronger than ever. That could make for some serious trouble for Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton, who are facing the Bloodline at Money In The Bank. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at last week’s Bloodline ordeal, with Solo Sikoa suggesting that Roman Reigns isn’t coming back and then the debut of Jacob Fatu as a wrecking ball.

The Bloodline, minus Jacob Fatu, arrives. Paul Heyman asks where Fatu is but gets no answer as Solo Sikoa and the Tongans come to the ring for a chat. Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton aren’t far behind and the brawl is on. Owens hits a huge Swanton off some equipment to put Sikoa through a table as Nick Aldis and security come out to break it up. Hot start to the show here.

Post break Aldis can’t get the good guys out of the ring so they beat up security. With security gone, threats are made to the Bloodline. Rhodes talks about how this arena deserves a World Title shot but instead he has to deal with something he ended at Wrestlemania. When he looks at Solo Sikoa, he doesn’t see a Tribal Chief, but rather a seat filler. That was a good line.

Post break, we look back at what we just saw.

Nick Aldis has the Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton leave the arena.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae

Cargill shrugs off some double teaming attempts to start and neckbreakers both of them. A superkick sends Stratton outside and Cargill throws LeRae onto her for the big crash. Cue Nia Jax and we take a break. Back with Bianca Belair at ringside as well and Cargill fighting out of trouble. Stratton avoids a charge to send Cargill outside, where Belair cuts off Jax’s stalking. Cue Indi Hartwell to post Cargill, allowing LeRae to grab a rollup for two on Stratton. Not that it matters as Stratton is back up with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to finish LeRae at 9:08.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and had a good way to avoid Cargill winning while moving Stratton forward. It wasn’t exactly a game changing performance from any of them, but it did what it needed to do on the way to the match that matters. Stratton is certainly a contender to win the briefcase and that is exactly where she should be right now.

Bayley and Naomi find Stratton annoying and wonder what happens if Naomi wins Money In The Bank. Blair Davenport comes in to mock Bayley, with Naomi swearing vengeance.

The Pride comes in to see Nick Aldis, who says they can’t fight the Bloodline tonight but they might be able to do it next week. Pretty Deadly returns and suggest a musical but get a match with the Pride instead.

Solo Sikoa tells Paul Heyman that Jacob Fatu isn’t here but tonight, Heyman is officially becoming his wise man.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Santos Escobar vs. LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

Non-title and Paul brings Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (who helped beat the New York Knicks) to show New York what a real winner looks like (with the feed cutting, suggesting a lot of swearing). It’s a brawl to start with Knight getting double teamed down. Paul and Escobar tease a fight but Knight is up again, only to get dropped again. Escobar gets sent outside, leaving Paul to plant Knight and take over. Paul dives onto Knight but gets taken out by Escobar as we take a break.

Back with Escobar hitting a super hurricanrana for two with Paul making a save. Knight slugs away on Paul and DDTs Escobar for two. Knight’s spelling elbow is cut off by Escobar so Knight slams him down for the elbow instead. Escobar is back up with a Phantom Driver to Knight, leaving Paul to make the save this time. Knight German superplexes Escobar off the top so Paul drops a Swanton for…two. Haliburton loads up the knuckles but New York Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson jumps the barricade for a staredown. The distraction lets Knight roll Paul up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B-. The NBA stars were a nice touch and made the match/show feel a bit more important. Other than that, this should get Knight into the ladder match, where Paul can cheat him out of the win and likely set up a title match at Summerslam. Escobar not being the designated victim was a nice surprise, but this was all about Knight vs. Paul.

Post match everyone but Escobar has a staredown, with the villains leaving.

Baron Corbin talks to Apollo Crews, who is happy that Santos Escobar has no chance of being Mr. Money In The Bank. Carmelo Hayes comes in to brag about how he’ll win Money In The Bank.

We get a tribute video to Sika.

Andrade talks about what it would mean to win Money In The Bank.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Blair Davenport vs. Naomi vs. Indi Hartwell

Naomi dropkicks them both down to start but a double crossbody is cut off. Davenport tries to get the pin but Hartwell doesn’t like it, meaning the alliance lasts all of 18 seconds. They go outside with Davenport taking the other two down as we take a break. Back with Naomi making Hartwell DDT Davenport to leave everyone down for a breather. Naomi hits a spinning middle rope kick to the head to put Davenport down before hitting some running forearms in the corner.

Hartwell gets in a shot of her own and covers both of them for two, with commentary not quite getting why. Back up and they all trade forearms until Naomi knocks Davenport down in the corner. The split legged moonsault misses though and they head outside, with Jade Cargill coming out to jump Hartwell as payback for earlier. Naomi’s Bubba Bomb into a rollup finishes Hartwell at 9:28.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it didn’t exactly come off as smooth, with some of the spots just not quite clicking. It’s also a bit much to have the qualifying matches be triple threats, as the novelty, or whatever novelty there might be, wearing off quickly. Not the worst match, but it didn’t exactly work.

DIY is ready for their Tag Team Title shot next week. Austin Theory comes in to say he and Grayson Waller will win next week, but Johnny Gargano suggests that Waller is only in this for himself. Waller comes in to jump Gargano but Theory gets him out of there.

Here is the Bloodline for an acknowledgment ceremony. Paul Heyman handles the induction but Solo Sikoa cuts him off and says he’s introducing the newest member of the Bloodline: Jacob Fatu, Sikoa’s personal enforcer. Sikoa has the Tongans and Fatu acknowledge him, which goes rather quickly. That leaves Heyman, who is rather hesitant. He loads up the lei and says he acknowledges….that Sikoa IS NOT his Tribal Chief.

Sikoa Samoan Spikes Heyman and Fatu adds the top headbutt before a TripleBomb (with Fatu as Reigns) puts Heyman through the announcers’ table. Fatu gives Sikoa the lei to end the show. The countdown to Reigns’ return continues and now we pretty firmly know which side Heyman is going to be on. I believe that’s called the battle lines being drawn.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and ending segment were the good parts of the show, with the rest being more things that needed to be covered rather than all that interesting on its own. That is only going to get you so far and while the show wasn’t bad, it was being carried by the Bloodline. Hopefully next week is better, as while this wasn’t terrible, it was beneath what Smackdown, and WWE in general, has been doing lately.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Jade Cargill and Candice LeRae – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to LeRae
LA Knight b. Logan Paul and Santos Escobar – Rollup to Paul
Naomi b. Blair Davenport and Indi Hartwell – Rollup to Hartwell

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.