Monday Night Raw
Date: January 17, 2022
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We are less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and that means it is time for the card to be finalized. Last week saw Doudrop become the #1 contender for the Raw Women’s Title in what should at least be a fresh match. Other than that, we could use some more names being added to the namesake matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Becky Lynch to get things going. She knows the Royal Rumble is coming up and it is time for some big names to come back for the Big Time. People like Lita, Mickie James and the Bella Twins are here, but for now, it is time to deal with Doudrop. Last week, Becky got Doudrop her title shot, which is what she does. That’s the only way Doudrop could get her shot, but here is Doudrop to say she got everything on her own. Becky says follow her lead and you could win tonight. Cue Bianca Belair doing her dance and saying she’s in the Rumble. Now it’s Liv Morgan coming out to say she’s in too, but Doudrop wants to fight.

Becky Lynch/Doudrop vs. Bianca Belair/Liv Morgan

Belair dropkicks Doudrop to start but gets away without much effort. Everything breaks down and Doudrop is sent outside, leaving Becky to hit the Manhandle Slam on Liv. Doudrop (Becky’s partner remember) breaks up the cover, drags Becky to the corner and tags herself in, and splashes Liv for the pin at 2:24.

Post match, Doudrop hits a Bonzai Drop.

Edge and Beth Phoenix compliment Reggie and Dana Brooke. They walk up to Damian Priest, who is feeling a little edgy. Priest asks Edge for some tips on the Royal Rumble, but Phoenix gets handed a note. It’s from Maryse, who wants to meet Phoenix in the ring, one on one. Edge knows Beth has this, but he’s skeptical. They leave, so here is Kevin Owens to say he hopes he and Priest can have a good, clean match tonight. He’ll also have a surprise on the Kevin Owens Show.

It’s time for the Kevin Owens Show, with special guest Seth Rollins. We see a clip of Seth facing off with Roman Reigns on Smackdown, where he had to run from an Usos attack. Owens thinks Rollins is ready to take the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble, while also complimenting Rollins’ clothes.

Rollins says he’s winning the title and then sticking around on Raw. That works with Owens, because then they would have the best champion here with no Reigns or Brock Lesnar. Owens has his own big announcement: he is in the Royal Rumble! Cue Damian Priest to say no one believes these two are winning at the Royal Rumble. He also warns them not to wake Damian up, because he and Owens are up right now.

Veer Mahaan is coming to Raw.

Damian Priest vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title. Priest shrugs off a headlock and a running shoulder to start before knocking Owens into the corner. Owens manages to knock him down and hits a backsplash, setting up a chinlock. That’s broken up and Priest knocks him outside, where Owens seems banged up. That is some good old goldbricking though, allowing Owens to hit a superkick and a bullfrog splash off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Priest firing off the kicks and hitting a flapjack. The Broken Arrow drops Owens for two more but he breaks up a superplex attempt. Owens hits the Swanton but the Stunner is blocked. The Reckoning is countered into the pop up sitout powerbomb for two, leaving Owens frustrated. Back up and the South of Heaven chokeslam gives Priest two of his own, with Owens coming up favoring his hamstring. That’s enough goldbricking to set up the Stunner to give Owens the pin at 10:57.

Rating: C+. And thus, another champion goes down, because that’s just how things go around here. It should mean that Priest is going to hold the title for a long time, but it doesn’t exactly bode well for his future. The match was pretty good stuff, but I can’t help groaning when a champion loses. It’s a way of life around here, which might explain a bit about where WWE is at the moment.

We look at Nikki Ash turning on Rhea Ripley last week.

Nikki Ash talks about how Ripley should be down and out because she is the villain in all of this. Ash is the People’s Hero and that means she has to do things that normal people don’t understand. After tonight, Ripley is going to understand that she needs a superhero, whether she likes it or not. That’s already better than anything she did in the last few months.

It is time for Otis’ graduation ceremony from the Alpha Academy (in caps and gowns of course). Chad Gable brags about his education and GPA, knowing that no one here in Tulsa knows what a masters degree is. Last week, Otis completed his final exam and graduated, meaning it is time for him to receive his diploma.

Cue Riddle, in a cap and gown of his own, to interrupt though, because he has his own speech, which he wrote at the breakfast buffet this morning. The speech talks about it feels like last week they were the Tag Team Champions, when they were just a pair of wild stallions. Gable cuts him off because he assumes Riddle is here about a rematch, though he doesn’t think Riddle knows what that means.

Riddle says it’s like when you light something up twice. Like a candle! Gable is willing to accept the rematch challenge, if RK Bro can beat them in an academic challenge! Otis looks nervous as Riddle thinks it sounds like Billy Madison. Otis goes after Riddle, allowing Orton to come in from behind and RKO Gable. RK Bro lays them out and Orton takes Otis’ cap and gown (they fit) before accepting the challenge. Something tells me this is going to result in Riddle sounding dumb but then rattling off a really smart answer to win in a big surprise.

We look back at Finn Balor beating Austin Theory last month.

Austin Theory comes in to see Vince McMahon, who remembers that loss to Balor. Theory tries to say that he beat Balor up after the match so it should be a half victory. Vince says there is no such thing, but Theory better win tonight. If not, Vince is going to beat the heck out of him, leave him black and blue, then take a selfie with Theory. Then he’ll send it to Theory’s mom!

We get a tribute to Martin Luther King, about an hour and twenty minutes into the show.

Austin Theory vs. Finn Balor

Theory starts fast and knocks Balor outside as we take an early break. Back with Balor hitting a chop in the corner, setting up a Nightmare on Helm Street for two. Theory is right back with an ATL attempt but Balor reverses into a rollup for two more. Balor drops him again but misses the Coup de Grace. The ATL finishes Balor at 5:48. Not enough shown to rate but that’s a fast loss for a returning Balor.

Post match Theory takes a selfie and beats Balor up even more. Another selfie caps things off.

We look back at Nikki Ash taking out Rhea Ripley (again).

Rhea Ripley isn’t sure what kind of hero Nikki Ash thinks she is, but it’s time for a beating.

Rhea Ripley vs. Nikki Ash

Hold on though as here are Queen Zelina and Carmella to say they were right about everything with these two. Nikki is nothing without Ripley and Ripley needs someone to leech off of, because she can’t do anything on her own. Nikki jumps Rhea before the bell and sends her into the steps, meaning there is no match. That did seem like quite the fast turnaround for what feels like a big match.

We look at Omos destroying Reggie last week.

Dana Brooke gives Reggie a pep talk about his match with Omos as the 24/7 geeks watch from behind and eat popcorn.

Omos vs. Reggie

Cue the 24/7 Goons to go after Dana Brooke so Reggie tries to dive onto Omos. The chokeslam finishes at 29 seconds.

We look back at Miz running his mouth for Maryse, who walked away rather than get in a fight.

Here is Maryse for a face to face showdown with Beth Phoenix. She talks about Miz running his mouth and getting her in trouble but it’s just her tonight. Cue Beth Phoenix and Edge, with Maryse saying that she and Phoenix built up the women’s division. They should be friends with play dates and dinners and drinks. Beth tells her to shut up because she doesn’t buy any of this, because Maryse must have taken acting lessons from her husband.

The match at the Royal Rumble is still on and she is going to Glam Slam Maryse through the mat. Let’s give the people a preview right now but here is Miz from behind to jump Edge. That earns Miz a punch to the face but Maryse hits Beth with her purse, knocking her out. And indeed, there is a brick in the purse. Maryse flips her hair and hits Miz in the face.

The Street Profits are ready for the Royal Rumble. The Mysterios come up to say they too are ready for the Royal Rumble. Yelling ensues.

We look at Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins facing off on Smackdown.

Street Profits/Mysterios vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode/Commander Azeez/Apollo Crews

Dominik snaps off a running hurricanrana to take Ziggler down early but Ziggler runs him over. It’s quickly off to Roode but Dominik knees his way out of a suplex. Rey comes in with a hurricanrana of his own and there’s a running headscissors to drop Roode again. Roode blocks a top rope hurricanrana but gets taken outside anyway. Ziggler throws Dominik out as everything breaks down, giving us a big staredown on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Rey in trouble and Ziggler/Roode knocking the other good guys off the apron. Crews adds his standing moonsault for two but Rey is back with a tornado DDT. The hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house as everything breaks down. Roode and Ziggler take the double 619 but Azeez pulls Dominik’s dive out of the air. Rey breaks that up but Crews rolls Dawkins up for two. Dawkins runs Crews over though and the Cash Out finishes for Ford at 7:58.

Rating: C+. There is nothing wrong with having a bunch of people in there flying around for a fast paced match. They didn’t overstay their welcome either and that made for a more entertaining match. It was a perfectly fine way to use some television time and that is always a good thing to see on a show.

The winners celebrate until the Mysterios throw the Profits over the top. Then Rey throws Dominik over, saying pay attention, and You Can’t See Me.

We see a clip of Bobby Lashley on After The Bell, where he welcomes a challenge from Brock Lesnar.

We get a big video on Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar, both of whom have been forged over the years. Lesnar is from South Dakota, where he grew up on a farm and then won the NCAA Heavyweight Title. Then he came to WWE and dominated here as well, just like he did in the UFC. Then he came back to WWE and dominated again (this time for almost five times as long as his first run).

On the other hand, you have Bobby Lashley, who won three NAIA National Titles in wrestling, along with a gold medal in the Armed Forces Championships. He had a 15-2 record in MMA before coming back to dominate WWE, including winning the WWE Title. Now it is time for these two monsters to collide for the first time ever.

We look back at Maryse hitting Beth Phoenix in the head with a brick.

Miz is very proud of Maryse but he is going to one up himself by remembering that next week is her birthday! He is going to throw her an extravaganza, which earns him quite the kiss.

We go back to Alexa Bliss in therapy where the two of them sit and stare at each other. The therapist is glad things have calmed down a bit, because he can’t have her snap again like last week. He wants to do word association this week, with the following results:

Trust – Lily
Friend – Lily
Home – Lily
Doll – Lily
Imaginary – Bliss stands up and that’s the end of their session.

Bliss sits back down and looks around as the therapist leaves. They won’t let it go with that stupid doll.

Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins

MVP is here with Lashley, who runs Rollins over with a shoulder to start. Rollins changes things up a bit and tries the Pedigree but has to escape the Hurt Lock attempt. That earns Lashley a trip to the floor, where a suicide dive only knocks him to a knee. Another attempt is countered into an over head belly to belly to send Rollins flying as we take a break. Back with Rollins working on Lashley’s legs and grabbing a leglock. A dragon screw legwhip sets up a half crab to stay on the knee.

Rollins lets that go and tries the Stomp, only to be reversed into a Downward Spiral. A belly to belly and a neckbreaker set up the spinning Dominator for two on Rollins. The spear is countered with a superkick though and now the Pedigree connects (Nick Khan will be looking into this Rollins fellow) for two on Lashley so Rollins heads up top. That’s countered into a belly to belly superplex but here are Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to jump Lashley for the DQ at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was the main event style match and they had the right ending as you can’t have one of the #1 contenders taking a loss less than two weeks away from their Royal Rumble title matches. They also ended the match when either of them could still have won and that is the correct way to do something like this. It was nice to see them not doing anything crazy here and it was a good match on top of the smart finish.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lashley smashes Alexander and Benjamin. Cue the Usos through the crowd to superkick Rollins to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a much better job this year by making sure to avoid overly stupid moments. Other than the Bliss stuff and maybe the American Alpha deal (which wasn’t that bad), they kept things moving here and hyped up the big Royal Rumble matches. I’m still not sure who wins at the Royal Rumble and that is the kind of feeling that you want to have going into the show. Pretty good show this week, though the lack of Big E. was a bit weird.

Results
Becky Lynch/Doudrop b. Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair – Splash to Morgan
Kevin Owens b. Damian Priest – Stunner
Austin Theory b. Finn Balor – ATL
Omos b. Reggie – Chokeslam
Mysterios/Street Profits b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Commander Azeez/Apollo Crews – Cash Out to Crews
Bobby Lashley b. Seth Rollins via DQ when Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander interfered

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

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

AND

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Royal Rumble 2004
Date: January 25, 2004
Location: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 17,289
Commentators: Jim Ross, Michael Cole, Tazz, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

It’s a big night and one of the most important shows of the year as we officially start the Road to Wrestlemania. The Royal Rumble is more wide open than in recent years and that’s often the best thing that can happen for the match. Other than that we have a pair of World Title matches, with Raw’s likely being too long and Smackdown’s needing to move on before the company makes itself look worse. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how life’s road is unpredictable and how one turn can change everything. As you might guess, the Last Man Standing match gets the most time and the Rumble itself is mentioned last.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. Ric Flair/Batista

Flair and Batista are defending and it’s a tables match with Coach on commentary. Before the match, Batista gets in a quick jab at the Dudleys for being the biggest losers since the Philadelphia Eagles. They fight on the floor to start with Batista clotheslining the post by mistake to put the champs in early trouble. In a painful looking impact, Bubba slides a table from one side of the ring to the other, hitting Batista in the ribs to keep him in trouble.

A neckbreaker slows Batista down and D-Von takes him to the floor with a Cactus Clothesline. Flair has Bubba in the corner on a table (that’s so wrong for Flair) but Bubba is right back with the Flip Flop and Fly (that’s more Flair’s speed) Batista comes back in for the save though as I’m glad they’re not wasting time with tags here.

The belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination puts Batista down as Evolution can’t get much going here. Flair goes up, and in a shocking change of events, Flair gets slammed down. It’s time for the table but cue Coach, with his bad ribs, for the save. That earns him a What’s Up attempt but Flair makes a save of his own. Batista is back in with a spinebuster to put D-Von through a table for the win.

Rating: D-. Just a Raw match designed to get these guys on the show, though I can appreciate them putting the tables match on first and hopefully we don’t get a bunch of chants about wanting tables. Other than that, I see nothing positive about this entire thing. Batista and Flair are fine as champions, but it’s not like they have anyone important to feud against at this point.

Flair says they’ll keep the titles as long as they want.

John Cena raps about how he’s going to win but Rob Van Dam comes in to steal the last rhyme, saying he’ll win the Rumble. Cena makes weed jokes and says Van Dam can suck his candy cane.

There’s an empty chair for Mick Foley, should he bother to show up.

Cruiserweight Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Jamie Noble

Rey is defending and Jamie has the still blind Nidia with him. A 619 attempt in the first ten seconds is countered into a hot shot as Jamie takes over. Cole says that Nidia, who is blind, is looking on as Jamie hiptosses Rey down, earning one heck of a tongue lashing from Tazz. Rey gets in a dropkick and a hurricanrana, followed by the sitout bulldog for two. The tiger driver is broken up and Nidia trips Jamie by mistake, setting up the 619. Rey Drops the Dime to retain in short order.

Rating: D. Well don’t bother wasting time I guess. This was barely three minutes long and they didn’t have time to do anything. Nidia’s interference was the most important part of the match and that took all of two seconds. These two are talented but they need more time than a run of the mill women’s match from this era to get anywhere.

We recap Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. They were a successful team but Eddie got way more popular, sending Chavo into a jealous rage when the team stopped doing as well. Chavo went nuts, blaming Eddie for all of their problems and bringing in his father to turn it into more of a family affair, even as Kurt Angle tried to play peacekeeper. This is one of the few stories that is going to work every single time and both of them have sold it exceptionally well, turning it into the best thing going on in WWE at the moment.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Chavo has his father with him. They fight over a hard lockup to start until Chavo slaps the taste out of Eddie’s mouth. A fired up Eddie shoves him into the corner but can’t bring himself to follow up because his heart is broken. He’s willing to take Chavo down into a chinlock but Chavo is right back up for a chop in the corner. Eddie chops him back and gives the first smile of the match. Some shoulders put Eddie down and Chavo is very pleased with his early success.

That just earns him a poke to the eye as the stalling continues. Eddie takes him down again but Chavo pops up in short order and hooks a hurricanrana to put them both on the floor. With Chavo back inside, his dad sends Eddie face first into the steps (Tazz: “I guess he doesn’t like his little brother.”) to give Chavo the first real advantage. Back in and Eddie grabs a cross armbreaker but can’t get it all the way on. Chavo scores with a belly to back suplex but the tornado DDT is broken up. Eddie rolls the suplexes and drops the frog splash for the win.

Rating: C. It was good while it lasted but it should have lasted about twice as long. This was a big time story on Smackdown and it ended in a match that was about half as long as the Smackdown main event. I’m assuming they’re setting Eddie up for something bigger down the line and they needed to get this out of the way, but this deserved more time.

Post match Eddie gets fired up for the first time and beats up both Chavos. Sr. gets tied to the bottom rope by the tie while Jr. gets stomped in the corner, busting him open in the process. They did a good job here with Eddie wanting to hold in his emotions during the match but being pushed too far after and finally erupting.

Chris Benoit is ready to go in at #1 when Evolution comes in with their champagne to celebrate. Flair says Benoit is the best technical wrestler alive and all man but the brass ring always slips out of his hand. It’s all about Evolution holding all of the gold so Benoit is always going to be second best.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match with Brock Lesnar defending against Hardcore Holly. Lesnar broke Holly’s neck back in 2002 and since we must go with real life instead of something, you know, interesting, we’ve been stuck watching Lesnar run from Holly for the last month. This is possibly the most ice cold title match in history as Holly is little more than a former comedy guy with a bad attitude who is ranting about wanting to break Lesnar’s neck. Lesnar can beat up Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, but Hardcore Holly suddenly scares him? That’s what we’re going with here?

Smackdown World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Hardcore Holly

Lesnar is defending and Holly jumps him before the bell. The champ gets posted twice in a row and the bell rings with Holly on the apron, only to miss a top rope clothesline. Lesnar scores with a suplex as the referee is getting in the way more than usual here. A ram into the apron gives Lesnar two and it’s off to a waistlock on the mat. What would eventually be called a Shell Shock gives Lesnar two as this is a complete squash so far.

It’s back to the waistlock as you can hear the limited interest the fans had seeping out of the arena. A bearhug sets up a suplex and it’s right back to a head and arm choke. Holly fights up with some kicks to the ribs and clotheslines, followed by the Alabama Slam….for no cover as it’s off to that stupid full nelson. The hold stays on even as they fall to the floor so Holly tries it again with Lesnar on the apron. That earns him a neck snap across the top and the F5 retains the title.

Rating: F. Oh give me a break. Lesnar was never in danger here and in the six and a half minutes they had, at least half of it was Lesnar keeping him on the mat in a hold. Holly’s finisher, while fine for beating a midcarder here and there, is nowhere near enough to be a real threat to Lesnar. Thank goodness they didn’t tease a bunch of near falls and just got out of there, because this was a bad idea from the beginning.

We’re not even 52 minutes into the show and we’ve covered four matches, including three title matches. That’s a ridiculous pace, even for a Royal Rumble.

We recap Shawn Michaels vs. HHH, which they’re billing as seven years in the making. So we’re counting all of the four and a half years Shawn was on the shelf and the months long feud they had in 2002? They’ve traded wins and the title until Shawn got a pin on the last show of 2003, albeit with his own shoulders on the mat. Therefore it’s a Last Man Standing match tonight, which somehow ties into everything else they’ve ever done, including the most recent match, which is barely discussed.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Shawn Michaels

HHH is defending and it’s Last Man Standing. They fight over a lockup to start until Shawn gets the better of a chop off. It’s time for a mat sequence with Shawn loading up a backslide, only to let it go when he realizes what kind of match they’re having. One heck of a whip into the corner starts n on Shawn’s back, which is still a target six years after it was originally hurt.

Shawn is right back up with a Figure Four but HHH turns it over for the break. That’s enough of the wrestling so it’s time to head outside with HHH loading up the announcers’ table. A suplex through the table is broken up and Shawn ax handles him in the head. Back in and a backdrop puts HHH on the floor again but Shawn’s springboard spinning crossbody only hits table in a big crash.

Shawn is busted open (of course he is) and we get a replay, showing that Shawn would have cleared HHH by two feet even if HHH had stood in place. Back in again and the very bloody Shawn won’t stay down, instead telling HHH to bring it on. Right hands get a seven and a spinebuster gives HHH eight more. It’s chair time and a hard shot to the back gets nine this time. The Pedigree on the chair is countered into a slingshot into the corner, followed by Shawn’s own chair shot to the face.

Back up and the forearm into the nip up have the bloody HHH in trouble. The top rope elbow looks to set up Sweet Chin Music but HHH cuts him off with a low blow. Back up and Shawn grabs a sleeper, which lasts as long as a sleeper is going to in a match like this. HHH’s DDT gets eight so he loads up a belly to back superplex, which is countered into a spinning crossbody for a double knockdown. The Pedigree gets nine and Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music, good for a double knockout and a draw.

Rating: C-. Well of course we need to see these two fight again. You wouldn’t expect HHH and Shawn Michaels to wrap up their feud in just two matches right? This wasn’t very good with just an exchange of moves and nothing that went anywhere, though the blade jobs were both quite nasty looking. I’m sure we’ll see these two again, but these two will likely be fighting in their retirement home.

The fans are NOT pleased with the draw and I can’t say I blame them. HHH is taken out on a stretcher but Shawn insists on walking.

Video on the Royal Rumble, which really just shows the names involved. Chris Benoit is in at #1 and Goldberg is in at #30.

The Fink is ready to start the introductions but here’s Eric Bischoff to promise that Raw will win the match. He runs down Paul Heyman’s abilities to run shows in Bingo halls, in a line that has to have been repeated a thousand times now. Ignore that WCW officially went out of business before ECW (on an extreme technicality but it was still officially in business after WCW was purchased). Heyman tackles Bischoff but here’s Steve Austin on the ATV to say they’re both in violation of the law. Stunners abound and beer is consumed. I’m so glad they spent five minutes on this when four matches got less than twenty two minutes combined.

Goldberg is asked about being #30 in the Royal Rumble when Brock comes in to wonder where his interview is. Brock asks where Goldberg’s title is but Goldberg says it’s coming back at Wrestlemania. Goldberg suggests Brock is a coward.

Foley still isn’t here.

Royal Rumble

JR and Tazz are on commentary, thankfully giving us a standard booth instead of the usual mess that these things have become. Tazz even has keys to victory: hide, stamina, get a high number. I’ve heard worse analysis so I’ll take what I can get. Chris Benoit is in at #1 and Randy Orton is in at #2 and we have ninety second intervals. Benoit gets aggressive to start (ignoring key to victory #2) and scores with a suplex but gets uppercutted into the corner.

Mark Henry is in at #3 and shoves Benoit down so he can choke Orton in the corner. The clock seems to get a little faster as Tajiri is in at #4 and gets suplexed down for his efforts. Henry throws Orton ribs first onto the top rope and everyone pounds away as Bradshaw is in at #5. Clotheslines abound until Benoit pulls him into the Crossface and gets him out in less than a minute. Well at least they’re keeping the ring at a manageable number. Rhyno is in at #6 and goes after Orton and Benoit as Tajiri kicks away at Henry.

Tajiri can’t get the Tarantula so Rhyno Gores Henry, eliminating Tajiri in the process. Benoit dumps Henry and we’re already down to three. They fight by the ropes and it’s Matt Hardy in at #7. There’s a Side Effect to Rhyno but Benoit knocks Matt to the apron. Matt gets back in and everyone pummels everyone until Scott Steiner is in at #8. Benoit rolls some German suplexes on Steiner as JR gives us the good stat of there being no former Rumble winners in this match.

Matt Morgan is in at #9 as the ring is starting to fill up. A helicopter bomb plants Benoit and there’s a big boot to Hardy. It’s back to the exchange of forearms around the ring with no one going for an elimination until Hurricane is in at #10. Before I can recap who is in the match, Morgan tosses Hurricane in short order, leaving us with Benoit, Orton, Rhyno, Hardy, Steiner and Morgan. Morgan throws Hardy to the apron but not out as Steiner lays on Orton in the middle of the ring.

Booker T. is in at #11 to a nice reaction but also to a really annoying song. An ax kick has Orton in trouble and Steiner is thrown out off camera (in his last match with the company) as Kane is in at #12. Benoit and Morgan both get chokeslams and the Gore and RKO are both blocked. Kane starts beating on Matt in the corner…..and a gong strikes at #13. As expected, Kane freaks out and the distraction lets Booker throw him out. It’s actually Spike Dudley in at #13 so Kane beats him up in the aisle, both for the gong and for Spike upsetting Kane on Monday. Things settle down and it’s Rikishi in at #14.

Benoit dumps Rhyno and Orton gets a Stinkface as the fans aren’t exactly interested, probably due to the gong taking some of their interest away. They’re certainly not burning up the pace for eliminations here but that’s not the worst thing in the world. Rene Dupree is in at #15 to get us to the halfway point. He dropkicks Hardy out but turns into a superkick from Rikishi to get eliminated as well.

A-Tran is in at #16 and goes after Rikishi as Benoit ducks Morgan’s charge to get rid of him. Orton dumps out Rikishi and Booker in the span of a few seconds, leaving us with Benoit, Orton and A-Train. Benoit eliminates A-Train as Shelton Benjamin is in at #17. Benjamin slugs away as JR completely missed A-Train’s elimination. How do you not notice the 6’8 350lb bald guy being gone? Orton dumps Shelton and we’re down to two again. To be fair, other than Kane and maybe Booker, none of the other entrants are worth anything so far. Lamont runs out to introduce Ernest Miller at #18 and Tazz loves the song.

Benoit tosses Lamont and Orton does the same to Miller so these two can keep slugging it out. Kurt Angle is in at #19 and now things can pick up a bit. Benoit and Angle go at it (of course) while Orton is smart enough to just chill in the corner. Angle has Benoit in trouble on the ropes but Orton makes a rather questionable save. Rico is in at #20 and goes after Orton, who dropkicks him almost immediately. A kick to the head rocks Orton though, leaving Benoit to roll some German suplexes on Angle. Orton dumps Rico with ease and it’s Test…..not in at #21.

We cut to the back where Test is unconscious. Austin sees who did it and makes that person #21 instead. In the arena, MICK FOLEY is #21 and Orton knows he’s about to die. Foley slugs him down in the corner, throws up a BANG BANG and hits the running knee in the corner. The Cactus Clothesline gives us a double elimination and it’s down to Benoit vs. Angle. Foley isn’t done with Orton and sends him into the steps as Christian is in at #22.

Orton gets in a few wicked chair shots to Foley and punches him down before slamming Foley’s head into the ramp. Some right hands get Foley out of trouble and it’s Mr. Socko but Foley has to give it to Nunzio, who comes in at #23. The distraction lets Orton get in a low blow and run off after a great angle that makes me want to see these two have a heck of a fight. Back in the ring, Christian can’t get rid of Angle or Benoit so Angle suplexes Benoit instead. Benoit is the only one standing as Big Show is in at #24.

Show starts fast with the overhand chops and throws some Canadians around until Chris Jericho is in at #25 to a very nice reaction. Jericho and Christian stomp on Angle in the corner until Show makes a save with a double noggin knocker. How old school of him. Everyone goes after Show so he shrugs them off and Charlie Haas is in at #26. Christian tries to turn on Jericho but gets dumped out instead, which just fits for Christian for some reason. Billy Gunn returns at #27 and hits some Fameassers but can’t get rid of anyone.

John Cena is in at #28 to a very nice reaction and you can feel the star power growing every night. Cena catches Nunzio sitting on the floor and throws him inside as the ring is starting to get too full. For some reason Nunzio goes after Show, earning himself that hard shot to the back. Rob Van Dam is in at #29 and can’t get rid of Show either. Cena gives Angle an FU and here’s Goldberg in at #30 to complete the field. I’m not going to bother saying who all is in there because we’re about to lose a bunch of them.

Goldberg wrecks everyone and tosses Haas, Gunn and Nunzio (after an insane spear). That leaves us with Benoit, Angle, Show, Jericho, Cena, Van Dam and Goldberg for a heck of a final group. Goldberg loads up the Jackhammer on Show but here’s Lesnar to jump him from behind, allowing Angle to dump Goldberg, who is busy seething at Lesnar. Show shrugs off the masses again but Angle chop blocks him, which isn’t the brightest idea. That means a Lionsault, a Five Star, a Shuffle and a Swan Dive but Show is unconscious on the mat. Real smart guys.

Show fights up and dumps Cena, who lands VERY awkwardly on his knee. Van Dam is gone too and we’re down to Jericho, Big Show, Angle and Benoit. Jericho goes after Show’s knee and bulldogs Show now, which has done so well against him already. The Walls make Show tap but Jericho lets him go. That’s not the brightest move in the world and Show makes him pay with a chokeslam over the top for an elimination. A regular chokeslam drops Benoit so Angle gets the Angle Slam on Show.

Benoit gets one as well and now it’s the ankle lock to make Show tap again. Show gets up and muscles Angle out as well, leaving us with two. With Show hanging over the top rope, Benoit hits the Swan Dive to the back of his head, accidentally bringing Show back in. The chokeslam is countered into the Crossface to make Show tap for the third time.

A side slam gets Show out of trouble as we hear about Benoit getting close to Ric Flair’s longevity record. Show loads up a gorilla press but Benoit pulls him down into a guillotine, even as Show puts him on the apron. Benoit pulls him down and slides back inside as Show goes out, giving Benoit the big win.

Rating: A. It’s one of the best Rumbles ever, mainly due to Benoit. There was some great storytelling near the end, with Jericho and Angle both making Show tap but then making some kind of a mistake to get eliminated while Benoit was smart/determined enough to make it work in the end. The same thing happens when the big groups try to get Show out and Benoit does it on his own, showing how technique and determination are better than brute strength. It kept you wondering if Benoit could finally win the big one and that’s what they managed to pull off in a great story throughout the whole match.

Other than that, they did a great job of not letting the ring get too full save for near the end, which Goldberg took care of in short order. Pacing is often such a problem in these things and it’s very nice to see them get it right. They had a big angle with Foley and Orton too, giving it something besides the winner to go off of from here. Finally, there were multiple possible winners, which always makes for a better match than having one or two people be the only ones who could win. Great Rumble, and one of the best of all time.

JR loses it praising Benoit, who smiles (a rare thing for him) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The Rumble is always a unique show as it’s the only one where one match can really save the whole thing, as the main event is often at least a third of the show. The problem is the rest of the show was so bad due to the matches either being rushed or being HHH vs. Shawn in their annual attempt at an epic match that it’s hard to call this good overall. Really though, the Rumble itself is more than enough to carry it, but on any other card of the year this would have been a disaster.

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

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Royal Rumble 2003
Date: January 19, 2003
Location: Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,338
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This is a really odd entry in the series as the namesake match is being treated as secondary to almost everything else. Really, coming into this show, there’s a good argument to be made that Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie is being treated as a bigger deal than the Rumble itself. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is your standard montage of wrestlers talking about what it means to go to Wrestlemania because the road starts tonight.

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

The winner is in the Rumble and the loser is out in the cold. They do the customary exchange of shoves to start with the fans almost entirely behind Lesnar. Brock drives him into the corner to little avail but the belly to belly works a bit better. A second works just as well but the third is countered with a scary toss over the top. Back in and we hit the choke, which you can tell is serious because Cole starts talking about Show’s shoe size.

Brock comes right back with the release German suplex but Heyman offers a distraction to break things up. A big boot and side slam drop Lesnar for all of ten seconds before he’s back up with an other belly to belly. Cue Heyman but he gets caught in an F5 attempt, only to have Show make the save with a chokeslam for two. A second attempt is countered into a sloppy F5 to send Lesnar to the Rumble.

Rating: D+. It was short (less than seven minutes) and had the only possible ending (it’s not like there are many other potential Rumble winners) so it’s hard to complain that much. The F5 didn’t look great but it was how the match should have ended. This probably needs to be about it for Big Show as a main event guy but you know that’s not going to be the case, which is part of the problem on Smackdown.

Chris Jericho is ready to win the Rumble and gets his World Title back at Wrestlemania.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. William Regal/Lance Storm

Regal and Storm are defending. Bubba punches Storm in the corner to start and hits something like a spinebuster. To really mix things up, Bubba grabs a leglock for a few seconds before handing it off to D-Von. Regal comes in and gets punched as well as this isn’t exactly shaking the feeling that it’s a glorified Raw match. The champs take over on D-Von with Storm drop toeholding him down into a sliding knee from Regal (nice spot).

We hit the cravate for a bit and a chinlock keeps D-Von in trouble. That doesn’t last long either though as D-Von fights up and makes the hot tag to Bubba for the house cleaning. Regal takes What’s Up but here’s Chief Morely for a distraction to prevent the 3D. It doesn’t quite work so well though as D-Von uses the distraction to grab Regal’s brass knuckles and knock Storm silly for the pin and the titles. Lawler: “I’m as confused as a baby in a topless bar.” He’s confused enough to refer to Regal as Steve.

Rating: C-. This was just a Raw match with a title change and considering Booker T. and Goldust never even got a rematch after losing the titles, I have no idea what the thinking here is. Were Booker and Goldust really that bad of a team? I know it’s a sin to get over without the company swearing off on it but it’s some of the oddest booking of the year.

House show ads. They didn’t edit this off the Network? I like having the complete versions but it’s a strange choice to keep in.

Nathan Jones vignette.

We get a long recap of the Al Wilson Saga, which still doesn’t make much sense and went on WAY too long if this is their big idea. Basically Dawn Marie decided she wanted to destroy Torrie Wilson’s life (I think?) by marrying Torrie’s father. She eventually went through with it but had so much, ahem, fun with Al on their honeymoon that he died.

Dawn blames Torrie for this and the match is on, even though it was booked before Al died. If this was all some big con by Dawn, what does she get out of it? Getting a match with Torrie? She seems upset and we haven’t gotten any scene of Dawn saying it was all made up so I guess we’re supposed to take it at face value. I know I harp on this a lot but I still don’t get how this was supposed to work.

Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson

Dawn is in regular ring gear and a black veil, which makes her look more like Jimmy Jack Funk (from the neck up) than anything else. Dawn elbows her in the face at the bell but Torrie takes her down as well as these two are going to be able to do. Torrie gets caught in a Fujiwara armbar as the announcers cover the story in detail. Well the recent part at least as basically everything after Armageddon has been forgotten at this point.

Dawn stays on the arm (that’ll teach Torrie for killing Dawn’s husband) and grabs a flapjack. They collide in a bad looking spot and the boring chants begin. Dawn actually hits a decent looking middle rope spinning clothesline, only to fall victim to that horrible swinging neckbreaker to give Torrie the pin.

Rating: F. Really, what else were you expecting here? The feud was as soap opera level as you’re going to have and the wrestlers are both models and little more. Somehow that’s about as much as you could have thought these two would do and hopefully it wraps up the story for good. I know it won’t but it would be nice.

Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon run into each other in the back with Stephanie being smug about Eric’s thirty days to fix Raw deal. Eric asks if her job is safe too but she doesn’t seem worried, partially because she has her own surprise for Raw. As with most cases of both GM’s on screen at once, this was a big waste of time.

Sean O’Haire tells us not to go to church.

We recap Scott Steiner vs. HHH. Steiner showed up in November and was immediately shoved into the title picture but hasn’t actually had a match yet. Instead it’s been stuff like a posedown, a bench press contest (which didn’t happen), arm wrestling and a pushup contest. The idea is that Steiner can do everything HHH can and might also be completely insane. The fact that they’ve barely been allowed to get physical should be a bit worrisome but HHH wouldn’t let us down.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Scott Steiner

Steiner is challenging and HHH is in the ultra rare red trunks. Before the bell, Hebner holds up the title and insists that he’s the law around here no matter what. Steiner wins the early slugout and chops away in the corner, followed by the gorilla press to send HHH rolling to the floor. The champ’s back is sent into the post a few times and a hard Irish whip makes his back even worse.

We hit a Boston crab for a bit with HHH crawling to the ropes a few seconds later. That’s not very noteworthy, but Steiner falling over when the hold is broken isn’t the most encouraging sign. The facebuster is no sold and we hit a quickly broken bearhug. Steiner gets in the first belly to belly for two and Flair pulls him out to the floor.

Back in and Steiner charges into a boot to the face before being sent into the steps for good measure. HHH stomps and chokes in the corner with Flair adding choking of his own. Another neckbreaker gets two for the champ and you can see how winded Steiner already is. Flair chokes on the ropes again to fill in as much time as possible before Steiner reverses the Pedigree.

Scott catapults him into the buckle and grabs the second overhead suplex….before just collapsing next to the ropes. We’re not even nine minutes into the match and the guy can’t even stand up. Steiner picks him up for what looks like a Tombstone and you would think he was about to go into labor. HHH slips out and tries a Diamond Cutter but Steiner goes backwards with it like a regular neckbreaker. After all those years of working with Diamond Dallas Page he can’t take a standard face first bump?

You can hear the crowd losing their patience with this one. Flair plays cheerleader and the fans actually cheer for HHH, who may be boring but he’s at least looking competent here. The champ dives into another overhead suplex but Steiner still can’t follow up. Some Steiner Lines set up suplexes four, five and six, followed by a spinning version for two.

Steiner tries a tiger bomb and falls down, drawing straight up booing from the fans. The announcers are trying as hard as they can to make Steiner sound like a threat here and it’s going as badly as you would expect. HHH heads up top so it’s a superplex for two more. That’s enough to send HHH and Flair up the aisle but Steiner isn’t done yet and drags them back. As lame as an ending as that would be, it was the right call at this point.

A belt shot to HHH’s head draws some blood and they continue to stagger around ringside with no idea what to do. Another belly to belly (ninth suplex total) sends HHH outside again and they brawl into the crowd because THIS MATCH JUST CAN’T END. Back in again with Steiner doing the pushups and laboring through some right hands in the corner. Now Flair tries to get the referee to stop the match but the referee keeps going because he’s that kind of evil.

Steiner hates the match as much as everyone else does so he throws Hebner outside but THAT’S NOT A DQ EITHER. The tenth suplex gets two and you can see Steiner looking desperate. HHH gets in a low blow and rolls Steiner up for two. That’s FINALLY enough for HHH as he grabs sledgehammer and hits Scott in the ribs for the DQ, earning a chorus of boos that would make Roman Reigns proud.

Rating: N. For Not HHH’s Fault. For once, this can’t be blamed on HHH, who was just stuck in a horrible situation and couldn’t do anything with it. To be fair though, no one was going to be able to get anything passable out of this mess. Steiner wasn’t ready for this match and had no business going more than five minutes, let alone eighteen. The interesting thing here though is the first eight minutes ran more than well enough. It was a boring start but it was nowhere near a disaster or even really bad. The problem is the second half of the match where EVERYTHING falls apart.

You’ll hear a lot of comparisons between this Steiner and Brock Lesnar’s Suplex City but the key is in the delivery. Lesnar suplexes the heck out of people and then pops up to do it again. Steiner was suplexing HHH here and then taking twenty seconds to get to his feet out of pure exhaustion. When you can see wrestlers go twenty minutes without even breathing hard, there’s no excuse for a main eventer nearly passing out from exhaustion in the first ten minutes. There’s a reason this is remembered so horribly and it more than lives down to its reputation.

Post match Steiner hits him with the sledgehammer and grabs the Steiner Recliner. JR: “There’s no way out of this hold.” In other words, yes they’re actually doing a rematch. Bischoff eventually comes out and gets Steiner off of HHH as the fans are so apathetic towards any of this.

We recap Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle. Kurt won the title with help from his new agent Paul Heyman, who also represents Big Show. Benoit beat Show to become the new #1 contender and you know this is going to be a classic no matter what. That being said, there’s not much of a secret to the fact that they’re building towards Lesnar vs. Angle at this point. At least we can have an incredible match on the way there.

Smackdown World Title: Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

Angle is defending. Benoit has to deal with Team Angle to start so that’s a double ejection. Chris tries a very quick Sharpshooter (which Tazz calls a Boston crab for some reason), sending Angle outside for a breather. Back in and another leg hold sends Angle to the ropes as it seems that they have a long time here.

Benoit easily wins a battle of the chops and gets two off a clothesline to the back of the head. A DDT onto the apron makes things even worse but Angle rolls away from the Swan Dive. The Angle Slam is reversed though and we hit the Sharpshooter. Angle grabs the ropes as well as a belly to belly (after that last match, I’m surprised those weren’t banned like bar stools on Frasier) to really take over for the first time.

We hit the chinlock with a bodyscissors on Benoit for a bit before a double clothesline puts both guys down. Back up and they trade German suplexes with Benoit getting the better of it. Chris takes too long going up top though and Angle runs the corner for the belly to belly superplex. The Crossface goes on a few seconds later with Benoit switching to the ankle lock (that’s like a Bingo space in an Angle match).

Kurt’s ankle lock is reversed into the Crossface which is reversed into a rollup which is reversed right back into the Crossface. Angle gets to his feet for an Angle Slam but there’s no cover. There go the straps though and it’s back to the ankle lock. Benoit gets two off a rollup as the announcers are losing their minds (rightfully so).

Kurt is sick of this submission stuff and tries a German suplex, only to have Benoit reverse into a release version, drawing quite the round of applause. With Angle three quarters of the way across the ring, Benoit hits the best looking Swan Dive I’ve ever seen for a delayed two. Angle grabs a powerbomb but drops Benoit face first onto the buckle, followed by another Slam for two.

We’re right back to the Crossface but Angle rolls through into the ankle lock which can’t be reversed this time. Benoit kicks him away instead, only to get caught in the ankle lock again. Chris tries to pull him into the Crossface but Angle holds on and gets the grapevine to FINALLY make Benoit tap because he was beaten and he knew it.

Rating: A+. I’ve seen this match several times now and I’m still exhausted just watching it. These guys were beating the heck out of each other with everything looking anywhere from great to unbelievable (that Swan Dive in particular). This was outstanding stuff and one of the best wrestling matches I’ve ever seen. There’s also a bit of a HHH vs. Cactus Jack vibe to it with Angle being backed into a corner and having to fight, only to prove that he is indeed the better man, at least on this night. Check this out if you haven’t seen it in awhile, or just because it’s worth seeing multiple times.

After an Anthology ad, Benoit gets the big standing ovation, which probably should have sent him to a World Title shot (at least) at Wrestlemania. Instead it was a spot in a three way for the Tag Team Titles because that’s how WWE worked in 2003.

Rob Van Dam and Kane agree that it’s every man for himself tonight.

Royal Rumble

90 second intervals (though Fink says two minutes) with Shawn Michaels at #1 and Chris Jericho at #2. If nothing else, at least Shawn is starting to look like a wrestler again instead of the tiny thing he was back at Survivor Series. Actually hang on a second as it’s Christian in Jericho’s clothes instead of Chris himself. Cue Jericho from underneath the ring to hit Shawn low. One heck of a beatdown ensues with Jericho busting Shawn open with a chair as Christopher Nowinski is in at #3. He’s willing to stay on the floor while Jericho beats on Shawn some more and easily eliminates him.

Nowinski is still on the floor as Rey Mysterio is in at #4. Rey tries to speed things up and slips out of a gorilla press, only to get punched out to the apron. As usual, Jericho celebrates early and gets dropkicked into the ropes. Nowinski FINALLY gets in and it’s Edge in at #5. Outside of Nowinski, that’s quite the first four. Spears abound as Rey gets back into it and Nowinski is sent outside but not eliminated.

Jericho is sent into the post and through the ropes to the floor. Rey and Edge shake hands and go at it with Rey hitting the 619 but he gets powerbombed to put both guys down. It’s Christian in at #6 with an offer to reform the team with Edge. That earns him a spear but here’s Nowinski to throw Edge and Mysterio to the apron. Chavo Guerrero is in at #7 as the Smackdown is strong with this Rumble.

Rey and Chavo do a quick lucha sequence with the 619 setting up a springboard seated senton. Christian eats a 619 of his own, followed by a hurricanrana to get rid of Nowinski. Jericho comes back in for a hard clothesline to get rid of Mysterio and here’s Tajiri in at #8. Things settle down a bit with Chavo choking Jericho in the corner and Tajiri not being able to eliminate Christian.

Bill DeMott is in at #9 and attacks various people in short order. The fans aren’t exactly thrilled here as we’re waiting on the big name to clean out some of these names. Tommy Dreamer is in at #10 to give us Dreamer, Jericho, Edge, Christian, Chavo, Tajiri and DeMott. Dreamer brings weapons with him and Edge knocks DeMott out with a kendo stick. Jericho and Christian hit a con-trashcanlid-o on Dreamer and get rid of him without much effort. Tajiri takes them both down with a handspring elbow but the Tarantula is easily broken up, allowing Jericho to get rid of him.

B2, still with the Cena entrance theme, is in at #11…and Edge gets rid of him in less than thirty seconds. Chavo is speared out next, followed by a bloody Jericho (from a Dreamer kendo stick shot) dumping Edge and Christian to leave himself all alone. Rob Van Dam is in at #12 because Edge/Van Dam vs. Christian/Jericho was out of the question for some reason. A superkick has Jericho in trouble and he’s catapulted all the way to the apron. Matt Hardy, who strongly dislikes mustard, is in at #13 and drops Rob with a Side Effect.

Van Dam gets double teamed for a bit until he flips over Jericho and kicks Matt in the face for good measure. The Five Star hits Jericho and it’s Eddie Guerrero in at #14. We get a rehash of Eddie vs. Van Dam from last year until Matt helps Eddie set up an ugly frog splash. That earns Eddie a Twist of Fate (Eddie is smarter than that) and it’s Jeff Hardy in at #15.

Jeff doesn’t buy the reunion idea either (like anyone would buy a Hardys reunion in 2003 or beyond) and beats Matt up, only to have Shannon Moore dive onto Matt to save him from a Swanton. That’s fine with Jeff so he crushes both of them as Rosey is in at #16. Matt gets backdropped to the apron as the eliminations have slowed WAY down. Test is in at #17 and gets to clean house a bit without eliminating anyone. You know, because Rosey needs to stick around.

A rapping John Cena is in at #18 giving reasons why he’s going to win this. The camera stays on him and for once it’s not the biggest problem as nothing is going on in the ring. Van Dam beats him up on the floor (maybe for wrestling in jeans instead of jean shorts for a change) and it’s Charlie Haas in at #19. Where are Lesnar and Undertaker to clear these people out? Jeff tries to run up the corner so Rob eliminates him, still leaving us with far too many people.

Rikishi is in at #20, giving us Rikishi, Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Matt Hardy, Eddie Guerrero, Rosey, Test, Cena and Haas. Rosey and Rikishi have a weird family reunion as Shannon comes in to protect Matt. That just earns him a double Stinkface, or at least it would have if Rosey hadn’t clotheslined Rikishi instead. Jamal is in at #21 to superkick Rikishi, who pops right back up with a Stinkface for his…..brother I believe.

Kane is in at #22 to clean house but he brings Rico in with a chokeslam to fill the ring up even more. Rosey is tossed in a hurry and it’s a double chokeslam for Matt and Shannon. Shelton Benjamin is in at #23 as the ring is WAY too full with eleven people in there, plus Shannon and Rico at various times. They all fight near the ropes and it’s Booker T. in at #24. We go to a weird closeup for an ax kick on Kane and there’s the Spinarooni. Eddie gets backdropped out and it’s A-Train in at #25.

A good looking A-Train Bomb (chokebomb) plants Cena and another one hits Van Dam but Rikishi superkicks A-Train in the face. Jericho is sent to the apron AGAIN but here’s a bandaged Shawn to go after Jericho, allowing Test to knock him out. Shawn stays on Jericho and that’s a Wrestlemania match. Maven is in at #26 (because this match needed two Tough Enough names) and goes after Kane as things slow down again. Goldust is in at #27 and doesn’t even last a minute before Team Angle puts him out. They do the same to Booker T. a few seconds later, making sure that the Booker T./Goldust team is swiftly beaten again.

Batista is in at #28 and gets rid of Test (after EIGHTEEN MINUTES, or longer than Edge and Mysterio combined) and Rikishi. Brock Lesnar is in at #29 and becomes the most obvious winner since….well last year with HHH actually. He wastes no time in getting rid of Team Angle before throwing Matt onto both of them. Now that’s how you clear out some bodies. Undertaker is in at #30 to give us a final group of Undertaker, Van Dam, Cena, Jamal, Kane, A-Train, Maven, Batista and Lesnar. Not the worst field actually.

Undertaker dumps Cena (Which could have set up a heck of a Wrestlemania match today but we wanted a reality show moment instead. Yes you did want that and Kevin Dunn told me so.) and Jamal (Why was he still there?) before Maven hits the same dropkick as last year. This time there’s no effect though, making Maven’s celebration a bit amusing.

After Maven is launched out, A-Train hits the A-Train Bomb on Undertaker. Van Dam and Kane get rid of A-Train and we’re down to five. Kane loads up Rob in a gorilla press….and throws him out in a smart move (not a heel turn). Batista and Kane are put down with a double clothesline and it’s time for Lesnar vs. Undertaker.

That’s broken up before anything can happen though and the Brothers of Destruction start taking over. Brock takes care of Batista and Kane so we can have the Undertaker showdown. The F5 is countered and Brock takes a Tombstone, followed by Undertaker dumping Batista and Kane. Batista comes back in and eats a chair shot, leaving Brock to eliminate Undertaker for the win.

Rating: B. There was a REALLY bad dead spot in the middle and some of the choices were all over the place (Test, Jamal and Rikishi all getting over fourteen minutes while Los Guerreros, Edge and Mysterio were all afterthoughts) but the ending was the right call. The final four wasn’t a bad group at all and having Lesnar dump Undertaker to win is as good a move as they could have made.

There was VERY little build to this match and they did well enough with it while they could. It’s not a terrible Rumble but there are many better options. Fix the middle part and get rid of people at a faster clip and it’s a great one, but as it is it’s just pretty good. Then again, for this year that’s quite the compliment.

The big problem here though is how weak the midcard and lower card is. Maybe it’s just the way some of them were booked but aside from Lesnar, Undertaker and MAYBE Jericho, was anyone a real threat to win here? Having an obvious winner is fine but it would be nice to build up someone else as a possible winner.

Overall Rating: B-. The World Title matches cancel each other out and thankfully the Rumble is there to make up for a nothing lower card. Lesnar winning was the obvious ending here and that left the rest of the show to really carry things. Angle vs. Benoit is must see and Steiner vs. HHH may be as well if you’re into unintentional comedy. The rest of the show though…..egads there’s nothing to see there. It’s a perfectly good show but the problems are very big and the Rumble isn’t good enough to make it a classic.

Ratings Comparison

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: D
2013 Redo: C+
2017 Redo: D+

Dudley Boyz vs. William Regal/Lance Storm

Original: C
2013 Redo: D
2017 Redo: C-

Dawn Marie vs. Torrie Wilson

Original: DD
2013 Redo: D-
2017 Redo: F

Scott Steiner vs. HHH

Original: G-
2013 Redo: H (For HHH)
2017 Redo: N (For Not HHH’s Fault)

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2017 Redo: A+

Royal Rumble

Original: B
2013 Redo: B-
2017 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B-
2013 Redo: C-
2017 Redo: B-

This is a rare instance where the original is much closer to the new ratings than the first redo. Maybe I was in a bad mood that day?

You can read the original review here:

And the 2013 redo here:

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 10, 2022
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We are less than three weeks away from the Royal Rumble and the show is starting to come together. It seems that we have a pair of World Title matches and a good number of names set for both Royal Rumble matches. There are still some things that need to be done though and some of that should be taken care of tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Brock Lesnar becoming WWE Champion at Day One and Bobby Lashley becoming #1 contender last week.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, with Bobby Lashley and MVP watching backstage. The Hurt Business comes up to Lashley and are glad to have the team back together. Lashley says not so fast because he works alone, with MVP nodding in agreement. Back in the arena, Heyman does the intro and Lesnar is happy to be here.

Cue Lashley and MVP to interrupt and the staredowns are on. MVP handles Lashley’s intro so Lashley can talk to Lesnar face to face. Lashley says Lesnar has been ducking him for twenty years, with Lesnar saying it is an honor for him (as in Lesnar) to be in the ring with him (as in Lesnar). Brock talks about winning titles all over the world in different rings, so it’s Lashley’s fault that they never met each other.

Lesnar asks how many threads MVP’s suit is, with Lesnar saying he is funny and money. He calls Heyman over and says…..knock knock. Heyman: “Brock Lesnar is doing a knock knock joke in Philadelphia. I thought I had seen it all. Who’s there?” Bobby. Heyman: “Bobby who?” EXACTLY! Lesnar calls Lashley a Brock Lesnar wannabe and walks away. Cue Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to jump Lashley but he leaves them laying in a hurry.

Riddle is trying to get ready for their Tag Team Title match but Randy Orton tells him to be serious. Orton writes TAG IN RANDY on Riddle’s hands and starts heading to the ring. Hold on though, as Riddle needs to know if Orton is a Pat’s or Geno’s guy. Orton picks Geno’s (cheesesteak place) and we’re ready to go.

Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. Alpha Academy

RKBro is defending. Riddle tries to wrestle with Gable and gets taken down in a hurry. An armbar doesn’t work so well for Riddle as Gable is right in the ropes before it can get anywhere. Riddle knocks Gable outside and hits a big springboard Floating Bro to take him out as we take a break.

Back with Gable hitting a dragon screw legwhip on Riddle and handing it off to Otis. The Floating Bro gets Riddle out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Orton to clean house. Gable gets crotched on top and the top rope superplex brings him right back down. Otis makes a blind tag though and the World’s Strongest Slam to Orton gives Otis the pin and the titles at 9:24.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting story as they were telling the story of Orton being the big savior for the team but he took the fall anyway. I’m curious about where this is going for RKBro, as the team didn’t need the titles anymore, but I’m not sure what they are doing without them. I don’t want them to split, but what else is there for them to do in WWE logic?

Damian Priest is in the Royal Rumble.

Priest and the Street Profits are ready for a six man tonight but they’re also ready to go after each other in the Rumble. For now though, they want the smoke.

Bianca Belair is ready to get the next shot at Becky Lynch.

Street Profits/Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode/Apollo Crews

Ford jumps over Crews to start so it’s off to Ziggler, who gets hit in the face. Priest comes in and cleans house, with the villains being knocked outside without much trouble. We take a break and come back with Crews gorilla pressing Ford. Ziggler’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Ford fights up and brings in Dawkins to clean house. Everything breaks down and Ford hits a big flip dive to the floor. That leaves Ziggler to Zig Zag Dawkins for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C. I’m rather glad that we’re in for the annual Ziggler semipush, which continues to happen for reasons I do not quite understand. I can’t imagine it goes anywhere in the Royal Rumble, but it’s not like he and Roode are winning the Tag Team Titles anytime soon. Fine enough six man, but it came and went with Ziggler winning, so not much to get behind here.

Smackdown Rebound.

We recap the opening segment.

Here is a dancing Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins is happy to see Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar hit each other a lot because he’ll be ready to take the Universal Title from Roman Reigns. Cue Big E. to interrupt and make a reference to the Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot, which Rollins doesn’t get. Big E. gets to the point and enters the Royal Rumble so he can win the title back at Wrestlemania. Rollins laughs it off so Big E. thinks they should face off tonight. Actually let’s just do it right now. Rollins wants a referee out here and the bell rings.

Big E. vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins starts fast with a dropkick but gets caught in a powerslam. Big E. gets knocked outside for a dive though and the fight heads to the floor. That’s fine with Big E., who hits the apron splash and we take a break. Back with Rollins slipping out of a powerslam attempt and taking Big E. down into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Big E. hits the Rock Bottom out of the corner but Rollins headbutts his way out of a belly to belly.

Big E. sends him to the apron and hits the spear to the floor as we take a break. Back with Big E. fighting up and snapping off the belly to belly suplexes. The Warrior splash connects but Rollins escapes another Rock Bottom out of the corner. Rollins hits a frog splash for two but Big E. powerbombs him down.

A Stretch Muffler goes on, sending Rollins straight to the ropes. Big E. plants him again for two more but another spear through the ropes hits knee. That means Rollins can go up, where he has to escape a super Big Ending. Big E. can’t hit a regular version either so Rollins has to miss a Pedigree attempt as well. Some forearms put Big E. down and there’s the Stomp for the pin at 17:56.

Rating: B. This got into a groove of the big fight feel as these two beat on each other rather well. It’s a good win for Rollins, but Big E. continues to fall rather quickly. I don’t think he’s getting back to the title picture anytime soon, and unfortunately that is not the biggest surprise. He had his run, WWE decided that the bad results were his fault, and here we are again. At least they built Rollins up well for Reigns, which should be good.

We look at the big announcement of most of the women’s Royal Rumble field.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Nikki ASH for a chat. Nikki seems to be ok with last week’s loss but Ripley doesn’t want to talk about it. That’s not cool with Nikki, because they are going to talk about it right now. Nikki doesn’t want to split up the team but Ripley thinks it’s time to go their own ways. They can get the titles back, but Ripley says it’s not about that. Nikki: “You think you’re so much better than me?”

That’s not what Ripley said but Nikki meant that she’s the better one. It’s great to know where Rhea’s head is, which is enough to make her leave. Ripley turns back to face her and the team seems to be done, but we do get a hug. Then Nikki turns on her and the beatdown is on, with Nikki saying superheroes don’t need friends. I’m glad WWE FINALLY seems to be giving up on this stupid gimmick, but forgive me for not being emotional about a split between a team that got together less than five months ago.

Reggie has cheesteaks for himself and Dana Brooke, but he thinks someone is going after the 24/7 Title. Cue R-Truth with a trashcan containing Akira Tozawa, so Brooke and Reggie throw their food at….Tamina, who freaks out and turns over the trashcan. Excuse me for one second.

THIS STUFF IS FREAKING STUPID AND NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE 24/7 TITLE!!!

Anyway, Reggie and Brooke run off, with Reggie running into Omos. Dana says let him down, which Omos actually does, albeit with a threat to Reggie. Oh and for a bonus: today happens to be Tamina’s birthday. Thank goodness they came up with LET’S THROW FOOD AT HER.

Doudrop, now with a lot of makeup, wants the Raw Women’s Title.

Omos vs. Nick Sanders

Chokeslam and fireman’s carry drop connect, as Dana Brooke and Reggie watch in the back. The chokebomb finishes at 1:33.

We recap the opening segment, including Bobby Lashley wrecking the former Hurt Business.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge. We get straight to the point as he has what he describes as the most gorgeous and curvaceous guest he has ever had: the owner of thighs that could crack a coconut, Beth Phoenix. They’re ready to do some damage to Miz and Maryse at the Royal Rumble because Beth would fit in with the Broad Street Bullies (Philadelphia Flyers reference).

They have more titles between themselves than any other couple in WWE history, including Miz and Maryse. We see a video on Beth Phoenix’s career, including various wrestlers talking about her career and accomplishments. Edge gives her the floor and says if Edge was trying to butter her up for later, flattery will get you everywhere. Beth: “Down boy, down boy.” Beth is ready to destroy Miz and Maryse, who are just annoying.

Cue Miz and Maryse to insult Philadelphia and be ready to take car of Beth and Edge at the Royal Rumble. Edge mocks Miz for hiding behind Maryse to avoid the spear. Miz isn’t hearing it and has his own highlight video on Maryse. Back in the arena, Miz brags about what Maryse has done, but Miz and Beth respect the heck out of her. Edge: “But my wife can bench press a Buick.” Beth finds it funny that Maryse hasn’t been so eager to get involved now that Beth is back.

The time for apologies is long gone, and it is time to wreck Maryse for good, with the fans chanting au revoir. Miz laughs it off and tells Maryse to tell Beth what is going to happen at the Royal Rumble. Maryse walks off while Miz is hyping her up though, so Beth volunteers to beat Miz up at the Rumble instead. This feud isn’t that good as I’m not sure how much of a demand there was for Miz and Edge to fight in the first place, but there is even less for the mixed tag. I’m sure the match will be good, but it’s kind of hard to get interested.

Austin Theory is ready to beat AJ Styles to impress Vince McMahon.

We look at the Tag Team Title change.

AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory

Styles starts fast with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but Theory grabs a suplex for two. Back up and Styles dropkicks him to the floor but gets sent outside for his efforts. Theory’s dropkick looks even better and we take a break. Back with Styles slamming him down for two but having to check his tooth. Theory grabs a brainbuster onto the knee for two but Styles gets to the apron….where Grayson Waller jumps him for the DQ at 7:02.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go very far but at least we got the Grayson Waller portion of the match. Sarcasm aside, this is a wisely set up segment, as you don’t want Styles losing twice in a row and you don’t want Theory getting pinned. It also set up another rmatch while keeping people strong, which is about as good as you could have done here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Styles clears the ring.

We go backstage to look at the curtain into the arena….and nothing happens. There’s your production gaffe, but then we catch up with Waller heading through the curtain and saying AJ is getting taken over tomorrow night.

Liv Morgan is tired of getting so close to winning but coming up short. She’s never giving up though.

Alexa Bliss is in therapy but can’t be fixed until she is willing to open up. We get a flashback of her time as the female Fiend, which makes her feel thirsty. She pours the entire pitcher of water and then breaks a bunch of stuff in the office. See you next week doc. Bliss has been gone for four months and the best thing they can think of is “let’s do the same thing”. What a brilliant idea.

Becky Lynch (who had to stand in the arena while the Bliss segment aired) isn’t woried about any of her potential challengers but will sit in on commentary for the match anyway.

Doudrop vs. Liv Morgan vs. Bianca Belair

They all punch each other to start until Doudrop suplexes Belair down hard. The two of them head outside so Morgan flip dives onto them. Back in and Doudrop crushes Liv in the corner but Belair breaks it up. Doudrop crushes both of them with a basement crossbody before dropping Morgan onto belair for a double cover. The chinlock has Liv in trouble but she fights up and gets sent over the top for a crash into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Doudrop missing a charge into the corner and getting rolled up to give Morgan two. Morgan grabs the Rings of Saturn on Belair, who powers out after some hard pulling. Belair gets sent into the corner but Doudrop powerbombs Morgan hard. Belair breaks up the cover with a 450 before the one count and plants both of them down. The handspring moonsault hit both of them and the KOD gets….no count as Becky runs in for the save. Becky and Belair fight so Doudrop can hit a Banzai drop to pin Morgan at 14:42.

Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse and the best thing is they gave us a surprise winner. The problem continues to be that none of these three feel like they are worthy of challenging Lynch. It didn’t help that Lynch wasn’t exactly sounding inspired on commentary, leaving us with a long but not that interesting match. At least Doudrop got the win and that gives us a fresh match for a change.

Post match Doudrop shoves Becky out to the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. There were two segments on this show that ruined an otherwise pretty good night. We had some good action and some story development as the Rumble gets closer, but then things had to fall apart. Between Reggie and Dana Brooke throw food at Tamina and Alexa Bliss is in therapy, I don’t remember getting this annoyed at Raw in a long time. It feels like it’s from another planet and is inserted into what is an otherwise good show. That crippled almost any interesting I had in the show and that tends to happen far too often on Raw. Overall it’s a good show, but the bad stuff on here is really bad.

Results
Alpha Academy b. RKBro – World’s Strongest Slam to Orton
Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode/Apollo Crews b. Street Profits/Damian Priest – Zig Zag to Dawkins
Seth Rollins b. Big E. – Stomp
Omos b. Nick Sanders – Chokebomb
AJ Styles b. Austin Theory via DQ when Grayson Waller interfered
Doudrop b. Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan – Banzai Drop to Morgan

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

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Smackdown
Date: January 7, 2022
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncastville, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the first show of the year and that means we’re in for a special night with two World Champions in the house. Last Saturday, Brock Lesnar became the WWE Champion and tonight he is here to confront Roman Reigns, who was not around at Day One due to health issues. I think that’s going to make for a sufficient explosion so let’s get to it.

Here is Day One if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Paul Heyman aligning with Brock Lesnar on Raw, revealing that he got Lesnar into the WWE Title match at Day One.

Here is Roman Reigns for a chat. He was gone for a week and everything fell apart….but here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to interrupt. We get the big staredown and Heyman loads up the catchphrase but Lesnar gets in Reigns’ face to introduce himself. That means Lesnar does Heyman’s catchphrases and tells Reigns to acknowledge him.

Last Saturday, they both got what they wanted: Lesnar got the WWE Title and Reigns got out of the match. Now let’s give the people what they want and go title vs. title, champ vs. champ. Reigns says it’s a good idea but it isn’t his idea. This is his show so we’ll do it on his time. Besides, he doesn’t do business with people who do business with trash like Heyman.

That’s too far for Heyman, who says he got Reigns where he is now. Heyman protected him from Lesnar and loved him….but Lesnar cuts Heyman off as he is about to cry. Lesnar wants to know what Heyman is talking about, sending Heyman into a crying rant about how Reigns was all he had while Lesnar was gone. Lesnar: “Shut up Paul!” Reigns: “Don’t talk to him that way.” Lesnar: “I said shut up.” Reigns drops Lesnar with a Superman Punch and leaves as Heyman looks stunned. That’s an interesting twist.

Sami Zayn talks about how the conspiracy against him started over a year ago but now he has the chance to win his Intercontinental Title back. First up though, he has to deal with Rick Boogs, who is a gorilla with a guitar. Hold up though, as Sami walks over to see Johnny Knoxville, who is here to get in the Royal Rumble. Sami laughs it off and says he needs technical wrestling skills, but Knoxville says he has to send someone over the top rope.

Sami Zayn vs. Rick Boogs

Boogs doesn’t waste time in gorilla pressing Sami to start, sending him outside as we take a break. Back with Sami hammering away but getting caught in a bearhug. Boogs isn’t done as he powers him up into a suplex, gets kneed in the head to take him down to one knee, and then powers back up into the suplex (because that can be done). Sami bails to the floor and manages to catch Boogs with a boot to the face. Back in and Boogs small packages him for the fast pin at 6:33.

Rating: C. Boogs is about as scary of a power freak as you can get and it is cool to see what kind of things he can come up with week to week. Sami losing again isn’t the best sign, but there is a good chance that he winds up winning the Intercontinental Title anyway. This didn’t have much time to get very far, but Sami’s frustrations are always funny.

Post match Sami yells a lot and here is Johnny Knoxville to dump him out. Apparently that is enough to qualify Knoxville for the Royal Rumble.

New Day sounds British and promise to take the Tag Team Titles from the Usos in a street fight tonight.

Here is Charlotte to mock the ideas of new year’s resolutions. Those are the things that are designed to make people feel better but she doesn’t have to do that. The Royal Rumble is coming up and it is a chance for a lot of women to make their mark. Here are a lot of the people already in the match:

Rhea Ripley
Nikki Ash
Nikki Bella
Brie Bella
Shotzi
Natalya
Michelle McCool
Dana Brooke
Carmella
Queen Zelina
Mickie James
Tamina
Kelly Kelly
Aliyah
Summer Rae
Naomi
Shayna Baszler
Lita
Charlotte

Pat McAfee: “That’s Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James!” As a bonus, there is a nineteenth entrant in the Royal Rumble: Charlotte herself! Cue Naomi to interrupt and challenge Charlotte to a title match right now. Charlotte doesn’t think so, meaning it’s a slap in the face and a toss to the floor (through the ropes).

Charlotte vs. Naomi

Non-title but a Championship Contenders match. Charlotte chops away to start and we’re quickly into the figure four neck lock, with Naomi’s face being driven into the mat. Naomi fights up and hits a bulldog into the middle buckle but Charlotte boots her off the top and out to the floor.

Back up and a Blockbuster off the barricade knocks Charlotte silly on the floor….but here is Sonya Deville to say that this match can’t be won by countout. Charlotte hits a chop block to take Naomi down and we take a break. Back with Naomi kicking Charlotte in the face, setting up a springboard spinning kick to the face for two. Charlotte shrugs it off and grabs the Figure Four so Naomi makes the rope….which has Sonya saying it’s No DQ.

Naomi is still down so Charlotte stomps away on the ropes, setting up the double jump moonsault for two. Back up and they hit stereo big boots but Naomi grabs a rollup for two more. Charlotte hits a backbreaker out of the corner for two of her own and breaks up the split legged moonsault. Natural Selection finishes Naomi at 13:10. Sonya: “And your loser: NAOMI!”

Rating: C. So they were going for the Vince McMahon vs. Steve Austin deal here with Sonya and Naomi, and there is at least a feud set up for that to work. I’m not sure how effective it was and I do kind of want to see Naomi take Sonya apart, but I also could have gone without Charlotte getting another win. This couldn’t have been Shayna Baszler? Just to give her SOMETHING?

The Usos are ready for the New Day.

We recap the opening segment.

Adam Pearce has been told that he can pick Roman Reigns’ opponent for the Royal Rumble and has until the end of the night. He and Sonya Deville are off to bounce some names off each other.

Here is Happy Corbin for Happy Talk. Corbin talks about how with the Coronavirus running around, you have to watch your back. That includes Drew McIntyre, and we see a clip of Corbin attacking him at Day One. McIntyre is here tonight though….and it’s Madcap Moss, dressed as McIntyre (complete with neck brace, cane, and limp inflatable sword).

Moss, doing the Scottish accent, says if he could survive haggis, he could handle anything Corbin did. If they had a match though, Moss would have all kinds of problems. As for the injury, he is going to milk it for all it is worth so he can write poetry about the Loch Ness Monster. McAfee: “When is this over?” Moss reveals that he isn’t really Drew McIntyre and it’s time for a match.

Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin vs. Viking Raiders

Joined in progress with Erik headlocking Moss but it’s off to Corbin before that can get very far. Deep Six gets two on Erik and it’s time for the villains to take turns beating on him in the corner. Moss pounds away until the referee has to pull him away, allowing Erik to score with a hard knee to the face. Corbin pulls Ivar off the apron though and Moss hits his forward neckbreaker (the Punchline) for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, though I don’t think there was any need for it to go long either. Moss and Corbin have things going on while the Raiders are just there to take a loss every now and then. I would assume we’re heading for McIntyre vs. Corbin at either the Rumble (if McIntyre is healthy by then) or in Saudi Arabia in February at the latest, and either of those sound like a long way off.

Drew McIntyre will get an update on his neck injury on Monday.

Sheamus isn’t worried about McIntyre because he is more worried about Ridge Holland’s broke nose. To take his mind off of it, he is entering the Royal Rumble.

Adam Pearce tries to tell Roman Reigns his Royal Rumble opponent but Reigns says there is no one on this roster he can’t smash. Reigns has Pearce leave without telling him the opponent so he can watch his cousins’ match. It’s going to be Goldberg isn’t it?

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day

New Day is challenging in a street fight and this is their last shot at the titles. Woods and Jey get things going (because we are tagging to start) but it’s quickly off to Kofi for the Trust Fall to the floor. We take a very early break and come back with all four fighting on the stage.

That doesn’t last long as Woods hits a tornado DDT for two on Jey back inside. Jey whips out some duct tape to tie Woods to the rope, leaving Kofi to hit a messed up SOS for two on Jimmy. Woods is freed in a hurry and they fight to the floor again. The Usos take Woods over the barricade and hit him in the face with the steps, only to get knocked down by a diving Kofi as we take another break.

Back again with New Day pulling out a helmet and knight armor, meaning Woods can shrug off a superkick to the face. The armor and helmet are kicked into the Usos’ faces with some Van Daminators and it’s time to get a table set up in the ring. That takes a bit too long though and it’s a double superkick to Kingston. With Woods on the floor, the 1D through the table finishes Kingston at 18:14.

Rating: B-. The armor/helmet stuff was amusing but I don’t know how many more times I can see these teams fight. They fought before the pay per view, they fought at the pay per view, and now they fought after the pay per view. Thank goodness they announced this as the final match between the teams (at least for now), but forgive me for being a bit skeptical about that one.

We cut to the back where someone knocks on Roman Reigns’ door (sounding like a certain famous theme song)….and it’s Seth Rollins. He laughs at Reigns, who looks annoyed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where they started the build to the Rumble in a hurry, with most of the women’s field set, another name added to the men’s match, and a surprise main event being set up. The wrestling left a good bit to be desired, but they covered a lot of ground in the span of two hours. Sometimes that is the kind of show that you need and they made it work well here.

Results
Rick Boogs b. Sami Zayn – Small package
Charlotte b. Naomi – Natural Selection
Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss b. Viking Raiders – Punchline to Erik
Usos b. New Day – 1D through a table to Kingston

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 3, 2022
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Center, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the show after Day One and since it’s WWE, Brock Lesnar has now somehow become WWE Champion. Lesnar has been added to the fatal four way after his scheduled match with Roman Reigns was canceled due to Reigns testing positive for the Coronavirus. That means it’s time for a new direction so let’s get to it.

Here is Day One if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Title on Saturday night.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

The lights go out and a rather happy looking Paul Heyman is in the ring. As an advocate, Heyman would like to introduce us to his client: the new WWE Champion, BROCK LESNAR! Here is Lesnar, who throws some steps in the ring so he can stand up and send good wishes to Roman Reigns. Lesnar: “Now, South Carolina, acknowledge me!” He thanks Heyman for all of his efforts to make the title win possible on Saturday.

Heyman: “You should see the things behind the scenes in WWE.” He is the one who made Lesnar a free agent and then got Lesnar into a title match. Tonight we have a fatal four way, starting with Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, who want to work as a team. You have Rollins, who is a visionary, but he’s too stupid to know that his wife is leaving him after he wins the WWE Title. Who is she leaving him for? It won’t be Owens, because he can’t beat Lesnar either.

Maybe they should be traded to Smackdown for Roman Reigns, who is vulnerable without his special counsel. Heyman: “One week without his special counsel, Roman Reigns already has Corona.” Let’s talk about MVP….or not, because no one else is. Bobby Lashley is a worthy challenger and it’s true that the two of them have not met until last Saturday at Day One. That night, Lashley speared him in half and put Lesnar in the Hurt Lock, and as Heyman told Lesnar to his face, it didn’t look like Lesnar was getting out.

Those shots were all from behind though, but if Lashley wins tonight, he is going to face Lesnar one on one. Then there is Big E., who they have nothing against whatsoever. Big E. was an honorable champion and it would be an honor to beat Big E. Heyman: “You’re going to lose, but it would be an honor.” Heyman hasn’t lost a step as Lesnar’s mouthpiece and it felt like he had been dying to manage Lesnar again.

Riddle comes up to Randy Orton (ignore that he did this before the commercial and then left) and talks about meeting Migos at Day One. They should start their own rap group! Orton makes him hand over the sunglasses and gold chains before saying to remember their New Year’s resolution: listen to Randy more. This turns into a quick rap from Riddle and it’s time to go to the ring.

RKBro vs. Alpha Academy

Non-title. We see a recap of RKBro retaining over the Street Profits at Day One and come back to Chad Gable talking about his education. He calls Otis a tree trunk, which I believe Orton called Otis in their pre-match promo. Gable promises the title reign is about to end and the brawl is on before the bell, with Riddle being launched with a belly to belly.

We take a break and come back in progress with Gable suplexing Riddle (whose toenails are painted). Otis comes in with a gorilla press for two but Riddle manages to toss him away. A kick to the head looks to set up the hot tag but Gable pulls Orton off the apron. Otis splashes Riddle, who is right back with a running knee. The RKO is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam though and Riddle is done at 2:55.

Bobby Lashley says Brock Lesnar fears him.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Omos, from their debut through their breakup.

Omos puts his hand on an interviewer’s face and doesn’t seem to want to answer questions.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa/Tamina vs. Reggie/Dana Brooke

Brooke is defending and it’s not clear how she can lose the title here. The guys start things off and Tozawa accidentally kicks Tamina in the face. Tamina knocks him down and Reggie hits the running flipping seated senton for the pin at 1:16, retaining Brooke’s title. Brooke was never in the match.

We recap Becky Lynch surviving against Liv Morgan at Day One.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Becky talks about how it is a new year and a lot of people think that means a new them. Their to do lists include “become the Raw Women’s Champion” but the top of hers says “remain Raw Women’s Champion”. She realizes that she has become a work of art and that makes her WWE’s Vincent Van Goat.

Becky hates to break it to you, but you’re not losing that ten pounds or getting that promotion. As for everyone in the back, including Liv Morgan, you’re not taking this title from her. Cue Liv Morgan to insult Becky’s jacket (Becky: “I like this jacket.”) and call her delusional. No one is harder on Liv than herself and she will never give up on her dream.

Cue Bianca Belair to say Liv isn’t the EST so Becky mocks both of them. Liv calls out Becky for not being in the women’s locker room in years but Belair cuts Liv off. Becky tells them to figure this out one on one but they jump Becky instead. Belair and Liv fight until Becky breaks it up and leaves them laying. So Becky has beaten them both more than once and now she beat them both up at once. What a way to make me care about the likely title match.

Kevin Owens comes up to Seth Rollins and says they can work together tonight and then take the title from Brock Lesnar. It doesn’t matter who wins, because then they can fight for the title at Wrestlemania. Rollins loves the plan because they can trust each other. Rollins leaves and Owens asks if he’s lying.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash vs. Queen Zelina/Carmella

Carmella/Vega are defending. Ripley suplexes Vega down to start and it’s off to Nikki to take her down again. Vega comes back with a knockdown of her own into a chinlock. Nikki fights up but Vega grabs a cradle to retain at 2:34.

Johnny Knoxville is going to be in the Royal Rumble.

Street Profits vs. Apollo Crews/Commander Azeez

Before the match, the Profits officially enter the Royal Rumble (as do the Mysterios in another backstage promo). Ford strikes away at Azeez to start and gets shouldered out of the air for his efforts. A jumping enziguri staggers Azeez though and it’s off to Dawkins to elbow Crews in the face. The Silencer gets two with Azeez breaking up the cover, only to get low bridged to the floor. Azeez pulls Dawkins outside but gets posted, leaving Crews to enziguri Dawkins. Ford makes a blind tag though and it’s the Anointment into the frog splash to finish Crews at 2:19.

We’re halfway through the show and have had about nine minutes of wrestling so far.

Damian Priest is ready to retain the US Title and won’t lose his cool.

Doudrop isn’t happy with being left out of the #1 contenders match because everyone is sick of the same women getting chance after chance. Sonya Deville makes a triple threat with Doudrop, Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair with the winner getting the shot at Becky Lynch at the Royal Rumble.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler

Priest is defending and loses the title if he gets disqualified or counted out. Ziggler gets launched into the corner for some right hands to the face but Priest pulls back before the DQ. They head outside, where Ziggler hits a tornado DDT on the floor and we take a break. Back with Ziggler taking Priest down with a running knee for two. I’m not sure why that’s described as “offensive creativity” but I don’t want to know how WWE announcers think/are told to think.

Priest kicks him down and goes up top, where Ziggler catches him but can’t hit a superplex. Instead Priest scores with another kick to the face, only to have Robert Roode trip Priest down. The Fameasser gives Ziggler two so Priest goes after Roode, but can’t bring himself to use the chair. Back in and Priest teases going after Ziggler with the chair but he hits Roode instead. The Zig Zag gets two so Ziggler tries a superkick, only to get countered into the Reckoning to retain Priest’s title at 9:23.

Rating: C. That’s the match of the night by about a mile and that does not say much. They did have me thinking the title might change hands, but thankfully they kept their senses and didn’t do a completely insane change. Priest needs to get back to being the cool rockstar type, but I think they’re locked in with this RAGE deal.

Austin Theory comes up to Vince McMahon and accidentally interrupts his phone call. Vince doesn’t like Theory apologizing but Theory is here about his rematch with Finn Balor. That doesn’t work for Vince, who puts Theory in the Royal Rumble. Theory is amazed, as am I by the amount of camera cuts needed for a minute and a half of two people standing together talking.

Here are Miz/Maryse for a chat (after a commercial/video on Miz vs. Edge, with Beth Phoenix returning to chase off Maryse). Miz talks about how Edge needed Phoenix to bail him out at Day One because he was a scared little boy. We see last week’s Brood Bath but Miz says true love like theirs will always win. After the wedding vows, Miz vowed to end Edge once and for all.

Miz asks what kind of man would need his wife to protect him, but what kind of man would do that? Maryse talks about how awesome Miz is and says she would punch Phoenix in the face if she was here. Cue Edge and Phoenix for the couples pose so Miz and Maryse back off. Edge: “Figures.” Edge talks about how scared he knows they are and throws out the challenge for the mixed tag.

Miz talks about Maryse’s moisturizer line so Phoenix asks what it’s going to be. Miz accepts so Maryse freaks out and falls down a the threat of Phoenix’s right hand. Maryse storms off and Miz chases after her, trying to talk his way out of this. Beth’s rather odd hair style aside, this was a rather fast way to get to the obvious next step.

Big E. isn’t happy with the loss but it’s time to start getting the title back.

AJ Styles vs. Omos

AJ goes right after him to start before bailing outside when Omos pushes him around. Back in and Omos kicks him in the face to send AJ right back to the floor. A posting rocks Styles again but he comes back in with the Phenomenal Blitz. The Phenomenal Forearm is caught but AJ snaps his throat across the top rope. Another Phenomenal Forearm attempt is swatted out of the air and a gorilla press drop makes it worse. The double chokeslam finishes Styles at 3:47.

Rating: D+. That wasn’t exactly good but it was far from some tragedy unfolding before our eyes. Omos mostly stood still and knocked AJ around, which is exactly what he should be doing. There is no reason for him to do anything more than use his size and power to crush AJ and that’s what he did here. It wasn’t an exciting match or technically sound, but it’s how they should have done things.

Alexa Bliss is…going to be on her way back to Raw next week. As in we will see her on the way back.

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Big E. vs. Bobby Lashley

One fall to a finish and the winner gets Brock Lesnar for the title at the Rumble. It’s a brawl to start with Lashley sending Rollins into the post and Owens being taken down. Big E. and Lashley are left in the ring to slug it out with Lashley getting the better of things. A suplex drops Big E. so Lashley goes outside, only to miss a spear through the barricade. Big E. is back up with a suplex to Rollins but Owens makes the save.

There’s a posting for Big E. and Owens buries Lashley underneath the barricade. A Shield style powerbomb puts Big E. through the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Owens and Rollins in control but Lashley and Big E. get up, with the chase going into the crowd. They wind up in the concourse where Lashley Hurt Locks Rollins. Owens breaks it up with a trashcan lid so he gets put through a t-shirt table as we take another break.

Back again with the fight still in the crowd but Owens dives off a balcony to take everyone down. They get back inside, where Lashley saves Big E. and starts firing off suplexes. Lashley runs through Rollins, leaving Owens to get speared, sending Lashley to the Rumble at 18:04.

Rating: B. I don’t have many complaints here. The match got time, they had a fun brawl (we’ll ignore that it might not be a good idea to be in the stands during a pandemic) that actually felt different and even protected Big E. while giving us the right winner. It’s the best thing all night by a mile, which isn’t saying much, but it did work.

Brock Lesnar is in the back and says tell Roman Reigns he’ll see him on Smackdown.

Overall Rating: D. I don’t know what they were going for here but this show really didn’t work. Above all else, it felt like they were trying to stretch the show out because they didn’t have anything to put out there, but then it took over an hour and a half for a match to break three minutes. This show was all over the place and while the main event was good, it wasn’t enough to overcome the string of short matches that didn’t really advance anything and weren’t good in the first place. I didn’t get this show and hopefully they can get back to something closer to normal next week.

Results
Alpha Academy b. RKBro – World’s Strongest Slam to Riddle
Reggie/Dana Brooke b. Tamina/Akira Tozawa – Flipping seated senton to Tozawa
Queen Zelina/Carmella b. Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash – Rollup to Ash
Street Profits b. Apollo Crews/Commander Azeez – Frog splash to Crews
Damian Priest b. Dolph Ziggler – Reckoning
Omos b. AJ Styles – Chokeslam
Bobby Lashley b. Big E., Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins – Spear to Owens

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

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Day One 2022
Date: January 1, 2022
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the first show of the year and as interesting as that is, everything has changed at the very last minute. Universal Champion Roman Reigns has announced that he has tested positive for Coronavirus, meaning that he is out of his title defense against Brock Lesnar. Worry not though, as Lesnar is now in a five way for the WWE Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Ridge Holland/Sheamus vs. Cesaro/Ricochet

Sheamus has called Holland the replacement for Cesaro in the Bar, while Ricochet eliminated Sheamus from a recent gauntlet match. Cesaro starts with Sheamus, who bails into the corner and brings Holland in. That’s fine with Cesaro, who hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by assisting Ricochet for a flipping stomp to Holland. That looked BAD as Ricochet’s boot hit him right in the face.

Sheamus comes back in for the Irish Curse to take over on Ricochet as a bloody Holland is taken to the back. The reverse chinlock goes on as we’re told Holland has a broken nose and will not be back in the match. Ricochet kicks him away and brings Cesaro back in to hammer on Sheamus for a change.

Sheamus is sent outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and the Swing sets up the Sharpshooter but Sheamus makes the rope. Ricochet comes in for a save and knocks Sheamus outside, where he gets caught with White Noise on the floor. Cesaro catches the returning Sheamus with an uppercut for two but the Brogue Kick gives Sheamus the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C. In case you didn’t understand that Cesaro and Ricochet are essentially done in WWE, they just lost a handicap match on the Kickoff Show. I know that they were probably losing anyway even without the injury, but you can’t throw in a curve to save a bit of them here? Like have Sheamus cheat or something? It’s hard to imagine the two of them recovering if this is how they’re seen by WWE, and that doesn’t seem likely to change.

The opening video talks about how this is a new year and a new opportunity, with a member of Migos (musicians who are appearing tonight) talking about how important this is. We also get the usual clips of the major matches. There is no mention of Reigns, but we do get a quick mention of Lesnar being added to the WWE Title match. In this situation, that is all that can be done.

Commentary recaps the Reigns/Lesnar situation. Of note: they keep referring to this as the first “premium live event” of 2022, because this company has to make EVERYTHING sound corporate and more impressive than it really is.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day

The Usos are defending and are coming off a loss to New Day thanks to the referee missing a tag. Woods shouts out to his hometown and grabs Jimmy’s arm to take him to the mat to start. Kofi comes in so Woods can hit a backsplash, setting up Kingston’s splash for two. Back up and Jimmy kicks him to the floor, where Jey adds a clothesline to take over. Choking and a cheap shot have Kofi in more trouble and there’s the running Umaga attack in the corner.

Jimmy knocks Woods off the apron as McAfee talks about how hard it is to remember 2020 because 2021 was just like counting. A superkick to the ribs has Kofi down again but he manages a shot to the face, allowing the hot tag to Woods. The Honor Roll sets up a Cradle Shock for two on Jimmy and everything breaks down. A pop up Samoan drop (the “Alley-Oos” (like in Uso) according to McAfee) gets two on Woods but he gets the better of a slugout with Jey.

It’s back to Kofi for a jumping clothesline and the Boom Drop but Trouble in Paradise is broken up. Jey comes back in with the Superfly Splash for two so it’s time to go after Kofi’s previously injured knee. The rope is grabbed and everything breaks down again, with Kofi grabbing the SOS for two. Daybreak gives Woods the same but he gets sent into the corner. A bunch of superkicks drop Kingston and the double Superfly Splash….gets two as Woods makes a diving save. With the kicks not working, the Usos bust out a 3D of all things to finish Kofi at 17:09.

Rating: B. This is the latest proof that WWE is capable of having a great match when the wrestlers are allowed to go out there and do their thing without some kind of wacky idea. These guys could have a classic in their sleep and they did it again here, as it was all kinds of great action and a rather surprising finish. Yes it was something we’ve seen before, but it was still awesome.

Video on Big E., who loves being positive but can turn on the seriousness when he needs to.

Big E. is ready for everyone, even if no one had this on their New Year’s Bingo cards tonight.

Migos are big fans and can’t wait to see the show.

Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss

Happy Corbin is here with Moss so they call Atalanta fat and McIntyre’s prom date ugly. Moss, in suspenders, stomps away in the corner to start but McIntyre reverses into some chops. A suplex gets two on Moss and they head outside, where Corbin offers a distraction. That’s enough for Moss to post McIntyre to take over and it’s a running shoulder for two back inside.

McIntyre fights out of a chinlock and sends him hard into the corner, setting up the overhead belly to belly suplexes. The Futureshock is broken up so McIntyre settles for something like a Sky High for two instead. Moss can’t quite get a neckbreaker so McIntyre takes him into the corner. The top rope superplex is broken up and McIntyre it tied in the Tree of Woe. That’s fine with him as he does the situp into the big toss off the top. The Claymore finishes Moss at 9:40.

Rating: D+. This is certainly a match that happened and for some reason it happened on a major show like this one. I have no idea why they didn’t put this on television if it just had to happen but at least they didn’t do anything screwy like having Moss win (or even come close). McIntyre needs to move on, though there is a good chance that he has to beat Corbin soon too.

Kevin Owens calls this a tragedy or a travesty, whichever you prefer, because this was a three way match to start and now it’s five people fighting for one title. Worry not though, because he’s going to go talk to Seth Rollins.

Video on Seth Rollins, looking at how he got here and all of his successes.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. RKBro

RKBro is defending and come to the ring with Migos. Dawkins and Riddle start things off with Riddle getting taken down in a hurry. That’s not the best start so it’s off to Orton for a headlock. With that not getting them very far, it’s off to Ford, who gets dropkicked down. Riddle comes back in for the assisted Floating Bro for the early near fall. Back up and Riddle gets caught in the wrong corner so the double teaming can begin.

Dawkins gets two off a suplex but Riddle kicks him away without much effort. It’s back to Orton to take over, including a double hanging DDT to the Profits. The RKO is countered into a rollup to give Ford two and Orton is sent shoulder first into the post. That’s enough to send the champs outside, where Ford hits a HUGE running flip dive over the corner. Back in and Ford heads up top, only to miss….something. Instead Riddle comes back in to set up a pop up RKO to retain the titles at 10:17.

Rating: C+. We have had two Tag Team Title matches tonight. One of them ended with a 3D and the other ended with a pop up RKO. Are you starting to see why this company can be seen as repetitive at times? The match wasn’t anything memorable and is just another win for the champs, but it was completely acceptable for a PPV title defense.

Post match everyone celebrates together, including Migos. Ignore Ford still being down and having to crawl to the apron.

Drew McIntyre doesn’t have much to say about his win, but Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss jump him, with Corbin crushing his neck with a chair.

Video on Bianca Belair, who came a long way to get a scholarship to the University of Tennessee.

Brock Lesnar is asked about the WWE Title match and goes into a Paul Heyman impression, saying he is a free agent…thanks to Heyman. Tonight he is winning the WWE Title, and that is a spoiler.

We recap Edge vs. Miz. Edge returned a few weeks ago but the returning Miz (with Maryse) returned for a big talk off, with both of them praising and insulting the other’s careers. Miz got the better of things more than once, but Edge gave them a Broodbath (erg) to ruin the renewal of their wedding vows. Now it’s a showdown.

Miz vs. Edge

Maryse is here with Miz, while Edge gets the Brood/Alter Bridge double entrance. Feeling out process to start and Miz bails into the corner from the threat of an Edgecution. Miz knocks him outside though and sends Edge into the barricade to take over, setting up the top rope ax handle to the head back inside. It’s time to go after Edge’s leg before a reverse DDT gives Miz two.

Miz kicks him to the apron but gets planted face first on the floor for his efforts. They’re right back on the floor, with Miz trying the Skull Crushing Finale on the announcers’ table. That’s reversed into Edge’s faceplant onto said table and it’s a high crossbody for two back inside. Miz goes back to the leg but the Figure Four attempt earns him a kick into the corner. Edge is sent shoulder first into the post though and it’s right back to the leg. Now the Figure Four can go on but Edge turns it over, leaving Miz to struggle for a long time.

With that broken up, Edge goes to the Crossface, only to have Maryse get Miz’s boot into the rope. Back up and stereo big boots put both of them down and they get a breather. Miz takes him into the corner for the kicks to the chest and the running clothesline before going up top. Edge is right there with a super hiptoss of all things but the spear hits the corner. Maryse gets in a cheap shot of some kick and the Skull Crushing Finale gets two. Cue Beth Phoenix (who stands there glaring at Maryse until her music hits) to chase Maryse off, leaving Edge to spear Miz for the pin at 19:59.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but the fans were into it by the end. I’m a little surprised by the ending, but you can see the mixed tag coming, probably at the Rumble. That should make for a good match, though I’m not sure how much we need another month of these two fighting. The match was good stuff, with the leg work being a fine way to go and Maryse getting involved set up the finish, though it never hit that next gear.

MVP and Bobby Lashley aren’t worried about Brock Lesnar being added to the title match.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the Raw Women’s Title. Lynch had to cheat to beat Morgan in their first title match but Morgan wanted/got a rematch. Before accepting though, Lynch injured Morgan’s arm so she isn’t coming in at 100% here.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan

Lynch is defending and has goats on the shoulders of her jacket. Liv starts fast and knocks Becky outside for some rams into the announcers’ table. Back in and the Manhandle Slam is broken up, allowing Liv to roll her up for two. The Rings of Saturn send Becky straight to the ropes but she is able to catapult Liv throat first into the bottom rope. After a random shot of a fan in the crowd, Lynch hammers away on the mat as we keep cutting to the fans.

Morgan fights back and kicks her into the corner before hammering away with right hands of her own. There’s the enziguri to rock Lynch again and a middle rope dropkick gets two. Becky gets a cross armbreaker out of nowhere but Liv slips out and takes her down again. Liv goes up but gets knocked down, only to come back with a running springboard sunset bomb for two. A belly to back faceplant gives Lynch two but she misses a middle rope legdrop.

Liv is right back with a missile dropkick (to the stomach) and Becky bails to the floor. That means a big suicide dive but Lynch takes her around for some rams into the announcers’ table. Back up and Liv sends Becky into the steps before stomping on the arm like Lynch did to her. That’s broken up and Lynch hits her in the face but Lynch is right back with something like Oblivion off the top. The Rings of Saturn goes on again but Lynch reverses into a cradle for two. Another Oblivion is countered into the Manhandle Slam and the pin at 17:14, with Lynch reaching for the ropes to cheat but not quite getting there.

Rating: B-. These two were working hard out there and it wound up being a good match as a result. Morgan is not polished in the ring yet and still seems to be in over her head a lot, but she is getting better at making the most out of what she can do. This was about as close as she could get without winning, though aside from Rhea Ripley, I’m not sure who else on Raw is available for a fresh feud with Lynch at the moment. Maybe they run this back one more time, but that might be going too far with the feud.

Seth Rollins isn’t worried about the other four people in the WWE Title match because they’re not Seth Freaking Rollins. He’s going to stomp heads and win.

Johnny Knoxville, of Jackass fame, is in the Royal Rumble. Really.

We recap the WWE Title match. It was original a triple threat but then Bobby Lashley was added. Then Brock Lesnar was added to make it even wackier.

WWE Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Big E.

Big E. is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. It’s a big brawl to start and Lesnar fires off suplexes on Owens and Rollins. Big E. hits some running clotheslines to put Brock on the floor. Lashley sends Big E. into the post and hits the spear to drive Lesnar through the barricade. Lashley gets back in, where Owens and Rollins superkick him down.

Rollins knees Lesnar off the apron and Owens adds the bullfrog splash from the apron for a bonus. Some steps to the ribs put Lashley and Lesnar down before it’s time to set up the announcers’ table. Lashley fights both of them off but Big E. Rock Bottoms him through the table in the big crash.

Owens and Rollins are back up with a double DDT to drive Lesnar into the steps but Big E. takes Rollins down. The pop up sitout powerbomb gives Owens two on Big E. and Rollins adds a frog splash for two. Lesnar is back in with F5’s all around but Lashley is back in to spear Lesnar down for two more. The Hurt Lock has Lesnar in trouble until Big E. makes the save. There’s the Big Ending to Lashley but Lesnar escapes and hits an F5 on Big E. for the pin and the title at 8:23.

Rating: B. This was straight out of the Summerslam 2017 playbook, albeit with less time. They hit the gas to start and then never stopped, which is how a match like this should have gone. Lesnar winning the title is a surprise, though it seems like we are heading for a showdown between him and Lashley, which should be incredible. Big E.’s title reign was in trouble from the start and ended even worse, but dang I feel sorry for him to have to lose it like this. It was a heck of a match, but the idea of a long Lesnar reign makes my head hurt.

Overall Rating: B. It was a rather solid show, with only McIntyre vs. Moss bringing it down (and that is more to do with the match existing than the match itself). While there is nothing that blew the roof off, there were a bunch of good matches that felt like they belonged on a pay per view. The ending changes more than a few things and should set up the WWE Title match at the Royal Rumble, so it did have some important moments. Good show here and we could see some interesting things as we start the Road To Wrestlemania.

Results
Usos b. New Day – 3D to Kingston
Drew McIntyre b. Madcap Moss – Claymore
RKBro b. Street Profits – Assisted RKO to Ford
Edge b. Miz – Spear
Becky Lynch b. Liv Morgan – Manhandle slam
Brock Lesnar b. Big E., Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley – F5 to Big E.

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

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

AND

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

We’ve got a new show this week and this time it is based around a new year. I’m not sure how interesting that is for a full pay per view, but WWE has set things up around flimsier premises before. The good thing is the card looks pretty solid and we could be in for a nice event. That is assuming the Coronavirus pandemic doesn’t wreck anything at the last minute. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Ricochet/Cesaro vs. Sheamus/Ridge Holland

This was added earlier in the week and it sounds good on paper. If nothing else, it is nice to see Ricochet and Cesaro getting some kind of a spot, as they so often feel like people just there to fill in time on television when no one else is available. Sheamus and Holland could make for a nice mentor/mentee twist on the Bar, which seems to be the focal point of how we got here in the first place.

As for the match, I can’t imagine Sheamus and Holland losing when they seem to be a bit of a project for the future. It doesn’t help that Ricochet and Cesaro are the definition of jobbers to the stars at this point and I can’t imagine that is going to change in the span of a Kickoff Show match. That’s more than a bit depressing, but both of their ships seem to have sailed a long time ago.

Edge vs. The Miz

Let’s get one of the bigger ones out of the way first as we have what could have been a much more interesting match that just never made it to that next level. These two had some outstanding promo battles but after that it turned into a much more standard WWE build towards a big match. It still feels like a pretty good showdown, but there is something missing from the whole thing.

I’ll go with Miz winning due to some Maryse interference, which brings us to the missing thing: Beth Phoenix, who seems rather likely to come back and make this a mixed tag, maybe even at Wrestlemania. I don’t know if it’s interesting enough to go that far, but it’s hard to imagine that we don’t get the tag match at some point. You have a pretty hard time getting there with Edge winning, so Miz takes the first match.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. New Day

Yes, we’re at it again, as these teams seem destined to feud forever. The good thing is you can more or less guarantee a near classic with this one so it isn’t like it’s a bad idea. I’m sure the match will be very good, but it is a little hard to get excited when it seemed they were building to King Woods vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Title and instead we’re getting a match that has been done nearly to death.

The more I think about it, the more I could see New Day winning here so we’ll go with that. It’s not like they need another title reign, but the Usos have held the things for a long, long time now and it might be smart to shake things up a bit. Throw in Paul Heyman being fired by Reigns and the team might be a little shaky by comparison. Either way, this should be a near classic, as these four tend to have.

Raw Tag Team Titles: RKBro(c) vs. Street Profits

I’m not sure how, but this feels like a heck of a showdown between two teams that are quite the big deals. RKBro has held the titles for about four months while the Profits are one of the better teams going today. That should make for a showdown and they worked well together in their previous match. That’s a nice feeling to have for a Tag Team Title match for a change, as it doesn’t happen on the red side very often.

I’ll take RKBro to retain, but they’re getting into a weird spot with their title reign. They are all but out of teams to give them a run for their money (save for the Profits here) and I don’t know who takes the titles from them if they make it out of this one. There aren’t many other options so while there is a chance they do a switch here, I think there is enough left in RKBro to validate them holding the titles.

Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss

Here’s the easiest match on the show, as you have a former multiple time World Champion against a literal comedy guy. Somehow this match is taking place over a sword that was stabbed into a desk, which has to be up there for the weirdest/weakest reasons to have a pay per view match. I think we all know what to expect here and in this case, that is not a bad thing.

McIntyre wins here, in what should be dominant fashion, as even Happy Corbin’s interference isn’t enough to keep Moss around. It would not be out of the question to see McIntyre challenging for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania and there is no sense at all in having him lose what feels like a squash. Then again, it makes little sense to have him in this match in the first place, but at least he should win it pretty easily.

WWE Title: Big E.(c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Lashley

They are in a pretty awkward spot here as Lashley is looking like the star of stars on Monday Night Raw at the moment but Big E. has already gone over him twice. It also doesn’t help that Lashley was such a dominant champion and had cleared out the main event scene, so it isn’t like they have many other options for him should he get the title back. That leaves Rollins and Owens as the underdogs, which could open some doors for them.

I’ll still go with Big E. though, as Rollins doesn’t seem likely to get the title back and Owens is probably there to take the pin. Big E. has been badly overshadowed by Lashley in recent weeks and I’m not sure how much longer he is going to keep the title. It seems like Lashley’s to win, unless they find something else for him to do in a hurry. Big E. retains for now though, even if it is just keeping it on him for a short while.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Liv Morgan

Man alive I wanted to get into this match but, as usual, WWE has managed to take away almost everything that made Morgan interesting in the first place. The fans got behind Morgan because she was an underdog who probably shouldn’t be here but kept fighting anyway. Now she is being presented like a main event star and it has taken me pretty far out of the whole thing.

As much as I would love to see Morgan win the title, I can’t imagine they pull the trigger on anything that doesn’t involve one of the already established big stars. That has plagued WWE for a long time now, even if Morgan taking the title could be a heck of a feel good moment. Lynch is likely to retain here, probably in a more definitive manner than before, and then WWE will wonder why the division is falling apart right in front of them.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Brock Lesnar

Oh boy I’m not sure where to go with this one and that makes for a pretty fascinating main event. The Paul Heyman factor changes everything, and now the question is not so much when Heyman returns but rather does he do it here. That would be a heck of a fast turnaround for him to be back though and I don’t think it happens so soon. That gives us a problem though, and unfortunately I think I know where it’s going.

I think they actually do the title change here, as Reigns isn’t good enough to beat Lesnar without Heyman in his corner. That is going to open up a long list of issues, but for now I think Lesnar takes the title, likely setting up some big showdown at Wrestlemania for when they really want to do something new. These two are forever joined at the hip, and this time I think it’s Lesnar taking the title again.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I’m liking what we’re seeing with this show and it could be a good one. Now that being said, this is WWE and there is always the chance that they are going to screw something up. I’m not sure how big of a show this is going to be going forward, but the first edition is a stacked card that could be quite good if it lives up to its rather high potential.

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

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

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WWE’s Top Ten Moments Of 2021
Date: December 31, 2021
Hosts: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole, Becky Lynch

It’s not exactly Smackdown but at least it’s a special show. As the title might suggest, this is a Top Ten special for the year, which has me wondering what WWE might count as best. They do know how to pull some good things out of the archives though and maybe they can do that again here. Let’s get to it.

I’ll be posting the full versions of matches rather than the clipped editions.

Cole and McAfee welcome us to the show and promise a big celebration. McAfee is starting big, by bringing out the third host: Becky Lynch. The champ is glad to be here and throws us to #10.

From Summerslam.

Raw Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. Omos/AJ Styles

RKBro is challenging after officially reuniting on Raw. Riddle goes after Omos to start and gets tossed down in a hurry as the strikes don’t work. The sleeper doesn’t do much either as Omos isn’t playing around here. AJ comes in and it’s time to kick away at Riddle. That doesn’t last long either as Riddle dives over and makes the tag.

Orton unloads on Styles and even kicks Omos off the apron to the floor. The hanging DDT is broken up though and Omos chokeslams Riddle onto the apron. That’s enough of a distraction for AJ to snap Orton’s throat across the ropes. A moonsault takes Riddle down on the floor but the Phenomenal Forearm doesn’t work. Orton ducks and grabs the RKO for the pin and the titles at 6:31.

Rating: C+. They didn’t bother doing anything but try to have a feel good moment here and that worked out well. Omos and Styles have done everything they need to do with the titles and it is a good move to switch things over. RKBro is the best thing going on Raw so give them the good moment and let things move on.

Video on Roman Reigns.

Here’s #9.

From Wrestlemania.

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

It’s pretty awesome that these two are getting to face each other at Wrestlemania. Sami comes out first and introduces Logan Paul, who does not seem that popular. Owens plants him with a Pop Up Powerbomb at the bell so Sami rolls outside. That means Sami has to grab the ropes to avoid an apron powerbomb. Sami gets dropped ribs first across the top rope and there’s the Cannonball to crush him again.

The threat of Owens going to the top sends Sami outside again but this time he catches Owens with a brainbuster on the apron for a big reaction (egads). Back in and the Michinoku Driver (Cole calls it a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Graves “saves him from the internet” by correcting him. Cole: “Thanks Corey. I got enough of that last night.”) gives Sami two so he puts Owens on top.

Some headbutts send Sami flying and the frog splash gives Owens two of his own. A fisherman’s buster onto the knee knocks Zayn silly for two more but ht he’s right back with the exploder suplex into the corner. The Helluva Kick and Stunner both miss so Sami grabs the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Another exploder sets up a nasty half and half suplex to rock Owens and the brainbuster gets another near fall.

Sami takes him up again and gets countered into the swinging fisherman’s superplex to crush Zayn and have Paul slumped over in his chair. Back up and Sami hits the Helluva Kick but makes the mistake of trying another one, allowing Owens to hit a superkick. Another superkick sets up the Stunner to pin Zayn at 9:17.

Rating: B-. A lot of what made this work was just seeing Owens vs. Zayn at Wrestlemania. These two have one of the deepest histories in modern wrestling and it must be so special to them to get to do this. Good match too, with Owens getting a win like he deserves after having such a great series with Reigns. Also, thanks for getting the show on track after the awful first hour.

Post match Paul checks on Sami as he gets up so Sami yells a lot and reminds Paul that Owens is the enemy. Paul shoves him down and storms off so Paul raises Owens’ hand. The Stunner leaves him laying so Owens can hug his family. Paul is helped out and asks why Owens did that.

McAfee and Becky are having a good time without Cole, who throws us to #8.

From Summerslam.

Raw World Title: Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley, with MVP, is defending. They circle each other to start and we get the big power lockup. Lashley gets backed into the corner and shoves Goldberg back. A shoulder doesn’t stagger Goldberg but his flying shoulder drops Lashley. A powerslam into a World’s Strongest Slam crushes Lashley and a clothesline takes him down again. Neither of them can hit the Jackhammer so Lashley knocks him down for the forearms to the back of the neck.

Goldberg sends him flying but MVP pulls Lashley outside to avoid the spear. That’s fine with Goldberg, who hits the spear on the floor instead. Back in and Lashley bails outside to avoid another spear. MVP hits Goldberg in the knee with his cane so Lashley takes out the leg. The Hurt Lock is blocked and the fans aren’t pleased. Another shot to the knee puts Goldberg down and he rolls outside. The knee is sent into the post hard twice in a row and Goldberg collapses before Lashley can try the spear. That’s enough and the referee stops it at 7:12.

Rating: D+. Goldberg’s stuff was looking better than usual at the start and then it turned into WWE trying something emotional. They’re probably setting up a rematch or something, because Goldberg is the most overly pushed legend in WWE history. I have no idea what this was supposed to accomplish other than to make Lashley look like someone who can’t get the job done almost six months into his reign. It was an acceptable power brawl for a bit and then it was the leg stuff over and over until the finish.

Post match Lashley unloads on Goldberg with chair shots to the knee and Goldberg is done. Goldberg’s son Gage tries to run in and jumps on Lashley’s back so Lashley puts him in the Hurt Lock. MVP grabs the mic and says Lashley didn’t know who it was as Goldberg crawls onto his son. MVP and Lashley bail as Goldberg swears vengeance and Gage looks bored. They had this much time to set things up and their big idea is to make it about Goldberg’s kid? There is NO ONE ELSE who can get a spot like this than Goldberg? WWE is dying for fresh stars and they use an emotional angle on Goldberg?

Video on the rise of Nikki Ash.

It’s time for #7….which is also from Summerslam.

Raw Women’s Title: Nikki Ash vs. Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley

Ash is defending. Ripley gets sent outside to start and it’s Nikki grabbing a rollup for two. Back in and Ripley gets rolled up for the same but Charlotte sends Nikki outside. The big fight is on with Ripley and Charlotte slugging it out until Ash comes back in with a rollup for two. That earns her another toss to the floor and Ripley grabs a northern lights suplex for two on Charlotte.

A big boot knocks Ripley off the apron but Nikki is back in with a tornado DDT for two. Charlotte picks Nikki up but Ripley is back in to German suplex both of them at once. The missile dropkick gets two on Charlotte so she and Ripley fight to the floor. They stand in place and look up at Nikki as she gets ready before diving onto the two of them. Back in and Charlotte suplexes both of them, followed by a double DDT.

The chops have Ripley and Nikki rocked but they double team their way out of trouble. Charlotte sends both of them outside and goes up for the corkscrew moonsault, which lands straight on Nikki and drives her HARD into the barricade. That was terrifying and thankfully Nikki is up so Ripley can put her into the Prism Trap.

Charlotte breaks that up and it’s the Prism Trap to Charlotte, who reverses into the Figure Eight. Nikki comes in off the top to break it up and the swinging neckbreaker gets two on Charlotte, with Ripley making the save this time. Ripley is sent outside and Charlotte avoids Nikki’s high crossbody, setting up the Figure Eight for the tap to make Charlotte champion again at 13:12.

Rating: B-. I think I’ve run out of ways to talk about how many title wins Charlotte has these days but it’s better to just pull the plug on Nikki as a champion at the moment. This has been a complete nightmare since she won the title and if they just want to get it back on Charlotte, go for it. Ripley seems to be a lost cause as well though, as she has been flattened by the Charlotte train. The match itself was quite good with some awesome near falls, but there is a certain deflating value when Charlotte gets the title back.

Video on Shinsuke Nakamura.

Pat McAfee heavily approves of Nakamura, but Lynch does not approve of McAfee’s approval.

We look at the roller coaster year of King/Happy Corbin.

Here’s a look at the debuting stars of the year.

From Wrestlemania at #6.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Damian Priest/Bad Bunny

Bunny gets a huge entrance of his own, coming into the stadium on a semi truck. Miz and Priest start but Miz wants Bunny instead. That’s exactly what Miz gets and Bunny looks a bit nervous. Bunny drops him with a right hand so Morrison has to remind Miz that bunnies are lucky. Another right hand sends Miz into the ropes again so he takes Bunny into the corner for a change.

A kick to the ribs puts Bunny down but he’s right back with with La Majistral for two. Morrison freaks out, saying Miz needs to start thinking like one of the best of all time. Back up and Bunny slides through Miz’s legs and snaps off a fairly long headscissors. There’s a headbutt to Morrison but he catches Bunny with an elbow. Miz comes back in with a chinlock but Bunny is back up with more right hands. A sunset flip gets two so Miz kicks him in the face to cut off another comeback.

Miz knocks him into the corner again as the fans try to get behind Bunny again. Bunny manages to get a boot up in the corner though and a tornado DDT plants Miz. The diving tag brings in Priest to clean house in a hurry, including tossing Miz at Morrison. The South of Heaven chokeslam gets two on Miz and Bunny comes back in for stereo Broken Arrows for a double near fall.

Bunny goes up top and hits a big dive to take out Miz/Morrison (Saxton: “I knew bunnies could hop but I didn’t know they could fly!”). Miz is right back in for the Skull Crushing Finale for two on Priest with Bunny making the save. Bunny hits a Canadian Destroyer on Morrison on the floor and a high crossbody finishes Miz at 15:01.

Rating: C. Yeah Bunny got in a lot of stuff here, but are you going to tell the biggest star willing to do something with WWE that he can’t do something? Bunny probably got in more offense than any other celebrity in recent memory and he looked fine enough doing it. Miz and Morrison have been treated as clueless putzes for years now so it isn’t that much of a stretch to see them lose here. Priest got in some points by association here so this went about as well as it could have, with Bunny being FAR better than I would have bet on.

Long video on Edge vs. Seth Rollins.

#5, from Crown Jewel.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

Inside the Cell to start big. Edge slugs away in the corner to start as the fans declare this awesome in a hurry. Rollins gets kicked in the face to send him outside but comes back in with the springboard knee to the face to take over. A suicide dive only hits Cell though and Edge sends him hard into the steps. Edge throws in the steps and hits the Edgecution for two but already seems to be limping a bit. It’s already time to go for the chair bar but Rollins is back up with the Sling Blade.

They head outside again with Edge sending him into the Cell to regain control. Edge tries the Crossface but Rollins grabs the chair bar to hit him in the eye and escape. Rollins knocks the chair into Edge’s face and hits a frog splash for two. It’s already time for the table at ringside but first Rollins has to plant Edge with the Unprettier (which is suddenly Edge’s move) for two more.

Rollins takes his sweet time going up top, allowing Edge to shove him into the Cell and through the table for the big crash to the floor. The steps are thrown in, with Edge busting on the Edge-O-Matic to plant Rollins again. Edge leaves Rollins on the steps and goes up top to drive a chair into him for the big crash and a delayed near fall. Rollins is back up with a superkick into the Pedigree for two of his own and they’re both down. The Stomp is loaded up but Edge counters into a Buckle Bomb to set up the spear for the VERY near fall.

With nothing else working, it’s time for a ladder, which knocks Rollins right back down. Rollins is able to whip Edge into the ladder in the corner and let’s get another table for a bonus. The ladder is set up as well but Edge fights up to meet him on top. That’s not the best idea though as Rollins busts out a sunset bomb through the table for another near fall. Some superkicks drop Edge to his knees and a basement superkick puts him down.

Since that isn’t enough, Rollins wraps a chain around his boot for another low superkick. The Stomp onto the chair is countered with a crotching using the chair, allowing Edge to kick him down for a change. There’s a low superkick to Rollins and Edge grabs a Crossface, complete with a wrench in Rollins’ mouth. That’s not enough either though as Edge puts Rollins’ head onto the chair, setting up the Stomp for the pin at 27:40.

Rating: B. It was a heck of a fight and they beat each other up rather well, but this is what modern Cell matches have become: TLC matches with a big cage on top, which can leave things feeling a little cramped. There’s so much stuff around and inside of the ring that it almost feels messy, which isn’t what I would like to see in a Cell match. Going back and forth with the moves and spots that brought them here (including what is apparently now Edge’s Unprettier) worked, though it never hit that next level. In other words, most modern Cell matches.

We look at Bianca Belair winning the Royal Rumble, sending us to #4.

From Wrestlemania.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

Banks is defending and they both look to be near tears to start. Feeling out process to start with Banks having to slip out of something close to a torture rack but getting caught in a double chickenwing. Banks manages to send her outside but the suicide dive is caught, allowing Belair to gorilla press her and walk up the steps for a toss over the top. Back in and Belair picks her up, does some squats, and slams her but Banks nails a running knee to take over.

The double arm crank goes on but Belair gets up and powers her into the corner. Banks is sent to the floor where she tries to pull Belair’s braid. That’s fine with Belair, who uses it to pull Banks into the post. Banks misses running double knees into the barricade and the both beat the count. Back in again and Belair muscles her up for a suplex, bounces her off the top, leans Banks forward, and then drops her back for two.

Belair shoulders her down again and then drives in some shoulders in the corner. The 450 hits knees though and Banks tries a hurricanrana, which is countered into back to back powerbombs. Banks sends her into the corner though and it’s a kick to Belair’s face, setting up a double springboard tornado DDT for two. With Belair down, Banks goes up and starts with the Meteora but changes into a splash halfway down.

Belair tries to get up so Banks uses the braid to pull her down into the Bank Statement for a rather clever setup. That’s broken up with a roll into the ropes so Banks hammers away in said ropes. Banks goes up so Belair tries a running hurricanrana, only to get tied in the Tree of Woe.

The top rope double stomp misses and so do the running knees, which go into the buckle. Now the 450 connects for two and Belair screams a lot on the kickout. The KOD is countered and Banks grabs the braid, which is used for a heck of a whip. Now the KOD can connect for the pin and the title at 17:20. Cole shouts about a kickout before switching to Belair winning.

Rating: B. I saw someone give the perfect description of this as brains vs. brawn, which is exactly what it was. Belair is an athletic freak and someone who can do almost everything you ask of her in the ring while Banks is the seasoned veteran who knows how to take on anyone. Banks couldn’t hang with Belair physically so she had to fight smart, but eventually you just can’t get around that kind of power and athleticism. Very good match and an awesome story to wrap things up.

There is a HUGE welt on Banks’ side from the hair whip. Belair celebrates to end the show.

We take a long look at John Cena’s return.

Becky likes returns, such as this one at #3.

From Summerslam.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

Belair is defending…..but not against Banks, who isn’t cleared, despite being advertised all the way through the Kickoff Show. We have a replacement.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Belair isn’t impressed, but hang on another replacement.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch

Yeah that works and Lynch is challenging, after taking Carmella out that is. We get the big Belair vs. Lynch staredown and Becky officially challenges so the match is on. Bell, right hand, Manhandle Slam, new champion in 23 seconds. I would really hope that there is more to it than what we just saw, as beating Belair, who has been on fire in recent months, like that is a bad idea. There is nothing wrong with pushing Lynch, but don’t sacrifice someone as awesome as Belair to do it.

Video on Drew McIntyre.

From Raw, September 13, here’s #2.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Big E.

Lashley is defending….or he would be if not for his knee injury. Big E. slaps him in the face and that’s enough to ring the bell. Lashley takes him to the mat and the brawl is on. A spear cuts Big E. down for two but he goes back to Lashley’s bad leg. The Big Ending gives Big E. the pin and the title at 1:18!

We’ll wrap it up the only way we could. From Summerslam, here’s #1, after Roman Reigns retained against John Cena.

And then Brock Lesnar comes back. Paul Heyman cowers in the corner and Reigns looks scared. Lesnar gets in the ring and Reigns and Heyman slowly back away. Lesnar, as a good guy for the first time in what feels like forever, poses to end the show. That’s about all there was left for Reigns at this point as Edge beat Seth Rollins, so well done on a big surprise.

Long video on Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns.

Day One rundown, with no match changes announced so far.

Becky and McAfee leave Cole alone, but he tries to follow them. That was rather sad.

Overall Rating: C. This was a really weird one, as you would think it was an advertisement for Summerslam on DVD. There were ten moments included and eight of them were from Summerslam or Wrestlemania. Those are two of the biggest shows of the year, but maybe spread the wealth out a bit? It wasn’t a bad show and it’s an easy two hour sit which helped promote Day One, but this was a weird way to go for a Best Of 2021 special.

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

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Smackdown
Date: December 17, 2021
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re rapidly approaching Day One and the big main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns is all set. That should open a few interesting doors this week, but there are some other matches that need some work of their own. Hopefully the build keeps working so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week, with Paul Heyman not liking the friendlier Brock Lesnar and seemingly snapping him back into Beast Mode. Roman Reigns might not be pleased though.

Toni Storm/Sasha Banks vs. Shotzi/Charlotte

Fallout from Storm becoming #1 contender to Charlotte last week when Charlotte kicked her face in. Storm takes Shotzi down with a headlock to start and then kicks her in the chest. Banks, in Spider-Man gear, comes in for the showdown with Charlotte, who gets taken down with a running hurricanrana. It’s back to Storm, allowing Charlotte to kick Banks in the face. Shotzi knocks Storm outside as well and we take a break.

Back with Banks blocking Shotzi’s kick to the ribs but Charlotte gets in a cheap shot to take over. A backbreaker gets two on Banks and it’s Shotzi tagging herself back in. The running crotch attack on the ropes misses though and it’s back to Storm to atomic drop Shotzi. Everything breaks down and it’s Charlotte knocking Storm and Banks out to the floor.

We take another break and come back with Storm kicking Charlotte away and bringing Banks back in to clean house. Banks hits a spinning crossbody for two on Charlotte, followed by a rollup for the same. The Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog plants Charlotte and Storm comes in off a blind tag. A Downward Spiral is broken up and Charlotte sends her face first into the buckle in the corner. Charlotte loads up the moonsault but only hits knees, allowing Storm to cradle her for the pin at 18:57.

Rating: B-. This was your long form wrestling match and that’s something a show can use. The problem here is that it’s hard to buy into Storm as a threat to Charlotte after how the feud has gone so far. Yes Storm got a pin here, but is there any reason to believe she’s a threat to Charlotte? Storm has been treated as beneath Charlotte throughout the feud and that is likely to be the case in the title match too.

King Woods is on his throne while a variety of wrestlers sing his praises. The Usos come in to mock New Day but they promise to take the Tag Team Titles. Threats are exchanged.

Natalya isn’t worried about Naomi or Xia Li. Yeah Xia Li is a protector but she is going to need some protection.

Raw Rebound.

Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal/SShanky

Of note: the Raiders had their entrance, then we had a break, then we had Natalya’s promo and the Raw Rebound, then we had another break. How is that the best option? Anyway, we’re joined in progress with Mahal kneeing Erik in the face and bringing in Shanky to hammer away in the corner.

A big chop staggers Erik and it’s back to Mahal to stomp him down again. Erik fights out of a chinlock though and rolls over for the tag to Ivar to take over. Mahal gets knocked down and it’s back to Erik, who slams Ivar onto him for two. Everything breaks down and Ivar is driven into Shanky in the corner. Mahal is taken down and Ivar hits a top rope splash for the pin on Shanky at 4:58.

Rating: C-. I approve of the Vikings getting a win, but I don’t have much of a reason to believe they’re going to become a thing going forward. They have won before and gone nowhere, though they could be an interesting st of challengers for the Usos. I doubt we get there, but there is something nice about seeing Mahal and Shanky get beaten up.

We look back at Drew McIntyre driving his sword into Adam Pearce’s desk, which was then stolen by Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss.

Paul Heyman is waiting in the parking lot when a big SUV comes in. It’s Brock Lesnar though, who has Heyman rather nervous. Maybe Heyman was expecting Roman Reigns?

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin being rather pleased about the desk (still including sword). Moss hangs his hat on the sword and has some jokes about how McIntyre doesn’t have his sword anymore. The fans chant for CM PUNK but Corbin has a better idea: Moss can pull the sword out and keep it.

There are three problems though: Moss can’t pull it out, Corbin can’t pull it out, and the two of them can’t pull it out. Instead here is Drew McIntyre himself to cut things off (not a moment too soon) and ask if the two of them are having some performance issues. The fight is on with McIntyre clearing the ring and pulling the sword out with no problem. This segment was terrible and I usually love Moss’ terrible jokes.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. He loves the idea of giving around the holiday season, but goes into a rant about everything he has had taken from him. The bosses have an idea though: Sami can be in a 12 man gauntlet match next week and the winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot. Zayn doesn’t seem thrilled.

Cesaro vs. Ridge Holland

Sheamus is here with Holland, who hits Cesaro in the ribs with his club before the bell. We take a break and come back with Cesaro’s ribs taped up, so Holland drives him ribs first into the corner. A backbreaker makes it even worse and we hit the abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs. Cesaro fights out and hits a belly to back, setting up a clothesline to the floor. Cesaro throws him back in but Sheamus offers a distraction, allowing Holland to hit Northern Grit for the pin at 2:59.

Drew McIntyre is hunting for Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin.

Here is Naomi for a chat. Naomi reads off her Christmas list: face Sonya Deville one on one at Day One. Actually Naomi wants to face Sonya right now, so cue Deville to say she isn’t fighting while she is wearing the suit. Instead, she has an opponent for Naomi right now: Shayna Baszler. That’s cool with Naomi, but she wants Sonya in the ring now instead. Sonya gets in but here is Baszler to take out Naomi’s leg. Ring the bell.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

Sonya goes for a leglock but gets cradled for the pin at 29 seconds.

Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss are hiding, but get interviewed anyway. They don’t like the lights being turned on, but they’ll be laughing all the way to new year’s, when McIntyre faces Moss. That doesn’t seem to be cool with Moss, though he smiles anyway.

Usos vs. New Day

Non-title, because the title match is at Day One. Kofi grabs the SOS for an early two on Jey but it’s off to Jimmy to unload in the corner. The chinlock goes on as McAfee gives Hulk Hogan a shoutout. Kofi fights up and hits a superkick but Jey breaks up the tag attempt. We take a break and come back with Woods coming in off the hot tag for the clothesline comeback.

There’s a big dive to the floor to take Jey down, setting up a guillotine legdrop on Jimmy. Jey sends Woods into the barricade though, leaving Kofi to get superkicked for two. Back in and Woods breaks up Jey’s Superfly Splash, allowing Kofi to hit Trouble in Paradise for the pin on Jimmy at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Naturally an Usos vs. New Day match was good, but are you really surprised by the dumb logic here? To make the match interesting, we see the match in advance? Usos vs. New Day is one of those rivalries that will never end and this was just another chapter, but egads this kind of thing makes my head hurt. Just do ANYTHING else but this kind of double match deal.

Roman Reigns arrives and wants to go to his arena.

Here is Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman still holding the belt and the loser Usos here too. After the required acknowledgment, Reigns says he doesn’t like it when his cousins lose. They can get through anything though because they’re blood. Heyman isn’t blood though, and he should know that Reigns can’t have people disrespecting him. If they disrespect him, they disrespect Reigns’ family.

Can he trust the wise man? Heyman seemed a little shady last week, so Reigns needs to know: did Heyman know Lesnar was going to be at Summerslam? Or at Madison Square Garden? Or that Lesnar’s suspension was going to be lifted? Reigns gets to the point: is Heyman a special counsel or is he an advocate? Heyman can’t answer, but Reigns wants Heyman to acknowledge him with the truth. Why is he protecting Lesnar?

Heyman says he isn’t protecting Lesnar from Reigns, but rather protecting Reigns from Lesnar. That’s not good with Reigns, but he hugs Heyman and says he loves him. Reigns thanks him for forty years of service (Heyman: “I love you my tribal chief.”)….and then fires him. The Superman Punch lays Heyman out and the Conchairto is loaded up.

Cue Lesnar, who takes out the Usos without much trouble (including shrugging off a superkick). Lesnar charges in and, despite Reigns hitting him with a chair over and over, lays Reigns out with a pair of F5’s to end the show. So there’s your big twist in the story and it is something that needed to happen after so many months of will Heyman/won’t Heyman.

Overall Rating: C. There was some pretty good wrestling here, but the big angle at the end is what matters the most. They moved things forward in a huge way at the end and that is one of the best things that they could have done. I’m curious about where this goes, but we could be in for some interesting twists. There were more than a few problems on this show though, with that Moss/Corbin nonsense dragging it down just enough to put the whole thing in the middle.

Results
Toni Storm/Sasha Banks b. Charlotte/Shotzi – Rollup to Charlotte
Viking Raiders b. Jinder Mahal/Shanky – Top rope splash to Shanky
Ridge Holland b. Cesaro – Northern Grit
Naomi b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
New Day b. Usos – Trouble in Paradise to Jimmy

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

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

AND

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