IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 15, 2019
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves

We’re on to a big show this week with the first night of the Superstar Shakeup. In this case, that means we have a night of people moving over to Monday Night Raw, though the question is where they will go. WWE has implied that we might be seeing some names moving to shows other than just the two main ones, meaning several more doors are available. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s a loudly booed Stephanie McMahon to introduce Shane McMahon. Hold on though as Mike Rome has to do Shane’s big introduction. Shane even does it in French, though he does wait for the fans to get done chanting CM PUNK. Before we get to the first pick, let’s look at some stills of Shane McMahon beating up Miz’s dad. Stephanie goes to introduce the first star but Miz cuts him off, which might be a move over to Raw. The announcers say that Miz is on Raw as Shane beats him up, only to come back with a chair shot. Shane bails as a bleeding Miz stands tall. Makes sense for Miz as he’s been on Smackdown forever now.

We look at Seth Rollins beating Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania.

Ricochet/Aleister Black/Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins vs. Revival/Viking Experience

Black and Ricochet are officially on Raw. The Viking Experience are the War Raiders, now called Ebar and Erik because reasons. Hawkins and Ryder work on Dawson to start but it’s quickly off to Black for some kicks to the arm. The Vikings get to take turns on Black until Dash drives him into the corner. Ricochet comes in but it’s already back to Black as everything breaks down. The champs and company clean house and we take a break.

Back with Erick (Rowe) getting slammed onto Hawkins and getting caught in an armbar. Revival gets to take their turns until Hawkins dives over for the tag off to Ryder. Everything breaks down and the middle rope Rough Ryder gets two on Erik and Ricochet misses a moonsault to the floor on Dawson with the camera not being able to hide it. That leaves Hawkins to be launched over the top onto Black and Ricochet, followed by Fallout to Ryder for the pin at 13:25.

Rating: C. I can’t get over the name change. What in the world is the point? If you don’t want the War Raiders name on Raw then fine, but come up with something better than what sounds like a Medieval Times spinoff. The team looked great (as they always do) so they’ll be fine on the show, but I can’t get my head around that name.

Cedric Alexander is coming to Raw. It’s long overdue and he’ll be cannon fodder in six weeks if he’s lucky.

Finn Balor vs. Andrade

Andrade is making his Raw debut and has Zelina Vega here for his introduction. After some yelling in Spanish and French, Andrade starts fast with the running knees in the corner. Balor is right back with a faceplant but they head outside with Andrade sending him face first into the apron as we take a break.

Back with Andrade going after his knee but getting caught with a reverse DDT. Andrade hits his cartwheel backflip DDT (with Balor just standing there watching) but the moonsault into a moonsault hits knees. Balor goes up for the Coup de Grace but has to roll through, allowing Vega to offer a distraction. The running flip dive hits Almas anyway but Vega offers a quick distraction and snaps off a hurricanrana. Back in and the hammerlock DDT finishes Balor at 10:19.

Rating: C+. Another entertaining match and another instance of the new champion losing in the middle of the ring for the second match in a row. There are how many people you could put out there instead of Balor and get the same point across? The interference helps a little bit but I’m sick of using this as a way to set up the title match. Just have Andrade win three or so matches in a row and then say he wants a title shot. It’s worked for years so why can’t it work now?

We look at John Cena and Undertaker attacking Elias. The look on Elias’ face when the gong struck is still hilarious.

Here’s Elias to play Undertaker’s theme and say that he will be ready for Undertaker next time. If anyone interrupts him tonight, it’s the last time they’ll be able to show their face on Raw. Cue Rey Mysterio to chase Elias off without much trouble but here’s Lars Sullivan to beat him up, including the Freak Accident. Rey takes a running sitout powerbomb for a bonus.

Chad Gable/Bobby Roode vs. Usos

The Usos are a surprise, or at least they would be if Roode and Gable didn’t have a graphic underneath them saying THE USOS. Gable takes Jimmy down with an armbar as the fans are behind the twins. The Usos fight back up but Jey gets kneed to the floor where Roode hits a knee of his own. The villains start alternating on Jey with Roode grabbing a chinlock. A jumping chinlock is enough to bring in Jimmy and a Blockbuster/German suplex combination puts him down for two. Back up and everything breaks down with the Usos firing off superkicks, setting up the Double Us to pin Gable at 5:22.

Rating: C-. The Usos moving over is way, way overdue so this is about as good as you could have gotten. They’ve been dying for some fresh opponents and while Roode and Gable aren’t great, it’s better than seeing them fight the Bar or New Day again and again. The match was nothing to see of course, but I’ll take what I can get with the right move.

Here’s Alexa Bliss for a Moment of Bliss with Sami Zayn. He gets such a strong reaction that his music plays again so he can soak things in a second time. They do it a third time and Sami calls them fish in a barrel. He turns it up a notch by shouting in French and starting the OLE chants. Bliss says it’s great to have him back on Raw and the fans start a OUI chant.

Sami talks about all the things he’s done in this city over the week and while he loves the place, he can’t stand the people. He hates everyone here and didn’t want to do this show. Alexa: “So rude.” The cheers make him a bit sick so the fans let him have it with a chant in French. This used to be his town but now he’s moved to sunny Orlando, Florida. He chose to leave here before and now he’s choosing to leave here again right now.

IIconics vs. Bayley/Naomi

Non-title. Fallout from Bayley not being able to get Sasha Banks on the phone and needing a replacement. Bayley kicks Billie into the corner to start and hands it off to Naomi for the forearms. Peyton’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Naomi kicking Billie in the face. A Bayley to Belly takes out Peyton and the split legged moonsault finishes Billie at 2:01. Hey did you know that Sasha is gone and WWE doesn’t seem to think much of her not being around?

Buzzard puppet.

EC3 vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman runs him over and beats EC3 up the ramp. That means a toss into the set, which nearly breaks into pieces. A chokeslam off the stage through a piece of wood destroys EC3. No match.

We look back at some of the bigger events of the night.

Eric Young has been moved to Raw as well.

Ruby Riott vs. Becky Lynch

Non-title. Becky pounds her down to start and pulls Ruby away from the ropes for a crash. A baseball slide puts Riott on the floor for a clothesline from the apron. Back in and Ruby chokes on the ropes a bit and kicks in the corner but Becky is right back with running clotheslines. The Bexploder but gets pulled off the middle rope for a crash. Ruby’s falling backsplash gets two, only to have Becky come right back with the Disarm-Her. After dispatching the rest of the Squad, Becky makes Riott tap at 4:29.

Rating: C-. Short version of the same match we’ve seen these two have half a dozen times. I can’t stand what has happened to the Squad as they deserve so much better than this but they’re not big enough to be on the main event stage in the women’s division. The match was fine, but it was just a way to get Becky on the show.

Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley don’t care about who is teaming with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns tonight because they’ll run them off Raw.

Post break Becky is still in the ring and here’s Natalya to interrupt. Natalya talks about being a pioneer of the women’s division with Becky, Charlotte and Ronda Rousey getting to make history. Last week Becky talked about having to sleep with one eye open, but Natalya is here to challenge a wide awake Becky for the Raw Women’s Title.

That’s fine with Becky, who has been in the trenches with a lot of talented people. The two of them fought to get here and look at them now. This brings out Lacey Evans, who knows how to be a lady and curry influence. Now that she’s on Raw, she wants the Raw Women’s Title so she’s got a #1 contenders match with Natalya. Becky better watch because a lady can teach a man a thing or two.

Lacey Evans vs. Natalya

Natalya starts fast with her belly to back drop and a botch of the step over dropkick to the back. Lacey is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Natalya fighting out of a neck crank but getting sent face first into the middle buckle. The chinlock goes on and Lacey drops a knee to keep her in trouble. Natalya fights up and grabs the Sharpshooter, sending Lacey to the rope, which she makes on the second attempt. After being rammed into the barricade, Lacey is right back with the Woman’s Right. The springboard moonsault finishes Natalya at 9:35.

Rating: D+. Well it’s good to see them pushing someone fresh for a change, but having Natalya in there sucked a lot of the energy out of the thing. Lacey vs. Becky will be fine for a quick win for Lynch and it’s not like losing to her is going to destroy Lacey right off the bat. The cameos did enough of that already.

Rollins and Reigns say you have to wait to find out their partner tonight.

We get another creepy vignette, this time with a dollhouse and a laughing doll sitting in a rocking chair.

Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins/??? vs. Drew McIntyre/Bobby Lashley/Baron Corbin

The mystery partner is….AJ Styles. Lashley runs into Seth’s boot to start and it’s Reigns coming in for an uppercut. AJ hits his dropkick and it’s off to McIntyre, which is a heck of a showdown. That sounds a little too fun so here’s Reigns instead, with Drew suplexing him down. Drew sends him outside for a ram into the barricade as Corey talks about Corbin having all the necessary tools.

Back in and Corbin’s chokebreaker gets two as we take a break. We come back with Rollins getting two off a sunset flip to Corbin but it’s too early for the Stomp. Instead the suicide dive is blocked with a right hand and a faceplant gets two. The Blockbuster gets Rollins out of trouble and it’s a hot tag off to AJ to strike away on Lashley. Everything breaks down and some Pele Kicks drop Lashley and Corbin.

The Styles Clash is broken up with a Claymore and McIntyre throws Reigns with a suplex. McIntyre misses another Claymore and falls over the barricade, leaving Lio Rush to catch Styles’ springboard with his spinning Dominator. That’s broken up with the Stomp into a spear, leaving AJ to hit the Phenomenal Forearm to finish Lashley at 12:48.

Rating: C+. Pretty run of the mill main event tag match here and that’s a good way to end the show. AJ coming over is a smart move as he doesn’t have anyone left to fight on Smackdown so some fresh challengers can help him. The lack of pinning Corbin makes me even more nervous though as you can feel the title reign coming.

The winners celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling wasn’t the point of this show as everything was about bringing in fresh names. They covered most of the more obvious moves (Usos and Styles) and a few surprises in Naomi and Andrade. Then there’s the still stupid VIKING EXPERIENCE, which is about as Vince as you can get.

Other than that though, the show was moving at a great pace and nothing felt boring. They didn’t go with any long matches as there’s little point with so many stories to get through tonight. I know they can’t do that every single week, but for a one off special episode like this, it was the right way to go and it worked exactly as it should have. Very fun show, though I worry about tomorrow’s counterpart.

Results

Viking Experience/Revival b. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder/Aleister Black/Ricochet – Fallout to Ryder

Andrade b. Finn Balor – Hammerlock DDT

Usos b. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode – Double Us to Gable

Bayley/Naomi b. IIconics – Split legged moonsault to Kay

Becky Lynch b. Ruby Riott – Disarm-Her

Lacey Evans b. Natalya – Springboard moonsault

AJ Styles/Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins b. Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre/Bobby Lashley – Phenomenal Forearm to Lashley

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

I still don’t know if it makes sense.

I’ll spare you a long rant about how little this story makes sense, or at least how horrible of a job WWE has done at explaining Balor’s use of the Demon. Or how little sense it made to have Balor win the title for a few weeks and drop it back almost immediately. This is the Demon’s debut at Wrestlemania and I’m not sure what to expect from it. I don’t think the match’s result is really in doubt, but the question is how we get to that ending.

Balor will get the title back once and for all, but I’m not sure if it’s in a squash or a competitive match. It’s one thing to have the Demon destroy Corbin at Summerslam but having him do it to Lashley here doesn’t make sense. You don’t squash a monster like that and that leaves a dilemma for Balor. I’m sure he’ll win, but if it’s too competitive then it doesn’t make that much sense.

IMG Credit: WWE

Wrestlemania XXIII
Date: April 1, 2007
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 80,103
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, John Bradshaw Layfield, Joey Styles

Pre-Show: Carlito/Ric Flair vs. Gregory Helms/Chavo Guerrero

Helms slowly pounds Carlito down until a botched hurricanrana allows for the tag to Flair. The lumberjacks keep slapping the mat and it sounds like bubble wrap popping. Chops and backdrops abound but Helms saves Chavo from the Figure Four. Everything breaks down and Chavo misses the frog splash, allowing the tag to Carlito for a quick Backstabber to pin Chavo at 6:37.

Jeff Hardy vs. King Booker vs. Finlay vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge

Batista is All Grown Up. These videos will be on all night long with different people starting as kids and then becoming what they are today and narrating about what it means to them.

Great Khali vs. Kane

Khali chokes him with the chain post match.

The Divas are All Grown Up.

Reverend Slick comes in to join the party (now with a disco ball) but Dusty Rhodes takes over instead. This brings in Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy Hart, IRS, Gerald Brisco and finally Ricky Steamboat in karate gear. Ron Simmons comes in for his one word catchphrase (a bad word beginning with D) to cap the whole thing off, as was his custom. Funny stuff here as usual and always entertaining.

US Title: MVP vs. Chris Benoit

Undertaker is All Grown Up.

Hall of Fame recap from last night. The speeches about Mr. Perfect were rough to sit through. Actor William Shatner inducted Jerry Lawler, even though Lawler specifically asked for longtime Memphis announcer Lance Russell to do it. WWE said no because Shatner had more star power. True, but how many people watched the ceremony because William Shatner was making a speech?

Attendance record announcement.

Time for the Hall of Fame presentation (why do the attendance in the middle?): Jim Ross, Mr. Perfect (represented by his father, which is always sad), Jerry Lawler (he had to go in with JR), Nick Bockwinkel (classy as always), Mr. Fuji (who looks about 90), the Wild Samoans, the Original Sheik (represented by his wife) and Dusty Rhodes. No one really got a bigger reaction than anyone else but the acoustics are weird in a place this big.

Smackdown World Title: Undertaker vs. Batista

Batista is defending and Smackdown GM Teddy Long is announcing for some reason. Both guys are faces coming in so this could be interesting. Of course we have the druids and torches which never get old. Batista spears him down at the bell and the fans instantly boo. Right hands put Batista into the corner but Undertaker stops to glare at the referee, allowing Batista to come back with a big clothesline.

Now, say it with me: Batista pounds away in the corner and gets caught in the Last Ride. Man he deserves that crash landing for being so stupid. Batista comes back with a spinebuster but walks into a chokeslam for two. The Tombstone is countered and another spear sets up the Batista Bomb for a VERY close two and a roar from the crowd. Back up and Batista tries a Tombstone (moron!) but Undertaker slips out and hits the real thing to win the title at 15:48.

Bobby Lashley is All Grown Up.

ECW Originals vs. New Breed

Originals: Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Sabu

New Breed: Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn

Steve Austin is All Grown Up. A kid who looks like Austin slams milk together to drink it like Austin does beer. Were he and Kurt Angle switched at birth?

Wrestlemania XXIV is in Orlando, somehow the first time the show took place in Florida.

Video on celebrities saying they want to see Trump get his head shaved. Only Rock wants Vince to get shaved.

Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga

They slug it out to start as this is power vs. power. Lashley takes over to start and drops Estrada with a right hand, followed by low bridging a charging Umaga to the floor. Back in and Lashley misses a charge of his own, setting up a splash from Umaga for two. Trump is WAY into this on the floor, which is all you would expect from him here.

Post match Austin Stuns Shane as Vince runs. Lashley chases him down (“TIME TO GET BALD!”) and feeds him to Austin for a Stunner, followed by the big shaving. Lashley and Trump do the honors while Austin holds Vince in place be he had to be involved somehow. This would lead to a long feud between Vince and Lashley with Vince becoming ECW Champion to kill the belt once and for all.

John Cena is All Grown Up.

Clips of the dark match to give them time to clean the ring.

The good lumberjills clean house post match.

Shawn Michaels is All Grown Up.

Cena is favored to retain the title 59% to 41%.

We recap Cena vs. Michaels. Shawn came in second in the 2007 Royal Rumble and then won a triple threat to earn the title match. Cena and Michaels then became partners, but Cena was reminded that Michaels would turn on every partner he had no matter what. They wound up winning the Raw Tag Team Titles and hold them coming into this match with Shawn still promising to turn on Cena soon.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Back in and Shawn punches Cena in the knee for a target and wraps it around the post. Cena has to hop around the ring on one leg so Shawn bends the bad one around the ropes and chop blocks the champ down. It works so well that Shawn wraps it around the ropes again but Cena punches his way out of trouble. When all else fails, hit the other guy in the face. Shawn misses a charge and goes head first into the post to draw some blood. Oh yeah now we should get going.

Cena cries after the match and the highlights end the show.

Ratings Comparison

CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Finlay vs. Randy Orton vs. King Booker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Booker T vs. Edge

Original: B+

2013 Redo: B

2015 Redo: B-

Great Khali vs. Kane

Original: D

2013 Redo: D-

2015 Redo: D

Chris Benoit vs. MVP

Original: B

2013 Redo: C

2015 Redo: C-

Undertaker vs. Batista

Original: B+

2013 Redo: A

2015 Redo: A-

ECW Originals vs. New Breed

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: C-

Melina vs. Ashley

Original: F

2013 Redo: M (for Mickie James)

2015 Redo: F

John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: A

2013 Redo: A-

2015 Redo: A

Overall Rating

Original: B

2013 Redo: B+

2015 Redo: B+

This one is famous for one match and I’m leaving it at that.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/30/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-23-over-80000-people/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/04/01/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xxiii-shawn-is-better-than-hhh/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Wrestlemania XXIII
Date: April 1, 2007
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 80,103
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, John Bradshaw Layfield, Joey Styles

The opening video is a montage of Wrestlemania logos which turns into your usual highlight reel.

Mr. Kennedy vs. CM Punk vs. Randy Orton vs. Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. King Booker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Edge

With this match, we start the tradition of having too many people in a single MITB match and overcrowding the thing. Everyone looks up at the case until Kennedy goes to get a ladder. Orton heads to the floor to stop him as the big brawl begins. Finlay DIVES on everyone not named Edge, allowing the Canadian to make a climb, only to be stopped by Matt. They head to the floor, allowing Orton and Finlay to head up top for a brawl on the ladder.

Video on the premiere of The Condemned so we can clear the ring out.

Batista is All Grown Up.

Great Khali vs. Kane

This is when Khali is still a decent monster who could move a little bit. Kane is easily shoved down to start and then shoved to the floor for good measure. Back in and Kane slugs Khali, only to be chopped right back down. Off to the nerve hold before Khali slugs away in the corner. Kane comes back with punches of his own but is easily shoved down and across the ring.

Rating: D-. The slam was cool and the rest was completely horrible. Khali was nothing good and somehow he would get even worse. Kane was in that weird period for him where he was just kind of there and doing nothing of note. By period, I mean about a five year stretch of course. Terrible match but the slam was good.

Post match Khali chokes him out with the chain and no one makes the save.

Some Detroit Tigers are here.

US Title: MVP vs. Chris Benoit

The attendance is over 80,000, which is of course a new record.

82% of the fans think Undertaker will win the title.

Smackdown World Title: Batista vs. Undertaker

Teddy Long does the intros here for some reason. We lso get the druids and the torches, which look AWESOME in the huge stadiums like this. The bell rings and Batista spears Taker down before pounding away in the corner. Undertaker fires off right hands of his own but Batista throws him right back into the corner. The fans are totally behind Undertaker here. They head to the floor with Undertaker being sent knees first into the steps as is his custom.

Lashley is All Grown Up.

Joey tries to talk about the ECW Originals vs. the New Breed but we need to get this along.

New Breed vs. ECW Originals

Austin is All Grown Up.

Wrestlemania 24 is in Orlando.

Trump picked the ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley. Steve Austin was brought in to referee because this is Wrestlemania. The best part of the build was Lashley in a cage with Umaga on the floor. To escape, Lashley shoulder blocked the cage wall, knocking it down to the floor and nearly crushing Umaga in the process.

Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga

John Cena is All Grown Up.

For no apparent reason other than we have nothing else to talk about, we look at the dark match with Flair/Carlito vs. Gregory Helms/Chavo Guerrero in a lumberjack match.

Womens Title: Melina vs. Ashley

Shawn Michaels is All Grown Up.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

A highlight package ends the show.

Ratings Comparison

CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Finlay vs. Randy Orton vs. King Booker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Booker T vs. Edge

Original: B+

Redo: B

Great Khali vs. Kane

Original: D

Redo: D-

Chris Benoit vs. MVP

Original: B

Redo: C

Undertaker vs. Batista

Original: B+

Redo: A

ECW Originals vs. New Breed

Original: D+

Redo: D

Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga

Original: C-

Redo: D

Melina vs. Ashley

Original: F

Redo: M (for Mickie James)

John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: A

Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: B

Redo: B+

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/30/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-23-over-80000-people/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

So earlier this week on Raw, a lot happened. Like, a lot happened. As in Wrestlemania season of stuff happened. With so much stuff going on it deserved a better look at things but since I did an In Other News column last week, I complained about Wrestlemania instead. Therefore today, I’ll take a quick look at some of the things that happened this week on Raw.

Bobby Lashley Wins The Intercontinental Title Back

In what was quite the surprise, Lashley won the title back after losing it to Finn Balor just three weeks earlier. I’m going to assume that this is going to be setting up a rematch at Wrestlemania, which really makes me cringe if that’s the best they can come up with for Balor. That being said, I’ll take it over some big multi-person match, which is all but guaranteed to be coming.

The big problem here is another title change in short order. Out of the last eight title reigns, a grand total of one (Seth Rollins’ second reign) broke three months. Changing the title over and over again doesn’t make the title any more valuable, meaning that I’m not likely to be thrilled or interested if/when Balor gets it back. It’s just another month long title reign that doesn’t help anything, which has worked so well for the title in recent….decades?

Alexa Bliss To Host Wrestlemania

Works for me. I mean, how can you not like watching Bliss do whatever a host is supposed to do on Wrestlemania? She’s gorgeous, she plays an awesome character, she can talk and she can work with just about anyone. What more could you possibly ask for out of the host? I mean, aside from not having a host because they’re not needed of course.

At the moment it seems that Bliss isn’t going to be wrestling, at least not full time, anytime soon so giving her something like this makes sense. She was working very well as the boss of the Raw women’s division but since we need more and more McMahons randomly giving themselves powers, Bliss can’t do that anymore. Letting her be on camera over and over is a good thing, even if she’s not likely to do much on the show.

HHH vs. Batista No Holds Barred

Well yeah. Were you expecting anything else out of the whole thing? Batista has wrestled for like three months out of the last ten years and HHH is barely going to be medically cleared in time for the match. Letting them do a garbage brawl is the right call as it seems that they’ve actually learned from Wrestlemania XXV (I’m as shocked as you are). It also fits with HHH being furious at Batista over the Ric Flair attack….which is still a problem.

Apparently Batista attacked Flair to get HHH’s attention for the match. That’s not a surprise, but why Batista wanted to have the match wasn’t exactly well explained. He just wanted to have one more match with HHH and this was the best way he could do it? I mean, it worked but I’d like something better than “I wanted a retirement match”. The brawl will be fine and while the story is shaky, it’s better than nothing and I can go with what we’re getting.

Kurt Angle’s Retirement Match

Angle is FINALLY going to hang up the boots at Wrestlemania and I think we’re all the better for that. He’s not exactly good in the ring anymore and he’s likely to explode during a match one day. The big deal here is Angle getting one retirement match at Wrestlemania, with the question now being who he’ll face. There are a few theories out there, but one makes sense.

So yeah, a lot happened on Raw and I’m sure I missed something. It’s cool to see WWE actually putting forward some effort and it made the show that much better. Just go through with some of these ideas and stop doing so many Intercontinental Title changes, because those aren’t helping anyone.

IMG Credit: WWE

Fastlane 2019
Date: March 10, 2019
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Corey Graves

I’m not sure what to think of with this show as there’s only so much that can be done with a show that clearly serves as nothing more than a last stop on the way to Wrestlemania. There are some matches tonight that could go somewhere but a lot of what we’ll be seeing is going to be a stepping stone towards next month. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev

Lana is in Nakamura/Rusev’s corner and has her hair cut to its NXT length. It’s Big E./Xavier Woods for New Day here with Woods and Nakamura starting things off. Some whips into the corner don’t work for Nakamura as Woods snaps off a headscissors for an early two. A kick to the head drops Woods though and we take an early break.

Back with Rusev driving shoulders into Woods’ ribs in the corner and slapping on a bearhug. Nakamura comes back in for a front facelock as we go split screen to show Miz talking to his dad about bringing the titles home tonight. Shane McMahon comes in to say the same and the former champs are ready. Back to full screen with Woods getting away and making the hot tag to Big E. for some short form house cleaning. Nakamura’s guillotine choke slows things down but Big E. suplexes him away without much effort.

Nakamura snaps the throat across the ropes and gets two off a middle rope knee to the chest. Woods comes back in and gets kicked in the head, setting up a DDT to give Rusev two. A wheelbarrow suplex gets two and the sliding knee from Nakamura connects for the same. Woods rolls over for the tag to Big E. but Lana crotches Woods to break up UpUpDownDown.

The Machka Kick gets two on Big E. as Woods makes a diving save. Woods’ running flip dive onto both villains is countered into a double powerbomb for two back inside and Rusev is stunned. The Accolade goes on but Big E. going after Nakamura is enough for the break. It’s back t Big E. and now UpUpDownDown can connect for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was a downright good match that got more time than I was expecting to see. They had the chemistry rolling with Big E. and Woods, the weaker of the New Day combinations, more than hanging with two solid midcard stars. I’m not wild on Rusev taking the pin, but it’s the logical result here.

The Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade match has been removed from the Kickoff Show and added to the main show as part of a four way for the US Title, also involving Samoa Joe and R-Truth.

The opening video looks at everyone trying to get to Wrestlemania. That would be a more effective theme is the show wasn’t likely to have fifteen matches with more than half of them being multi-person matches.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Shane McMahon/The Miz

Shane and Miz are challenging after losing the titles last month with Miz’s dad in the front row. Shane kicks at Jimmy to start as Jey talks about Shane’s shoes. Jimmy gets knocked down into the corner and Miz comes in for some double stomps. A Hart Attack gets two on Jimmy as Graves keeps ripping on Miz’s dad. Jey comes in and Shane walks into a clothesline to put the champs in control.

The chinlock goes on for a good while until Shane fights up with a tornado DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Miz, who cleans house to take over. Miz sends the Usos outside for a big dive off the top (you don’t see that very often) which gets some applause from Miz’s dad. Back in and Jimmy gets two off a Samoan drop with Shane making the save.

Shane gets knocked down and it’s the Skull Crushing Finale to Jey but the referee is checking on Shane, meaning it’s only a near fall. Jey sends Miz into the post but the Usos spend too much time yelling at Miz’s dad, allowing Miz to get two off a rollup. With Jimmy down in the corner, Shane goes up so Jey gets up on the other corner. Jey goes to dive at Miz but Shane dropkicks him out of the air for a good looking crash. Miz goes up for a splash which hits knees, allowing Jimmy to roll him up for the pin to retain at 14:09.

Rating: B-. It was an entertaining match with Miz trying harder than usual but there’s only so much you can do to get around the fact that this is designed to set up Miz vs. Shane at Wrestlemania. There are so many other teams who could have been used in this spot but for some reason we’re stuck watching these two do their thing about Miz and his dad. I’m not sure who is supposed to care about this story, but I don’t think too many people are.

Post match Miz and Shane shake hands and go over to Miz’s dad. Everything seems ok until Shane jumps Miz, because we’re getting face Miz vs. heel Shane at Wrestlemania. Shane even shoves Miz’s dad and uses his well known MMA skills for a triangle choke on Miz. The hold is finally let go and Miz’s dad comes over the barricade to check on him. I’m so glad we’re giving Shane McMahon this story instead of all the people sitting on the sidelines. You have people leaving because they can’t get a spot, and Shane is getting featured in the first half hour of a pay per view.

Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre are ready to break the Shield again.

Here’s Elias for a song. He makes fun of Miz, mocks Cleveland and mentions Lebron James….and that’s it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Asuka

Asuka is defending after Mandy (with Sonya Deville in her corner) pinned her in a non-title match a few weeks back. Mandy grabs a headlock to start but gets caught in an ankle lock. That’s enough to bring Sonya up to the apron, allowing Mandy to knee Asuka in the face for a closer two than it should have been. The abdominal stretch goes on with Graves praising Mandy even more than usual, sending Phillips into obvious fits of laughter on commentary.

The hold is reversed into an Octopus Hold as Sonya randomly looks underneath the ring. Asuka goes with the strikes into a release German suplex for two. A sliding knee gets two more but the running hip attack misses, allowing Mandy to score with another jumping knee. Asuka knees her even harder so Sonya goes underneath the ring for a kendo stick. Mandy trips over the raised ring skirt though and Asuka scores with a kick to the head to retain at 6:38.

Rating: C. Mandy has gotten way better in a hurry and that’s a good sign for her future. Just looking at her, you would expect her to be nothing but eye candy, but she’s actually turned into someone worthwhile who can have a good match with a lot of people. This was WAY better than it had any right to be, though the ending was a big head scratch inducing.

Post match Mandy doesn’t want to hear from Sonya.

Earlier tonight, Kofi Kingston was told to go see the McMahons about the Smackdown World Title match. He’s still waiting outside when the rest of New Day comes up to say they need to go in now. Woods and Big E. give Vince a great speech about how Kofi has been waiting for eleven years and now it needs to be a triple threat. Vince makes it a triple threat with Kofi in the title match RIGHT NOW with New Day barred from ringside.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens

Bryan is defending. Actually hang on a second as Kofi has his entrance, but we’re told the match is taking place later tonight. Instead we get this.

Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar

The Bar doesn’t have to tag so the double teaming is on in a hurry. Kofi tries to fight back but is quickly taken down for a double leg crank. The beating heads to the floor but this time Kofi actually knocks Sheamus down on the apron. Cesaro catches him inside though and the powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination destroys Kofi again. The fans declare this boring as the Brogue Kick gets two with Cesaro pulling Kofi up. Cue New Day for the save but Rusev/Nakamura cut them off. The super White Noise finishes Kofi with feet on the chest at 5:08.

Rating: D. Pure angle advancement and that’s fine. There’s only so much you can get out of something like this and you can’t blame the wrestlers for not having a good match here. Kofi’s push towards the title like this feels a bit rushed though and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him lose again to set up the (hopeful) title change at Wrestlemania.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are ready to defend the titles against anyone and they’re ready for Nia Jax and Tamina tonight.

Elias sings again, this time about how Kofi and Miz looked like Cleveland Cavaliers.

We recap Shane turning on Miz. It was less than 45 minutes ago!

Shane has nothing to say.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Revival vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode

The Revival is defending so the challengers send them outside in all of two seconds. Roode and Gable join them on the floor, leaving Ricochet and Black to moonsault into their poses. We settle down to Gable waistlocking Ricochet down but getting thrown off for a break. Wilder tags himself in and it’s quickly off to Dawson for an assisted suplex. Gable tags himself in as well and gets two off his own suplex. The armbar doesn’t last long as Dawson comes in and drops Ricochet ribs first across the top rope.

Some elbows get two but Ricochet rolls forward for a dropkick to Dawson. That’s enough for a double tag to bring in Black and Roode with Aleister cleaning house. It’s too early for Black Mass as Roode sends the kick into Dawson and spinebusters Black for two. Everything breaks down and Gable German suplexes Dawson with Wilder coming off the top with a splash for the save.

Ricochet’s shooting star gets two with Roode making a save of his own. Everyone heads outside with Ricochet and Dawson being left on top. Ricochet hurricanranas him down, landing head first on the apron in the process. Thankfully he’s not dead and hits a running flip dive over the top onto Roode, with Gable tagging himself in as Ricochet is flying through the air (legal, believe it or not). It’s a bad idea though as the Shatter Machine finishes Gable to retain the titles at 10:47.

Rating: B. This was good stuff with another obvious winner, which will lead to Revival losing the non-title matches for weeks. It’s smart to have Roode/Gable take the fall (as they could have for weeks instead of Revival) as Black and Ricochet are still new and shouldn’t be getting pinned yet. It’s the best match of the night so far, though I’m not sure how strong of a compliment that is.

Post match the Revival goes after Black and Ricochet, earning a 630.

US Title: Samoa Joe vs. R-Truth vs. Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio

Bonus match with Joe defending. All three challengers go to the floor so Joe is right there with a suicide elbow to all three of them. Back inside and Joe headbutts Andrade down in the corner but Truth is back up to take over. Rey comes in to send Andrade and Truth down but Joe runs Rey over. A heck of a tornado DDT gives Rey two on Joe so Andrade takes Rey up top.

Truth makes a save and it’s a super hurricanrana to Andrade to give Truth two with Rey breaking it up with a slingshot legdrop. Rey dives at Joe and gets caught, only to have Andrade missile dropkick both of them. Andrade isn’t done as he hits two of Three Amigos, with Rey reversing the third into a small package for two. With Andrade on the floor, Rey hits a hurricanrana off the apron, leaving Zelina Vega to kick Truth in the head.

That means a fight with Carmella, so Joe Rock Bottoms Rey for two. Truth fights back and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Joe but the ax kick misses. That means a whip into the post to get rid of Truth but Rey is there with the 619. Dropping the Dime misses though and Joe chokes Rey out to retain at 10:51.

Rating: B-. It’s not as good as their match on Smackdown but what we got here was good while it lasted. I was worried they would switch the title already so it’s a relief that Joe got to retain. It’s a positive sign that he might actually keep the title and stick around as champion for more than a few weeks.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Boss N Hug Connection vs. Tamina/Nia Jax

Beth Phoenix is on commentary. Bayley/Sasha Banks are defending and Graves is suggesting a split in the near future. Banks kicks Nia in the face to start and it’s off to Bayley so Nia throws Banks at her for a good visual. Tamina comes in to take over and the Samoans take turns beating on her in the corner.

A mini hot shot gets rid of Tamina though and it’s back to Banks to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down with Banks trying a suicide dive but getting pulled out of the air. Bayley dives onto the three of them before throwing Nia back in for a Meteora. The top rope elbow gets two with Tamina making the save, leaving Bayley to hurricanrana Nia for the pin to retain at 7:00.

Rating: D+. Well, they tried, and by they I mean Banks and Bayley. Nia and Tamina were as useless as ever here as big dragons who could barely move, as tends to be the case almost every time they’re out there. What in the world are you supposed to do with two monsters who can barely move? The champs need something better than this, but you can almost guarantee that Nia and Tamina will get another chance because they always do.

Post match the beatdown is on again until Beth gets up from commentary. Nia and Tamina beat her down until Natalya makes the save. The Samoans beat her down as well and stand tall. This is an exact summary of what is wrong with Nia: she’s a monster who loses a lot and then is right back the next week/night/two minutes later being a monster again. She lost a match FIVE MINUTES AGO and now we’re supposed to buy her as a monster. Graves asked “who is going to stop them”. Uh, BAYLEY AND SASHA PERHAPS???

This is what I mean when I say Nia needs to go away for a long time, but WWE insists on her being there. Oh and great: Natalya/Beth vs. Tamina/Nia is going to be on Wrestlemania now. A match that no one was asking for but we’re getting it anyway because that show isn’t going to be long enough already.

We recap Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens. Kofi was originally supposed to get the shot but Vince got all evil and replaced him with Owens. Kevin has beaten Bryan in a tag match with a Stunner, though he feels like a filler challenger until Kofi gets the real shot.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan is defending….and this is still going to be a triple threat match.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali

Bryan, with Rowan in his corner, is defending and the fans are immediately there with the WE WANT KOFI chants. The bell rings and Bryan yells at the two of them, earning himself a double beatdown. Owens: “Save the planet somewhere else you idiot!” With Bryan down on the floor it’s Owens running Ali over with a shoulder. Bryan gets back in and starts with the kicks as the KOFI chants get even louder.

They all head outside with Owens Cannonballing them both against the barricade for two on Bryan. Ali comes back in and goes up top, where Bryan dropkicks him down into the barricade for a heck of a bump. That leaves Owens to take the kicks in the corner and it’s off to an armbar, drawing more KOFI chants. Bryan moonsaults over Owens out of the corner and hits the running clothesline but stops to kick Ali back outside.

The YES Kicks have Owens in more trouble as Ali comes back in for the rolling X Factor. Bryan runs him over again but Owens is up with the superkicks. Ali jumps on Owens’ back, only to be dropped down onto Bryan for a huge crash. It’s Bryan heading up top but having his Doomsday Device broken up and a super Spanish Fly plants him. Ali reverse hurricanranas Owens into position for the 054, which only hits mat. The Stunner gives Owens two on Ali and a Pop Up Powerbomb gets the same on Bryan.

Another powerbomb onto the apron is countered into a backdrop but Bryan’s running knee hit the post. Ali hits a 450 onto Bryan on the apron with Rowan making the save at two. Owens and Ali superkick the monster down but Ali’s dive is caught. Owens adds a big running flip dive but Bryan is right there with the running knee from the apron. Another running knee misses Bryan and Ali is right back with a middle rope tornado DDT to the floor.

Owens is back up to drop Ali again but Rowan sends Bryan inside and Owens through the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Bryan gets two as the fans get another chance to chant for Kofi. Bryan slaps Ali in the face while shouting YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HERE so Ali slaps back and goes up, only to dive into a knee to the face to retain Bryan’s title at 18:39.

Rating: B+. Distracting chants aside, this was a strong three way with the right winner (of the available options). The problem right now is WWE running basically the same story with Becky and Kofi and they’re risking the fans just not caring after being teased so many times. It works well enough if the title changes happen at Wrestlemania, but all these changes for the sake of changes and things happening during the shows are getting old.

Post match Rowan claw slams Ali.

We recap Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch. Becky was supposed to go to Wrestlemania but Vince said no and put Charlotte in the match instead. Then Stephanie decided to let Becky have another chance so if she wins tonight, she goes to Wrestlemania in a triple threat for the Raw Women’s Title.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Becky limps to the ring on a crutch and also has a bad arm and bad ribs. She throws the crutch away and we’re ready to go with Charlotte easily taking things into the corner. Becky fights out of the corner with one right hand, only to have Charlotte say you’ll have to do more than that. A half crab wrecks the knee even more and Charlotte chop blocks the leg down.

Becky tries to fight back with a shot to the face but gets taken down with another chop block. Charlotte stays cocky and heads up top until Becky shoves her off and into the barricade for the big crash. Back in and the Becky gets the Disarm-Her, which is reversed into a Figure Eight….and here’s Ronda Rousey to hit Becky for the DQ to make it a triple threat at Wrestlemania at 8:43.

Rating: D. So the top face in the whole thing is beaten down again while the fresh heel runs in and attacks said face, thereby giving the fans what they want, while making sure Becky looks like a loser in the process. I’m sure we’ll hear from Stephanie about the whole thing though because this story is somehow her and her family. This is another match that could have been on Raw and no one would have noticed much of a difference.

Elias sings some more about how awful Cleveland is and says he’s done for the night. Lacey Evans comes out for her cameo and leaves as always. Randy Orton comes in with an RKO to Elias but walks into the Phenomenal Forearm from AJ Styles.

We recap the Shield vs. Baron Corbin/Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre. The Shield is back due to Roman Reigns being in remission. The other three are here because Shield needs targets.

Shield vs. Baron Corbin/Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre

Cole hypes up the idea of this being the last time for the Shield because Ambrose isn’t re-signing. The fight is on before the bell and the Shield clears the ring without much effort. Lashley takes Rollins into the corner to start and hands it off to Corbin, who gets taken into the middle buckle with a Downward Spiral. Ambrose comes in and fights McIntyre for a few moments before handing it back to Reigns, who doesn’t get much of a reaction.

McIntyre forearms him a few times before it’s quickly back to Rollins for a wishbone stretch. Corbin comes back in and takes over on Rollins, including the required chinlock. Seth fights up but gets cut off by McIntyre. That means a kick to the face and it’s back to Ambrose to take over. Dean sends McIntyre outside for a top rope elbow to the head but Lashley hits the spear. Ambrose barely beats the count back inside so Lashley plants him with a Downward Spiral for two.

Corbin chokeslams Reigns as the other four fight into the crowd by the Kickoff Show set. Reigns gets two off a sitout powerbomb as Rollins dives off a balcony to dive onto the other three. We get some miscommunication with Corbin trying his slide underneath the ropes and running through Reigns’ boot to the face like it didn’t make contact. A Superman Punch gets two as everyone is back to ringside.

End of Days hits Reigns with Rollins and Ambrose diving in for the save. Reigns almost gets TripleBombed through the announcers’ table but another save is made. A Stomp knocks Lashley silly and Reigns spears Corbin. There’s the TripleBomb to put McIntyre through the table and Corbin is left alone in the ring. One more TripleBomb finishes Corbin at 24:52.

Rating: B-. It was good, but egads the IT’S THE LAST TIME got obnoxious by the end. There was almost no doubt about how this was going and I don’t know how many people believe that it’s the last time for the team. At least Corbin took the fall instead of either of the other two, though it’s not like they had any chance between them. As usual, the Shield reunions weren’t great but that’s become the standard anymore.

Shield poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Yeah the show was watchable and even good at times, but I don’t remember a more annoying pay per view in a long time. The show is just now over and I don’t think I can remember one single thing here that felt like it mattered. There was good action, but nothing we haven’t seen done better before (in one case, earlier this week). WWE made it very clear that this show didn’t matter and that’s what we got here: a show that didn’t change anything and if you skipped it, you wouldn’t miss anything. I feel like I wasted my time tonight and that’s one of the worst feelings you can have coming out of a show.

Results

Usos b. Miz/Shane McMahon – Small package to Miz

Asuka b. Mandy Rose – Kick to the head

The Bar b. Kofi Kingston – Super White Noise

Revival b. Aleister Black/Ricochet and Bobby Roode/Chad Gable – Shatter Machine to Gable

Samoa Joe b. R-Truth, Andrade and Rey Mysterio – Koquina Clutch to Mysterio

Sasha Banks/Bayley b. Tamina/Nia Jax – Hurricanrana to Jax

Daniel Bryan b. Mustafa Ali and Kevin Owens – Knee to Ali

Becky Lynch b. Charlotte via DQ when Ronda Rousey interfered

Shield b. Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre/Bobby Lashley – TripleBomb to Corbin

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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IMG Credit: WWE

It’s time for the first of two stops on the way towards WrestleMania 35, because for some reason there are two pay per views between the Royal Rumble and the biggest show of the year. First up we have Elimination Chamber, though I’m not sure you would know that after this week’s Monday Night Raw, which mainly focused on WrestleMania. There is however a pay per view card to look at, with a pair of major matches. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Buddy Murphy(c) vs. Akira Tozawa

Was anyone realistically expecting this to be on the main show? The Cruiserweight Title is all but guaranteed to be on the Kickoff Show anymore, though I can go for the idea of having them get a little extra time so things can be fleshed out. Tozawa won a four way match on 205 Live to earn the shot against Murphy, who is becoming quite the top level Cruiserweight Champion.

I’m thinking that’s enough to keep the title on Murphy, who seems almost guaranteed to have a major title match at WrestleMania (on the Kickoff Show match of course). Tozawa is a very fun talent to watch, but I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who is taking the title from a monster like Murphy. This should be a hard hitting match, but it’s the kind of match that can only end in one way, which is Murphy retaining.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: Shane McMahon/The Miz(c) vs. Usos

Well this is suddenly a lot more interesting. As you probably heard, Jimmy Uso got arrested earlier this month for disorderly conduct, which means things are probably going to be shaken up a little bit. At the same time though, the Usos might be trying to leave WWE and if they are, a Tag Team Title reign might slow them down a bit. Also at the same time (it’s a busy time), McMahon and Miz aren’t exactly subject to the same rules that govern most wrestlers.

That being said, I’ll take the champs to retain, as this seems to be something that we need to get to heading into WrestleMania. I don’t know if they lose the titles there or face each other there, but neither is exactly a thrilling outcome. The Usos deserve better, but after what happened last week, that needs to be put on hold, at least for the time being. For now, more McMizAmania.

Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Ruby Riott

This company loves some alliteration. This one is about as easy of a winner as you can get and there’s nothing wrong with that. As Rousey may be leaving the company in about two months, it’s cool to see them getting in as many matches as she can have against a variety of opponents. Riott and the Squad haven’t gotten to do very much with Rousey, but the match itself should be fun.

Of course Rousey retains here, because what else is going to happen? Rousey is already slotted in for a title match at WrestleMania, but at the same time there’s a spot for Riott. If you let her get close here and almost have Rousey beat, there’s a way to set her up to face Asuka in April for the SmackDown Women’s Title. Riott loses here, but she could be up for something else in the future.

Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin

This is No DQ and….I have no idea why I would want to see this match. It’s a feud that has been going on for months now and I’m really not sure why I’d want to see it happen again, especially on a pay per view. The story has lost its way a long time ago and it’s much more “they were fighting a few months ago and they’re still fighting now”. There’s a good chance that Drew McIntyre and Kurt Angle get involved here, because we didn’t get enough of that match on Monday Night Raw.

For some reason I think Corbin wins here, because it’s been too long since he’s won a match of note and gotten more of a push that defies any and all logic. McIntyre and Angle will probably run in to make it a bigger mess than it’s already going to be and we move towards the big showdown between Angle and Corbin at WrestleMania. How that can be Angle’s last match is beyond me, but WWE loves Corbin for reasons I don’t want to comprehend.

Intercontinental Title: Bobby Lashley(c)/Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor

Now this one scares me. All signs point to Balor winning the title, but I don’t think they’re going that way just yet. For some reason I think we’re likely to see it at WrestleMania, which normally would be fine but I don’t think there’s anywhere near enough steam in this feud to get them that far. Hence the inclusion of Rush here, though again I’m not sure how interesting that can get.

I’ll go with Rush and Lashley retaining here, though I’m almost terrified to see how they get to that conclusion. There’s a good chance it’s some kind of a screwy finish to keep the title on Lashley, like Rush helping with a double pin or something, but having Balor lose is a rather bad idea. Then again it’s not the brightest idea to stretch this out, but for now it’s as good as we can get. Lashley retains, eventually losing the title to Balor down the line.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Elimination Chamber

For the inaugural titles and really, there are only a few teams with a real shot. You can eliminate Naomi/Carmella, the IIconics and Fire and Desire. You know, the SmackDown teams. That leaves you with the three Monday Night Raw teams, who have been the favorites all along. You could go multiple ways with the three remaining teams, but one stands out.

I’m going with the Riott Squad winning the titles here. I just can’t imagine having the Samoans win the titles, leaving you with two real options. Bayley and Sasha Banks have been treated as the main stars, but with Banks still being banged up and the possibility of this feud actually going on until the two of them are piles of dust, I can’t picture them winning the first titles. Maybe they win them at WrestleMania, but for now it’s the Riott Squad getting the titles.

WWE Championship: Elimination Chamber

This felt like the biggest layup in the world until Tuesday when Kofi Kingston had one of the best performances of his career. I’m not sure I can imagine Kingston getting the title this soon, but he certainly has momentum right now and with the C level pay per view Fastlane not very far away, there’s a chance that he’ll get a one on one title shot there. But against who?

That would be Daniel Bryan, who I think retains the title with the help of either Rowan or someone else, possibly even a returning Luke Harper. Bryan isn’t likely to lose the title here as his new heel character is hot enough to keep around, but he’s going to need some help to survive and advance down the road. A few things could come out of the match, but I can’t imagine one of them is a new champion.

Overall Thoughts

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I don’t see the need to have two pay per views between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, but Elimination Chamber sounds far more interesting than Fastlane. This show at least has two big matches and those two should be enough to make things work a little better. If things go well, we could have a rather entertaining night, just with the level of action alone.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 28, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

It’s time for the Road to Wrestlemania to begin and we’re in some pretty good shape around here. Seth Rollins won the Royal Rumble last night and, barring a big surprise, he’s probably going to decide to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title in April. That means we’ve got a long way to go before the show and a lot needs to be done. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Seth Rollins to open things up to a very strong reaction. After a BURN IT DOWN chant, Seth talks about putting his heart into everything last night and that’s why he won. Now he gets to stand in this ring and say that Seth Freaking Rollins is going to the main event of Wrestlemania. Rollins promised himself that he wasn’t going to do it, but he has to point at the sign man. Now though, Rollins has a choice to make. He can go to Smackdown and challenge his longtime friend Daniel Bryan, or he can go to Suplex City.

With a SETH FREAKING ROLLINS chant going, Seth says it’s going to be a decision he needs to think about. This brings out HHH to say Rollins got to point at the sign and would have been disappointed if he hadn’t. HHH has been there before and it’s why he challenged Rollins to step up a few weeks ago. The Royal Rumble was designed to put thirty athletes in the ring and see who is best. Rollins, who may be crying, did that, but now he needs to know what he’s doing at Wrestlemania.

That’s what he can decide tonight, because Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar are going to be here tonight. Fans: “SLAY THE BEAST!” This brings out Dean Ambrose to say HHH wanted to get rid of Seth when the two of them were riding the roads in Florida. Dean believed in him though and they were going to take over together.

HHH calls him out for his hypocrisy because everything in this ring concerns him. Dean wants to fight Rollins right now so HHH says he’ll think about it. HHH goes to leave but Dean asks if he needs permission from his father-in-law first. Fans: “YES HE DOES”! Dang this is a hot crowd tonight. HHH: “Get me a referee.”

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

They start brawling after a break with Rollins knocking him outside for some right hands against the barricade. Back in and Dean stomps him down in the corner but has to bail before the Stomp can connect. Dean takes over and we hit the chinlock, followed by a belly to back faceplant for two.

Back from a break with Seth shoving him off the top and an exchange of some loud chops. The Sling Blade sends Dean outside for the suicide dive, followed by an enziguri to put him on the floor again. Another suicide dive sets up the Ripcord knee back inside, meaning it’s time to burn it down. The Stomp finishes Dean completely clean at 11:27.

Rating: C+. Having Rollins go nuts with one win after another is a fine way to set him up for Wrestlemania as it’s what he does best. As long as they don’t do something crazy on the way to having him face Lesnar for the Universal Title, everything is going to be fine. Not exactly thrilling, but fine.

Post break an annoyed Dean is still in the ring when Nia Jax and Tamina come out for their match. Nia and Dean have a standoff until a Tamina distraction lets Nia knock him to the floor. If they’re really trying to recreate Chyna with Nia Jax, they’re more insane than I thought.

Women’s Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss/Mickie James vs. Tamina/Nia Jax

Bliss tries to grab Tamina by the throat to start and gets shoved down with ease. A quick spinning rollup gives Bliss two, as does the moonsault into the double knees to the chest. Nia comes in and we take an early break. Back with Bliss missing another moonsault into the double knees, allowing Tamina to grab the chinlock.

Nia comes in and gives Bliss a Stinkface, setting up another chinlock as this isn’t exactly thrilling so far. Bliss finally rolls away from Tamina for the hot tag off to Mickie. The pace picks up and a neckbreaker gets two on Tamina. Jax puts Mickie in a fireman’s carry, adds Bliss on top, squats them, and then drops backwards to pin James at 9:54.

Rating: D+. I’ve seen worse and Nia’s spot at the end was impressive. She’s a lot better fit in something like this than on her own, mainly because she hasn’t come off as a failure in a tag team yet. I like Mickie and Bliss as a team, though I can understand why they went with the more logical and experienced team here.

Kurt Angle is fired up to face Baron Corbin, because Corbin cost him everything.

Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle

Before the match, Baron talks about how Angle is a legend and believes that he has one great match left in him. Corbin is ready to prove him wrong so Angle punches him in the face. The first German suplex has Corbin in trouble but he slides underneath the corner and clotheslines Angle down. Angle shrugs off some right hands as the announcers argue about the ratings going down while Corbin was all over TV. As he’s wrestling on Raw, because WWE doesn’t understand the problem. The Angle Slam gets two and it’s off to the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and it’s the Deep Six for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: D. You have to assume that this is setting up Angle’s farewell match at Wrestlemania and really, it can’t come a moment too soon. Angle has been playing the greatest hits for a long time now and it’s getting harder and harder to watch him in the ring. He has a place in WWE, but it’s not in the ring anymore.

Post match Corbin lays Angle out again.

We look back at Finn Balor vs. Brock Lesnar from last night.

Here’s a slightly subdued Balor for a chat. He’s making no excuses because Lesnar beat him last night. Balor has never seen a combination of speed and power like that but he’s out here with his head held high. Last night he made Lesnar believe….and here’s Bobby Lashley to interrupt. Lio Rush says Balor is scared of Lashley because what happened last night is nothing compared to what Lashley would do to him. Balor calls Lashley out for only lasting 12 seconds in the Rumble and the beatdown is on with the injured Balor not being able to fight back.

We look at Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre destroying Braun Strowman to put him on the shelf.

Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins vs. Revival

We even get a video package on Hawkins and Ryder’s history as a team. Revival gets beaten down to start and it’s a double dropkick through the apron to take them down. Things get down to a more traditional pace with Dawson dropping Wilder into a legdrop on Ryder, who reverses a suplex into a neckbreaker. The hot tag brings in Hawkins, who gets his head taken off with a clothesline. A blind tag brings Wilder back in though and it’s the Shatter Machine for the pin at 2:53.

Daniel Bryan didn’t need Erick Rowan’s help to retain the title last night. If Seth picks him though, he’ll end all of Rollins’ hopes and dreams.

Video on WWE teaming up with UNICEF Kid Power.

Here’s Elias for a song. The fans sing WALK WITH ELIAS but Elias says the fans have let him down. They need to be better because the standing ovation should be starting as soon as they say his name. It’s too late now, so the fans deem themselves not worthy. He has a song ready for tonight, but here’s Jeff Jarrett to interrupt. After calling Elias Slap Nuts, Jeff says Elias’ problem is with him instead.

We get the name spelling….and here’s Road Dogg to interrupt. The fans start the HOLY S*** chant but Dogg says it’s a family show. We actually get With My Baby Tonight, featuring Renee dancing and singing at commentary. Elias finally clocks Dogg with the guitar but Jeff beats him up. Another guitar shot takes Jeff down though as the face experiment seems to have ended in a hurry. Fair enough, as it wasn’t working.

Natalya and Dana Brooke don’t seem to be on the same page before their tag match.

Mojo Rawley looks in a mirror and says soon everyone will see who he really is.

Women’s Tag Team Titles Qualifying Match: Riott Squad vs. Dana Brooke/Natalya

Brooke is sent to the apron early on, allowing her to cartwheel over Morgan. Logan takes Dana down back inside and it’s an assisted middle rope bulldog for two on Dana. The hot tag brings Natalya in a few seconds later and, after slipping out of a sunset flip, the Sharpshooter has Morgan in trouble. Logan shoves Brooke into them for the break though, allowing Morgan to get a rollup pin at 2:50.

Here’s Ronda Rousey for an open challenge but egads the fans don’t want to see her. After a BECKY chant, Rousey gets booed out of the building while talking about dreaming big. She thanks Sasha for a great match last night because Banks made her better than she’s ever been before. After a point to the sign, Ronda knows Becky has a choice to make. With the fans getting the better of her again, Bayley finally comes out to cut her off and answer the challenge.

Raw Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Ronda Rousey

Bayley is challenging. Rousey takes her straight down to start and Bayley resets in the corner. It’s already time to go after the arm with the armbar over the ropes having Bayley in more trouble. A quick suplex gives Bayley two and she dragon screw leg whips the knee over the ropes to send us to a break.

Back with Bayley staying on the knee until a shot to the face gives her a breather. A clothesline takes Bayley down and it’s time for the rolling judo throws. The leg gives out though and Bayley is right back with the kneebar. They roll out to the floor though and they’re both down again, sending us to another break.

Back with Rousey still in trouble and Bayley hitting her sliding kick underneath the bottom rope. The top rope elbow sets up the Bank Statement of all things, but Rousey is in the ropes quickly enough. Bayley goes up but gets slammed down, setting up a very fast armbar to retain the title at 15:29.

Rating: B. Another good match for Rousey here as it seems we’re checking off all the names as fast as they can. Bayley wasn’t really a threat to win the title, but at least they had something work as well as it did here. They’re doing something interesting with having Rousey getting work down, though I’m not sure where it goes.

Post match Ronda picks Bayley up and here’s a limping Becky to a HUGE reaction. Becky has been hearing about the baddest woman on the planet for a year now but the last time Becky was here, she dropped Rousey. It’s funny that Rousey has never come looking for her for some payback. Becky doesn’t need the extra time. She picks Ronda Rousey for Wrestlemania.

The staredown is on until Rousey grabs the mic, asking how Becky’s leg is. Ronda wants the best version of Becky possible, because she can break Becky’s face faster than she can say Nia Jax. Rousey was stealing the show last year in her debut when Becky was on the Kickoff Show. Becky has been the Man for a few months but Rousey has been a household name for ten years. That’s the mic drop, though Rousey isn’t enough of a talker to have one of those. At least the match is made though.

Braun Strowman tells Seth that he earned it last night so he needs to go make the right decision.

Video on a kid at Make-A-Wish headquarters getting to meet wrestlers.

Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman

Drew goes right after him with a chop to the chest and a kick to the face, only to be flattened by a hard shoulder. Strowman tries his running shoulder around the ring but gets drop toeholded into the barricade to send us to a break. Back with Strowman fighting out of a chinlock and starting to run McIntyre over. Another hard shot sends McIntyre outside so it’s time to grab the steps, only to have Corbin jump Strowman from behind for the DQ at 6:53.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go very far but I liked the fact that they had a DQ finish instead of having either of them lose. Strowman taking another loss wasn’t going to do him any favors and McIntyre should only be losing in special circumstances. They didn’t do anything great here, but at least they got the ending right.

Post match Strowman beats on Corbin until McIntyre gets in a cheap shot, allowing the beatdown to commence on Strowman.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for Rollins’ pick. Heyman calls it easy to make decisions when you only have one option. Rollins’ only choice is to fight Daniel Bryan because all other roads lead to the Beast. This brings out Rollins for the staredown with Lesnar and Rollins starts slugging away, including a Stomp attempt, which is countered into an F5. Brock hits a second through fourth, followed by a fifth on the title. Rollins asks if that’s all Brock has and picks himself up, meaning it’s a sixth F5 to end the show with Rollins not picking anything yet. You know, because it’s such a mystery.

Overall Rating: C-. I liked the angles more than the wrestling here as they’re certainly continuing the idea of having things move forward. That’s the biggest and best change they can make after so many months of standing in place and at least some of the stuff they have going on is good. It’s not a great show, but it did what it was supposed to do and got the Royal Rumble winners (I think we know where Seth is going) out of the way early.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Dean Ambrose – The Stomp

Tamina/Nia Jax b. Mickie James/Alexa Bliss – Samoan drop to Bliss

Baron Corbin b. Kurt Angle – Deep Six

Revival b. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder – Shatter Machine to Hawkins

Riott Squad b. Dana Brooke/Natalya – Rollup to Natalya

Ronda Rousey b. Bayley – Armbar

Braun Strowman b. Drew McIntyre via DQ when Baron Corbin interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: January 17, 2019
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

This is the kind of week where you need a recap. All kinds of things took place this week on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, meaning we could be in for a heck of a week on Main Event. I don’t think we actually will be, but there’s always the chance that they could surprise us. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Zack Ryder/No Way Jose vs. Curt Hawkins/Tyler Breeze

Time for this week As Breeze Turns. There’s something amusing about No Way Jose’s conga line still dancing as Breeze and Hawkins come out. An early Breeze distraction lets Hawkins get in a few shots but it’s quickly off to Jose, who gets beaten up as well. Ryder comes back in but walks into a suplex for two. Hawkins misses a split legged moonsault of all things and it’s back to Jose as everything breaks down. House is cleaned until Hawkins clotheslines Ryder for two. The Supermodel Kick gets the same with Jose making the save and hitting the pop up punch on Hawkins. The Rough Ryder finishes Breeze at 5:06.

Rating: D+. That’s as Main Eventish of a match as you’re going to see. These four have barely done a thing of note on Raw in months (if not years) and here they are in a short match on Main Event. Ryder still gets good reactions but I’m not sure how much of a future he has. The second half of that is true for just about everyone involved here and that’s pretty sad.

From Raw.

Intercontinental Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

Dean is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Before the match, Rollins says this is his last chance to win the title back and knock Ambrose’s teeth out. All that matters out there is what you do bell to bell and no one can do it like him. Dean offers Rollins a partnership against Lashley and gets sent outside for his efforts. Rollins dropkicks Lashley outside as well and hits a dive before punching Dean again.

Back in and Rollins gets double teamed to put him in trouble for the first time. Lashley hits a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner but a second charge misses, allowing Rollins to slug away. One heck of a spinebuster puts Rollins down and Dean sends Lashley outside. That’s enough of a delay to let Rollins clothesline Dean to the floor for a suicide dive to both. Rush tries to go after Rollins but has to bail to the floor instead. The chase is on so Lashley hits a spinebuster on Rollins and a belly to belly on Dean as we take a break.

Back with Dean hitting a clothesline on Lashley and forming a rather loose partnership with Rollins to keep him in trouble. That gives us the big staredown but they go with more stomping on Lashley instead. A shot with the steps puts Lashley down again and NOW it’s time for the big showdown. Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow for two with Rush coming in for the save because there are no DQ’s. Ambrose knocks Rush to the floor and gets superkicked, only to have Lashley come back in to steal two.

Dirty Deeds is broken up by Rollins’ springboard clothesline and there’s an enziguri to Lashley. Rollins adds the frog splash but Dean sends Rollins outside to steal the near fall. Ambrose and Lashley get together for a Doomsday Device on Rollins, who pops right back up. Rush offers ANOTHER distraction and gets Seth knocked outside, leaving Lashley to spear Ambrose for the pin and the title at 13:15.

Rating: C. It was exciting at times though I’m a little surprised by the title change. Lashley hasn’t really been doing anything of note but at least it’s something fresh. Ambrose didn’t have many people to feud with but it’s not like Lashley has that many more. Not a bad match, just a surprise ending.

From Smackdown.

Back from a break with AJ Styles in the concourse at the concession stand. Last week Bryan said these people weren’t healthy and happy but they look happy to him. Eat what you want if it makes you happy. If you want a hot dog, go get yourself one. These people are no different than the ones in Phoenix, where AJ is getting the title back. Off to the merchandise stand now, as AJ grabs some shirts and throws them into the crowd. Cue Bryan for the brawl until security breaks it up. More good stuff.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Dana Brooke/Ember Moon vs. Mickie James/Alicia Fox

Mickie grabs a wristlock to start and pulls Ember down by the hair four times in a row to keep control. Everything breaks down early on and it’s Brooke and Moon hitting stereo handspring elbows in the corner. A quick distraction lets Mickie take over on Moon as we get into the meat of things. That means chinlocks a go-go until Ember throws Fox down but Mickie is right there to break up the hot tag attempt.

It’s already back to Fox for something like Natural Selection for two, followed by Mickie’s hurricanrana out of the corner. Moon shrugs it off and brings Dana back in for an assisted Swanton of all things for two more. A blind tag brings Mickie back in though and it’s a big boot into the MickDT for the pin on Brooke at 6:49.

Rating: C. All things considered, not too bad at all here as Fox and Brooke were far better than what I would have expected here. The assisted Swanton was way more than what you would have thought the two would have done here and the match was really quite good. I don’t expect anything to come from this, but it was still fun while it lasted.

From Raw.

Here’s Braun Strowman to a rather strong reaction. Strowman talks about Lesnar being scared of him, including the time that he had to be saved at WWE World Cup (still not the name of the show). He’s getting the Universal Title at Chase Field but the only thing that Lesnar is getting are these hands. This brings out Baron Corbin, with Strowman reminding him that he got fired. Corbin says the people are going to listen to him and if he’s up there for five minutes, it’ll be longer than Strowman lasted against Lesnar.

The chase is on with Strowman heading to the back and throwing Sunil Singh over a table for not knowing where Corbin went. Strowman goes off to find Corbin and we get a quick song from Elias. The lyrics say he knows where Corbin went so here’s Strowman, who couldn’t possibly have heard the song from where he was, to hear Elias say Corbin is in the limo. Strowman finds a pipe and breaks the window before just ripping the door off. Vince comes up and isn’t happy with the broken door but doesn’t say anything.

Post break Braun can’t put the door back on so Vince says he’s a wrecking ball. That’ll be a $100,000 fine, which Strowman says is crazy. Vince doesn’t like being talked to that way, so the Universal Title match is canceled. Vince leaves so Strowman turns the limo over. Did Corbin ever get out of there?

And from later in Raw.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena

One fall to a finish and the winner goes to the Rumble to face Lesnar. Balor starts fast by heading up top for an early Coup de Grace on Corbin but gets pulled down into a chokebreaker for two as we take a break. Back with Corbin knocking Balor off the apron to keep the ribs in trouble. Cena hits a tornado DDT for two on Corbin with McIntyre making the save.

McIntyre comes back in and gets caught with some of Cena’s usual until Corbin makes a save of his own. Balor and Cena load up Corbin for a double superplex but McIntyre powerbombs them both down, only to get crotched on top by Corbin. That’s fine with Drew, who does his situp into a choke superplex as we take another break. Back again with Balor charging into the End of Days, leaving Corbin to take the Glasgow Kiss.

Cena goes up top but dives into a powerbomb from McIntyre for two. Drew and Corbin start stomping away until the good guys fight back. Cena takes Balor up top for the super AA with Corbin throwing him outside to steal two. Now it’s Corbin grabbing a chair to unload on Cena and McIntyre but Cena is right back with an AA. The Claymore takes Cena down but Balor hits a tornado DDT of his own on McIntyre. The Coup de Grace to Cena gives Balor the title shot at 19:13.

Rating: B-. They weren’t exactly hiding this one and that’s ok. Having Balor pin Cena after coming in injured and having already wrestled a match earlier in the night is about as strong of a push as you can give someone and it should suit him very well going into the Rumble. The match was entertaining for what it was and that’s all this needed to be.

Post match Cena says he believes in Balor and says he’s the next Universal Champion.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s amazing to see how much better Raw is when they actually do something. This week’s show was all about moving things forward and setting things up for the Royal Rumble, which is a show that they kind of need to put together in a hurry at the moment. The Smackdown stuff was its usual goodness, which made for a rather entertaining and quick show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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