Survivor Series 2021
Date: November 21, 2021
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 15,120
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Pat McAfee

Since it’s Survivor Series and there are no other possible options for the show in the history of ever, it’s time for a Battle Of Brand Supremacy with wrestlers who have been on the roster for about a month. That means a battle of World Champions Roman Reigns and Big E., plus Survivor Series tag matches and….a Rock 25th Anniversary battle royal? Let’s get to it.

For the sake of simplicity, all matches involving champions are non-title.

Kickoff Show: Damian Priest (Raw) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown)

US Champion vs. Intercontinental Champion and Rick Boogs handles Nakamura’s entrance, much to Pat McAfee’s (now dancing on the announcers’ table) delight. Priest works on the arm to start but a Boogs guitar solo cuts that off, allowing Nakamura to grab a headlock. Nakamura takes him into the corner for Good Vibrations, with Boogs playing something that is in no way Good Vibrations.

Back up and Priest knocks him down and grabs a chinlock, meaning Boogs plays some more for a distraction. Some strikes to the head rock Priest and the sliding German suplex makes it worse (with McAfee jumping up to celebrate). Priest fights up and hits a running elbow in the corner, followed by a hard clothesline for two.

South Of Heaven is broken up though and Nakamura kicks him in the head again. Kinshasa is countered into South Of Heaven for two but the Reckoning is blocked. Priest counters an armbar into a triangle choke but Boogs guitars Nakamura to freedom AGAIN. Finally Priest goes outside and breaks the guitar (McAfee: “YOU SON OF A B****!”), with one of the pieces nailing Nakamura for the DQ at 9:24.

Rating: C. I was having fun with the back and forth as they had some chemistry together, but at the same time, there is only so much you can get with the constant Boogs interference. I do like that they didn’t have a champion get pinned here and instead went with Priest snapping to finish things up. Not a great match, but a fast paced one to start things off.

Smackdown – 1
Raw – 0

The opening video talks about how this is two sides battling….and we see a clip from Rock’s Netflix movie Red Notice. The voiceover talks about how many things the movie and show have in common before moving into the nonsense about this being the ONE NIGHT where Raw and Smackdown go head to head. Clips from the movie mock teamwork, which is what this show is all about. After more clips and more generic opening video statements about how important the show is, we’re ready to go.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte. They were old friends but then both wanted to be the best, with Lynch getting there in a big way. Then Lynch left on maternity leave and Charlotte bragged about how great she (as in Charlotte) is so now that Lynch is back, it’s time to fight.

Before we got there though, there was also the VERY awkward moment where Charlotte was supposed to hand over the Raw Women’s Title and dropped it instead, leading to ALL KINDS of problems/discussion. Oh and Charlotte’s REALLY annoying “UH-OH” promo. This does at least have a personal story rather than just doing the Raw vs. Smackdown deal.

Charlotte (Smackdown) vs. Becky Lynch (Raw)

For a bonus, they’re both dressed as characters from Wandavision, with Charlotte as the villain and Becky as the hero. Becky hits her in the face to start and the brawl is on early. Charlotte goes for the leg but has to escape a Disarm-Her attempt. Back up and Charlotte hits a spear but Becky hits a heck of a spinning kick to the face. They head outside for a hard posting to Charlotte but it’s too early for the Manhandle Slam.

Charlotte gets her down and rams Becky’s face into the mat over and over. Becky is sent outside so Charlotte loads up the moonsault, which is shoved HARD into the barricade for a great looking crash instead. Charlotte sends her into the barricade and they both get back in at the same time for the big staredown. Becky avoids a shot to the knee in the corner but an armbar is countered into a powerbomb for two.

Some stomps in the corner have Charlotte in trouble and the fans aren’t thrilled with Becky. A fall away slam sends Becky into the corner for a crash, followed by the Andrade double moonsault for two. Charlotte snaps her throat first across the top but Becky knocks her into the ropes. The Fameasser onto the ropes gives Becky two and Charlotte misses the big boot, only to ram her head into Becky’s for two instead. The second big boot gets two instead so Becky is right back with a Christian layout reverse DDT.

Back up and the Manhandle Slam gives Becky two more, setting up a cross between a Figure Four and a heel hook. Charlotte turns it over for the break anyway and they’re both down for a bit. I’m not sure why Becky is down but it does make things a bit more dramatic. Yet another big boot knocks Becky outside and the moonsault…well it comes close to her at least, with the replay not making it any better.

Back in and Charlotte grabs her own Disarm-Her but Becky slips out. They fight into the corner where Charlotte grabs a rollup with ropes for two, as the referee sees the cheating. Becky reverses into a rollup of her own and doesn’t get caught grabbing the ropes for the pin at 18:13.

Rating: B+. These two work well and they treated it as a huge match, especially at the start where they both came out swinging. The ending was more of a way to save Charlotte than to give us a definitive winner, but after Charlotte has gone over so many times, doing a tainted job to the biggest female star ever isn’t asking too much. Great opener, with all kinds of energy and the big fight feel.

Raw – 1
Smackdown – 1

Classic Rock Moment: Debuting at Survivor Series 1996.

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Raw: Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley
Smackdown: Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin, Sheamus

Survivor Series match and MVP/Madcap Moss are the respective sixths. Lashley has his spot after taking it from Dominik Mysterio and also caused Rey Mysterio to lose his spot to Theory. On the other side, Sami Zayn lost to Hardy, costing himself a spot on the team. You know, in case you needed a recap on the five people per show being thrown together. Rollins, the self proclaimed Raw captain, lets Owens start, so Owens bails to the floor and leaves for the countout less than a minute in.

After Owens takes a bow, McIntyre jumps Rollins on the floor as Theory comes in to face Woods. Theory gets his arm cranked on and it’s McIntyre coming in to launch him into the corner. Sheamus and McIntyre take turns chopping at Theory (McAfee is rather giddy) and Corbin gets in on it with a pretty good right hand. Theory manages to punch his way to freedom though and the tag brings in Rollins, who is knocked right back into the Smackdown corner.

It’s Hardy coming in to start on the arm and a quick splash gets one. Rollins is able to grab Sheamus by the arm though and Balor comes in to work on that arm for a change. Again though, that doesn’t last long as Sheamus drags him right back over for the tag to Corbin. We continue to e parade of arm cranking between people who don’t really dislike each other, making this match feel all the less interesting. Deep Six gets two on Balor with Lashley making the save, meaning everything breaks down.

With almost everyone else being knocked down, Balor kicks Corbin in the head and drops the Coup de Grace for the elimination. Hardy comes in to face Balor and the fans are rather pleased. It’s Hardy taking over with the basement dropkick but Balor’s own dropkick gets his own two. Lashley comes in for a running shoulder in the corner to Hardy, which has McAfee worried on commentary.

Hardy fights out of Balor’s chinlock and hits Whisper in the Wind, leaving Lashley and McIntyre to fight on the floor. Lashley posts him (McAfee: “DREW ARE YOU OK???”), leaving Theory to cover Hardy for two as the fans are interested in….something. It’s back to Woods to clean house, including a discus forearm to Theory. Lashley crotches Woods on top though and the Hurt Lock is good for the elimination to make it 4-3 Raw.

Everything breaks down again and Balor’s slingshot dive is pulled out of the air by Sheamus. We get the big Lashley vs. McIntyre showdown with Lashley backing up for some reason. McIntyre jumps him instead but Lashley powers him into the corner. That earns him a clothesline out to the floor with McIntyre following to post Lashley for a change. They fight over the barricade and that’s a double countout to get rid of the big guys.

The fans are NOT happy, even as Lashley jumps McIntyre after the eliminations. A Claymore drops Lashley though and a Glasgow Kiss drops a laughing Rollins before both guys leave. We’re down to Sheamus/Hardy vs. Rollins/Theory/Balor with Sheamus charging into a boot in the corner. That’s enough for Rollins to dive over for the hot tag to Balor, who is quickly powerslammed for two.

Balor is back up with a Sling Blade but the Coup de Grace misses, setting up the Brogue Kick to give Sheamus the pin. Theory is right in for a heck of a dropkick and it’s Rollins coming back in for a chinlock. After a pretty good while, Sheamus powers up and brings Hardy in to clean house.

Everything breaks down with Sheamus playing Matt Hardy for a springboard splash to the other two in the corner. That’s enough for Sheamus and Hardy to hit stereo ten forearms to the chest, followed by White Noise to Rollins. Everything breaks down again and Rollins pulls Hardy off the apron, leaving Theory to roll Sheamus up for the elimination. That leaves us with Hardy vs. Rollins/Theory…but Sheamus decks Theory before he leaves….and then does it to Hardy too.

Rollins is fine enough to get the tag and hit a frog splash for two on Hardy as we settle in to the beating. Theory takes Hardy up top but gets knocked down, setting up the Swanton for the pin. Rollins isn’t happy and glares at Hardy, who grabs a rollup for two. A hard forearm to the back of the head gets two on Hardy but the Twist of Fate drops Rollins. The Swanton hits raised knees though and the Stomp gives Rollins the final pin at 29:55.

Rating: B. It was a fun, hard hitting match, but the Raw vs. Smackdown lineups continue to feel so worthless. They might as well do a Lethal Lottery format and you would get the same result. The good thing is that the talent is here and can make a match like this work, but the format desperately needs to change to make it more interesting.

Raw – 2
Smackdown – 1

WWE did some charity stuff in Harlem.

Vince McMahon arrived earlier and got a big reception from a bunch of the wrestlers. Then he pulled out a gold egg, because cross promotion.

Classic Rock Moment: recreating the Montreal Screwjob a year later at Survivor Series 1998.

Roman Reigns comes in to see Vince McMahon, who shows him the egg. That’s Cleopatra’s egg, which was given to him by the Rock. Apparently it’s worth $100 million dollars, which Reigns says is as much as his next contract. And that’s it.

The Rock 25th Anniversary Battle Royal

Shanky, Commander Azeez, T-Bar, Robert Roode, Angel, Humberto, Shelton Benjamin, Sami Zayn, R-Truth, Cedric Alexander, Montez Ford, Jinder Mahal, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, Otis, Mansoor, Drew Gulak, Erik, Chad Gable, Ivar, Apollo Crews, Omos, AJ Styles, Ricochet, Angelo Dawkins

The Street Profits come to the ring with a bunch of Pizza Hut. Nothing wrong with a sponsorship. Cole and Graves get pizza but Saxton is denied, as he should be. Styles bails to the floor and stands on the announcers’ table as everyone else fights for the smart move of the night. Gulak and Benjamin are out to start with Humberto following them. Truth heads outside to get some pizza, which he offers to Omos and Otis.

The latter takes it before throwing Truth out and going after Omos. Otis doesn’t last long and Gable armbars Cesaro over the rope. That’s broken up and Cesaro knocks Gable out and T-Bar is dropkicked to the floor by Ricochet. The fans want pizza but have to settle for Alexander and Garza being tossed out. There goes Erik and Ivar at the hands of Shanky, because the potential is in Shanky instead of the Viking Raiders. Omos gets rid of Shanky with ease and Roode catapults Mansoor out.

Roode and Ziggler go after Omos and the giant gets rid of Roode, leaving Styles to Phenomenal Forearm Ziggler for the elimination. Zayn tries to rally the remaining Smackdown names but yells at Ricochet, leaving Ford and Dawkins to toss him out. Omos gets rid of Azeez, who pulls Styles out despite Omos’ protests. Crews is out next and we’re down to Omos, Dawkins, Ford, Cesaro and Ricochet. Cesaro rallies the troops to go after Omos, earning himself an elimination. There go Dawkins and Ford, leaving us with Ricochet vs. Omos. That doesn’t last long either as Omos tosses him out for the win at 10:38.

Rating: C. This was ALL about Omos, who threw out about half of the field and dominated throughout. It worked for Andre and even if Omos isn’t quite there, it was a nice performance. Omos is someone who works well in this kind of a spot, even if this had absolutely NOTHING to do with the Rock.

Raw – 3
Smackdown – 1

Post match Styles goes for the pizza but Ford kicks him in the head and throws it into the crowd.

Classic Rock Moment: winning the 2000 Royal Rumble, even if Big Show really won.

We look at the pre-show match.

RKBro (Raw) vs. Usos (Smackdown)

Riddle starts fast with an armbar attempt on Jimmy but gets stacked up for two and the break. A headbutt just makes Riddle mad and he grabs a spinning gutwrench suplex to send Jey flying. Orton comes in and we hear about his hear in Ohio Valley Wrestling for a bit of a rarity. The threat of an RKO sends Jimmy bailing to the floor so it’s off to Jey, who stomps Orton down in the corner.

That just earns Jey a punch to the nose (simple, yet effective) and a trip to the floor, allowing Riddle to hit the springboard Floating Bro. A drop onto the barricade cuts Riddle off though and it’s back to Jimmy for the suicide dive. We slow things down a bit with Jey hammering away in the corner until Riddle manages a kick to the head. That’s way too soon for a hot tag to Orton though and Jimmy is back in with a chinlock.

Riddle fights up and manages a Bro To Sleep (which doesn’t make anything close to full contact), allowing Orton to come back in to clean house. Snap powerslams drop the Usos and Jey gets belly to back dropped onto the announcers’ table. Not to be outdone, Jimmy gets the same as McAfee is losing it even more than usual. Back in and the hanging DDT hits Jey but he’s fine enough to block the RKO.

Riddle is up again and kicks Jey in the head before nailing Jimmy with a running forearm. Jey manages to kick Riddle down for two and the pop up Samoan drop gets two. There’s a superkick to Riddle and a double superkick to Orton. The double superkick from either side gets two on Riddle, who kicks out and stays rigid for a weird moment. Riddle’s enziguri gets him out of trouble though and Orton gets a blind tag. Jimmy doesn’t notice though and his Superfly Splash is pulled into the RKO to give Orton the pin at 14:48.

Rating: B. Two of the best teams in WWE have a good match when they are given about fifteen minutes on a big stage. Sometimes these things write themselves and that was the case here, as Orton even managed to get in the cool RKO that he hits in these important matches. Another solid match on the show in what shouldn’t be a surprise at all. Now just do it again for the titles.

Raw – 4
Smackdown – 1

Classic Rock Moment: vs. John Cena at Wrestlemania XXVIII. I’d say that counts, though it’s still hard to believe Cena lost.

Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce wait for Vince McMahon in his office. Vince comes back…and the egg is gone. The middle management goons are sent to find out who did it, saying if they don’t find out tonight, Vince will find out himself on Raw.

Video on Xia Li, the Protector, in comic book form. Yeah this was too cool to work and it never went anywhere.

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women

Raw: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina
Smackdown: Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Toni Storm, Natalya

Zelina is still a queen and Ripley is half of the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Nikki Ash, which mean a grand total of nothing (Zelina and Carmella would win them the next night on Raw). Toni Storm (as announced in a completely necessary tweet earlier in the day) starts with Carmella, who drops Storm with a right hand. Hold on though as Carmella hands it off to Zelina before heading outside to put on her protective mask. It takes forever to put the mask on so Carmella has Zelina do it, allowing Storm to grab a rollup for the pin.

Belair and Banks come in for a Wrestlemania rematch but Shotzi tags herself in. A quick backsplash gets two on Belair but she’s right back up to knock Shotzi silly. Belair’s jumping splash gets two so Morgan comes in for a middle rope….uh, something, and a near fall. Natalya comes in for two off a snap suplex and a pinfall reversal sequence gets some near falls each. The step over basement dropkick gives Natalya two more but it’s off to Ripley to freshen things up.

Natalya doesn’t seem to mind and brings Baszler in for a double suplex. The jumping stomp to Baszler’s arm is blocked though and the slugout is on. Ripley has to fight out of an armbar as well as the Kirifuda Clutch, allowing her to stomp on Baszler’s head. Shotzi saves Baszler from the Riptide though and everything breaks down. Ripley breaks out of another choke and it’s a double tag to give us Belair vs. Banks.

Belair tries the power but gets pulled straight into the Bank Statement. That’s broken up so Banks sends her face first into the middle buckle, setting up a tornado DDT for two on Belair. Back up and Zelina tags herself in so Belair launches her at Banks for two more. No one will tag Banks so she has to block Zelina’s Code Red. Banks tags herself in and flips Zelina over into a cutter for the pin. Morgan comes in for a pinfall reversal sequence of her own until Oblivion connects to get rid of Storm.

Baszler comes in to choke Morgan and even kicks Ripley off the apron to prevent a tag (that’s smart). It’s off to Shotzi for a weird looking splash, followed by Banks’ frog splash to eliminate Morgan. Ripley comes in and muscles Banks up for a delayed suplex and a near fall. A missile dropkick sends Banks flying into the corner but Shotzi comes in off a blind tag. Shotzi offers a distraction so Baszler can come in with a knee to the face to pin Ripley, leaving Belair vs. Natalya, Shotzi, Banks and Baszler.

Belair comes in and suplexes Natalya for two before firing off the shoulders in the corner. Baszler’s distraction lets Natalya hit a powerbomb out of the corner for two and it’s off to Banks. Shotzi gets into it with Banks and pulls her to the floor where Banks gets counted out to make it 3-1.

Natalya comes in and Sharpshooters Belair, who rolls Natalya into Baszler for the break. A rollup finishes Natalya to make it 2-1, with Baszler coming in next. The Kirifuda Clutch is countered into a release Glam Slam to get rid of Baszler and it’s Shotzi vs. Belair. Shotzi grabs a choke in the corner and a faceplant drops Belair again. The running hip attack in the ropes gets two on Belair, who sends Shotzi into the corner and hits the KOD for the pin/win at 23:46.

Rating: C-. Well that was ridiculous. The last five minutes of this was Belair doing her best Super Cena impression, as she ran through three people on her own (four if you count getting rid of Banks). The match wasn’t anything special otherwise, as the Belair vs. Banks segment was the only thing worth seeing. This felt long until the ending, when it became one head shaking moment after another. Storm was trying and got a bit of a run, but this was all about making Belair look strong and to say they went overboard would be an understatement.

Raw – 5
Smackdown – 1

Classic Rock Moment: The Rock is at the first Smackdown on FOX and rips on Baron Corbin/hangs out with Becky Lynch.

Paul Heyman knows nothing about the missing egg but thinks those people from BROOKLYN might have had something to do with it. That’s not what he is being asked about though: what about Brock Lesnar’s suspension being lifted soon? Uh, Heyman doesn’t want to talk about that either.

Video on Bobby Lashley.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Big E. Last month, Big E. cashed in Money In The Bank to become the new Raw World Champion. The New Day celebrated because they’re a brotherhood, but Reigns said they were no Bloodline. Reigns broke Woods’ King Of The Ring crown and now it’s time for a clash between World Champions.

Big E. (Raw) vs. Roman Reigns (Smackdown)

Paul Heyman is here too as we hear about their time together in FCW. They fight over a lockup to start with neither getting anywhere, meaning it’s off to another staredown. Big E. shoves him a bit and Reigns bails to the floor, where Heyman lists off some Anoa’i family members at the table. Back in and Reigns hits the jumping clothesline for two before stomping away rather hard.

An elbow drops Reigns and Big E. gets to talk a bit of trash to set up the missed apron splash. Big E. comes up favoring his knee and you know Reigns is happy with that. Back in and the chinlock goes on for a bit until Big E. powers up for the break. You don’t do that to Reigns, who boots Big E. down for two more. Big E. is sent outside again as Reigns is getting frustrated and growling at the crowd. A reversed whip into the steps puts Reigns in trouble for a change and some belly to bellies make it worse back inside.

The Warrior Splash connects but Big E. charges into a Samoan drop for two. Reigns fires off the corner clotheslines until Big E. Rock Bottoms him out of said corner for two of his own. The Stretch Muffler has Reigns in trouble so he powers up into a sitout powerbomb to rock Big E. again. A Rock Bottom gets two more as they’re sticking with the big shots here. Two Superman Punches only keep Big E. down for a few seconds so Reigns hits a third…but Big E. is back up before the spear can even launch.

Reigns is sent to the apron for the spear out to the floor but comes right back in with his own spear (minus through the ropes) for a rather near fall. They take their time getting up, with Reigns talking about how Big E. doesn’t deserve to be here. The guillotine is broken up but Big E. tries another spear through the ropes and gets caught in the choke. Reigns gets it on again back inside, only to muscle Reigns up into the Big Ending for two.

They head outside again, with Big E. fired up this time as he sends Reigns face first into the announcers’ table. A posting and ram into the barricade have Reigns in more trouble but he’s fine enough to send Big E. knees first into the steps. A Superman Punch off the steps lets Reigns kick the knee out and hit a spear for the pin at 21:56.

Rating: B. It took some time to get going and could have had a few minutes cut out, but this was a heck of a fight. The problem here though was there was no reason to believe Reigns would lose. Big E. is great, but winning the title via Money in the Bank makes him feel a step beneath Reigns, in addition to the fact that Reigns already feels like a bigger star than anyone else at the moment. Big E. was trying here, but you know Reigns getting pinned is going to be a huge moment, not something in a stand alone show like this one.

Raw – 5
Smackdown – 2

Overall Rating: B-. This show is going to depend on how you look at it. While the wrestling was mostly good, with the main event and men’s Survivor Series match carrying it, the biggest problem is NOTHING HAPPENED. Raw dominated the head to head competition and there was nothing on here that I felt like I needed to see. Reigns is still the unstoppable force and whoever got the red shirts this year had a strong night. What else is there to say about the wrestling with non-existent stakes?

Then you have everything else and it was just sad. The Rock obsession was cool and made sense, but without him actually having anything to do with the show the impact kind of falls apart. I know he’s busy, but if he isn’t going to be there, maybe don’t focus on him so much. The egg stuff was stupid, though I can’t fault WWE for trying to make money and it was relatively short.

Overall, as has been the case for a long time, there was enough good to pretty good action to make the show a decent watch, but there is absolutely nothing from a storyline perspective. The Battle For Brand Supremacy stuff worked for a few years but now WWE has given up on it meaning anything, so why should I care about what they’re doing? Good enough show, but totally unimportant.

Ratings Comparison

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Damian Priest

Original: C+
Redo: C

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Original: B+
Redo: B+

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Original: B-
Redo: B

Battle Royal

Original: C
Redo: C

Usos vs. RKBro

Original: C+
Redo: B

Smackdown Women vs. Raw Women

Original: C-
Redo: C-

Big E. vs. Roman Reigns

Original: B
Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Oh yeah this is about as similar as it gets.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 20, 2023
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the final Raw before Survivor Series and that means WarGames needs an advantage. As luck would have it, that’s the big featured match this week as a member from each team will face to see who gets the advantage at Survivor Series. Other than that, it’s probably going to be a lot of final pushes towards the show so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, where Drew McIntyre cost Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso the Tag Team Titles as part of an alliance with Judgment Day. Cody and pals are going to need some backup of their own.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat, saying he isn’t Dominik Mysterio so the people will listen to him talk. No one is more upset about what he did last week than he is. If you turned on him, you were never a fan in the first place and he doesn’t care about you. Last week he looked Jey Uso in the face and then laid him out, which is more than Jey ever did for him. Yeah Cody Rhodes was caught in the crossfire but Cody brought Jey to Raw. McIntyre rants about Clash At The Castle again before clarifying that he has NOT joined Judgment Day but he’ll team with them at WarGames.

Rhea Ripley let him have Jey in a cage…and here is Jey to interrupt. Jey says McIntyre needs to let it go but here is Judgment Day to back things up. Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn come out to even a lot of this up but Adam Pearce says WarGames is on Saturday. If anyone throws the first punch, their team automatically loses the advantage. Pearce says Cody and company need a fifth team member tonight and by 9:00 (about 50 minutes from now), they need to decide on their participants in the advantage match.

Post break, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley chat about Drew McIntyre being added to the team. Priest likes the move, but she should have consulted with him because he’s the leader going into WarGames. Ripley gets that and they seem cool. Priest also thinks he should be in the advantage match, but she says they should wait for Drew. Works for Priest as well.

Nia Jax vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rodriguez charges into the corner and hammers away to start but a release Rock Bottom puts her back down. Jax is knocked outside but manages a posting as we take a break. Back with Jax grabbing a chinlock until Rodriguez powers up. Her back gives out though and Jax hits a backsplash to crush her again. The Annihilator is countered into a powerbomb attempt but the back gives out a second time. Now the Annihilator can finish for Jax at 9:03.

Rating: C. The commercial in the middle hurt this a good bit as we really just saw a bunch of Jax cutting Rodriguez off and then sitting on her chest for the pin. That’s the kind of monster Jax is and in theory it’s setting up a showdown with Ripley for the title. While that might make sense on paper, it doesn’t make for the most interesting match as Jax is….well she’s Jax.

Video on Xia Li.

Judgment Day, now with Drew McIntyre, has a chat about the advantage match. McIntyre and Damian Priest don’t see eye to eye on this, but Priest eventually relents. Priest even tells McIntyre to go show his worth.

We look at how the women’s WarGames match was set up.

Cody Rhodes and company aren’t sure who should face Drew McIntyre but Jey Uso wants to hurt him most and gets the match. With that out of the way, they still need a fifth member and apparently Smackdown guys are NOT off limits. Cody has an old friend he can call as well.

Becky Lynch vs. Xia Li

Lynch takes her down without much trouble to start and snaps off some armdrags. Li gets in a shot in the corner but Lynch sends her outside without much trouble. A kick to the face knocks Lynch off the apron though and we take a break. Back with Lynch unloading with forearms and managing to knock her into the corner.

The Bexploder gets two but Li is back with a spinning kick to the back for two of her own. The Manhandle Slam is blocked so Lynch goes for a cross armbreaker but Li slips out again. Li grabs something like a torture rack airplane spin for a crash and two, followed by some choking in the corner.

Another trip to the top is countered into a superplex to give Lynch two more, with Barrett saying this is a Wrestlemania main event. No. The Manhandle Slam is blocked and Li manages the big spinning kick to send Lynch outside. Lynch is back up and gets in a posting but the both beat the count back in. A quick Manhandle Slam finishes for Lynch at 13:38.

Rating: B-. While I wouldn’t have had a #1 contender to the NXT Women’s Title take a clean loss, Li got in a lot here and made Lynch work for it. There isn’t much shame in losing to Lynch, though it would have been nice to not do it the night before Li challenges for the title. Anyway, good match here and pretty easily the best of Li’s career.

Post match Damage CTRL and the rest of Becky’s team come in for the brawl until referees break it up.

Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci argue in the back, with Kaiser telling him to stay here while Kaiser takes care of Johnny Gargano.

Video on Zoey Stark.

Ludwig Kaiser vs. Johnny Gargano

Tommaso Ciampa is here with Gargano. Kaiser chops away in the corner to start but Gargano snaps off a running hurricanrana. They trade kicks to the head in the corner with Kaiser being knocked outside. Gargano’s big dive is cut off though and we take a break. Back with Kaiser punching One Final Beat out of the air but getting caught with the slingshot spear instead.

Gargano kicks him in the head and grabs a middle rope spinning Downward Spiral for two more. The rolling kick to the head is cut off and a tilt-a-whirl faceplant gives Kaiser his own near fall. A Death Valley Driver connects on Gargano but here is Giovanni Vinci to distract Kaiser. Said distraction lets Gargano hit One Final beat for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. The back and forth between these guys continues but the issues for Imperium are making things more interesting. While Gunther doesn’t need them to win, the underlings having their own problems might come back to cause him trouble later on. For now though, I can go with Gargano winning, though unless DIY wins the blowoff match between the teams, it might not matter much.

Earlier today, a bunch of teams argued over the next Women’s Tag Team Title match so it’s a four way #1 contenders match tonight. Chelsea Green is going to call Nick Aldis about this. Adam Pearce: “Tell him I say hi.”

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio run into Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, sitting in the Judgment Day’s clubhouse. Stark loves all of the decorations, especially the Women’s Title. Ripley kind of respects the guts it took to do this, but the beating is coming at Survivor Series.

Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell vs. Tegan Nox/Natalya vs. Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are on commentary. Natalya and Nile start things off as Green things Cole’s first name is Matthew. Nile dropkicks Natalya into the corner and hands it off to Dupri, who actually takes Natalya down. Nile comes back in and gets Russian legsweept but Hartwell tags herself in to take over.

The rapid fire tags continue and everything breaks down, with Chance and Carter taking over. Nox and Natalya are sent outside so Carter can dive onto a bunch of people. Dupri hits her own dive and poses as we take a break. Back with Chance striking away at Natalya, who Michinoku Drivers her for two.

Nile powerbombs Nox and Natalya out of the corner, allowing Carter to flip Chance onto both of them for two more. Maxxine comes in to clean house, setting up a Caterpillar to Nox. A bridging suplex gives Maxxine two so Nile and Maxxine hit a double suplex to drop Nox again. Maxxine goes up top for a high crossbody but Nox rolls through for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much all about Maxxine and she did well enough as the fun star who is playing above her skills. I’m not sure I would have had her take the pin when there were so many others out there, but at least Nox and Natalya have a bit of a history together. The action was what you would expect for a four way tag match, but at least one of the better (I guess?) options won.

Gunther isn’t pleased with Ludwig Kaiser and thinks maybe he should have put Giovanni Vinci in charge instead.

A bunch of tag teams argue over who should get a Tag Team Title shot so Adam Pearce makes Tag Team Turmoil for next week. Akira Tozawa comes in for the comedy. With the teams gone, Nick Aldis pops up to talk with Pearce.

Here is Miz for a chat about Gunther. Miz has been called the underdog…and here is Gunther to interrupt. Gunther doesn’t like him and doesn’t think anything of Miz, but Miz talks about the past Intercontinental Champions he loved as a kid (Savage, Michaels, Rude, Hart). He worked and tried for twenty years to become what they were because they’re memorable and not a one note robot like Gunther.

Miz will do whatever it takes to survive and win because that is what he does. He is tired of the disrespect and is ready to beat a lesson into Gunther. That sounds good to Gunther, but he sees it differently. Miz was a fan who got made fun of because he loved wrestling so he tried to get into the business. Then other wrestlers bullied him because he doesn’t belong in this sport. Instead, he belongs behind the barricade with other weirdos like these people.

The fans chant USA, which Gunther mocks before saying Miz hasn’t been bullied enough. Gunther gets in his face and tells Mike to stand up for himself so Miz slugs away…and is promptly booted down. Gunther mocks him with the title so Miz kicks him low and hits the Skull Crushing Finale. Cole: “DO IT FOR ALL OF US WEIRDOS MIZ!” This was a heck of a promo battle as Miz can still talk with just about anyone. You don’t get that from Gunther very often but he more than held up his end here and sold the story of the match.

Seth Rollins gives Jey Uso a pep talk.

Ivar and Valhalla want revenge on Bronson Reed next week.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Chad Gable

The rest of Alpha Academy is here too. They go with the grappling to start until Nakamura kicks him into the corner. Gable fights back up and dumps him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Nakamura in control and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up so Nakamura elbows him into the corner and hits a kick to the face for two.

Kinshasa is countered into Chaos Theory for two and a dragon suplex drops Nakamura again. Gable’s moonsault hits raised boots but he’s able to get the ankle lock. Nakamura makes the rope as Cole says Kurt Angle made the ankle lock famous. Back up and Gable has to stop himself from going into an exposed buckle, allowing Nakamura to roll him up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B-. there are instances where you know a match is going to be good if the people involved are given the chance to make it work and that was the case here. Gable as a more serious amateur style wrestler works well and Nakamura’s striking balanced it out nicely. They had a good match as Nakamura’s star continues to rise, though I have no idea where they’re going with him.

Damian Priest tells Drew McIntyre to not blow it.

Bronson Reed is in for next week because Ivar is a cosplayer instead of a true warrior.

Survivor Series rundown.

Video on WarGames.

Sami Zayn couldn’t get anyone from Smackdown, but Cody Rhodes’ friend answered the phone and he’s in. His partners are thrilled.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

For the WarGames advantage. They slug it out to start with McIntyre getting the better of things. An elbow to the face gives McIntyre two but Uso fights back and they head outside as we take a break. Back with McIntyre slugging away in the corner but getting kicked in the head for his efforts. A high crossbody gives Uso two and they head outside again, this time with McIntyre ramming him into various things.

Uso’s head gets crushed against the post and McIntyre gets to taunt him a bit. McIntyre tosses him over the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back again with Uso taking McIntyre down as Cole goes over the rules of WarGames. Uso misses a discus lariat though and gets neckbreakered down. The Claymore is cut off by a superkick to give Uso two but McIntyre is back with Futureshock for the clean pin at 18:34.

Rating: B-. Well that was abrupt. The match went long and then just ended with a clean pin. It’s not a bad thing but you see it so rarely that it’s almost hard to process. The villains getting the advantage is WarGames 101 though and thankfully WWE understood that this year. Good main event, though it never really got to a higher level.

Post match Judgment Day comes in for the beatdown but Cody Rhodes and company come in with chairs for the ring clearing save. Cody gets the mic and says they have a fifth member. It’s someone Cody has a LEGACY with (the fans really like that one) and no they’re not prey, because they have the APEX PREDATOR.

You’re not just hearing voices inside your head because the people are right. And…..no one comes out to end the show. I guess that’s about as much of a confirmation as you can get, but Cody never said a name. Granted saying the people are right is about as much of a guarantee as you can get, but that was a really weird ending.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think of this show as this was about two parts of the same WarGames match. They covered the advantage, but they only kind of covered the fifth member reveal. I mean, unless there is some huge swerve coming at Survivor Series they’re fine, but it wasn’t exactly a smooth ending. The rest of the show was pretty much right in the middle, without much stuff that really mattered. Miz and Gunther were good, but this was about WarGames and what we got was a bit off. Then again, none of that matters after Saturday and the show is built up well enough.

Results
Nia Jax b. Raquel Rodriguez – Annihilator
Becky Lynch b. Xia Li – Manhandle Slam
Johnny Gargano b. Ludwig Kaiser – One Final Beat
Natalya/Tegan Nox b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance, Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile and Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Rollup to Dupri
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Chad Gable – Rollup
Drew McIntyre b. Jey Uso – Futureshock

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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Crown Jewel 2023
Date: November 4, 2023
Location: Mohammed Abdu Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

WWE is back in Saudi Arabia for another pretty strong looking show. The main event will see LA Knight challenging Roman Reigns for the Smackdown World Title in a match that could see quite the set of fireworks. Other than that, Seth Rollins is defending the Raw World Title against Drew McIntyre and a good bit more. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

They start slowly and fight over arm control, with the fans rather behind Zayn. An armdrag into an armbar has McDonagh in trouble and Zayn sends him into the corner a few times. McDonagh gets in a shot of his own to take over for a bit, only to have Zayn chop away in the corner.

Some choking has Zayn down again and a Spanish Fly gets two. McDonagh’s moonsault hits raised boots though and Zayn suplexes him into the corner (as there is a nasty bruise on McDonagh’s side). The Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes McDonagh off at 9:45.

Rating: C. This could have been on any given Raw and it would have been about the same. Zayn winning is going to get the fans off on the right foot and that should make for a good start to the show. If nothing else it was a bit of a twist to have it be the Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb so they even shook it up a little.

The opening video looks at Riyadh and some of the bigger matches on the show.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins for the Raw World Title. McIntyre is mad that he never got his big moment in front of the fans because of the pandemic but Rollins has told him to get over it. Now McIntyre wants his moment here instead.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Rollins is defending. Feeling out process to start with the bigger McIntyre hitting some running shoulders. A snap suplex gives McIntyre one but Rollins knocks him to the floor for the dive….which is countered into a belly to belly onto the floor. Back in and Rollins’ bad back is whipped hard into the corner as McIntyre has a target. They chop it out until McIntyre kicks him down for two.

Rollins manages some kicks of his own, including an enziguri to stagger McIntyre. A knee to the face sets up a springboard Swanton and a Lionsault for two on McIntyre as Rollins mixes it up a bit. The Falcon Arrow gives Rollins two more, followed by the superplex but McIntyre grabs a brainbuster for two of his own. The Futureshock gives McIntyre two more and frustration is setting in.

Rollins plays a bit of possum and clotheslines McIntyre to the floor, setting up the suicide dive. McIntyre is fine enough to send him back first into the steps though and a side slam on the apron makes Rollins’ back far worse. Back in and a desperation Pedigree gives Rollins two but McIntyre kicks him down again. The Claymore is loaded up but Rollins reverses into the Stomp for a rather near fall. Rollins misses the Phoenix splash though and the Claymore gets two more. McIntyre loads up something else but Rollins reverses into a Pedigree and the Stomp retains at 19:25.

Rating: B. Good opening match here and it felt like an important title match, though they never quite hit that higher gear. What mattered here was getting McIntyre cleared out, though it would not surprise me to see him getting a rematch, likely at Survivor Series. He lost here however, and it came after a strong showing from both guys.

Post match Rollins celebrates….and here is Damian Priest to cash in. Before he can do that though, Sami Zayn pops in and takes the briefcase, meaning no cash-in.

In the back, Rhea Ripley gives Drew McIntyre an “I told you so” look.

We recap the Raw Women’s Title match, which is a five way hoss battle for Rhea Ripley’s title.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Ripley is defending and gets a very long entrance, with about twenty men carrying cups and making a mini tunnel for her. Jax bails to the floor so the others can trade shots to the head inside. Rodriguez gets taken down on the floor and Ripley’s dive onto Jax is broken up. Back in and Rodriguez gets two clean house but Ripley and Jax are back in for a fight of their own.

Jax crushes Ripley for two as Stark makes the save, only to get Pounced by Rodriguez. Back up and Baszler gets a hold on everyone but Stark, who has to make the save. Stark goes up top but gets caught in a Tower of Doom, leaving everyone but Jax down. That doesn’t last long as Jax is knocked down too, leaving Ripley and Rodriguez to kick each other down for another breather.

Stark is up with a springboard dive onto everyone but Jax on the floor. Back up and Jax runs some people over until an impressive Tejana Bomb puts her down, leaving Ripley to make the save. Riptide hits Baszler so Stark makes the save this time. With that not working, Rodriguez goes after Baszler but Ripley Riptides Stark onto both of them and pins Baszler to retain at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was the hoss fight but there is only so much you can do with that many people in there. Instead of letting us have a showdown between two, or even three, of them it turned into the usual “these people fight and then someone else breaks up a pin” sequence over and over. Ripley winning is the right call, though I could go or her defending the title against some of these people one on one.

Video on Saudi Arabia, with everyone talking about how absolutely amazing the place is.

We recap John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa. Cena hasn’t won a televised singles match in over five years and is starting to doubt himself. Now he needs to prove he still has it.

John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa

Cena goes after the arm and hand to start, with commentary pointing out that he’s weakening the Spike hand. The hand is sent into the steps but Sikoa headbutts him right back down. A Banzai Drop hits Cena but it’s way too early for the Samoan Spike. Sikoa crushes him in the corner but Cena is right back with a crossface (not the STF Cole). That’s broken up and Sikoa hits a belly to belly for two.

Cena grabs a quick Protobomb but the AA is countered into a Samoan drop. Sikoa takes a bit too much time though and Cena gets up top for a high crossbody and a near fall of his own. A chokeslam of all things gives Cena two but Sikoa is back with Spinning Solo for two. Cena counters the Spike into the STF, sending Sikoa over to the ropes. Back up and Sikoa hits three straight Samoan Spikes but for some reason Sikoa won’t cover. The fourth Spike finishes Cena at 16:15.

Rating: B-. I said in my preview for the match that there was an interesting story to be told with Cena losing but I didn’t think they would go through with it. Cena losing his confidence and thinking that his time is up could lead to quite the story if he is gearing up for retirement, but now there are a few different ways to go from here. This also makes Sikoa look huge and I’m curious to see where this goes. Good ending here, even if the match was only pretty good for the most part.

Post match Cena gets the big respect moment and walks up the ramp rather slowly.

Here’s the Miz for an unadvertised MizTV. Miz wastes no time in bringing out Saudi Arabian actor Ibrahim Al Hajjaj. They exchange pleasantries but before they can get very far, Grayson Waller interrupts. Waller has his people take over and turn it into the Grayson Waller Effect but Al Hajjaj says he can talk to both of them. For now though, he’s here to be on the hottest talk show in WWE: MizTV. Waller doesn’t like that so a fight is teased but Miz makes the save, including an assist from Al Hajjaj. We’re not done as Al Hajjaj adds in a People’s Elbow. Nothing wrong with a quick segment for the live crowd.

We recap Logan Paul challenging Rey Mysterio for the US Title, which isn’t much of a story. Paul challenged Mysterio for the title and Mysterio accepted, with Paul jumping him backstage after the match was made.

Earlier today, Paul drove a fast vehicle of some kind around the desert.

US Title: Logan Paul vs. Rey Mysterio

Paul is challenging and drives said vehicle into the arena. Rey can’t do much with the power game to start and then cranks on the arm. Back up and Rey takes him down with Paul bailing out to the floor. The headscissors sends Paul into 619 position but he sends Rey to the apron instead. A Death Valley Driver into the corner sets up a Lionsault for two on Rey and Paul hammers on the ribs in the corner.

The waistlock stays on the ribs so Rey gets creative by stomping on the foot. Paul grabs a gorilla press drop into a Warrior Splash for two. The bearhug into an over the shoulder backbreaker has Rey in more trouble but he armdrags Paul into the post. A high crossbody gives Rey two but Paul is back up with a slingshot Swanton for two. Rey shrugs if off and pulls him into a crossface, sending Paul crawling over to the ropes.

A springboard moonsault is loaded up but Paul has to catch Rey before he spikes his head on the mat. They go up, where Paul hits a flipping fall away slam for two in a heck of a crash. Rey tries a 619 but Paul pulls him out of the air and takes them up top. A super electric chair is countered into a superbomb, followed by a Code Red to give Rey two. Cue a member of Paul’s entourage to give Paul some brass knuckles but Rey breaks it up. Santos Escobar comes out to take care of the goon but Paul knocks Rey cold with the knuckles for the pin and the title at 17:53.

Rating: B. That’s exactly what it should have been and the ending fit perfectly. There was no reason to keep the title on Rey and Paul has needed to win something for a bit now. There will be a long list of people coming after Paul and he’ll bring some extra eyes to the title. As usual, the match was pretty strong and I’ll take that combined with the right result any day.

Post match Paul praises Rey, who says he knows what Paul did.

Bianca Belair says beating Bayley last night was phase one. Tonight it’s phase two, where she gets the Women’s Title back.

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

Sky is defending after cashing in Money In The Bank at Summerslam to take the title from Belair. Sky gets taken down to start and a delayed vertical suplex makes it worse. Some shots to the knee slow Belair down and a jumping stomp to the ribs gets two. Sky misses a top rope backsplash though and Belair sends her flying with a fall away slam.

Belair goes up but gets pulled down into the Tree of Woe to stay on the leg. The knee is fine enough to snap off a release German suplex. Belair wins a slugout but Sky rolls her up out of a Glam Slam attempt. Sky’s running hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb faceplant before Belair uses the hair to pull her into the post.

Cue Bayley for a distraction though and Belair crashes off the top. Belair falls out to the floor and there’s a moonsault to knock her silly again. Back in and Belair gets in a knockdown of her own, only to miss a handspring moonsault. Belair fights up again and gets a rollup but Bayley distracts the referee. That earns Bayley a dive from Belair, leaving the referee to check on a downed Sky. Cue the returning Kairi Sane to jump Belair, allowing Sky to hit Over The Moonsault and retain at 16:36.

Rating: B-. This went a bit long though the Sane surprise at the end did help. Sky needed to get a more traditional win over Belair after the cash-in but this wasn’t clean either. The other problem is this just didn’t feel like a big match. Maybe it’s having Charlotte always looming over everything or Ripley being one of the biggest stars in WWE but this didn’t come off like a major title match. They got the result right though and that’s what matters most.

Post match the beatdown is on as Bayley seems rather confused by the whole thing.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest, which is another part of the Raw Friends vs. Judgment Day. Their teams have traded the Tag Team Titles but now it’s a singles match.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

Cody’s ankle is still a bit banged up following a recent attack. Priest jumps him before the bell but gets knocked outside rather quickly. Back in and Cody slugs away but he ankle gives out, allowing Priest to drop him. Cody fights back up and they go outside, where Priest is sent into the steps a few times.

A hard clothesline puts Cody down though and the Reckoning onto the announcers’ table drops him again. Back in and Cody counters another Reckoning into the Cross Rhodes but cue Finn Balor for a distraction. JD McDonagh comes out as well, allowing Priest to hit South Of Heaven for two.

Dominik Mysterio, with a chair, comes out but here is Jey Uso to clear things out. Cody hits a Flip Flop and Fly into the Bionic Elbow but the Cross Rhodes is broken up. A superkick knocks Priest out of the air though and the Cody Cutter gets two. Priest tries to fight up but gets Cross Rhodesed for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: B-. Pretty much the same thing again here, as we had a match that could have been a solid Raw main event and was good enough here. They seem to be heading towards building Cody up for Wrestlemania again and I can go with him beating Priest on the way there. If nothing else, it was kind of nice to just have a grudge match rather than something for a title for a change here as you don’t get that very often.

Some WWE people met some Saudi children. Nothing wrong with that.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight. Reigns has been Universal Champion for over three years and is running out of challengers. Knight is on the roll of a lifetime though and is getting the biggest match of his career.

WWE Universal Title: LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns

Knight is challenging and starts fast with a neckbreaker. Reigns is knocked to the apron and an elbow to the chest sends him outside. There’s a clothesline to the floor but Reigns slugs away back inside and grabs a cravate to slow things down (as we get what sounds like a one person CM PUNK chant). Reigns knocks him into the corner but charges into a boot, setting up a middle rope bulldog for a double knockdown.

A Russian legsweep into a DDT gets two but Reigns is back with something close to a release Rock Bottom for the same. Back up and the Superman Punch is countered into the torture rack neckbreaker. The LA Elbow is cut off with a Superman Punch and they’re both down for a needed breather. Knight leapfrogs over the spear though and Reigns crashes hard into the buckle.

Reigns headbutts his way out of a superplex attempt but Knight jumps back up for the top rope superplex. Now the LA Elbow can connect but cue Jimmy Uso to pull Reigns outside. The distraction lets Reigns hit a Superman Punch and the spear gets two. We hit the front facelock but Knight fights up and drives him into the corner. BFT connects out of nowhere but Jimmy puts the foot on the rope.

Knight goes after Uso on the floor and sends him into the announcers’ table over and over. Reigns comes outside and gets sent into it as well, followed by Uso being sent through said table. Back up and Reigns spears Knight through the barricade, followed by another spear for the pin to retain at 20:04.

Rating: B. That’s a Roman Reigns title match all right and we’ll probably see him in January for the Rumble. I’m not sure what is next for him, but these title matches, while good, are getting repetitive. As for Knight, he did hang in there with Reigns but at the end of the day it’s interference and a spear to put him down. That doesn’t so much make him look special as much as it makes him look like everyone else who has fallen to Reigns and that’s not a good thing.

Overall Rating: B. This was a good show overall with nothing really bad, but there is nothing you need to go out of your way to see. The problem comes down to it being right before Survivor Series and then the Royal Rumble, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for this show to matter. This show was setting the table for the big stuff down the road and while it was good, Paul winning the US Title is pretty much the only significant moment. Check it out if you have the time, but it’s not required viewing.

Results
Sami Zayn b. JD McDonagh – Blue Thunder Bomb
Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre – Stomp
Rhea Ripley b. Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Raquel Rodriguez and Nia Jax – Riptide onto Baszler
Solo Sikoa b. John Cena – Samoan Spike
Logan Paul b. Rey Mysterio – Right hand with brass knuckles
Iyo Sky b. Bianca Belair – Over The Moonsault
Cody Rhodes b. Damian Priest – Cross Rhodes
Roman Reigns b. LA Knight – Spear

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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We’re going back overseas for this one as WWE returns to Saudi Arabia for another big show. One of the best things that could have happened to these shows is that WWE has begun treating them like the big show of the month (or one of two in this case) rather than some unique ordeal. For now that means Roman Reigns actually defending his title against LA Knight, plus a bunch more. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

This is the next step in the rather long running battle between the good guys of Monday Night Raw and the Judgment Day, or in this case the guy who wants to be on the team. Zayn seems to want to wreck the whole team and beating their would be associate would be a good place to start. At the same time, McDonagh could use a win and it would not be out of the question to have him win here.

That being said, this almost has to be Zayn winning so we’ll go with that instead. Zayn is likely getting ready for a big match, likely inside WarGames, at Survivor Series and he can get some momentum here. Granted I’m not sure how much momentum there is to get out of beating McDonagh, but at least we might get something to start the show here, as Zayn can fire up any crowd.

US Title: Rey Mysterio(c) vs. Logan Paul

We’ll start the main card with what should be one of the easier calls. Paul has been one of the more consistent stars in WWE, even though he hasn’t been around very often. Someone who can draw in that much heat is worthy of giving a push and he might be in the right place here. It’s hard to imagine another part time champion, but in this case it is the right call.

So yeah absolutely Paul wins the title here, as there is no reason to keep the title on Mysterio. From the second he won the title, Mysterio felt like a transitional champion, which has been the case for more than one of his title reigns. Let Paul have the title in his big moment and build up someone else to come after it in the future. This should be a layup and I think WWE knows that this time.

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

This is a rematch from Sky’s Money In The Bank cash-in at Summerslam. Belair had a good win over Bayley on SmackDown to get things ready but I’m not sure I can imagine her getting the title here. Belair held the title for such a long time that she doesn’t really need to pick up another win here, but it’s hard to imagine Belair losing a singles match to just about anyone.

With all that being considered, I’ll go with Sky retaining here, as Belair really doesn’t need the win. There is also enough depth in the division that Sky can defend against a few interesting choices going forward (Shotzi getting a big shot, say at the Royal Rumble, wouldn’t surprise me). For now, this is Sky’s match to win and hopefully it comes after a heck of a match.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

This is another match that seems destined to move into the WarGames match later this month at Survivor Series and that should be a good thing. These two have mainly been working in tag matches lately but Priest has been teasing that Money In The Bank cash-in even more. At the same time, Priest could use a few big wins of his own, but beating Rhodes is another level.

I’ll go with Rhodes here, possibly with the rest of Judgment Day and Jey Uso getting involved. At the end of the day, I’m a bit tired of seeing these people fight each other over and over, but that is what we will probably be seeing for weeks to come. At the very least the match should be good, as they both know how to wrestle a rather good match. Rhodes wins here though, as he should be doing.

John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa

Now this one really has me interested as it could go either way. Yes it would make sense for Cena to win his first singles match in five and a half years or whatever the specifics are this time, but there is a very interesting story to be told if Cena loses again here and loses confidence in himself. Granted that might all depend on how long Cena is going to be around, but there is certainly a story to be explored there.

I’ll play it safe and go with Cena win, even though that isn’t what I want to see happen. Cena beating Sikoa isn’t going to hurt Sikoa’s value as there is no shame in losing to Cena, but my goodness it could be interesting to see Cena lose. I just can’t imagine it happening though and we’ll go with Cena winning, as it probably makes the most sense all thins considered.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

We have another intriguing one here as McIntyre has had quite the chance to explain why he is upset again and he kind of has a point about not getting his moment in front of people. At the same time, Rollins telling him to get out of it is a rather accurate response and it makes for what should be a heck of a showdown between two main event level stars in one of the show’s top matches.

While I could see McIntyre winning here, I’ll go with Rollins to win and retain the title. Rollins is going to drop the title to a big name along the line but I don’t think it’s McIntyre here. At the same time, I’m not sure what is next for McIntyre as a loss here could send him into a full fledged heel turn. A Survivor Series rematch wouldn’t be out of the question, but for now, Rollins retains.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Zoey Stark

This is something you don’t see every day as we have an actual hoss fight in the women’s division. All five of them are rather hard hitting and we could be in for a big time fight. That is something that could go in a variety of ways and that makes it all the more interesting. The five way aspect makes a title change that much more likely, though there is one thing standing in its way.

I’ll go with Ripley retaining here, as she is by far and away the biggest star in the division and is not likely to lose the title anytime in the future. Unless Ripley loses here and wins the title back rather soon in a one on one showdown, it’s hard to imagine the reign ending anytime soon. Ripley is a star on another level and she can easily get a fall over one of these four while the other three move on to do something else. Ripley retains here though, as she should.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. LA Knight

This almost has to headline the show and the story here is the rise of Knight. Despite not actually winning anything of value, Knight has become one of the biggest stars in all of WWE. He’s the kind of guy who gets a reaction no matter what he does and has that look in his eyes that lets you know you’re seeing something special. I’m just not sure that’s enough to take the title from Reigns.

I really just can’t imagine Reigns losing the title here so we’ll say he keeps the belt, but they better not have Knight lose clean. Knight is someone who could be something very special in WWE and a clean loss would hurt that more than anything else. Reigns should keep the title as he seems all but destined to face Rhodes (again) at Wrestlemania next year, but Knight shouldn’t be flat out beaten here.

Overall Thoughts

This feels like one heck of a pay per view card on paper and I could imagine it being rather good I the matches get the chance to work out. I’m not sure I can imagine some big title change outside of the US Title but that might be good enough all things considered. This show has me interested and that is more than I can say about most of the shows in this series so far.

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 23, 2023
Location: American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are closing in on Crown Jewel and a good chunk of the Raw side is covered. Seth Rollins is ready to defend the World Heavyweight Title against Drew McIntyre, who is still acting a little strange. Other than that, Judgment Day will likely have something to say and that should be important. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Judgment Day regaining the Tag Team Titles from Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso last week, thanks to an assist from Jimmy Uso.

Opening sequence.

Here are Finn Balor and Damian Priest to get things going. Priest say Judgment Day has a lot for us tonight but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cody says he’s here to talk to the leader of the Judgment Day….but he doesn’t see Rhea Ripley. Priest laughs at him and says there are people involved in Cody’s story who are here right now.

The story is that Cody failed, which has him ready to fight. Priest has a match with Jey Uso tonight, but he’ll fight Cody at Crown Jewel. Cody is down but cue the rest of Judgment Day. Jey Uso runs in to even things up a bit and the fight is on but JD McDonagh comes in to take out Rhodes’ knee. Priest slams the leg against the steps with a chair and Rhodes is left writhing in pain.

Post break, Cody is in trouble.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy

Gable wrestles Woods to the mat to start so it’s quickly off to Kofi. The pace picks up but Gable pulls him out of the air (that was nifty) and sends him outside. Otis wrecks New Day and we take a break. Back with Kofi bringing Woods in to pick up the pace. A nice twisting powerslam gives Woods two on Gable but the Honor Roll is pulled into some German suplexes.

Otis comes in for a bulldog and Kofi has to make the save as everything breaks down. The Caterpillar hits Kofi but Woods is back up. Woods tries a reverse Worm (that’s different) but Gable pulls him into the ankle lock. That’s broken up though and Kofi hits Trouble In Paradise on Otis. Gable is taken out and the Limit Breaker gives Woods the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. This was another good example of taking two teams and giving them some time to show what they can do. The Academy is best known or their comedy stuff but they can have a solid match if given the chance. New Day is still one of the best teams around and it’s nice to see them getting to go out there and do their thing at a pretty high level.

Becky Lynch is ready for Indi Hartwell tonight and Lyra Valkyria tomorrow night.

We look back at Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins’ argument last week.

Rollins runs into Rhea Ripley and brings up her meeting with McIntyre two weeks ago. He says he has style and a title so clearly he’s not McIntyre. Ripley brings up the Judgment Day’s history with Rollins but thinks he might need their help. Rollins laughs it off but Ripley says he’ll need their help if he wants to be champion as long as Roman Reigns. Rollins says the last thing he wants to be is like Reigns. Ripley: “That’s not a no.”

Natalya offers Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae advice tonight and wishes Hartwell luck. Also mentioned: Tegan Nox is hurt.

NXT Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell

Lynch is defending. Hartwell hits an early clothesline but Becky is back with a backslide for two. Snake Eyes and a side slam give Hartwell two and we take an early break. We come back with Hartwell hitting a top rope elbow to the back for two. Lynch’s reverse DDT gets the same but a big boot gives Hartwell two more. Hartwell goes up top but gets superplexed back down, only to have the Disarm-Her blocked. A powerbomb gives Hartwell two and a spinebuster is good for the same, meaning it’s time for frustration to set in. Hartwell pulls her up again but gets pulled into the Disarm-Her to retain the title at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This felt like checking another box on Lynch’s run with the title. She beats another former NXT Women’s Champion while closing the not very large loophole of Hartwell never being pinned for the title. Lynch is on to more important things and fans are around to forgetting that Hartwell was called up from NXT in the first place.

Xia Li jumps Hartwell’s friend Candice LeRae in the back.

Nick Aldis comes in to apologize to Adam Pearce in the back for what happened on Smackdown. All he wants is friendly competition and Pearce can go with that. He offers to let Aldis stay tonight, but once Aldis leaves, Pearce tells a referee to double security.

It’s time for the contract signing for the fatal five way for the Raw Women’s Title. We get entrances for Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark, all of whom sign. Champion Rhea Ripley comes out last and complains that Adam Pearce is making her life a nightmare. Not that it matters because she’s retaining the title anyway. Jax doesn’t buy it as Ripley stays on the apron, accusing Ripley of wanting her to beat up the other challengers. Jax insults Rodriguez and the fight is on, with Ripley watching from the floor.

Akira Tozawa, now in Alpha Academy gear, chops Bronson Reed to set up a match. Maxxine Dupri comes in to ask if he’s nuts but Tozawa wants to go through with it.

Johnny Gargano vs. Giovanni Vinci

Ludwig Kaiser is here with Vinci. An early backbreaker puts Gargano down but no worries as we go split screen for a preview for the upcoming movie Friday Night At Freddy’s. Back to full screen and Vinci stays on Gargano until a superkick gets a breather. Kaiser goes for the distraction but cue the returning Tommaso Ciampa to cut him off. One Final Beat gives Gargano the pin at 2:30. At least Gargano got a win.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants a better opponent to set his inner self free.

Here is Logan Paul for a chat. Paul brags about beating up a boxer earlier this month but here is Dominik Mysterio to…..eventually say he can’t wait to see Paul beat up his deadbeat dad. Paul says they have a lot in common because they overcame the odds. The fans boo them out of the building until Paul says he can’t wait to be the new US Champion. For now though, he invites ring announcer Samantha Irvin into the ring to announce him as the new champion. Cue Ricochet to take the villains out.

Natalya/??? vs. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green

Natalya’s partner is….Nikki Cross, who is so serious she almost looks to be in a trance. Natalya rolls Green up to start as Cross stands on the apron, not touching anything and seemingly catatonic. Cross drops to the floor and walks out, even as Natalya fights back. Niven comes in though and hits the basement crossbody for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C-. This was an angle rather than a match with the focus being on Cross’ new direction. I’m not sure what that is going to be but I’m a bit worried about Nox’s status. She has had so many devastating injuries over the years and hopefully she is back in the ring sooner than later. She didn’t miss much here, but that was kind of the point of the match.

We look back at Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre not getting along last week.

Miz complains to Adam Pearce about how Nick Aldis might appreciate him more, when Rhea Ripley comes in to sign the contract for Crown Jewel. She keeps the pen and goes to run into Dominik Mysterio, who is banged up from the fight earlier.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Feeling out process to start with Zayn taking him into the corner and chopping away to start taking over fast. They’re quickly on the floor with Zayn hitting a moonsault off of the barricade as McIntyre can’t get much going early on. Back in and McIntyre takes over with a suplex but Zayn sends him outside again.

The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and McIntyre sends him over the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Zayn knocking him to the floor for the big running flip dive as the ans stay behind Sami. A sunset bomb gives Zayn two but McIntyre hits him with the Glasgow Kiss.

The Claymore takes too long to load up as McIntyre’s ribs are banged up, allowing Zayn to grab the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn can’t hit the exploder suplex so McIntyre snaps off some belly to belly suplexes. A neckbreaker drops Zayn again but cue a smiling Rhea Ripley, allowing Zayn to get two. Now the exploder can connect but McIntyre offers a distraction and McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B. I can’t imagine it’s any surprise that these two had chemistry together as they’re both incredibly talented stars. Zayn is trying to find his way on his own again and having him go about fifteen minutes with a former World Champion fits him well. McIntyre needed some momentum on his way to Crown Jewel and that is what he got with his win here. Good stuff, and that shouldn’t be a shock.

Nick Aldis talks to Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, who are both wearing blue. Adam Pearce comes in to take issue, though Aldis says he’ll leave. Nikki Cross slowly walks in front of Pearce, who needs a drink.

Bronson Reed vs. Akira Tozawa

Maxxine Dupri is here with Tozawa. Reed throws him into the corner to start but Tozawa slips out of a slam. For some reason Tozawa tries a waistlock, which goes as well as you would expect. Reed plants him, hits a backsplash, and finishes with the Tsunami at 2:35.

Post break Akira Tozawa is given the Dallas Cowboys belt and New Day/DIY come in to cheer him on as he lifts with it.

Seth Rollins mocks Drew McIntyre for joining the Judgment Day (which he hasn’t done), but both of them say they don’t need the team to win.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Jey Uso vs. Damien Priest

Priest slugs away to start but gets knocked to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Priest hitting a running elbow in the corner and planting Jey with the Broken Arrow for two. Jey slugs his way out of trouble and hits a high crossbody for two. That doesn’t work for Priest who turns him inside out with a clothesline, only to get Samoan dropped to the floor.

The dive doesn’t work though as Priest Downward Spirals him onto the announcers’ table. Back in and a swinging Downward Spiral gives Priest two so he loads up the Razor’s Edge. That’s broken up as well and Uso hits a superkick but cue Finn Balor for a distraction. Priest hits South Of Heaven for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. Another solid performance from Jey, but much like the Zayn vs. McIntyre match, one of the two has a lot more going on at the moment than the other. It wouldn’t have made sense for Priest to lose before his big match with Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel so him going over here was the right call. The fact that it came after a pretty good match helps too.

Post match the beatdown is on but here is a limping Cody Rhodes for the save with a chair.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show that got some stuff done for Crown Jewel but was only so interesting. Things seemed fairly run of the mill with only Cody vs. Priest being set up for the pay per view. It’s not a bad show, but there isn’t anything on here that really stood out, save for McIntyre vs. Zayn (which shouldn’t come as any shock). Good enough show and I’m wanting to see Crown Jewel, but not a week where you needed to watch.

Results
New Day b. Alpha Academy – Limit Breaker to Woods
Becky Lynch b. Indi Hartwell – Disarm-Her
Johnny Gargano b. Giovanni Vinci – One Final Beat
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Natalya/??? – Basement crossbody to Natalya
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Bronson Reed b. Akira Tozawa – Tsunami
Damian Priest b. Jey Uso – South Of Heaven

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.

Fastlane 2023
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re at the second of the not so important sounding pay per views here and coming into the show, we have a five match card. That either means we’re getting some bonus matches announced or things are going to go long this time. The main event would seem to be John Cena and LA Knight facing the Bloodline so let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the upper deck for this show, with the Titantron on my right.

The opening video features Pat McAfee (ok that makes sense) and talks about how Indianapolis is all about speed and moving forward, though sometimes you run into oncoming traffic. As you probably expected, the previews for the matches are included.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Cody Rhodes brought Jey Uso back to WWE (after about two weeks) and is the only person to believe in him. The Judgment Day recruited Cody but got turned down, meaning it was a lot of fighting and an ensuing title match.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Rhodes and Uso are challenging and my goodness does Uso get an amazing reaction with the fans waving their arms along with him. Priest and Uso start things off with Priest running him over off a shoulder block. Uso ducks a right hand in the corner and slugs away though and Cody comes in to start on Priest’s knee. Priest blasts Uso with a clothesline to cut that off and it’s Balor coming in for his own stomping.

A headbutt gets Uso out of trouble and allows the tag to Rhodes, with a delayed gordbuster putting Uso down. Priest gets in a kick to the head from the apron but Balor’s chinlock doesn’t last that long. It’s back to Priest for a double arm crank and Rhodes is lured in so Uso can be kept in trouble. For some reason, about twenty minutes into the show, we see a wide shot of the arena and Cole talks about the show, almost sounding like he’s pitching it to new viewers.

Uso finally fights his way out of the corner and it’s Rhodes coming back in to clean house. The Disaster Kick hits Balor and Rhodes gives Priest a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Balor is right back with 1916 for two but it’s too early for the Coup de Grace. A delayed superplex plants Balor but Rhodes can’t follow up. Uso comes back in with a high crossbody for two on Priest, who comes right back with a lifting Downward Spiral for two.

The limping Priest loads up a Razor’s Edge but gets low bridged to the floor for a ram into the announcers’ table. Back in and the Superfly Splash gets two on Priest, followed by a Cody Cutter to Balor. Uso spears Priest but cue Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. Uso superkicks Dominik but gets quite the smile and wave from Ripley.

Back in and the distracted Uso gets hurricanranaed into a Coup de Grace from Balor, with Cody diving in for the save (after sitting at ringside until it was his cue for a terrible visual). Ripley briefcases Uso in the face for two but cue JD McDonagh to swing the case at Cody….but he hits Priest in the knee by mistake. Cross Rhodes on the table drops Priest and it’s a Cody Cutter/Downward Spiral combination to Balor. Another Cross Rhodes gives Cody the pin and the titles at 20:44.

Rating: B+. This went nuts in the end and I had a great time with the whole thing by the final moments. I wouldn’t have bet on the win after Judgment Day and the Bloodline joined forces last week but this was quite the twist. Good job on the surprise and the place went nuts on the win, even as McDonagh is probably about to get destroyed for screwing up again.

Booker T., Wade Barrett and Xavier Woods order pizza from Pizza Hut. This explains why I saw a Pizza Hut car driving into the arena as I was walking in.

We recap Bobby Lashley/the Street Profits vs. the LWO. Lashley and the Profits are being extra aggressive and have taken out part of the team. Rey Mysterio has an idea so it’s mystery partner time.

LWO vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

It’s just Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar (with Zelina Vega) to start for the LWO. Escobar kicks away at Ford’s leg to start and then does the same to his head. A crossbody has Ford in more trouble but he manages a right hand to cut Escobar off. Escobar is back up with a super hurricanrana to drop Ford but he takes Escobar into the corner.

Lashley comes in for a running shoulder to the ribs and the one armed vertical suplex allows Ford to come back in for two. The beating doesn’t last long as it’s back to Mysterio to pick the pace way up. Lashley knocks Mysterio outside though, meaning it’s time for quite the grin. Ford’s running splash gets two on Mysterio and Dawkins drives in some more shoulders in the corner.

Mysterio avoids a big charge from Lashley but Ford is right there to pull Escobar off the apron in a smart move. That earns Ford a Meteora from Vega but there is no one for Mysterio to tag. The villains head outside….and Carlito of all people returns to be the LWO’s third man. Carlito dropkicks Dawkins to the floor so Mysterio and Escobar can hit dives. The Backstabber finishes Ford at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Not a great or blow away match but this was all about the Carlito return. Yes a lot of people figured it out in advance but it was still a cool moment with a familiar face returning and getting to be put into a nice slot. It’s nice to have Carlito back and we could be in for a longer feud with these teams as the other LWO members are likely to be out for the time being.

Post match, commentary gets Pizza Hut, as delivered by Xavier Woods.

We look at Jade Cargill’s debut on the Kickoff Show.

We recap the Smackdown Women’s Title triple threat. Iyo Sky won the title at Summerslam, then defended it against Asuka a few weeks ago. Charlotte got involved and Asuka lost, so now it’s time for everyone to fight.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Charlotte vs. Iyo Sky

Sky is defending. Asuka starts fast by misting Charlotte for an early two, leaving us with Asuka vs. Sky. With Charlotte on the floor to get her eyes fixed, Asuka cranks on an armbar back inside. Sky grabs some rollups for a VERY near fall on Asuka, who is right back with a kick to the chest. Asuka comes back in and takes both of them down before unloading on Asuka in the corner.

Charlotte gets double teamed down, leaving Sky to missile dropkick Asuka into a heap. Asuka is fine enough to grab a German superplex for two but Charlotte comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. Back up and Charlotte takes over on both of them again, including a double flipping clothesline for two each. Asuka is back up and sends Charlotte outside, where she sends Sky out onto her for a crash.

Sky manages to drop Asuka with a moonsault, allowing Charlotte to moonsault off the top onto both of them. Back in and Charlotte goes up top with Sky, only to get caught in the Tower Of Doom. Charlotte is able to grab a Boston crab to Asuka but Sky makes the save with a running Meteora.

Things get complicated as Asuka gets a leglock on Charlotte but Sky adds a crossface, leaving them commentary confused about what happens if Charlotte taps. That’s let go so Charlotte is back up (of course) with a spear. Cue Bayley (against Sky’s wishes) as Charlotte gets the Figure Eight on Asuka. Bayley’s distraction means the referee doesn’t see Asuka tap, right before Sky’s Over The Moonsault crushes Charlotte to retain at 17:14.

Rating: B. This got better as it kept going, even with Charlotte being the focal point and getting the tap, meaning she is all but guaranteed to get another title shot down the road. It’s good to see Sky retaining though, as she has more than earned a big win like this one. I’m just worried that it’s going to be the Charlotte show down the road, though that’s all but guaranteed most of the time.

We look at Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso winning the Tag Team Titles earlier tonight.

LA Knight arrived in a Slim Jim racing car. For some reason in the arena, we saw the car pulling up (though we couldn’t see that it was Slim Jim) and then the video pulled off before we saw who was in it.

We recap John Cena/LA Knight vs. the Bloodline. Cena returned a few weeks ago and got on the Bloodline’s bad side, so Knight stepped up to help him.

Here is Pat McAfee (sporting an Indianapolis Colts title belt) for a surprise. He wasn’t about to miss this show in this city and thinks Indianapolis would be a great choice to host Wrestlemania. This city never lets the energy go down and now he’s going to do commentary. Before that though, he introduces John Cena.

John Cena/LA Knight vs. Bloodline

Paul Heyman is here with Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. Cena and Jimmy start things off with Cena powering him down, meaning Heyman’s guidance is needed. Heyman’s guidance seems to be “grab a headlock” but Cena is back up to run him over. Cena wants and gets Sikoa, who drops Cena with a single shot to the face. Jimmy comes in to stomp away, allowing Sikoa to tie Cena in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt.

A missed charge doesn’t go so well for Jimmy but the tag to Knight is cut off. The chinlock has Cena in more trouble and he just can’t quite get over for the tag again. Back in and Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack in the corner but Cena fights up. That earns him a running spinwheel kick and it’s right back to Jimmy.

A quick AA gives Cena a breather but Sikoa breaks up the tag again. There’s a headbutt to Sikoa, giving us a LET’S GO SOLO chant from Jimmy (it doesn’t catch on). A Banzai Drop hits raised knees though and the diving tag brings in Knight to clean house. Knight neckbreaker Jimmy and stomps away in the corner, followed by a DDT to Sikoa.

Everything breaks down and the LA Elbow hits Jimmy, setting up Cena’s high crossbody to Sikoa. Jimmy is right back up with a Superfly Splash to Cena and everyone is down. Knight is sent outside so Cena loads up the AA on Sikoa, only to be superkicked by Jimmy. That lets Jimmy go up, with Knight coming in to jump up for the superplex. The Five Knuckle Shuffle sets up the BFT to finish Jimmy at 17:22.

Rating: B. Nice match here, though it felt more like a big time Smackdown main event than something that needed to be on pay per view. Instead, this was more about giving Knight the big rub by having him team with Cena for a high profile win. Knight is going to have to deal with the Bloodline in the future and that could make for a big moment.

Post match, the winners show respect.

Damian Priest wants to cash in Money In The Bank tonight, but Rhea Ripley says he’s too banged up and won’t let him.

The Indiana Hoosiers football team is here, including Declan McMahon, Shane’s son/Vince’s grandson. I wonder how he got those tickets.

The Brawling Brutes like the new WWE toy truck.

We recap Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Rollins beat him last month to retain but Nakamura won’t leave him alone. Therefore tonight, it’s Last Man Standing.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Rollins is defending in a Last Man Standing match. Cole brings up that Rollins has not been pinned in a singles match since January before remembering that pins mean nothing here. Nakamura bails to the floor to start and sends a chasing Rollins’ bad back into the barricade. The fans want tables but will have to settle for Rollins suplexing him on the floor and peeling back the ring mats.

Rollins can’t send Nakamura into the exposed concrete but he can hit him with the steps. It’s time to throw in a bunch of weapons, which gives Nakamura quite the extended break. Nakamura is able to come back with some hard knees, allowing him to grab some nunchucks. A few hard shots keep Rollins down and Nakamura covers him with a trashcan. Kendo stick shots have Rollins in more trouble and there’s a knee to put him down for nowhere near a ten.

Rollins fights out of the reverse exploder though and scores with the Sling Blade for a needed breather. Some stick shots have Nakamura in trouble for a change and there’s the suicide dive to the floor. Back in and a frog splash crushes Nakamura, with Rollins having to pull himself up. Nakamura gets up as well and knees Rollins down, meaning a table can be set up in the corner.

Rollins is able to send him into (not through) the table and the Stomp gives Rollins eight. The announcers’ table is loaded up and it’s time to bring out a ladder. Nakamura is laid on the table but gets up and rolls away before Rollins can jump off of said ladder. They fight into the crowd with Rollins knocking him over towards the entrance. Nakamura knocks him off the stands and onto a well placed pad though, leaving Rollins to have to beat the count.

Some chair shots knock Rollins back to ringside, where he can’t hit a Pedigree on the concrete. He can hit it back inside though, allowing another table to be set at ringside while Nakamura beats the count. Nakamura puts him on the table and hits a top rope double knee for eight. More chair shots have Rollins in trouble as Cole is begging him to stop. Rollins manages a posting and loads Nakamura onto the announcers’ table before climbing the ladder.

Nakamura gets up and climbs the other side, where the mist knocks Rollins off the ladder and through the table. That’s good for nine so they go back inside. Kinshasa through the table gets nine more, with Rollins having to roll to the floor to survive. Nakamura takes him into the crowd again and they go up onto a small platform. Rollins manages a Pedigree and Stomp onto said platform for nine of his own, followed by a Falcon Arrow through a table (good thing it was there) to retain at 28:24.

Rating: B. That was a hard hitting match and Rollins felt like a star when he won, but it was also kind of a paint by numbers Last Man Standing match. I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen someone do the roll to the floor spot to save themselves in this kind of match but it’s hardly anything more. This should finish their feud though and now Rollins can move on to something else while Nakamura does….I’m not sure at this point.

Rollins celebrates and a highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. I liked the show, but it felt like a big time special edition of Raw than a pay per view. The Tag Team Titles changing hands was a surprise, but other than that, the main event was the only thing that felt like it really belonged on a major show. It wasn’t bad by any means and the worst match was completely fine. I just need something more than this, as five matches doesn’t even feel like a card that matters all that much. It’s worth a look if you want an easy show (that doesn’t even last three hours), but they weren’t hiding that this was just setting the table for the big stuff next month.

Results
Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso b. Judgment Day – Cross Rhodes to Balor
LWO b. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits – Backstabber to Ford
Iyo Sky b. Charlotte and Asuka – Over The Moonsault to Charlotte
John Cena/LA Knight b. Bloodline – Blunt Force Trauma to Uso
Seth Rollins b. Shinsuke Nakamura when Nakamura could not answer the ten count

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: September 18, 2023
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re less than three weeks out from Fastlane and that means it might be time to start announcing something for the show. So far there are no matches officially announced, though you should be able to figure out a few of them without much trouble. Other than that, Becky Lynch is he new NXT Women’s Champion and we’ll likely hear something about that. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. Before he can get very far though, here is Dominik Mysterio (Cody’s scheduled opponent) to interrupt. Dominik talks about how Jey Uso is going to join the Judgment Day and mentions that Rhea Ripley is out tonight after the attack at the hands of Nia Jax last week.

Cody asks if the fans heard that and thinks that the Dominik/Rhea relationship has some Steve Urkel/Laura Winslow vibes, because Rhea isn’t that into him (he must not have seen the last few seasons). Besides, if you watched last week, it seems that Rhea has eyes for Jey Uso. Cue Finn Balor and Damian Priest to join Dominik before the match.

Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Cody starts fast and suplexes Dominik and grabs a quickly broken Figure Four. Dominik gets in a few shots of his own but walks into the Cody Cutter. Cross Rhodes finishes Dominik at 2:10. That’s a fast lost for Dominik, even against Cody.

Post match Judgment Day stares down Cody but Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn run down to even things up. Judgment Day backs off and leaves. Please not another six man main event. Cody goes to leave again but Owens says cut the music. Owens asks him to get back in the ring because they need to talk about something.

Post break Owens says that Jey Uso is back on Raw because of Cody, which Cody says is correct. Owens talks about everything Jey did to a lot of people, so why is Cody willing to bring him back? Cody says there are people in the back who need to hear this but there are people here who probably already know this. His job is to make these people happy and Jey deserves a second chance. And besides: now the Bloodline is down a member.

Sami tries to play peacekeeper and asks Owens to give Cody and Jey a chance. Owens says he sees where this is going and says sure, he’ll pretend Jey didn’t cost them all the Universal Title and is just one shade of eye liner away from joining the Judgment Day. He won’t trust Jey, but he’ll trust them and they better be right. This is getting interesting and I can always go for that.

We look at Rhea Ripley retaining the Women’s Title over Raquel Rodriguez but getting crushed by Nia Jax after the match was over.

Ripley has bruised ribs and is day to day, the same as Rodriguez, who has whiplash.

Kofi Kingston vs. Ivar

This was going to be a tag match but Erik is out so we’ll do it solo. Kofi can’t headlock Ivar (with Valhalla) down to start so Ivar runs him over with a clothesline. Back up and Kofi hits the jumping elbow, only to get crushed with a seated senton out of the corner. Elbows and right hands get Kofi out of the corner and a top rope shot to the head staggers Ivar.

There’s a running clothesline but it’s too early for the Boom Drop. Instead Kofi kicks him in the head for two but Ivar hits a backdrop to the floor. The big splash off the apron crushes Kofi again and we take a break. Back with Ivar hitting a powerslam and a crossbody drops Kofi for the third time. The top rope splash misses though and Kofi runs the corner for a spinning high crossbody.

The SOS gets two but Ivar tiger bombs him down for the same. Ivar nails a spinwheel kick and hits a Bronco Buster so he goes up top. The top rope splash is loaded up but Valhalla tells him to go bigger, meaning it’s a moonsault (not a bad one either) for two. Kofi fights up and hits a sunset bomb out of the corner, setting up Trouble In Paradise for the pin at 13:04.

Rating: B. That was a heck of a match as Kofi is still good for a pretty awesome performance when he is given the chance. Ivar was more than holding his own here though as the power vs. speed was rolling. Sometimes you find two guys who have surprising chemistry and that was absolute the case here. Rather good stuff.

We look back at Shinsuke Nakamura attacking Ricochet.

Ricochet says he’s the cheat code for Nakamura and tonight it’s game over.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Hold o though as here is Seth Rollins to charge at Nakamura and the chase is on, with agents and security breaking it up. Back with the bell ringing and Ricochet backing him into the corner. Nakamura gets in a cheap shot to take over but the kick to the chest is blocked. Instead Nakamura hits a running knee for two and we hit the seated abdominal stretch.

Ricochet fights up but gets kicked back into the corner for a choke. The sliding German suplex is blocked though and Ricochet hits the middle rope moonsault to the floor as we take a break. Back with Ricochet kicking a charging Nakamura down and a handspring elbow does it again. The running shooting star press gets two on Nakamura and a springboard high crossbody does it a second time. Nakamura knocks him outside and Ricochet hits an enziguri before chairing Nakamura down for the DQ at 12:58.

Rating: B-. Well at least Ricochet didn’t get pinned, though having him beat Nakamura down like that at the end was a little weird. Either way, Nakamura is all but guaranteed to go to Fastlane for a rematch with Rollins while Ricochet can continue to be the star of the future, as he has been for years now. It’s kind of his thing and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Post match Ricochet yells at the referee but Nakamura takes his knee out. Ricochet’s knee is destroyed with a chair and the post until Rollins runs in for the save. Nakamura backdrops his way out of a Pedigree attempt though and security breaks it up. Well they do for a bit at least as Nakamura gets in another cheap shot to the bad back to leave Rollins laying.

Post break Rollins needs help getting into the trainer’s room.

Piper Niven and Chelsea Green are ready for Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark because they’re friends. Niven doesn’t buy that, as Green doesn’t even know where she’s from.

Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Non-title. Stark and Green start things off with Stark slugging away and hitting a basement clothesline. A slingshot hilo connects and it’s Baszler coming in for a reverse DDT backbreaker. Stark comes back in, though things seem a bit testy between her and Baszler. A missed charge in the corner staggers Stark though and Niven comes in to plant her for two. Stark gets up and hands it back to Baszler, who takes Niven outside. Cue Nia Jax to send Niven into the steps for the DQ at 3:52.

Rating: C. This was short and more about Jax than anything else. That may be here or there, but it is interesting to have her go after a bunch of different women rather than focusing in on just one to start. Other than that, good for not having the champs lose so soon, as they aren’t exactly the most firmly established in the first place.

Jax wrecks everyone post match and puts the division on notice.

Chad Gable comes up to Adam Pearce and asks for one more shot at Gunther but Pearce says he has to earn it. Bronson Reed comes in and says he’ll be glad to help. The match is on.

We look back at the Rock and Pat McAfee’s surprise cameos on Smackdown.

Damien Priest tries to talk Jey Uso into joining the Judgment Day, which is family instead of relatives. Priest wants an answer tonight.

Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed

Otis and Maxxine Dupri are here with Gable. Some forearms stagger Reed to start and a missile dropkick does it again. It’s too early for the German suplex so Reed is right back with a powerslam. Reed catches him on top for a gorilla press toss onto the turnbuckle. We take a break and come back with Gable going after the knee. Reed blasts him with a clothesline but Gable grabs the cross armbreaker over the top. Reed’s backsplash only hits knees though and Gable can’t follow up. Gable grabs a sleeper so Reed drops backwards onto him, setting up the Tsunami for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. That’s more than a bit surprising as you wouldn’t expect Gable to lose again so soon. That being said, it’s nice to have Reed get a win, as he is someone who has been in need of that kind of a moment for a good while now. I don’t know if he’s going to get a big showdown moment with Gunther, but I’ll take him getting an important win like this one.

Tommaso Ciampa is done with waiting and is ready to take out Imperium to get what he wants.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens still don’t see eye to eye about Jey Uso. Cue Jey, which has Owens walking off but Sami knows he has a big decision to make about Judgment Day.

Here is Becky Lynch to brag about winning the NXT Women’s Title. She wants to be champion that matters though and that means it is time to test herself tonight. Therefore the open challenge is on so here is Natalya to answer. This isn’t what Becky had in mind but Natalya says she deserves it and shoves her down. Ring the bell.

NXT Women’s Title: Natalya vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending and gets sent outside hard to start as we take an early break. Back with Becky hitting a running forearm into the Bexploder for two. Natalya snaps off a release German suplex but the Sharpshooter is countered into a small package. A superplex gives Natalya two more but another Sharpshooter attempt is broken up. Becky hits the missile dropkick, only to have Natalya come back with a discus lariat. The Disarm-Her is countered into a rollup for two but Lynch reverses into a rollup of her own for the pin at 6:14.

Rating: B-. That’s about as Natalya of a match as you’re going to get: she comes in, she isn’t the most thrilling choice, she has a completely fine if not better than that match and then loses again. While she’s the perfect choice to guarantee at least a passable match. On the other hand, it doesn’t matter all that much as the fans don’t seem interested in her no matter what she is able to do in the ring. For a one off match, it high quality, but rather low on the interest levels.

Dragon Lee is in Adam Pearce’s office when Dominik Mysterio comes in to yell at both of them. Lee promises to win the North American Title next week.

Giovanni Vinci vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ludwig Kaiser is here too as Vinci uppercuts Ciampa into the corner. A clothesline puts Ciampa down again as we see Gunther watching in the back. Vinci gets two off a belly to back suplex but Ciampa strikes away. Ciampa comes back with a Thesz press and a reverse DDT but Kaiser offers a distraction. That doesn’t work for Vinci as Ciampa pulls him into the Sicilian Stretch for the tap at 3:28.

Rating: C. As has been the case with LA Knight in weeks past, what mattered here was that Ciampa got another win. That is how you make someone feel like a bigger deal and they are making it work with him. He’ll have to move up the ladder sooner than later if he is going to, but at least he has a place to start.

Seth Rollins says he’s tired and in a lot of pain but he’s trying to keep it together. He’s tired of these games though and he’s willing to do anything to get Nakamura in the ring. Nakamura can name the time, the place and even the stipulation if he wants. Now Nakamura needs to decide who defines his legacy.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso

They talk trash to each other to start until McIntyre shoves him into the corner and asks if this is all he has. Jey ducks a shot in the corner and strikes away but McIntyre is right back with the chops. A snap suplex gives McIntyre two but Jey sends him outside, setting up the dive. Another dive hits McIntyre and here is the Judgment Day as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre hitting the top rope superplex, followed by the Glasgow Kiss. Jey manages a quick Samoan drop for two but the suicide dive is cut off. Back in and McIntyre’s spinebuster gets two, only to have Damien Priest offer a distraction on the floor. Jey get in a hard shot of his own for two but kicks all of Judgment Day down. The distraction lets McIntyre hit the Claymore for the pin at 14:12.

Rating: B-. This was all about the angle rather than the match and McIntyre gets a nice rub with a pin in Raw’s main event. He hasn’t had many such wins for a bit so maybe things are turning around now. On the other hand you have Jey loses, but he should have his hands full with Judgment Day for the time being. Not a great match, but the kind that opens up a lot of doors in a variety of directions.

Post match McIntyre leaves and Uso gets beaten down. McIntyre thinks about making the save but stands still until Cody Rhodes runs in for the real save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt more like the NXT of old and that is a good thing. You could almost feel the list of things that they wanted to accomplish being checked off one by one. There were some things set up for the future, but none of those were set up for Fastlane. They still have two Raw’s left before the pay per view, but I’m getting tired of the matches being announced so late in the show’s buildup. Either way, good enough show here, as they got a lot done.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Dominik Mysterio – Cross Rhodes
Kofi Kingston b. Ivar – Trouble In Paradise
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ricochet via DQ when Ricochet used a chair
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark via DQ when Nia Jax interfered
Bronson Reed b. Chad Gable – Tsunami
Becky Lynch b. Natalya – Rollup
Tommaso Ciampa b. Giovanni Vinci – Sicilian Stretch
Drew McIntyre b. Jey Uso – Claymore

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: September 4, 2023
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Payback and Seth Rollins has retained the Raw World Title over Shinsuke Nakamura. However, Nakamura attacked him again after the show was over so we might be in for a rematch. That would likely be at Fastlane in a little over a month, but we have some time to set that up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Payback if you need a recap.

Payback recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Jey Uso, through the crowd, for his Raw debut. He talks about being introduced by Cody Rhodes and some people aren’t going to be happy that he’s here. Cue Sami Zayn to say that’s true, but Sami is indeed happy that he’s here. Sami extends his hand but Jey doesn’t move. That’s cool with Sami, who says he’s happy to wait and will talk whenever Jey is ready. Sami goes to leave but Jey says that wasn’t very Ucey of him. Jey holds out his hand and Sami hugs him, so everything is cool. As they leave, Jey runs into Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle, both of whom stare at him but nothing gets violent.

We look at Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura from Payback.

Ricochet is asking Adam Pearce for an opportunity when Seth Rollins comes in. Pearce isn’t happy he’s here because of the medical report on his back and Jey Uso. Rollins: “Uso schmuso. Medical schmedical.” Ricochet says Rollins doesn’t have to carry the show himself when he has help but Rollins insists he’s fine.

Of note: we cut back to McIntyre and Riddle waiting in the ring for their match to start, with McIntyre being heard saying “we’ve been out here forever”.

Drew McIntyre/Matt Riddle vs. Viking Raiders

Tornado tag and Valhalla is here with the Vikings. They start fast and the Vikings get dropped, allowing McIntyre to flip Riddle onto Erik for two. The Vikings are sent outside, with McIntyre suplexing Riddle onto them. It’s already time for the table (why there is a monitor under the ring isn’t clear) and we take a break. Back with McIntyre saving Riddle from a splash through a table. A double superplex to Ivar misses the table as well but Erik is back up.

McIntyre suplexes his way out of trouble and hits a Death Valley Driver on Ivar. Another suplex on the floor drops Erik but Ivar dives off the announcers’ table with a splash to McIntyre. Riddle is back up to clean house but the Vikings are back up thanks to Valhalla interference. Cue Kofi Kingston to break up Ragnarok but he accidentally hits Riddle with Trouble In Paradise. Kofi is tossed at McIntyre and a double powerbomb through the table finishes Riddle at 9:40.

Rating: B-. It was the usual wild brawl as this was basically another version of a street fight. The Kofi interference going the wrong way opens up some doors as we are likely heading towards a triple threat tag team match. It’s a story that has been going for a few weeks now and isn’t losing steam so well done on putting things together well enough.

In honor of tonight’s main event, we look at some legends who held the Intercontinental Title over the years.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. Shinsuke Nakamura brought it on Saturday and Rollins didn’t know if he could continue the fight, but he’s still the champ. Then Nakamura attacked him after the match, meaning Nakamura walked out of the arena but Rollins was wheeled out by his wife. So Nakamura can get out here right now and we’ll finish this.

Cue Nakamura, who won’t get in the ring. Therefore, Rollins offers to put the title on the line right now. Nakamura responds in Japanese, which Rollins takes as a yes, so let’s ring the bell. Nakamura: “No.” Rollins is confused so Nakamura says it again, which makes it even more confusing. That doesn’t work for Rollins, who charges up the aisle and the fight is on. Security is here to break it up but Nakamura gets in some knees to the back. Ricochet makes the real save.

Post break Adam Pearce tells Rollins that he’s going too fast and Pearce is just trying to protect him.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura bails tot he floor to start but Ricochet throws him back in. A suplex doesn’t work for Ricochet and Nakamura hits a middle rope knee to the face. Nakamura hits the sliding German suplex and we take a break. Back with Nakamura striking away as Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest are watching backstage. Ricochet hits a running boot in the corner and the running shooting star press gets two. Nakamura kicks him in the head but Ricochet hits the Recoil for two of his own. They head to the floor with Ricochet being driven into the barricade. Then Nakamura hits him with a chair for the DQ at 9:32.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here but there is something to be said about Ricochet as Rollins’ buddy, as he can hold his own against a lot of people. One thing that helps that theory is the lack of a pin here, as Ricochet was in trouble but lost via DQ. That helps quite a bit and for some reason it is often overlooked.

Post match Nakamura wraps a chair around Ricochet’s neck but Seth Rollins runs in for the save. Security can’t break it up so Nakamura drives him into the steps. Ricochet makes the real save with a chair. We cut to the back where Rhea Ripley tells Damian Priest “not tonight”.

We look at Becky Lynch beating Trish Stratus at Payback, with Zoey Stark turning on Trish after the match.

Zoey Stark says she respects Stratus, but no one pushes her around. Shayna Baszler (oh yeah she’s supposed to be a thing now) comes in to say she’s glad Stark got rid of the dead weight. Stark wants a match tonight so Baszler says show her something.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Dominik Mysterio is of course booed out of the building as he tries to go over what the team managed to do at Payback. Finn Balor thanks the team for everything they have done, including Damian Priest, who has had some issues with him, but now they’re the champs. Balor thanks JD McDonagh for having his back but also himself, as he is now Grand Slam Finn. Rhea Ripley is proud of the team for rising to the occasion, but now people are talking about Jey Uso instead of the team.

Cue JD McDonagh to say that the team needs some kind of a change. That would be a new briefcase for Priest, with the new version being blue and saying Senor Money In The Bank. Cue Sami Zayn to say he hears a bunch of talking but wants Mysterio tonight. McDonagh steps in instead though and the match seems to be set.

More Intercontinental Champions.

Gunther is ready to be in the history books and he’ll prove it tonight.

Adam Pearce gives Raquel Rodriguez something. Chelsea Green comes in to say the Women’s Tag Team Titles are NOT cursed and someone like Rodriguez isn’t getting them. The thing that Pearce gave her by the way? A match with Green.

Zoey Stark vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler takes her down fast and starts in with the strikes to the arm. They fight to the floor where Stark has to get out of a choke. The big dive drops Baszler again and we take a break. Back with Stark kicking Baszler down and hitting a springboard dropkick for two. Baszler kicks her down for two more but has to block the Z360. Instead Stark knocks her to the floor and hits a splash off the apron. Back in and Stark misses a springboard splash, allowing Baszler to grab the Kirifuda Clutch for the (eventual) knockout at 8:52.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a match that probably shouldn’t have been made. You had Baszler get the big win at Summerslam but then Stark had her big moment two days ago. With both of them needing to follow up on things, having the match means one of them is probably going to have to lose. Why do it in the first place then?

Respect is shown post match.

Judgment Day wants JD McDonagh to prove himself and Finn Balor agrees. They’re off to keep an eye on things. Rhea Ripley tells Dominik to go take care of this.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Chelsea Green

Green tries to bail to start and is quickly ragdolled. Some shots to the face don’t do much to Rodriguez, who catches a crossbody and plants Green. A hard clothesline sets up the Tejana Bomb for the pin on Green at 1:40.

More famous Intercontinental Champions.

Chad Gable, with the Alpha Academy, is ready to win the Intercontinental Title.

It’s time for MizTV and Miz isn’t happy about that loss to LA Knight. He accuses Knight of being in league with John Cena and wants an explanation. Cue Cena….or at least the invisible version. Miz yells at him as they have a seat, and Miz apparently gets a confirmation that Cena cheated. Therefore, the loss to Knight should NOT count.

Miz tells Cena to get out and the fight is on, with Miz hitting the Skull Crushing Final. Miz says there is nothing invisible about how unfair that loss was, so now he wants a rematch with Knight. That was certainly different and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. Knight vs. Miz doesn’t need to continue though and the fact that it is isn’t a good sign.

Video on Gunther vs. Chad Gable.

Jey Uso runs into Adam Pearce and says Smackdown is getting compensation for the trade for Jey (It was a trade?) and it’s going to tick people off. Jey leaves and Tommaso Ciampa comes in to see Pearce to continue some conversation they’ve been having.

JD McDonagh vs. Sami Zayn

McDonagh bails to the floor to start but takes over back inside. They trade chops in the corner before heading outside, where McDonagh rams him into the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Sami fighting out of a chinlock and hammering away in the corner. A backdrop sets up the Michinoku Driver for two on McDonagh. Sami loads up the Helluva Kick but cue Dominik Mysterio to break it up. The villains are both beaten up but McDonagh grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match, with McDonagh getting a needed win. McDonagh has been up and down throughout his time on the main roster so maybe this is the next step for him. At the same time, that’s back to back falls for Sami, who is mostly bulletproof but doesn’t need to lose over and over.

Post match Sami fights up and hits the Helluva Kick on McDonagh as Mysterio leaves.

We look at Tiffany Stratton interrupting Becky Lynch after Payback.

More Intercontinental Champions.

Judgment Day is pleased with JD McDonagh but Dominik Mysterio goes over to see Jey Uso. They have a lot of things in common, like coming from a broken family. If Jey is interested, there are open arms in the Judgment Day. Jey doesn’t say no.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Intercontinental Title: Chad Gable vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and after the Big Match Intros, a headlock takeover puts Gable down. Back up and Gable dropkicks him to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Gable cranking on the leg over the ropes. The leg is fine enough for a big boot and the hand is fine enough for a chop but Gable is right back up. Gable unloads in the corner but Gunther kicks him out to the floor as we take another break.

Back again with Gable reversing a powerbomb into a hurricanrana to the floor. Gunther kicks him down and goes up, only to have Gable run the corner for a superplex. The ankle lock is broken up but Gable suplexes his way out of a sleeper. Rolling Chaos Theory gets two and the grapevined ankle lock goes on. That’s broken up as well and Gunther gets the sleeper. With that broken up, Gunther hits a sleeper suplex into the powerbomb into the hard clothesline to retain at 16:03.

Rating: B. They were rolling by the end and made the most out of a rough situation. Gunther has gone over a year as champion and will break the record for longest reign ever later this week. There is no reason to take the title off of him here, so Gable was tasked with making the most out of a rough situation. It was a heck of a fight here near the end, but this was the only way it should have gone.

Gunther leaves but gives Gable a respectful look to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of a tighter show, with multiple stories running throughout the show. That made for a good night, as you can see where multiple stories are probably going. On top of that, you had a heck of a main event as Gunther is all but guaranteed the record for longest Intercontinental Title reign of all time. Solid show here, which is even better coming off a pretty unimportant pay per view.

Results
Viking Raiders b. Drew McIntyre/Matt Riddle – Double powerbomb through a table to Riddle
Ricochet b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Nakamura used a chair
Shayna Baszler b. Zoey Stark – Kirifuda Clutch
Raquel Rodriguez b. Chelsea Green – Tejana Bomb
JD McDonagh b. Sami Zayn – Rollup with tights
Gunther b. Chad Gable – Lariat

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: August 28, 2023
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the go home Raw for Payback and the card is mostly set. There are still a few things that need to be either set up or at least finalized a bit more and hopefully that makes for an entertaining show. Odds are we’ll also be seeing something in the way of tributes to Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt.

Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest

This is a preview of the newly announced Tag Team Title match at Payback, where Sami and Kevin Owens will defend against Priest and Finn Balor. Priest’s headlock doesn’t last long as Zayn sends him out to the floor and hits a springboard moonsault. Back in and Priest blasts him with a clothesline, followed by the Broken Arrow for two.

Zayn is sent outside for a Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. We come back with Zayn hitting a sunset bomb for two and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Zayn exploders him into the corner but here is JD McDonagh for a distraction so Priest can hit South Of Heaven for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. This is the standard way to build towards a Tag Team Title match in WWE and I would bet on an Owens vs. Balor match later in the night. The McDonagh factor makes it more interesting but we might be waiting to see that one go anywhere. For now though, we got a decent enough match as Priest gets the win while Zayn is protected in a loss.

Post match Priest shoves McDonagh down and leaves, with Kevin Owens coming in to beat McDonagh up again.

Drew McIntyre has a new photo of himself in bright green trunks, which Akira Tozawa finds a bit disturbing. Matt Riddle comes in to suggest they get matching kilts and watch New Day vs. the Viking Raiders tonight.

Video on Raquel Rodriguez wanting to get revenge on Rhea Ripley.

Here is the Miz dressed as LA Knight and we have an impression. Miz mocks the way Knight speaks and switches between YEAH and WHAT. He knows it takes more than a catchphrase to get your support and whips out a bag of LA Knight shirts. If you want a free shirt, give him a H*** YEAH. Miz takes off the gear and talks about how pathetic the fans are. They’ll cheer for anything and the party is over when he beats LA Knight for good. You can cheer for catchphrases and losers and in five days, they’ll be chanting M-I-Z, YEAH! Miz was fired up here and it worked as usual.

We look back at Shinsuke Nakamura talking about Seth Rollins’ back injury.

New Day vs. Viking Raiders

Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle (taking notes) are at ringside. Woods headlocks Erik to start but it’s off to Ivar to take over without much time. That’s broken up and Kofi comes back in to strike away. The kick in the corner sets up a high crossbody for two on Ivar, who needs a breather. The big no hands dive takes Ivar out again and we take a break.

Back with Kofi having to dropkick his way out of trouble. Commentary references Barbarian of all people as they talk about Valhalla wearing antlers at ringside and Kofi gets dropped with a forearm for two. Ivar forearms Kofi down and Erik adds a boot as the beating continues. Ivar’s chinlock doesn’t last long and he misses a sitdown splash.

Kofi gets over to Woods so the pace can be picked up but Erik grabs a full nelson onto a raised knee. Everything breaks down and Kingston is driven into Riddle and McIntyre. The latter throws a chair inside and another hits Woods HARD in the face (he seemed to be aiming for Erik). Ivar dives onto McIntyre and Ragnarok finishes Kofi at 17:08.

Rating: C+. This got a lot of time (likely too much) and was more about Riddle and McIntyre interfering than anything else. McIntyre throwing the chair at Woods’ head was a nasty looking crash and should set up a triple threat match. Good stuff here, but it went longer than it needed to.

Post match Kofi, McIntyre and Riddle check on Woods.

Finn Balor and Damian Priest argue about JD McDonagh again and Rhea Ripley has to calm things down again. She already has to deal with Raquel Rodriguez and if the team doesn’t walk out of Payback with Gold, there are going to be some changes.

We get the full Bray Wyatt tribute from Smackdown.

Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle ask Kofi Kingston about Xavier Woods, with Kofi saying he’ll be ok. He knows it was an accident because that’s not what Drew is about. Next week, Drew and Riddle are dealing with the Viking Raiders.

Here is Imperium for a chat. Gunther, standing on the announcers’ table as usual, talks about how Chad Gable defeated him last week….by countout. In reality, Gable won nothing, because Gunther is still the champion. The only thing Gable has achieved is making him mad, and now Gable has his focus. If Gable is the last thing left between him and the longest title reign in history, so be it. Cue the Alpha Academy, with gable saying Gunther is making some good points. Next week, Gable is taking the title away.

Chad Gable vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Gable wrestles him down to start and sends things outside for a flip dive off the apron. We take a break and come back with Gable bridging up from a wristlock and taking him down with a drop toehold. Kaiser shoulders him down as well though, only to have Gable come back with a roll into the ankle lock.

That doesn’t work either as Kaiser blasts him with a clothesline. The armbar over the ropes slows Kaiser down again but he knocks Gable outside with a heck of a slap. We take another break and come back again with Kaiser dropkicking him out to the floor. Back in and Gable goes after the leg but can’t get a German suplex.

Instead Kaiser kicks him in the face for two but gets caught with a neckbreaker. Gable misses the moonsault, only to come back with something like a Gory Stretch into a Dominator for two. A Cactus crossbody puts Kaiser on the floor and Gable moonsaults down onto Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci at the same time. Back in and the ankle lock is broken up so Gable grabs Chaos Theory…but Vinci comes in for the DQ at 18:08.

Rating: C+. Wait what? They had the #1 contender go 18 minutes with the champ’s chief goon and then he can’t even get a pin? Not only should Gable have won this clean after taking out an interfering Vinci, but he should have done it in about ten minutes less. I don’t get this one and it didn’t do Gable any favors at all.

Post match the brawl is on with Gunther coming back in. Gunther’s powerbomb is countered into an ankle lock but Gable is beaten down anyway.

Here is Seth Rollins to call out Shinsuke Nakamura. After taking his time to soak in some singing, Rollins throws in a YOWIE WOWIE before saying who he is. It has been a long week so he’ll get to the point and calls out Nakamura right now. There’s no Nakamura, so Rollins is off to drink.

Cue Nakamura on the screen in a video, as he practices with various weapons as well as grappling. The voiceover (with captions) talks about how he is going to stop Rollins. This doesn’t impress Rollins, who wants the OLD Nakamura back. A year ago, Rollins would have given him the shirt off his back but not anymore. On Saturday, Rollins will lay him out, so Nakamura will know that he is never getting anything else from him. Cue Nakamura to jump him from behind and whisper something else to Rollins.

Sami Zayn is sick of Judgment Day always using the numbers game to win. We’ll do it one more time, but it’s going to be in a Steel City Street Fight.

Bronson Reed vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Reed jumps him downing the entrance but gets kneed down as we take a break before the bell. We come back joined in progress with Reed crossbodying him down to cut off an early comeback. Ciampa avoids a charge and manages an Air Raid Crash but Reed is back with a powerbomb. Reed knocks him off the apron and hits a flying shoulder from said apron for the big crash. Back in and Willow’s Bell into a running knee to the face gives Ciampa two. Ciampa gets back up and grabs a crucifix bomb for the pin (despite barely being able to get the shoulders down) for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. Not much to this one and the ending didn’t help things. It feels like these two and a few others have been trading wins for weeks now and no one has really come out looking better. What matters here is Ciampa gets a win for a change, but it doesn’t make much of a difference if there is no follow up.

Becky Lynch is ready for Trish Stratus in a cage and for Zoey Stark in a falls count anywhere match. It’s not the easy way and that’s fine with her.

Here are Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley for a chat (and NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is in the crow). Ripley doesn’t think much of Raquel Rodriguez, even if she has a resume of her own. Like being tall! Either way, Ripley is keeping the title at Payback. Cue Rodriguez for the brawl with a fall away slam sending Ripley flying. The Riptide is blocked and Ripley gets clotheslined to the floor.

Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark are ready for Becky Lynch.

Payback rundown.

We get the Terry Funk video tribute from Smackdown.

Zoey Stark vs. Becky Lynch

Falls count anywhere and Trish Stratus is here with Zoey. They both grab kendo sticks to start with Becky beating her down. They head outside where a Trish distraction lets Stark get in a cheap shot. A springboard missile dropkick connects so Trish throws in some chairs….one of which hits Stark in the head (meaning commentary is all over Trish).

There is a pile of chairs in the ring but Lynch pulls her off the top. The Z360 is countered into the Manhandle Slam for two, with Trish making the save. Becky gives chase but has to pull a kendo stick away from Trish. The beating sends Trish up the ramp, only to have Zoey get in a chair shot to the ribs as we take a break.

Back with Becky throwing Zoey over the barricade and back to ringside for a suplex into the barricade. They get back inside where Stark chairs her down again as Michael Cole is standing up on commentary for some reason. A slingshot springboard corkscrew dive hits the chair on Lynch so Stark goes up again. Becky catches her with a superplex onto the chairs and we head outside.

This time the Manhandle Slam onto the announcers’ table is loaded up but Stark escapes and kicks her in the face. Trish is back with a bulldog through a well placed table for a rather delayed two. A double bulldog is broken up and Stark accidentally takes Trish out. The Manhandle Slam off a crate and through a table finishes Stark at 16:11.

Rating: B. They were going for the big fight feel here with Becky overcoming the odds, but that only worked so well as it felt like a handicap match instead of a showdown with Stark. At the same time, this didn’t really make me want to see a Lynch vs. Trish cage match, as Trish was mostly vanquished here. This whole feud has been a bit of a mess and I don’t see the blowoff on Saturday going great either.

Lynch holds up a BRAY armband to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an up and down show with the main event being the best match on the card. At the same time, there wasn’t much added to Payback, save for a Tag Team Title match which was hardly a surprise. Instead they had a wrestling heavy show this week and that is a nice thing to see every so often. They needed a steady show like this after all of the rough news last week, so this was about as good of a choice as they had available. It worked well enough, but save for the main event, there isn’t much you need to see here.

Results
Damian Priest b. Sami Zayn – South Of Heaven
Viking Raiders b. New Day – Ragnarok to Kingston
Chad Gable b. Ludwig Kaiser via DQ when Giovanni Vinci interfered
Tommaso Ciampa b. Bronson Reed – Crucifix bomb
Becky Lynch b. Zoey Stark – Manhandle Slam through a table

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: August 7, 2023
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Summerslam and the wasn’t much on the Raw side. Finn Balor again failed to win the World Title from Seth Rollins, Damian Priest still has the Money In The Bank briefcase and Cody Rhodes beat Brock Lesnar again. Payback is in about a month and that means it’s time to start the build up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

Long Summerslam recap video.

We’re commercial free for the first hour.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. Cody talks about how he was face to face with one of Minneapolis’ own at Summerslam and defeated him when he beat Brock Lesnar. After the match, Lesnar shook his hand, which was Lesnar ACKNOWLEDGING him. Now Rhodes feels like he could beat anyone in the world….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins (in yellow sunglasses and what look like massive yellow Crocs) to say he is thanking Cody for helping him, but let’s put this “I can beat anyone” to the test.

Cue Judgment Day (minus Finn Balor) to say they run Raw, including determining the title matches. Dominik Mysterio is the REAL workhorse around here. Dominik takes the mic but Balor runs in through the crowd and the beatdown is on. Sami Zayn runs in for the save and the good guys stand tall. Cody throws out the challenge for the six man main event.

Earlier today, Ricochet complained to Adam Pearce about Logan Paul’s brass knuckles. Pearce can’t do anything, but Chad Gable, Riddle and Tommaso Ciampa all come in to interrupt. It’s a four way and the winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot against Gunther. Everyone gets in their promises of winning.

Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle vs. Chad Gable vs. Tommaso Ciampa

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a future Intercontinental Title shot. Feeling out process to start with no one getting anywhere. Gable and Riddle grab stereo ankle locks but Ricochet and Ciampa make the ropes. That leaves us with Riddle vs. Gable but Ciampa is back in to send Gable outside. Ricochet drops Ciampa with a springboard clothesline for two but Riddle gets the same off a fisherman’s buster.

Gable is back in to faceplant Riddle for two, with Ciampa coming back in with a reverse DDT or two. Ricochet flips out of the Fairy Tale Ending and the Benedriller gets two more. Everyone goes to the corner for a huge Tower Of Doom, with Ricochet bouncing off the mat for a rather funny facial. Gable ankle locks Ciampa, whose rope grab means nothing. Instead Riddle makes the save and knees Gable but has to take Ricochet out instead.

Another knee rocks Ciampa and a superplex makes it worse. Gable and Ricochet both come off the top but dive onto knees, giving Riddle and Ciampa stereo two counts. Ricochet hits a big flip dive to the floor but dives back into Ciampa’s kick to the face. Project Ciampa gets two so Riddle hits the Bro Derek, with Gable making the save off a top rope splash. Gable is back up with Chaos Theory to Ciampa for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B. The action was pretty much non-stop here and it was cool to see these four getting to showcase what they can do. Gable, the hometown boy, gets another shot at Gunther, which makes last week’s loss a bit more questionable. Leave the five minute time limit thing alone and it would work but instead we’re getting a rematch after Gunther already beat him. Either way, good match here, with all of the moves you could want.

Post match Gable gets to celebrate, even carrying his son around the ring.

Video on Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.

Sami Zayn has to play peacemaker between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. They’re cool enough to work together to fight the Judgment Day, but Sami doesn’t buy it.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso.

Miz is told he has to wait as LA Knight has a photo shoot.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed

Reed powers him up against the ropes to start and runs Nakamura over. Nakamura’s shots to the face have little effect as Reed shoulders him down again. Back up and Nakamura hits a running knee into a sliding kick to the face. Good Vibrations shakes Reed up but he runs Nakamura over again as we take a break (it’s not the end of the first hour yet but I guess picture in picture doesn’t count as a commercial).

Back with Nakamura hitting the middle rope knee and scoring with a running kick to the chest for two. Reed grabs a running powerbomb for the same and a Death Valley Driver gets two more. Nakamura’s spinning kick barely grazes Reed, who hits a hard clothesline. The Tsunami misses though and back to back Kinshasas finish Reed at 11:51.

Rating: C+. This has been a nice feud but I don’t really need to see them fight again. It’s also more than a little weird that Nakamura was showing no signs of last week’s heel turn, which had been built up for a few weeks. Reed losing again isn’t great, but at least Nakamura took some work to put him down. Just let them both move on.

We look back at Rhea Ripley attacking Raquel Rodriguez in recent weeks.

Ludwig Kaiser comes in to the Alpha Academy locker room to suggest that Maxxine Dupri (here alone) would be better off with Imperium (or at least Kaiser). She slaps him in the face and Otis pops up to issue the challenge for tonight. Deal.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She is tired of dealing with Trish Stratus and she is ready to wrap this up next week. It’s the greatest of the previous generation vs. the greatest of this generation (and the next and the next and the next) but here is Zoey Stark to interrupt. She doesn’t like all of this badmouthing Trish, but Becky says Trish is just using her. Stark: “You are d*** right. I am good at what I do!” She rants about how great she is until Shayna Baszler interrupts.

Baszler is a bit banged up but she says you should see Ronda Rousey. Well you can’t, because she got rid of Rousey at Summerslam (Becky approves). Stark says Baszler looks like a tough punching bag, which Becky thinks are fighting words. Cue Adam Pearce to agree. Not the best exchange here, as none of them were exactly feeling it on the mic.

Before the match, we get a long video on Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins.

JD McDonagh is in the back with Finn Balor when Damian Priest interrupts. Priest wants to know what was up with Balor making his own plans earlier. They argue over Balor’s loss, with Priest saying Balor is crowding him. Balor: “That contract is crowding both of us.” Rhea Ripley breaks it up, saying they need to act like men. McDonagh tries to intervene, saying that if the briefcase is coming between them, maybe Priest should get rid of it.

Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark

Becky Lynch is having some lemonade at ringside. Feeling out process to start with Baszler knocking her down without much effort. Back up and Stark kicks away at a variety of Baszler’s injuries, meaning the chinlock can go on. Baszler fights up and hits a few kicks to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Baszler fighting out of a chinlock and making the clothesline comeback. Stark kicks her in the face for two but Baszler grabs a gutwrench suplex for two more (Becky approves). The Kirifuda Clutch sends Stark outside but Becky offers a distraction, allowing Baszler to kick her in the ribs and eventually hit a Piper’s Pit (now the World’s Baddest Slam) for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C-. This was a good bit longer than it needed to be. I’m not sure if they were playing up the idea that Baszler is hurt and can’t take out Stark like she usually would, but it wasn’t exactly a great first match for Baszler after the big Rousey victory. Baszler can do better than that, but she needs to be more of a killer than all hobbled around.

Becky toasts Baszler’s win.

Shinsuke Nakamura is being interviewed when we cut to JD McDonagh attacking Sami Zayn, who has a HUGE lump on his elbow (that’s either a bad dislocation or a bursa sac).

Otis vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Maxxine Dupri and Giovanni Vinci are here too. Kaiser punches him into the corner to start but Otis gyrates his way out and grabs a slam. Otis hammers away in the corner but Vinci offers a distraction, allowing Gunther to come in with a cheap shot. Kaiser hits an enziguri and gets the pin at 2:57.

Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes almost argue over who gets to say that Sami Zayn isn’t cleared to compete tonight, so it’s 3-2. Shinsuke Nakamura comes up and offers to be their partner. Rollins agrees without getting Rhodes’ approval.

Here is Miz for a chat. He doesn’t get what is going on here because the fans suddenly love LA Knight. Why is he waiting behind someone like Knight? You’re supposed to introduce yourself when you get here and pay respect to those who came before you. Knight did NOT do any of that and he is tired of the lack of respect.

Cue Knight to say he thought the battle royal was enough of an introduction but sticks out his hand anyway. Miz says no, because Knight doesn’t deserve to shake his hand. He calls Knight the flavor of the month, but Miz thinks Knight is just an Attitude Era fanboy playing cosplay in the middle of his ring. Knight says you don’t want to make this personal so Miz goes on a rant about what he has been doing for the last twenty years.

That sounds personal to Knight, who talks about spending the last twenty years making himself a dangerous man on the outside while WWE bet on all of the wrong horses. Like Miz for instance. He’s been waiting for the right chance to come in but Miz got a twenty year head start because he’s safe. Yeah Miz has won a bunch of stuff and good for him, but Knight hasn’t been here yet. Now Knight is on the rise and Miz’s career is in the toilet. Knight is fine with making Miz a stepping stone (and he doesn’t mean the little ones down there).

Miz goes on a rant about being the main event, so Knight says prove him wrong. The jacket comes off and Miz throws it at him to start the fight. Knight reverses the Skull Crushing Finale into Blunt Force Trauma to knock Miz silly. Knight shakes his hand on the mat for a bonus. This was a good comeback promo from Knight, who has the charisma to make this work, but the Miz stuff needs to be a one off match and not a feud.

Here are the Viking Raiders for an open challenge.

Viking Raiders vs. New Day

Valhalla is here with the Raiders and this is the first New Day match since before Wrestlemania. Woods kicks away at Erik to start before handing it off to Kofi for the same. A Valhalla distraction lets Ivar kicks Woods in the face and it’s a top rope splash to give Ivar two. The beating continues until Woods manages a tornado DDT to escape.

Kofi comes back in for the Boom Drop but misses Trouble In Paradise. The SOS gets two but Ivar splashes him in the corner, allowing Erik to knee him in the face for two. Back up and Kofi kicks Erik in the face, setting up Trouble In Paradise into the Limit Break to give Woods the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have Kofi and the New Day back as the team can be slotted into any spot you want. They’re automatically near the top of the depth chart and that should make for a better future for the tag division. If Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are both out of action, New Day getting the titles again soon wouldn’t be out of the question.

Shayna Baszler interrupts a Becky Lynch interview and says she’ll be coming for The Man sooner than later. Lynch says she’s not hard to find.

New Day is glad to be back and teaches interviewer Jackie Redmond their dance.

Sonya Deville has torn her ACL and is out indefinitely, meaning the future of the Women’s Tag Team Titles isn’t clear.

Judgment Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins

During the entrances, here is Raquel Rodriguez to jump Rhea Ripley. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae are here to help try and break it up but Ripley jumps both of them off, meaning it’s Candice going after Ripley instead. They’re broken up, with Ripley throwing her shoe at Candice.

After a break we get down to the actual match (after Cole says Wrestlemania is coming to the northeast for the first time in eleven years, as math is no longer his strong suit), with Nakamura dropping Dominik for an early two. We take a break and come back with Nakamura in trouble and not quite being able to fight his way out. Nakamura finally manages to kick his way over to Rollins for the tag so house can be cleaned for a bit. Priest can’t get the Broken Arrow so Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow for two.

Rollins hits some suicide dives but springboards into an uppercut, allowing Priest to hit the swinging Downward Spiral. With Rollins outside, Balor shotgun dropkicks him into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Rhodes coming in to pick up the pace but Balor catches him with the reverse DDT for two. The Cody Cutter gives Rhodes the same but Priest uses the briefcase to break up Cross Rhodes. Cue Sami Zayn (with a taped up elbow) to jump Priest, allowing Rollins to superkick the briefcase into Balor’s face. Cross Rhodes finishes Balor at 14:22.

Rating: B-. This was your main event tag match and that’s all it needed to be given the kind of weird circumstances. What mattered here was giving the good guys a win as Rollins is now about as ready as he can be to move on to someone else. Nakamura’s heel turn seems to have been kind of dropped after last week but maybe they’re planning something for later with him.

Rollins and Rhodes reluctantly shake hands and the good guys celebrate…until Nakamura Kinshasas Rollins to end the show. Well I guess it’s later.

Overall Rating: B. They got a lot covered in here and had the action to back it up. There are probably four or five matches set up out of this show, plus the return of New Day for a nice moment. With not much time until Payback, this is the kind of show that they needed and they certainly got out of the blocks fast. Good show here, but more importantly, they did a lot of stuff for the future, which is not something you can often say about WWE TV.

Results
Chad Gable b. Ricochet, Tommaso Ciampa and Matt Riddle – Chaos Theory to Ciampa
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Bronson Reed – Kinshasa
Shayna Baszler b. Zoey Stark – The World’s Baddest Slam
Ludwig Kaiser b. Otis – Enziguri
New Day b. Viking Raiders – Limit Break to Erik
Shinsuke Nakamura/Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins b. Judgment Day – Cross Rhodes 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.