Monday Night Raw
Date: May 15, 2023
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than two weeks away from Night Of Champions and the main event (in theory) is set with Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles for the inaugural World Heavyweight Championship. Other than that, we have a different form of the Bloodline coming after Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who might have something to say about it this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the opening chat (after a clip of the announcement that they will defend against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa). Zayn is fired up about the match because it is their chance to check Reigns for good. Reigns is pushing the Bloodline way too hard and everything is falling apart. Now Reigns being champion for 1,000 days isn’t enough because he wants the Tag Team Titles too. Well HE CAN’T HAVE THEM, but Zayn and Owens can have an interruption at the hands of the Judgment Day.

Owens doesn’t care what they have to say because he wants to fight, but Zayn says we should hear them out. Zayn: “Gentlemen and Dom.” The team gets in the ring to talk and Finn Balor says they’ll be waiting on the titles after Night Of Champions. Rhea Ripley laughs at the idea but Dominik Mysterio is booed out of the building. The fight starts fast with Zayn clearing the ring with the save. Dominik’s heat continues to be amazing and it is just awesome to see the fans loathe him like this.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz

Nakamura sends him into the corner to start but runs into the general vicinity of Miz’s boot. Another boot doesn’t connect either (though Nakamura goes down anyway), only to have Nakamura kick him down for the apron knee. Miz neckbreakers him across the rope though and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura’s kicks being blocked so he kicks Miz in the head instead. The running knee in the corner sets up a cross armbreaker but Miz stacks him up for two. Miz’s short DDT gets two so Nakamura kicks him in the head again for the same. The sliding German suplex looks to set up Kinshasa but Miz bails to the apron. The distraction lets Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale for two, only to walk into Kinshasa for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better Miz matches in a bit as he was hanging in there with Nakamura, and mostly clean at that. Nakamura needed the win after coming up short last week, so at least he is getting somewhere. WWE needs to reestablish things a bit with the new roster and this should be held set the lineup a bit.

Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville aren’t happy that Liv Morgan is hurt, meaning their Women’s Tag Team Title match is off for tonight. Raquel Rodriguez is willing to beat up Green tonight, with Green sounding a bit nervous, even as she yells.

We get a video on Seth Rollins, going all the way back to his NXT days.

Corey Graves sits down with Rollins, who talks about winning the first NXT Title in a tournament. He became a force for change, which included turning on Roman Reigns to break up the Shield. More on this later.

Here is Imperium, with Gunther standing on the announcers’ table. Gunther has been the most dominant Intercontinental Champion of the modern era and now he will continue his reign on Raw. For now though, no one has been named as his next challenger for this prestigious championship (WHY DOES NO ONE ELSE PRAISE THEIR TITLES LIKE HIM???). That will be solved soon, and he will defeat them at Night Of Champions.

Battle Royal

Ricochet, Bronson Reed, Erik, Ivar, Johnny Gargano, Akira Tozawa, Elias, Humberto, Angel, Apollo Crews, Von Wagner, Dolph Ziggler, Xyon Quinn, Cedric Alexander, JD Drake, Dexter Lumis, Mansoor, Mace, Riddick Moss, Baron Corbin, Otis, Riddle, Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin, Mustafa Ali

For the Intercontinental Title shot at Night Of Champions and I believe that’s everyone. Corbin, in shorts, dumps Tozawa to start and is immediately clotheslined out by Lumis. The Models get rid of Lumis and are tossed out by the Alpha Academy, followed by McDonagh headbutting Humberto out. Ziggler kicks McDonagh out but gets eliminated by Wagner (that an upset). McDonagh goes after Ziggler on the floor and we take a break.

Back with the Vikings tossing out Benjamin and Quinn, plus Benjamin. The Academy and the Vikings have a standoff with Erik being sent to the apron. Gable is suplexed to the apron with him but hangs on and can’t quite German suplex Erik out. The knee knocks Gable silly (but not out), allowing Otis to dump Erik. Ivar knocks Gable out but Reed tosses Ivar and Otis at the same time.

We’re down to eight (Reed, Riddle, Ricochet, Moss, Gargano, Elias, Crews and Ali) with everyone else going after Reed. With that not working, Gargano snaps off a hurricanrana to Ali, who is right back with the rolling neckbreaker. The slingshot spear hits Ali but Ricochet crushes Gargano with a running shooting star press. Moss fall away slams Gargano but walks into Reed’s Samoan drop. Crews Blockbusters (or kind of flip dives into) Reed, only to get kneed in the face by Elias.

Crews gets rid of Elias but gets eliminated by Reed, leaving us with six. Reed Rock Bottoms Gargano onto Ricochet but Riddle is there with the strikes. The Floating Bro finally drops Reed but Moss hits a heck of a shoulders to knock Riddle down. Not that it matters as Riddle dumps Moss, followed by a hurricanrana to get rid of Gargano.

Gunther sends the rest of Imperium after Riddle and that’s enough for Reed to knock him out. Ricochet knees Reed in the face and dropkicks him….not quite out, as Ali has to help but they only get Reed to the apron. A triangle dropkick staggers Reed again but another one is countered into a fireman’s carry. That leaves Ali to dropkick both Reed and Ricochet out for the win at 12:28.

Rating: B-. This got WAY better after the break and Ali vs. Gunther could be quite the nice title match at Night Of Champions. Reed continued to look like a monster here and Riddle felt like one of the biggest stars around. Ali winning is a nice choice and he should be fine as a fresh challenger for Gunther. Good stuff here overall, and multiple people got a nice showcase.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Becky talks about how she has been going through a lot lately but in this business you put on your best face and keep going. She got some help from two legends in Trish Stratus and Lita, the latter of whom was great. Becky and Lita won the Women’s Tag Team Titles and she even let Trish get close to them. She didn’t see what was really going on, because Trish was just here to help herself like the backstabbing egomaniac that she really is.

Becky is out there to say Thank You Trish…..for turning on a light that had been off for many, many months. Trish called Becky’s daughter stupid and that gave all of the badness in her head a face and a name and a target. Trish wants to be #1 again but Becky has had it, been it, done it and has it. She’s going to kick Trish’s head in at Night Of Champions. That’s sooner than I was expecting the match but this felt more like old school Becky, which is always a good thing.

Rhea Ripley is seen watching in the back and doesn’t seem impressed with Becky. When asked about Natalya, Ripley says Natalya needs to stay out of her way. Natalya comes in to say this is about Ripley attacking an already beaten Dana Brooke. Ripley deserves respect but she isn’t allowing it for anyone else. That doesn’t work for Ripley, who knows Natalya wasn’t there for Brooke last week. If Natalya ever interrupts her again, it will be the end of her legendary career.

Mustafa Ali is very proud of his win when he runs into the Alpha Academy. They should try being more positive, but Ali keeps going and runs into Imperium. Gunther says Ali is the rightful challenger to what is rightfully Gunther’s, but we get a good luck handshake anyway. Ali feels sorry for Gunther having to go halfway around the world, just to lose his title. Gunther smiles at him and seems to like Ali’s moxie.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Xavier Woods

Rhea Ripley is here with Mysterio, who is again booed out of the building for trying to talk about Woods being all alone. Woods says he’s alone right now, but unlike Mysterio, he’s a grown man who can fight on his own without needing permission to speak from Mami. Woods hammers away to start and hits the running dropkick to the back for two. Back up and Dominik actually wins a test of strength, at least until Woods sweeps the leg to escape. They head outside, with Rhea getting between the two of them to quite the reaction.

We take a break and come back with Woods hammering away but getting knocked down for a fast two. Woods fights back up with the Honor Roll for two but Dominik grabs some Amigos. The frog splash only hits raised knees though and Woods hits a gorilla press gutbuster for two more (as Ripley is looking nervous). Ripley breaks up the Limit Breaker so Woods dives onto Dominik on the floor instead. A Ripley cheap shot takes Woods down though and Dominik rolls him up for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: C+. The Dominik push continues to work well, as he is just good enough in the ring to get by but Ripley is perfect as his heater. There are a few places Dominik could go and that should make things interesting for him in the future. Woods isn’t likely to win anything important on his own but he’ll be fine when Kofi Kingston gets back.

Video on JD McDonagh.

McDonagh is leaving and says he attacked Dolph Ziggler to teach him a lesson: never bet against an ace.

Indus Sher vs. ???/Trey Thompson

Jinder Mahal is here with Sher. The non-Thompson is knocked silly with a shot to the face to start and it’s quickly off to Thompson. A big jumping elbow and a hard whip into the corner sets up the old Smoking Gunns’ Sidewinder of all things for the pin on Thompson at 1:51. Impressive squash, though “we’re big foreign heels” doesn’t have the longest shelf life.

Post match Mahal seems to promise more violence. After a replay, Mahal grabs a headset to say Sher runs this show. Then he grabs the mic to say the same thing in another language.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are in the back when Imperium comes in. Gunther isn’t happy with their disrespect and a six man is set for next week.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Cody gets right to the point and tells the story of the scorpion and the frog (scorpion doesn’t trust the frog, the frog eventually agrees to take him across the river, scorpion stings him in the middle, ensuring they’re both going to do, just because stinging is his nature). It is Brock Lesnar’s nature to hunt, but how is Lesnar’s face feeling?

Cody is ready to face him at Night of Champions, even though the reality is Lesnar is better than 99.9% of the Superstars he faces. What seems to have Lesnar upset is that he was defeated, meaning he might not be the biggest game on Raw anymore. Maybe Lesnar isn’t the big thing around here these days and it’s time to say next. He’s ready for Night Of Champions. Cody leaves, and signs some autographs on the way out in a great touch that isn’t used often enough.

Zoey Stark is kind of mean to Nikki Cross and gets a match with Candice LeRae as a result. Cross looks….annoyed?

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Chelsea Green

Sonya Deville is here with Green. Rodriguez hits a big boot at the bell but a Deville distraction lets Green send her face first into the buckle. A basement dropkick cuts Rodriguez off again but she powers Green up into a reverse Alabama Slam onto the top rope. The clothesline comeback is on and the Texana Bomb finishes Green at 3:43.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a weird way to go for Green, who has been angling for a Tag Team Title shot. I’m fine with not having Rodriguez lose, but there was an easy way to have her get pinned due to the numbers game, which can be evened out when Liv Morgan is back. For now though, it could have been worse and they got out rather quickly so it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler appear and jump Rodriguez, promising to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Imperium shakes hands with Paul Heyman, who calls Roman Reigns.

We get the second half of the Seth Rollins interview, with Rollins talking about being a visionary and reinventing himself. This is the best part of his career and he’s not sure why. Maybe it is the hard work, but for the first time, the fans got behind him and connected with him. That changed him and now it is time to give us a World Champion who is here for everyone. As for Roman Reigns….more next week.

Video on Apollo Crews. He runs a lot.

Judgment Day vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Non-title. Balor and Zayn start things off rather slowly until Zayn snaps off some armdrags. Priest comes in to slug away but Owens comes in to punch him in the face. An enziguri staggers Priest, who misses a charge to the floor. Balor is sent outside as well, so here are Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio to uneven things up as we take a break.

Back with Zayn in trouble but managing to send Balor into the corner. That’s enough for the hot tag to Owens, who gets to clean house on everyone but Ripley. The cannonball hits Priest for two so Ripley and Dominik interfere. They’re a bit slow though and get ejected, allowing Owens to superkick Priest down. Cue Xavier Woods to go after Dominik and they fight to the back, leaving Priest to roll Owens up….as Paul Heyman comes out.

We take another break and come back with Owens in trouble, including a middle rope legdrop/backbreaker combination. Owens knocks Priest off the ropes though and nails a Swanton for a double knockdown. The hot tag brings in Zayn and takes Balor down to hammer away. The Michinoku Driver gives Zayn two and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same.

Cue Imperium for a distraction, allowing Balor to hit 1916 for two. Owens comes back in (without a tag) to Stun Priest, leaving Zayn to suplex Balor into the corner. The Helluva Kick connects but Imperium offers a distraction. Owens takes them out so Priest chokeslams Owens onto the apron. Zayn hits the big flip dive onto Priest but Gunther breaks up another Helluva Kick. Balor’s shotgun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace for the pin at 20:58.

Rating: B. This one had some vibes of a Paul Heyman produced match and it worked out well, with so many moving parts and pieces that all seemed to fit together. Heyman working with Imperium makes for some interesting future returns, but for now it was a good enough way to keep Owens and Zayn looking strong on the way to Night Of Champions. Solid main event here, and a good enough way to protect the champs, as Heyman is trying to get inside their heads again (shouldn’t be hard with Zayn) before the title match.

Heyman is rather pleased and appears to call Roman Reigns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was quite a bit going on with this show and it’s kind of hard to keep track of everything. I liked having wrestlers appearing throughout the show, as having them disappear once their main match/segment of the night never made a ton of sense. Other than that, we had the Rousey/Baszler return and some stuff set up for Night Of Champions. What matters here is that the show still felt like it was structured despite coming off as a bit chaotic, which is more of a sign of the new WWE regime than the “classic” McMahon stuff.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. The Miz – Kinshasa
Mustafa Ali won a battle royal last eliminating Bronson Reed and Ricochet
Dominik Mysterio b. Xavier Woods – Rollup
Indus Sher b. ???/Trey Thompson – Side slam/middle rope legdrop combination to Thompson
Raquel Rodriguez b. Chelsea Green – Texana Bomb
Judgment Day b. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn – Coup de Grace to Zayn

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

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Smackdown
Date: April 28, 2023
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s a huge week as we have the first night of the 2023 Draft. Half of the roster will be picked tonight with the other half going on Raw, which should make for quite the double shot. In addition, the Usos are getting their rematch against Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens for the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is HHH to welcome us to the show. Anyone on Raw or Smackdown is eligible to be drafted, with half of the roster being picked tonight and half on Raw. There will also be some select NXT names eligible. The new rosters will officially begin on Monday May 8, after Backlash. We’ll start with the first four picks in Round One:

Smackdown
Bloodline (Paul Heyman/Solo Sikoa/Roman Reigns)
Bianca Belair (Raw Women’s Champion)

Monday Night Raw
Cody Rhodes
Becky Lynch

With that out of the way, HHH brings out the Usos, who promise to get their titles back. They dedicate the win to Roman Reigns, who hasn’t gotten back to them since Wrestlemania (even after sending him a message in a bottle). Cue Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, with the latter thinking it is interesting that Reigns hasn’t gotten back to them yet. If that is the case, why are they out here dedicating a match to him? And they weren’t even drafted with him! Zayn is about to say they are leaving with the titles but Jey cuts him off to say that isn’t happening. Jimmy says Kevin is going to turn on Zayn, which doesn’t sit well with Owens.

Bianca Belair, in Northern Ireland, is happy to be Smackdown Women’s Champion. I’ll take that over another awkward swapping ceremony.

Butch vs. LA Knight

This is fallout from Knight running his mouth last week after Smackdown. Butch knocks him down to start and scores with the stomp to the arm. Knight gets caught in the ropes for some Sheamus style forearms to the chest before an armbar sends Knight right back to the ropes. A drop onto the apron puts Butch in trouble though and we take a break. Back with Butch kicking him in the head and going up top, only to have Knight run the ropes to superplex him back down. Butch sends him to the floor but gets sent to the post for his efforts. Blunt Force Trauma gives Knight the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C. Maybe we’re FINALLY getting somewhere with Knight, who actually managed to get a win. It’s not the biggest and he had to cheat a bit, but it’s better than looking up at the lights again. Knight is someone who seems like he could be a mega star around here and he was perfectly fine in the ring here, so hopefully things are changing around a bit.

Paul Heyman gives the Usos a pep talk about winning the titles back tonight. As he talks, he hands Solo Sikoa the tape to get his thumb ready.

It’s time for the second round, with Rob Van Dam (very nice reception) and Michael Hayes of all people presenting.

Smackdown
Street Profits
Edge

Monday Night Raw
Imperium
Matt Riddle

Street Profits vs. Ricochet/Braun Strowman vs. LWO

Strowman throws out Wilde and Ford to start before tossing Ricochet (who crosses himself for protection) on top of everyone else as we take a break. Back with Del Toro kicking Ricochet on top, with Wilde following with a big lip dive onto the Profits. Strowman starts wrecking people but the Train gets cut off with a big running flip dive from Dawkins. Ricochet dives on him as well but misses a 450. That means it’s the Anointment into the Cash Out to give Ford the pin on Ricochet at 7:37.

Rating: B-. This was exactly what it should have been (minus the break in a match that didn’t need one) as you had people running around and doing whatever they could think of for a bit. Strowman continues to be great as a monster who can run people over, even if Dawkins has been a bit of kryptonite for him in recent weeks. Throw in the LWO not taking the pin for once and it’s even better.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Bad Bunny at Backlash.

Here are JBL and Teddy Long to announce the third round picks:

Smackdown
Bobby Lashley
OC (Michin, Good Brothers, AJ Styles)

Monday Night Raw
Drew McIntyre (nice to see him mentioned)
Miz

Zelina Vega vs. Sonya Deville

Chelsea Green is here with Deville. Vega gets taken down to start and hammered in the corner, only to get sent outside. Green offers a distraction though and Deville takes over again, setting up the chinlock. Deville misses a running shot though and gets rolled up to give Vega the pin at 3:06.

Rating: C-. Nothing much on the action but this was all about getting Vega a pin to boost her up before the beating at Backlash. It’s hard to fathom Vega as a serious contender and thankfully commentary was making it clear that she has a prayer’s chance at best. The hometown pop should be great, but a win like this is only going to take her so far.

Post match Green tries to come in but cue Rhea Ripley (BIG positive reaction there) to scare her off. Riptide to Vega is countered into a DDT though and Ripley bails.

Post break Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar give Vega some praise and a pep talk.

Here is the OC for a chat but cue Valhalla and the Viking Raiders to cut them off. Styles even steps back so the numbers are even, with the OC quickly cleaning house. We even get a Phenomenal Forearm to Erik as AJ’s ankle must be feeling better.

Shawn Michaels and Road Dogg (who towers over Shawn) are here for the final round picks:

Smackdown
Damage Ctrl
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn (NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions)

Monday Night Raw
Shinsuke Nakamura
Indi Hartwell (NXT Women’s Champion)

Shawn is devastated by the news (Dogg: “I don’t know if you can lose your smile twice.”).

At the Performance Center, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance want a Women’s Tag Team Title shot next week on NXT.

Karrion Kross jumps Shinsuke Nakamura.

Paul Heyman gives the Usos one more pep talk.

We look at the unveiling of the World Heavyweight Championship.

Draft recap.

Tag Team Titles: Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Usos

The Usos (alone) are challenging and jump the champs to start fast, with Zayn being posted. Owens and the Usos get back inside with Owens getting superkicked a few times as we take a break. Back with Owens favoring his knee but managing to get over to Zayn to pick up the pace. The big running flip dive takes out the Usos on the floor, followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Jey.

We take another break and come back with Owens getting the hot tag, setting up the swinging superplex on Jimmy. The Swanton gives Owens two and we cut to the back where Paul Heyman gets a phone call from Roman Reigns. Heyman tells Solo Sikoa that tonight is his night, which sends Sikoa to the ring.

Sami dives into Jey’s superkick but Owens Stunners Jey for two. Cue Sikoa but Matt Riddle jumps him before anything can happen. More superkicks get two on Owens but he staggers up and slugs away anyway. Zayn breaks up the 1D though and it’s a Stunner into the Helluva Kick to retain the titles at 17:41.

Rating: B. It was a good match but it was also coming off a great match on the biggest stage of them all, so there was quite the shadow to get out of here. The Usos losing is by far the more interesting option, as them feeling Roman Reigns’ wrath should be great. I’m not sure what we are going to see next in the story, but it is going to be coming off of a good main event.

Sikoa looks on from the crowd as the Usos know they’re in trouble to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I think it’s pretty safe to say that this wasn’t a normal show and that makes it hard to grade. What matters here is that they moved some names around and you can see a main event scene coming together on Raw with Rhodes, Nakamura, Gunther and McIntyre. We still have another three hours of picks to go so there is a lot more building to get through, but I’m interested by what is being put together so far. On top of that, the main event was good and there was a fun triple threat, so this show went rather well.

Results
LA Knight b. Butch – Blunt Force Trauma
Street Profits b. Ricochet/Braun Strowman and LWO – Cash Out to Ricochet
Zelina Vega b. Sonya Deville – Rollup
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens b. Usos – Helluva Kick to Jimmy

Full Draft Picks

Smackdown
Bloodline (Paul Heyman/Solo Sikoa/Roman Reigns)
Bianca Belair (Raw Women’s Champion)
Street Profits
Edge
Bobby Lashley
OC (Michin, Good Brothers, AJ Styles)
Damage Ctrl
Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn (NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions)

Monday Night Raw
Cody Rhodes
Becky Lynch
Imperium
Matt Riddle
Drew McIntyre
Miz
Shinsuke Nakamura
Indi Hartwell (NXT Women’s Champion)

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

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Smackdown
Date: April 21, 2023
Location: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re getting closer to Backlash and now some more of the card needs to be set up. That can be easier said than done as WWE does like to take its time to set up some of its shows. The good thing is that a lot of the show is all but officially announced so we could see something added this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Judgment Day vs. Santos Escobar/Rey Mysterio

Finn Balor/Damien Priest for the team. Rey snaps off a hurricanrana to Balor to start but a Lionsault hits raised knees. Priest comes in to deck Rey before it’s back to Balor. The chinlock is countered into a sitout bulldog, allowing Rey to bring Escobar back in to clean house. Rey misses the sliding splash on the floor though and Balor decks Escobar as we take a break.

Back with Priest kicking Escobar in the face for two and grabbing the chinlock. With that broken up, Escobar fights out of the corner and it’s back to Rey to pick the pace way up. Rey hits the 619 to Balor to set up Escobar’s top rope splash but Priest is legal. That lets Priest come in with South of Heaven for the pin at 12:51.

Rating: C+. While this seems to be building towards the Bad Bunny/Mysterio vs. Judgment Day match at Backlash, it would be nice if Escobar didn’t have to be sacrificed so much on the way there. The Bunny match is what matters, but they couldn’t sacrifice the other two who aren’t doing anything else? On a more positive note, it was nice to keep Dominik out of this one for a change, as just mixing things up helps a bit.

Post match Priest says he’s looking forward to Bad Bunny returning on Raw.

We look back at Solo Sikoa taking out Matt Riddle last week. Tonight, they do it again, No DQ.

Zelina Vega comes in to see Adam Pearce and asks for the Smackdown Women’s Title match at Backlash. Vega says she’s the only Puerto Rican woman on the roster and needs the match. Pearce will talk to various people about it.

We look back at the return of Shinsuke Nakamura last week.

Karrion Kross talks about taking things away from people, saying Nakamura’s honor is next.

Ricochet/Braun Strowman vs. Viking Raiders

Valhalla is here with the Vikings. Ivar powers Strowman into the corner to start but Strowman does it right back to him. Erik comes in for the double teaming but Strowman clears them away and hands it off to Ricochet. Strowman launches Ricochet….a foot or short of where he was aiming, meaning it’s a bit of a nasty crash as we take a break.

Back with Ricochet fighting out of a chinlock and flipping out of a suplex. That’s enough for the diving tag off to Strowman, who busts out a dropkick of all things. The Strowman Express runs over the Vikings but doesn’t seem to scare Valhalla. The distraction lets Ivar run Strowman over and a top rope splash gives Ivar two. Ricochet comes back in and picks the pace way up as everything breaks down. Ricochet’s Swanton off of Strowman’s shoulders finishes Ivar at 10:18.

Rating: B-. Ricochet and Strowman are a good small/big man team and there will always be room for something like that, but I’m still not sure why the Vikings have been reduced to jobber status. They’re big, they are former champions and they never seem to win anything important. You need a team like that, but the Vikings are the best options for that role?

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez want to retain their Tag Team Titles and get some revenge.

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

Morgan and Rodriguez are defending and get threatened with a drink to Morgan’s face (as she got on Raw) before the bell. Morgan dropkicks Deville down at the bell and it’s off to Rodriguez. A waistlock throw drops Green, who manages to knock Rodriguez to the floor. The dive is pulled out of the air but Deville hits a running knee from the apron to cut Rodriguez down.

Back in and Green takes over on Morgan, including Deville getting in some nefarious cheating behind the referee’s back. That doesn’t work for Morgan, who gets over to Rodriguez for the tag and house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Morgan dropkicks Green down but Rodriguez is sent outside. That lets Morgan throw a drink in Green’s face, allowing Morgan to get an (assisted) rollup to retain at 6:09.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see something of a feud, or at least a story, for the titles but this is hardly anything groundbreaking. The problem with the division has always been a lack of depth and that is the case again, but at least they are having matches on the shows and trying to do something. It’s a long road though, and that is likely going to be the case for a good while to come.

Matt Riddle swears revenge on Solo Sikoa tonight.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Xavier Woods

Gunther, with Imperium, is defending but the other two are sent to the back. Woods tries to strike away to start but gets dropped by a chop as we take an early break. Back with Gunther striking him down for two and snapping off a suplex to cut off a comeback bid. A bit too much trash talking lets Woods slug away and actually knock Gunther down.

Woods tries to go up top but gets chopped hard, only to knock Gunther back down again. The top rope legdrop gives Woods two, followed by a wheelbarrow faceplant for the same. Woods gets two more off a crucifix bomb but Gunther sleepers him out of nowhere to retain at 10:35.

Rating: B-. This was another match where there wasn’t a ton of drama about the result, but at least Woods got in some nice offense and gave the fans something to cheer for here and there. Instead, the match was more about having Gunther out there to abuse someone with those chops and add another title defense to his already incredible list.

We look back at Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens defeating the Usos to win the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. The rematch is next week.

Backlash rundown, including Seth Rollins vs. Omos and Austin Theory defending the US Title against Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed. Those are a bit random but I’m at least somewhat intrigued by both.

Here are the Usos for a chat. They’re not sure how they’re feeling about their Wrestlemania loss but they’ll get the titles back next week. They talk about what a big match it is and dedicate the win to Roman Reigns and introduce Solo Sikoa for the main event.

Solo Sikoa vs. Matt Riddle

No DQ and Riddle jumps Sikoa from behind to start. A clothesline out of the corner cuts Riddle off though and an elbow to the jaw cuts him off again. Riddle’s triangle choke in the corner just earns Riddle a powerbomb and it’s time for some weapons. Riddle manages a kick to the head for a breather and the kendo sticks rock Sikoa for a change. A Broton on the floor hits Sikoa and we take a break.

Back with Sikoa hitting the Samoan drop for two and wrapping the chair around Riddle’s neck in the corner. The running Umaga Attack is cut off though and Riddle slugs away with a chair. A knee to the chair to Sikoa’s face gets two and a high collar suplex through some open chairs gives Riddle two more.

The Penalty Kick from the apron is broken up and Sikoa throws him over the announcers’ table. Riddle won’t let him turn the table over on him though and turns it on Sikoa instead. Cue the Usos to go after Riddle but he clears them out, only to get Rock Bottomed on the apron. Back in and the Samoan Spike finishes Riddle at 14:05.

Rating: C+. It was a hard hitting brawl but this is the kind of thing that felt like it would have fit in as a B level house show main event. Riddle hasn’t exactly looked great since his return, though that might be more Sikoa being treated as a bigger star. Sikoa isn’t going to be a top star, but he can be a heck of an enforcer/monster and that seems to be where he is heading.

The Usos 1D Riddle through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show had enough good action but it wasn’t the most interesting week. Other than some surprise matches being set up for Backlash, it felt like a show that didn’t change much of anything. I’m not sure how much of this really changed anything, and that’s not a good thing to see happen. That being said, the Draft starts next week and that’s a huge reset button, so this show wasn’t going to mean much of anything in the first place.

Results
Judgment Day b. Santos Escobar/Rey Mysterio – South of Heaven to Escobar
Ricochet/Braun Strowman b. Viking Raiders – Swanton to Ivar
Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan b. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville – Rollup to Green
Gunther b. Xavier Woods – Sleeper
Solo Sikoa b. Matt Riddle – Samoan Spike

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

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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.

Smackdown
Date: April 14, 2023
Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

The Draft is coming up and that is going to change quite a few things around…well everywhere really. The good thing is we still have enough time before it gets into the lame duck period. Backlash is coming up in less than a month and it is time to start getting things ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to get things going. Sami talks about how they closed out Wrestlemania by winning the Tag Team Titles but they haven’t had the chance to process it all. There is the Bloodline and the Draft, which makes things uncertain. Owens doesn’t care where they wind up, because they are the undisputed Tag Team Champions and they will defend them with everything they have.

One day the Usos are coming for a rematch….and here they are (with Solo Sikoa) to interrupt. The Usos don’t want to hear about a two week reign but Sami says they’ll keep going back to their daddy Roman without their titles. Jey promises that they’ll get the titles back because Owens and Zayn are going to turn on each other, again. Sami says Jey is great at lying to himself and the fight is teased but here is Matt Riddle to even things up. The Bloodline gets knocked down before bailing.

Post break, Adam Pearce makes Solo Sikoa vs. Matt Riddle for tonight’s main event.

LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods

This is fallout from a broken controller. They fight over a headlock to start until Woods snaps off a dropkick to take over. Woods’ headlock doesn’t last long as it could due as Knight shoulders him down. Knight it sent outside and taken out with the big running flip dive. He’s fine enough to post Woods though and we take a break.

Back with Knight getting two off a neckbreaker and choking on the ropes, only to have Woods pop back up for a leg lariat. Knight plants him with a DDT but Woods blocks a suplex attempt. Woods manages to drop him ribs first across the top, setting up a top rope double stomp. A middle rope legdrop gets the same but Knight catches him in a powerslam. Knight’s jumping elbow connects so he tries a rollup, only to get caught pulling the trunks. Then Woods grabs his own rollup (also with trunks) for the pin at 11:20.

Rating: C+. Nice back and forth match here with Woods getting to show Knight how the cheating thing worked in the end. Woods is the last remaining member of the New Day at the moment and it’s no surprise that WWE wants to keep him strong. As for Knight….just let him do something other than lose for a few weeks. Please.

Gunther gives Imperium a pep talk/instructions when Xavier Woods, with his trombone, comes in. Gunther isn’t happy and calls Woods a goof, but Woods challenges him for the title. There’s no answer but Gunther isn’t one to turn down a challenge.

We look at Solo Sikoa taking out Matt Riddle in December.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens give Riddle differing forms of advice, but Riddle is rather serious when he talks about taking out his aggression on Sikoa.

Judgment Day, minus Finn Balor, has had it with the LWO. Damien Priest is going to do his talking about Bad Bunny in the ring.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Damien Priest says Backlash is in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Bad Bunny is guest host. We look at the team taking out Bunny on Raw two weeks ago and we even see it in slow motion. Cue the LWO and it’s time to fight, with the LWO quickly clearing the ring.

Damien Priest vs. Santos Escobar

The rest of their groups are here too. Joined in progress and they head outside, with Priest knocking him out of the air. Back in and the Broken Arrow gives Priest two and he fires off the kicks to the chest. Escobar fights up and hits a few kicks of his own, setting up the running knees in the corner. Some right hands have Priest in trouble but he knocks Escobar outside in a heap as we take a break.

Back with Priest getting two off a Downward Spiral and cranking on both arms. Priest goes up top but gets hurricanranaed right back down for a delayed two. They slug it out until Escobar hits a jumping knee and running hurricanrana to send Priest into the corner. There’s the jumping kick to Priest’s head and a top rope moonsault press gets two.

Rhea Ripley offers a distraction though and it’s Priest decking Escobar. Everyone gets into it on the floor with Priest joining the fight, only to get taken down by a suicide dive. Back in and Ripley grabs Escobar’s foot, leaving Zelina Vega to hurricanrana her into the barricade. That leaves Priest to kick Escobar in the face and hit South Of Heaven for the pin at 11:33.

Rating: B. These guys were rocking by the end and I wasn’t sure who was going to win. That’s a nice feeling to have, much like seeing Priest get a win. Escobar losing again is tough to take, but you can tell there is going to be more of this feud sooner than later. Heck of a match here, with everyone putting in the energy.

Post match Priest goes after Escobar again but Rey Mysterio runs in for the save. Rey gets to beat on Dominik, who has to be saved from the 619.

The Usos and Paul Heyman give Solo Sikoa a pep talk about how Matthew Riddle insulted the family, with Heyman listing off a bunch of members of the family who were insulted. Solo puts his hand on Heyman’s shoulder and says tell the Tribal Chief that he has this. Has Sikoa spoken since he debuted on the main roster? If he has, it hasn’t been very often.

Here are Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for a championship celebration. Raquel appreciates Morgan allowing her to be used as a projectile and Morgan can’t wait to see how good they can get. Cue Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville to interrupt, with Deville telling the fans to sit down and shut up.

They want to know why Morgan and Rodriguez are champions when there is nothing special about them. It must be an upper management thing! Like from Adam Pearce! Where is everything for Green and Deville? The fight is on and the champs stand tall. This was every other not great women’s tag team segment and Morgan’s talking continues to be weak.

Madcap Moss vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Emma gives Moss a pep talk in the back and is in his corner here. Moss starts fast and hits a running shoulder in the corner for two. Nakamura strikes back, hits the sliding German suplex and finishes with Kinshasa at 1:30.

Post match Moss goes after him again, leaving Emma to have to pulls him to the floor for the save.

Scarlett has a Nakamura tarot card and Killer Kross says tick tock.

The Viking Raiders jump Ricochet and Braun Strowman, with Ricochet being powerbombed through a table.

Matt Riddle vs. Solo Sikoa

The Usos, Paul Heyman, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are here too. Before the match though, Heyman says that Roman Reigns has decided the Usos will get their title rematch in two weeks. Riddle kicks away to start but his armbar is counters with a hard slam. It’s right back up with a chinlock but Sikoa punches him down again. The Usos offer a distraction and a trip so Zayn and Owens come over. The referee ejects them all, leaving Sikoa to take over as we go to a break.

Back again with Sikoa elbowing him in the face for two, meaning it’s time to get frustrated. The nerve hold doesn’t work on Riddle as Sikoa knocks him away again, only to get forearmed into the corner. The Floating Bro connects but here are the Usos again, with Zayn and Owens not far behind. Riddle dives onto the Usos but dives into a superkick back inside. The Samoan Spike finishes for Sikoa at 10:45.

Rating: B-. Riddle losing his first match back is certainly a weird way to go, but Keeping Sikoa strong is a good idea as well. Yes he lost to Cody Rhodes, but it was a few days before Rhodes headlined WrestleMania. There is going to be at least one six man tag in here to build Riddle back up so he’ll be fine for the time being, kind of like this match really.

Post match Sikoa plants Riddle on the announcers’ table and then turns it over to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There was good action throughout and some stuff was set up for the future. This was a nice, productive episode of Smackdown, even though nothing was added to the pay per view card. The main thing about this show is that it flew by, with nothing dragging (save for maybe the Women’s Tag Team Title segment). Good show this week, as Smackdown seems to continue its successful run.

Results
Xavier Woods b. LA Knight – Rollup with trunks
Damien Priest b. Santos Escobar – South Of Heaven
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Madcap Moss – Kinshasa
Solo Sikoa b. Matt Riddle – Samoan Spike

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.

Wrestlemania XXXIX Night Two
Date: April 2, 2023
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
America The Beautiful: Jimmie Allen

It’s time to finish the story with the second half of Wrestlemania. That should mean a lot of good things but egads they have a lot to live up to after last night’s great show. The card is stacked again but the big deal is going to be the main event, with Roman Reigns defending the World Title against Cody Rhodes. When a match inside the Cell feels secondary, it’s quite the lineup. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

Jimmie Allen sings America the Beautiful.

Kevin Hart handles the intro again, talking about how in Hollywood, if the first one is a success, a bigger sequel is following. That’s what we’re getting tonight, and the card is stacked.

Miz and Snoop Dogg are in the ring to welcome us to the show, with Miz recapping Night One and giving us a nondescript preview of tonight.

Omos vs. Brock Lesnar

Omos throws him around to start and then does it again for a bonus. A bearhug goes on and Lesnar isn’t sure what to do here. Lesnar fights out and tries to get something going but gets bearhugged again. A chokeslam gives Omos two but he misses a charge in the corner. Lesnar manages the first German suplex (the crowd approves) and the second one looks better. The F5 is loaded up but Brock’s back gives out. The chokebomb is blocked as well though and the F5 finishes Omos at 4:51.

Rating: C+. They kept this short and that is what they should have done. Omos is not going to be able to be out there very long before things get bad so get your stuff in, pop the crowd, head out. That’s all it needed to be and they made it work here, with a match that might not have been good, but it was fun, which is the best they could hope to do.

Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan vs. Natalya/Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville vs. Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler

Morgan gets knocked around to start and Natalya adds a basement dropkick. A running hurricanrana gets Morgan out of trouble and it’s Rodriguez coming in for a splash in the corner. Green comes in with a missile dropkick but Shotzi comes in for a hip attack. Baszler breaks up the cover and throws her outside to Rousey but a triple powerbomb plants Baszler inside.

Everything breaks down and Green is left to pose…until Rodriguez is waiting on her. Instead of fighting, Green would rather dive onto the pile, followed by Rodriguez powerbombing Morgan onto everyone. Back in and Green and Deville take Rodriguez down but Natalya helps Shotzi with a double standing Sliced Bread. The Hart Attack hits Deville for two with Green making the save. Natalya’s double Sharpshooter is broken up and Liv hits Shotzi with the Oblivion but Baszler (who has taken a boot off and seems to be limping) breaks it up. Rousey gets the armbar to finish Shotzi at 8:18.

Rating: C. This was a thing that happened and there isn’t much else to say about it. Rousey and Baszler were barely factors (likely due to injuries), leaving the other six to run through their stuff. As usual, the teams have no history together so you more or less just have random things going on until the finish. It was energetic, but this didn’t look like a good idea when it was announced and it didn’t get much better.

Bobby Lashley, with the Andre the Giant battle royal trophy, is here.

UpUpDownDown previews the Intercontinental Title match.

We recap the Intercontinental Title match. Gunther is the unstoppable champion while Sheamus and McIntyre want to fight each other and to be the champion. Big fight is on.

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and Titus O’Neil is on commentary. Gunther tells the other two to fight before they all start hitting each other rather hard. McIntyre is knocked to the floor and Gunther gets to chop Sheamus hard against the ropes. The Boston crab goes on Sheamus but McIntyre comes in for the chop off. McIntyre actually knocks Gunther into the corner but Sheamus is back up to fight both of them.

With nothing else working, Gunther gets tied in the ropes for the forearms from McIntyre and the chops from Sheamus until they fall to the floor. Back in and Sheamus hits 29 forearms to McIntyre’s chest (McIntyre fell down on #30) as the fans are VERY pleased here. Gunther blasts Sheamus with a clothesline for two but McIntyre hits a top rope shot to Gunther’s head. Sheamus gets knocked to the floor and Gunther’s powerbomb gets two on McIntyre.

Gunther goes up but Sheamus catches him with the super White Noise and the Celtic Cross gets two. McIntyre is back in to break up the Texas Cloverleaf so Sheamus knees both of them down. The Brogue Kick hits Gunther for two with McIntyre breaking up the pin. McIntyre isn’t done and hits the big flip dive to drop Sheamus (Cole: “Titus, I guarantee you have never done that!” Titus: “AND I NEVER WILL!”).

Back in and the Claymore is countered with the Brogue Kick for two (as the fans keep losing their minds on everything). The second Claymore drops Sheamus for two more and everyone is down. With Gunther on the floor, Sheamus and McIntyre slug it out until Sheamus hits another Brogue but Gunther comes off the top with a splash to break it up. Gunther powerbombs Sheamus onto McIntyre and then powerbombs McIntyre to retain at 16:36.

Rating: A-. I love a match where they don’t even pretend it is going to be anything but what it is. This was advertised as three big, strong men beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That’s exactly what we got here and it was some awesome violence as Gunther racks up another huge title defense. Great stuff here and the next match is in trouble.

We recap Bianca Belair vs. Asuka for the Raw Women’s Title. Belair has held the title for a year and become a big star but now Asuka is a lot scarier and wants the title back.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Bianca Belair

Belair is defending. Asuka comes to the ring with a bunch of women in masks while Belair has a bunch of children from a charity who dance on stage before she comes out (cool). Belair strikes away to start and takes her into the corner, where Asuka shoves her away without much trouble. Some spinning strikes have Belair in trouble but she can get away before the Asuka Lock can go on.

They go out to the floor where Belair manages a sitout powerbomb (yeowch) but misses a charge into the post back inside. The ankle lock keeps Belair in trouble and a middle rope dropkick gives Asuka two. Belair gets in a shot on the apron and manages an apron superplex for two more. They trade rollups for two each until Asuka’s Codebreaker is blocked.

Belair hits a running Blockbuster into a handspring moonsault for two. Asuka knees her in the face but Belair is back with a running shoulder for another double knockdown. They go into the corner and a Codebreaker gives Asuka two. Belair manages a kind of Glam Slam onto the turnbuckle for two and ducks the mist. The KOD is countered into a cross armbreaker but Belair muscles her up into the KOD to retain at 15:55.

Rating: B. This was another good one, which is all the more impressive after such a lame buildup. The match itself being a success wasn’t really in question as they are too talented to have a bad one, but it went a bit better than I was expecting. Belair is running out of challengers though and outside of Charlotte, they’re going to have to try someone new sooner than later.

Miz and Snoop Dogg announce tonight’s attendance: 81,395 and a two night total of 161,892. With that out of the way, Miz is mad at Snoop Dogg for screwing up last night and getting him into a match. Snoop isn’t having this and brings out someone else. Cue SHANE MCMAHON (he looks blown up from the ramp) and let’s do this.

Shane McMahon vs. Miz

Shane punches away….and then gets hurt on a leapfrog. The referee checks on him and says this is a no go, so Snoop decks Miz and hits a People’s Elbow for the win at 2:12. If that was a work, it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in years. If that was real, (minus Shane’s injury), it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in years.

We recap Edge vs. Finn Balor inside the Cell. They’ve been feuding for months since Balor kicked Edge out of Judgment Day, so now it’s time for the final showdown. We get all of the evil/demonic stuff for the build and the Demon is all but guaranteed.

We get a quick trailer for the Devil’s Exorcist movie.

Russell Crowe, the star of said movie, talks about how demons can cause problems.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

In the Cell (No longer red!) and Edge comes out to the Brood entrance (featuring a Slayer song instead of the Brood theme) with a Titantron that says BROOD EDGE (that’s up there with “the JBL persona has never entered the Royal Rumble”). Balor is indeed the Demon again and the entrance loses a bit without the darkness everywhere. Edge punches him in the face to start for no effect so it’s time for the weapons to come in.

We get some colored chairs and kendo sticks, with the latter going over Balor’s back. Balor is tied up in the Cell with the sticks as Edge grabs a table. That takes too long as Balor gets out and sends him into the steps. Back in and Edge hits a quick Impaler but Balor takes him back outside. The beating stays on, including a shotgun dropkick to send Edge through the table against the Cell wall.

With nothing else working, Edge manages a Killswitch and then throws a ladder into Balor’s face. We now pause for the trainers to come in and check on a cut (with the camera staying away from Balor). Edge uses the time to grab all of the weapons he can find until Balor is ready to go again. Balor sends him into the ladder and hits a quick Coup de Grace for two so they climb a ladder in the corner.

A super Impaler brings Edge back down so let’s grab another table. Balor knocks him onto it though and unloads with the chair, only to climb the Cell onto a well placed platform. The Coup de Grace only hits table so Edge hits a spear for two. With that not working, Edge unloads with chair shots and hits the Conchairto for the pin at 18:08.

Rating: B. This was a weird one, with the match just kind of ending rather than building up to something. It felt like they were trying to have Edge be pushed so far and reach a level that Balor can’t touch but it just felt like the match stopped out of nowhere. It’s also weird to see Edge win if he’s probably leaving again, but that might mean giving Balor a big win and that doesn’t happen anymore. The match was violent (because it was a TLC match inside the Cell, as tends to be the case far too often anymore) but it hit a wall and didn’t get any further.

We recap the Hall of Fame ceremony.

The Hall of Fame Class is presented:

Stacy Keibler (yeah sure)
Andy Kaufman (about as perfect of a celebrity as you can get)
Great Muta (absolutely)
Tim White (great choice for the Warrior Award)
Rey Mysterio (perfect choice for a headliner and well deserved)

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns. Roman has been World Champion for over two and a half years and seems unstoppable. Rhodes is here to win the title for his father Dusty and complete his story. This is the most serious threat Reigns has faced in a long, long time and he could be in trouble.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

Rhodes is challenging and hugs his family before handing his weightlifting belt to….AEW’s Negative One (unmasked) in the front row. Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa are here with Reigns and we’re ready to go after some rather long entrances (including Reigns demanding acknowledgment). They fight over a lockup to start with Cody getting a headlock (so Heyman can roll his eyes at the CODY chants). A right hand sends Reigns outside for some advice from Heyman (“You’re the relevant one. Now SMASH HIM!”).

Back in and Reigns hits some corner clotheslines but walks into a dropkick so Cody can start working on the arm. The Disaster Kick is countered into the powerbomb for two and Reigns snaps off some suplexes. They head outside and Reigns knocks him up the ramp so the fight can keep going. Cody gets the better of things as they fight back to ringside but Sikoa gets in a chair to the ribs. The referee didn’t see it so Reigns hits the apron dropkick to take over again.

Cody fights up again but Sikoa grabs a boot, allowing Reigns to nail a clothesline. They go to the floor again and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. Reigns’ powerbomb is countered into a backdrop and Reigns is in trouble again. Back in and Cody hammers away with the Cody Cutter getting two. Reigns heads outside again and there’s the suicide dive. On the way back in, Sikoa gets in a belt shot to the back, which the referee hears for an ejection.

Reigns grabs the belt but gets superkicked into Cross Rhodes for a close two. Back up and Reigns catches Cody from behind, setting up a release Rock Bottom for two more. The Superman Punch is countered into the Pedigree for two more and Cody is looking stunned. Reigns’ spear is countered into a sunset flip for two and the Figure Four goes on (complete with WOO).

Reigns makes the ropes so Cody goes to the apron (Cody: “Fight Cody.”) and they slug it out. Cody misses something off the top and gets speared down for two. Reigns is so frustrated that he unloads with forearms and grabs the guillotine. The arm comes up so Reigns grabs the bodyscissors to really cinch it in. Cody manages to slip his head out and hammers away but the referee gets bumped. Reigns hits a Superman Punch and Cody hits a clothesline to put them both down.

It’s Cody up first and the Cross Rhodes is loaded up but cue the Usos for the double superkick. The 1D drops Cody again but here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (through the crowd for some reason) for the save. The Stunner into the Helluva Kick drops Reigns and the teams fight off, leaving Cody to get a very delayed two. They slug it out until Reigns misses the Superman Punch and Cody hits the Flip Flop and Fly into the Bionic Elbow. Cross Rhodes and Cross Rhodes connect but Heyman offers a distraction so Sikoa can come back in with the Samoan Spike. Reigns hits the spear to retain at 34:37.

Rating: B+. It felt like a major showdown here and the reactions from the crowd were great. The back and forth action was outstanding and I wasn’t sure how it was going until the ending. At the same time though…..wow that is a heck of a way to go, as Reigns doesn’t really have anyone left to face. It felt like a Wrestlemania main event and a huge fight, but egads that is a bold choice for the future. Cody was protected, but it’s going to take some time to come back from this kind of a loss.

A lot of posing and pyro but no Dusty Finish wraps us up.

The highlight package takes us out.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s another great show and I think I liked the action a bit more overall here as even the weakest match on the show was completely fine. The ending was the big surprise and I have no idea where they go from here. There was a lot of fun to be found here and the Intercontinental Title match was great, followed by some other very good stuff. What matters is that it felt like a Wrestlemania and that is one of the hardest things to pull off in all of wrestling. Heck of a show again and absolutely worth seeing.

Overall Overall Rating: A. It’s an all timer over two nights and what makes it even more impressive is that they made the already huge card actually work. That extra pressure makes it even harder but they did it here, with some of the best stuff WWE has done in years. The worst thing over two nights is a watchable six woman tag and the best stuff is some all time quality.

The bigger thing here is the emotion though, as it felt like the biggest show they have presented in years. This show was built up for a long time and then they made the whole thing work. I was invested in so much of this and it gave off the feelings that you’re supposed to get with something this big. Check out all of this, as both nights flew by in a great way.

Results
Brock Lesnar b. Omos – F5
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler b. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville, Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez and Natalya/Shotzi – Armbar to Shotzi
Gunther b. Drew McIntyre and Sheamus – Powerbomb to McIntyre
Bianca Belair b. Asuka – KOD
Snoop Dogg b. Miz – People’s Elbow
Edge b. Finn Balor – Conchairto
Roman Reigns b. Cody Rhodes – Spear

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

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

AND

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

We’re still in Los Angeles for the second half of Wrestlemania after what was a (pick your own adjective based on however the show, which hasn’t happened yet, was once you’ve seen it after this is posted) night, it should be easy/difficult to top. This is the night where we finally get Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the World Title and that should be quite the showdown. The rest of the show looks good too so maybe we’re in for something. Let’s get to it.

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

We’ll get one of the weaker entries out of the way to start. This is a match that is likely going to be very good due to the talent involved but the build has been lacking to put it mildly. There isn’t much of a reason for these two to be fighting and Belair being scared of Asuka isn’t so interesting. Asuka can more than carry her end, but she needs a little more than this so far.

I’ll take….I guess Asuka here, as Belair has held the title for a year now and really needs to drop the thing so someone else can get a chance. Asuka’s new persona is only so different than her last but she is more than good enough to be the champion, even if it is just for a little while. There is a good chance that Belair keeps the title again, but she probably shouldn’t after a year of being champion.

Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan vs. Natalya/Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville

This is the women’s showcase match, which is still one of the weirder ideas that WWE has had in a good while. The teams are mostly inexperienced or brand new, with Rousey and Baszler being the only regular team. Then again last year’s Women’s Tag Team Titles went about the same way, meaning I don’t have much reason for this to be very interesting here again.

I’ll take Rodriguez and Morgan to win as they would likely be the crowd favorites. The only other option (which might make the most sense) is Rousey/Baszler, who need to be going after the Women’s Tag Team Titles sooner than later. This comes off as a way to get a bunch of people on the card without having a battle royal and while it might accomplish the goal, it isn’t feeling interesting. But yeah, I’ll go with Rodriguez and Morgan to win.

Brock Lesnar vs. Omos

Somehow this is the best thing they could get together for Lesnar (including making him happy, which can’t be easy) and I’m not exactly feeling it. I’m almost scared to see what is going to happen when these two are given any kind of time together, as Omos hasn’t shown the ability to be a ring general. That leaves Lesnar, who might be more likely to turn Omos into a really big sandwich.

That being said, I’ll go with Lesnar winning here in a short match. You can’t ask them to go long (not without expecting quite a bit of disaster) so we’ll go with Lesnar winning with the big impressive F5. This is a match that isn’t going to much to do so keeping it quick and impactful is the right idea. Omos winning makes sense if Lesnar is leaving, but for now I’ll take Lesnar, who will almost absolutely be back someday.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther(c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

This is the kind of match that is going to be all about hitting each other really hard. That is how to get the fans up again because it is easy to get behind the idea of three people trying to survive and leave as champion. It’s a good formula and these three can make it work. If they make it work here, we could be in for a showdown, but the question is who leaves with the title.

I don’t think I can imagine Gunther losing the title yet, even if he doesn’t get pinned, so I’ll say he retains here. Sheamus and McIntyre are going to beat the fire out of each other and it’s going to be a blast, but what matters here is three big men doing their power stuff until one of them can’t get up. This should be a lot of fun and the story is there too, so just make it work.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

What are we now, nine months into this feud? I get why it takes time but it would be nice to have things pick up a bit. Either way, what matters here is that this is in the Cell (which is apparently no longer red) and Balor is going to be the Demon. The match has certainly been built up long enough and while it might not be the hottest feud anymore, we should be in for a good one.

In theory this should be Balor winning because he’ll likely be around more often, though Edge has a tendency to win his big matches more often than not. I’ll go with Balor as he really needs the win, but it’s a prediction likely to go wrong. There is likely going to be a ton of interference from Judgment Day and Beth Phoenix, but at least everything has been set up fairly well.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Cody Rhodes

There are times when the Wrestlemania main event feels like the biggest match they could come up with at the time, but there are also occasions when the Wrestlemania main event feels like the most important match anywhere. The latter is true this year, as WWE has turned taking down the Bloodline into the biggest story in wrestling. Rhodes wants the title for his family’s legacy, but also to take out the Bloodline’s heart. Now can he do it?

There is a real argument for Reigns retaining here, as he is the biggest star in wrestling by a mile and the longest reigning champion in about thirty five years. If you pull the trigger on Rhodes right now, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. At the same time, if Rhodes loses here, what exactly is he supposed to do next? I’ll go with Rhodes, just because I don’t know what they do if he loses.

Overall Thoughts

Much like last night, this feels like a Wrestlemania worthy card. I want to see what happens with this show and Reigns vs. Rhodes is the biggest match that I can imagine right now. WWE has done a great job of setting things up and now they have the potential to execute it just as well. I love having that feeling of grandeur back again and if they can make it all work, we’ll be in for a heck of a night.

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.

Happy Birthday Pop.

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 27, 2023
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the go home Raw before Wrestlemania and that means it is time to get the final push for a lot of this show’s weekend matches. In addition, we’ll have Cody Rhodes facing Solo Sikoa before his final showdown with Roman Reigns on Smackdown. We might get one or two more additions to the card but there isn’t much left to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Miz to get things going. He is fired up to be here and promises to get to the bottom of a very personal feud. This brings out Trish Stratus, Lita and Becky Lynch for a chat. Becky accuses Miz of having small testicles, with Miz saying his wife disagrees. Becky: “It must be comforting to know that Maryse didn’t get around much before you were married.” Lynch talks about how she respect these two but Miz asks Lita and Trish what it’s like to be Becky’s backup. Lita says she feels like a champion but here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt.

Bayley accuses Lita of meaning something 20 years ago but Trish says that title says she means something now. Bayley talks about how being in the ring with these two would be a dream 20 years ago. Now though, it’s still a dream for people who can’t accomplish anything. They want the titles back, which sends Becky into a rant about how many times Damage Ctrl loses, they keep coming back. The triple staredown ensues.

Becky Lynch vs. Iyo Sky

Lynch starts fast with a suplex to send Sky outside. With Damage Ctrl having a meeting, Becky grabs Bayley by the hair to bring her back in. Sky hits a running dropkick to take over but Becky is back with a running forearm for a double knockdown. With Sky on the floor, Lynch hits a baseball slide, followed by a forearm off the apron.

Back in and a layout reverse DDT gets two on Sky as we take a break. We come back with Lynch getting two off a suplex but Sky catches her on top. That means an Asai moonsault can drop Lynch on the floor for two back inside as the fans approve. Over The Moonsault misses though and the Manhandle Slam finishes Sky at 11:50.

Rating: B-. This was another good example of what happens when you have two talented stars going in there and getting to do their thing. Lynch is able to wrestle a good match when she is given the chance and Sky really can make the high flying work as well as probably any woman in the division. Good match here, and the six woman tag could have a lot of potential.

We look back at Cody Rhodes predicting that the Bloodline would turn on Roman Reigns.

Video on Asuka, with various Hall of Famers and legends talking about how awesome she really is.

We recap Logan Paul knocking out Seth Rollins last week. Then in the back, Paul stole the mic and shouted about getting to do it again at Wrestlemania.

Seth Rollins….is interrupted by Mustafa Ali, who wants Rollins to be more positive. Rollins laughs at the Positive Ali idea and the result is a match later tonight.

Seth Rollins vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali forearms him in the face to start and Rollins seems annoyed. A clothesline turns Ali inside out and the stomping is on in the corner. Ali gets tied in the corner for a running stomp, followed by the regular version to give Rollins the pin at 2:07. The stomp in the corner looked painful.

Post match Rollins says if he can’t beat Logan Paul at Wrestlemania, he’s the joke. The match is on Paul’s anniversary and Rollins wants to take him out, so sing that song!

Earlier today Baron Corbin was asking Adam Pearce what was going on with his losses when Chelsea Green interrupted. She wants to know why she isn’t in the Women’s Showcase at Wrestlemania. Pearce says she doesn’t have a partner, but here is Sonya Deville to say Pearce is just jealous that she didn’t do as well as she did in this role. That’s enough or Pearce, who puts them in a qualifying match for the showcase. Corbin is still there and asks “seriously?” but Pearce leaves.

It’s time for a weigh-in between Omos (with MVP) and Brock Lesnar. Before Lesnar comes out, MVP talks about how Lesnar has done great things at Wrestlemania, including beating people like Kurt Angle, Goldberg, Roman Reigns and even…..the Undertaker. Unlike those men though, Lesnar cannot suplex or F5 Omos. With that, Omos weighs in at 410lbs. Cue Lesnar, who goes right after Omos and even picks up the scale, only to get kicked in the face. That’s enough for Lesnar to bail outside and look a bit scared. This was pretty quick but they got the point across.

Video on Charlotte being awesome over the years.

Finn Balor talks about Edge wanting to be inside the Cell with him and says there is nothing more dangerous than a caged demon.

Street Profits/Braun Strowman/Ricochet vs. Alpha Academy/Viking Raiders

Valhalla is here with the Raiders. Dawkins takes Gable down to start but has to slip out of the ankle lock. Strowman comes in to clean house on the villains until Ford (with his own double bicep pose) comes in for some armdrags. Everything breaks down and we get the Ivar vs. Strowman vs. Otis showdown. Otis plants an invading Ford and the Academy stands tall as we take a break.

Back with Erik chinlocking Ford and handing it off to Otis, as Maxxine Dupri is watching in the back. Maxxine likes the Otis shirt coming off for a running elbow (with Otis telling her he’s here). An enziguri gets Ford out of trouble and it’s Dawkins coming back in to clean house. Strowman comes in to do the train around the ring. Ricochet Swantons off of Strowman’s shoulders to hit Erik, followed by Ford (who tagged in) diving OVER Strowman with the frog splash for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: C+. The ending looked great as Ricochet did his crazy flip and then Ford made it look even better. This was probably a lot more interesting than the showcase is going to be, as I still can’t believe there isn’t even a title shot on the line. For now though, this was a good match with a better finish so maybe they’ll surprise me at Wrestlemania.

Cody Rhodes finds it interesting that he has to face the Bloodline’s enforcer this week. The question has been if he has earned it and Cody says he has always earned it. Tonight he beats Solo Sikoa, and at Wrestlemania, it’s Roman Reigns.

This week’s parody trailer: the Bloodline are Goodfellas. At least that matches up.

Video on Bianca Belair coming up the ranks and becoming a major star. Belair really is one of the only women who has come up with no wrestling background and become part of the top group.

Earlier today, Austin theory was in the empty arena and talked about how John Cena allegedly humiliated him on the microphone a few weeks ago. The only thing Cena can’t see is the future, because Theory is a star. It doesn’t matter if Theory is in an empty ring or in a sold out stadium, because he’ll show Cena what a star really is. Good stuff here, but Theory needs to win in a pretty dominant fashion on Saturday.

Stacy Keibler is going into the Hall of Fame.

Wrestlemania Showcase Qualifying Match: Sonya Deville/Chelsea Green vs. Michin/Candice LeRae

Michin gets taken into the wrong corner to start so Deville and green can take turns hammering on her. A double neckbreaker gets Michin out of trouble as everything breaks down. A quick Unprettier gives Green the pin on Yim at 2:57.

Paul Heyman gives a Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes version of the 23rd Psalm before saying Rhodes isn’t ready. Yes he needs to face Solo Sikoa tonight because Roman Reigns has been guided from being the Big Dog to the Tribal Chief. Rhode isn’t ready for Sunday but needs to be ready to take a beating tonight and then another from Reigns. Be ready for pain, and to acknowledge the Tribal Chief.

Here are Dominik Mysterio and Damien Priest (who have been standing in the ring since before a break and Heyman’s interview) with Dominik talking about what a horrible father Rey Mysterio really is. We see Rey punching Dominik and agreeing to face Dominik at Wrestlemania. He should have told his mother to shut up a long time ago and wishes Eddie Guerrero was his real father.

Damien Priest vs. Rey Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio is here with Priest and we’re joined in progress (19 minutes after Priest’s music started to play) with Rey taking Priest down. Priest plants him with a lifting Downward Spiral for two but misses a big boot. The 619 is broken up with a heck of a clothesline but Rey super hurricanranas him down. Now the 619 can connect but Dominik crotches Rey on top for the DQ at 3:10.

Rating: C. This was about having Dominik screw over Rey before they fight at Wrestlemania so there wasn’t much to expect from the match itself. They did as much as they could with the time they had so this was good enough to fulfill its purpose. Other than that, can we please find something for Priest to do? Or at least a feud of his own? It has been a long time now for him.

Post match the beatdown is on but Legado del Fantasma runs in for the save.

Video on Andre the giant, who has a battle royal named after him on Friday.

The Good Brothers and Johnny Gargano are in the Andre battle royal and go to do something else. Rick Boogs is excited about being in and Elias promises to win. Dexter Lumis and Bronson Reed both scare Elias, as does Bobby Lashley.

We look at the Usos jumping Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on Smackdown.

Owens and Zayn talk about how this is going to be the biggest Tag Team Title match of all time. They have to win because the Bloodline has to be stopped.

Gunther vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title and Imperium is here with Gunther. Ziggler hits a dropkick and the jumping DDT but Gunther gets him in the corner for the boot choke as we take a break. Back with Ziggler getting two off a Fameasser but getting chopped HARD out of the air. A German suplex and the powerbomb set up the Last Symphony to finish Ziggler at 5:43. Not enough shown to rate but Ziggler got in some offense before getting crushed by the monster that is Gunther.

Post match Gunther promises the same thing for Drew McIntyre and Sheamus.

Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Paul Heyman is here with Sikoa. A dropkick hits Sikoa to start but he snaps off a Samoan drop for a breather. They head outside with Sikoa being whipped into the steps but he suplexes Rhodes back inside. That’s enough to send Cody outside, where Sikoa can drop him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. The swinging Rock Bottom onto the table has Cody in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Cody fighting out of a nerve hold but getting clotheslined in the corner. Cod jumps over him in the corner and snaps off the powerslam, followed by the Disaster Kick. The Cody Cutter connects and Cross Rhodes drops Sikoa again for a rather delayed two, with Sikoa getting a foot on the rope.

A moonsault misses for Cody but the Samoan Spike misses. Cody grabs another Cody Cutter but here are the Usos (with music), allowing Sikoa to hit a superkick. Spinning Solo gets two (Heyman is surprised) but here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to brawl with the Usos. Another Samoan Spike is countered into Cross Rhodes to finish Sikoa at 12:53.

Rating: B-. Rhodes winning to shake Heyman (and presumably Reigns) up is a smart move and I don’t think Sikoa is going to be ruined by having his first loss be to someone who very well could be World Champion next week. This was the best way to end Raw, as Rhodes only has Reigns left in front of him. We’ll get a showdown on Friday and a match on Sunday, so nice job on setting things up.

A serious looking Heyman pulls out his phone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m sure there are going to be a lot of complaints about this show not being the most exciting or the highest quality and those are pretty fair. At the same time though, this is one of the few shows of the year that isn’t about what takes place between the bells. This show is all about getting things ready for Wrestlemania and it went fairly well, with a few good matches thrown in. Good enough show, but none of it is going to matter once the bell rings on Saturday.

Results
Becky Lynch b. Iyo Sky – Manhandle Slam
Seth Rollins b. Mustafa Ali – Stomp
Street Profits/Braun Strowman/Ricochet b. Alpha Academy/Viking Raiders – Frog splash to Erik
Sonya Deville/Chelsea Green b. Michin/Candice LeRae – Unprettier to Green
Rey Mysterio b. Damien Priest via DQ when Dominik Mysterio interfered
Gunther b. Dolph Ziggler – Last Symphony
Cody Rhodes b. Solo Sikoa – Cross Rhodes

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: March 20, 2023
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than two weeks away from Wrestlemania and the show is mostly together. That means this week is going to be about firming up everything that is already set for the show, which will include some Roman Reigns. Other than that, it might be time to add in one or two more things, as WWE does on occasion. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to get things going. They think the fans might like them before Sami goes into a talk about how he was wrong for a long time. They have always used each other to get to the next level but they have always done it as brothers. Owens has always said that Zayn is the best he has ever been in the ring with and that’s what made it harder watching him in the Bloodline. It’s time to take the Bloodline down though….so let’s look at that Wrestlemania sign.

Cue the Usos to say Owens and Zayn are just going to stab each other in the back. Zayn says Jey wants to stab Roman Reigns in the back, so we get straight to the Wrestlemania challenge. Jimmy says no, but Jey wants the chance to end the Zayn/Owens problem, so let’s do the brother vs. brother title match. The fight is on with the Usos being cleared out, only to grab chairs.

Cue Roman Reigns and the rest of the Bloodline arriving, which makes the Usos leave. You knew this match was coming but they took their time to get here, which is not a bad idea. The fans want to see the match and that is one of the hardest things to do with any match, let alone one of the bigger ones on the Wrestlemania card.

Montez Ford vs. Austin Theory

Non-title and Angelo Dawkins lets Ford do this one on his own. The fans want the smoke but have to settle for Theory shouldering Ford down and mocking his dance. Theory gets in a big beatdown in the corner but Ford is back up with some stomps of his own. A running clothesline puts Theory on the floor and there’s the toss over the barricade. Ford sits on some fans at ringside and we take a break.

Back with Ford hitting a high crossbody and a running uppercut to drop Theory again. Ford throws in a You Can’t See Me before hitting the standing moonsault for two. A DDT sends Theory outside and there’s the big running flip dive. Back in and Theory gets in a quick dropkick, setting up A Town Down for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Letting Ford rub elbows with a champion is an interesting idea as he continues to look ready to break out on his own. Theory wasn’t going to lose so close to Wrestlemania though and he shouldn’t have, so burning off a Ford loss might be a bit of an odd way to go. It makes sense after last week, but Ford should be better protected if he’s going to get a shot on his own.

Post match Theory says he’ll make John Cena believe in him at Wrestlemania.

Roman Reigns doesn’t seem pleased with the Usos but Jimmy Uso says he’ll never forgive Sami Zayn for causing trouble with Jey. Jimmy says they’ve got Zayn and Owens at Wrestlemania, with Reigns saying he hopes so. Reigns asks for the room to be cleared….except for Jey.

Post break (and what I’m guessing was a rousing spelling bee), Reigns says Jey went off for weeks and now he’s back making decisions. Should Reigns believe him? Jey says he’s Bloodline, which is all Reigns needed to hear. Reigns says he loves him and Jey leaves. Paul Heyman comes back in and Reigns says he got the answers he was looking for, while looking a bit serious.

The men’s four way showcase tag match will include the Street Profits, Braun Strowman/Ricochet, the Alpha Academy and the Viking Raiders.

Chelsea Green interrupts Adam Pearce, who isn’t happy with Carmella not being available tonight. Instead, Piper Niven will be her partner tonight. Pearce reminds her that he is the same manager over and over so Green wants to be in the Wrestlemania match. Threats ensue.

Video on Omos vs. Brock Lesnar, complete with various measurements of Omos’ gigantic hands and reach.

Omos vs. Mustafa Ali

Dolph Ziggler is watching in the back as the chokebomb finishes Ali at 55 seconds.

Post match MVP promises that Brock Lesnar will far Omos at Wrestlemania.

Logan Paul is on the way to the ring and blows off Miz on the way.

It’s time for Logan Paul and Impaulsive TV. Paul knows that no one but his dad and that one fan with a sign for his energy drink like him. No one here is going to respect him, but who cares, because it isn’t his fault that they can’t see the talent in front of them. He is a 360 degree entertainer and mocks the St. Louis Rams for heading to Los Angeles. Paul is looking forward to being with the Rams in Los Angeles at Wrestlemania on April 1, his 28th birthday.

We look at Paul knocking Seth Rollins out last week a few times, complete with Rollins’ head turning into a clown as we see the punch land over and over. Paul’s mic goes out and we see Seth Rollins (in a leopard print suit) in the control truck. Rollins asks how we’re going to save this edition of Impaulsive TV….so he plays his own music and comes to the ring.

Cue Rollins, with Paul talking over the fans singing along in a funny bit (Paul: “No one told me St. Louis was tone deaf. Your outfit is stupid.”). The fight is on fast and they go over the announcers’ table, with Rollins getting the better of things. Rollins dives off the top onto some security (that was a nasty landing) but Paul knocks Rollins out again. They’re doing a good job of making Paul feel like a real threat to Rollins at Wrestlemania and that right hand is getting over.

Now available: Wrestlemania the Musical, starring the Miz.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Johnny Gargano

Damien Priest and Dexter Lumis are here too and Gargano has bad ribs after being attacked on NXT. Gargano starts fast and hammers away with left hands in the corner. The rolling kick to the head and running hurricanrana put Dominik on the floor, setting up the suicide dive (which made good contact). The ribs are banged up though and Dominik drops them onto the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Dominik staying on the ribs until Gargano suplexes his way out of trouble. A missed charge in the corner lets Dominik roll him up for two but the referee sees the feet on the ropes. The Lawn Dart into a basement superkick gives Gargano two but Dominik knocks him off the top. Dominik hits the frog splash for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C. Dominik stays warm on the way to a probably match with Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania and he beat a bit of a name on the way there. Gargano on the other hand just feels stagnant and seems to be living off of the reputation he built in NXT. It doesn’t help that he has been kind of floating around since returning to the main roster, but maybe that can be fixed after Wrestlemania.

Post match Dominik grabs the mic and talks about Rey Mysterio turning down his Wrestlemania challenge. Dominik isn’t done yet though and promises to not stop until he gets what he wants. This Friday, the entire Mysterio family will be live in Las Vegas, as in the same family that kicked him out of the group chat. Dominik: “That’s ok though because the Judgment Day group chat is much better.” He’ll be asking his mom for permission to face Rey at Wrestlemania, if she’ll let Rey’s testicles out of her purse.

Paul Heyman sends the Usos to the jet for seafood, because Roman Reigns is giving them the night off. Solo Sikoa doesn’t get to though, as Roman Reigns wants to see him.

Edge is in a room full of candles and talks about what a hostile man that he is. He has been taken into the Cell by the Deadman himself. We get part of the 23rd Psalm with Edge talking about how he is the valley of the shadow of death. So at Wrestlemania, bring the Demon to face the Devil. Edge’s delivery was good but the candles/Bible quotes/everything else felt almost cliched here. At least it gives Balor a reason to bring back the Demon.

Here is Rhea Ripley for a chat. She doesn’t want to live in the past like Charlotte, who keeps talking about what happened three years ago at Ripley’s first Wrestlemania. That was when she was trying to make a name for herself and earn respect. When Charlotte hears the name Rhea Ripley, she begins to question everything. Ripley: “Don’t WHAT me. You’re all pathetic.”

Charlotte has to admit that it is over for her and when she sees Ripley holding the title up, she’ll know her insecurities were true. She won’t respect Ripley, but she will fear her. Cue Damage Ctrl of all people, seemingly offering help with Charlotte. Ripley doesn’t need it, but Bayley says this is their show. Threats are made and Ripley is game, even if she isn’t in her gear. Bayley is in her gear though and we’re ready to go.

Bayley vs. Rhea Ripley

The rest of Damage Ctrl is here too. Ripley sends her into the corner to start but gets tossed to the apron. A Stunner over the apron sends Ripley to the floor where she blocks the dropkick under the bottom rope. Bayley is fine enough to send her into the post, only to have Ripley hit a flip dive off the apron to drop Bayley for two back inside. A hard knee to the face gives Ripley two but some interference breaks up Riptide. Cue Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus and Lita (with Becky carrying a big bag of popcorn) as we take a break.

Back with the Bayley to Belly hitting for no cover, as Ripley plants her with a belly to back faceplant. Bayley hits a running knee to the face though and they’re both down. Ripley kicks her down out of the corner though and the Prism Trap sends Bayley to the ropes. The others get in a fight at ringside, leaving Ripley to hit Riptide for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: B-. You can tell when wrestlers are a cut or two above the people around them and that is the case here. Ripley feels ready to break out to the next level and Bayley is one of the most established names in the women’s division. Becky and company coming down with the popcorn was a little weird, but at least they helped cost Bayley the match.

Chad Gable finds Otis getting a manicure and a facial and wants him ringside later. Otis seems game but Maxxine Dupri comes in to say Otis has a hand modeling gig. Otis leaves with….Gable actually.

This week’s Wrestlemania trailer: Drew McIntyre and the Brawling Brutes in the 40 Year Old Virgin, with Ridge Holland getting his overly hairy chest waxed. These still aren’t really funny.

Chad Gable vs. Ricochet

Otis and Ricochet are here too. Gable wrestles him to the mat to start as Otis keeps looking at his freshly manicured nails. Back up and Ricochet starts flipping away before dropkicking Gable into the corner. A super hurricanrana is blocked though and Gable….kind of release AA’s him down. Gable hits a top rope clothesline for two as we take a break.

We come back with Ricochet hitting a running shooting star press. Gable muscles him up though and hits something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator (that could be a finisher for someone) for two. Gable suplexes him for the same but here is Maxxine Dupri to take Otis to the back. Ricochet reverses Chaos Theory into a standing Sliced Bread, setting up the shooting star press for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. The still frustrating thing about the way WWE uses Gable is he can go in the ring. I’m not at all saying he should be some kind of a next big thing, but giving him nothing to do but put others over for a long time has taken a lot away from him. Just seeing him having something fresh to do with Otis recently has helped, but it’s still not quite enough.

Bianca Belair/Asuka vs. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven

Belair drops Green for the moonsault but Asuka tags herself in and the heroes clear the ring. We take a break and come back Niven taking over on Asuka. Everything breaks down though and Niven misses a charge in the corner allowing Belair to hit an impressive KOD for the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C-. I’m still not sure what the appeal is to having these matches where half of them take place during the break. Belair vs. Asuka still feels like a pretty weak Wrestlemania match, even if the actual product will work well. They need something to bring the interest up and Belair looking scared of Asuka isn’t doing it.

Post match Asuka takes out Belair. At least that’s taking a side instead of just looking at each other.

Here is the Bloodline (Roman Reigns/Paul Heyman/Solo Sikoa) for a chat. Reigns asks for acknowledgment but cue Cody Rhodes to cut him off. Rhodes wants to know why he is a problem and tells Heyman to stop, because he’s talking to the Tribal Chief. Reigns says the problem is what Rhodes represents and makes fun of his daddy for being a professional rassler.

Let’s look at Rhodes’ track record: he didn’t want to be Stardust so he ran away. Then he started a promotion and he couldn’t get over in it so he ran away. Then he got over and his body gave out so he ran away. Rhodes keeps talking about finishing the story at Wrestlemania but that’s not what’s going to happen. The real choice is April 3, when Rhodes isn’t the champion. Reigns hopes Rhodes will do something that makes his daddy happy and not run away.

Rhodes says what Reigns said is true, but what he did when he ran away helped every locker room make a lot more money. Yeah his daddy was a wrestler and Cody wanted to be a superstar but maybe it’s true that he’s just a runaway violent professional wrestler. No one needs to bring up his father one more time because he isn’t going to show up with a Bionic Elbow. Cody’s brother works elsewhere so all you have is him.

Instead let’s talk about Cody’s Cuban mother who would tell him to knock Reigns out and then hit him again for good measure. Let’s talk about April 3, which is when Reigns is going to wake up and remember how to lose. And then Jey is going to leave him too. Then Jimmy will be gone, and all that is left will be Solo, who Rhodes knows isn’t ready.

Sikoa will leave him too and Heyman will become an advocate again. That leaves Reigns without a family, a Roman with no more reigns and a chief without a tribe. Reigns leaves and Cody mocks Sikoa for following him before kicking Sikoa in the face. Reigns stops Sikoa from using the Samoan Spike to end the show. That was kind of a weird ending, and this one, while full of big shots at Rhodes, didn’t land nearly as well as their Smackdown faceoff.

Overall Rating: C+. This show did some good stuff and helped firm up some of the other stuff for Wrestlemania, but it seems they’re readying the point where there isn’t much left to say in some of the matches. The show is either set or mostly set and that doesn’t leave much to be done. They only have the big hard sell Raw left and that should be ok as long as nothing goes too far down next week.

Results
Austin Theory b. Montez Ford – A Town Down
Omos b. Mustafa Ali – Chokebomb
Dominik Mysterio b. Johnny Gargano – Frog splash
Rhea Ripley b. Bayley – Riptide
Ricochet b. Chad Gable – Shooting star press
Asuka/Bianca Belair b. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green – KOD to Niven

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: March 13, 2023
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We have six major TV shows left before Wrestlemania and there is still some work to do. Most of the matches and stories are already set but there are a least a few things that need to be finalized. There is a good chance that some of those will be covered, or at least addressed, tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Edge to get things going. He loves that kind of reaction from the crowd but wants to get straight to the point. Edge calls out Finn Balor so here is the full Judgment Day. Edge says that Balor’s request for a Wrestlemania match is on, which Balor appreciates. With that out of the way, Edge recaps the feud and says he doesn’t have time to deal with all of these people anymore. That’s why at Wrestlemania, he wants Hell in a Cell.

Balor says Hell couldn’t handle his demons so they’re on for Wrestlemania. Judgment Day storms the ring and the big beatdown is on until Dexter Lumis, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae run in for the save. They had to make the match and at it feels special so nice job. I’ll take it over “it’s October so here’s the Cell”.

Johnny Gargano/Dexter Lumis vs. Judgment Day

It’s Dominik Mysterio/Damien Priest for the team here and Edge/Balor have both left. Joined in progress with Gargano kicking Dominik in the head and Priest coming in. Lumis comes in as well but gets taken into the corner for some shots to the face. A front facelock of all thins gets Lumis out of trouble so it’s back to Gargano, who gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle. Gargano sends Dominik outside for a dive though and we take a break.

Back with Priest hitting the Broken Arrow for two on Gargano and slapping on the chinlock. Dominik comes in but misses the 619, allowing Gargano to nail the slingshot spear. It’s back to Lumis to clean house, with a spinebuster and legdrop getting two on Priest. Dominik rolls Lumis up with feet on the ropes but Candice LeRae makes the save. Rhea Ripley takes out LeRae and Gargano dives onto Priest. Back in and Lumis tries to Silence Dominik, only to get caught with South of Heaven for the pin at 13:59.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match to open the show as the fans are going to respond to everyone involved. They started to turn it up at the end and it was a good opener as a result. Lumis getting pinned is fine as Gargano has the big match coming up at NXT Stand & Deliver so they even got the ending right.

Miz arrived earlier today and after confirming that he hadn’t seen Otis (as asked by Chad Gable), he laughed of the idea of having a co-host for Wrestlemania. We cut over to Damage CTRL beating up Trish Stratus and leaving her laying.

Here are MVP and Omos to call out Brock Lesnar, who doesn’t leave them waiting long. Lesnar, with the top of his head coming up to Omos’ neck, stares up at Omos, who puts his fist out towards Lesnar’s face. The fist is turned into an open hand and they shake before the fight is on. Lesnar can’t suplex him and Omos shoves him out tot he floor as referees and security run down. Really basic stuff here and I still don’t care to see the match.

We recap the reunion of the Usos, with Cody Rhodes joining Sami Zayn to fight them on Smackdown.

Cody Rhodes vs. LA Knight

Cody knocks him down to start and grabs a headlock before sending Knight outside. The dive is cut off with a shot to the face but Cody sends him into the steps. Back in and Knight superplexes him down as we take a break. We come back with Knight getting two off a DDT but getting caught with the Disaster Kick for two more. The Cody Cutter into Cross Rhodes finishes Knight at 9:38.

Rating: C. The nearly perfect Cody push continues as they aren’t doing anything too out there. Rhodes is winning match after match and building himself up for the Wrestlemania main event. This was as it should have been, with Rhodes hanging in there until the end and winning with his big stuff. Nice job and another good piece of the bigger story.

Post match Rhodes grabs the mic and says he has been told to stay out of Bloodline business. Well he doesn’t work for the Bloodline, so he’ll do whatever he wants. Cody talks about wearing a suit because he wants to be someone and the Bloodline needs to acknowledge him. He grew up thinking he was a prince in this business but has no crown or even a Master Sword. On April 2, when the sun goes down on Hollywood, it is going down on Reigns’ run as well. Those who have followed him until the end (nice) will see him crowned the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul being made last week.

Seth Rollins talks about Logan Paul knocking him down last week but not being able to keep him down. Miz comes in to call Rollins jealous of Paul, who will be hosting Impaulsive next week. Baron Corbin comes up to ask about being the guest host of Wrestlemania but gets laughed off. Instead, Corbin offers Rollins boxing lessons for Wrestlemania but has to settle with facing Rollins tonight.

Bronson Reed vs. Elias

Rick Boogs is here with Elias and taking notes. Reed runs him over to start and hits a rolling splash, setting up a nerve hold. With that not working, Reed hits a clothesline and drops the Tsunami for the pin at 2:06. Total destruction.

Chad Gable is still looking for Otis (he has fliers) but nearly gets knocked down by Lita and Becky Lynch, who go to check on Trish Stratus.

Kevin Owens needs help but he doesn’t want to fight alongside Sami Zayn. He also appreciates Cody Rhodes’ help but wants to do everything alone tonight. Rhodes needs to be focused on Roman Reigns, so tonight he wants to face Solo Sikoa on his own.

We recap John Cena ripping Austin Theory apart last week.

Earlier today, Theory ran into the Street Profits, who laughed at him for last week. Theory thinks they’ll be fired soon before bragging about how big of a Wrestlemania match he has. He asks about which of the Profits has a backbone and Angelo Dawkins seems ready to fight. Instead, Theory laughs about the two of them having nothing to do at Wrestlemania and walks away.

Austin Theory vs. Angelo Dawkins

Non-title. Dawkins wrestles him down to start and hits a good dropkick for two. Back up and Theory fires off the shoulders in the corner before grabbing the chinlock. Dawkins is sent outside and we take a break. We come back with Dawkins hitting a suplex, followed by the jumping back elbow. Theory scores with a dropkick though and A Town Down finishes Dawkins at 9:33.

Rating: C. It wasn’t much, but Theory absolutely needed this win to boost him back up after last week’s massacre by Cena. Theory is only now getting back to where he feels like a legitimate star and the Cena stuff from last week tore a lot of that down. Hopefully they can do something with him in the coming weeks, or Wrestlemania could be ugly.

An annoyed Paul Heyman is ready to get rid of Kevin Owens tonight and at Wrestlemania Cody Rhodes is next. Cody went too far by mocking Roman Reigns so next week, he can do it in person when Reigns is on Raw. Next week, Cody can decide if he is a problem or a challenge.

Rey Mysterio Hall of Fame video.

Here is Rey Mysterio for a chat. Rey is so glad to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after all these years. He is looking forward to being with the fans…and here is Dominik Mysterio to interrupt. Dominik complains about how his dad neglected him over the years, like with going to Wrestlemania instead of taking him out for getting good grades. And when Rey got him a BMW instead of a Mercedes, it wasn’t even an M series!

Dominik calls him an excuse for a man and a father. Don’t worry though, as Dominik will let Rey have his Hall of Fame induction, but he wants a match with Rey at Wrestlemania. Rey says no because he still loves his son and walks away. Dominik yells at him about walking away before saying the only thing Rey taught him was what not to be. They’re taking their time setting this up, but you can see Rey getting closer and closer to saying yes every week. The match itself is going to be tricky, but this was another layer on an already deep build.

Trish Stratus, Lita and Becky Lynch are sick of Damage CTRL and the only thing they managed to do was anger Stratus.

This week’s Wrestlemania trailer: Rhea Ripley is Eleven from Stranger Things. She uses her mind powers to crush a can, turns over a table…and that’s it. This was the weakest one they’ve ever done.

Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin

Miz is on commentary. Corbin jumps Rollins before the bell but of course Rollins wants to go anyway. Rollins fights up and kicks Corbin to the floor, setting up the suicide dive onto the announcers’ table. There’s the knee to the face and Corbin is knocked into Miz for a bonus. Rollins cuts off an interfering Miz by kicking him into the ring. Miz is used as a launch pad to Stomp Corbin for the pin at 2:19. Quick and to the point here, as it should be with Corbin.

Mustafa Ali, now in a hat and sunglasses, hasn’t seen Otis either. Chad Gable finds Otis posing with the Maximum Male Models. Gable gets in on the photos and breaks the camera. Otis blows off training for more photos. Otis doing comedy is the best thing for him, but I could see this joke getting old fast.

Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title and Carmella is here with Green. Belair scares her into the corner to start and backflips over her out of the corner. There’s the standing moonsault for two on Green but a Carmella distraction lets Green sweep the legs. We take a break and come back with Green getting kicked off the ropes, only to walk into a side slam. Belair kicks Carmella off the apron but gets hit in the face to give Green two. I’m Prettier is blocked though and the KOD gives Belair the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. The build to Belair vs. Asuka has been weird as Belair has run over the pretty weak opponents she has been facing on her way to Wrestlemania. At the same time, Asuka hasn’t done much other than run in on people after they have been beaten up by Belair. That doesn’t give me much of a reason to want to see Belair vs. Asuka, but it should wind up being good.

Post match Green and Carmella beat Belair down until Asuka makes the save. Asuka picks up the title and doesn’t immediately hand it back. Instead she dances a lot and drops it, with Belair not being happy.

Solo Sikoa vs. Kevin Owens

Street fight.  The brawl starts outside with Owens getting the better of things. Owens fights up but the Cannonball doesn’t quite Sikoa loads up a chair on the floor and we take a break. Back with Owens throwing in a bunch of chairs and setting them up. That takes too long too though and the splash only hits a raised foot.

Owens gets slammed onto the chairs for two and Sikoa is stunned. Owens fights up and they go outside, where the Cannonball crushes Sikoa against the barricade. They fight into the back and…the Usos jump Owens as soon as they walk through the entrance. The beatdown takes Owens back to the ring, where the Samoan Spike gives Sikoa the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. This was the “shoe is on the other foot” moment for Owens, as he needs his own help dealing with the Bloodline. I don’t know if this is enough to get him to saying yes to Sami Zayn but something is going to have to break him. Again they’re taking their time to get there, but the reaction for the reunion is going to be worth it.

Owens can’t breathe to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. We are absolutely in the time of “don’t do anything stupid” with Wrestlemania just a few weeks away. There was a big match added to the show this week and some steps taken to two other important ones, but other than that it was more fine tuning the Wrestlemania card than anything else. That can make for some less than interesting TV, but they are putting in the work to get us to the important stuff in Los Angeles.

Results
Judgment Day b. Dexter Lumis/Johnny Gargano – South of Heaven to Lumis
Cody Rhodes b. LA Knight – Cross Rhodes
Bronson Reed b. Elias – Tsunami
Austin Theory b. Angelo Dawkins – A Town Down
Seth Rollins b. Baron Corbin – Stomp
Bianca Belair b. Chelsea Green – KOD
Solo Sikoa b. Kevin Owens – Samoan Spike

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.