We’re up to one of the biggest events on the WWE calendar as it’s another stadium show in Detroit. As has been the case in Summerslams of yore, there isn’t one match that really stands above the others. Odds are Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso for the WWE Universal Title will headline, but there is at least one other option, which makes for a top heavy show. Let’s get to it.

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

We’ll start with a match that is here to be a spectacle and nothing more. You have a pair of athletic marvels here and those are the kind of stars who can put on one heck of a showcase if given the chance. That is what they are going to get here, and the fact that Paul has done so well so far in his WWE career has me interested in seeing what they can put together here.

As much as I’d like to see Ricochet win, this one almost has to go to Paul. He hasn’t won a singles match since last Summerslam and that is going to have to change soon. Ricochet is a name but he isn’t someone with some kind of perfect resume that would be crushed with a loss. This is going to be all about putting together a highlight reel and if they don’t get too crazy, this should be a blast with Paul winning in the end.

Shayna Baszler vs. Ronda Rousey

This is under MMA rules, though we still don’t exactly know what that means. The interesting thing here is that Rousey is likely done with WWE in the near future, which should give you a good idea of where this is going. The hype for this video has done a great job of humanizing Baszler and that could make things a lot better for her going forward. You know, because she’ll be around.

I’ll go with Baszler here, as there is no reason to put Rousey over if she is on her way out of the company. It would be nice to have Baszler finally get a big win and then hopefully move into the title picture. The rules should make things a bit more interesting, but at the end of the day, this needs to be Baszler getting the biggest win of her career, which is long overdue to say the least.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Finn Balor

This one has me more interested than I would have expected and that is due to a mixture of Balor and Damian Priest. While Balor winning the title is not out of the question, WWE has set up the idea of Priest cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase. While that is regularly done without going anywhere, it would be great to pull the trigger on the thing and get rid of it. But what happens with the title?

I think I’ll actually take Balor to win the title here, as WWE has built him up as a big enough threat to become champion that he almost has to win it here. That being said, I don’t think Priest cashes in here, but I do think he’ll do it soon. Either Balor or Priest feels destined to turn face soon and Balor winning the title would be a big step there if done in a certain way. Rollins very well may leave with the title, but Balor feels like the right move here.

Slim Jim Battle Royal

Now this one is extra tricky because we only know about half of the twenty five entrants. That means there is always the chance of a surprise entrant taking the whole thing, but for now we’ll have to settle on twelve entrants. There hasn’t been a ton of focus on this match, but that is kind of how a battle royal has to go most of the time. One name in particular stands out, though it wouldn’t stun me to see WWE go another way.

In my prediction sure to go wrong, I have a feeling that instead of LA Knight winning, as would make sense, Grayson Waller gets the nod instead. It would be very WWE to have him pick up the surprise win and then brag about it forever, even if Knight needs the win a lot more than anyone else right now. Knight being eliminated from a battle royal isn’t some death knell, but Waller winning would be a huge boost for him. I hope I’m wrong, but Waller winning feels like a real possibility.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

This one has some extra weight to it, as Gunther winning could almost guarantee that he breaks Honky Tonk Man’s all time record for longest title reign (about five weeks away). McIntyre is probably the last big name standing to try to prevent him from braking the record and it would absolutely not be out of the question to see the title change hands here. I’m just not sure it’s going to.

It’s kind of hard to imagine WWE getting this close to Honky Tonk Man’s record and then just hitting the breaks a little over a month out. While it’s weird to think that McIntyre came back to lose in his first major match, that makes more sense here as Gunther can retain and move on into September to take the all time record. This should be a very hard hitting fight, but Gunther retains. I think. As he should. I think.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka(c) vs. Charlotte vs. Bianca Belair

This is a match that got a lot more attention on Smackdown and that is a good thing. The build for this has been a bit all over the place, but the gist of the whole thing has been that everyone wants the title and to be the best. That is how wrestling is supposed to work and in that sense, it has gone rather well. In the other sense, it is a match that could go in any direction, which is always a good thing. The fact that I have almost no idea who leaves with the title makes it that much better.

I think I’ll actually go with Asuka to retain here, in an overdue win. Charlotte winning the title would be the most cliched result imaginable, which means it is a rather strong possibility. Belair winning would make sense given that she has been more aggressive as of late, which would make a title win all the more logical. That leaves Asuka, who would seem likely to lose, but by WWE logic, I’ll take her winning and retaining. Makes sense right?

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

It’s the rubber match between these two and oddly enough there is no stipulation. This match has felt like it needed to be something violent so the two of them could go to war, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the rules lightened up at last a little bit. Either way, it should be a heck of a test for Rhodes, who needs another big win to get him back to the main event scene.

I can’t picture a result where this goes to Lesnar so I’ll take Rhodes instead. It makes all the sense in the world for Rhodes to win here, as Lesnar is likely going away again until Wrestlemania season. Rhodes on the other hand could very well be back in the World Title picture after a win. Give this one to Rhodes and let him get the boost, which seems to be the entire point of the feud (not a bad idea at all).

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Jey Uso

This is Tribal Combat, which seems to mean Street Fight. It’s also the latest big step in the Bloodline Saga, and in this case, you can all but guarantee that Jimmy Uso is going to return here. That makes the question what Jimmy does and how it will impact the ending, as you almost have to imagine it going in that direction. At the same time though, there is another direction that is hard to fathom as well.

No matter what though, I can’t imagine Jey wins the title here. It is just hard to imagine him actually winning the title, no matter what story is being told. It’s going to be a heck off a fight with both of them working and he weapons evening things out a bit but this it Reigns and I don’t think that will be the biggest surprise. Jey has been playing with the house’s money for a long time now and he will do it again here, even as he loses.

Overall Thoughts

The more I look at this card, the more interested I am in seeing the show. There are a lot of matches on the card that have me curious and that is a nice feeling to have. There is a little bit of everything on the show and that should make for a good Summerslam. The show has an up and down history over the years but there is a real chance that this show brings the quality.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 31, 2023
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and that means tonight is going to be about finalizing a bunch of the stories that have already been set up. That could make for some interesting situations as there might even be something else added. If nothing else, the Summerslam battle royal needs some entrants. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Logan Paul to get things going. Paul insults the fans’ intelligence but says he’s here for Ricochet. Last week, Paul was victimized and ABUSED by Ricochet, who attacked him from behind. Summerslam is going to be the most viral WWE match in history but here is Ricochet to interrupt. Ricochet talks about how Paul is trying to fool these people but yes, their match will be viral. He doesn’t like anything about Paul, who he sees as a horrible human being, but he can respect the athleticism.

Paul says Ricochet is the best athlete in WWE….and then Paul showed up. We see a clip of their mid-air collision at the Royal Rumble but they do have a fist bump. Paul has one more thing though: he hopes Ricochet isn’t upset when ring announcer Samantha Irvin (Ricochet’s fiance), says Paul is the winner. The fight is on and Ricochet goes rather fast, only to get punched out of the air. As usual, Paul has more “it” than almost anyone around and this was rather fun, even if Ricochet isn’t a great brawler.

We look at Drew McIntyre beating Ludwig Kaiser last week.

Gunther isn’t happy with Imperium. Tonight, Kaiser can make it up by beating up Matt Riddle, while he’ll deal with McIntyre on Sunday. Gunther sneering at people is always great.

Matt Riddle vs. Ludwig Kaiser

The rest of Imperium is here too as Kaiser cranks on a headlock to start. A headscissors has Riddle in trouble until he fights up and misses a kick to the head. Back up and Riddle grabs a gutwrench suplex, only to be sent into the post. One heck of a dropkick puts Riddle on the floor but Riddle manages to score with the kick. The Floating Bro wipes out Kaiser again and we take a break.

Back with Riddle striking away, including the Pele. The exploder into a German suplex gets two but Kaiser is back up with a clothesline. Riddle hits a wind up knee but the Bro Derek is broken up. Giovanni Vinci’s distraction doesn’t work as it’s a powerbomb into the Final Flash for a close two. A leg lariat rocks Kaiser again but he avoids the moonsault and kicks Riddle in the face. Kaiser hits a wind up DDT to finish Riddle clean at 11:02.

Rating: B. This turned into a heck of a match as Kaiser got to showcase himself in a way you don’t often see. At the same time, this was the Riddle that works rather well, as he got to drop all the goofy stuff and showcase how talented of an athlete he really is. This was rather good stuff and Kaiser’s best stuff on the main roster, if not anywhere so far.

We look back at the Alpha Academy vs. the Viking Raiders.

Logan Paul thought Ricochet was always going to be a step ahead of him but he just laid Ricochet out. Now Ricochet is going to look like….a full grown fetus?

Long video on Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Valhalla

Their respective teams are here too. Dupri slugs away to start but gets sent neck first into the ropes to cut her off. The chinlock goes on but Dupri fights up and drops her again. A not so great Worm (with commentary acknowledging the hitch) connects as everyone brawls on the floor. Gable moonsaults onto the pile, leaving Dupri to slip out of a superplex. A cyclone suplex (electric chair bridging into a suplex) finishes Valhalla at 3:26.

Rating: D. Ok, yes it was bad, but it Dupri’s second match and she has never been treated as anything serious. What else were you expecting from someone who celebrated a suplex a few weeks ago? This was goofy fun with the Worm being so bad that it was good for a laugh. Pretty awful match, but I have no idea why that should surprise anyone.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Tommaso Ciampa want to end things and seem to both be in the battle royal.

Here is the Judgment Day for a chat and the fans are rather happy to see Rhea Ripley. Damian Priest talks about the people they have taken out and promise to do the same to Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins tonight….if they show up. Finn Balor talks about how Seth Rollins tries to act insane, but singing and dancing like a clown isn’t insanity. No, insanity is waking up every day for seven years and thinking about the career that Rollins took from him. He can’t erase those scars, but he can leave Rollins with scars of his own.

Rhea Ripley talks about hurting Liv Morgan and promises to do the same thing to Raquel Rodriguez, who storms the ring and starts the brawl. Ripley is clotheslined outside and sent into various things but Dominik offers a distraction. A hard kick to Ripley’s knee takes her down and referees break it up. Sweet goodness this team is awesome, with Ripley being on an entirely different level than anyone else in the women’s division right now.

We get a big video on Shayna Baszler vs. Ronda Rousey, with Rousey talking about seeing Baszler in Strike Force and picking her for her Ultimate Fighter team. Baszler was more experienced but Rousey became a big star much faster. We see clips of the Four Horsewomen, with Baszler talking about how that was just so Rousey could have people to beat up. Where was Rousey in Baszler’s fight camps? More on this later, which is good as this was the most interesting thing I’ve seen about Baszler since she debuted in WWE.

The Alpha Academy is in the battle royal, but Imperium interrupts so Gunther can mock all three of them. Even Chad Gable, a former Olympian, is now a joke. Ludwig Kaiser says Gable couldn’t last five minutes with Gunther, so the five minute challenge is on. Gable: “I’LL LAST FIVE HOURS IF I WANT TO!” Everyone else will even stay in the back.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Bronson Reed is watching in the back as Nakamura starts fast with Good Vibrations. They head to the apron with Nakamura firing off kicks to the chest but Ciampa scores with the running knee to the face. Another running knee connects and we take a break. Back with Ciampa elbowing him to the apron so the Willow’s Bell can get two. Nakamura manages a kick to the head into the running knee to the ribs in the corner for two. Ciampa knees him again but the Fairy Tale Ending is countered into a rollup with a handful of trunks to give Nakamura the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C+. The heel turn is probably the best thing that Nakamura can do at the moment as he’s been treading water (again) for a long time. Granted it won’t last more than a few months as he’s so good at being a villain that the fans will turn him back, but at least this gives him something fresh. Ciampa could use something fresh as well, like not losing so often, but I don’t know how likely that is.

Raquel Rodriguez’s knee is banged up but Adam Pearce says she can have her match with Rhea Ripley as soon as she is cleared.

Here is Brock Lesnar for the big showdown with Cody Rhodes. Lesnar lifts off his accomplishments and says that he is going to get paid to beat Cody Rhodes up this weekend at Summerslam. That night, Rhodes is going to get paid to get beaten up. He’s already been here way too long tonight though, so get Rhodes out here right now.

Lesnar says Rhodes has five seconds so here he is, with a handshake and some off mic trash talk. Lesnar goes to leave but Rhodes takes him down with a dive. A shot with the steps leaves Rhodes laying and holding his arm again….so Lesnar goes back and lays him out one more time. Not the best final push towards the show, but it could have been worse.

Gunther vs. Chad Gable

Non-title with a five minute time limit. Gunther takes him down a few times and teases a half crab, with Gable quickly making the ropes. A test of strength keeps Gable (minus the shoulders) down until Gunther has to stomp him to break the bridge. Gunther twists his feet around Gable’s neck as we’re halfway through the clock.

Back up and Gable tries a German suplex but gets elbowed in the face. The powerbomb is countered into the ankle lock but Gunther reverses into the sleeper. Gable reverses that into a hurricanrana to the floor though and time expires at 5:00. Gunther DOES NOT ACCEPT THAT and wants more time on the clock so let’s keep it going. Gable hits a dropkick on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Gable chopping away, until Gunther shows him how that’s done in the corner. Gable snaps him down into a Fujiwara armbar until Gunther snaps off a German suplex for two. Gunther goes up top but gets superplexed right back down, setting up a German suplex to give Gable his own two. Back up and Gunther kicks him in the head, setting up the huge clothesline for two more. The powerbomb FINALLY finishes Gable at 12:58.

Rating: B. This had a good story and the action to back it up as Gunther was out there working hard with Gable getting to showcase himself. It’s almost like this Gable guy, a former Olympian, is rather talented. I’m not sure why he is stuck in tag teams all the time, but he is making them work almost every time. Just let him show what he can do on his own like this more often.

Post match Gunther gets on the announcers’ table and says he isn’t losing on Saturday at Summerslam. I love when people say WHEN the show is taking place. It’s so simple of an idea and takes no effort so why not do it more often?

Cody Rhodes says he’s ready to shatter the aura of Brock Lesnar at Summerslam.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She has done everything she needs to in order to face Trish Stratus again so let’s do it right now. Cue Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark, with Stratus saying she isn’t going to have this match when Becky tells her to. She also isn’t a cheater, unlike the Houston Astros. Actually hold on as here is Adam Pearce to say we’re doing this right NOW!

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch

Zoey Stark runs in for the DQ at 4 seconds.

Post match Becky fights back and sends Stark into the post. Trish gets in a chair shot though and the villains leave.

Post break, Adam Pearce makes Lynch vs. Stratus again in two weeks, but Stark is barred from ringside.

We get the other part of the Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler video. Baszler talks about how it was always about Rousey, whether it was as a sparring partner or as the Women’s Tag Team Champions, when Rousey needed Baszler because Rousey had ticked everyone off. Rousey tells a story about how a kind king gave everything to everyone, but then an entitled stable boy killed him.

That’s what Baszler tried to do to Rousey, with Baszler saying Rousey has never given anything back to her. Baszler, sounding a bit choked up, says she is done riding in the backseat. Rousey talks about how she fights wanting to win every time and losing for even a second hurts her. Baszler loves Rousey’s daughter (her goddaughter) but she is going to hate Baszler for what she does to Rousey. Awesome stuff here and well done on getting me more interested.

The fight is officially under MMA rules.

Summerslam rundown.

Sami Zayn/Seth Rollins vs. Judgment Day

Zayn and Rollins start the fight on the floor, with Rollins chasing Finn Balor to the back. We take a break before the bell and come back joined in progress, with Dominik hammering away on Rollins in the corner. Priest come in to toss Zayn into the corner, where Zayn manages a few right hands of his own.

A middle rope elbow to the head lets the good guys start in on Priest’s arm before it’s quickly back to Dominik. Rollins misses a charge into the corner and gets kicked in the head, leaving Priest to knock Zayn outside. Rollins gets away and loads up a springboard but Balor is back to pull him down as we take a break. Back with Zayn coming in off a diving tag and getting to clean house. Dominik comes in and gets in a cheap shot but Zayn blasts him with a clothesline.

Rollins comes back in to pick up the pace, including the suicide dive to send Priest over the announcers’ table. Back in and Rollins hits a superkick but Rollins breaks up the stomp. Zayn drops Dominik on the floor so Rhea Ripley comes over to yell at him. That’s enough for Balor to dropkick Zayn into the barricade (there is no way the referee didn’t notice that) and Rollins gets Razor’s Edged. That’s enough to load up the cash-in but Rollins superkicks the case into Priest’s face. Zayn kicks Balor down and Rollins Stomps Priest for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: B. Another good match in a series of them this week with pretty much all action throughout. You don’t see that o Raw very often and it was a lot of tune this time around. While it’s a shame that Kevin Owens is hurt, it is nice to have something fresh in there and Rollins ties into everything nicely. High energy match here and that made for a nice main event.

Overall Rating: B. Oddly enough for Raw, this was a show that worked because of what was going on in the ring. The action was (mostly) rather good tonight with the women’s matches being the low, though rather short, points. Other than that, the Baszler vs. Rousey stuff was good and Summerslam is looking like a pretty nice show. I’m not expecting this kind of show to continue but for once, it was nice to be interested in the wrestling throughout.

Results
Ludwig Kaiser b. Matt Riddle – Wind up DDT
Maxxine Dupri b. Valhalla – Cyclone suplex
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Tommaso Ciampa – Rollup with trunks
Gunther b. Chad Gable – Powerbomb
Becky Lynch b. Trish Stratus via DQ when Zoey Star interfered
Sami Zayn/Seth Rollins b. Judgment Day – Stomp to Priest

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 17, 2023
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are closing in on Summerslam and that means we should be in for something interesting. In this case, that means we are going to be graced with Brock Lesnar’s presence, as he might be here to accept Cody Rhodes’ challenge. That should be quite the situation so let’s get to it.

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

Here is hometown boy Cody Rhodes to one heck of a reception. He’s happy to be home and this week he’d like to talk about the large shadow that is Brock Lesnar. Cody calls Lesnar out but there’s no one here. He thinks this is Lesnar being fashionably late but he’ll wait all night if he has to. This is the house that built me, but the woman that built him, his mother, is in the front row. Cody doesn’t like to use this phrase, but his relationship with Lesnar has been nothing but “hard times”. When Lesnar gets here tonight, it’s hard times for him.

Cody tells us to enjoy the show and hugs his mom and some other people before…..Brock Lesnar…..’s music plays. There’s no Lesnar so Cody goes into the back, where Lesnar knocks him down. Lesnar chairs him down and carries him in front of his family. The F5 drops him and the Kimura goes on, followed by another (with Lesnar’s eyes bugging out) back inside. A chair shot leaves Rhodes laying and Lesnar accepts the Summerslam challenge.

Matt Riddle vs. Gunther

Non-title and the rest of Imperium stays in the back. Riddle goes for the arm to start and slaps on a triangle to make it worse. They crash out to the floor and we take a break. Back with the two of them trading strikes in the corner and Riddle getting the better of things. Some running shots in the corner stagger Gunther and Riddle snaps off an exploder. Gunther gets in a suplex of his own and a hard clothesline for two, leaving Gunther (and Imperium in the back) rather stunned. Riddle knees him in the face a few times for two but the Floating Bro hits raised knees. Gunther hits a heck of a powerbomb for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: B. This didn’t last long but they beat the living daylights out of each other while it did. What mattered here was keeping Gunther looking strong while getting rid of Riddle from the title picture. We are probably on the way to Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre at Summerslam and this was a good way to clear the way for the match

Post match Gunther gets on the announcers’ table to say the fans are here to see the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. Matt Riddle is done and if Drew McIntyre wants to ride on Gunther’s coattails, be his best, but be prepared to fall victim to the Ring General.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are ready to defend their Women’s Tag Team Titles against Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville tonight. We hear about some other teams but here is Rhea Ripley to stare up at Rodriguez. She’s not scared of Ripley, with Morgan saying the same. Ripley DROPS Morgan with a headbutt and takes out Rodriguez’s knee to leave the champs laying. I probably liked Morgan getting dropped more than I should but my goodness her “I’M NOT SCARED” stuff is annoying.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Rhea Ripley talks about how dominant the team is and promises that all of them will be holding gold soon enough. Dominik Mysterio gets booed out of the building, with Damian Priest having to say that Dominik will win the NXT North American Title tomorrow night.

Finn Balor and Priest promise to win the World Titles, but here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to interrupt. Sami doesn’t think the fans want to hear Dominik get booed so it’s time to beat someone up instead. Priest thinks the idea of he and Dominik winning the Tag Team Titles tonight sounds good to him, so Owens gets to make the angry acceptance.

Raquel Rodriguez is banged up but the trainer reluctantly clears her.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville/Chelsea Green

Rodriguez, with a bad knee, and Morgan are defending. Morgan gets jumped to tart and caught in a delayed double vertical suplex. A few shots give Morgan a breather so it’s off to Rodriguez, who gets pulled into a half crab from Deville. Morgan FINALLY makes the save and gets to come in and clean house. The middle rope Codebreaker sets up Oblivion for two on Green with Deville making the save this time. Deville chop blocks Rodriguez and decks Morgan in the face, setting up Unpretty-Her for two. Another Unpretty-Her and a running knee to the face gives us new champions at 5:08.

Rating: C. The match was good enough for what it needed to be and that’s perfectly fine. Green and Deville have felt much more like a natural team since they were put together and it should be fun to see them bragging about their title win. If nothing else, it frees up Rodriguez to face Rhea Ripley, likely after Ripley massacres Morgan.

We look back at Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes from earlier tonight. The Summerslam match (sans gimmick) is official.

Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green are happy with their win, though Deville has to pull Green away from thanking everyone.

Long video on the Jey Uso/Solo Sikoa/Paul Heyman segment from Smackdown.

We get a sitdown interview with Seth Rollins talking about potential challengers. Finn Balor is mentioned and interrupts, taking interviewer Byron Saxton’s chair. Balor says the line starts with him and it’s time to do this again. Rollins says they can settle the score right now so take your shot or get out of his face. Balor stands up…and leaves. The interview seems to be over but Balor jumps him for a beating. Balor says make the match.

Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders

This is a Viking Rules match, so there is a ship’s head at the front of the ring and various weapons are available. As a bonus, Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla (with Maxxine’s jacket) are here, with Titus O’Neil on commentary for some reason. The fight starts fast on the ship’s head with Gable grabbing the ankle lock. That’s broken up and Gable flip dives onto Ivar before sending Erik into a shield.

Otis wants tables but has to pull a springboarding Ivar out of the air (geez) for a powerslam. We take a break and come back with Ivar hitting a moonsault as Otis makes the save. Erik has to make a save of his own but Gable suplexes him down. The top rope headbutt gets two but Dupri has to dive in to cut Valhalla off. Dupri gets her jacket back but gets speared through a table. Otis gets to clean house but Valhalla gets in a cheap shot, allowing the Vikings to hit Ragnarok for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B-. I had a good time with this one as they leaned way into the goofy fun that they were having. That’s the best way to go a lot of the time and it worked well here. The Vikings are still fairly ridiculous but they could wind up being turned into one off challengers for the titles if need be. Rather fun match here and that’s the best thing you could ask for with something this ridiculous.

Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross

Cross jumps her to start and gets Kirifuda Clutched for the tap at 20 seconds.

Post match Ronda Rousey pops up in the crowd to mock Baszler (Rousey: “Up here! Above you, literally figuratively, every way possible.”). Rousey talks about how you can take the front door like Baszler by making it through developmental, or the back door, like Rousey did, and dominate everyone.

Rousey is the best ever and Baszler is the knockoff version. Baszler says she’s the better Rousey and tells the real one to come down here right now. Baszler goes into the crowd to go after her but security cuts her off. Rousey says she’ll see Baszler at Summerslam. Rousey is still not great on the mic, as she was talking a mile a minute here.

We look back at Ricochet vs. Logan Paul from last week.

Ricochet is ready to deal with Paul and challenges him to come here next week. He’ll hurt Paul where it hurts the most: his ego.

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz bragging about playing in a celebrity golf tournament and insulting Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. With that out of the way, Miz brings out his guest, Becky Lynch, who looks like she is wearing pajamas with the stomach cut out. Miz asks if she has lost a step so Lynch throws the chairs out and shouts about everything she has lost. The one thing she hasn’t lost is a step so get Trish Stratus out here already.

Miz thanks her for ruining the surprise and brings out Stratus, with Zoey Stark. Lynch demands the rematch but Stratus thinks Lynch is sounding like her baby girl. Stratus is going to pass on the rematch because she has already beaten Lynch, though she was hoping to get her to say Thank You Trish.

Lynch was hoping to see Stratus show she could do more than post on social media and hide behind Stark, which is enough to get Stratus to say yes, but under some conditions. First, Lynch has to beat Stark, but if she can’t she has to get on her knees and say Thank You Trish. Oh and she can tattoo it across her chest. Lynch: “Done.” The brawl is on, with Stratus losing her mask, which Lynch uses to knock Stark silly. The tattoo stuff was a bit over the top but they set up the match the needed to set up.

We look at the Brock Lesnar/Cody Rhodes segment again.

Bronson Reed vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Reed kicks him into the corner to start and busts out his own Good Vibrations. Nakamura hits a few strikes to send him into the ropes but misses a knee. Reed hits a running shoulder from the apron and we take a break. Back with Nakamura getting in some more kicks, including a jumping version to the head. A dragon screw legwhip gives Nakamura two but Reed runs him over. The Tsunami is broken up though and Nakamura’s middle rope knee gets two more. Kinshasa is loaded up but Tommaso Ciampa runs in to jump Reed for the DQ at 7:32.

Rating: C+. Someone striking away at a monster like Reed is always going to work and Nakamura can throw strikes like few others. Ciampa running in makes all the sense in the world, even if he is just taking Ricochet’s place in the same story they were telling on the way to Money In The Bank. Either way, this was a story that has been done before and that isn’t a bad thing.

Post match Nakamura takes out Ciampa to blow off some steam.

Post break, Nakamura says he’s tired of everyone getting in his business.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day, Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest in this case, is challenging. We get the Big Match Intros and here is Seth Rollins to dive onto Finn Balor and brawl with him to the back. It’s a brawl to start with Dominik getting crushed by Owens’ backsplash, meaning the champs can take over in the corner.

Sami and Priest come in with the latter hitting an uppercut so Dominik can already come back in. A backdrop puts him down so let’s take a breather on the floor. Priest cuts Sami off again and chokeslams him onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Sami escaping a suplex and bringing Owens back in to clean house. Owens knocks Priest outside and hits an apron frog splash, followed by the Cannonball back inside.

The Swanton hits knees though and Dominik comes in with a frog splash for two. Everything breaks down and Priest hits a pop up powerbomb for two on Dominik with Priest making the save. Zayn tornado DDTs Priest for two but he catches Zayn on top with a super hurricanrana (Ripley freaking out is great). Dominik tags himself back in but the 619 is broken up. The champs hit a pair of flip dives so Ripley tries to get involved, only to get cut off by Liv Morgan. Zayn Helluva Kicks Dominik to retain at 15:28.

Rating: B. This got going rather well by the end, though I’m a bit surprised that this wasn’t the Summerslam Tag Team Title match. What we got was a hot tag match though as Owens and Zayn can work well with anyone. Judgment Day still feels like a dominant force around here, but man they lose quite a bit.

Overall Rating: B. This was the show where it felt like they started to move forward to Summerslam, with matches either being announced or being set up. That should be enough to get things going for the next few weeks as the card can be made official. I like them getting this done with some time to spare, as that isn’t something you always see. For now though, it’s another good show, as things are starting to come together at the right time.

Results
Gunther b. Matt Riddle – Powerbomb
Sonya Deville/Chelsea Green b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez – Running knee to Morgan
Viking Raiders b. Alpha Academy – Ragnarok to Otis
Shayna Baszler b. Nikki Cross – Kirifuda Clutch
Bronson Reed b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Tommaso Ciampa 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

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

Night Of Champions 2023
Date: May 27, 2023
Location: Jeddah Super Dome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in Saudi Arabia again and this time around the focus is on championships. That should give us some interesting possibilities as more than one title could change hands here. The show features a triple main event, with the new World Heavyweight Champion set to be crowned. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, narrated by HHH, talks about how important it is to be a champion and how it can change your life.

Video on the World Heavyweight Championship, which has been brought back to give Raw its own World Title. Seth Rollins and AJ Styles both want the title and want the other at their best.

World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins

For the inaugural title and they’re starting big here. They take their time to start with Styles sending him to the apron but it’s too early for the Phenomenal Forearm. Styles rolls out of a headlock but Rollins is right back with a kick to the head to take over. Back up and Styles drives him into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Rollins is back with a Downward Spiral into the middle turnbuckle.

Styles is right back with a suplex into the corner and the Phenomenal Blitz. The middle rope moonsault into a reverse DDT plants Rollins again but he’s right back up with a buckle bomb. The frog splash gives Rollins two but the Pedigree is reversed into an enziguri. With nothing else working, Styles loads up the super Styles Clash but Rollins slips out to avoid quite a bit of pain.

Instead, Rollins puts him on top for a reverse superplex into a reverse sitout suplex for two. The Phoenix splash misses and they fight to the apron, where Styles hits a brainbuster to knock Rollins silly. Back in and Styles tries the Phenomenal Forearm (instead of covering) but Rollins breaks it up and sends him back to the floor. The suicide dive hits Styles but Rollins comes up favoring his knee.

Back in again and Styles grabs the Calf Crusher but Rollins grabs a choke for the escape. Styles kicks away until he has to duck the Pele. Rollins’ Pedigree is countered into one from Styles for two as Styles is bleeding a bit from the head. The Phenomenal Forearm is superkicked out of the air but the knee gives out on the Stomp attempt. The knee is fine enough to hit a Pedigree, followed by the Stomp to give Rollins the pin and the title at 20:37.

Rating: B. This was a different kind of match as there was no personal issue and they were just out there fighting for the title. It worked well as the two are both incredibly talented and know how to work the main event style match. The knee injury was a nice way to go and gave the match some drama, but it was hard to imagine Styles having a real chance here. Rather awesome opener though and Rollins is the best choice possible for the first champion.

We recap Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch. Stratus turned on Becky as she took issue with her for not being thankful enough. It has turned into something of a battle of the generations, with Trish saying Becky should be grateful to her and Becky saying she has surpassed Trish.

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch

Becky doesn’t wait long and charges at Trish as the fight heads outside. Trish gets in a shot of her own and takes over, including a kick to the ribs back inside. After Trish thanks herself a bit, Trish snaps off a tornado DDT for two. The reverse chinlock goes on for a bit before Trish hammers away. A neckbreaker gives Trish two but Becky fires up and starts striking away.

Becky’s legdrop to the back of the neck gets two but Trish gets in another shot to cut her off. A not so great Stratusphere connects, only to have Stratusfaction broken up. Becky hits Diamond Dust into a middle rope legdrop but Trish breaks up the Manhandle Slam. The Boston crab out of the corner doesn’t work so well and Trish scores with the Chick Kick for two.

The Disarm-Her goes on but Trish is too close to the ropes. Becky manages the Manhandle Slam but those pesky ropes get Trish out of trouble again. Trish sends her outside and cue Zoey Stark of all people with a Z360. Back in and Stratusfaction connects to finish for Trish at 14:48.

Rating: B-. The ending was a smart way to keep the story going, as Becky can now beat up Stark (who gets thrown straight into a big story) before getting to fight Trish again. The match was good too, save for a short stretch where things did not exactly go so well. Trish is still incredibly polished all things considered and it was a completely fine match which should keep the story going for awhile to come.

Video on Mustafa Ali visiting Mecca.

Intercontinental Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Gunther

Gunther, with Imperium, is defending. Ali kicks away at the leg to start but has to fight out of an early sleeper. Some running dropkicks stagger Gunther, who is right back with a slam. The pace slows as Gunther chops and pounds Ali down, setting up the Boston crab. Ali gets out and is sent out to the apron, where Gunther kicks him out to the floor.

Back in and Gunther chops away but Ali fires off some desperation shots of his own. Gunther catches him up top but gets knocked down, setting up a 450 for a near fall. A hard clothesline gives Gunther two so he tells Ali he doesn’t belong. The powerbomb is countered into a kick to the head and the tornado DDT plants Gunther. The 450 misses though and Gunther dropkicks him into the corner. That’s enough to set up the powerbomb to retain at 8:30.

Rating: C+. This was exactly how it should have gone, as Gunther dominated, Ali made a nice comeback and then got beaten down by the force that is Gunther. I’m not sure if anyone believed that Ali had a chance coming in here and that is all it needed to be. Gunther is going to lose the title one day but it is going to be in a huge spot, which wasn’t the case here. Perfectly fine way to go, even if there was no doubt about the result.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens recap their issues with the Bloodline. Owens gets all fired up and is ready to go.

WWE did Make A Wish in Saudi Arabia.

We recap the Raw Women’s Title match with Bianca Belair defending against Asuka. Belair survived Asuka going all evil and misting her at Wrestlemania, so now we’re doing it again.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Asuka

Belair is defending and gets taken down to start. Asuka hammers away but Belair reverses and slugs right back. Some stomps to the face keep Belair in trouble but a dropkick puts Asuka on the apron. The handspring kick to the head sends Asuka outside, where she sends Belair into the steps. Back in and Asuka kicks her in the face before driving a boot into Belair’s head.

More stomping has Belair in trouble and Asuka grabs an armbar to mixed it up a bit. Belair fights back up and hits a running Blockbuster for a double knockdown. The comeback is on including the standing moonsault but Asuka kicks her off the top. A missile dropkick gives Asuka two and we hit the Fujiwara armbar. With that broken up, Belair plants her with a spinebuster for two.

The Asuka Lock is broken up and they trade rollups for two each. They head outside with Asuka being sent into the steps, allowing Belair to hammer away back inside. The KOD is countered into a cross armbreaker but Belair rolls out and powerbombs her down. Asuka bails to the ropes and sprays the mist on her own fingers. Back in and Asuka rubs the mist in Belair’s face, setting up the kick to the head to make Asuka champion at 14:50.

Rating: C+. They had to do this one as there was nothing left for Belair to accomplish. She had been champion for over a year and had cleaned out the division, so it was time for some kind of a change. If nothing else, you don’t have Asuka built up as this new heel and then beat her twice, so she more or less had to win here. The title scene needed some fresh blood and Asuka certainly applies.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya

Ripley, with Dominik Mysterio, is defending. An early Dominik distraction lets Ripley jump her to start and they’re quickly on the floor. Ripley sends her face first into the announcers’ table and then the steps as the beating is on early. Riptide retains the title at 1:04. Ok that worked, as Ripley running over Natalya is a much better fit than having them go fifteen minutes.

Seth Rollins is very pleased with his win and is ready for whatever is next.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes. Lesnar attacked Rhodes for still unexplained reasons (him being Brock Lesnar might have something to do with it) and laid him out. Rhodes then beat Lesnar at Backlash so Lesnar broke Rhodes’ arm before their rematch here.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

Cody is coming in with a broken arm. They go a bit tentative to start until Lesnar starts snapping off the belly to belly suplexes. Cody manages to knock him outside though and there’s the suicide dive. Back in and a top rope ax handle hits Lesnar, followed by a pair of Cross Rhodes. A third is countered into the Kimura though and Rhodes is in big trouble. Rhodes stacks him up for two but can’t get out.

Lesnar rolls him over and is sitting on Rhodes, who can’t make the rope. The referee raises Cody’s arm but he’s still in, only to have Lesnar pull him closer to the middle. Somehow Cody turns it around and makes the rope, leaving Lesnar stunned. Another Cross Rhodes gets another two and they’re both spent. Cody hits him with the cast but gets pulled into the F5 for two. The Kimura goes on again and Cody passes out at 9:36.

Rating: B. This was all about storytelling and it worked very well as a result. What mattered here was keeping Cody strong but not going too far. There was almost no way you could have him survive again here as he came in injured against a ticked off Lesnar. Cody looked strong in defeat (and didn’t tap), but he had to lose here. The trilogy match should be good, especially if one of them is champion by the time it rolls around.

We recap Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa for the Tag Team Titles. Owens and Zayn are defending, but more than that they are trying to take the Bloodline apart once and for all. The Bloodline is starting to crumble and the Usos are not happy that they aren’t getting this shot. Instead Reigns is trying to show them how it is done and that should make for an interesting match.

Tag Team Titles: Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Zayn/Owens are defending and Paul Heyman/Sami (the latter in Arabic) handle the introductions. Owens and Reigns start but it’s off to Zayn before anything happens. More staring ensues as the fans are very hyped for all of this. Reigns tags Sikoa in and we get our first contact about three minutes in. Zayn sends him into the corner and hits a few chops, which doesn’t leave Reigns pleased.

An elbow to the face is more to Reigns’ liking so it’s off to Owens. Some chops rock Sikoa but it’s back to Zayn off the blind tag for a drop toehold. Reigns comes in for a cheap shot to Owens ad then quickly heads back to the floor. Back in and Sikoa drops a headbutt on Zayn before it’s back to Reigns as the pace slows. Zayn chops away but gets dropped with a single shot. Reigns: “You think you’re the Nature Boy now?”

After Owens chases off an invading Sikoa, Reigns slowly pounds Zayn down again. Sikoa comes back in and we hit the nerve hold. They head outside again with Sikoa getting taken down but being fine enough to cut Zayn off before the tag. A tornado DDT is enough to drop Sikoa, allowing the double tag to Owens and Reigns. Owens cleans house and knocks Reigns outside for a backsplash but Sikoa cuts him off again.

Reigns hits a clothesline but walks into a sitout powerbomb. Owens’ frog splash hits for two but he can’t follow up. The Stunner is broken up and the Superman Punch gives Reigns two. Another Stunner connects but Reigns bounces off the ropes and hits a spear before falling down. The double tag brings in Zayn to hammer on Sikoa, setting up the big flip dive to drops Sikoa on the floor. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two back inside but the Helluva Kick is cut off with a superkick.

Zayn is fine enough to suplex him into the corner so the Helluva Kick can connect, with Reigns making the save. Reigns hammers away and loads up the spear but takes the referee out by mistake. Owens is back in to jump Reigns and they head outside for a whip into the steps. Cue the Usos (not supposed to be here) go jump Owens and a pair of superkicks rock Zayn….but the double superkick hits Sikoa.

Reigns sees what happened and is REALLY not pleased. Reigns yells at the Usos….and Jimmy finally superkicks him. Jey screams at Jimmy, who superkicks Reigns again. Jimmy says that it’s him and Jey now, leaving Jey looking very perplexed. Jey goes towards Reigns but Jimmy gets him out before he can do anything. Sikoa is back up but it’s a Stunner into the Helluva Kick for three (from a second referee) to retain the titles at 26:27.

Rating: B+. This was an interesting mix as it was a very good match but the storytelling was glorious. Jimmy FINALLY snapping and turning on Reigns after the months of abuse takes things in a new direction and we could be in for something very good in the near future. I’ve heard people talk about how Jey should be the one to take the title from Reigns. I’m not there yet, but it’s not sounding as crazy these days, which is one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a good while. Awesome main event here, and things are going to get bigger as we keep going.

Reigns doesn’t know what to do to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The middle portion is a big weak, but the three main events were one hit after another. What matters here is they have set the stage for some big stuff going forward and now we get to see where things go as we head into the summer. The Bloodline is imploding, Rollins is champion, and Lesnar vs. Rhodes III is likely on the horizon. Another rather good show here, as WWE is on quite the roll at the moment.

Results
Seth Rollins b. AJ Styles – Stomp
Trish Stratus b. Becky Lynch – Stratusfaction
Gunther b. Mustafa Ali – Powerbomb
Asuka b. Bianca Belair – Kick to the head
Rhea Ripley b. Natalya – Riptide
Brock Lesnar b. Cody Rhodes via referee stoppage

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.

It’s time to head back to Saudi Arabia and in this case that means we are going to be in for a pretty big show. This time around the focus is on titles, but there are going to be some non-title matches that are going to be pretty high up on the card. WWE is advertising this as a triple main event and it does fit the billing. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Natalya

We’re going to start off with a bit of a weird one here as Ripley is the most on fire stars in WWE today and is getting one crazy reaction after another. That is a sign that she is going to be on top of the division for a long time now and now we are going to be seeing her second major title defense. At the same time, she is facing Natalya, who has been around for so long that it is a little hard to get interested in the match.

I started with this one because it feels like the most obvious result on the entire show, which will be Ripley retaining the title. It would not surprise me whatsoever if Ripley is still champion at this time next year, so having her beat Natalya here makes a lot of sense. What matters here is giving Ripley a different kind of opponent and while the match should be quite good on the technical side, the result isn’t quite in doubt.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Asuka

This is a Wrestlemania rematch and I’m really not sure where to go. On one hand, Belair has held the title longer than anyone not named Moolah, meaning there isn’t anything left for her to accomplish with her title reign. At the same time, I’m not sure I can imagine her actually losing here, as it doesn’t feel like a moment that is big enough for the reign to end. On the third hand, it’s hard to imagine Asuka losing twice in a row in this kind of a big spot.

I’ll go with….I’ll take Belair, but I don’t have the most confidence in it. I’m not sure how much good it does to have Asuka do the big heel turn and then lose, but it just doesn’t feel like Belair is set to lose here. The good thing is the rematch’s build has been better than the first, and now we should be in for a better match as things might not have to be as rushed. Belair wins and I’m at last 50% sure that will be the case.

Intercontinental Tile: Gunther(c) vs. Mustafa Ali

Ok so when I said Ripley vs. Natalya is the most obvious result, I had kind of forgotten about this one entirely. There is almost no reason to believe that Ali is going to win the title here and WWE hasn’t exactly hidden that reality. Gunther is on the verge of becoming one of the biggest heels in the company and Ali has never even won a big match. I’d like to believe that there is some drama here, but I just can’t do it.

In the biggest “of course he does” for the show, Gunther wins here and does so after Ali’s comeback isn’t exactly the most dramatic. What matters is having Gunther on the show and looking dominant, as he is going to be doing it for a long time. Just let Ali get in some of his flips and dives before getting beaten, as it is just about the only way to go with the situation that they have here. Gunther wins, hands down.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

Now this one has some more drama to it, as I could see the feud continuing for several more months or I could see this already being the big blowoff. The important thing about this story is that Stratus’ heel run has been quite good and she isn’t just “I’m Trish Stratus” and moving on. She has something to what she is saying and now I want to see how the match is going to go.

I’ll take Stratus here, as I could see this going to a rematch down the line. There will likely be some shenanigans in the end and Stratus will get to brag about her win for a good while. Lynch is at her best when she is focused and has someone to go after, which is what she can do if she wants revenge on Stratus all over again. This should be a big fight feeling and I’m wanting to see how it goes, but for now we’ll say Stratus wins to keep it going.

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

It’s a rematch from Backlash where Rhodes won on little more than a fluke. This time though Rhodes is coming in with a broken arm and Lesnar is already ticked off at him. That isn’t going to go well for Rhodes, but at the end of the day, he is in over his head. In theory that should cause a big problem for him with the match and that is likely going to be the case here with Lesnar.

For the life of me I can’t imagine Rhodes winning here, as he squeaked by in the first match when he had both arms. There comes a point where the odds are stacked so high against someone that they have to lose and that is the case with Rhodes. Let Lesnar get his win back and get us to the big rematch down the line, which could be taking place under some different circumstances.

World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

This is either for the inaugural or restored title, depending on which lineage you prefer. It’s an interesting build as Rollins has been treated as a much bigger deal, despite Styles being a legend in his own right. The good thing is these two should be in for a great match due to pure talent alone, but they don’t have any kind of personal issue as we come into the match. That means it’s just about the title, which is probably what it should be.

I’ll go with what feels like the much more likely decision here and take Rollins to win the title. Unless there are some kind of major shenanigans (and there might be), there is little reason to believe that Styles is going to win here. Rollins has been treated as a focal point in recent weeks while Styles has been treated as the guy facing Rollins for the title. Go with the logical choice here, as Rollins is a great choice to carry the title at first. Granted Styles would do just fine as well, but I don’t think he will here.

Tag Team Titles: Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens(c) vs. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa

Here we have the big storyline match as the Bloodline is beginning to implode around them. Reigns isn’t happy with the Usos losing to Zayn and Owens (over and over) and is going to do it on his own (well with Sikoa but you get the idea). Zayn and Owens have been needling the team for months now and their plan seems to have almost worked. Retaining the titles here would be a big step closer and that gets us to the big result.

I don’t see any reason for Reigns and Sikoa to win here, especially if the Usos just happen to show up and cost them the match. Reigns and Sikoa winning the titles would feel like a step in a very different direction and it would only make sense for them to lose to the Usos, which puts us close to where we were before Wrestlemania. Owens and Zayn keep the belts here, likely with some shenanigans.

Overall Thoughts

The best thing about the recent Saudi Arabia shows is that they feel like WWE’s major monthly show which just happen to be taking place elsewhere. Aside from maybe Styles vs. Rollins, this feels like a card that could take place at any major event. I like what we could be seeing here as WWE has made the show feel big, but now they have to deliver on what they have set up.

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 22, 2023
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the go home Raw for Night Of Champions and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. That might be a little tricky since there are three main events, all of which are only half Raw stars. Maybe they have a way to draw in some interest tonight otherwise so let’s get to it.

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

We open in the back with Brock Lesnar beating down Cody Rhodes. The beating goes on for a bit and Rhodes is left laying, including his arm being crushed against a door with a keg (similar to what he did to Undertaker about 20 years ago).

Here is Paul Heyman in the ring to say he had nothing to do with that beating. That’s just the kind of thing you can expect to see at Night Of Champions (Note that Heyman said the show is on Saturday at 1pm. That’s more detail than you often get from WWE and I have no idea why it’s that much to ask. You want people to watch the show. Let us know when we can do so.), where there will be three main events.

This includes the Bloodline taking the Tag Team Titles from Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who come to the ring as Heyman leaves. Zayn: “Where did Heyman go?” Sami talks about their title defense on Saturday but he has already said everything he has to say to Reigns’ face. Tonight they have a six man tag match and here is Imperium to interrupt. Matt Riddle runs in to even things up and Gunther calls the troops off. Imperium charges back in and are promptly kicked out to fight another day. Or probably later tonight.

Ricochet vs. Bronson Reed

Earlier today, Reed blamed Ricochet for losing the battle royal last week. Suffering is promised. Reed misses a charge into the corner to start so Ricochet kicks the knee out to stagger him. Ricochet scores with an enziguri but gets run over, setting up the rolling splash to crush Ricochet down.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet slipping out of a suplex to hammer away at the head. The standing moonsault gets two but Ricochet gets knocked to the floor. Reed’s dive off the apron misses though and they head back inside, where Ricochet’s springboard is broken up. That’s enough to set up the Tsunami for the pin at 8:29.

Rating: C+. There’s always room for a big man vs. little man match and that’s what we had here. These two worked well together and had a nice match, as Ricochet tried to keep the pace up but ultimately got crushed by Reed. There is some serious potential for a monster with Reed’s athleticism and we very well may be seeing him get a heck of a push sooner rather than later.

Apollo Crews is back but gets cut off by Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley. Dominik isn’t happy that Crews is getting this time, but Ripley is apparently scheduled next. Dominik: “Apollo who?” Crews isn’t impressed, only to have Ripley talk about how she is going to beat Natalya at Night Of Champions. Crews still isn’t cool with this and seems to get a match with Dominik tonight.

We get part three of the Seth Rollins interview. Rollins loves Roman Reigns but doesn’t like him. We see some clips of the Shield days (or at least 2/3 of them) but that’s not the Reigns that we’re seeing today. Rollins has no respect for this Reigns, who has been poisoned by his own ego. Raw can be a different place with Rollins on top. Someone has to take his place when he’s gone or when Reigns is gone and that’s who he wants to rise up. He’s ready for AJ Styles at Night Of Champions. He also sounds like he’s ready for some major showdown with Reigns down the line. Maybe even after Reigns costs him the title?

We look at Shinsuke Nakamura arguing with Judgment Day last week on Raw Talk.

Damian Priest yells in Spanish about Nakamura.

Video on Zoey Stark, who trains a lot and is ready to end our heroes.

Zoey Stark vs. Candice LeRae

Stark drives her into the corner to start and hammers away on the mat. The chinlock goes on but here is Nikki Cross to cheer LeRae on. LeRae knocks her to the floor and hits a springboard dive, only to have Nikki celebrate with her (against LeRae’s will). The distraction lets Stark send them both into the steps. Back in and the Z360 (Stark picks her up and backflips her into a knee to the chest) finishes LeRae at 2:29. Solid squash for Stark.

Mustafa Ali can’t bring himself to say anything positive about Night Of Champions. He has always tried but only come close over and over. No one believes he can do it….and Brock Lesnar walks past him on the way to the ring. Lesnar: “Get a life kid.” And with that, Lesnar heads into the arena, as Ali should probably hope he has a shovel to get out of the grave Lesnar just buried him inside.

Lesnar asks what we want to talk about. The thing is, Cody Rhodes is not going to be able to wrestle at Night Of Champions, but don’t worry. Lesnar is going to issue an open challenge for Night Of Champions, and all you have to do is step up right now. Cue Cody Rhodes with his arm in a sling and a big bag of ice under it but referees and Adam Pearce beg him not to do it. Cody gets in anyway, but Brock quickly Kimuras him and seems to break the arm. Lesnar steps on the arm to make it worse before leaving (and drops his hat on the way out).

Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders

Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla are here too. Erik blocks Gable’s flying headscissors (complete with a THANK YOU) to start but gets armdragged into an armbar. The Vikings be clubbering on Gable as the fans want Otis. Instead they get Gable taking another beating from both Vikings until he rolls over for the hot tag to bring in Otis. House is quickly wrecked and the Caterpillar hits Erik. Gable gets kneed in the face but knocks Ivar off the top as Valhalla chases Dupri off. A bridging rollup finishes Erik at 4:54.

Rating: C. So I guess Otis is just going to be with both Gable and Dupri, which is better than picking a side….I think? Either way, it’s more of the best thing they can do with Otis as he’s really only succeeded at oddball comedy. Other than that, this was another run of the mill Academy match, which they have perfected by being on TV pretty much every week for what feels like the last ninety four years.

Cody Rhodes refuses medical attention and still wants to fight Brock Lesnar.

Indus Sher is menacing and threatening.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor

Damian Priest is here with Balor. Feeling out process to start with Balor taking him down and working on the wristlock. A headscissors keeps Nakamura in trouble and Balor slams his leg down onto Nakamura’s face. Back up and Nakamura hits the running knee to the ribs in the corner but Priest gets in a clothesline on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Nakamura fighting out of a chinlock and screaming at Balor a bit. Nakamura sends him into the corner for the sliding German suplex and then tells Priest to COME ON. Priest chases him back inside, where Nakamura hits a spinning kick to the head for two.

The Sling Blade looks to set up Kinshasa but Balor reverses with the standing double stomp. It’s too early for the Coup de Grace though and they’re both down for a breather. Priest pulls Balor away from Kinshasa though, earning himself a clothesline into the timekeeper’s area. Balor scores with a quick dropkick and now the Coup de Grace finishes Nakamura at 11:21.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of “well, what were you expecting?”. Was there any doubt that Balor and Nakamura were going to have a good match together? I’m not wild on Nakamura losing again, but there are certain things you just get used to in wrestling. Balor gets a boost back up the ladder, but there is little reason to believe that anything he does is going to stick these days. For now, I’ll settle for just having a nice match.

We look at Liv Morgan’s shoulder injury, which forced the Women’s Tag Team Titles to be vacated.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Sonya Deville

Chelsea Green is here with Deville and offers a quick distraction so Deville can jump Rodriguez from behind to start. A middle rope knee to the face drops Rodriguez for two but she runs Deville over. The corkscrew Vader Bomb connects and the Texana Bomb finishes for Rodriguez at 1:48.

Post match the double team beatdown is on but Shotzi runs in for the save.

Trish Stratus is here for the contract signing and suggests that Adam Pearce put a no touch clause in effect for her contract signing with Becky Lynch. That’s a negative actually.

Video on Matt Riddle.

It’s time for the contract signing between Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch. Becky, in some odd sunglasses (they look like hands covering her eyes), signs before Trish comes out and then tells her to get out here. Cue Trish to say Becky was a lot more eager to sign than it was to come back to Raw after she kicked Becky in the head.

This is Trish’s first contract signing and she wants to savor it here….wherever we are. Trish is back to be the biggest star again and she won’t need a broken nose to do it (Becky is still sitting still and not looking at Trish whatsoever). We’re not done as Trish talks about how Becky’s worst enemy was herself. Trish signs, saying that this is going to be Becky’s last contract signing. Becky says Trish is scared of time passing her by, because the fans remember her being better than she is.

If Trish wants her flowers, Becky says “Thank You Trish”, for being everything Becky doesn’t want to be. Trish can stab people in the back and Becky will hit them in the face. Becky has had a career that Trish can only dream of, while Trish has done things that would embarrass Becky horrible. If she thinks barking like a dog was embarrassing, just wait for what Becky does at Night Of Champions. Trish turns the table over and leaves. This made it feel a lot more personal and that is what the feud needed.

We look at Brock Lesnar beating Cody Rhodes down earlier tonight (twice).

Adam Pearce is on the phone with someone and reiterates that Cody Rhodes will not accept any medical attention.

Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez are a team and they’ll win the Tag Team Titles next week.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Apollo Crews

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik. Crews starts fast with a suplex into a delayed gorilla press for two. Dominik catches him on top though and takes Crews down for the stomping. A suplex gives Dominik two and we’re off to the chinlock. Crews fights up and hits something close to a Blockbuster, followed by a middle rope crossbody for two of his own. They head to the floor where a clothesline hits Dominik but Ripley offers a distraction. Dominik trips him into the steps for a nine count, followed by the frog splash to give Dominik the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that makes me wonder how far Dominik can go. While he’s not his dad in the ring, he’s certainly able to wrestle a competent match and is far from some joke that was turned into a heat magnet. Dominik gets amazing reactions from the crowd and does well enough in the ring to back it up. You don’t get that kind of a combination very often and he is making it work.

Video on AJ Styles.

We get the final part of the Seth Rollins interview. As Rollins said when he started, he but he wants to change things around here and this is his moment to do something special. He’s going all in for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Night Of Champions rundown. Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya is official.

Imperium vs. Matt Riddle/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Kaiser strikes Zayn into the corner to start but Zayn takes him over for the tag to Riddle. Vinci comes in as well and strikes away at Riddle, who sends him flying with a gutwrench suplex. It’s off to Gunther, who blocks Riddle’s double leg but can’t block the kicks to the chest. We take a break and come back with Gunther blasting Riddle for two before hitting a heck of a clothesline. Riddle enziguris his way to freedom though and the tag brings Owens in.

House is cleaned, including a Cannonball to Vinci, but Owens is knocked off the apron for a crash as we take a break. Back with Owens hitting a frog splash to Vinci, setting up the desperation tag to Zayn. The Helluva Kick is blocked though and Gunther chops the heck out of Zayn. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two on Gunther as everything breaks down again. Owens Stuns Vinci but Gunther cuts off the Helluva Kick with a sleeper. Riddle breaks it up with the Floating Bro before throwing Gunther over the announcers’ table. That leaves Zayn to Helluva Kick Vinci, setting up Owens’ Swanton for the pin at 15:18.

Rating: B. I could have gone for a more complete version of this without losing so much time due to the two breaks. Owens and Zayn get some momentum heading into Night Of Champions, Gunther still looks like a monster and the match was good as a bonus. Not a bad use of a main event match and everyone did what they needed to do.

HHH comes in to see Cody Rhodes, who still refuses medical attention. They both know Cody’s arm is broken but he is NOT afraid. No one is questioning Cody’s bravery but he brings up what HHH has done before. Cody is going to Night Of Champions to fight Brock Lesnar. HHH finally accepts it and leaves to end the show. They’re pushing this Cody match hard but him winning on another fluke sounds pretty insane.

Overall Rating: B-. The show wasn’t bad at all but there were some dull stretches that dragged it out. In other words, it’s what I once dubbed the Raw Special: a solid two hour show that was stretched out to three hours and lost a lot of steam as a result. Night Of Champions should be a good show, but there are some matches that haven’t quite made it to must see, or even want to see, territory. This Raw didn’t exactly help that and while the action was good, it needed something else to really make it a smash.

Results
Bronson Reed b. Ricochet – Tsunami
Zoey Stark b. Candice LeRae – Z360
Alpha Academy b. Viking Raiders – Bridging rollup to Erik
Finn Balor b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Coup de Grace
Raquel Rodriguez b. Sonya Deville – Tejana Bomb
Dominik Mysterio b. Apollo Crews – Frog splash
Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn/Matt Riddle b. Imperium – Swanton Bomb to Vinci

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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Backlash 2023
Date: May 6, 2023
Location: Coliseo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We are off the mainland with this show as WWE heads to Puerto Rico for its first major show in over eighteen years. The card is more than a little different this time as we have a double main event, featuring Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes and Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest in a street fight. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the double main event, with Bad Bunny talking about how he is stepping out of his world but wanting to fight. The rest of the card gets some highlights as well.

We get the awesome drone shot, with the camera coming from outside and into the arena. That’s just sweet.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky

Sky, without Damage Ctrl, is challenging. Feeling out process to start with Belair getting a headscissors before dropkicking Sky down. Back up and Sky snaps the arm across the top rope before adding a top rope double stomp to the arm. Sky kicks the arm out again and works on an armbar, sending Belair crawling into the corner. Belair avoids a charge but what looked to be a Glam Slam is countered into a double stomp to the chest.

A headscissors is countered into a backbreaker but Belair bangs up the arm again. The delayed suplex drops Sky and Belair pounds away in the corner. The good arm is ok enough to hit a one armed gorilla press, though Belair drops Sky hard onto her face. Belair’s handspring moonsault gets two but Sky avoids a charge in the corner. The arm gets snapped over the top again and there’s the springboard missile dropkick to send Belair outside.

Belair shoves her off the top but the 450 hits raised knees. Sky crabs a Crossface but Belair powers up to her feet and muscles Sky up. The powerbomb is countered into an X Factor for a rather near fall. Belair tries another Glam Slam but has to counter another double stomp. The KOD is reversed as well with Sky sending her outside, setting up another kick to the arm. There’s the middle rope moonsault to drop Belair again and Sky drives shoulders into the ribs back inside.

Belair knocks her off the ropes to the apron but Sky is right back up. Her super hurricanrana is blocked and countered into a super sitout powerbomb….for two in a heck of a kickout. Cue Damage Ctrl for a distraction but Belair forearms Sky in the face. Dakota Kai gets knocked off the apron but Sky reverses the KOD into a rollup for a very close two. Bayley’s interference lets Sky send Belair into the ropes and Kai gets in a kick to the face. Bayley holds Belair’s hair as Over The Moonsault is loaded up. The referee cuts that off and the moonsault misses, allowing Belair to hit the KOD to retain at 17:57.

Rating: B+. Oh man they were ROCKING out there until the interference brought things down a bit. I know that’s going to be part of the Damage Ctrl split but these two were having one of the best matches of their careers. Awesome opener in front of a red hot crowd and you can’t ask for much more than that.

Rey Mysterio gives Bad Bunny a pep talk when Savio Vega of all people (that gets a heck of a reaction) to bring him a Puerto Rico themed kendo stick.

We look at the post Draft rosters.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Omos, which isn’t much of a feud. Basically Rollins is on a roll, Omos is a monster, they’re having a match.

Omos vs. Seth Rollins

MVP is here with Omos, who breaks up Rollins conducting the fans before the bell. Rollins is ready to go and gets knocked down as the match officially starts. A chest first whip into the corner drops Rollins again and Omos mockingly conducts the crowd. They fight outside with Rollins managing to slip away and get in a posting. The second suicide dive is cut off though and Omos chokeslams him onto the apron.

Back in and Snake Eyes into the big boot drops Rollins again, with Omos not being able to hear the fans again. Rollins manages a superkick but the Pedigree attempt is easily blocked. Something like a bulldog onto the post rocks Omos again and a tornado DDT puts him down. The frog splash gets one, with the kickout sending Rollins flying. Rollins tries the Stomp but Omos just doesn’t go down, blocking it through straight power.

A chokeslam gives Omos two and the kickout leaves him stunned. Rollins flips up into a sleeper to slow Omos down but he shrugs things off. MVP tries to throw in the cane, allowing Rollins to hit a Stomp. The superkick knocks MVP off the apron and a second Stomp only gets two. That leaves Rollins stunned for a change so it’s a top rope Stomp (looked pretty good) to finish Omos at 10:31.

Rating: B. This match had me flashing back to HHH vs. Great Khali at Summerslam 2008 and that is a good thing. Omos doesn’t have the best reputation in the ring but he and Rollins had a pretty awesome match here. Rollins can hit the Stomp on anyone but he had to bust out the big one to survive here. Good stuff here as Rollins sold rather well and Omos is clearly getting better in the ring.

We look at Damian Priest and Bad Bunny getting into a fight at the press conference.

US Title: Bronson Reed vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

Theory is defending. Lashley slugs away at both of them to start and sends Theory into Reed. A clothesline to Reed makes him DDT Theory, who has to save Reed from the Hurt Lock. Lashley is back up with the one armed delayed vertical suplex on Theory, who is smart enough to take Lashley’s leg out. Reed adds a splash to Lashley’s back and the basement rolling body block hits him again.

The double teaming doesn’t work for Reed, who runs Theory over instead. Lashley fights up and runs both of them over, setting up the spear to Theory. Reed breaks it up and superkicks Lashley on the floor. With that not working, Reed Vader Bombs down onto a standing Lashley on the outside (GEEZ that could have gone badly).

Back in and Theory breaks up the Tsunami but Lashley grabs the Hurt Lock on Theory. A climb up the ropes gets Theory out of it, allowing Reed to Tsunami Lashley, with Theory having to make the save. Theory hits a rolling Blockbuster on Reed but A Town Down is countered into a powerslam. Reed misses a moonsault and get speared down by Lashley, only to have Theory send Lashley outside and steal the pin to retain at 6:53.

Rating: B. It was a fast paced match with all action and Reed looked like a star, but the almost textbook ending didn’t help. I like Theory retaining the title here though, as he is rapidly improving in a lot of areas. Letting him steal a pin to retain the title fits in well and I want to see where he goes. Reed and Lashley will be fine going forward, and now I’m curious about what kind of role Lashley will play in the World Title tournament. Good stuff here again, as the show has been on a roll so far.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Zelina Vega

Vega, with Puerto Rico flag themed gear and tears in her eyes during the Big Match Intros, is challenging. The fans are entirely behind Vega as she starts fast but gets sent outside. Vega grabs a shoe, which apparently has some local significance, and throws it at Ripley. Back in and Ripley powerbombs her down hard to cut everything off.

A whip into the corner lets Ripley hit the Eddie Dance and the fans aren’t pleased. Ripley grabs a backbreaker into an over the shoulder backbreaker but Vega sends her shoulder first into the post. Some running clotheslines rock Ripley and Riptide is countered into a DDT. A 619 sets up a middle rope Meteora for two (as the Sasha Banks similarities build up) but Ripley kicks her in the face. Riptide retains the title at 7:14.

Rating: B-. This whole match was built around the idea of Vega only having a miracle chance at winning and that’s about all she had here. They tried and the comeback near the end was good, but it never hit that level that they were aiming for. To be fair, Vega was a fairly rushed challenger and this is probably the biggest match of her career, so it isn’t like she had anything to lose.

Post match Ripley leaves and Vega gets the crazy strong home island reception.

We recap Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest. Bunny saved Rey Mysterio from Dominik’s cheating at Wrestlemania so Priest beat Bunny up on Raw. That isn’t cool with Bunny and it’s time for a street fight.

Damian Priest vs. Bad Bunny

Street fight and Bunny is the hometown boy to a major reaction. Bunny brings the kendo stick but whips out a shopping cart full of weapons. Priest powers him into the corner to start but gets slapped in the face, with Bunny hitting a Michinoku Driver for two. Bunny grabs the kendo sticks but Priest knocks him down and breaks one of them. Back up and Bunny hammers away in the corner, only to get taken down again.

South Of Heaven connects but Priest pulls him up at two. It’s time to bring in an ax handle (single this time) but instead Priest loads up the springboard dive…which is cut off by a chair being thrown into his face. Bunny hits a big dive and drops him with a bunch of trashcan lid shots, giving us a Flair Flop on the floor. Back in and another Michinoku Driver gives Bunny two more but it’s time to head back outside.

Priest gets the better of things this time and smashes the Puerto Rico kendo stick across Bunny’s back. They head into the crowd and over to the tech area, where a Falcon Arrow sends Bunny crashing HARD through some tables. Adam Pearce comes out to say this needs to stop but Priest carries Bunny back to ringside. Priest misses a kick to the post and can barely stand, so Bunny blasts said leg with a kendo stick.

Bunny hits something like a Stunner to the leg out of the corner and the leg is wrapped around the post. A chain is wrapped around the leg to send it into the post again (with Priest begging him not to do it). Priest begs off from a chair shot and gets in a kick of his own, only to get hit low for his efforts. Cue Judgment Day to go after Bunny, with Rey Mysterio making the save.

With Rey beaten down, Carlito makes the save to an explosion, including the Backstabber and apple spit. Judgment Day gets back up but here is Savio Vega, who brings out the LWO to keep up the fight. With everyone else gone, Priest’s leg gives out on a kick to the head attempt, allowing Bunny to grab a Figure Four. Priest gets out so it’s a Sliced Bread for two (with Bunny almost landing on his head). A Canadian Destroyer finishes Priest at 25:05.

Rating: A. Yeah this was a total blast and played to the live crowd as well as anything else was going to. Bunny is as over as free beer in a frat house around here and they brought in the legends/current stars to make it feel that much bigger. It was fun and Bunny put in an all time celebrity performance, but Priest deserves all kinds of credit for holding it all together. Great stuff here, but egads how is anything supposed to follow this?

We recap the Bloodline vs. Matt Riddle/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens. The Bloodline is showing cracks, including the Usos losing the Tag Team Titles to Owens/Zayn at Wrestlemania. Now it is more or less a “win here or you’re in real trouble” for the Bloodline as the other three are out to end the team.

Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn/Matt Riddle vs. Bloodline

No Paul Heyman or this one. Jey takes Sami down to start but Sami is right back up with a shot to the face. Jimmy comes in and gets taken down into the corner, allowing Riddle to come in and hammer away. It’s off to Sikoa though and this time Sami gets beaten down, with Jimmy getting to do the same. Sikoa has to tag himself back in to hammer away before Jimmy grabs a chinlock. Sami manages a shot to the face though and sends the now legal Jey outside.

Jey pulls Owens off the apron and slams him HARD into the steps (YOWCH). Sami has to fight out of the corner but can’t get around the numbers game, meaning Sikoa can come back in. A tornado DDT plants Sikoa though and the hot tag brings in Riddle to clean house. Everything breaks down and Riddle hits the backsplash, only to have what looked to be a Buckshot Lariat cut off by a superkick.

Riddle gets in another shot though and hands it back to Owens, with the Swanton hitting Jimmy for two. Jimmy superkicks Jey by mistake though and it’s a pop up sitout powerbomb for two on Jey, leaving Owens stunned. Owens and Jey slug it out but the Stunner is broken up. They trade shots to the face until Owens hits a big clothesline for the double knockdown.

Sami comes back in with the Blue Thunder Bomb for two but he has to fight off both Usos on top. The double superkick knocks Sami out of the air for two more and Jey has to yell at him a bit. Sikoa tags himself in before Jey can launch the running Umaga attack, only to have Jey tag himself back in as well.

The Helluva Kick knocks Sikoa to the floor and another hits Jey, with Sikoa having to make a save. Riddle comes back in and Sikoa takes him down, followed by a Spike to Owens. Sikoa almost Spikes Jey but Sami is back in. The Superfly Splash hits raised knees to give Sami two so here is Riddle to clean house instead. Sikoa tags himself in though and the Spike finishes Riddle at 22:03.

Rating: B. It was a main event level six man tag and they go the time, but anything was going to feel like a letdown after the previous match. They were all working hard, which is always nice to see, but it feels like we’re retreading past stories with this one. Though that being said, there is something entertaining about Riddle’s continued destruction, which certainly feels like punishment.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes. Cody lost in the biggest match of his life at Wrestlemania and tried to team with Lesnar the next night. Lesnar turned on him in a heck of a beatdown, setting up this fight.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

Cody dives onto Lesnar to start fast on the floor before the bell. Some steps and chair shots have Lesnar in more trouble and they head inside for the official start. Lesnar drives him hard into the corner to take over and it’s a German suplex to make it worse. There’s a fall away slam and now Lesnar is starting to look back to normal. More suplexes send Rhodes into the corner and Lesnar starts in on the leg. Lesnar fires off even more suplexes and a turnbuckle pad is ripped off.

Lesnar grabs a bearhug to stay on the ribs but Cody manages to send him into the exposed buckle. A Cody Cutter and the Disaster kick rock the bleeding Lesnar, setting up a knee to the face. Another Cody Cutter connects and a pair of Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes two. Cody tries it again but gets reversed into the F5 for two. The Kimura goes on but Cody stacks him up for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t getting into this one as well as some others, but Cody getting the big win absolutely had to happen. They can play up the idea that Lesnar got caught rather than defeated, but it isn’t like it matters all that much for him anyway. Cody needed this one a lot more than Lesnar and they went with the right direction rather than Lesnar smashing him until the ending. The Lesnar dominance in the middle was annoying, but they got the ending right and that is what matters.

Cody immediately leaves and Lesnar isn’t happy.

Overall Rating: A-. For a show with little in the way of expectations and even less in the way of meaning as the rosters reset the day after tomorrow, this was a heck of a show with the crowd elevating it by several notches. The Bunny match stole the night and was a smash hit, but the two matches after that were never going to be able to live up to that hype and it became clear very fast.

That all being said, this whole show was a blast with nothing bad and a bunch of matches elevated by the audience. I had a great time with the whole thing, starting with an awesome opener, Vega’s emotional loss, the great Bunny ordeal and Cody winning as he should have. Awesome show here and they hit on almost every possible cylinder.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Iyo Sky – KOD
Seth Rollins b. Omos – Super Stomp
Austin Theory b. Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed – Spear to Reed
Rhea Ripley b. Zelina Vega – Riptide
Bad Bunny b. Damian Priest – Canadian Destroyer
Bloodline b. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens/Matt Riddle – Samoan Spike to Riddle
Cody Rhodes b. Brock Lesnar – Rollup

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.

It’s time for the official Wrestlemania fallout event and this time the card is looking rather stacked. There are multiple matches set up, some of which are not things you might have expected to see. We have two matches which could be headlining the show but catering to the Puerto Rican crowd, one of those matches would be a much more logical choice. Let’s get to it.

Seth Rollins vs. Omos

We’ll start here, which feels like the “here’s how we get these people on the show” match. There is no reason for the two of them to be fighting, but they’re having a match on this show anyway. Omos’ size is still enough to make him the monster, though coming off the loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania does not make him feel like quite the same level of threat.

I’ll go with Rollins to win here, as he is coming off a big win at Wrestlemania and very well be in line for the new World Title. If nothing else, giving him a victory over Omos would make him feel like that much more of a threat to win the title. Omos can absorb a few losses because you can just have him chokeslam people over and over until he is a monster again. Rollins should win here, as he could be in for a much bigger spot in the near future.

US Title: Austin Theory(c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed

This is the kind of match that could go in a variety of ways and that makes things more interesting. Theory has come a long way in the last few months as he has gotten a good bit more serious. At the same time, Reed has turned into a monster and I could see him taking the title to make him seem that much more legitimate. Then there is Lashley, but odds are he is going to wind up in the World Title mix (as he should).

With those options, I’ll go with Theory retaining, as I don’t think WWE wants to have him lose here, only to put him into the World Title scene where he would lose again. Give him the win here and let his title reign keep going, as he has held the title for about six months. That is the kind of reign that could last for a long time, as Theory gets closer and closer to being a big thing in WWE.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Iyo Sky

I’m not sure what to think about this match, as both of them are on the way to Smackdown so the title only means so much in the first place. Belair has run through every major star in the division and now she needs to find someone new, so points for trying Sky in there instead of the same people over and over. I don’t know how much of a chance Sky has, but at least she is a fresh challenger.

I don’t see much of a reason to believe that Belair is losing here so we’ll go with what should be the easy retain. Belair is a win away from the longest Women’s Title reign in the modern era and unless they want a big shakeup, the title isn’t changing hands here. The match should be good and Sky should get a lot out of it, though she isn’t going to get the title this time around.

Matt Riddle/Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Bloodline

The Bloodline continues to have issues and now the question is what happens here. They need a win to right the ship, but it makes more sense to not have the ship righted. The Usos losing the all while Solo Sikoa does his thing is going to open up some more options, as Roman Reigns is not going to be happy with the Usos losing another huge match. At the same time, Reigns has shown that he needs the Usos and that could go in a variety of ways. Or maybe the Bloodline wins and the problems go away.

Nah I can’t imagine the Bloodline losing here, as it doesn’t make sense to reverse course in that way. Owens or Zayn can pin one of them while Sikoa is incapacitated for some reason. Riddle needs a win of his own, even if it is just being on the winning team. The Bloodline doesn’t need to win here and it opens up more doors if they lose, so we’ll go with the logical choice of Riddle/Owens/Zayn winning.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Zelina Vega

This is an interesting way to set up the match, as commentary has more or less told us that Vega has no chance to win the title. Instead they are saying she more or less needs a miracle to have a chance against the monster Ripley. That is what they teased this week on Smackdown, and somehow it wound up working well. Vega is going to have a huge reaction from the fans, but that might not be enough to give her the title.

Of course it isn’t, as Ripley isn’t going to lose her first major title defense. Vega is going to have the fans in her corner, but at some point that isn’t going to be enough. That some point is likely going to be as soon as Ripley hits Riptide and gets the pin to retain. Ripley’s title reign has the potential to be huge, and it is going to start with a successful defense here against Vega.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

There is a case to be made for this to headline the show and it very well may. That being said, this is an important match for Rhodes, who really needs a win after losing to Reigns at Wrestlemania. I don’t know if that is where WWE is going to go though, as someone other than Reigns beating Lesnar one on one is almost impossible to fathom. Rhodes is a big star, but I don’t know if he’s that big.

I can absolutely see Lesnar winning here, but I’ll take Rhodes as he is someone who will likely be in line for the new World Title. Lesnar isn’t going to wrestle on Monday Night Raw anytime soon so there is no reason to believe that he is going to be in the title picture. I’ll go with Rhodes winning here, as he needs the win and will be around a lot more frequently than Lesnar. Rhodes wins, with a grand total of no confidence in the pick.

Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest

This is a street fight and it is the best choice for a main event on this show. Bunny is a legitimate major star and will be given the ultimate hero’s welcome in Puerto Rico. The fact that he has shown he can hang in the ring with the right circumstances makes this better and we should be in for a very fun match here. I would say there is some doubt about the winner but…come on.

Unless WWE wants Puerto Rico to burn the building to the ground, this is going to be Bunny winning and winning handily. There are going to be all kinds of interference and shenanigans, which is exactly what needs to be the case here. All that matters is Bunny gets the pin in the end, likely with a few kendo stick shots. Bunny wins here, as he has to do to blow the roof off instead of a good chunk of the building being wrecked.

Overall Thoughts

Backlash is not the most traditional looking WWE show but we should be in for a good card based on what we have set up. The build for Backlash has been done a bit differently but I’m wanting to see the show. What matters is everyone executing things well, with the main event being rather tricky. It’s kind of beneficial that everything resets two days later as it takes so much pressure off of this card. Now just make it work well.

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 1, 2023
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s a double shot this week as we have the second night of the Draft, plus the go home Raw for Backlash. On the first hand, there were already some big moves in the Draft and it’s going to be even bigger this week. On the second hand, Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar are both here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the first night of the Draft, with both shows picking up some big names.

Here is HHH to get things going. He explains the rules, saying that all of the remaining roster is eligible to be drafted. Since Roman Reigns is officially on SmackDown, the World Heavyweight Title is coming to Raw. Brock Lesnar is officially a free agent and can appear on both shows. Finally, there are select NXT names who can be drafted as well. Here are the first picks:

Monday Night Raw
Rhea Ripley
Seth Rollins

Smackdown
Austin Theory
Charlotte

With the picks out of the way, HHH brings Paul Heyman to the ring (after a quick stop to look at the World Heavyweight Championship) for a chat. Heyman is here to address some issues that Roman Reigns wanted him to bring up. First of all, the Bloodline (minus the Usos) has been drafted to Smackdown, meaning tonight we find out the fate of the Usos.

That would be the Usos who did NOT win back their Tag Team Titles from Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Heyman will address that with them in private, but on Saturday, there is a six man tag between the Bloodline and Zayn/Owens/Matt Riddle. Either way, Reigns will be at Smackdown next week to take care of a lot of things…..including the World Heavyweight Title. Or not, as Reigns can’t compete on Raw.

The worst thing about that is how many people think they can be the man but just can’t beat Reigns. Heyman says FREAKIN a few times so here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. After the conducting of the fans, Rollins says he thinks Reigns is gone so he can finally stop running from Rollins. Heyman doesn’t like Rollins suggesting he’ll win the title and gets on the phone to Reigns. The fans start singing and Heyman says he can’t hear his Tribal Chief. Rollins threatens Heyman with a Stomp but here is Solo Sikoa to interrupt. Heyman says Reigns has pulled the strings to make the match for tonight. Rollins is in, Reigns or not.

Earlier today, Cody Rhodes arrived and Adam Pearce asked him to not let it get out of hand with Brock Lesnar.

Damage Ctrl vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan

Non-title with Iyo Sky the odd Ctrl member out. Morgan takes over on Bayley to start before Rodriguez drives her into the corner with straight power. A distraction results in Morgan being low bridged to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Morgan getting over to Rodriguez for the tag as everything breaks down. Morgan gets dropped onto Rodriguez’s knees but she’s able to hit Oblivion on Kai anyway. Bayley is right back in with a sunset flip into a rollup to pin Morgan at 8:01.

Rating: C. This feels like a way to set up a title match at Backlash with the drama of where the titles are going to go after next week. It isn’t like there are a ton of options to come after the titles in the first place so this worked as well as anything else. I don’t think the titles will change hands, but at least they have a little something going on, assuming that is where they go.

Brock Lesnar arrived earlier today and Adam Pearce said he wanted to keep the peace. Lesnar: “Good luck with that.”

Here are Booker T. and Sharmell to announce the next picks.

Monday Night Raw
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens
Judgment Day

Smackdown
Usos
LWO (Joaquin Wilde/Cruz del Toro/Zelina Vega/Santos Escobar/Rey Mysterio)

Well there goes the drama over the Usos and the Bloodline being on different shows. And why was Ripley a different pick from the rest of Judgment Day if they’re going to be on the same show?

Ricochet/Braun Strowman vs. Alpha Academy

Ricochet flips away from Gable to start but the fans would rather see Otis. Rolling Chaos Theory out of the corner plants Ricochet though, meaning it’s a double tag to bring in Otis and Strowman. They trade running shots in the corner until Strowman runs him over with a big crash. The Swanton off of Strowman’s shoulders gives Ricochet the pin on Otis at 2:26. I’m surprised it went that short.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Bad Bunny.

Here are Shawn Michaels and Adam Pearce to announce the next picks but Brock Lesnar interrupts. Pearce tries to calm him down but Lesnar gets in the ring and asks how it feels to look at the only real cowboy in Texas. Pearce sends security out but Lesnar says that’s not enough. More security comes out for the staredown until it’s Cody Rhodes to drop Lesnar from behind with a single right hand (that was weird). Security separates them, with Lesnar not exactly trying to get to Rhodes.

Post break, here are those picks:

Monday Night Raw
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez (Women’s Tag Team Champions)
New Day (Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods)

Smackdown
Asuka
Brawling Brutes

Matt Riddle is really excited to be on the same show as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Riddle goes off for his match as Owens wonders if they can go to Smackdown instead of being around him.

Matt Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens and Jey Uso are here too. An early Jey distraction lets Jimmy take over but Owens and Zayn fake a chair shot, earning Jey an ejection. We take an early break and come back with Jey hitting a pop up Samoan drop for two. They head outside with Riddle being sent into the barricade before Jey kicks him in the face for two back inside. Jimmy takes the turnbuckle pad off but a Sami distraction lets Owens send him into it instead. That’s enough for the Floating Bro to finish Jimmy at 7:31.

Rating: C. This was another storyline match rather than anything else and it worked well enough. The idea over the last few weeks is that the Bloodline is a lot weaker on their own without the numbers advantage and that was on display here. Riddle needed the win too, as he hasn’t been doing much since his return.

Video on Iyo Sky.

Rob Van Dam is here to present the picks but runs into Elias and Rick Boogs, who get along with him.

Paul Heyman gives Solo Sikoa a pep talk when Jimmy Uso comes in. Jimmy wants to know where Sikoa was but Heyman says Sikoa had an assignment from Roman Reigns. Heyman and Sikoa leave, with the former still buttering up Jimmy as he walks out.

Here are Rob Van Dam and Eric Bischoff for the next picks:

Monday Night Raw
Trish Stratus
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler

Smackdown
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett)
LA Knight

It’s time for MizTV to recap the Draft so far before bringing out Shinsuke Nakamura. Miz thinks Nakamura could be a great World Heavyweight Champion but Nakamura brings up Miz’s testicle. Kinshasa drops Miz rather quickly and Nakamura gets to take a bow.

Omos vs. Anthony Alanis

Chokebomb finishes Alanis at 48 seconds.

We look back at the debut of the World Heavyweight Title.

Road Dogg (actually named Jesse James for what feels like the first time in forever) and Molly Holly handle the next picks.

Monday Night Raw
Braun Strowman/Ricochet
Bronson Reed

Smackdown
Shotzi
Pretty Deadly (NXT)

Pretty Deadly handled what seemed to be dying pretty well.

Here is Judgment Day to brag about sticking together and promising to win at Backlash. Rhea Ripley isn’t overly nervous about facing Zelina Vega because she always comes out on top. Finn Balor promises that Bad Bunny will be turned into little pieces of fluff and Damien Priest threatens Bunny in Spanish. Dominik Mysterio can barely get a word in over the booing, eventually saying he can’t wait to see what happens on Saturday.

He’s ready for a six person tag tonight but here is the LWO to interrupt. Rey Mysterio promises to win tonight and for Vega to win at Backlash. He can’t wait to see what Bad Bunny does either, but tonight it’s time to beat up the whole team. Dominik’s heat was off the charts here and it took him a long time to not say much.

Video on Gunther.

LWO vs. Judgment Day

Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar/Zelina Vega vs. Dominik Mysterio/Damien Priest/Rhea Ripley. Rey starts with Dominik but Ripley tags herself in to try Riptide on Vega. That’s broken up so Priest comes in to forearm the heck out of Escobar. Dominik comes in but gets dropped with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. It’s quickly back to Rey, who knocks Priest outside for a dive as we take a break.

Back with Rey getting to beat up Dominik but Zelina has to save Rey from Ripley. Vega knocks Ripley outside and Rey loads up the 619. Finn Balor offers a distraction though and Dominik cuts Rey off. Vega and Ripley get knocked down on the floor, leaving Balor to take the 619 for Priest. South of Heaven finishes Rey at 8:48.

Rating: B-. The end result is the right way to go, as it makes Priest feel that much bigger. It is going to feel like something that matters if Bad Bunny beats him at Backlash. Priest needed a bit of a build like this and it helps things out a lot. The other four were doing their thing as well, with Vega especially doing a nice job of making herself feel like a bit more than a foregone conclusion to Ripley.

Bianca Belair is ready to beat Iyo Sky next week but here is Damage Ctrl to mock her. Belair doesn’t think much of them but does think Sky can become a huge star. After she loses at Backlash of course. Sky yells at her in Japanese, with Belair not wanting the translation.

JBL and Teddy Long handle the next picks:

Monday Night Raw
Alpha Academy
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter (NXT)

Smackdown
Rick Boogs
Cameron Grimes (NXT)

It’s about time for Grimes.

Backlash rundown.

Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa

Paul Heyman is here with Sikoa. Rollins has to duck a right hand in the corner to start and let’s conduct the fans a bit. Sikoa gets frustrated as Rollins picking up the pace and headbutts him down in a simple comeback. A low bridge puts Sikoa on the floor but he cuts off the dive as we take a break.

Back with Rolling knocking him to the floor for a series of suicide dives. They get back inside where Sikoa hits a Samoan drop into Spinning Solo for two. Sikoa rains down right hands before they head outside, where Sikoa posts himself by mistake. Back in and Rollins hammers away but the Usos run in for the DQ at 10:39.

Rating: B-. They might as well have held that ending up on a big sign during the match as WWE isn’t going to want either of these two to take a fall here. Rollins continues to be presented as someone who could be a special kind of threat to Reigns and that could be interesting long term. It was a hard hitting back and forth match, but neither was getting pinned here and neither should have been.

Post match Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn join the fight to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a lot going on with this show and it only kind of worked. The matches were mostly good but this was almost all about the Draft. That makes things more complicated as the show becomes more of a preview than anything else. For now though, things are looking good on paper, but there is a lot left to find out in the coming weeks. This show was a big special feature, which didn’t lend itself as well to a three hour format. Good enough show for a one off, but the important stuff starts next week.

Results
Damage Ctrl b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup to Morgan
Braun Strowman/Ricochet b. Alpha Academy – Swanton to Otis
Matt Riddle b. Jimmy Uso – Floating Bro
Omos b. Anthony Alanis – Chokebomb
Judgment Day b. LWO – South of Heaven to Rey Mysterio
Seth Rollins b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when the Usos interfered

Final Draft Picks

Monday Night Raw
Rhea Ripley
Seth Rollins
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens
Judgment Day
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez (Women’s Tag Team Champions)
New Day (Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods)
Trish Stratus
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler
Braun Strowman/Ricochet
Bronson Reed
Alpha Academy
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter (NXT)

Smackdown
Austin Theory
Charlotte
Usos
Asuka
Brawling Brutes
LWO (Joaquin Wilde/Cruz del Toro/Zelina Vega/Santos Escobar/Rey Mysterio)
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett)
LA Knight
Shotzi
Pretty Deadly (NXT)
Rick Boogs
Cameron Grimes (NXT)

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: April 17, 2023
Location: Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are just a few weeks away from Backlash and you can probably guess the show’s big matches from here. There is a good chance that at least one of them will be announced this week, as Brock Lesnar is scheduled to be here to address what he did to Cody Rhodes two weeks ago. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Bloodline for a chat. Jey Uso says the Bloodline is here and Paul Heyman explains his role as advisor to Roman Reigns (not here). Cue Judgment Day of all people to interrupt and we get a big staredown between the two sides. Apparently Reigns has put together a short term deal with the teams, which has the non Heyman Bloodline surprised.

Reigns didn’t want anyone but Heyman and Solo (Heyman: “Because there are no sudden movements.”) knowing and apparently Finn Balor isn’t happy with the whole thing. Sikoa is going to help deal with the Bad Bunny situation…but Rhea Ripley switches places to stare at him. Heyman asks if everything is ok and Ripley says “for now”. While Solo deals with the Bad Bunny problem, the Bloodline needs to deal with their Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle problems.

Since the Bloodline is facing those three at Backlash, the Judgment Day will take care of them tonight. As for right now, we have a Sikoa showdown. This was a nice creative way to go and it very well could be a one night change of pace, which is cool to see for a change. Solo having Reigns’ trust but not so much with the Usos makes it all the more interesting.

Rey Mysterio vs. Solo Sikoa

Everyone else has left ringside. Mysterio jumps over Sikoa to start but gets taken down by straight power. Sikoa starts hammering away at his usual slow pace and Rey is in early trouble. We hit the nerve hold to keep Rey down, which only works so well as a headscissors sends both of them crashing down to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Rey caught in a neck crank before being sent into the corner. The running Umaga Attack misses and Rey scores with a basement dropkick. A springboard moonsault is countered into the Samoan drop for two though and Rey is right back with a frog splash for the same. Cue the Usos to break up the 619 though but here is the LWO to cut them off. After Sikoa breaks up a 619 attempt, a second version connects, only for Rey to miss a top rope splash. The Samoan Spike finishes Rey at 12:41.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the most interesting match, as it was more about the Usos coming out for a distraction so Solo could hang in there. Sikoa continues to feel like a monster and that Spike is getting over as a big time move. Piling up one win after another is the best way to get Sikoa over and they did it again here. Rey is firmly at this point where he doesn’t need to win very often to stay a star and the Wrestlemania win will carry him for a long time. Sikoa got something out of this, even if it was just an ok match.

Post match Solo and the Usos take out Mysterio and the LWO.

Earlier today, Chad Gable and Maxxine Durpi argue over Otis’ future. A SHUSH off ensues so Adam Pearce throws them out.

We recap Iyo Sky earning a Women’s Title match last week.

Bianca Belair vs. Dakota Kai

Non-title and the rest of Damage Ctrl is here too. Belair can’t quite get a slam to start but she manages to block a rollup out of the corner. A dropkick into a nipup sets up the standing moonsault for two on Kai. Belair is sent outside though and we take a break. Back with Belair hitting a running Blockbuster and some rolling suplexes.

The handspring moonsault gets two but a victory roll faceplant drops Belair for a change. Belair is back up and tries for the KOD but Kai grabs the hair. Another victory roll sends Belair into the corner but the running knee in the corner misses. Now the KOD can finish Kai at 9:10.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here and Kai got to show off what she is capable of doing. It also felt like a fresh match and that is a good thing in a division that Belair has dominated for over a year now. Belair beating the rest of Damage Ctrl before she faces Iyo Sky should work well enough and at least it is off to a good start.

We look back at Brock Lesnar taking out Cody Rhodes two weeks ago.

Video on Bronson Reed.

The Judgment Day is happy with what Solo Sikoa did, with Paul Heyman coming in to make sure they are satisfied. Now it is time for Judgment Day to get rid of the Bloodlines’ problems. Rhea Ripley scares Heyman off, leaving him to call Roman Reigns.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He wants to talk about Brock Lesnar but Adam Pearce comes out and asks him not to do this. Rhodes teases leaving but grabs a chair and gets back in the ring. Security comes out to break it up but here is Brock Lesnar (in a cowboy hat and a trench coat) to interrupt.

Pearce begs Rhodes not to do it and makes Lesnar vs. Rhodes for Backlash to calm Rhodes down. Rhodes goes after security, who manages to get the chair away but they hold him back from a laughing Lesnar. That’s enough for Lesnar, who walks away as Rhodes beats up the rest of security. Rhodes grabs the mic and calls Lesnar a coward.

Seth Rollins vs. The Miz

Miz jumps Rollins during his entrance but Rollins says he can go. A clothesline takes Rollins down again but he’s right back up with a clothesline. There’s the suicide dive to Miz, followed by the suicide dive and then the suicide dive, setting up a yell at the camera. Miz manages to shove him into the barricade though and we take a break.

Back with the fans singing for Rollins, who scores with a Sling Blade for two. There’s a buckle bomb to rock Miz again but he gets the knees up to block a frog splash. The Figure Four goes on but Rollins slips out, setting up the hard forearm to the back of the head. Miz goes to the knee and hits a pair of DDTs for two. A super Skull Crushing Finale is blocked and Rollins hits a superplex into the Falcon Arrow, setting up the Stomp to finish Miz at 12:03.

Rating: B-. This wound up being a stronger than expected match with Miz getting in a lot of offense. Rollins was able to get the fans into things and it was a heck of a showdown, even if there was no major reason for them to be fighting. If nothing else, it was nice to see Rollins doing something other than conducting the fans without saying a word.

Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Matt Riddle strategize for backlash, with Owens not liking the concept of listening to Riddle’s eyes. Sami says hear him out, with Riddle suggesting that he wrap up his toe and call it the Toe Bro. Owens: “WHAT?’ Sami: “The toe bro….” Owens: “WHAT?” Riddle says that he was kidding and wants to take out the Bloodline for everything they have done to him. Now Owens seems happier, but he walks away without saying anything.

We look back at Trish Stratus turning on Becky Lynch after losing the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

We look back at Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed going to a no countout last week.

Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

Non-title and Lashley powers him down into a gator roll to start. The delayed vertical suplex drops Theory and there’s a running clothesline to the floor. Some running corner clotheslines don’t do anything for Theory as Lashley knocks him to the floor. Lashley hits the big posting and we take a break.

Back with Theory biting Lashley’s hand to escape a Hurt Lock and sending him into the post twice in a row. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Lashley gets up and avoids a charge into the post. Lashley runs him over but misses the spear. A Town Down is broken up as well and the spinning Dominator gives Lashley two. The threat of a spear sends Theory rolling to the floor but he gets caught in the Hut Lock back inside. Cue Bronson Reed to jump Lashley for the DQ at 12:09.

Rating: C+. They kind of telegraphed the Reed interference, but I’ll absolutely take that over Theory losing a match clean. Reed vs. Lashley has the potential to be something good if they have a hard hitting brawl at Backlash, which very well may be in the cards. If nothing else, having Reed beat up Lashley a time or two could help him a lot.

Post match Reed beats Lashley up but Theory has to save Reed from the Hurt Lock. Reed doesn’t quite like that but hits Lashley with the Samoan drop into the Tsunami.

Here is Trish Stratus and she has a lot of splainin to do. Stratus talks about what a joke women’s wrestling used to be. People talk about how it was her and Lita but they’re only half right. Stratus brought it credibility and single handedly started the Women’s Revolution. People like Becky Lynch would have you believe that everything started with the Four Horsewomen.

Stratus couldn’t believe it and came here to see for herself, and not once did Lynch ever say thank you. She had Lita as her sidekick but Stratus is no one’s sidekick. It was so sad that Stratus had to take Lita out of the picture (Stratus: “Yeah I did that.”) so she could screw Lynch out of her Tag Team Titles. Then Lynch tried to give her the “we’ll get them next time”, so Stratus took her out. She is no nostalgia act and she is no one’s sidekick and she’ll make sure you forget it. This was a heck of a promo and it’s a story that makes perfect sense. Stick with this and they could stretch it out for a long time.

We recap the Cody Rhodes/Brock Lesnar situation from earlier in the night.

Rhodes isn’t really happy with what happened earlier and is ready to fight Lesnar at Backlash.

Candice LeRae/Michin vs. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are at ringside. Michin takes Green down into the corner to start and hands it off to Candice in a hurry. Candice slips out of a double suplex and backsplashes Deville for a breather. Cue Nikki Cross in the aisle though and the distraction lets Deville pull Candice off the top. Green misses an elbow though and it’s Michin coming in to clean house. Michin’s kicks set up a Code Blue for two but Deville’s rollup with feet on the ropes is caught by the referee. That’s fine with Green, who hits the Unprettier for the pin on Michin at 2:59.

The Street Profits, Elias, Rick Boogs, Baron Corbin and Akira Tozawa are worried/excited about the Draft.

The Usos are VERY ready about their six man tag at Backlash.

Judgment Day vs. Sami Zayn/Matt Riddle/Kevin Owens

Balor headlocks Zayn to start but Zayn snaps off the armdrags to flabbergast him a bit. Priest and Owens come in with Owens taking him down and hitting a quick backsplash. A right hand drops Owens though and it’s back to Balor to go after Owens’ knee. Ripley turns Owens inside out with a clothesline and the front facelock goes on back inside.

Owens fights up and hits a superkick, allowing the hot tag to Riddle to clean house. A fisherman’s buster drops Balor but the Floating Bro is countered into a chokeslam onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Riddle getting kicked in the head and a backbreaker getting two. Dominik comes in and gets German suplexed, allowing the tag back to Zayn.

A sunset bomb gets two on Dominik but Ripley crotches Zayn on top. Dominik hits the frog splash with Owens having to make the save. Everything breaks down but Ripley breaks up Zayn’s bit flip dive. That’s enough for an ejection and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Dominik as the fans are actually standing. Owens’ Swanton hits raised knees but it’s a Stunner into a Helluva Kick into the Floating Bro for the pin at 12:54.

Rating: B. The fans were into this one and it made the match that much better. They went with the fast paced ending and it turned into a heck of a match by the end. When you actually have the fans on their feet for a six man tag to end Raw, something is going rather right and that’s hard to do after a three hour show. Well done.

Post match the Bloodline runs in but the LWO and Rey Mysterio are here too for a huge brawl. A 619 hits Priest and the good guys stand tall to end the show. That was a hot ending and the fans were WAY into it so nice job.

Overall Rating: B. This was a different kind of show and I liked it more as a result. They didn’t go in the same direction here and it made for a more interesting night. You can only do the same kind of show so often before you really need a break and having Judgment Day and the Bloodline swap feuds for a night was an intriguing concept. WWE shaking up the norm every so often is a very good thing and it worked well here, especially with that main event.

Results
Solo Sikoa b. Rey Mysterio – Samoan Spike
Bianca Belair b. Dakota Kai – KOD
Seth Rollins b. The Miz – Stomp
Bobby Lashley b. Austin Theory via DQ when Bronson Reed interfered
Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville b. Candice LeRae/Michin – Unprettier to Michin
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens/Matt Riddle b. Judgment Day – Floating Bro to Balor

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.