IMG Credit: WWE

Wrestlemania XXXVI Night Two
Date: April 5, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re back for more of the same and that might not be the worst thing in the world. Last night’s part one wasn’t half bad but they are going to have a hard time surpassing that main event. There are eight more matches, plus the required Kickoff Show match, tonight so hopefully they can have another good one. Let’s get to it.

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

Kickoff Show: Liv Morgan vs. Natalya

Morgan rolls her up for two to start so Natalya does the same for a standoff. Some more rollups get some more near falls until Morgan sends her into the corner. A running hip attack hits Natalya but she’s right back with her basement dropkick for two more. Natalya clotheslines her to the floor, followed by the surfboard back inside. Natalya: “ASK HER!!!!” That’s broken up and Liv’s Codebreaker gets two. The sitout wheelbarrow faceplant gives Natalya the same and they pinfall reversal sequence with Liv getting the pin at 6:33.

Rating: D+. Imagine that: a Natalya match being technically fine but completely emotionless. That’s been the definition of her career for years now and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Liv getting a win is fine but there is no way that she is getting anywhere near the top of the division, leaving this as little more than a way to fill time.

Stephanie McMahon welcomes us to the show in a new message.

Same opening video as last night.

Rob Gronkowski welcomes us to the show and throws us to the first match.

NXT Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending. The feel each other out to start with Charlotte going straight to the leg. That doesn’t work so Rhea gets in her face, earning some chops into the corner. Ripley is right back with Riptide for two and it’s time for a quick breather. They fight to the floor with Charlotte hitting a double chop but Rhea sends her into the steps. Back in and Rhea hits a dropkick before kicking away at the ribs.

A bodyscissors keeps Charlotte down but Rhea misses a running big boot and hurts her leg on the rope. Charlotte works on the leg, shrugs off a shot to the head, and bends the leg around on the mat. Rhea won’t quit so Charlotte works on the leg again. Back up and Rhea nails a basement dropkick, followed by some shouting at her own knee. The leg is fine enough for an electric chair faceplant for two, followed by a missile dropkick for the same, albeit after a delay because of the knee.

Charlotte chop blocks the knee though and Rhea is down again. The Figure Four doesn’t work again and Rhea reverses into the standing Cloverleaf. That’s broken up as well and Charlott knocks her down with another hard shot. The Figure Four is broken up again so Charlotte goes with a Boston crab instead.

Ripley gets out again and hits a quick big boot (thanks to some editing) for the double knockdown. Rhea takes her up top but gets slammed back down, though she’s able to raise her boots to block the moonsault. A horrible looking spear gives Charlotte two but the Figure Four finally goes on. The Figure Eight makes Ripley tap at 20:26.

Rating: C+. CHARLOTTE! WINS!! AGAIN!!! I have no idea why they needed to have her beat Rhea clean in their first match but I’m sure it has something to do with some kind of tribute to Ric Flair, who hasn’t had one in a while. I’m sick of seeing Charlotte with a title and it almost scares me to imagine how many titles she’s going to wind up with in the end.

We recap last night.

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

Lana is here with Lashley. Black gets tossed around to start and Lashley hammers away, only to get low bridged to the floor. A running big boot puts Lashley on the floor but Black misses the moonsault. Lashley snaps off the overhead belly to belly but can’t get a suplex back inside. Instead Black kicks him in the chest, only to walk into a snap powerslam for two. Another suplex gets another two and Lashley loads up the Dominator, but Lana tells him to do the spear. That earns him Black Mass for the sudden pin at 7:14.

Rating: D+. This was a way to get Black on the show, and by that I mean a way for him to get beaten up until Lana and Lana alone cost Lashley the match. I’m glad Black won but if you want him to look good, just have him kick Lashley’s head off and win. It’s not like Lashley has anything going on at the moment, but now I’m sure we can get the big fallout with Lana now, because we need another part to that story.

Bayley complains about the elimination match and knows Sasha Banks won’t turn on her. With Bayley gone, Sasha is asked how much she wants to win the title. You’ll have to watch and see.

Money in the Bank ad.

Gronk would like to win the 24/7 Title.

We recap Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler. Otis was going to go on a Valentine’s Day date with Mandy Rose but Ziggler crashed it when Otis was late. Mandy wanted nothing else to do with Otis after that but it turns out that Sonya Deville stole Mandy’s phone and told Otis she would be late (and deleted the texts) so it would fall apart.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Sonya Deville is here with Ziggler. Otis misses a charge to start and gets superkicked outside in a hurry. That gets one back inside so Ziggler grabs a neckbreaker into the jumping elbow for two. The chinlock goes on but Otis is back up with a catapult. A hard whip sends Ziggler into the corner and a pop up World’s Strongest Slam plants him again. Sonya gets on the apron for a distraction though and Ziggler gets in a low blow. Cue Mandy to take out Sonya and hit Ziggler low, setting up the Caterpillar for the pin at 8:23.

Rating: D+. I was wrong on this one as I didn’t think they would let Otis pin Dolph. I’m rather please by the result and even though it wasn’t much of a match, at least they pulled the trigger on something. You can pencil in the mixed tag coming up and that’s all well and good, though I’m not sure where they can go after that.

Post match Otis picks Mandy up and they get the first kiss.

We recap Edge vs. Randy Orton. Edge came back at the Royal Rumble but Orton attacked him the next night and put him back on the shelf. Orton said Edge was an adrenaline junkie and he attacked him so Edge wouldn’t ruin his life like Orton did. To make it worse, Orton RKOed Edge’s wife (who is a Hall of Famer who wrestled earlier this year so we needed to act like he shot her). Now it’s a Last Man Standing match as this is very personal.

Edge vs. Randy Orton

Last Man Standing. Edge comes out first and glares at the stage for Orton….who is disguised as a cameraman and runs in for an RKO before the bell. The bell rings and it’s another RKO but Edge falls to the floor at nine. They fight back backstage with Orton knocking Edge through some doors. It goes onto the gym with Orton knocking him down again, setting up some choking with a rope on a machine.

Edge gets out and hits a dropkick through some machines before choking away at Orton. Some forearms put Orton in a chair and Edge pulls himself up on a bar for a seated senton of all things. Back up and they slug it out into another room with a red light. Both guys are sent face first into a garage door and it’s back into the arena. Orton shoves him off a platform and into the barricade before they stumble backstage again.

Edge’s head gets bounced off of another wall for a six count and it’s time to go into the office area. This time it’s Orton being sent into a wall but Edge kicks him in the ribs at nine. Orton gets thrown onto the big table so Edge pulls himself up onto part of the ceiling to drop an elbow. The cameraman gets knocked down but another one catches them up in the big storage facility in the back.

Both of them bounce off of various things until Orton knocks him onto a storage crate. Edge gets sent into some steps and Orton starts looking around. That’s good for another nine so they wind up in what looks like the promo area. Edge throws something at Orton’s leg to take him down and some more shots to the face do it again. Orton is placed on a table and drops a huge elbow.

They go to a truck with a cover on the bed and Orton hits the hanging DDT for nine. Edge climbs onto some crates and then on top of an NXT semi truck. Orton and the referee follow them up and it’s a spear to drop Orton. That’s good for nine but another spear is countered into an RKO.

Edge is up at nine as well but Orton has dropped down to the floor next to the biggest ladder I’ve ever seen in WWE (it’s on the floor and is WAY higher than the top of the semi truck). Instead Orton takes some chairs up to the top of the truck to load up the Conchairto. Edge grabs a head and arm choke though and Orton is out. Hold on though as Edge waves off the count so he can hit the Conchairto. Orton is finally done at 36:39.

Rating: B. This one is going to be divisive and I can understand that. If my math is right, this was the longest non-Iron Man match in Wrestlemania history, though it didn’t feel that long. It felt like two guys who wanted to hurt each other and were doing whatever they could to accomplish that. I liked the unique atmosphere and some of the spot, with the Conchairto making for a good finish.

After a quick breather, here’s Mojo Rawley with the Mob chasing him. Gronk shows up and dives off a platform to take out the pile, allowing him to pin Rawley for the title.

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

The Profits are defending. Dawkins shoulders Theory down to start and the champs start working on the arm. That’s fine with Theory, who sends Dawkins to the floor, allowing Theory to mock the dancing. Garza gets in a superkick on the floor, TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, and misses a clothesline so Dawkins can tag Ford in.

A DDT gets two on Ford and Garza hits the moonsault onto both champs on the floor. The Lionsault gets two more on Ford back inside but Ford pops up with an enziguri. Dawkins comes in and runs Garza over, only to get caught in Theory’s TKO. Ford frog splashes his way in for the save though and Dawkins gets the cover to retain at 6:23.

Rating: D+. If ever there was a match to cut for the sake of time. This was a weird one as there was no reason to believe the title change was taking place and then the finish felt like something the heels would do to win. There are no teams to challenge the Profits at the moment and I don’t see Theory and Garza changing that anytime soon.

Post match Garza and Theory stay on Ford but Bianca Belair runs in for the save. That means a KOD on Zelina.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending and this is under elimination rules. Tamina shrugs off the gang attack to start so Lacey chop blocks her down. The other four slug it out with Bayley and Sasha double teaming Lacey. Naomi makes a quick save as a mini tag match breaks out. Tamina comes back in to run everyone over and we actually get a Team Bad reunion. That lasts for all of three seconds as everyone goes after Tamina, including something off the top each. A dog pile pin gets rid of Tamina at 6:23.

Naomi dives onto Sasha but Lacey misses a dive onto Bayley, earning a ram into the steps. A sunset flip gives Naomi two on Bayley and Sasha at the same time, followed by a sliding slip to both. The Rear View hits Sasha and a Bubba Bomb into the reverse Rings of Saturn….is broken up by Bayley. The Bank Statement gets rid of Naomi (Bayley: “DANCE TO THE BACK!”) at 10:36 and we’re down to three.

Bayley shouts about Lacey’s daughter though, allowing Lacey to avoid the running knee. Sasha is knocked silly instead so Lacey small packages Bayley for two. Back in and Sasha yells at Bayley, who shoves Sasha out of the way of the Woman’s Right. Lacey hits the second attempt though and Banks is done at 13:23.

After a replay where you can hear Cole shouting commentary, Bayley mocks Lacey with a salute and shoves her face against the rope. Lacey gets posted for two so Bayley ties her arm to the corner with the tag rope. Since that’s kind of a stupid plan, Lacey kicks her way out and hits the slingshot Bronco Busters in the corner. After a slow motion salute, Lacey’s double jump moonsault gets two. Cue Sasha with a Backstabber to Lacey though and Bayley’s weird bulldog driver retains at 19:15.

Rating: D. Well that was long and served little purpose. Bayley has held the title since last May (save for a four day Charlotte reign) and I’m not sure what else there is for her to do. Unless they do Bayley vs. Becky (unlikely), what is the point in keeping it on her much longer? I’m sure we’ll get to Bayley vs. Banks again eventually, but dang that sounds as appealing as watching this match all over again.

Titus O’Neil takes Gronk’s place as host.

Wrestlemania XXXVII is in Los Angeles.

We recap The Fiend vs. John Cena in the Firefly Fun House. After Cena said that he didn’t want to wrestle at this year’s show, Fiend popped up to challenge him. Cena accepted, and then Bray Wyatt went on to say that he blamed Cena for the rise of the Fiend. See, Cena beat him at Wrestlemania XXX and messed with Bray’s mind, leading to the creation of the Fiend. Therefore, tonight Cena goes to the Fun House.

John Cena vs. The Fiend

Cena makes his entrance but the Firefly Fun House pops up, with Bray saying that Cena is about to face himself. Then Cena is teleported to the Fun House (apparently the same way Seth Rollins got there back in October), where Ramblin Rabbit sends him through a door after the Fiend. Cena follows and finds the Vince puppet, asking if Cena has the ruthless aggression to make it in this company.

We see Wyatt copying the Kurt Angle promo to challenge Cena from 2002 and here’s 2020 Cena in 2002 Cena attire. Cena keeps saying RUTHLESS AGGRESSION but misses a bunch of shots. Bray: “You can look but you can’t touch!” And now it’s the Saturday Night’s Main Event opening, with Bray standing behind a cage and imitating Hulk Hogan. Cena (Johnny Largemeat) comes up and starts rapidly lifting weights, apparently destroying his arms in the process.

Vince and the Mercy the Buzzard are on commentary as Bray asks what happens when Cena realizes that Ego Mania has been running wild on him. Bray sends him off camera to the Smackdown Fist where Cena is the Dr. of Thugnomics, with Bray dancing to Basic Thuganomics. They’re back in the ring and Cena finds out that he can only speak in rhymes, including a Husky Harris reference.

Bray calls Cena a bully and a horrible person who takes the weaknesses of others and turns them into jokes. With that, Bray gives him the floor so Cena throws him Deez Nuts. Cena, in the Babe Ruth jersey from last year, misses a charge and gets knocked out by a chain. Now it’s Bray back in the Wyatt Family gear and sitting in the rocking chair as we see clips of Wrestlemania XXX.

The fans wanted and needed him that night and now it’s time to rewrite his own story. They’re back in the ring now with Bray dancing with the unconscious Cena and loading up Sister Abigail. He lets Cena go though and drops down, handing Cena a chair in a recreation of Wrestlemania XXX. Bray tells Cena to fix his mistake from last year but Bray disappears away from Cena’s swing.

And now it’s…..NWO MONDAY NITRO??? Bray is Eric Bischoff (with the jacket and a Wolfpac shirt) and introduces Cena as Hollywood Hogan. Cena takes Bray down and unloads as we see clips of Cena’s past. He wakes up as himself and sees that he’s beating up Huskus the Pig. The Fiend appears behind him and gives him the Mandible Claw to knock Cena out. We hear Cena’s promo about ending the most overrated overhyped superstar ever and the Claw goes back on with Bray counting the pin. Cena teleports away and the Fiend stands alone.

No rating as this wasn’t a match but I got into this. It’s a rather interesting character study of Cena and you can get what they’re going with in Fiend making him face his fears. Back in the day, CM Punk said that Cena had become the New York Yankees: the big bad who held people down and used money to get what he wants (or going from the Real American Hogan to Hollywood Hogan as they used here).

That’s what Fiend is showing Cena here and it scared Cena that he had changed so much and become what he fought against for so many years. Now granted, if you haven’t been glued to WWE for the last….oh eight years or so, this made no sense, but the effort and thought was ALL there and I got most of what they were going for, plus some of the complete insanity that went along with it. Not a match, but kind of a fascinating weird look into the WWE psyche.

We cut to Titus O’Neil. Titus: “I don’t know what I just saw.”

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre. Lesnar is World Champion but Drew eliminated him from the Royal Rumble and then won the whole thing, earning him this spot. Drew has kicked his head off a few times since then to show he can hang with Brock.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar is defending and gets Claymored for two after about ten seconds. Another Claymore misses and it’s time to go to Suplex City. The F5 gets one and Brock isn’t happy. Another F5 gets two and there’s the third for another two. Another F5 is countered and McIntyre hits two more Claymores. A fourth gives Drew the pin and the title at 4:28.

Rating: D. I’m happy that McIntyre won but GOOD GRIEF STOP DOING THAT SAME MATCH OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER! It’s a cool idea one time and then don’t do it again for years. This is all Lesnar does anymore and now it’s creeping over into other main events too. It loses its impact when they keep doing it again and again and now you’ve grown to expect it every time. Anyway, great moment to end the show and McIntyre as champion is awesome, assuming they don’t have Lesnar win it back in two months again.

Overall Rating: C-. I didn’t like this one as much as last night’s but it still wasn’t terrible. This one definitely felt like the bigger show and had the more intriguing matches (for the most part). I’m not wild on some of the booking decisions but it felt more like a Wrestlemania and that’s what matters. The crowd being gone didn’t bother me as much either, but the wrestling itself just wasn’t as good. Overall, not bad but last night’s felt tighter and more enjoyable.

Overall Overall Rating: C. With something like this, it’s almost impossible to give the thing a fair rating. When you factor in the day in between and the weird atmosphere, the show was pretty much just ok. There were some very good matches but some that made me wonder why I was wasting my time. Overall it’s an enjoyable one off, but I’m still not behind the idea of a two night Wrestlemania going forward. Until WWE can cut these things WAY down and trim off so much of the unnecessary stuff, it needs to be one night and one night only, just for the sake of sanity if nothing else.

Results

Charlotte b. Rhea Ripley – Figure Eight

Aleister Black b. Bobby Lashley – Black Mass

Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Caterpillar

Edge b. Randy Orton when Orton couldn’t answer the ten count

Street Profits b. Angel Garza/Austin Theory – Frog splash to Theory

Bayley b. Sasha Banks, Naomi, Tamina and Lacey Evans – Bulldog driver to Evans

Drew McIntyre b. Brock Lesnar – Claymore

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

No, it won’t be Tamina.

This is another instance where the champ has cleaned out the division but in this case I could buy most of the challengers taking the title. WWE would be crazy to not try and push Evans at some point, Naomi has been pushed before, Banks and Bayley are joined at the hip forever and then there’s that other person in the match who seems to have video of Vince tickling a judge with a rubber duck. I’m not sure where this goes and that’s a nice feeling.

For some reason I want to say Evans wins here, but this seems like a setup for another Bayley vs. Banks feud so I’ll take Bayley retaining. Maybe she stabs Banks in the back to win it or maybe it’s the opposite, but for the sake of this I’ll say Bayley keeps the belt. It won’t be for much longer though as she needs something else to do, but she has gotten something out of this reign and that’s a good thing.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Michael Cole

While it might not feel like it, this is the go home show for Wrestlemania. The show is again taped, and maybe now that we are only twenty two hours away from the start of the show, we can get some kind of information about the changed World Title match. I mean it’s not like it’s that important or anything. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

There are ladders around the arena and it’s time for MizTV, but here are the Usos instead. They aren’t waiting to be invited out here because it’s time for them to win the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. Cue the New Day to say not so fast because it’s time for them to enter the annals (Big E: “Hehe annals.”) of history by winning the titles again. The fight is about to start but here are Miz and Morrison to interrupt.

Miz talks about how New Day and the Usos will destroy each other, allowing he and Morrison to retain. They climb the ladders and say BE JEALOUS but New Day and the Usos run up the ramp so the brawl can be on in a hurry. The ladders are knocked over and, just as Miz said, New Day and the Usos beat each other up, allowing the champs to pose.

Naomi vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina

Sasha Banks and Bayley are on commentary. Tamina cleans house to start and we take a very early break. Back with Tamina getting one on Naomi but Lacey comes back in to take over. The slingshot Bronco Buster connects as Sasha and Bayley no sell questions about turning on each other at Wrestlemania. Sasha gets up and sends Lacey into the steps, leaving Naomi to sunset flip Tamina for two. A Samoan drop gives Tamina two so Bayley offers a quick distraction, allowing Tamina to superkick Naomi for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: D+. This was your “hey Tamina really could win” match, followed by everyone collectively laughing. She’s in the match to get it up to a higher number, though I’m still not entirely sure why she’s on the roster. Nothing to see here of course, but at least they got the Tamina stuff out of their system tonight.

Post match Bayley tries to make amends with Tamina and gets superkicked. Sasha tries the same and gets Samoan dropped.

Tucker is warming up when the circle of lights pops up. This time the words “THE TRUTH WILL BE TOLD” flashes up on screen.

From Wrestlemania XXIV:

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Flair has the blue robe one more time and while I’m still a fan of the black and white one, I can’t help but smile at seeing the classic look again. Shawn shoulders him down to start and it’s clear that they’re going to have all the time they want here. They trade some hammerlocks with Shawn getting the better of it on the mat. That’s broken up as well and we get the first WOO.

The chops in the corner let Flair yell about Old Yeller but Shawn slaps him in the face and asks if that’s all he has. An exchange of chops in the corner goes to Flair (as it should) but Shawn elbows him in the jaw and goes up. This time Flair slams him off the top and goes up…..for a crossbody into a near fall! You would think that would get more of a reaction but he has to fail at an early Figure Four attempt.

Shawn kicks him to the floor and tries an Asai moonsault, which only hits the announcers’ table, with his ribs landing on the edge which doesn’t break (I’ve seen that many times and it draws a very real cringe). That’s only good for a nine count and Shawn can barely move because of the ribs. A belly to back suplex gives Flair two and he manages a delayed vertical for the same. Note: Charles Robinson (Little Naitch) is referee here and for some reason he’s in a Smackdown shirt. Yeah he’s a Smackdown referee, but you can’t just throw him in a Raw shirt for the occasion?

Flair’s neckbreaker gets two more but Shawn sends him outside. That means a moonsault to the floor which takes Flair out and bangs up the ribs even more. They chop it out back inside and it’s Shawn’s forearm into the nipup as the pace picks up a bit. A slam drops Flair and Shawn’s top rope elbow connects, meaning it’s time to Tune of the Band. Shawn can’t bring himself to do it though and Flair grabs the legs and slaps on the Figure Four in the middle of the ring.

The hold is turned over and they load up the bridge into the backslide….but Flair just can’t do it anymore so they go into a rollup instead. It’s time for the chop block and NOW the Figure Four is on for real. Shawn crawls to the rope so Flair stomps away some more until the referee drags him away. That’s enough of a delay for Shawn to hit Sweet Chin Music for a very close two and the fans go nuts on the kickout.

Shawn loads it up again but stops to tell Flair to get up. That means a low blow (again, you knew he was getting that in somehow) for two more and the fans really bought the near fall. To mix things up a bit, Shawn sweeps the legs and tries a reverse Figure Four (thank goodness it wasn’t a Sharpshooter) to send Flair bailing to the ropes this time.

A rollup with tights gets two and they chop it out from their knees. The chops bring them to their feet and Shawn hits another superkick to put Flair down. There’s no cover though as Shawn goes into the corner and Flair slowly gets up. Shawn says the now legendary I’m Sorry, I Love You and superkicks Flair one more time, this time for the pin at 20:34.

Rating: B+. I don’t remember truly liking this one before and that’s because there are different ways to look at it. It’s hard not to look at a match like this through the emotional lens but if you take that away (which you kind of have to given that Flair wound up wrestling again), it’s actually a heck of a match with all of the old Flair tropes thrown in. Those worked for so long because it’s a great formula that can work against anyone. When you add in Shawn’s second to none abilities, there was no way this wouldn’t be outstanding.

The problem though is that Flair just can’t do a lot of this stuff anymore. He’s trying as hard as he can and what he could still do was good, but seeing him not be able to bridge up anymore was rather sad because it’s something he’s done for so many years before. I don’t remember liking this match that much but it really is a strong one, even ignoring all the other things added to it.

Post match Shawn leaves the ring and a crying Flair gets to his feet for one of the best standing ovations you’ll ever see. This is more than deserved and while he should have retired a long time ago (you could argue all the way back in the 90s), he was far from embarrassing himself and someone as influential, successful and downright talented as he was should absolutely get this kind of a sendoff. And for those who are wondering why, this was originally going to close the show but Flair refused and insisted it go in the middle.

We look back at Elias being attacked last week.

Goldberg is now defending against Braun Strowman. No reason is given and the match is just changed.

Otis tells Tucker to leave him a little piece of Dolph Ziggler. Tucker says he ran into Mandy Rose earlier and she asked about him. Otis gets a text and is rather happy before running off.

Tucker vs. Dolph Ziggler

No Otis this time. Tucker runs him over to start and the fight is on in a hurry, including some kicks to Ziggler’s ribs. A quick shot puts Tucker down for the jumping elbow but he’s right back up with a big boot. Ziggler’s DDT out of the corner puts them both down and we take a break. Back with Tucker slugging away and knocking Ziggler outside. That means a ram into the barricade and a side slam gets two back inside. They head outside again and this time it’s a Zig Zag onto the steps for the DQ at 9:17.

Rating: D+. This is the latest part of your soap opera story around here and that’s not the best thing in the world. Otis vs. Ziggler could be entertaining but at the same time, it’s not the kind of match that I need to see at WrestleMania. Ziggler probably could have won here and then taken Tucker out but it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Ziggler loads up the steps but Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville appear to break it up with Otis making the real save. The Truth Will Be Heard appears again and this time we go to a control room. Someone whose face we can’t see says he told us the truth will be heard. He plays a video from Valentine’s Day showing Mandy talking to Sonya.

After Mandy leaves to do something, Sonya picks up Mandy’s phone and sends Otis a text, saying she’ll be late. We see Otis saying that sounds great and Sonya deletes both messages. Sonya then talks to Ziggler, saying both of them will get what they want. Back in the arena, Mandy walks away from Sonya. Otis chases Dolph out as well. Eh GTV could be fun back in the day so this should work.

Post break, Mandy won’t talk to Sonya.

Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Cesaro and Drew Gulak are at ringside while Sami Zayn is on commentary. They fight over arm control to start until Bryan dropkicks him to the floor the running baseball slide sets up Bryan’s running knee from the apron and Nakamura is down. Back in and Bryan hits a running dropkick in the corner, only to get knocked off the middle rope. Nakamura’s middle rope knee to the chest gets two and the sliding German suplex in the corner takes us to a break.

Back with Bryan still in trouble as Nakamura kicks away at the chest. Bryan kicks away and goes for the arm, followed by even more kicks to stagger Nakamura again. The YES Lock is countered and Nakamura pulls him into a blocked cross armbreaker. That’s reverses into another armbreaker from Bryan (Sami: “HOW DID HE DO THAT???”) which is switched into the LeBell Lock. Cesaro runs in for the DQ at 11:39.

Rating: C+. This was the first match all night that felt like something worth watching. Bryan and Nakamura are a great pairing and can have a solid match against each other, which is what we got here. They had some time and while Bryan getting the tap out would have been a bit better, this was the best match of the night by a mile.

Video on the Fiend vs. John Cena.

Here’s Cena for the big closing segment. Cena thanks the fans for getting us here and now we are less than one day until Wrestlemania. The thing is, no one knows what is going to happen, including Bray Wyatt himself. See, no one, including Bray, will tell him what a Firefly Fun House match is. Fear can lead to panic and panic can lead to collapse. The Fiend feeds on fear and panic and here we are. Cena will not be afraid and the poor man’s Mr. Rogers isn’t scaring him.

Goldberg has shown how to beat the Fiend and now the Fiend has made this happen. Cena promises a beating but here are the Firefly Fun House characters, saying that after Fiend is done with Cena, he’ll play with them forever. They say forever over and over again until Ramblin Rabbit says he’s here. The lights go out and the Fiend appears in the crow’s nest. Bray himself pops up behind Cena to say let him in. The lights go out again and Cena is alone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t add much to Wrestlemania but then again it’s not like this is the kind of show that really needs to. Not this year at least, as nothing else makes sense this time around. The announcement of Strowman replacing Reigns was laughably bad as there was no build or explanation, but other than that we had some perfectly fine building for the matches. I don’t really want to see anything more than I did coming in though and the wrestling was mostly weak, but it could have been a lot worse.

Results

Tamina b. Lacey Evans and Naomi – Superkick to Naomi

Tucker b. Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Ziggler slammed Tucker into the steps

Daniel Bryan b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Cesaro interfered

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: March 27, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Michael Cole

We’re back to the old days here with a taped show on the way to whatever is left to populate Wrestlemania. News has broken about a lot of people being replaced and it should be interesting to see if we actually hear about most of those names this week. It’s completely in another world at this point so you never can tell what we could get. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Sasha Banks and Bayley to get things going. They talk about how big Wrestlemania is going to be but for the two of them, it is going to be a nightmare. That’s all Paige’s fault because the five on one idea isn’t fair. Not that it matters though as they’re best friends and nothing will split them up. Sasha doesn’t seem to agree but here’s Lacey Evans to interrupt. Sasha tells her to go talk to her bratty little kid because maybe she’ll listen. Lacey laughs them off and promises to beat them both up at Wrestlemania.

Cue Naomi to say she should be champion because Bayley cheated at Super ShowDown. As for Sasha, Naomi is snatching the blue wig off but Bayley doesn’t want all the interruptions….and here’s Tamina to interrupt. She says actions speak louder than words and takes out Lacey and Naomi, allowing Bayley and Sasha to stomp on Lacey in the corner. The two of them then run from Tamina to end one of the worst segments in a long time. None of these people can talk to save their lives and now they’re running from Tamina.

Drew Gulak vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

If Gulak wins, Daniel Bryan gets an Intercontinental Title shot against Sami Zayn, sitting in on commentary here, at Wrestlemania. Some knees in the corner have Gulak in trouble but he sends Nakamura outside, meaning we need a breather. Gulak follows so Nakamura can kick him in the chest, only to have Gulak spin the leg around on the way back inside. The knee is fine enough to come off the middle rope and hit Gulak in the face for two. Kinshasa is loaded up but Bryan pulls Gulak out of the way, allowing Gulak to grab a jackknife cover for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: C. It was nice while it lasted and Sami getting caught in the title match with a dose of his own medicine is a nice move. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but Gulak getting to pin Nakamura is a nice boost for him. I still have no confidence in him to survive without Bryan’s rub, but at least they’re doing something for the time being.

We look back at Dolph Ziggler tormenting Otis last week.

Ziggler is in the back when Otis charges in. Ziggler agrees to face him at Wrestlemania with Mandy Rose in Dolph’s corner.

Here’s Elias for a song about King Corbin, which happens to include a bunch of HILARIOUS visuals involving Corbin, toilet paper, and a special throne. Corbin shows up and knocks Elias off the balcony, down onto pure concrete. Medics come out to check on Elias, who should probably have a broken back at least.

Post break, Elias has been taken to a medical facility.

Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka

Nikki Cross is on commentary. Bliss ducks a clothesline to start and hits a dropkick, only to get knocked down so Asuka can dance. A right hand knocks Asuka off the ropes and Bliss no sells the Japanese ranting. Cross mocks Asuka’s dancing on the announcers’ table but Asuka sends Bliss into the steps.

Back from a break with Asuka striking away and Nikki slapping the announcers’ table so hard that she loses her headset. They fight to the apron with Bliss twisting Asuka’s arm down onto the apron and kicking her in the ribs back inside. It’s back tot he floor with Bliss driving her into the apron, only to get caught in the Asuka Lock. That’s broken up as well and the DDT finishes Asuka at 9:54.

Rating: C-. I’m trying to get my head around the idea of Bliss beating Asuka and it isn’t working. It makes sense in the story, but that’s Asuka losing out there. It’s not completely absurd but egads that’s kind of a hard one to swallow. Kind of like the idea of having the two teams fight for the Women’s Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania, mainly because the titles still exist.

From Wrestlemania XXXII:

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. HHH

HHH is defending and here’s Stephanie in what I think is a Mad Max look. It’s a closeup of her face in front of a barren wasteland as she talks about how this is their world and we’re all just living in it. Basically all hope is lost and we need to give up on this ridiculous belief that anyone can save us from the Authority.

Then an army of people in skull masks (NXT wrestlers with Enzo Amore at the front) carrying WWE Titles comes to the ring to set up HHH’s entrance where Stephanie gets to show off her legs. Again, just like the last two years, the big face gets to follow this rather cool (and over the top) HHH entrance. But hey, at least we get the annual HHH is Cool moment right?

As ridiculous (and as much as they’re begging the fans to boo them instead of Reigns) as this is, it’s NOTHING compared to the outright hatred that Reigns receives. The man is booed out of Texas and allegedly the audio had to be turned down in response. If that’s true…..I really wouldn’t be surprised.

Since these two can’t stand each other, they go to a headlock and armbar to start. The fans unload on Reigns when he shoulders HHH, only to get hiptossed to the floor. Back in and HHH works on the arm some more until Reigns shoves him into the corner for more incredible booing. A lockup goes nowhere as this is already starting to look like one of HHH’s disastrous main events.

Some hard forearms to the back of Reigns’ head put him down. The comeback is so soundly booed that it’s almost comical. A Stunner over the top rope sets up the apron dropkick for one on the champ. Stephanie offers a quick distraction so HHH can get in a low blow (FACE POP) and Reigns goes down again. HHH goes with some hard right hands to the face and the spinebuster gets two.

They head outside with HHH sending him face first into the announcers’ table (which he did a few weeks back to break Reigns’ nose). Another comeback is cut off and Reigns is thrown into the German announcers. Back in and Reigns uppercuts him out of the air and hammers away, only to have HHH bail from the Superman Punch. They trade whips into the steps until Reigns spears him through the barricade for almost no reaction. This is basically the same problem as HHH vs. Jericho in 2002: there’s no reason to believe the champ has a chance so there’s no reason to care until Reigns hits a spear in the ring.

Back in again and Reigns is holding his arm but HE’LL CONTINUE! And without a thirty minute nap like at the Rumble! Oh he’s got his working boots on tonight. HHH puts on a Fujiwara armbar of all things because the main event of Wrestlemania with a match that’s supposed to be based on hatred is built around a bad arm. See, when Daniel Bryan did that, it was entertaining. When Reigns is doing it, the fans are cheering the evil villain.

Reigns powers out of something like the Rings of Saturn but can’t knock the confetti off of HHH’s head. It’s back to the armbar until Reigns FINALLY gets the break with a powerbomb. That goes nowhere so WE HIT ANOTHER ARMBAR BECAUSE THIS MATCH NEEDS TO BE ALL LONG AND EPIC AND STUFF! Another powerbomb breaks the hold again but the spear is countered into a Pedigree which is countered into a backdrop to the floor.

The fans start singing to placate their boredom until the spear gets….no count because Stephanie pulls the referee out. Now Stephanie gets in to yell at the referee, earning herself a spear and turning Reigns into the biggest star in the world (for about thirty seconds). If my memory serves me right, she hasn’t taken a bump in nearly a year since then, or really had anything bad happen to her that lasted more than a day or two.

The Pedigree gives us the first hot near fall of the match and it’s the Superman Punch to drop HHH. The second spear is broken up with a knee and Stephanie hands HHH the sledgehammer (She took a spear less than four minutes ago so OF COURSE she’s capable of doing that. This woman is scary.). Not that it matters as another Superman Punch and the spear give Reigns the title back at 27:04.

Rating: D. And a lot of that is just for having the guts to go out there and do a match this boring in this spot on this show. This match was twelve minutes of HHH working on the arm and then getting into the main event style that went exactly where we knew it was going. The lack of drama or really anything interesting (save for that Stephanie spear) killed this and there was no recovering given how long the thing ran.

This needed to be about fifteen minutes shorter and we would have had the same result: Reigns winning and getting booed out of the building because people just don’t want to see him in this spot. There was a total lack of hatred and violence here and it really dragged things down, which is far too often the case for any given HHH match. It’s one of the worst Wrestlemania main events ever and there’s really no way around that.

HHH talks about what it’s like to face Goldberg and Roman Reigns. They’re both intense and if Reigns can survive the initial onslaught, he’ll be able to win.

New Day is ready to put the Usos over their knees and give them a beating like their daddies so they can go to Wrestlemania.

Ziggler is in the back with Sonya Deville and says everything is coming together. Mandy comes in to ask if Ziggler has to do this to Otis. She supports Ziggler having the match but she isn’t the prize a prize for them to fight over. Ziggler says it’s ok and they leave.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House but the lantern seems to get in Bray’s head. Bray says that it already failed against John Cena but He won’t. See, Bray has a way to win so let’s go to the blender. Take some self loathing, rage, disappointment, hot sauce (for flavor) and a carrot (so he can see John Cena)…..plus Ramblin Rabbit (for some completely unnecessary opinions) and throw them all in a blender and mix them together. Bray says He wants Cena to join Cena in the world of insanity in a Firefly Fun House match at Wrestlemania. No word on that means, but Bray wants to be let in.

Next week: Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns face to face.

New Day vs. Usos

Miz and Morrison are on commentary and defend their use of turtlenecks. Jimmy and Kofi start fast with Kofi flipping out of a suplex and sticking the landing on a monkey flip. The dropkick is countered though and a dropkick puts the Usos on the floor. Back in and Big E. throws Jey around before easily blocking an Irish whip. It’s back to Kofi, who gets caught in a hot shot but Big E. comes back in almost immediately. That means suplexes to the Usos and the apron splash sends us to a break.

Back with Big E. getting caught in a double spinebuster but powering over to Kofi without too much trouble. The Boom Drop into a hurricanrana out of the corner have Jey in trouble but Jimmy comes in and grabs a half crab. Miz and Morrison: “FIGHT FOREVER!” That’s broken up as well and it’s off to Big E., who gets dropped in a hurry (Miz and Morrison find this awesome).

Kofi saves Big E. from a dive and sends the Usos over the top for the big dive. Miz and Morrison get on the announcers’ table to do their own chant so Kofi goes after them, only to have Jimmy hit a dive. Big E. spears Jey off the apron to put everyone down on the floor so Miz and Morrison jump Big E. for the DQ (or no contest as WWE doesn’t seem to know the difference anymore) at 13:14.

Rating: B-. These teams could have a decent match in their sleep and they came close to it here. The ending couldn’t have been more obvious if they held up a big sign saying what it was but at least they had a nice match going into it. They don’t need it to be a ladder match, but I guess it can add a little something to the show.

Post match the beatdown is on but Cole makes the announcement: a triple threat ladder match at Wrestlemania. Miz and Morrison get beaten up to end the show.

There was no mention made of any matches being changed.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a bigger miss for me as it was a lifeless show. They added three matches to Wrestlemania as it’s turning into another bloated mess that is likely going to leave fans wanting things to end rather than actually being an interesting event. I’m not sure what can be done to make it better at this point, but not adding everything imaginable to it would help.

Results

Drew Gulak b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Jackknife cover

Alexa Bliss b. Asuka – DDT

New Day b. Usos via DQ when Miz and Morrison interfered

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: March 13, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, HHH

Welcome to what might be the norm for a long time to come as we’re at the Performance Center with no fans in attendance. That’s going to be interesting as we’re building towards Wrestlemania at the same time, even though there’s a very good chance the show won’t be happening. Let’s get to it.

HHH welcomes us to the show and explains that we’re in the Performance Center. The wrestlers trained here and tonight they’re here to perform.

Opening sequence.

Here are Sasha Banks and Bayley to open things up and they tell Cole and HHH (the first of several guest commentators tonight) to quiet down and cut the music. They want to know where Paige is but Cole says she has had travel issues. HHH: “I don’t know about you guys but I’m sick of his excuses.” Cue Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross to challenge them to a match, as it might get the Kabuki Warriors’ attention. Bayley says get a referee out here.

Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Cross kicks Bayley in the corner to start and it’s off to Bliss for the knees to the ribs. Everything breaks down in a hurry with Banks having to pull Bayley away from Twisted Bliss. A baseball slide sends Bayley into the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Bliss in trouble as Cole explains what a promo class is. Bliss gets two off a rollup but gets suplexed into a chinlock.

As HHH asks the producer to feed him pop culture references so he can be like Mauro Ranallo, Bliss powers up but gets clotheslined right back down. Bayley gets knocked off the apron and the missed knees in the corner allow the hot tag to Cross. House is cleaned, with HHH calling it “Vintage Cross, eh Cole?”. Everything breaks down again and here’s Asuka to send Bliss into the steps. The distraction lets Banks hit the Backstabber into the Bank Statement for the win at 10:59.

Rating: C-. Aside from getting used to how completely bizarre this whole setup is, the match was the usual not great match between these teams, but that almost goes without saying. It feels like a match I’ve seen half a dozen times now in one form or another and that doesn’t exactly get me interested in seeing it again.

Asuka dances on the ramp in celebration.

Here’s Roman Reigns for a sitdown interview. Reigns says it’s weird to not have people here when wrestling is built on a reaction. We quickly move to the Goldberg match, with Reigns asking if he can main event a small town in front of 5000 people, why shouldn’t he be in the biggest match of the year? Goldberg has said that he is going to bulldoze Reigns, but since Goldberg went to Georgia, he might not be smart enough to operate a bulldozer (HA!). Reigns calls Goldberg a part timer while Reigns has been bred to do this his entire life. At Wrestlemania, Reigns is setting this place right.

Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura interrupt an interview to say it’s time to celebrate.

The real interview is with Jeff Hardy but King Corbin interrupts to ask what Hardy has in store for tonight. Maybe he can walk a straight line, recite the alphabet backwards or reach out his finger and touch his nose. As it turns out, they’re fighting tonight, which Corbin somehow didn’t know. Hardy leaves so here’s Elias with a song, but Corbin walks off.

We look at Daniel Bryan beating Drew Gulak at Elimination Chamber.

Bryan comes up to Gulak in the back and says his neck is still sore from Elimination Chamber. If Gulak is still willing to teach about Bryan’s weaknesses, he’s willing to learn. Zayn and company come up to laugh a lot and it’s Bryan vs. Cesaro tonight.

From Elimination Chamber (only clips are shown but here’s the full version).

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day vs. Lucha House Party vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler vs. Heavy Machinery vs. John Morrison/The Miz

Miz and Morrison are defending and it’s Gran Metalik/Lince Dorado for the House Party. New Day (with white paint by numbers gear) is in at #1 and the Usos are in at #2. Some quick trash talk sets up the fight with Kofi dropkicking Jimmy, only to get punched down by Jey. Kofi slips off a springboard and falls onto Jey for two but goes up again anyway. This time Big E. has to break up a double superplex and it’s a standoff until Lucha House Party in at #3 (after about three and a half minutes instead of the announced five).

The Luchas pick up the pace, including the Golden Rewind and the missile dropkick into three straight moonsaults for two on Jimmy. Big E. throws Dorado and Metalik over the top for back to back crashes, followed by launching Kofi onto both of them. Back in and Kofi jumps over Big E. but misses a double elbow, leaving Big E. to go outside. Dorado tries a springboard onto the Chamber wall but slips, with his foot going through the chain.

Thankfully he doesn’t break his leg and is fine enough to climb on top of a pod. Kofi follows him for the slugout with Metalik joining him to knock Kofi down. The Luchas hit big flip dives and Miz and Morrison are in at #4 (as the time continues to be WAY off). Dorado gets double spinebustered down and Morrison’s standing shooting star press gets two, with Metalik making the save. Miz and Morrison tie Metalik in the Tree of Woe and kick away, followed by a double DDT for two on Jimmy.

Jey gets caught in a neckbreaker/springboard double stomp combination for two more, followed by a spinning Razor’s Edge slam for the same on Dorado. Metalik goes on top of a pod and snaps off a great looking hurricanrana to Morrison for another near fall. Kofi is back in with the Boom Drop to Miz but Trouble in Paradise misses. That means the spinebuster/Flying Chuck combination for two more but Big E. is back up for a powerbomb/top rope knee to the chest combination for two on Miz.

Heavy Machinery is in at #5 and starts wrecking things before stopping cold in a weird moment (someone might have missed a cue). Big E. gets crushed by Tucker and Otis and the Caterpillar gets two….as Dorado is hanging from the top of the Chamber. He pulls himself up for a shooting star onto everyone but Heavy Machinery for the spot of the night. The Compactor finishes Metalik at 17:14 and it’s Ziggler and Roode in at #6 to complete the field.

Miz and Morrison help them beat down Heavy Machinery and the fans start cheering for Otis again. Tucker fights back so Otis goes after Dolph, sending him up to the top of a pod. That means Tucker follows him up and throws him onto Otis, who drops him throat first onto the top rope. Tucker flip dives onto New Day and the Usos, leaving Roode and Ziggler to jump Otis.

The Glorious DDT on the outside is broken up but Otis misses a charge into the pod…and crashes all the way out to the floor. The arena goes QUIET as Tucker checks on Otis before turning back to Roode and Ziggler. That just earns him a superkick into the Glorious DDT to get rid of Heavy Machinery at 23:43. Roode and Ziggler mock Otis as he is carried out but it’s Trouble in Paradise and the Big Ending to set up Superfly Splashes off the pods to get rid of Roode and Ziggler at 25:12.

The fans are glad to see them leave and it’s down to New Day, the Usos and Miz/Morrison. The champs get stared down by all four of them and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Miz and Morrison are sent over the top and it’s a superkick to Big E., followed by a pop up Samoan drop for two on Kofi. Big E. comes back to clean house so Kofi can go on top of the pod, only to miss a high crossbody. Miz and Morrison come back in to steal the pin at 29:04, leaving us with the Usos vs. the champs. Double superkicks give the Usos two but only one Superfly Splash connects, with the other hitting knees.

That means a double near fall as they thankfully didn’t manage to screw up the Elimination Chamber as well. Miz sends the Usos into each other and hits the Skull Crushing Finale for two on Jimmy. The Figure Four goes on and Morrison takes care of Jey, setting up Starship Pain at the same time. Jey breaks up the cover with a rollup for his own two but it’s a Miz rolling Jey up with feet on the ropes and Morrison grabbing the legs (totally legal) to retain at 32:53.

Rating: B. This was a weird match as the fans were into the big spots (which were awesome) and they REALLY cared about Otis vs. Dolph but the crowd just gave up after that part of the match was over. It’s a strange situation to have the titles mean almost nothing by comparison to the story but I get why they booked it the way they do. Now they have two stories in this division, though the fans don’t care whatsoever about one of them. It was a good match, but the build was so lame that it isn’t likely to leave much of an impact. Heavy Machinery vs. Roode/Ziggler at Wrestlemania should be awesome though, if it’s done right.

Here are Miz and John Morrison in the ring to brag about their title win. They ask if anyone thinks they aren’t the greatest team ever, but they get into a bit of a disagreement about whose movie was better. No one comes out to interrupt so they hit their singing chant.

Since we’re shorthanded, HHH is running the camera.

We look at the announcement on Backstage of Rob Gronkowski possibly signing with WWE.

Mojo Rawley joins us and confirms that Gronkowski will be signing, but hasn’t officially done so. Either way, Gronkowski will be in the building next week. Mojo demands that people get hyped.

Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro

Sami is on commentary and Nakamura is at ringside. Bryan starts kicking away in the corner but Cesaro uppercuts away to get himself out of trouble. We take an early break and come back with Bryan fighting out of a chinlock but getting thrown down for his efforts. Bryan fights back with the moonsault out of the corner into the running clothesline. The Crossface goes on but Bryan reverses into a rollup for the pin at 6:29. Not enough shown to rate but it felt like a tease for something else later.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Gulak not being able to make a save. The numbers game leaves Gulak laying but Bryan makes the real save with a suicide dive to send the villains running.

HHH helps Cole by coloring in his facial hair.

King Corbin vs. Jeff Hardy

Elias is on commentary. Corbin jumps Hardy during the entrances and takes it outside before the bell rings. We officially get going with Jeff fighting back and hitting the basement dropkick into the twisting Stunner but Corbin shoves him away, likely due to Hardy shouting TWISTO. HHH: “Corbin must have hit him pretty hard because he was trying to fire this crowd up.” Elias gets up with his guitar, allowing Hardy to hit the Twist of Fury (Twist of Fate into a swinging neckbreaker. HHH: “Whatamaneuver!”) into the Swanton for the pin at 2:21.

HHH talks about how WWE has earned the right to say THEN NOW AND FOREVER. Ok then.

Here’s John Cena for the big interview with Cole. Cena says he can’t wait to get back to the fans before moving on to Bray Wyatt. Cole brings up the Wrestlemania XXX match and Bray saying that it led to his downward spiral and the birth of the Fiend. Cena is used to being blamed for things and it has been a long list of people with potential. That’s a dangerous thing because it can get you a long way but it can also make you believe your own hype.

Six years ago, Wyatt lost and got lazy but blamed Cena instead. Cena never gives up and some people say it’s because he wins a lot. That’s true, but what about all of his big losses to Miz, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, The Rock, Brock Lesnar and others? It’s because Cena always keeps going and rising up again without blaming everyone else. So how does he respond to Wyatt? Give him a chance and he’ll give the Fiend an Attitude Adjustment.

After we look back to two weeks ago with the start of Cena’s promo about not wrestling at Wrestlemania, Cena says that he’s facing Bray because he wants to invest in the future. People like Drew McIntyre, Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle and Velveteen Dream deserve the chance instead of giving Bray his fifth or sixth chance. Wyatt pops up in an empty seat and says Cena can say this while having everything. A lot of people want to imagine what it’s like to be Cena for one day.

In reality, Cena is the sick one because no one believes that it’s about the future. Cena will smash and bury everyone as long as he gets the spotlight. He craves it like an addict and even fiends for it. Six years ago, Cena took something from Bray and he’s thought about it a lot since. He wanted to crush his brain for five seconds of peace from the voices but then he started listening. Those voices became a fun house and he was put back together as the Fiend. At Wrestlemania, it’s going to be a slaughter. Let him in.

This was very good stuff as the silence made Bray’s words a bit creepier. I love that they’ve taken something that seems so disconnected and turned it into a big story for Wrestlemania. I’m not sure if the Cena match was always the catalyst for the Fiend stuff or if they made this up at the last minute, but it ties in logically and that’s all you can ask for in a story.

Overall Rating: C-. That ending promo saved this, but it’s really hard to treat this like a regular show. They had a VERY limited crew tonight (Raw is going to be fascinating, likely in all the wrong ways) and made the most of it. Throwing in the Chamber match was fine, though I wouldn’t have minded them trimming a bit more to give Bryan vs. Cesaro extra time. It’s not a traditional show but with almost nothing else on in the sports world, having something is better than nothing.

Results

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Nikki Cross/Alexa Bliss – Bank Statement to Cross

Jeff Hardy b. King Corbin – Swanton

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: March 6, 2020
Location: Keybank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for the Elimination Chamber and we have the two Chamber matches set up. One of them will be a tag team edition, so this week we get to see the six teams fight in another form of an elimination match. This time it’s a gauntlet match with the winners getting to enter the Chamber last. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of John Cena’s return last week, with the Fiend appearing to set up their Wrestlemania match.

Opening sequence.

Here are Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in the ring to talk about the Hall of Fame. We hear about this year’s class and, after calling out the Kabuki Warriors for a Women’s Tag Team Title match, bring out the NWO (Sean Waltman, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall this time) for a chat. Nikki says that she’s been a big NWO fan for life and takes a picture with the three of them. Bliss what they should call Waltman, who says “Hall of Famer”.

We get around to Nash ending Goldberg’s winning streak and Nash talks about talking to Roman Reigns. Nash told Roman that he needs Scott Hall and a cattle prod to defeat Goldberg. Hall: “That was a shocking finish.” Cue Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura in an interruption I didn’t expect. Sami says 1997 was a great time but it’s time for the future. We get some praise for Hall and Nash as former Intercontinental Champions. Sami: “And Sean Waltman….you know exactly how much the Intercontinental Title weighs because you carried their bags for years.”

Waltman is ready to fight but Nash says Sami looks like Seth Rogen after two weeks of stomach flu. The fight is teased and the fans are WAY into this. Sami backs off though, saying their objective is to destroy Braun Strowman at Elimination Chamber. Cue Strowman so Cesaro goes after him, only to be thrown into the set. Nakamura gets dropped as well and it’s Sami being caught between Strowman and the NWO. Sami hides behind Alexa (oh yeah the women are here) and bails so Strowman throws a chair and promises violence on Sunday. It’ll even be too sweet.

The NWO looked like stars, the women were there because someone had to set this up and the modern guys looked like they were trying to be on the legends’ level. They were trying, but it wasn’t clicking in the way they were shooting for. Usually I don’t find that to be the case but it certainly felt like it here.

Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Naomi/Lacey Evans

Rematch from last week. Bayley and Sasha take Lacey into the corner to start and the stomping is on in a hurry. Naomi gets pulled off the apron and send into the barricade as we take a break just over a minute in. Back with Bayley working on Evans’ leg and the feed being interrupted for the circle of lights that has been popping up in recent weeks.

Evans gets over for the tag to Naomi as house is cleaned in a hurry. Back in and Naomi kicks Banks in the head, followed by a bulldog into the middle buckle. Bayley has to break up a sunset flip at two but the split legged moonsault is broken up. Banks gives Naomi two knees in the corner for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: D+. They almost have to be setting up Banks vs. Bayley for the title at Wrestlemania, as it’s not like there’s anything else going on. Either that or some big multi-woman match that they certainly seem to love doing. The match wasn’t anything to see, but maybe that’s because they did it last week.

New Day talks about trying to recreate Kofimania, but this isn’t Polk High and Kofi isn’t Al Bundy. They can go all night long like a moose in mating season, with Big E. hitting on Kayla Braxton before breaking into New Day Rocks.

Bayley and Banks are so awesome and can’t believe the Bellas are getting into the Hall of Fame before them. No one can touch them from the past, present and future and Bayley might even skip Wrestlemania and go straight to the Hall of Fame.

In one of those perfectly natural segments that you see on WWE TV, Shorty G. tells Apollo Crews that he has his back. Crews isn’t interested.

Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews

Crews gets sent to the apron to start but manages to snap Sheamus’ throat across the top. A high crossbody into the standing moonsault gives Crews two but Sheamus drives him into the corner. The Brogue Kick gives Sheamus the pin at 1:07.

Drake Maverick returns from whatever hole he fell into to ask Drew Gulak for a match against Daniel Bryan. Gulak says he knows all 163 of Bryan’s weaknesses but here’s Bryan to interrupt. If Gulak is so confident, how about he come fight Bryan on Sunday?

Carmella/Dana Brooke vs. Fire & Desire

Dolph Ziggler is here with Mandy and Sonya. Mandy drives Carmella into the corner to start but Carmella reverses and shuffles away. Sonya comes in and runs Carmella over but Dana comes in to dropkick Sonya in the hand. A blind tag brings Mandy in though and a running knee finishes Dana at 2:55. Just a way to get Mandy, Sonya and Ziggler on TV.

We look at Cena vs. Fiend being set up again.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House with a wall full of John Cena pictures. Bray Wyatt calls it magnifico and thinks the fans must be asking why Cena. Ramblin Rabbit pops in to say it’s because Cena beat him six years ago at Wrestlemania, sending Bray into a depression and starting his downward spiral of negativity. Bray, sounding a bit nervous: “Yeah Yowie Wowie.” Bray says there would be no Firefly Fun House without Cena. He forgives Cena, but a being built on pain and fueled by vengeance is waiting at Wrestlemania. That being is not so forgiving and around and around we go. Let him in.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg.

King Corbin interrupts a question because he doesn’t want to hear about Roman Reigns. Elias interrupts with some guitar, much to Corbin’s annoyance. Corbin calls Elias a gimmick and says shut up or answer to the king.

Heavy Machinery is getting ready for the gauntlet match but Otis walks over to Mandy, who was all of three feet away. Otis talks about getting a text from her on Valentine’s Day but Mandy says it’s too late because a woman doesn’t like being stood up.

This week in WWE History: Occupy Raw in 2014.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

Non-title with six teams and the winners enter the Elimination Chamber last. New Day is in at #1 and Heavy Machinery is in at #2 with Tucker shouldering the rather popular Kofi down to start. They both try dropkicks but it’s a standoff, meaning Big E. and Otis come in. A battle of the shoulders goes to Otis and stereo delayed vertical suplexes put New Day on the floor. Otis clotheslines them both and we take a break. Back with Big E. getting over for a tag to Kofi so the pace can pick up. Kofi gets launched over the top onto Tucker, who suplexes him down HARD. A dropkick cuts off a charging Big E. and it’s the Compactor for the clean pin at 8:20.

The Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado/Gran Metalik) is in at #3 and start the high flying, including a springboard crossbody to Tucker. That doesn’t seem to matter though as he takes Dorado down in an armbar. Dorado gets Tucker into the corner but the hot tag brings Otis in a few seconds later. Otis starts shrugging off the chops and strikes with the power of jiggling. Everything breaks down and the House Party hits stereo springboard dives as we take a break.

Back with Tucker putting Dorado in a quickly escaped half crab. Otis bearhugs him instead but the Golden Rewind puts Otis down to one knee. Tucker and Metalik come back in with Metalik hitting a reverse Sling Blade. The rope walk dropkick puts Tucker down and the chinlock goes on. An enziguri into a good looking top rope splash gets two on Tucker, who is right back up with his own splash for two more. Otis splashes Dorado in the corner and hits the Caterpillar for the pin at 20:33.

The Usos are in at #4 and we’re joined in progress after another break with Jey armbarring Tucker. Jimmy kicks Otis off the apron but Tucker kicks Jimmy down as well. Jey superkicks Tucker for two….and gets rolled up to get rid of the Usos at 25:08. Miz and John Morrison are in at #5 and it’s a quick spinebuster/Flying Chuck combination for two on Tucker.

Morrison’s slingshot elbow gets two and he hammers away with rights and lefts. A hard clothesline gets Tucker out of trouble and a dropkick to Miz…doesn’t set up the hot tag as Miz pulls Otis off the apron. Some running shots in the corner put Tucker down and Morrison’s 450 elbow gets two as Otis makes the save. Tucker small packages Morrison for the pin at 30:45, because THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS NEED TO LOSE THEIR FIRST TWO MATCHES SINCE WINNING THE TITLES!

Post fall, Miz and Morrison destroy Otis and Tucker. We cut to Mandy watching Otis get beaten up when Dolph Ziggler comes up and says watch this. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler are in at #6 as we take another break. Back with Roode chinlocking Tucker as Otis is still down on the floor. Tucker suplexes his way out of trouble but has to trade some kicks to the ribs with Ziggler. A dropkick puts Tucker down for two and a Stinger Splash into the neckbreaker is good for the same.

Otis is back up and sends Roode face first into the announcers’ table. Ziggler neckbreakers Tucker for two but the Stinger Splash misses, allowing the hot tag to Otis. Everything breaks down and the right hands make Otis dance….and do jumping jacks. Roode dropkicks him into the corner and misses a charge, allowing Otis to hit a running splash. The impact knocks Ziggler to the floor and it’s the Caterpillar…but Ziggler comes in with the superkick for the pin at 42:28.

Rating: C-. Let me make sure I’ve got this straight: we just spent 40+ minutes completely recreating the Kofi Kingston gauntlet match from last year but with Heavy Machinery pinning the already weak Tag Team Champions and then losing to Dolph Ziggler in the end? The Kofi story worked because A, it was Kofi Kingston and B, it felt different. This was almost a copy of the same story and while the fans were getting into Otis, it was hard to believe that he would win in the end. Why? Dolph Ziggler was in the match, and Dolph Ziggler must squash any fun that can be had.

Overall Rating: D. I keep thinking that they couldn’t take my interest away from Elimination Chamber even more but then they do something like this and we’re at a new low. What headlines that show? The #1 contenders match as we count down to Shayna vs. Becky? The match we’ve known was coming for about a month now? It feels like they’re not trying and that is as frustrating as you can get with WWE. Just get the show out of the way as soon as possible so they can actually make an effort on the way to Wrestlemania. Please. They need it.

Results

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Naomi/Lacey Evans – Double knees to Naomi

Sheamus b. Apollo Crews – Brogue Kick

Fire & Desire b. Carmella/Dana Brooke – Running knee to Brooke

Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler won a gauntlet match last eliminating Heavy Machinery

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: February 28, 2020
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Things are changing in a hurry around here as Goldberg is Universal Champion. That alone would be a huge deal but now we have the return of John Cena, who seems ready to get in the ring at Wrestlemania in just over five weeks. It’s the busy season again and that means things are going to get interesting in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

Here are yesterday’s results if you need a recap.

Here’s Goldberg to get things going. It’s not about who’s last because it’s all about who’s next. He throws the mic down and here’s Roman Reigns (dang they’re not waiting around for this one), which Goldberg seems to like. They stare each other down until Reigns says “I’m next”, as the Wrestlemania sign looms over them.

Classic John Cena Moment: the debut match against Kurt Angle in 2002, which was a heck of a match aside from just the promo and slap. The Undertaker handshake felt important too.

Naomi vs. Bayley

Non-title. Hold on though as Bayley has a mic and says she shouldn’t have to be here in front of these little idiot fans. She already made history last night so she’s just here to introduce a future multi platinum recording artist. That would be Sasha Banks, so Bayley jumps the distracted Naomi from behind. Naomi kicks her in the face and hits a dropkick into the corner, only to get sent face first into the corner. The Rear View draws Banks in for the DQ at 2:38.

Lacey Evans and here we go.

Naomi/Lacey Evans vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Lacey and Naomi start with some horrible dropkicks to the floor, followed by stereo dives….or in Lacey’s case a jump over the top onto the apron and a fall onto Bayley. Back from a break with Sasha sending Naomi face first into the mat and bringing Bayley back in. Bayley works on an armbar as we hear about Lacey changing her ways and wanting to be a role model.

A knee to the face gives Bayley two and it’s back to Sasha, leaving Bayley to tell the fans to shut up. Naomi finally kicks her away and brings in Lacey to start cleaning house. Lacey kicks Banks off the apron and hits the slingshot elbow onto Bayley. Naomi’s springboard crossbody gets two as everything breaks down. With Lacey on the floor, it’s a Backstabber to Naomi but Lacey pulls Sasha out with her. That leaves Naomi to sunset flip Bayley for the pin at 9:27.

Rating: D+. This was as WWE of a tag match as you can get, complete with the botches near the beginning. It was exactly as you knew it would go and that doesn’t make for the most thrilling stuff. Naomi pinned Bayley, but the interesting thing was a lack of mention about the Elimination Chamber match. I know Lacey mentioned it, but with nine days to go before the show, you would think it might be brought up.

New Day is fired up and have a staredown with Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Classic Cena Moment: the first World Title.

Kofi Kingston vs. Robert Roode

Roode takes him into the corner to start and chops away as Cole and Graves make stupid banter about Mandy Rose. Kofi scores with his dropkick and works on the arm before elbowing Roode out to the floor. The the referee not looking, Roode kicks the steps and feigns a blow to the head, so the referee ejects Big E.

Back from a break with Roode holding a chinlock and then pounding Kofi with forearms. There’s a suplex to Kofi and Roode goes to the middle rope to mock the New Day clap. That lets Kofi avoid a knee drop and come back in with a springboard shot to the head, followed by the Boom Drop. Roode is right back with a full nelson slam for two, followed by the spinebuster for the same. Kofi grabs the SOS so Ziggler puts the foot on the rope. The distraction lets Roode roll him up for the pin at 12:27.

Rating: C-. They’re pushing me with these finishes tonight. I’m not sure what WWE sees in having Roode and Ziggler around so often but they’re not exactly thrilling…well anythings really. It was just a match with the two of them cheating and hopefully not the start of a feud between these teams. I don’t know if I can take Ziggler in another long form story.

Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose are watching in the back with Sonya referring to Ziggler as Mandy’s man. Mandy doesn’t react.

Otis is distraught when Tucker comes up to him. Otis thinks something is up but Tucker says the reality is that sometimes Ziggler gets the girl. Tucker tells him to remember the fans and Otis says he’s right.

Classic Cena Moment: beating the Rock in the rematch.

It’s time for a contract signing for the Intercontinental Title match at Elimination Chamber. Shinsuke Nakamura, with Cesaro and Sami Zayn, come out first, followed by Braun Strowman (with a rather bad haircut). Sami tells Strowman to sit down but Strowman throws the chair up the aisle. That sends Sami into a rant about how Nakamura couldn’t enjoy his birthday last week because Strowman powerslammed him onto a grand piano.

Strowman tells Sami to shut up he doesn’t care what’s in the contract. He’ll have to fight all three of them anyway so there’s the signature. Sami likes what he just heard and makes a quick amendment to make it a handicap match, with all three signing. Therefore, it’s officially three on one at Elimination Chamber. Strowman moves the table but the numbers game gets the better of him and the beatdown is on. A double suplex/kick to the face puts Strowman through the table.

We recap the Goldberg vs. Reigns showdown.

Curtis Axel vs. Daniel Bryan

Drew Gulak is on commentary as Bryan keeps getting his friends TV appearances (and there’s nothing wrong with that). Axel starts fast as Gulak talks about seeing holes in Bryan’s game that could be exploited. With Bryan down, Axel mocks the YES pose but Bryan is back with the YES Kicks. More kicks look to set up the big one but Axel revers into a small package for two. A clothesline to the back of the head drops Bryan but it’s the LeBell Lock to make Axel tap at 4:31.

Rating: C-. I can get behind something like this. WWE has so many wrestlers who can do something in the ring but are never used. I know they’re not likely to be stars and there’s nothing wrong with that, but throw them out there, just for the sake of some fresh faces. Gulak and Axel probably aren’t going to set the world on fire but they’re under contract so why not swap them in for some of the other regular jobbers for a change?

Classic Cena Moment: the sixteenth World Title.

Here are Miz and John Morrison to brag about being the new Tag Team Champions. You know the original, but the reality is that the sequel is going to be even better. Since they won, it’s time for a singing celebration, complete with the Miz and Morrison chant plus Miz’s theme song playing as a bonus. Hold on though as we have a referee and we have a title match….at Elimination Chamber against New Day, the Usos, Heavy Machinery, Lucha House Party and Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler.

Usos vs. John Morrison/Miz

Non-title. Jimmy takes Morrison into the corner to start and we get the circle of lights breaking into the feed again. When did that become the go to way to promote someone debuting/returning? It feels like they’re everywhere these days. Miz takes over with a DDT for two so it’s off to Morrison for a kick to the ribs. The chinlock goes on with the Usos in trouble as we take a break.

Back with a double tag picking up the pace until Jey is caught with a neckbreaker/top rope double stomp combination. Everything breaks down and Jimmy dives onto Miz, only to have Jey’s Superfly Splash hit knees. Starship Pain is broken up so Jimmy hits a middle rope Canadian Destroyer, setting up the Superfly Splash to give Jey the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. Bad night for the champs here, though at least they can blame it on the jet lag or something. That and it really doesn’t matter given that the Elimination Chamber is coming up so soon. However, you really couldn’t do a DQ here or have the Usos beat another team? Or just not have the champs involved at all? Pretty good match though, after a series of less than inspiring ones so far.

Here’s John Cena for the big close. After taking in the crowd reaction, Cena says that he’s back so it must be Wrestlemania season. So what is he doing at Wrestlemania this year? He knows his role has changed so now it’s time to do something a little different. Cena always listens to the biggest superstar there is, which would be the fans. He knows he can probably say or do whatever he wants and have it happen at Wrestlemania, but he’s going to do the right thing.

This year’s Wrestlemania should go on without him. It’s not goodbye but it’s goodbye for now, because Cena cares about the future. Wrestlemania spots should be earned and not demanded so this year’s he’s betting on the future and sitting out. That makes tonight special because he doesn’t know when he’s going to be back. He has an announcement tonight and he wanted to make it in front of his friends and family.

The fans cheer for him and Cena drops the mic before heading to the front row to shake hands with some kids. Cena goes up the ramp and salutes….and there go the lights. They come back up and the Fiend is…..right behind him. Cena looks at the Fiend, who points at the sign. Cena looks at the sign, looks at the Fiend, and nods, as the lights go out and we get the laugh to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show picked WAY up in the second half and that’s the best thing that could have happened. The first forty five minutes or so were a complete slog with almost nothing happening and then things got a lot better in a hurry. It’s like the exhaustion was turned off and they were trying to build towards some major shows, which made things that much better. You can’t ask for much more than two big Wrestlemania matches being made in one night so well done, as the top of the card is now mostly full. Just take care of the rest of it and we’ll be fine.

Results

Naomi b. Bayley via DQ when Sasha Banks interfered

Naomi/Lacey Evans b. Bayley/Sasha Banks – Sunset flip to Bayley

Robert Roode b. Kofi Kingston – Rollup

Daniel Bryan b. Curtis Axel – LeBell Lock

Usos b. Miz/John Morrison – Superfly Splash to Morrison

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Super ShowDown 2020
Date: February 27, 2020
Location: Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re back in Saudi Arabia and for the first time ever, they’re on a streak of a good show. Last October’s Crown Jewel was a pretty good show, though I’m not sure what reason I would have to believe that will be the case again here. I’m not sure how the main event of Goldberg vs. the Fiend is going to go though and that’s a nice feeling. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Viking Raiders vs. OC

Anderson headlocks Erik to start but that’s broken up with straight power. Ivar comes in for a knee to the face before wrapping his beard (yes his beard) around Anderson’s face. Erik slams Ivar onto Anderson for two but it’s Gallows coming in to try his luck. That means a fall away slam to Erik and the chinlock goes on. Anderson sends Erik into the corner again and Gallows drops the big elbow.

The chinlock goes on again but Erik fights up and rolls over for the hot tag to Ivar. The seated senton out of the corner crushes Anderson and there’s a clothesline to Gallows. Everything breaks down and Erik suplexes Gallows into the corner. Gallows is right back with a chokebomb to Erik, who knees Anderson in the face to get out of trouble. Ivar’s double handspring elbow puts the OC down but he misses a moonsault. The Magic Killer gives the OC the pin at 9:58.

Rating: C. What is with the Vikings not being able to beat these guys over here? It’s a bit of a confusing result as the Vikings have been in a much more prominent role than the OC as of late. That being said, it’s not like this match is going to mean anything in the long run so it’s not something I’m going to get annoyed at. Decent enough power match too.

The opening video talks about making your mark on the world.

That’s a lot of pyro.

Tuwaiq Trophy: Gauntlet Match

Andrade’s US Title isn’t on the line, there are six entrants and it’s R-Truth in at #1 and Bobby Lashley, with a completely covered Lana, is in at #2. R-Truth leapfrogs him to start and snaps off a headscissors, only to get knocked hard off the apron. Back in and Lashley slams him down hard, setting up the chinlock. R-Truth reverses into a sleeper but Lashley runs him over again. The Dominator is broken up though and it’s time for the John Cena sequence. Lashley is fine enough to come back with the Downward Spiral but the spear hits the corner. A rollup gives R-Truth the upset pin at 5:37.

Before the third entrant comes out, Lashley destroys him with a bunch of whips into the steps. The spear drops R-Truth again and it’s the returning Andrade (no Zelina Vega) in at #3. Andrade knees him in the corner to start and puts on an armbar over the ropes. A regular armbar keeps R-Truth in trouble and the running knees in the corner get two.

The hammerlock DDT is broken up and Andrade’s running knee only hits buckle, meaning it’s a crash to the floor. Back in and Truth scores with a Lie Detector for two, followed by a collision of heads so R-Truth can fall on him for the pin at 13:30 (there’s Andrade’s bonus punishment).

Erick Rowan is in at #4 and stars with the power, including a running slam in the corner. R-Truth gets up a boot in the corner and low bridges him to the floor, setting up the big dive. Rowan sends him into the steps but it knocks the cage down, meaning he sends R-Truth into the steps over and over again. A big shot with the steps is enough for the DQ to eliminate Rowan at 17:48. Rowan isn’t done yet as he adds in the Iron Claw before AJ Styles is in at #5.

R-Truth’s shoulder is done and he can barely get to his feet so AJ kicks him in the face. Another into the shoulder lets AJ mock the dancing and it’s time to start on the leg. AJ dances even more and kicks R-Truth in the legs again as the AJ STYLES chants are going fairly strong. The Calf Crusher makes R-Truth tap at 23:36 so it’s Rey Mysterio in at #6 to complete the field. Or not as there’s no Mysterio, who has been attacked in the back by Anderson and Gallows.

AJ grabs the mic and says there’s no Mysterio so he wins by forfeit. He demands his trophy but the referee is willing to give Rey a count of ten. The referee gets to seven but we see the OC down….and some large black boots. Then the gong strikes and there go the lights, as usual. After the full entrance, it’s a chokeslam to give Undertaker the Trophy at 32:27. Undertaker didn’t even take off his hat and coat.

Rating: C-. This was long, though nowhere near as long as some gauntlet matches WWE has done in recent years. Undertaker winning is fine for a surprise and at this point, far better than having him wrestle a full match. I’m sure this will set up the Wrestlemania match and that’s a fine way to go about it. R-Truth did well and as luck would have it, he has a new documentary on the Network. Imagine that timing!

New Day is ready for Miz and John Morrison because this is a big night.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. New Day

New Day is defending. Big E. powers Miz into the corner to start and there’s the spanking abdominal stretch. The Warrior Splash brings in Kofi and Morrison with the former hitting a running backsplash. It’s already back to Big E., who gets sent outside for the slingshot dive from Morrison. Miz grabs the chinlock but Big E. fights up, only to get caught with a modified Hart Attack (Flying Chuck instead of a running clothesline).

The Rock Bottom out of the corner puts Miz down and that’s enough for the hot tag to Kofi. A running knee and the Boom Drop look to set up Trouble in Paradise but Miz makes the save. Back up and Morrison hits an Alabama Slam into a running knee for two. Kofi is fine enough to get two off the SOS and it’s a pretty awesome powerbomb/top rope double stomp combination for another near fall.

Miz fires off the YES Kicks to Big E. but Starship Pain misses. Kofi is back in for a quick Midnight Hour for two on Morrison with Miz making another save. Kofi loads up the Trust Fall but crashes HARD to the floor instead, leaving Miz to hit the Skull Crushing Finale for two on Big E. It’s back to Kofi, who reverses another Finale into a victory roll for two more. Morrison sneaks in a chair to the ribs though and Miz grabs a rollup (with tights) for the pin and the titles at 12:58.

Rating: B. This felt a bit longer as they packed a lot in there. Miz and Morrison winning the titles is the right call as we’ve seen New Day as champions for what feels like forever. Miz and Morrison can feud with New Day and the Usos in the coming months, but more importantly they’re something fresh and that’s what the titles have needed. If nothing else, a victory Dirt Sheet will be great.

Seth Rollins and Murphy are ready to retain their titles because it is their destiny to get rid of the Street Profits.

Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo

Garza lays on the corner and does some crunches during Carrillo’s entrance. They both miss a bunch of strikes and it’s a standoff with Carrillo backflipping away. The big spinning springboard crossbody winds up being a headbutt for Carrillo. They head outside with Garza getting taken down off a headscissors and then getting knocked into the barricade off a suicide dive.

Back in and a basement dropkick gets two on Garza but he scores with a running dropkick in the corner. You can tell they’re in a different country as there’s little reaction when GARZA TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! Carrillo fights out of a camel clutch and hits a spinning kick to the head for two. Garza is back up to dropkick him out of the air for two but Carrillo hits a Canadian Destroyer to put both of them down. They go into the pinfall reversal sequence like Garza won on Raw….and he does so again with a rollup for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: C. These matches continue to not exactly hit thrilling as they are just lucha matches without a ton of heat. What we got was fine enough, but it was nothing better than what we got on Raw. I just can’t bring myself to care about them and while the matches are fine, they’re forgettable and not exactly making me interested in either of them.

Bayley is ready to make history again and retain her title. I’m liking these quick interviews before the matches to get me a bit more in the mood.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Murphy/Seth Rollins

Rollins and Murphy are defending. Dawkins spears Murphy down to start and wrestles him into the corner so Ford can come in. That means the big dropkick but Rollins comes in to take over on Ford. Murphy’s Meteora gets two and it’s back to Rollins for more stomping. Ford finally sends them both outside but Murphy pulls Dawkins off the apron to keep Ford in. Rollins is sent into the corner though and the hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house.

Dropkicks and suplexes abound for two and it’s back to Ford who gets rolled up for two more. Ford kicks Rollins down though and hits the frog splash for his own two. Dawkins knocks Murphy hard over the announcers’ table but he’s back in to save Rollins again. A double Pedigree is countered into a double DDT on the champs to send them outside. Ford’s big running flip dive is caught though and he gets planted hard. Dawkins dives off the apron to take both of them down and they head back inside. Murphy gets in a knee to Dawkins, sending him into the ropes for the Stomp onto the apron to retain at 10:42.

Rating: B-. The Profits can do a lot of great things and there is little doubt that they are going to win the titles one day. What we had here was an entertaining match but there was no way the title change was taking place. Rollins and Murphy are big deals on Raw and they aren’t dropping the titles on a show that is the wrestling equivalent of a side quest.

We recap the Kickoff Show match.

Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler

Robert Roode is here with Ziggler but gets ejected before the bell. They trade headlocks to start until Mansoor hits a hard running shoulder. A standing moonsault gets two but Ziggler rakes the eyes across the rope to slow things down. The big jumping elbow sets up another chinlock on Mansoor, which is switched into something like a Crossface and then the Rings of Saturn.

Mansoor fights up and avoids the Fameasser, setting up the slingshot neckbreaker. A kind of reverse Big Ending gets two more but Mansoor gets pulled off the top. The Zig Zag gives Ziggler two but they seem to get a little messed up when fighting over a suplex. A reverse Sliced Bread (kind of a running flip DDT) plants Ziggler and the moonsault (with only the legs hitting Ziggler) finishes at 9:12.

Rating: C-. This was miles away from the Cesaro match as they were missing some cues and the match was hardly interesting in the first place. The Mansoor match has become the token crowd match. That’s all well and good, but when you do it over and over again, the charm is gone. When the match isn’t exactly great either, it isn’t making things that much better either.

Post match Mansoor says the same thing he says after every win: Saudi Arabia is awesome and he’s proud.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet. It’s the latest smaller guy challenging Lesnar in an underdog role. Ricochet has as much chance of winning as I do of becoming Miss Nevada 1974, but he has that natural underdog charisma to him that makes you believe a miracle could maybe kind of sort of have a prayer of happening.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet

Ricochet is challenging and his early dropkick attempt is knocked away. Three straight German suplexes send Ricochet flying and the F5 finishes clean at 1:28. I’m not getting mad at this one because Ricochet was playing WAY over his head here but…actually never mind on this one as there’s not much to complain about this time around.

We recap King Corbin vs. Roman Reigns. They’ve been feuding for months but want to keep everyone else out, meaning it’s time for a cage match. This feels tacked on after the feud ended so there isn’t much of a reason to care about it.

King Corbin vs. Roman Reigns

In a cage and commentary says this is the final time these two are fighting. Reigns chains the door shut so one escape route is cut off. Corbin uses the delay to jump Reigns from behind and the cheap shots take us to the opening bell. The slow beating begins and Corbin goes for an early climb but Reigns cuts him off without too much effort. They come back down with Reigns firing off the clotheslines in the corner.

The Superman punch is countered and Deep Six plants Reigns for two. Corbin looks for the key to the door but settles for two off a powerbomb instead. Some hard forearms keep Reigns down and the door is unlocked, only to have Reigns send him into the door. The Superman punch is countered into a chokeslam for two though and Corbin grabs the chain.

Corbin tries his own Superman punch but gets dropped by the real thing. They both go climbing and wind up on top for the slugout. Reigns has to be pulled back in so Corbin can send him into the cage and back to the mat. That just earns Corbin back to back Superman punches, followed by the Superman punch with a chain for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: C-. I know they kept hyping this up as the end but do you really believe we won’t see it again within a few months? This feud has been driven so far into the ground, which isn’t a good idea as it didn’t have the longest legs in the first place. It was your normal cage match, but they have made me sick of seeing both guys so it wasn’t exactly something that matters anyway.

We recap Undertaker’s surprise (I guess?) appearance earlier tonight.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Naomi vs. Bayley

Naomi is challenging and thankfully her big hair didn’t make it through customs. Bayley takes her to the mat to start but Naomi gets up and hits the splits splash. A kick to the face gives Naomi two more and a hurricanrana puts Bayley on the floor. The running corkscrew dive takes her down again but Bayley drives her back first into the apron to take over.

Back in and we hit the chinlock, with Bayley shouting at fans to shut up. Naomi fights up and hits a kick to the head, followed by a kick to the head for a change of pace. A springboard kick to the face drops Bayley again, followed by a knee to the ribs for two. The reverse Rings of Saturn has Bayley in more trouble but she gets a foot on the rope.

Bayley grabs a quick Bayley to Belly for two and there’s a running knee to rock Naomi again. Naomi catches her on top but misses the split legged moonsault. It’s time to get creative as Bayley ties Naomi’s legs into her shirt and finishes with that weird bulldog driver at 11:38.

Rating: C. I know WWE is going to be doing their big “rah rah we’re awesome and trailblazers and amazing” stuff out of this and I get why they go there, but it’s not a great match. Bayley has been champion for a long time now and it’s going to take a big win to get it off of her. Maybe they have something interesting planned at Elimination Chamber, but for now she has cleaned out the division.

We recap Goldberg vs. the Fiend. Goldberg was the most dominant force of his day and never got a rematch for the Universal Title. Therefore, he’s back to go after Fiend, who is a whole different animal.

Smackdown World Title: Goldberg vs. Fiend

Fiend is defending and gets in Goldberg’s face to start. Goldberg hits a quick spear for two but gets caught with the Mandible Claw. That’s broken up with a ram into the corner and Goldberg hits two more spears. There’s a fourth for two more and Fiend is right back with the Claw. Goldberg knees his way out and hits the Jackhammer to win the title at 2:59.

Post match Fiend gets up, the lights go out, and Fiend disappears. Goldberg celebrates to end the show.

What else is there to say about this? WWE has made it clear for a long time now that outside of Wrestlemania season and Saudi Arabia, nothing else matters. Fiend could have beaten Rock and Austin at the same time and there was no way he was going to defend the title at Wrestlemania because Fiend vs. anyone (save for that colorful guy from Massachusetts) isn’t a Wrestlemania style main event. I’m sure Reigns will get the title back in Tampa and it’ll be Reignsamania again as Fiend gets a pat on the back and is told he did well, just not well enough for the big show.

Overall Rating: D+. While it’s a far cry from the depths that these shows have sunk to before, it’s a pretty weak show with only a few good things throughout. They did make it feel more important with multiple title changes, but at the same time there is so much that just comes and goes like it’s on a slightly bigger than usual house show. The ending is annoying as a big Wyatt fan but I pretty much knew he was done as soon as the match was announced. I wanted to imagine Goldberg going down to the Claw but that’s not how WWE works. Anyway, not the worst, but the main event is almost all anyone will be talking about.

Results

Undertaker won a gauntlet match last eliminating AJ Styles

John Morrison/The Miz b. New Day – Rollup with tights to Kingston

Angel Garza b. Humberto Carrillo – Rollup

Seth Rollins/Murphy b. Street Profits – Stomp to Dawkins

Mansoor b. Dolph Ziggler – Moonsault

Brock Lesnar b. Ricochet – F5

Roman Reigns b. King Corbin – Superman punch with a chain

Bayley b. Naomi – Bulldog driver

Goldberg b. Fiend – Jackhammer

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s that time of year again. About four months after getting back from the disaster that was the Crown Jewel trip, WWE is heading back to Saudi Arabia because they need the money. The card isn’t exactly looking stacked this time, likely because a lot of the wrestlers don’t want to go and risk being stranded on the other side of the world in a country that isn’t so friendly. But hey, maybe the stock can go up or something. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: OC vs. Viking Raiders

Remember when the OC got a random win over the Viking Raiders at the end of a gauntlet match and it didn’t mean anything significant long term? Well now we get a rematch! I mean one that comes after all of the other rematches of course but then again these shows exist in their old universe anyway. These teams have nothing to do with each other at the moment but it could be a nice power match.

The Vikings should go over here, at least based on the American storylines at the moment so I’ll go with them here. The OC are fine for anything you want them to do and the Vikings have some awesome squashes so we could be in for a fine match here. I don’t expect any real connection to the previous match in the country, but at least it should get the fans going.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Naomi

This is something I’m still surprised to see but the fact that it is happening again is a positive sign. Maybe they are making some tiny steps forward in the country and that’s better than nothing. I’m not sure how much it is going to mean in the bigger picture but I’ll take what I can get here. These two have been circling each other for a long time now and Naomi is an interesting challenger, but I’m not sure where this is going.

I’ll take Bayley to retain here, as there could be something big in the works at WrestleMania. I mean, I’m not sure how big as the only match they could really do of note is Bayley vs. Sasha Banks but we’ll have to get through the Elimination Chamber to figure that one out. Bayley retaining here makes sense, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see Naomi leaving WrestleMania as champion.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Seth Rollins/Murphy(c) vs. Street Profits

This was set up on Monday when the Profits ran in to make the save at the end of the show and that’s a good thing. The Profits are the kind of team who are always going to get a reaction, though I’m not sure how well things are going to go in a big stadium that might not recognize them. The energy alone is going to get them somewhere, though that’s not what matters here.

Rollins and Murphy retain here, as they should. The Profits will get the titles eventually, but Rollins and Murphy are doing something a lot bigger and shouldn’t be taking a fall at the moment. The Viking Raiders seem to be the likely candidates to take the titles and that can come later. For now though, Murphy and Rollins retain, though the Profits probably steal the show again.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar(c) vs. Ricochet

I want to believe that Ricochet has a real chance here and I’m doing everything I can to get a Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vibe. Ricochet is the kind of guy who can do all kinds of good things in the ring and is one of the real stars that they have for the future. The problem is the timing though, as we’re a month and a half away from WrestleMania and it would take a miracle to change the title here.

Therefore, Lesnar wins in the easiest layup of the show, but I’m curious to see how good the match can be. It all comes down to Lesnar being interested in trying and you never know with him. If they’re willing to put in the effort, we could be in for a good match here and maybe even a great false hope spot, but it’s all going to be false hope because Lesnar retains here without much doubt whatsoever.

Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler

I know Mansoor is someone who is going to draw some eye rolls and that’s understandable, but he has managed to not embarrass himself whatsoever. His match against Cesaro was quite good and I could easily see him as a regular on NXT. Having him on this show isn’t absurd or going too far or anything like that and I’d rather Ziggler be in this spot than somewhere higher.

Of course Mansoor goes over because there’s no other point to putting him on the show. It’s not like this match is going to mean anything and it’s nice to see someone fresh getting a win. If nothing else, there’s something nice about seeing Ziggler lose, just because we don’t have to see him doing anything positive. Mansoor is little more than a (talented) mascot but he goes over here.

Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match

This is your multiple person match of the show and this one isn’t the most interesting in the world. There are six people in this one and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. WWE has been making these gauntlet matches go on a little longer as of late and while that can be a good idea in some situations, I’m not sure how well it’s going to work here as the names involved are hit and miss.

I’ll play it safe and go with AJ Styles here, as he is the kind of person you can put over in something like this with no worry of damage to anyone else. He’s won almost everything else in wrestling so having him pick this up is hardly going to be a surprise. If nothing else, Undertaker is all but confirmed for the show and maybe they can set something up for the rumored WrestleMania match.

Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin

So yeah, after what really felt like the blow off match on SmackDown a few weeks back, we get another match here with the two of them in a cage. This feud has been going on for about four and a half months now and any interest there might have been in it has gone through the floor ever since. The thing needs to just go away forever now because there’s nothing left for them to do.

Of course Reigns goes over here because there is no reason for the two of them to keep fighting. Reigns is going to go on to the World Title scene at WrestleMania and Corbin is likely to go on to some other big spot because WWE keeps pushing the heck out of him for whatever reason without ever learning why that’s a bad idea. But yeah Reigns wins here, as he should.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. The Miz/John Morrison

I know I’ve said this before but New Day are great filler champions. The problem is that they’ve been filler champions for the better part of ever over different reigns. The division never gets any better and that can be a little tiresome at times. It’s certainly not anything that seems to be getting better, but at least we have a fresh heel team here and what should be a good match.

For the sake of a little curve ball, I’ll go with a title change here, just to give the show some flavor. Miz and Morrison winning the titles would be a good way to make things move a bit though it wouldn’t surprise me to see the titles stay with New Day. They have to lose them at some point though and doing the title change here to set up a rematch at Elimination Chamber is as good as anything else they could do.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Angel Garza

This is another bonus match and yet another rematch from a recent show. The quality is going to depend on the amount of time that they get and you never know how that is going to be on a show like this. If nothing else, it’s going to be annoying having Andrade and Garza on the same show as I keep writing the wrong name for them anyway. At least Carrillo is easy enough to remember because of the Power Ranger outfit alone.

I’ll take Garza here as he has more charisma and overall ability though I’m not sure how much good it is going to do to have them fight again. The match will be an entertaining one and should get a few minutes, but it’s a match that has been done a few times now to not incredible results. Maybe this one will be the blow away match that gets the fans interested, but I can’t bring myself to get interested.

SmackDown World Title: The Fiend vs. Goldberg

And yet, they somehow have a main event that makes me wonder what we’ll be seeing. They really could go either way here and that should make for an interesting match. The Fiend losing here would seem strange, but the idea of Goldberg losing to someone like the Fiend just seems impossible. The match shouldn’t go on too long and very well could end with a spear, but I don’t think I can imagine it going that way.

I just can’t go with Goldberg here so I’ll say Fiend retains. If nothing else I certainly hope so, because I don’t want what has been an interesting character arc come crashing down just so we can get a “more WrestleMania” match between Reigns and Goldberg. You can do that match without having to take the title from Fiend and I’ll stick with the hope that they’ll do the right thing and have Fiend retain.

Overall Thoughts

I have no idea what to think of these shows anymore. Most of them have been disasters but Crown Jewel wasn’t half bad so maybe they’re getting the hang of things. Then again I have no reason to believe that is going to be the case again and I’m almost scared to imagine how some of these matches are going to end. Maybe it winds up being ok, but they don’t exactly have the track record to back that up.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: February 14, 2020
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re almost to Super ShowDown and things are starting to take shape. That will be the case again this week as we get to build towards Goldberg vs. the Fiend, plus a Women’s Title match between Carmella and Bayley. I mean, neither of them are likely to be on the big show, but at least it’s a possibility now. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for A Moment Of Bliss. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Nikki wants to talk about celebrity crushes. Nikki guesses Bliss’ as Brad Pitt and….that’s it apparently as they bring out their guest: Carmella. Cole to Graves: “Did you do anything special for Valentine’s Day?” Graves: “Leave my personal life out of this, but yes I did. I am the World Champion of love.” Carmella promises to win the Women’s Title tonight and show us why Mella is money.

We see photos of Carmella and Bayley being friends, with Carmella blaming Sasha Banks for their issues. Cue Bayley, who says she tried to take Carmella under her wing and teach her some things, though the fans don’t like the idea. Bayley talks about how much she beat up everyone since she became the champ so Carmella wants to fight right now.

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Carmella

Carmella is challenging and avoids a charge in the corner. A hiptoss and shoulder drop Bayley and we’re off to the armbar. For once, it takes a rope break to get out of an armbar and Bayley shouts that Carmella needs to step up. That’s what she does with a pair of dropkicks for two but Bayley hits her with a Saito suplex. The high crossbody misses though and Carmella gets another near fall off a big boot. Bayley gets kicked outside and that means a suicide dive from Carmella. Back in and a high crossbody gives Carmella two but Bayley sends her into the announcers’ table as we take a break.

We come back with Carmella fighting out of a chinlock and sending Bayley into a boot in the corner. Some forearms put Bayley down but a quick Bayley to Belly gets two. Carmella catches her on top and a super hurricanrana gets two. The superkick connects but Bayley is smart enough to head outside. Carmella follows and gets posted, only to get faceplanted into the Cone of Silence back inside. That’s broken up in a hurry and Bayley grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 14:02.

Rating: C-. They had me wondering if the title was going to change hands here so well done on that front. I know Carmella isn’t in the upper echelon of wrestlers but she has the energy and gets the fans’ attention so putting her in what is likely going to be a short form feud is an acceptable idea. I’m still expecting Naomi to be the real challenger but for something that lasted two weeks, Carmella was fine for a quick spot.

Post match Bayley stays on Carmella but Naomi makes the save.

Post break Bayley says she won and that she’ll be defending at Super ShowDown because she’s a role model.

We see a clip from Day Of Royal Rumble focusing on a fan who was inspired to stay away from addition because of Lacey Evans. Lacey had her letter in her boot at the show.

Otis texts Mandy Rose before their date. Tucker comes in and tries to keep Otis calm but Otis wonders if Mandy might actually like him.

Sheamus vs. Shorty G./Apollo Crews

Just in case you didn’t get the idea yet. Sheamus gets jumped to start and Shorty hits some rolling Liger kicks in the corner. A running ax handle drops Shorty and Sheamus hits the series of forearms to the chest. Apollo gets a blind tag and Shorty clotheslines Sheamus to the floor so Apollo can moonsault him off the apron. Back in and a standing shooting star press gets two on Sheamus. The Brogue Kick knocks Shorty off the apron and another one finishes Apollo at 3:23.

Rating: D. This is WWE hammering it home even more than usual as Sheamus has beaten Shorty twice, beaten him up again, and then beaten him in a handicap match. I’m sure Sheamus will get to go somewhere now, or probably get to beat up someone else that doesn’t matter. It’s more of the same and Gable takes another beating because we didn’t get the point yet.

Carmella wants a rematch and doesn’t care where it happens.

Video on Goldberg.

Here’s Hulk Hogan for an interview via satellite to talk about being in the Hall of Fame twice. He’s been in the ring with Goldberg too and the Fiend better be ready for him. Hold on though because the following announcement has been paid for by the Firefly Fun House. Bray comes in, playing the guitar in black and white of course, and says that not he has the Universal Title, brother.

Huskus Pig comes in to say he’s been working on eating right, but succumbs to the temptations of chocolate. Bray: “I hope it’s not…..too sweet.” Hogan says being in the ring with Goldberg isn’t a joke. Bray doesn’t need jokes because he has a Fiend. Be careful, because there can always been room for another picture on the wall. Hogan walks out, saying he’ll see Wyatt at the Hall of Fame. This was one of the weirdest fever dream moments I can ever imagine and I loved it.

Here are Cesaro and Sami Zayn, the latter with a ukulele, for a protest concert against Braun Strowman and Elias. Before Sami can channel Bob Dylan, here’s Elias to cut them off. Elias knows that everyone in Vancouver knows what WWE stands for. Sami tells security to let Elias in because a lot of the song has to do with him. Cesaro gets a little carried away with the cowbell (Fans: “WE WANT COWBELL!”). They finally start the song and then go after Elias. Braun Strowman comes out for the save.

Naomi knows Bayley can’t beat her and wants the title shot.

Video on Otis and Mandy Rose.

We go to the restaurant where Mandy is waiting for Otis, who is rather nervous. He brings flowers but Dolph Ziggler comes up to Mandy instead. Ziggler sits down as Otis comes in, sees them, drops the flowers, and leaves crushed.

Wrestlemania XXXVII is coming to Los Angeles.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Roman Reigns/???

Before the match, Miz asks why the Usos are already missing after being back a month. Morrison has been back for a month and he’s right here. Reigns has a mystery partner and that would be….Daniel Bryan. Hang on though as here’s King Corbin, who was banned from wrestling tonight, with a ticket to have a seat. Joined in progress with Bryan kicking at Morrison, knocking Miz off the apron, and then hitting him with a suicide dive.

The missile dropkick plants Morrison and Bryan gets in the early nipup. The YES Kicks have Morrison in more trouble and there’s a hurricanrana to put him down again. Morrison knocks him outside though and Miz sends Bryan into the barricade. Reigns hits a huge dive over the top onto everyone though and we take a break with Corbin being annoyed. Back with Bryan in trouble as Morrison gets two off a slingshot elbow.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Morrison kicks him in the head and brings Miz back in. Miz crotches Bryan on top but Bryan ties him in the Tree of Woe. Being smart though, Morrison tags himself in and knees Bryan in the face for two. Morrison misses a 450 and the hot tag brings in Roman for the house cleaning. Roman’s jumping clothesline misses, though the camera is fast enough to switch to cover it well enough.

The Superman Punch misses Miz and Morrison gets two off the Flying Chuck. Starship Pain is countered into a rollup and Reigns Superman Punches Morrison out of the air. The spear is cut off as well and Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale for two with Bryan having to make a save. Miz takes way too long to load up the running knee and gets Superman Punched (with the camera possibly showing it not coming close, though it might have grazed him) down. The spear gives Reigns the pin at 13:47.

Rating: B-. And you thought we might get through a week without Corbin getting involved. That’s the kind of thing that you can only dream of because it’s just not going to happen. This was an entertaining match with everyone working hard and trying, though I’m really not sure I see the need for Reigns to get the pin here when you can have Miz and Morrison, as in the #1 contenders, win here, perhaps off some Corbin interference.

Post match Corbin gets in a shot with the scepter to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m not sure what happened on this show but I feel like I missed something. There were three matches, a Hogan interview which didn’t say much and a big segment which lasted about two minutes. This show felt like it barely existed and while a few things were announced or felt like they mattered, the show felt like it was over before it started. Not a good week here, though the main event was pretty solid.

Results

Bayley b. Carmella – Rollup with feet on the ropes

Sheamus b. Shorty G./Apollo Crews – Brogue Kick to Crews

Roman Reigns/Daniel Bryan b. Miz/John Morrison – Spear to Miz

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

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

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

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