Main Event
Date: July 30, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

We’re still on the road to Summerslam and that doesn’t exactly make for the most interesting stuff. This time around we do have a main event to build towards and that means they might have a focus on this show. Hopefully the original stuff makes things a little better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Riddick Moss vs. Titus O’Neil

Titus powers him into the corner to start and then does it again for a bonus. Moss bails to the floor and can’t manage to pull Titus outside with him, meaning the beating continues on the floor. Some rams into the apron keep Moss in trouble until he snaps Titus’ arm across the top.

Back in and a hard clothesline connects but Moss gets in another shot to the arm. The armbar goes on and a running shoulder huts the arm even more. Moss mocks the dog bark before going back to the armbar. Titus sends him into the middle buckle though and uses the good arm for some clotheslines. Clash of the Titus doesn’t work due to the arm though and the neckbreaker finishes Titus at 5:05.

Rating: C-. This could have been worse as they even told a story with the arm messing with Titus’ power game. No it wasn’t much and it certainly wasn’t memorable, but given what you might have been expecting, this worked out well. Moss is someone who could go a little somewhere if given the chance, but beating Titus on Main Event isn’t the right way to get there.

Video on the Swamp Fight.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House, which starts with a package on the Swamp Fight. Bray, standing next to the Fiend lantern, says that was fun because Braun Strowman came back home. Some of you are probably worried that Braun is now trapped in the swamp, but don’t worry, because it has been certified organic. The lantern starts talking to him but Bray says its job is done for now. No he can’t let the lantern out again, because he had his chance. Now it’s his turn, because he has been unleashed. We cut to the Fiend and that’s it.

We see the end of the Bar Fight between Sheamus and Jeff Hardy.

We look at Sasha Banks taking the Raw Women’s Title belt (without winning the title) from Asuka at Extreme Rules.

From Raw.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Asuka, with Kairi Sane, is defending and can lose the title via countout, DQ or interference. Banks has Bayley here with her and before the match, Sasha talks about how there is no bigger bully than Stephanie McMahon. That’s because they run the whole company because they’re role models who stand against injustice. That’s why Bayley interfered at Extreme Rules and counted the pin on Asuka. Bayley: “Any role model would have done the same thing.” Before the bell, Sane chases Bayley off and we take a break.

Back with the Big Match Intros, followed by Asuka kicking away in the corner to start fast. The Shining Wizard gets two but Asuka can’t get a Fujiwara armbar. A Backstabber out of the corner gives Banks two and the half crab goes on. Banks lets that go and starts working on the leg until Asuka kicks her out to the floor. That’s enough for Banks as she tries to leave, but it’s the old Eddie Guerrero trick of throwing the belt to Asuka and falling down, but Banks doesn’t get the timing right and the referee doesn’t buy it. Asuka kicks her in the head instead and we take a break.

Back with Banks working on the leg again but Asuka fights up and strikes away. A knee to the face sends Banks to the apron but the knee is too hut to follow up. Banks is back with a kick to the head and the Meteora gets two. We’re right back to the half crab but Asuka grabs a kneebar instead. That’s switched into an ankle lock to keeps Banks in trouble until she rolls Asuka into the corner. A top rope Meteora is countered into a Codebreaker to put them both down again.

Asuka kicks the knee out again and gets two off a release German suplex. The hip attack gets the same but Banks gets in a shot of her own. The frog splash gives Banks two and the Bank Statement goes on. Asuka slips out but can’t get the Asuka Lock as Banks sends her outside instead.

Banks drops the bad knee onto the announcers’ table for nine, with the dive back inside ruining Banks’ posing. Asuka’s rollup is countered into the Bank Statement, which is reversed into the ankle lock. Asuka hits a middle rope dropkick but we see Bayley beating up Kairi Sane in the back. The distracted Asuka still hits a German suplex as Bayley beats the heck out of Sane. Bayley rams Sane into the steel wall over and over and Asuka finally goes to the back for the save, giving Banks the title via countout at 19:30.

Rating: B. They set this up well and I can go for Banks winning the title here, as it could set up something big at Summerslam. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Banks and Bayley getting a major rocket push as WWE tries to fill in the void left by Becky and Charlotte leaving. Good match too, as you would expect from these two without the stupid shenanigans.

Post break, Bayley and Banks are VERY excited and dance around in celebration. Asuka comes out of the trainer’s room and screams a lot.

Ruby Riott vs. Shayna Baszler

Shayna shoves her down to start and then drives Riott into the corner. Riott kicks the leg out though, which just seems to annoy Baszler. A crucifix gives Riott two but she has to break the Kirifuda Clutch attempt. Baszler starts pulling on the leg until Riott sends her face first into the middle buckle. That’s enough to send Baszler outside for a breather and we take a break.

Back with Baszler cranking on the neck while tying the leg up for a bonus. Riott sends her into the corner though and scores with a superkick to rock Baszler again. Ruby slugs away and hits an STO into a standing backsplash for two. Baszler kicks her down and hits a Shining Wizard against the ropes but Riott says bring it on. That’s fine with Baszler, who knees her in the face and grabs the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap at 10:06.

Rating: C. To be fair, Riott did tell Baszler to bring it on so she has no one else to blame. They were getting into a groove here and I could have gone for more of it on a bigger stage. Riott is someone who can have a good match against anyone but Baszler seems ready to move up to the title picture (as she has been for a long time now).

From Raw.

Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title and Extreme Rules. Drew goes outside to get a chair so Ziggler superkicks him without much trouble. Ziggler sends him into the post and Plexiglas but Drew is back with an elbow to the face. A lawn dart sends Ziggler hard into the Plexiglas and it’s time for the kendo stick. The Russian legsweep with the kendo stick sends Ziggler into the Plexiglas again and Drew wraps the stick around Ziggler’s mouth.

They head back inside with a bunch of chairs and a table coming with them. Ziggler can’t get a chair so McIntyre cracks him over the back with one instead. A low blow gets Ziggler out of trouble and he finds a second kendo stick to unload on McIntyre. Ziggler does everything McIntyre did to him but McIntyre takes the stick away.

Ziggler is placed on the apron, where his dive is caught for a big drive through the barricade as we take a break. Back with Drew hitting a top rope ax handle but not being able to hit the Future Shock. Instead Ziggler goes up but gets top rope superplexed right back down. The Zig Zag gives McIntyre two more so Ziggler grabs a chair, only to get Claymored through the table to give McIntyre the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B-. This was fine enough, though the lack of the title being on the line kind of took away the interest and that’s not the best idea given the way the TV numbers are going at the moment. McIntyre and Ziggler have chemistry together, but they can only do so much when you’re counting down to the pin. They have already been close enough to this place earlier this month, so seeing the match again wasn’t quite the draw.

Post match Drew holds up the title, earning every bit of the not so surprising RKO from Orton to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here as you can tell that WWE is starting to focus a lot more on the way to Summerslam. The problem is that the shows still aren’t all that good as the presentation is so lame at the moment. Just find a more interesting way to do things and maybe it improves, but WWE has a long way to go to get out of the hole they have put themselves into.

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

Smackdown
Date: July 24, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re finally done with Extreme Rules and less than a month away from Summerslam. That means it’s time to start getting ready for one of the bigger shows of the year, but first we need to have a bar fight between Sheamus and Jeff Hardy, as one of the more questionable feuds of the year continues. Let’s get to it.

Here is Extreme Rules if you need a recap.

Jeff Hardy says he is an alcoholic and is ready to face Sheamus in his newfound enemy: a bar.

Sheamus is ready to give Jeff a headache, but it’s from a Brogue kick instead of a hangover.

JBL knows what a bar fight is like and says the emotions are running higher than the blood alcohol content in an APA poker game. Points for actually managing to make this even more cringe worthy.

Here are Bayley and Sasha Banks to gloat. Sasha talks about what it means to be great but the definition needs to be changed to the two of them. After Bayley yells at some fans, Banks declares an end to the Women’s Revolution. It started with them and it’s ending with them, because they are starting a new era. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be them, but here are Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss to interrupt.

Cross rants about how sick she is of the two of them so Bayley asks if she took her rabies medicine. Even Bliss thinks it’s too much right now but Cross wants a Women’s Title shot tonight. Bayley says fine, but Cross has to face Bliss, with the winner getting the title shot next week. Cross says they have to do this and shoves Bliss down, although not out of anger.

Nikki Cross vs. Alexa Bliss

The winner gets a shot at Bayley next week so Bayley and Banks are on commentary. Cross comes in with taped ribs thanks to the ring shot on Sunday, which Banks turns into a plug for WWE Shop. Bliss gets shoved down to start but Cross can’t hit a tornado DDT. They get annoyed at each other, even as Bliss can’t hit her own DDT. Cross gets more fired up and forearms away, setting up a bulldog for two.

Bliss dropkicks her tot he floor but misses the charge and gets caught in the ring skirt. A kick to the face gets Bliss out of trouble, so Bayley and Banks shout “GET HER! GET HER!” That earns them a double knockdown and we take a break. Back with Bliss dropkicking her out to the floor as Cole and Graves laugh at the knockdown before the commercial. Bayley challenges Cole for Summerslam as Bliss kicks away at the bad ribs and drives them into the barricade to put Cross down outside.

Back in and some knees to the ribs give Bliss two before she cranks on the arm with a knee in the ribs. It’s off to a seated abdominal stretch so Cole can list off all of Bliss’ accomplishments. They really need to stop doing that as so many people have won so many titles that they lose all meaning every time you hear them.

Cross fights up but the tornado DDT is countered into a sunset bomb for two. Back up and Cross grabs a Regal Cutter for two more, followed by a reverse DDT for the same. Cross misses the high crossbody though and the ribs are banged up again. The referee goes to check on her so Cross insists she can keep going, which means a small package to finish Bliss at 14:55.

Rating: C. This was good enough and they’re planting the seeds for a Bliss/Cross split. That’s possibly their backdoor out of next week, though I’m not sure where that leaves Bayley for Summerslam. The ribs stuff was good here though, and Bayley and Banks are really entertaining on commentary, as you can tell how well they get along. It’s certainly better than Nikki screaming every chance she gets.

Post break Nikki is excited when a dejected Bliss comes in to congratulate her. Bliss says it’s time to focus on becoming the new Women’s Champion next week.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House, which starts with a package on the Swamp Fight. Bray, standing next to the Fiend lantern, says that was fun because Braun Strowman came back home. Some of you are probably worried that Braun is now trapped in the swamp, but don’t worry, because it has been certified organic. The lantern starts talking to him but Bray says its job is done for now. No he can’t let the lantern out again, because he had his chance. Now it’s his turn, because he has been unleashed. We cut to the Fiend and that’s it.

We look back at AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle from last week.

Matt Riddle vs. Tony Nese

Riddle goes straight to the rolling gutwrench suplexes into the Broton for one. Nese knocks him down and hits a Lionsault for two, followed by a bodyscissors to keep Riddle in trouble. Back up and Nese has to knee his way out of the Bro Derek, meaning Riddle settles for a t-bone suplex. Now the Bro Derek can connect for the pin at 2:03. Nice back on track win for Riddle.

Post match Riddle calls out King Corbin to fight him right now. Cue Corbin to say the request is denied because Riddle doesn’t belong in the kingdom. Riddle still has the new car smell but after that wears off, he’s just a frat boy who looks like he just rolled out of bed. That’s why Corbin has put out a king’s ransom on his head. Riddle says Corbin has it all wrong because Corbin is the next guest on the Bro Show. Nese tries to jump Riddle and gets kicked in the head.

Miz and John Morrison try to think of hashtags to get themselves some extra attention, with Morrison’s getting rather long.

JBL talks about what a bar fight means and talks about Jeff Hardy’s career. Jeff wins tonight.

Here are Miz and Morrison for MizTV. They have been talking with a team of trend forecasters to find out what is going to trend in the future. That’s why Morrison’s jacket has a MoreMorrison hashtag sign in his shirt. He’ll be sick if that doesn’t trend. How sick you ask? Four Seth Rollins vomiting sick. With that out of the way, here is Naomi as their guest. Last week she may have lost, but Naomideservesbetter was trending after her match. Naomi thanks the fans for having her back, with Miz talking about how she went viral for returning at the Royal Rumble this year too. Miz: “But you didn’t win that match either.”

Why aren’t people talking about Lacey Evans? Naomi says the two of them are making her sick. Miz and Morrison: “How sick?” That would be five Seth Rollins vomiting sick, which Miz warns will prevent her from trending. Naomi talks about everything she puts in the ring every time and that’s why the fans are behind her.

Miz didn’t expect this kind of a confrontation, so here’s Lacey Evans as a surprise guest. Lacey thinks Naomi’s hashtag was trending out of pity and calls her washed up. Naomi shoves Lacey as she does her lipstick, meaning the fight is on with Lacey bailing. I can go with Naomi getting a push, but because of karaoke, makeup and hashtags?

We look at Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura winning the Tag Team Titles on Sunday.

Big E. is outside of the trainer’s room when Kofi Kingston comes out. He’s holding his ribs and limping because there is some bad news: he is going to be out about six weeks. Big E. promises they will get the Tag Team Titles back but Kofi wants Big E. to go do something on his own while the rest of the team is on the shelf. Kofi: “I put your meat on my meat man.” They hug and Big E. seems touched.

Gran Metalik vs. Lince Dorado vs. Shorty G. vs. Drew Gulak

One fall to a finish and the winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot against AJ Styles (on commentary). Gable and Gulak are sent outside in a hurry but the Lucha House Party fight doesn’t break out as Gulak breaks things up. Metalik hurricanranas Gulak to the floor before dodging a German suplex attempt from Gable. The rope walk dropkick gets two on gable with Gulak making a save. Dorado comes in and hammers away in Gulak in the corner as AJ says he wants to face the one who gets beaten up the worst. AJ: “It just makes sense right?”

Dorado suicide dives onto Gulak and Gable sends Metalik outside. A huge Gable moonsault wipes out everyone and we take a break. Back with Gable and Gulak going into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. Metalik comes back in and gets double teamed down but Gulak and Gable argue over who gets to stomp. The arguing lets Metalik hit a handspring elbow to take both of them down and it’s Dorado coming back in to chop away.

Metalik breaks up Dorado’s cover though and the argument is on, only to have Gable jump Metalik with a suplex. There’s one for Dorado as well and Gable is fired up. Gulak takes a third and a hard belly to back suplex gets two on Metalik. Back up and Gable gets caught in the Gulock but he climbs the ropes to reverse into an ankle lock. The grapevine makes it even worse but Dorado makes the save with a top rope splash for two. Dorado goes up again, earning himself a crotching from Gulak. Gable takes them both down though and Metalik walks the ropes for the top rope elbow and the pin on Gable at 11:47.

Rating: C+. They kept the action going here and that’s the best thing they could have done. That being said, they picked Metalik to get the title shot? Actually…..why not? One of the biggest criticisms about WWE is they can be predictable so Metalik winning here is quite the twist. He won’t win the title or anything, but points for trying something new.

Post match AJ gets in the ring and slaps Metalik in the face, earning himself a tornado DDT. Metalik holds up the title.

Video on Otis and Mandy Rose’s romance.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro are happy with their titles but they are sad about not putting Big E. through a table. It would have made a bigger splat you see. Even with Kofi being out of action, it isn’t Big E.’s time. They salute and promise to make all of the Smackdown teams go splat.

Long video on Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus.

Next week: AJ Styles defends against Gran Metalik and Nikki Cross gets another shot at Alexa Bliss.

Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy

They’re in a local bar and Sheamus arrives first, meaning he can order a drink. Jeff arrives and asks for a cup as he sits down next to Sheamus. His brother had to delete his career and Jeff had to save his own. Rehab made him better but Sheamus says no one cares about Jeff anymore. Jeff asks if Sheamus is still the bar and says he is connected to everything. Like the window, the TV and this bar. Sheamus: “I’m the bar!” Sheamus is ready to fight so Sheamus throws a drink in his face and it’s on.

That means Sheamus gets the better of it in a hurry and hits the ten forearms over the bar. Sheamus wants a top shelf drink but the distraction lets Jeff run down the bar and dive onto him. There’s a whip into some barrels and Jeff steals the basketballs from a machine and pelts Sheamus with them. They fight into the back with Jeff having a barrel knocked out of his hands. Sheamus sends him into some walls and they head into the bathroom, with Jeff’s face going into a urinal.

Jeff one ups him by throwing Sheamus into a stall and crawling out, leaving Sheamus to scream about Hardy. Sheamus goes looking for him but gets laddered in the chest. Jeff dives off the bar again but gets rammed into the wall for his efforts. Now it’s Jeff being thrown over a set of drums and we take a break. Back with Sheamus Brogue kicking a drum and being sent into a table. The Twisting Stunner rocks Sheamus and Jeff grabs the ladder.

The bartender, the same one from the toast, jumps Jeff from behind though, earning himself a powerbomb through a table. Sheamus breaks a chair over Hardy’s back, puts his hat over Jeff’s face, and says sweet dreams. Sheamus has a drink and calls over the referee, but now Jeff’s face is painted and his eyeballs have some kind of a film over them. He gets up and hits Sheamus with a glass before climbing the ladder. The Swanton hits Sheamus for the pin at 13:14.

Rating: C. It was a good enough brawl but good grief enough with the supernatural stuff. Hardy going into some trance and suddenly having paint on his face took me way out of this as they were having a good and almost realistic fight for a long time. But then oh wait never mind because we need to tell some story or have Jeff be some weird creature. He can’t just fight up because he wants to prove people wrong and come back against the odds for the win. No no, the solution is to be smart instead, because that hasn’t gotten WWE in trouble lately whatsoever.

Overall Rating: C. Your individual taste may vary here as they seem to have a plan for Summerslam (that’s good) but some of the choices are a little out there (that’s usually bad). The action was good enough and the main event felt like a step forward for Hardy, but dang I don’t need to see anything cinematic for a LONG time to come. They do seem to be going in a few fresh directions though and right now, that is a good idea. Granted baseball’s big return is going to ravage this in the ratings anyway, but points for planting some seeds.

Results

Nikki Cross b. Alexa Bliss – Small package

Matt Riddle b. Tony Nese – Bro Derek

Gran Metalik b. Lince Dorado, Shorty G. and Drew Gulak – Rope walk elbow to Shorty G.

Jeff Hardy b. Sheamus – Swanton off a ladder

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

Extreme Rules 2020
Date: July 19, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe, Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We have finally arrived at this one and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. The show is dubbed The Horror Show at Extreme Rules because we have reached the point where a show involving taking someone’s eye out and a Swamp Fight requires a subtitle. There are no expectations coming in so hopefully they can exceed. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Kevin Owens vs. Murphy

Owens wastes no time in going for the Stunner but Murphy shoves him off and slugs away. Another attempt is blocked again and Murphy hits a knee to the face. The right hands stagger Murphy until he grabs a quickly broken sleeper. Murphy goes up but Owens kicks him out of the air and grabs a DDT. The backsplash hits knees but Owens is fine enough to knock him into the corner. The Cannonball connects for two and Owens isn’t sure what to do.

Murphy gets in a few more shots to the face and hits the top rope Meteora for his own two. Owens can’t hit the Pop Up Powerbomb and Murphy nails a pair of knees to the face, followed by the brainbuster for two more. Murphy’s superplex attempt is thrown off and Owens hits a jumping moonsault for a rather near fall. Murphy manages to get up top again but misses the Meteora, setting up the superkick into the Stunner to give Owens the pin at 8:51.

Rating: C. This could have been on almost any Raw and that’s all this needed to be. Owens is getting a bit of a renewed push and I could certainly go for more of that. Raw can use some extra star power and someone the fans seem to care about would be a good choice. Murphy is always worth a nice performance, though I’m not sure how much that is going to mean if he keeps losing.

The opening video focuses entirely on the horror aspect, saying the show is going to be very scary and how you’ll see things you’ve never seen before. The regular matches get a focus as well. Why in the world can they not do this for a Halloween themed show?

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

New Day is defending in a tables match. There are no tags here so it’s a brawl to start with New Day getting the better of things. They head outside with Nakamura being sent into the barricade and Cesaro being sent into the steps. The first table is set up in the middle of the ring and Kofi goes up, only to need Big E. to break up a double superplex attempt.

The table is moved and Kofi slips out of a gorilla press on the apron, allowing Big E. to spear Cesaro through the ropes. Kofi is left alone so Nakamura kicks him down, leaving Big E. to get double kneed. Back in and the sliding knee knocks Big E. silly and Nakamura sets up a table on the floor. Kofi’s trust fall takes him down and it’s another table being stacked on top of the one outside.

Big E. can’t superplex Cesaro through bot of them and Kofi is knocked down on the floor. The swing sends Big E. into Nakamura’s knee to the head but it’s Kofi coming back in for the save. Nakamura gets knocked off the apron and Cesaro is sat on top, but he muscles Kofi up and powerbombs him through the tables for the titles at 10:12.

Rating: C. It’s a tables match so there is only so much that you can do with the whole thing. New Day losing is probably overdue, but at the same time, it’s not like there are a bunch of teams for them to lose to. Cesaro and Nakamura are going to be fine as a team, but I can’t imagine this being some big changing of the guard.

Alexa Bliss gives Nikki Cross and Asuka a pep talk and Cross gets WAY into it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Nikki Cross

Cross is challenging with Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks at ringside. Bayley armdrags her to start and strikes the double bicep pose while telling Cross to do it for Alexa. A big slap in the corner puts Bayley down though and Cross hits the Purge for a quick two. The high crossbody gives Cross two more and she does it again for the same. Bayley bails to the floor and gets hit with a third crossbody from the apron. Cross is a bit too happy so Bayley sends her hard into the Plexiglas.

Back in and Bayley grabs the chinlock before taking Cross outside to tie her in the ring skirt. Bayley stops to brag though, allowing Cross to slip out and crawl underneath the ring. That freaks Bayley out so much that Cross hammers her down and hits Bayley’s running elbow in the corner. The quick Bayley to Belly gets two on Cross and frustration starts mounting up in a hurry.

A superplex gives Bayley two more and Cross heads outside, where Bayley misses the baseball slide under the bottom rope. Back in and Cross hits a reverse DDT and a bulldog, followed by a belly to back suplex for two. Bayley misses a charge into the corner and gets caught with a Purge off the apron to the floor. Back in and Banks gets on the apron with Bliss cutting her off. The distraction is enough for Bayley to take Banks’ BOSS jewelry to knock Cross silly. The arm trap faceplant retains the title at 12:33.

Rating: C+. There were some good near falls in there, but I’m not sure how much drama there really was about Cross ending the very long title match. It would seem that we’re destined for Banks vs. Bayley, but at this point we’ve waited so long to get there that I can’t even bring myself to get interested in it anymore. The heel team works fine, but the singles title reign needs some challengers.

We go to the Firefly Fun House where Bray Wyatt is now a mad scientist. He wants to show us something scary and we almost see the karaoke contest from last week (ok that was funny). After yelling at Ramblin Rabbit for putting up the wrong tape, Bray talks about how Braun Strowman won’t be able to escape his past.

Apollo Crews vs. MVP will NOT be taking place as Crews has failed his pre-match physical due to an injury at the hands of Bobby Lashley.

We see a clip of Lashley full nelsoning Crews, which led to the injury.

Here are MVP and Lashley to brag about the whole thing. MVP says that’s what happens when you mess with Lashley and he declares himself the new champion via forfeit.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio. Rollins wanted to sacrifice Mysterio for the greater good of Raw and injured his eye with the corner of the ring steps. Mysterio was out of action so his son Dominick went after Rollins instead. When that didn’t work, Mysterio himself came back for revenge and tonight, you have to take your opponent’s eye out to win.

Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins pulls some pliers out of his jacket to show how things are going. Rey sneaks in from behind though and dropkicks Rollins in the back to start. It’s too early for a 619 so Rey headscissors him into the post instead. Rey grabs the pliers but Rollins moves away and gets a kendo stick. Another 619 attempt misses and this time the headscissors is countered into a Falcon Arrow onto the apron.

Something close to a low blow lets Rollins send him into the Plexiglas but he can’t put a kendo stick into Rey’s eye. Rollins pins him down with a chair though and gets a thumb near Rey’s eye but Rey chairs him in the ribs. Rollins pulls out a toolbox and finds a metal spike, which can’t hit the eye. Rey drop toeholds him into the corner of the announcers’ table but Rollins blocks the chair to the eye.

Back up and Rollins wedges a kendo stick in the corner but Rey blocks a whip into the end. Instead Rey is back with a seated senton and a tornado DDT sends Rollins outside. Rey’s sliding sunset bomb into the Plexiglas lets him break up a kendo stick but he can’t get the eye out (it makes you feel so stupid to type that).

There’s the 619 to put Rollins on the floor again and it’s Rey with a Stomp of his own. Rey drives the eye into the point of the steps but a low blow gets Rollins out. Rollins hits his own Stomp and says Rey did this to himself. Rollins drags him over to the steps and drives it into the corner, which apparently pops the eye out at 18:42.

Rating: B. Believe it or not, Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins in a match with some time was pretty good. They could have a good match in their sleep and most of this was solid, as long as they weren’t trying to go for the eye. The ending was stupid, as expected of course, as the only thing you could see was a bit of white through Mysterio’s gloves. At worst it looked like a bit of a golf ball, which is probably a lot better than what it could have been. I know they’re having a horror themed show (because that goes with July) but can’t we just have a wrestling match?

The doctor gets Rey out and Rollins vomits. Rollins is booed out of the arena. Unless I missed something, the only thing you could see was a bit of white through Rey’s gloves. There was no big shot of the eye hanging out or anything and that’s a good thing given how stupid this could have been.

Bayley says she’s a big Rey fan but NO, he isn’t seeing double because she really does have two belts. Tonight, Sasha Banks will too.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt. Strowman was part of the Wyatt Family but broke free. Wyatt has been haunting Strowman though so he needs to go back to where it started and beat Wyatt once and for all.

Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka

Asuka is defending and Bayley/Kairi Sane are the respective seconds. Banks takes her down to start but Asuka kicks away. That earns her a quick Bank Statement and Asuka is in trouble early. Banks tries to drive Asuka’s arms to the mat but misses the Meteora. A corner run wristdrag is kicked out of the air and the hip attack sends Banks outside. Banks is fine enough to hit a 619 on the apron but Asuka blocks a sunset bomb attempt. Asuka gets back to the apron for a sliding knee to the face and they head back inside.

Some running knees have Asuka in trouble and Banks bends the fingers back to make it worse. The armbar goes on and Banks hits the running knees in the corner. Banks starts talking trash and you don’t do that to Asuka, who nails the spinning backfist. A quick headscissors sends Asuka face first into the buckle but she’s right back with a Codebreaker. They go to the apron with Banks teasing a German suplex to the floor. A standing switch lets Asuka try the same thing but Banks slips out and powerbombs her into the Plexiglas.

Back in and the frog splash gives Banks two, followed by the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring. Asuka makes the rope and they head to the apron with Banks getting hit in the face. A German suplex drops Banks hard and Asuka kicks away for two more. Asuka misses a missile dropkick though and gets kneed in the face to give Banks her own near fall. Banks goes up top and has to flip out of a German superplex. The running knees to the back connect but Banks slips off the ropes and comes up favoring her knee.

They slug it out from their knees as Bayley and Sane brawl on the floor. A Bayley to Belly plants Sane and Banks trades rollups with Asuka. The Asuka Lock goes on but Bayley throws in a title for a distraction so the referee doesn’t see the tap. Asuka lets go and Banks grabs the belt but the referee says no. Instead, Asuka loads up the green mist, which hits the referee. Bayley lays out Asuka and puts the referee’s shirt on to count the pin at 19:55…..and the bell actually rings? Banks’ music plays and she and Bayley leave with all of the titles so I guess this stands for now?

Rating: B-. Another good match with another rather dumb finish, but that goes without saying these days. For reasons that I’m not clear on, WWE doesn’t like this idea of having a match without doing something dumb to set up something else later. You can have the screwy ending but it might not be the best move to do something to set up a rematch with a ridiculous setup like this. Asuka vs. Banks in a long match was good because of the talent involved, but dang man. Going back to back with endings like that isn’t the best idea.

Rey’s eye could be saved with surgery so he’s on the way to a medical facility.

We recap Dolph Ziggler vs. Drew McIntyre for the Raw World Title. They were partners a few years ago but then McIntyre turned on him. Ziggler claimed responsibility for McIntyre’s rise to the top of the company and gets to pick the stipulation tonight. We don’t know what it is yet though.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

Back in and Ziggler gets caught with a helicopter bomb, only to come back with a low blow. A bunch of chairs are brought in and Ziggler unloads with some shots to the back. McIntyre’s throat is placed across the top of an open chair for another shot to his back for a close two. The champ is right back up and takes it outside with Ziggler being sent over the announcers’ table.

Ziggler slips out of a belly to belly though and hits a Fameasser off the table but McIntyre beats the count. The sleeper goes on but McIntyre grabbing the rope means nothing. McIntyre shakes him off and hits a hard clothesline for the double knockdown. Ziggler is taken back outside for a catapult into the Plexiglas and it’s a reverse Alabama Slam back inside. The Claymore is blocked with a chair to the knee though and the Zig Zag gets two.

They head outside again with Ziggler superkicking him onto the table and a huge elbow off the top of the post drives him through it. That’s only good for nine and Ziggler screams a lot. McIntyre hits a Glasgow Kiss but Ziggler is back with Fameasser into a Zig Zag. That doesn’t even get one so it’s a Rock Bottom onto the chair (nice nod to Rock’s comments about the match this week) for two on McIntyre. Ziggler tunes up the band but McIntyre nips up and hits the Claymore to retain at 15:34.

Rating: B. The stipulation made perfect sense here and that’s what let them have a good match. There was a grand total of zero drama of a title change but you can still have a nice match even under those circumstances. It doesn’t make up for the really dull build, but after the two previous matches, I can absolutely go for a good match with a clean ending.

Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt

Non-title and in the swamp, with Bray sitting in the rocking chair as Braun arrives. Braun says he’s home and Bray laughs before disappearing. The rocking chair is thrown at an Abandon All Hope sign and Bray laughs again. Some masked goons appear and we cut to the Fun House with Mad Scientist Bray cheering for Braun. Someone pops up to hit Braun in the back with a shovel and it’s…..Braun in the sheep mask. Braun wakes up chained to a chair and Bray’s old music starts playing. He comes up with the lantern and walks up to Braun, welcoming him home.

Braun says he hates Bray for everything he made him do but Bray says he’s already dead. Bray is proud of what Braun has done but his success is temporary. What happens when Braun’s fifteen minutes are up? Braun can’t see where he belongs and he can’t understand that Bray isn’t his enemy. Together they could be like gods and the people would bow to them. Braun still says no but Bray talks about how good it feels to have his wings back. To make Braun the monster he needs to be, he has to destroy the monster Braun has become.

Bray asks if Braun wants to see something really scary. Cue a masked woman holding a snake, which bites Braun. Bray tells Braun to come home and we see shots of the old Wyatt Family. We cut to Braun next to a campfire, where he beats up more goons. One of them takes a shovel to the face and falls into the fire, sending him running off while in flames. A woman’s voice says Braun doesn’t need to do this and it’s….Alexa Bliss? She knows he’s always wanted them to be together and they can be together forever, just like he’s always wanted.

Bray pops up and goes for the eyes again but Braun throws him into a bat. Braun starts to leave but another, empty boat appears. He walks over to it but Bray pops up and hits him with a shovel before trying to drown Braun in the water. Braun comes out of the water and lays on the dock but Bray appears to swing the shovel at him again. Bray unloads with the handle of the shovel, saying look what Braun made him do.

Braun stands up behind him and kicks Bray through a wooden barricade and into the water. He says it’s over and the copyright notice comes up, but Bray pops up with the Mandible Claw and pulls him into the water. Bray tries to get out but falls back into the water. Everything turns red and the Fiend comes out to end the show. I’m not sure when the match began or ended but we’ll say it was about 18:30.

Rating: N/A. It wasn’t a match is any sense of the word so no rating. What we got instead was another cinematic angle which sets up the third part of the trilogy that I’m thinking only WWE is begging to see. This was about what was expected as Strowman vs. Fiend has been the endgame since the beginning. The cinematic stuff is done well, but it doesn’t help the fact that this isn’t an interesting feud, mainly because Strowman isn’t an interesting character. It’s one of the weaker one of these things, but if you liked the previous ones, you’ll probably like this too. Oh and look for Matt Hardy to complain about the water of reincarnation.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was running with an anchor all night long and it was getting obvious time after time. They were having good matches but it kept having to go to something else to take the focus off of the positives. Be it the eye stuff, the wacky interference or another cinematic ending, there was a good show in here being dragged down by all of the extra bells and whistles that WWE loves to tack on.

I get why they felt they needed something extra on this show, but dang it would be nice if they put in the effort to make the show work without all of that stuff. Not bad overall, but it needed someone to look at what they had on paper and say “no, try again.” The horror theme wasn’t exactly needed, that maybe it can show them that an EXTREME RULES pay per view isn’t the best idea if they need a gimmick to sell the gimmick show.

Results

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura b. New Day – Powerbomb through tables

Bayley b. Nikki Cross – Arm trap faceplant

MVP b. Apollo Crews by forfeit

Seth Rollins b. Rey Mysterio – Rollins took out Mysterio’s eye

Sasha Banks b. Asuka – Pin after interference from Bayley

Drew McIntyre b. Dolph Ziggler – Claymore

Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt went to a no contest

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

Can we just get this done already? I’ve made no secret of the fact that I am not exactly thrilled with Extreme Rules and based on the last month or so of television numbers, a lot of the fans aren’t either. It seems like WWE isn’t trying very hard with the build to this show and that is coming off rather badly on television. That usually means a good show, but you can never be sure. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro

This is a tables match, as chosen by Cesaro and Nakamura after Cesaro defeated Big E. on Smackdown. It is also my regular time to say that I don’t think New Day can go on forever as Tag Team Champions, even though they tend to go on forever as Tag Team Champions. You have to go with someone new at some point, though as usual, the question is whether that is what we are seeing here.

I think they do at least drop the titles here, as there is little to no reason to keep them on New Day at the moment. WWE has been hinting at teasing at a Big E. singles push (you can tell how sure they are about it) and it would be nice to see for a change. New Day is great, but how many times can we see the same thing over and over again? They do mix things up, but it tends to be New Day holding the titles forever, and that can get a little tiresome. New champs here, but I wouldn’t bet on anything long term.

US Title: Apollo Crews(c) vs. MVP

I still can’t get over how great MVP has been during this run. He can talk with the best of them in WWE today but he can also wrestle a match when necessary. A title run isn’t completely out of the question, but there seem to bigger issues out there to deal with. Crews feels like he has been ready to lose the title since the day he won it, and I’m not sure that changes here.

Crews retains this time around, as it seems that we are coming up on Crews vs. Bobby Lashley as the big boss at Summerslam. MVP is fine for a filler opponent until we get there, but as someone who doesn’t exactly get in the ring as a full time singles wrestler most of the time, I’m not sure I can see him getting a title run out of this. Either way, it should be a better match than you would expect and that’s always a nice treat.

Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio

Let’s get this one out of the way. The idea here is that you have to take out your opponent’s eye to win. I get that they’re going for something to tie into the Horror Show idea (because they seem to think it’s October) but….dang man. Remember when you have two future Hall of Famers having a good match instead of this? They can have some kind of a violent, brutal match (maybe even an extreme one) without this nonsense.

I’ll take Rollins to win and hopefully get on to something other than this messiah deal that he has been doing which hasn’t worked so well yet. Mysterio doesn’t seem to have a contract at the moment so finding an out for him isn’t the worst idea. I’m not sure what else they can do with Rollins other than put him against Kevin Owens, but the real winner here is going to be the fans for seeing how stupid of a way they use to deliver on the ending (assuming they actually do).

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Nikki Cross

Now this one could be a sleeper hit as the two of them can both do some good things in the ring. Bayley has gotten WAY better at her heel stuff in recent weeks and it has been a lot easier to watch her on all of the shows. Cross on the other hand is someone who seems capable of having an awesome match at the drop of a hat, though she rarely actually gets to that point.

Of course Bayley retains here though, as she has held the title so long that it is almost hard to imagine her losing the thing anytime soon. Then again, when you have practically held it for a year already, the idea of seeing you hold it much longer is a little hard to fathom. I can go for more of Bayley, though they need to make up their minds on the Sasha Banks stuff already. Or find a better top level challenger for her, as she has been lacking one for most of her time as champion.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka(c) vs. Sasha Banks

While the other Women’s Title match seems more like a sleeper hit, this one is probably a wide awake one and might be the match of the night. Banks and Asuka do not have the biggest history together and it could be interesting to see what they can do in a big setting. I’m not sure I can imagine the title changing hands, though Asuka being a dominant main roster champion doesn’t quite feel right either.

For now though, I’ll say Asuka retains without the deepest confidence. What matters here though is having a good match between two talented wrestlers, which could be a rarity on this show. The women’s divisions have gotten better since the masses have been allowed to catch up with Charlotte and Becky Lynch gone, so hopefully these two can pull off what they are capable of doing here.

Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt

This would be your middle match of the trilogy which is there for the sake of setting up the final match in the trilogy. This is still something that is supposed to be interesting based on that time where Strowman and Wyatt were in the same stable, even though they never really did anything significant together. However, this time they’re in a swamp, which is the kind of thing that you don’t see very often.

In the least surprising result of the month, of course Wyatt wins here, likely in a cool visual after we go through the swamp in their latest cinematic match. That is about all they have around here and I’m not sure if it is going to be enough to overcome a rather dull story. These two don’t feel like they’re having a major feud, but we’re going to be seeing them do it again next month too. But yeah Wyatt wins here, as you probably guessed when the match was announced.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

So now we have these two in the main event, which will probably be a pretty decent match. They can both do good stuff when they have the chance and they will here. The problem is that it isn’t a story I care to see, which is where they lose me. It’s a lot better than Strowman vs. Wyatt, but at the same time, it is going to feel like a big countdown until we get to the finish.

That finish of course will be McIntyre Claymoring Ziggler’s head off for the pin. I’m not sure why that is something that we need to sit through what will likely be twenty minutes to get there, but at least the action should be good. We should be in for a solid match, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be enough to make up for the general apathy every time that I hear Ziggler’s music playing.

Overall Thoughts

I’m to the point where I’m expecting the show to be good but it is going to have to be a complete home run to make up for the build. You can tell when WWE just isn’t trying and they haven’t been all month. Maybe that picks up with the start of the Summerslam build, but looking at the audience numbers dropping like stones and seeing this stuff getting weaker and weaker, they need a good one here to kick things off. I’m not sure if it is going to happen, but the show could look a heck of a lot worse.

 

 

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

Smackdown
Date: July 17, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and I think I can safely say thank goodness for that. We’ve had a long road to get here and there is one big match to go, as Matt Riddle challenges AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Title. Hopefully they can add in a little more for the pay per view, as it only has six matches set. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

AJ Styles is ready to beat the barefoot bump to retain the title because Riddle is a flash in the pan.

Matt Riddle is ready to beat Arrogant Jackass all over again.

Daniel Bryan is ready to see a new champion.

Alexa Bliss has a special mystery guest on A Moment of Bliss. Who is it? She doesn’t Bliss and tell.

Miz and John Morrison are getting ready for Morrison’s match against Braun Strowman. And something about fighting Jean Claude Van Damme on a yacht.

Braun Strowman hopes Bray Wyatt is watching tonight.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro are ready to pick the stipulation for Sunday’s Tag Team Title match after Cesaro beats Big E.

New Day doesn’t think so.

Big E. vs. Cesaro

Kofi Kingston and Shinsuke Nakamura are at ringside and the winner gets to pick the stipulation (between a tables match and a cage match) for Sunday. They go outside in a hurry with Big E. driving him into the steps. A spear into the steps makes it even worse but Big E. misses a charge into the post back inside. Cesaro posts him again and hits a middle rope ax handle to the head for two. The chinlock goes on but Big E. fights up with belly to belly suplexes. The apron splash connects and we take a break.

Back with Cesaro cutting off a comeback big with an uppercut but Big E. reverses the Neutralizer into the Brock Lock of all things. That’s reversed as well and Cesaro swings him into the Sharpshooter. Cesaro switches into a Crossface but Big E. makes the rope. Kofi gets taken out as Big E. loads up the Big Ending, which nearly hits the referee. The distraction lets Nakamura get in a cheap shot and the Neutralizer lets Cesaro make the choice at 10:07.

Rating: C. This is a match that could have worked better with some more time and it worked out well enough here. They had been teasing a tables match for a few weeks now so the ending wasn’t quite in doubt, but I’ll take a little drama over building momentum every time.

Post match Cesaro and Nakamura load up another table but Kofi is back for the save. Nakamura gets Cesaro off the table in time though and they bail.

King Corbin wants to see Styles retain tonight because he doesn’t like Riddle. See, Riddle is playing with fire by going after the big dogs and tonight he’s going to get burned. Tonight, people are going to realize that the Bro is a little boy.

It’s time for A Moment of Bliss, with Alexa Bliss feeling clairvoyant. She thinks the Los Angeles Lakers are going to win the NBA Championship, that Matt Riddle is winning the Intercontinental Title tonight, that Braun Strowman is going to win the Swamp Fight, and that her mystery guest is going to tear the roof off on Sunday. Nikki Cross thinks it’s her and promises to do just that against Bayley. Bliss asks how many Nitro Boosts Cross has had, because she isn’t the guest.

Cue Bayley and Sasha Banks, with Bayley promising to retain on Sunday. She has a prediction of her own: on Sunday, she is beating Nikki and Banks is beating the Empress of Yesterday Asuka, to win every belt there is. That’s all well and good, but Bayley and Banks aren’t the guest. Cue Asuka, with the brawl starting in a hurry. Bliss says get a referee out here.

Hold on though as Daniel Bryan says that he thinks Riddle is winning the title again.

Asuka/Nikki Cross vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Non-title. Cross throws Bayley down to start and hammers away on her in the corner. Banks offers a distraction though and Bayley pulls her down by the hair. The armbar doesn’t last long and it’s back to Bayley to stomp away. A double whip sends Cross into the corner again and Bayley grabs the chinlock. That lasts as long as your run of the mill chinlock and Cross fights up for the tag off to Asuka. House is cleaned in a hurry and Asuka ties Banks up in the ring skirt.

It’s back to Cross to forearm away and scream a lot. Bayley’s baseball slide under the corner is countered into the ring skirt as well and it’s Cross and Asuka hitting dives off the apron. Dancing takes us to the break. Back with Asuka in trouble and Banks stomping away before handing it back to Bayley. More stomping ensues and it’s Banks grabbing the chinlock.

Bayley misses an elbow though and it’s a hot tag to Cross to pick up the pace. A bulldog out of the corner drops Banks but she’s right back with a dropkick to the ribs for two. Bayley comes back in and sends Cross outside, where Cross hits a springboard tornado DDT off the announcers’ table. Everyone winds up back inside until Banks kicks Asuka to the floor. The Meteora off the apron misses and Asuka kicks Banks down, leaving Bayley to counter another DDT into a rollup with feet on the ropes to pin Cross at 14:20.

Rating: C+. The energy was high here, though I’m still not believing there is much of a chance at either title changing hands on Sunday. Bayley and Banks have been on television a lot as of late and they’re really gelling as a team as of late. The problem though is they’re beating everyone and I’m not sure who is left to give them a real challenge.

Miz fires up Morrison, who compares Strowman to a movie monster. They’re movie guys, but Miz isn’t going to be the best friend who dies fighting said monster. He’ll have Morrison’s back though.

This week’s Firefly Fun House takes us to the Swamp with Eater of Worlds Wyatt. Bray talks about how he brought Strowman here and told him the truth. He gave Strowman a purpose and created the monster. But then Strowman left, only to want to come back to the swamp to face Wyatt once and for all. Wyatt wants his monster to come home because the monster is still inside.

John Morrison vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title and Miz is in Morrison’s corner. Before the match, Strowman talks about having to go to the swamp and slap the devil in the face to end this once and for all. Strowman starts fast and hits the running clothesline in the corner. Morrison gets forearmed in the chest over and over, followed by a one armed chokeslam. The old head and arm choke sets up the running powerslam to finish Morrison at 1:47. That’s how it should have gone.

Post match, Strowman says he’s coming home. Strowman leaves and Morrison needs help getting out.

Naomi vs. Lacey Evans

Naomi cuts off Lacey’s pre-match promo and we’re ready to go. A few shots to the ribs have Lacey in early trouble but she knocks Naomi down and hits the slingshot elbow. The bottom rope moonsault hits Naomi’s raised knees and some kicks to the ribs keep Lacey in trouble. There’s a running hurricanrana to put Lacey in the corner and a kick to the head knocks her down on the apron. Lacey catches her charging in and ties the hair around the ropes for a creative stop. That’s broken up and the Woman’s Right finishes Naomi at 2:43. So why couldn’t they just do this last week?

Jeff Hardy talks about how fighting a bully like Sheamus is like fighting addiction. Yes it’s risky to walk into a bar but it’s going to be worth the chance to beat up Sheamus. As for tonight’s Intercontinental Title match…..well I’m not sure actually as Sheamus kicks him in the face. Sheamus says he’s here to cleanse Jeff of his demons, so see you next week fella. So the Bar Fight is on Smackdown and not at the pay per view? Ok then.

Bayley and Banks talk about having the momentum going into Sunday.

Cross is upset about losing and doesn’t want to let everyone down. Bliss tries to calm her down but Cross runs after Bayley and Banks, who are standing nearby. Bliss has to break it up, with Bayley wanting a leash on Cross.

Here are the same promos from AJ and Riddle that opened the show.

Intercontinental Title: Matt Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Styles is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Riddle blocks an early Irish whip attempt and hits the rolling gutwrench suplexes to put AJ on the floor. A running knee puts AJ down again so he rips off the announcers’ table, only to get kicked in the head. We take a break and come back with AJ still in trouble as commentary thinks he’s off his game tonight.

AJ manages a belly to back faceplant to drop Riddle though and it’s time for the forearms in the corner. Some shots to the leg have Riddle in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Riddle powers up and drives him into the corner, setting up the running backsplash. The Bro To Sleep into the Final Flash connects for two and we take another break.

Back again with AJ hitting a clothesline out of the corner but Riddle strikes away without much trouble. Riddle charges into a superkick though but AJ can’t hit the Styles Clash. Instead Riddle hits a ripcord knee to the face, only to miss the Floating Bro. A brainbuster gives AJ two but he has to fight out of the Bro Derek. They strike it out with AJ reversing a Pele into the Calf Crusher. Riddle reverses that into a Bromission attempt but can’t quite get it on. Instead, AJ reverses into a cradle for the clean pin at 18:07.

Rating: B. I’m not wild on the 50/50 booking, though losing a clean fall to AJ Styles is far from some career killer. Riddle has gotten a good start to his run on Smackdown, but I’m worried about the double hit of losing here and then having to feud with Corbin for weeks on end. I know he had frostbite on his feet, but that isn’t the kind of heat he needs.

Post match AJ shakes Riddle’s hand but here’s Corbin from behind to beat Riddle down.

Overall Rating: C+. Maybe it was last week’s show being so bad but this was a lot easier to watch than most shows. Imagine that: you get rid of the stupid stuff like karaoke and have a good, long main event and the show gets that much better. I still have no desire to watch Extreme Rules, but at least they had something better here for a change.

Results

Cesaro b. Big E. – Neutralizer

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Asuka/Nikki Cross – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Cross

Braun Strowman b. John Morrison – Running powerslam

Lacey Evans b. Naomi – Woman’s Right

AJ Styles b. Matt Riddle – Cradle

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

Survivor Series 2016
Date: November 20, 2016
Location: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 17,143
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Mauro Ranallo, John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, David Otunga

I say this every year but it’s always hard to believe that it’s been a full year since this show. This was the first time that a Survivor Series was expanded to four hours but thankfully there’s a good chance that they could make it work, mainly due to the elimination matches. The main event though is Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg, which I’m sure will be completely uneventful. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Drew Gulak/Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese vs. Noam Dar/TJ Perkins/Rich Swann

This is a preview match for something called 205 Live, which debuts next week. I know it hasn’t gone great but the division really has evolved into a better place than when it started. Swann gets a nice reaction and then starts with Nese, who gets chopped in the corner. They do their regular flips with Swann’s jump over Nese’s feet getting a good pop (as always) before it’s off to Perkins.

Some suplexes set up an Octopus Hold but Nese reverses into a kind of gutwrench suplex. Gulak comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner with everyone working him over. We actually get a TJ PERKINS chant as he slaps on the kneebar to keep Gulak in trouble. Everything breaks down and we take a break.

Back with Daivari in trouble this time as Dar gets two off a running kick to the face. Nese offers a distraction though and a spinebuster takes Dar down. A superkick gives Daivari two and it’s back to Gulak to crank on the leg. If this sounds rather uninteresting, it’s only because that’s what it is.

Dar dropkicks his way to freedom and the hot tag brings in Swann to very little reaction. A good looking jumping hurricanrana takes Daivari off the middle rope as everything breaks down again. That means we hit the dives but the referee CUTS PERKINS OFF. Now you know that’s not working so Perkins dives over the referee to take out some villains. Back in and Swann’s standing 450 ends Daivari at 11:48.

Rating: C-. I forgot how uninteresting these earlier cruiserweight matches were. The guys barely have characters and the entire story here was “three faces vs. three heels”. It didn’t get much better for a long time but, as usual, the problem comes down to one simple thing: if the smaller guys on the main roster can be big stars and do all these dives, why should I be impressed when cruiserweights can do them too?

Kickoff Show: Luke Harper vs. Kane

Harper is part of the NEW Wyatt Family, which screwed Kane over, meaning we need a match here. Kane grabs a full nelson of all things and we’re in a chinlock fifteen seconds in. That goes nowhere so Harper grabs a headlock as the fans are oddly split here. Kane starts in on the shoulder by sending it into the buckle. Harper sends him outside though and hits that suicide shove of his (Who needs cruiserweights?).

A slingshot flip splash gives Luke two and we take a break. Back with Kane in a chinlock (well duh) but managing to superplex Harper down for a crash. The sidewalk slam gets two but Harper scores with a superkick for the same. Kane’s running DDT and Harper’s Boss Man Slam are good for two more each but it’s the chokeslam to put Harper away at 9:10.

Rating: D+. Well what were you expecting here? This was exactly the match you would have planned out for them and Kane won with his finisher. It’s about as paint by numbers of a power match as you can get and while it wasn’t terrible, it’s also a match I really didn’t need to see.

The opening video looks at Goldberg vs. Lesnar and then all the Raw vs. Smackdown matches. Well at least they got some time. I’m sure Stephanie’s voiceovers had nothing to do with it.

Raw Women’s Team vs. Smackdown Women’s Team

Raw: Bayley, Alicia Fox, Charlotte, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks

Smackdown: Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Naomi, Nikki Bella

Entrances alone take forever of course, which will be a theme tonight. Charlotte is Raw Women’s Champion and has Dana Brooke in her corner. Becky is Smackdown Women’s Champion but Nikki is captain. You know, because of course. Bliss gets a heck of a reaction (gee I wonder why). Actually hang on a second as there’s no Nikki. We cut to the back where she’s down after being attacked. Not to worry though, as Smackdown coach Natalya is more than willing to take the spot.

We settle down to Becky and Banks trading rollups before it’s off to Charlotte for more of the same. Becky can’t get the Disarm-Her and it’s off to Nia as things get a lot more difficult. Carmella and Bliss come in for the expected results and Naomi’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air. Natalya actually gets a reaction but Nia clotheslines her head off for her efforts. It’s off to Fox vs. Carmella with Alicia avoiding a Bronco Buster, setting up what looked to be a mostly missed ax kick for the elimination at 6:35. Bliss comes right in, sends Fox into the buckle and adds Twisted Bliss to tie it up at 6:48.

Charlotte and Naomi come in with the latter cleaning house, including knocking Nia outside and hitting a high crossbody to the floor. Nia posts her though and that’s a countout at 8:23. We pause for the Tye Dillinger TEN chant until Bliss takes Banks down and grinds her face into the mat. Banks sends Bliss and Natalya into each other, followed by the double knees in the corner to Alexa. Back up and Bliss saves Natalya from the Bank Statement, allowing Natalya to roll Banks up for the elimination at 10:20.

Charlotte comes in and gets suplexed, meaning we hit the SUPLEX CITY chants. You would think fans would know more chants than that. Charlotte goes up for the moonsault but, as always, Natalya powerbombs her down for two in the near fall that never ends Charlotte. The required Sharpshooter sends Charlotte crawling for the ropes but a big boot ends Natalya at 12:01.

Becky and Bliss get in an argument over who should come in, allowing Jax to suplex them both at the same time. Of course that gets a MAMA MIA from Mauro, which I miss hearing so often. Bliss gets caught in a slam but Becky makes a blind tag and missile dropkicks Bliss in the back to knock her onto Jax. The Disarm-Her actually makes Jax tap at 13:35 and it’s 2-2 with Becky/Bliss vs Charlotte/Bayley.

Jax mauls Becky, leaving Bliss to get big booted down for the elimination at 14:03. Becky fights back as fast as she can with the series of clotheslines into the leg lariat, followed by Bexplex. Bayley has to dive in for a save after a top rope legdrop before coming in for the slugout. Another Bexplex gets two but Bayley’s elbow to the back gets the same. You can tell Becky is getting tired out there so Bayley blocks the Disarm-Her and grabs the Bayley to Belly for the final pin at 17:53.

Rating: C+. The quick eliminations didn’t help things here but the ending was the right call. There was way too much talent on the Raw side to lose and I’m VERY glad it was Natalya, who can wrestle this style without having to dumb things down too much. Becky was pretty much all the blue team had for a lot of the match and she put up a valiant effort, only to be outgunned. That makes her look strong and Bayley getting a win like this is a good thing for her at this stage in her main roster career.

Charlotte takes Bayley out post match and beats her around ringside.

Smackdown mascot James Ellsworth runs into Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, who weren’t funny in 2016 either. They make some bad chin puns but Raw GM Mick Foley comes in to run them off. Ellsworth talks about all the great memories he has of Foley, most of which involve him being in extreme pain. Foley thanks him anyway and suggests Ellsworth move to Raw. He appreciates the offer but politely turns it down because he’s true blue. Foley leaves and Ellsworth runs into Braun Strowman, who asks if he knows Ellsworth. James runs in a smart move.

Intercontinental Title: Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz is defending and Sami is trying to take the title to Raw. We get the Big Match Intros and Sami gets quite the reaction for being Canadian. Sami spins out of a wristlock to start and Miz looks annoyed in the corner. Miz gets sent outside but Sami has to bail out of the flip dive. The moonsault off the barricade works though, drawing over Maryse for a distraction. Well she can be quite distracting.

This one works well with Miz taking out the knee to get his first advantage. Some hard stomps to the knees have Sami in trouble but he’s still able to clothesline Miz to the floor. A flip dive works as well, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two. Miz’s short DDT gets the same and it’s time for a double breather. The running corner dropkick/clothesline look to set up the ax handle but Sami reverses into the Blue Thunder Bomb.

The Helluva Kick only hits corner though and that means the Figure Four. This one stays on for a good while until Sami makes the ropes, earning himself some YES Kicks. Sami reverses one into a Figure Four of his own but Maryse rings the bell. Since Sami isn’t all that bright, he of course falls for it, only to have Miz roll him up to retain at 14:06.

Rating: C-. Kind of a dull match as you knew a lot of Sami’s near falls weren’t going anywhere. I can go for Miz and Maryse teaming up to steal wins though and it’s a big reason why he’s been an awesome Intercontinental Champion. This would also help play into Sami’s heel turn nearly a year later as he would get tired of losing while playing by the rules. Makes sense, especially in a long term form.

Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles are bickering over being teammates tonight when Shane McMahon comes in and tells them to cool it so Smackdown doesn’t lose again.

Raw Tag Teams vs. Smackdown Tag Teams

Raw: Enzo Amore/Big Cass, Cesaro/Sheamus, Gallows and Anderson, New Day, Shining Stars

Smackdown: American Alpha, Breezango, Heath Slater/Rhyno, Hype Bros, Usos

A fall eliminates both members of a team. Enzo and Cass suck up to the live crowd, as you might expect. New Day and Slater/Rhyno are the respective champions. Fandango tries to give everyone a fashion ticket to start, earning himself a Midnight Hour for the elimination at 44 seconds. New Day spends too much time celebrating though and it’s a superkick from Jimmy to pin Big E. at 1:08.

Gallows comes in to punch Jimmy in the face before handing it off to Cass for the tall power. The fast tags continue as it’s off to Epico vs. Ryder (who is rocking some old school Survivor Series logo trunks) with Mojo coming in for a clap around the ears. Rawley gets taken down into the corner for the huge group beating though as we keep trying to get everyone in. It’s back to Ryder (not Slater like the fans want) but Gallows saves Anderson from the Broski Boot. Instead it’s the Magic Killer to pin Ryder at 5:08.

Gable comes in as Graves talks about how scared he is of American Alpha. It doesn’t seem to be the most valid fear to start though as Epico takes Gable down into a chinlock. Some rolling suplexes have Gable in more trouble and Primo comes in with a springboard ax handle to the ribs. He misses a charge in the corner though and it’s off to Jordan for a quick Steiner Bulldog to get rid of the Stars at 8:08.

The six remaining teams (Enzo/Big Cass, Cesaro/Sheamus, Gallows and Anderson vs. American Alpha, Heath Slater/Rhyno, Usos) come in at once as everything breaks down. That means Enzo gets tossed over the top onto a big pile….which was mainly Raw guys but whatever. Rhyno gets thrown over the top as well, only to have Slater add an even bigger dive. Back in and Cesaro swings Jordan but Gable makes the save with a Rolling Chaos Theory.

Gable isn’t done though as Jordan throws him over the top for a HUGE flip dive onto everyone. Sweet goodness those two were awesome together. I mean, not as awesome as Jordan on his own with Kurt Angle kind of around but still. Back in and it’s a quick Magic Killer to get rid of Jordan at 10:39 as the eliminations are still flying. A spinebuster plants Slater and he’s caught in the wrong corner.

Sheamus won’t tag Cesaro (this was before their ridiculous matching outfits) and an argument breaks out, allowing the hot tag off to Rhyno as everyone bickers. Rhyno comes in and Gores Gallows for an elimination at 12:28. Cass wastes no time with a big boot to Rhyno, followed by the Bada Boom Shaka Lacka for the pin at 12:45.

That leaves us with the Usos….who superkick Enzo down to set up the Superfly Splash and an elimination at 13:26 before I can type the Raw teams. So now we’re down to the Usos vs. Cesaro/Sheamus with the latter hitting the ten forearms (you know the chant) on Jimmy. Cesaro comes in and eats a double superkick but Sheamus Brogue kicks Jimmy with Jey making a diving save.

Super White Noise plants Jimmy again but Jey is right back with a Superfly Splash for two with Cesaro making a save of his own. The hot tag brings in Cesaro for the Uppercut Train and a 619 as the fans lose their minds over Cesaro again. A high crossbody gets two on Jey and it’s time for the Swing. Jimmy breaks up the Sharpshooter and Jey gets the Tequila Sunrise. That’s reversed right back into the Sharpshooter with Sheamus remembering he’s in the match to cut off Jimmy, leaving Jey to tap at 18:55.

Rating: B. This was during the time that I couldn’t stand Sheamus and Cesaro (not a lot has changed in a year) but they did a lot of stuff in this match, despite the crunched timeline. Getting nine eliminations in less than nineteen minutes is a lot but you have to clear the ring out at the beginning. It’s entertaining, but hits a hard ceiling that it’s not getting past.

Stephanie and Foley decide that Sheamus and Cesaro should get a Tag Team Title shot tomorrow night. They recap the rest of the show with Stephanie getting way too serious, as usual.

Preview for TLC with Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles in a TLC match for the title.

Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick does his best Sean O’Haire impression and is ready for Kalisto. If Kalisto wins, he brings the division to Smackdown. It’s fine for a one off match but it was really hard to buy Kendrick as the best cruiserweight in the company in 2016.

Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick is defending and charges straight into a knee to the face. Kalisto is right back with a suicide dive, followed by a springboard corkscrew crossbody for two. Some rollups give Kalisto more near falls and a shotgun dropkick has Kendrick in even more trouble. A rollup into the corner finally gives Kendrick a breather and he crushes Kalisto between the steps and the apron for good measure.

Back in and we hit the cravate to slow things back down. Kalisto manages to fight up and get to the apron where he grabs a C4 out to the floor in the big crash of the match. A good looking suicide dive takes Kendrick down again but he reverses a super Salida Del Sol into the Captain’s Hook. Kalisto finally grabs the ropes and fires off some kicks, followed by the hurricanrana driver. The Salida Del Sol gets two with Kendrick getting to the ropes. Kalisto heads up top….and here’s Baron Corbin for the DQ at 12:21.

Rating: C-. The match was good at times but Kendrick really isn’t the kind of guy you want as a long term champion. It also didn’t help that you knew they weren’t changing up the cruiserweight division so close to 205 Live’s launch. Corbin interfering was fine enough, but it really does make the title match feel like a big waste of time.

The Kickoff Show panel recaps the show so far.

Daniel Bryan yells at Corbin, who doesn’t want little pests running around on Smackdown.

We recap the men’s Survivor Series match, which started in July at the second Brand Split. Naturally this is about the McMahons as Shane and Stephanie are the Commissioners and therefore they have to be fighting. We look at all the entrants as this is treated like the major match is should be treated as. Then Shane is added to the match and that notion kind of falls apart.

Raw Men’s Team vs. Smackdown Men’s Team

Raw: Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns

Seth Rollins

Smackdown: AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Shane McMahon

AJ and Owens are the World Champions, Reigns is US Champion and Ellsworth is here as the mascot. This is also during the period where Orton is part of the Wyatt Family because we needed that story to get to Orton as World Champion again. Rollins gets a nice reaction and it’s far better without BURN IT DOWN or whatever the line is. AJ and Owens start things off with Styles wasting no time in hitting the drop down into the dropkick.

That’s enough of that though as it’s and they slug it out with AJ getting the better of it. The STUPID IDIOT chants mean it’s time for Jericho, who throws his shirt at AJ and hammers away. Styles dropkicks him down again as the announcers discuss Jericho insulting Undertaker on Twitter. It’s off to Ambrose vs. Rollins, which turns into far more of a wrestling match than it should.

Rollins can’t get a Pedigree so let’s go back to Jericho. Chris yells at Dean for the $15,000 jacket issue, earning himself some really bad armdrags. An enziguri cuts Dean down for two but Ambrose is right back with a bunch of right hands to the head. Shane comes in for the first time and my interest goes down. I’m still not a fan of middle aged Shane and this isn’t likely to change things.

Shane’s bad punches and an armdrag (better than Dean’s) take Jericho down until a dropkick cuts him off. The announcers debate the TV ratings as Reigns comes in and gets booed out of the building. Roman hammers him down in the corner and Seth comes in for a chinlock. That’s broken up so let’s go with Dean vs. Kevin. Owens hits a superkick but gets caught in a hurricanrana, only to have Jericho break up Dirty Deeds.

Everything breaks down and Strowman tags himself in, leaving the fans to chant for Ellsworth. The fight heads outside with Dean being left alone in the ring until Strowman catches his slingshot dive. Strowman walks him around the ring until AJ’s slingshot forearm to the floor breaks it up. Owens dives onto everyone and Strowman tosses Shane across the ring in a pretty good power display.

Some double teaming doesn’t do much to stop Strowman but they manage to knock him outside. That’s enough of Dean and Ambrose working together so they get in a fight, allowing Strowman to hit the running powerslam for the pin on Dean at 15:57. AJ was looking right at the cover and didn’t move. Shane gets to beat on Strowman for a bit but thankfully he gets hammered down as well.

The Phenomenal Forearm is pulled out of the air with AJ being tossed outside in a nasty heap. Orton gets thrown aside too but a stare from Bray stops Strowman in his tracks. Strowman grabs Jericho by the throat but decides to run Bray over instead, followed by a dropkick to put him on the floor. Braun goes outside as well but runs into an RKO onto the announcers’ table. After we pause to see what a random eight year old fan thought of it (he was applauding), Shane drops the top rope elbow to put Strowman through said table. That and Ellsworth grabbing Braun’s foot get Strowman counted out at 21:18.

Strowman catches Ellsworth running up the ramp though (How slow is this guy?) and throws him off the stage through some tables. Everyone else is mostly dead until Jericho covers Shane for two. Owens is fresh enough to drop the backsplash on Shane for two (but only after mocking the dance). There’s the Lionsault but Shane gets two of his own off a small package.

Shane takes a Codebreaker but Orton comes in before the cover, meaning Shane survives another finisher. He avoids a top rope splash though and it’s off to AJ to work on Jericho. With Owens getting in an insult to AJ’s hair (too far man), Jericho counters the Styles Clash into a failed Walls attempt. The Phenomenal Blitz rocks Jericho but Owens comes in with the List of Jericho to blast AJ. That’s a DQ at 29:23, but not before he gives AJ a Pop Up Powerbomb.

Orton gets the tag and comes in with the RKO to get rid of Jericho at 30:19. Notice Reigns blankly staring up at the ramp and not hearing the RKO RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. So it’s down to Shane/AJ/Orton/Wyatt vs. Reigns/Rollins with Orton hammering on Rollins to start. Wyatt and Orton take turns on Seth as Shane is still laid on the apron after his long time in the ring. The superplex takes Rollins down (looks great too) but it allows the hot tag to Reigns. AJ comes in as well and MY GOODNESS the fans do not like Reigns.

House is cleaned with a series of Samoan drops, followed by a great looking Razor’s Edge powerbomb for two on AJ. Seriously that was good enough to cut off the booing. A Pele cuts off a Superman Punch and it’s back to Shane for no logical reason. Shane gets in a tornado DDT to drop Reigns and a clothesline takes Rollins down. Reigns tries a spear but gets awkwardly countered into the post.

In probably the spot of the match, Shane loads up Coast to Coast but gets speared out of the air for a SICK landing. Shane actually kicks out at two but you can see that he is completely gone. Like Lesnar after the botched shooting star gone. The referee says Shane is eliminated at 37:07, presumably due to his brains looking like a pie that has been run over by a bus driven by raccoons.

We pause for a bit as doctors get Shane out of the ring until Roman blasts Bray with a clothesline. Rollins and AJ get stereo hot tags with Seth’s Blockbuster putting Styles down. There’s the slingshot knee to AJ and a suicide dive to Wyatt. With Reigns down on the floor, let’s hit that ROMAN’S SLEEPING chant! Still one of my favorites because the fans just will not give him a break no matter what. An enziguri staggers AJ on top and now it’s WAKE UP ROMAN. Reigns does in fact wake up and saves Rollins from a hanging DDT on the floor.

With Orton down, it seems as good a time as any for a DoubleBomb. Styles makes a save before it can be loaded up but here’s Ambrose to jump Styles again. The fans call Dean a STUPID IDIOT as the former Shield beats up security. NOW the TripleBomb puts AJ through the table, allowing Rollins to get the pin at 47:00. It’s down to two on two with the Wyatts vs. the Shield (not the worst idea in the world)….and here’s Luke Harper for a distraction so the Wyatts can take over.

Reigns posts Orton but Harper superkicks him down, only to have Rollins score with a flip dive to the floor. Back in and the low superkick hits Wyatt but he dives into an RKO, giving Bray the pin at 49:25. Reigns, all alone, sends both of them outside and takes Harper out as a bonus. Back in and Orton eats a spear to save Wyatt, leaving Bray to grab Sister Abigail for the pin at 52:50.

Rating: A. This is a great example of a match that benefits from all of the time it had. What I loved about this was how long it took to take someone out. Most of the people in here were former World Champions and it doesn’t make sense to have them losing in a minute or two like in the other matches. They let the match build up for a change and that’s what makes this feel important.

Above all else though, this felt like someone surviving instead of whoever was left last. Look at the women’s match. Bayley barely looked like she had been through anything at the end. Orton and Wyatt looked banged up, which is how they should after a match like this. It’s a well put together match that got the kind of time it needed, which is exactly how something like this should be. Really strong stuff here with Bray, who actually needed it, getting the win.

We recap Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. Goldberg was being interviewed about being in WWE2K16 and said he didn’t owe Lesnar a rematch. Lesnar challenged him though and Goldberg wanted his son to see him wrestle. The match was on and it does indeed feel like a battle of two people who could kill each other.

Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg

We get the full Goldberg entrance, complete with someone knocking on his door. Lesnar drives him into the corner to start but Goldberg shoves him right back down, scaring the heck out of Lesnar in the process. Back up and the spear connects to drop Lesnar again. There’s a second spear, followed by a Jackhammer to give Goldberg the huge upset at 1:25.

Yeah I still don’t like it. Sure it was shocking and a huge moment, but what did this set up? Goldberg eliminating Lesnar from the Rumble, Goldberg getting the most unnecessary Universal Title reign ever, and then a good sub five minute match at Wrestlemania. One of WWE’s biggest issues is giving fans something to cheer for and they give this spot to Goldberg, who they didn’t even create, for the sake of a video game (might not have been their call) and a story that could have made someone’s career. After this, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman both fell to Lesnar, but Goldberg doesn’t. I don’t buy it, nor to I like it.

Goldberg celebrates with his family to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. One of the major perks about a match running nearly an hour on a three and a half hour show is that it can REALLY bring an overall rating up. Throw in a good women’s match and nothing really bad, this is actually a strong show. It’s far from perfect (main event aside, though that was the only thing that could have closed the show) but it’s a heck of a card, which I can always go for of course. The main issue is they could have gotten this one under three hours so it’s a bit long but nothing too bad. Really solid show though and most of that is due to the mega long match.

Ratings Comparison

Rich Swann/Noam Dar/TJ Perkins vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

Original: C

Redo: C-

Kane vs. Luke Harper

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Women’s Survivor Series Match

Original: C

Redo: C+

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Original: C+

Redo: C-

Tag Team Survivor Series Match

Original: D+

Redo: B

Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick

Original: C

Redo: C-

Men’s Survivor Series Match

Original: A-

Redo: A

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: B+

My eyebrows went up when I saw the original overall rating. The year of mellowing on the ending have helped a lot as there’s no way this is a B-. Also I really couldn’t stand Sheamus and Cesaro back then.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2016/11/20/survivor-series-2016-there-are-no-words/

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

Smackdown
Date: July 10, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re less than ten days away from Extreme Rules and the show can’t get here fast enough. The faster it gets here, the faster it’s over and that’s a good thing for everyone involved. We need more build towards the Swamp Fight, because the pay per view is going to feature a Swamp Fight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with MizTV with John Morrison serving as co-host. Morrison introduces their guest as having better face paint than 1993 Doink the Clown: Jeff Hardy. Jeff is glad to be here, but didn’t bring a clip for them to watch. Worry not though as Miz and Morrison have a clip, which is a long highlight package of Jeff’s return from his struggles and issues with Sheamus, who beat him at Backlash. Miz talks about Jeff being his daughter’s favorite wrestler but she doesn’t know the darkness underneath the bright colors.

Jeff isn’t bothered by what Sheamus has said but he is bothered by losing to Sheamus at Backlash. Miz thinks the right thing for Jeff to do is face Sheamus again, but in a setting where Jeff is more familiar. Like say, in a bar fight. That’s fine with Jeff, who is always up for a handicap match. Miz and Morrison can’t decide who Jeff should fight, so he jumps them both to start in a hurry.

Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz

Morrison is at ringside with Miz. Jeff headlocks him down to start but Miz fights up and sends him to the apron. Miz drops Jeff down onto the apron and then cannonballs onto the ribs. A kick to the face gets two but Jeff takes him down again. Morrison saves Miz from a Swanton attempt so Jeff dives onto both of them as we take a break.

Back with Jeff in trouble after Morrison helped Miz with some well placed cheating. The knee lift to the apron has Jeff in more trouble but we pause for some dancing. Jeff gets in a quick kick but can’t hit the Twist of Fate as Miz grabs a DDT instead. The YES Kicks, complete with some HEY HEY HO HO’s get two and the running crotch attack to the back of the head rocks Hardy again.

Jeff is back with a jawbreaker into the basement dropkick and splash for two. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered into a rollup for two and Jeff hits the slingshot dropkick in the corner. Morrison is knocked off the apron but here’s Sheamus on the Titantron to offer Hardy a pint. The distraction lets Miz grab a rollup but Hardy reverses into one of his own for the pin at 13:46.

Rating: C-. They were going back and forth well enough here but well done on having a little twist on the main event. I still don’t like the focus on Hardy’s issues but that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. I’m sure Hardy signed off on the whole thing, but I’m not sure that makes it an acceptable idea given what a serious situation they’re dealing with here.

Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura don’t like the idea that it would be an upset if they win the Tag Team Titles tonight. See, they don’t sell out for the sake of merchandise and Nakamura has been sick of them for a long time now.

Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Non-title and Bliss/Cross jump the champs during their entrances. We settle down and start the match after a break, with Sasha taking cross into the corner. A bunch of stomping has Cross in more trouble so it’s off to Bayley, who gets tied up in the ring skirt. More forearms have Bayley in trouble so it’s back to Banks, who gets caught in a quick neckbreaker. Banks and Bayley bail to the floor and yell at commentary, allowing Cross to grab Bayley’s title for some dancing.

Bliss dropkicks them down and Cross dives onto Bayley as we take a break. Back with Bayley shouting about Steve Austin and stomping Alexa. Bliss gets choked on the ropes and sent hard into the corner, setting up the sliding lariat. Bayley clotheslines her down for two but Bliss slips away and makes the hot tag to Cross. House is cleaned, including a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two on Bayley, but Banks sends Bliss into the barricade. Cross dropkicks her through the ropes but gets rolled up with Bayley’s feet on the ropes for the pin at 12:17.

Rating: C. The ending is a little odd there, though at least points for not doing the exact same thing that they did with Banks and Asuka. I don’t buy Cross having a chance to win the title for a second but that has been the case with a lot of Bayley’s opponents over the last year. They aren’t exactly making me think that Banks and Bayley are turning on each other anytime soon, but at least we have them getting along more for an extended time.

From Money in the Bank.

Smackdown World Title: Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and it’s Bray rather than the Fiend. Braun grabs him by the throat and shoves him into the corner to start. Bray: “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!” A clothesline puts Bray down in the corner and he agrees that Braun is strong. Strowman sends him outside again but the running charge around the ring is sent over the announcers’ table.

Bray gets back inside and laughs at him but the evil seems to be coming out. Cue Huskus the Pig to say Bray can do it, meaning it’s a DDT on the floor for Bray’s first offense. Back in and Bray’s running clothesline gets two, followed by a tornado DDT into Sister Abigail for two more. Bray looks shocked for the first time and screams a lot. Ref: “It was two!”. Bray: “I KNOW!” Another Sister Abigail is countered into a chokeslam and they’re both down.

Strowman sends him outside so the running shoulder can connect but Bray kicks him off the apron. As Bray laughs inside, Strowman comes up in the black sheep mask. Bray is thrilled because he knew this would happen as Strowman rips his shirt off. Strowman drops to his knees and poses in front of a kneeling Bray. They hug as the puppets pop up to celebrate Braun being home. Then Braun takes the mask off and steps on it, setting up the running powerslam to retain at 10:43.

Rating: D. I know the Wyatt Family was a big deal for a long time but it’s not like Strowman was that important of a part. The angle makes sense but it’s not like it’s something that is going to draw that much interest. Strowman still doesn’t feel like the next big thing or a long term champion but at least the they gave him the first title defense, which he certainly needed.

Post match Bray glares at him and the Fiend pops up.

New Day is used to being told that they’re done because everyone has said they were done for years. They’re ready for Cesaro and Nakamura and start marching in place. New Day rocks you see.

And now, karaoke! We have Lacey Evans, Dana Brooke, Naomi and Tamina getting 45 seconds each to sing their favorite WWE song. Jey Uso hosts and introduces Lacey, who starts with Jeff Jarrett’s (Uso: “Or Road Dogg’s.”) With My Baby Tonight. It goes as expected, so next up is Dana Brooke singing Honky Tonk Man’s Cool Cocky Bad.

Uso cuts her off for being so terrible, meaning it’s Tamina singing Time To Play The Game, which is actually even worse and gets cut off before they even get to the first verse. Finally we have Naomi singing Dusty Rhodes’ Common Man Boogie. Naomi wins, as she was the only one resembling competent. The celebration is on, but Lacey turns on her, saying that she won.

Lacey Evans vs. Naomi

Neither are in gear, including no shoes to be found. Lacey stomps her into the corner and drop toeholds her down before wrapping the top of her dress around Lacey’s head. The annoyed Lacey goes outside and shoves Dana down so Dana tells her to suck it up. Tamina glares at Lacey but Dana comes in to go after Lacey for the DQ at 1:50. This ends one of the biggest wastes of time I can remember in a long while.

AJ Styles brags about embarrassing Drew Gulak and Daniel Bryan last week, but finds out that he has to defend against Matt Riddle next week. AJ: “WHO DID HE EVER BEAT???” Interviewer: “Well he defeated you in his debut match.” AJ: “THAT WAS RHETORICAL!!!” Styles promises to win.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro

Nakamura and Cesaro are challenging. Kofi gets taken into the corner and dropped ribs first onto the top turnbuckle for his efforts. Cesaro comes in to kick away at the ribs but Kofi elbows Nakamura in the face. It’s Cesaro being sent into the corner for the Unicorn Stampede so he rolls outside. Kofi’s big dive is uppercut out of the air though and we take a break.

Back with Kofi knocking Nakamura down and bringing in Big E. to start the suplexing. The splash misses and Cesaro’s rollup gets two. Some alternating elbows and right hands to the jaw have Big E. in trouble in the corner, but Kofi tags himself in. A top rope double stomp/powerbomb combination gets two on Cesaro with Nakamura making the save. Everything breaks down and it’s a big brawl until the referee throws it out at 10:38.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going (as tends to be the case before the break in WWE matches) but I was surprised that they didn’t go with the screwy finish. If nothing else, this gives them a reason to have a rematch without giving us an actual winner. The title match at Extreme Rules has been fairly obvious for a few weeks now so hopefully it winds up being good.

Post match the brawl continues and Cesaro powerbombs Kofi through Big E. through a table and pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. It was a rough sit this week with the Strowman vs. Wyatt match not being something I needed to see again and the karaoke deal being the biggest bit of filler I can remember. Even with Lacey’s turn in the middle, it was far from something that had any major value. The dead period continues for WWE as we roll towards Summerslam, and I can’t imagine it gets much better until after Extreme Rules.

Results

Jeff Hardy b. Miz – Rollup

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Cross

Lacey Evans b. Naomi via DQ when Dana Brooke interfered

New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro went to a double DQ when all four brawled in the ring

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

It’s that time of year again.

 

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-tale-two-vacations/

Smackdown
Date: July 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

Things should be a bit more back to normal this week as we won’t be having the big Undertaker tribute taking up half of the show. Instead, we’ll be seeing Sheamus toast Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles defending the Intercontinental Title against Drew Gulak, both of which were originally scheduled for last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Michael Cole is in the ring and brings out Matt Riddle for a chat. Cole asks Riddle about coming here and if he can explain what it means to beat AJ Styles. Riddle: “Uh, not really.” Riddle talks about how he could get used to facing people like AJ Styles and having success in NXT and here on Smackdown. As for the bare feet, it comes from when he was a kid and went on vacation to Wisconsin. He would play in the snow then get in the indoor pool. One day he did it a little too long and got frostbite on his feet.

It was so bad that he almost lost his toes and wearing shoes gives him that same weird feeling. So he doesn’t wear shoes no matter what he’s doing, whether it’s going to a wedding or hanging out with a bear. Cue King Corbin to say that story was a waste of time and to send Cole back to commentary. Riddle can’t carry his crown and no one wants him here. Riddle: “You do you bro.” Corbin: “WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN???”. The challenge is on but Corbin says he has something else in mind.

Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison

Miz is at ringside, Corbin is on commentary and Riddle kicks his shoes at him to start. Morrison takes him down to start but Riddle grabs the leg, sending Morrison over to the leg. As Corbin makes Fast Times At Ridgemont High references, Morrison hits such a loud forearm that commentary stops to gasp at the noise. Riddle shrugs it off and rolls some gutwrench suplexes but Morrison grabs an Alabama slam.

An ankle lock has Riddle in trouble but Morrison slips out and hits another loud Flying Chuck. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Morrison goes with a springboard spinning crossbody for two. Morrison’s running knee gets the same and Riddle says hit him again, only to have Morrison thumb him in the eye. Riddle gets sent outside, where he throws a flip flop at Corbin as we take a break.

Back with the two of them slugging it out until Riddle hits a Broton into the Bro To Sleep for two. The Floating Bro hits knees though and Morrison gets frustrated at the kickout. Riddle grabs a rear naked choke (which may be the new Bromission) but Morrison gets up and makes it to the corner.

Riddle gets up top but gets caught in a super Spanish Fly, followed by a regular Spanish Fly for two more. Back up and Riddle wins the slugout but Morrison scores with a dropkick. That doesn’t have much effect though as Riddle hits a powerbomb into the Final Flash for two. With that not working, Riddle reverses a small package into one of his own for the pin at 15:04.

Rating: B-. It was a good back and forth match with Riddle pulling out a hard fought win, but how interesting can it be if we’re just getting ready for a Corbin vs. Riddle showdown? The Corbin involvement has an amazing ability to suck the life out of anything and that isn’t changing for Riddle. I can’t imagine Riddle has any serious problem beating him, but it feels like something we’re getting through instead of something that actually matters.

Post match it’s AJ Styles running in to beat on Riddle, with Drew Gulak making the save as Miz, Morrison and Corbin watch.

Post break, Miz and Morrison aren’t happy but Corbin has an idea on how to take care of Riddle.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak is challenging and in the red white and blue trunks for the 4^th of July. Or maybe an Apollo Creed/Rocky Balboa deal. Neither gets an entrance after the previous segment, which feels a little more realistic for a change. They start fast with AJ hammering away in the corner and on the mat as Daniel Bryan drops in via picture in picture to say Gulak is looking good. AJ’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he hammers away in the corner as Bryan talks about how few holes AJ has in his game.

Bryan says Gulak can hang in there though, as he showed when he was “205 Live Champion”. Gulak fires back with some forearms but AJ takes him down with the dragon screw legwhip. AJ starts in on the leg as you can see what looks like “Havoc” written on Gulak’s wrist tape. Hopefully in October. The Calf Crusher is countered into a kind of Crossface, sending AJ over to the rope. Frustration sets in and Gulak dropkicking him through the ropes makes it worse.

Back from a break with AJ getting two off a brainbuster and going after Gulak’s eyes. Gulak sends him hard into the corner but AJ snaps the throat across the top. As Bryan says he would never count Gulak out, we hit the chinlock to keep Gulak down. Graves: “What’s that river in Washington Cole? Denial?” Cole: “The Nile is actually in Egypt.”

As the air goes out of the room on that one, Gulak gets in Snake Eyes in the corner and some dropkicks to stagger AJ some more. The Falcon Arrow gets two but AJ slips out of the superplex attempt. AJ powerbombs him out of the corner into the Styles Clash for no cover. The Phenomenal Forearm retains at 17:02.

Rating: B-. Another good, back and forth match here though I’m not sure how much of a reason there was to believe Gulak had a chance. You can probably pencil in another Bryan vs. Styles match at Extreme Rules and then Riddle waiting on the winner at Summerslam, which sounds like a good use of the next seven or so weeks. Just let AJ and Bryan do something every other week on Smackdown and they’ll be fine for a long time.

Here are Sasha Banks and Bayley for a chat. They brag about how they’re on all three shows but no one has been showing them any respect. The only people who care about them is the Undertaker, or Taker as Bayley likes to call him. He called Bayley last week and said he was embarrassed by all of the tributes Smackdown gave him last week when Bayley Dos Straps is the greatest champion in WWE history. Undertaker wants Bayley and Banks to win all the titles at Extreme Rules and thinks they should get their own tribute this week.

We aren’t waiting any longer so here is said tribute, as made by Bayley and Banks and set to a song about doing it for the glory. Banks talks about Bayley’s Grand Slam and how the closest anyone is getting to that is going to Denny’s. Back in the arena, they chant thanks to each other but here are Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss to interrupt.

They have a presentation of their own, with various interesting facts about each other (Cross is 325^th in line to the throne of England and Bliss drove across Antarctica in a go kart). They get in the ring and Cross says she can win the title. Bliss slaps Bayley down so Banks makes the Bliss vs. Bayley match for right now.

Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss

Non-title with Cross and Banks at ringside. Bayley, in street clothes, is taken down to start and Bliss pokes her in the nose. Back up and Bayley sends her into the corner but what looked like a Twist of Fate over the ropes is broken up. Back in and Bayley goes after the arm, including snapping it over her shoulder a few times.

The armbar goes on for a bit until Bayley misses a stomp to the arm. Bliss gets in a shot to the face but Bayley is right back with a corner splash and a bulldog for two. Cross freaks out so Banks gets in a cheap shot, only to have Cross run Banks over. Bayley doesn’t like that so Cross decks her for the DQ at 5:23.

Rating: C-. That felt a lot longer than five and a half minutes as the arm work kept going, but it was a fine way for Bayley to be able to look dominant and talk down to Cross at the same time. I’m not sure how much of an interest there is going to be in seeing Bayley vs. Cross at the pay per view, but they need something to stretch it out until someone can give Bayley a real threat. How many times does that need to be the case though?

We get a special look at Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt. Strowman met him in the swamp and became part of the Wyatt Family, and we hear some old school Wyatt “everything is evil” narration. Strowman liked being Bray’s horseman but has managed to lock that side of himself away. Bray wants to take a step back and destroy what he created, but Strowman wants to drown Bray in his own swamp. A lot of laughter ensues. Still not caring in the slightest and the amount of time this build is getting is starting to rival how long Strowman actually spent with Wyatt.

Kofi Kingston vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Big E. and Cesaro are here. Kofi dropkicks Nakamura into the corner to start and then knocks him to the apron. Another dropkick puts Nakamura on the floor but he moves before Kofi can dive. Back in and a Cesaro distraction lets Nakamura get in a kick to the head before choking on the ropes. Big E. goes after Cesaro on the floor and they’re both ejected as we take a break.

We come back with Nakamura hammering away before having to duck the Trouble in Paradise. A spinning kick to the head drops Kofi but he’s right back with the SOS for two. Kofi’s standing double stomp gets two but Trouble in Paradise is blocked. Nakamura can’t get a sleeper so it’s a running knee to the head to finish Kofi at 11:50.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that is going to work well every time given who was in there. You can all but guarantee a title match between the teams at Extreme Rules and I’ll certainly take that over the horror show that it would have been to see the Forgotten Sons try to be interesting. I would still prefer Nakamura or Cesaro getting a one off World Title shot than someone like Dolph Ziggler, but that’s not how WWE works.

Post match Cesaro is back to load up a table but Big E. runs out for the save.

The Tag Team Title match is set for next week.

Here’s Jeff Hardy for the big toast, meaning there is a big bar full of liquor in the ring and a bartender. Sheamus pops up on screen at his own bar though, saying he wanted to let Jeff blow off some steam. Last week, Jeff got to stand up for Undertaker but it was just another quick fix like Jeff always needs. Sheamus talks about all of the rehab costing Jeff money and respect, but the real problem is facing reality.

Hardy has felt sorry for himself since losing at Backlash and now Hardy has been trying to stick his nose in someone else’s business. This is going to be different though right? This time Jeff isn’t going to be a giant disappointment. The truth is that Jeff is lying to himself and the solution is in one of those bottles. Here’s to a proper toast: may your troubles be less and your blessing be more, as you drink yourself blind and pass out on the floor. Your wife and kids cry when you enter her thoughts because your life has been nothing but a series of DUI’s and mugshots.

Jeff calls Sheamus the sickest man he has ever met and he can’t believe Sheamus would do this. Sheamus knows Jeff wants to jump back into the gutter with both feet, so the bartender offers him a glass. Sheamus says follow your instincts so Jeff takes the glass and asks what’s the worst that could happen. He puts the glass to his mouth and then pours it on the bartender’s head. Jeff breaks a bottle over the bartender’s head and hits a Swanton to end the show. This was uh, quite a lot and probably not their best idea.

Overall Rating: C-. This show was a great example of the wrestling working and everything else falling apart. The first two matches were both rather good TV matches and a great use of about 45 minutes. Then there were things like Strowman and Wyatt’s segment, the toast segment and Corbin’s….well mere existence really. It certainly had its moments and the first half is good, but dang you can tell they’re putting on whatever they can think of in some spots.

Results

Matt Riddle b. John Morrison – Small package

AJ Styles b. Drew Gulak – Phenomenal Forearm

Bayley b. Alexa Bliss via DQ when Nikki Cross interfered

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Kofi Kingston – Running knee to the head

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

Smackdown
Date: June 19, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

With all of the insanity going on at the moment, it might be nice to have a wrestling show to clear the pallet a bit. We’re done with Backlash and that means it’s time to get ready for Extreme Rules. The big story tonight is the return of the Firefly Fun House, as Bray Wyatt is likely going after the World Title again. Other than that, we may have the debut of Matt Riddle. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of AJ Styles winning the Intercontinental Title last week.

Opening sequence.

There are wrestlers around the ring for Styles’ Intercontinental Title presentation. AJ is glad that everyone got their cheering right and he’s just here to say he told you so. Life’s rewards are for the people who go and claim the brass ring instead of waiting for a handout. He’s ready for the title presentation but Renee Young isn’t the right person to do it. Instead, AJ wants Daniel Bryan to do it himself.

Bryan gets in the ring and AJ says put it around his waist, but make sure not to do anything stupid. AJ says Bryan doesn’t have to do it if he’s a coward. Bryan finally puts the title on and says that last week, AJ was the better man. Bryan gets all fired up and says AJ is going to be a great champion. Imagine AJ vs. Gran Metalik or against Big E. (they both seem game), but AJ sees it a little different.

That’s fine with Bryan, who thinks Drew Gulak should get a shot because he beat AJ two weeks ago. AJ thinks Bryan is trying to get himself a title shot so he has to become #1 contender. The next person to challenge for the title is going to have to suffer the consequences. Cue the debuting Matt Riddle, much to AJ’s annoyance. AJ sees another human being looking for a handout. The fight is on with Riddle cleaning house so AJ says get a referee out here.

AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle

The wrestlers are still around the ring. Hold on though as AJ says no shoes, no shirt, no title shot. The bell rings and Riddle hits a German suplex into the rolling gutwrench suplexes for two. Riddle hammers away on the mat and kicks him in the head for two more. More shots have AJ in the corner so he snaps off a dropkick to get a breather.

Back up and Riddle kicks him down in the corner but this time AJ hits a running clothesline to the apron. Riddle gets knocked into King Corbin and gets in an argument as we take a break. Back with AJ in control but the YES Kicks just fire Riddle up. A right hand to the head puts him down though and a snap suplex gives Styles two. AJ takes him down again and a dragon screw legwhip sends Riddle into the corner.

Riddle’s comeback is cut off with a shot to the leg but a jumping knee to the face rocks AJ. A quick suplex drops AJ again and the Broton gets two. Riddle grabs a rear naked choke but has to let go when Styles bridges back for two more. The Calf Crusher goes on so Riddle goes to the ropes, meaning AJ heads outside to get in Bryan’s face. AJ yells at Bryan before loading up the Phenomenal Forearm, only to get caught in the Bro Derek to give Riddle the pin at 12:53.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to have a debut and the lack of a clean finish helped a bit. AJ has no one to blame but himself here and that makes for a good way to set up some potential matches in the future. You could go with Styles vs. Riddle or Bryan or maybe even all three (hopefully not), or perhaps Riddle vs. Bryan for the #1 contendership. It’s nice to have the options like that though and that’s what they did here.

Post match the lumberjacks get in the ring to celebrate with Riddle, who strikes his still awesome pose.

We get a long video on Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy, including the build to Backlash and Sheamus beating him in the big showdown.

Hardy sits down for an interview with Renee Young and talks about having to put out one fire after another. He isn’t wild on Sheamus throwing his failures in his face over and over. Yes he lost the match but he’ll lose a bunch more in his career. The failures make him wonder if he is a bad father or husband but he knows he has to catch himself before the line of thinking spirals out of control. Hardy knows he is a junkie and an alcoholic and Sheamus us just another obstacle to be overcome on his road to redemption. He isn’t done yet.

Shorty G. talks about being ready to face Mojo Rawley, who is bigger and heavier than he is. He’s used to that though and Rawley, who is behind him, doesn’t know what it’s like to have eyes in the back of your head. Gable lays out Rawley with a right hand and heads to the ring. Nice idea, but Rawley was so close that Gable knowing he was there wasn’t that impressive.

Shorty G. vs. Mojo Rawley

They’re in the ring when we come back from a break (as they should be) and Gable goes straight for the ankle lock. That’s broken up so it’s a northern lights suplex for two on Rawley instead. Back up and Rawley hits a heck of a Pounce for two of his own, followed by a running splash in the corner.

Gable is right back with a German suplex out of the corner but the high crossbody is caught in a fireman’s carry. That’s reversed as well, with Gable grabbing a small package for the pin at 2:42. Cole calls that an upset and thankfully Graves cuts that nonsense off in a hurry. It’s Mojo Rawley. It’s an upset if he can figure out how to operate a spoon.

Here are Miz and Morrison for MizTV. After talking about the whole Universal Title fiasco on Sunday (Morrison: “You don’t change the rules before the big game!”), it’s time to deal with the canned ham in the room. Morrison: “Otis.” That brings out Mandy Rose as their guest, with Graves being annoyed at Cole for talking during the entrance. They get straight to the Sonya Deville discussion but she isn’t here to be insulted.

Mandy goes to leave but Miz stops her with a surprise. Cue Sonya (in a suit and tie), with Mandy asking if we’re still on this. Mandy says she’s done but Sonya says she can’t be done. Sonya rants about how Mandy has gotten all of these opportunities but what has she done with them? Win matches? Make someone better? Oh wait: made out with Otis by a pool so everyone can see.

Mandy asks why Sonya is still doing all of this and assumes it’s because she’s alone. Sonya says she’s not even mad anymore because she’s looking at the two of them and thinks the difference has to be their appearances. The only thing Mandy has is her presentation so Sonya is going to take everything Mandy has until she is as ugly on the outside as she is on the inside. The brawl is on with Sonya bailing as Miz and Morrison separate them.

It’s a shame that Mandy just has nothing to offer here because Sonya is nailing it and is telling a good story. This would be gold with someone like Trish, who could give something right back in the whole thing instead of just kind of standing there for the most part. Mandy is trying, but there just isn’t enough depth to make her work.

New Day vs. Lucha House Party

Non-title and Bayley/Sasha Banks are on commentary for some reason. After freaking out at New Day throwing their gear at commentary, Kofi and Gran Metalik trade flips to start. That doesn’t go anywhere so everything breaks down, with Big E. throwing belly to belly suplexes (Bayley and Sasha: “BAYLEY TO BELLY!”). The House Party hits some springboards to take New Day outside and that means the big flip dives as we take a break.

Back with Big E. splashing Dorado but getting caught in the Golden Rewind. Metalik comes in for the rope walk dropkick but gets dropkicked out of the air. Dorado’s top rope splash gets two on Kofi with Big E. making the save. Big E. shoves Metalik off the top and it’s Kofi’s running double stomp to Dorado. The Midnight Hour finishes Dorado at 9:35.

Rating: C. What an odd choice (not a bad thing) for a setup as you don’t often see the champs facing a team in a non-title win like this. What we got was good enough though, even with the rather bizarre commentary choice. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but it was a weird situation all around.

Post match, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura immediately run in to beat down New Day. The Swing into a knee to the head knocks Kofi cold and Cesaro and Nakamura head outside to celebrate with Bayley and Sasha. Cesaro yells at commentary about being here for eight years and being treated like this.

Dana Brooke, Tamina (free of the asylum), Alexa Bliss, Naomi and Lacey Evans are hanging out at the Performance Center and decide they should ALL be #1 contenders. They’ve lost Nikki Cross though and that seems concerning.

Sheamus is a bully but he wants to help raise Jeff Hardy up. He’ll do that next week as a proper Irishman should: with a proper toast.

Bayley and Sasha love that idea but here’s Nikki Cross to jump both of them. Alexa Bliss makes the save but Nikki wants Sasha right now. Bayley accepts for her.

Sasha Banks vs. Nikki Cross

Joined in progress with Nikki fighting out of the corner and hitting a dropkick. Sasha begs off and says she’s sorry before sending Nikki outside. Nikki catches her in the ring skirt and hammers away but Sasha gets in a shot to the face. The chinlock into the double arm crank has Nikki in trouble until she sends Sasha into the corner. Cross knocks her down but can’t get the Bank Statement, instead getting rolled up for two. They go to the pinfall reversal sequence until Banks hits a Meteora for the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C-. That was a pretty big coincidence to have Banks and Bayley out there to set up the match but it’s something other than arguing in the back to set up the match earlier in the night. Bayley accepting the match on Banks’ behalf should be a way to set up some strife between the two of them but I’ve long since given up on the idea of these two ever actually fighting so why bother thinking it’s happening now?

Video on Titus O’Neil’s charity efforts, which have earned him a nomination for an ESPY humanitarian award.

We look back at AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle.

Next week: AJ defends against Drew Gulak.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House. Bray has been gone for a long time so he has joined a book club, learned the new Tik Tok moves, learned how to raise the dead, learned how to knit, and taken over a reptile society. Ramblin Rabbit pops in to say Bray has just been sitting in the corner muttering about losing to Braun Strowman. After a clip, a distressed Bray thanks him for the reminder. It’s true that he lost, but in defeat, he learned that he went about this the wrong way.

We cut to the arena where Braun Strowman comes out (now with what sounds like a train at the start of his music), causing Bray to give him thumbs down. Bray wasn’t lying about raising the dead and he morphs into the Wyatt Family version, saying that in order to move forward, they have to take a step back to where it all began. Bray created him so now Braun needs to come see him. Follow the buzzards and run. The lantern is blown out to end the show. Does WWE really think that Strowman’s time with the Wyatt Family was that important? And they’re going to fight at the Wyatt Compound aren’t they?

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty meh show with only Riddle’s debut being noteworthy (making that probably the seventh most important headline about him this week). It’s too early to say if that is going to mean anything but at least he debuted strong. Other than that, totally skippable show here as we’re heading towards a bunch of rematches before we get to the Summerslam build. That isn’t much to write home about, but June/July rarely is.

Results

Matt Riddle b. AJ Styles – Bro Derek

Shorty G. b. Mojo Rawley – Small package

New Day b. Lucha House Party – Midnight Hour to Dorado

Sasha Banks b. Nikki Cross – Meteora

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