Monday Night Raw
Date: March 4, 2024
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are just over a month away from Wrestlemania and the big story coming out of Smackdown saw the Bloodline challenging Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes for night one of Wrestlemania. For reasons unclear, the decision is to be made on Smackdown rather than here, but I’m sure we’ll have some fireworks anyway. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes challenging the Rock to face him, with Rock coming back by challenging him to the Wrestlemania tag match. Also of note: Roman Reigns requested Rock acknowledge him, which he did, seemingly to a bit of Reigns’ relief.

Here is Rhodes to talk about facing Roman Reigns, but first there is the distraction in the form of the Rock. Cody recaps Rock talking about him over and over last week, including mocking Cody’s dog (this did not please him). Rock had talked to Cody before and tried to convince him that the fans wanted to see Rock vs. Reigns, but the fans said they wanted something else.

Those were the people the Rock referred to as crybabies but then Rock moved on to a certain challenge. That challenged involved Seth Rollins, so here he is. Cody talks about how Rollins has been challenged for Wrestlemania as well but he already has to deal with Drew McIntyre, so Cody gets if he’s busy. Rollins talks about how he and Roman Reigns came in here over eleven years ago and they wanted absolute power. Now we are one win away from Reigns having exactly what he wants.

Rollins isn’t interested in any of that and doesn’t like what the Rock has been saying. Rock threatened to get rid of the World Heavyweight Championship and claims to have made wrestling cool again. The reality is that Rock hasn’t been cool in twenty years, but you know what is cool?

This morning Rollins was 100% medically cleared, so he’ll be at Smackdown to face the Bloodline. He has Cody’s back, so does Cody have his? Cody does, and says he won’t whine for twenty one minutes in a promo (as he’s been in the ring for 15+). They’ll be at Smackdown with an answer. Is there a reason to not give them the answer now?

Dominik Mysterio vs. Gunther

Non-title and JD McDonagh is here with Dominik. We start with Michael Cole bringing up Sting’s retirement and wishing him well (McAfee sounded like he was praising Sting’s match at AEW Revolution but Cole cut that off IMMEDIATELY) as Dominik tries to chop with Gunther for some reason. Gunther easily takes over but one of his chops hits the post. Dominik goes after the hand but Gunther chops away part of his soul as we take a break.

Back with Dominik getting chopped again, with Gunther opening up the shirt to make even more contact. Dominik manages to knock Gunther outside though and hits a dive, meaning it’s time to load up the 619. That just lets Gunther BLAST him with a clothesline, but he pulls Dominik up at two. The powerbomb is countered into a sunset flip for two and the 619 connects. Gunther avoids the frog splash though and hits a heck of a dropkick into the corner. The powerbomb into the Boston crab finishes Dominik at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much good as much as it was entertaining to see Dominik getting wrecked over and over. Gunther can throw some crazy hard chops and he was having fun beating on Dominik here. It wasn’t exactly meant to be a competitive match and that wasn’t quite what it was, but dang it was fun.

Damage CTRL arrives but Adam Pearce cuts them off. They’re here to scout, but Shinsuke Nakamura interrupts. With Damage CTRL gone, Nakamura wants to talk about the Intercontinental Title. They can do that in Pearce’s office, as he’ll have an announcement about the title later tonight.

Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

Earlier today, Carter and Chance said they wanted to get back into the title hunt because it’s Wrestlemania season. Damage CTRL is at ringside, as in sitting on the announcers’ table, as Baszler blocks Carter’s armdrag to start and stomps on the arm. Stark drapes Carter over the top rope for a running knee from Baszler as we take a break. Back with Carter and Chance hitting a double super Spanish Fly on Stark. Carter superkicks Stark to set up the After Party (and a nasty one at that) for two with Baszler making the save. Stark rolls Carter up for the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C. I still can’t get into this division as it isn’t interesting and these challengers just keep going with nothing really working. Stark and Baszler are no better than anyone else but now they are likely next in line for a shot. The Kabuki Warriors are pretty much the only worthwhile thing in the division but I guess we have to act like this works for another Wrestlemania season.

Post match Dakota Kai gets in the ring to say Baszler and Stark can have a title shot next week (assuming the Warriors retain at NXT Roadblock tomorrow night). Baszler is pleased.

The rest of Judgment Day check on Dominik Mysterio, with Gunther being told he’s going to make things right with Gunther. Andrade pops in to check on Dominik.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax.

Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax

Becky strikes away to start but gets driven into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. The springboard kick to the face doesn’t do much to Nia, who is right back with a release slam. Jax’s big elbow gets two but Becky fights up, with the missile dropkick sending Jax outside. The forearm off the apron is countered into a Samoan drop on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Lynch’s superplex being broken up and Jax dropping a middle rope legdrop for two. Jax loads up the right hand that broken Lynch’s nose years ago but Lynch snaps off a headscissors. Jax plants her down again and loads up the Annihilator but only hits mat. Lynch gets the Disarm-Her so Jax rolls out to the floor…where Liv Morgan jumps her for the DQ at 10:16.

Rating: C+. This was getting better near the end but hopefully this is all that happens with Jax vs. Lynch. With Lynch being ready to go on to Wrestlemania in just over a month, she needs to move away from Jax so she can get on to Rhea Ripley. Morgan vs. Jax is at least something different, though hopefully it gets them away from the Lynch and the title picture.

Post break Jax is sent running to the back.

Ricochet wants in on the Intercontinental Title situation but Adam Pearce says trust him. Ricochet heads out but here is Judgment Day to say JD McDonagh wants in on the title scene. McDonagh is ready and we go to break while he’s still talking.

Post break Becky Lynch yells at Liv Morgan and a match is made for next week. Rhea Ripley comes in to laugh at Lynch.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso.

Adam Pearce announces a gauntlet match for the Wrestlemania title shot against Gunther. Next week it’s Sami Zayn vs. Ricochet vs. Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. JD McDonagh.

Andrade vs. Apollo Crews

This is Crews’ first match on Raw in a bit. Feeling out process to start until Crews hits a dropkick. Crews puts him on top and hits a top rope superplex, only for Andrade to reverse into Three Amigos. The spinning back elbow sets up the running knees in the corner. La Sombra (the hammerlock DDT) finishes Crews at 3:20.

Rating: C. This was quick and to the point with Andrade picking up the win in his return to Raw. That’s a good way to go as Andrade seems to be someone who could be a big deal if he is given the chance (and stays happy). This was at least a good first step and what matters now is keeping the momentum going.

Sami Zayn knew he would get a path towards Wrestlemania and now this is the only path there. Ivar and Valhalla interrupt and a match is made for later.

In Memory of Butcher Vachon.

Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae want a Tag Team Title shot. Natalya and Tegan Nox think it’s time that they get more serious. Candice likes the idea for herself and Hartwell, but Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri come in to say it’ll be ok. LeRae isn’t impressed but Hartwell says she’ll deal with this. This division could not feel less important is they tried.

Judgment Day vs. Imperium

Non-title and Balor hammers Kaiser into the corner to start. Priest comes in to hammer on Vinci, who escapes a suplex. It’s back to Kaiser, who gets kicked in the face and punched in the corner, with Priest hurting his own hand. Kaiser decks Balor, which is enough to bring him in for an abdominal stretch. Balor gets sent into the post though and we take a break.

Back with Balor hitting a Nightmare On Helm Street but a High Low cuts him off for two. Vinci’s clothesline takes Balor down again and Kaiser seems happy to kick the crowd favorite in the face. Balor manages a Pele kick and it’s Priest coming in to clean house. The Broken Arrow gets two on Kaiser but he escapes the Razor’s Edge. Balor comes back in for the Sling Blade but Kaiser grabs a Death Valley Driver. Another Sling Blade drops Vinci and the Coup de Grace gets two with Kaiser making the save. Priest comes back in for a hard clothesline and the South Of Heaven for the pin at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This was more of a showcase for Priest than anything else and he did rather well with it. Priest still feels like someone who could turn into a big star despite his age and wins like this help boost him up every little bit. It might not be a classic, but seeing the Judgment Day as the good guys is oddly fun.

Paul Heyman is going into the Hall Of Fame.

Drew McIntyre calls Seth Rollins a spotlight junkie and points out how Rollins is always involved with the big comebacks. The World Heavyweight Title deserves better than Rollins and Jey Uso.

Rhea Ripley comes up to Damage CTRL and says stay out of her territory.

Sami Zayn vs. Ivar

Valhalla is here too and Cole loses his mind over the stupid antlers. She even gives him the antlers and McAfee can’t contain himself. Ivar shoves him down a few times to start but Zayn is back up with a toss to the floor. The tornado DDT is blocked back inside though and Zayn is sent outside.

We take a break and come back with Zayn reversing a belly to back superplex into a crossbody for two. Now the tornado DDT connects but Ivar kicks him in the face for two of his own. Ivar puts him up top but it’s a sunset bomb to bring him back down for two. The exploder connects but Ivar hits a seated senton to cut off the Helluva Kick. Ivar’s Doomsault misses though and now the Helluva Kick can finish for Zayn at 10:14.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine match here as Zayn fights back against a monster and wins in the end with his finishing move. That’s as basic yet effective of a way to use Ivar as there is and it worked well here. Not a classic or anything, but it keeps Zayn’s momentum going towards a possible Wrestlemania title match.

Post match Bronson Reed runs in to take out Zayn and crushes him with the Tsunami.

Gunther is ready for any of the stacked field, because they all want the prestigious title. Chad Gable comes in to say this one just means more.

Jey Uso knows Drew McIntyre wants an apology, so here’s an apology for the beating he’s about to get.

R-Truth, DIY and Xavier Woods are playing WWE2K24 when Miz comes in. Miz has an idea of dealing with the Judgment Day: take their Tag Team Titles.

McAfee telestrates Cole’s antlers.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

Jey starts fast with an enziguri to send him outside but McIntyre gets in a toss over the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre kicking him out of the corner for two before hammering away with right hands. McIntyre hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a sitout powerbomb for two. That doesn’t work for McIntyre, who knocks him to the floor and suplexes Uso on the floor as we take another break.

Back again with Uso sending McIntyre into the corner and hitting a boot to the face. Uso strikes away and gets two off a Samoan drop. There’s the running Umaga Attack to send McIntyre outside and Uso follows with the big dive. Cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction though and McIntyre hits the Futureshock for two. Cue Cody Rhodes to take out Sikoa and Uso hits a spar. Now it’s Jimmy Uso for a distraction and McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 16:47.

Rating: B-. Another solid match here as McIntyre continues to build towards the title match at Wrestlemania and Jey continues to seemingly get ready for the match with Jimmy. The idea of Jey finally snapping and wanting to fight Jimmy is going to be a tough way to go but at last they’re starting something here.

Post match Seth Rollins comes out to chase off Jimmy Uso but gets Claymored. McIntyre yells at him to stop being selfish to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show did its job in trying to set things up for later as the build towards Wrestlemania continues. The big thing here is that you can see most of the card from a month out and there isn’t really anything major that needs to be started. I’m sure we’ll get some more matches announced soon and some smaller things will have to be covered, but for now WWE is moving steadily along towards Wrestlemania. That’s a lot better than their patented rushing so things are improving.

Results
Gunther b. Dominik Mysterio – Boston crab
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Rollup to Carter
Nia Jax b. Becky Lynch via DQ when Liv Morgan interfered
Andrade b. Apollo Crews – La Sombra
Judgment Day b. Imperium – South Of Heaven to Kaiser
Sami Zayn b. Ivar – Helluva Kick
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: February 19, 2024
Location: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are about a month and a half away from Wrestlemania and the big story coming out of Smackdown is the Rock officially joining the Bloodline. That is the kind of change that could shake things up in a major way, but first we’re likely to get a rebuttal from Cody Rhodes and/or Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, various people arrived.

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

We actually get a quick hype video for this, which is a nice touch for a match this big. Cody’s headlock doesn’t work so McIntyre knocks him down, setting up an exchange of chops. McIntyre gets the better of things, only to get pulled into a quick Figure Four. That’s turned over in a hurry so Cody makes the rope and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre crushing Cody’s head against the post and chopping away until Cody grabs a bulldog. A powerslam into the Disaster Kick slow McIntyre down and the Cody Cutter gets two. Rhodes’ Cactus Clothesline leaves them both on the floor and we take another break.

Back again with McIntyre grabbing a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two each. Cody’s Pedigree doesn’t quite slow McIntyre down as he’s right back with the Futureshock for another near fall. For some reason McIntyre goes up, allowing Cody to hit a superplex. The top rope Cody Cutter gets two more but cue the Bloodline for a distraction/Samoan Spike. That’s enough for the Claymore to finish for McIntyre at 19:42.

Rating: B. This felt like a big time match and that’s exactly what it was supposed to be. Cody losing always feels like a major moment and it’s not like it hurts him to have a loss with the Bloodline interfering. Good opener here, with McIntyre building even more momentum on the way to Elimination Chamber, which he very well may win.

Video on Gunther vs. Jey Uso before tonight’s Intercontinental Title match.

Andrade talks about being from a wrestling family and being used to the pressure. His day is now beginning.

We look at the ending of Cody vs. Drew, complete with telestrator graphics.

Cody tells Adam Pearce he’s fine when Seth Rollins comes in for a knowing look.

Video on the Women’s Elimination Chamber match and the five qualifiers.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Xia Li, Valhalla, Tegan Nox, Natalya, Indi Hartwell, Candice LeRae, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Elektra Lopez, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Michin, Zoey Stark, Zelina Vega, Shayna Baszler, Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Raquel Rodriguez, B-Fab

Rodriguez is making her return after an illness absence. It’s a brawl to start with Valhalla knocking out Maxxine but getting eliminated as well. Rodriguez knocks out Li and does the same thing to Dawn as we take a break. Back with Natalya turning on Nox to toss her out (in the opposite of the Royal Rumble) and B-Fan being eliminated as well. Lopez kicks Vega out but gets tossed by Michin.

Lopez and Michin brawl on the floor until Green gets rid of Candice and Baszler does the same to Hartwell. Baszler knees Chance out and Rodriguez eliminated Fyre, followed by Nile knocking Natalya out. Baszler and Stark get rid of Nile, leaving us with the two of them, Michin and Rodriguez. The villains toss Michin but Rodriguez gets rid of Baszler. Stark is kicked out and Rodriguez….eliminated Green, who was still in, to win at 12:01.

Rating: C+. They kept this mostly quick and Rodriguez is a good choice to send on to the Chamber. She isn’t likely going to win but she can be the power monster who can shake things up when she comes in. It was a nice return for Rodriguez and she went on to win, but more importantly the match didn’t get dull. That’s hard to do in a match like this, but there were actually multiple options to win to make it better.

Jey Uso is ready to win the Intercontinental Title.

We get a split screen interview between Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley. Rhea talks about wanting to go back home to prove that she is different but Nia doesn’t care and promises pain. Ripley promises to show that Jax isn’t good enough and walks off. As usual, Jax’s promo involves her saying “I’m big and I’ll beat you” and nothing more.

We get a special look at R-Truth’s history with the Judgment Day. He insists it was a special moment when they first met, like the first time John Cena tried on a pair of jean shorts. But then it went bad with Damian Priest attacking him, making R-Truth feel as sad as the finale of This Is Us. Now he has DX in his corner though, and then he just walks off. This was the usual wacky R-Truth and again as usual, it worked.

We talk about the UFC/WWE partnership involving this arena.

UFC fighter Michael Chandler calls out Conor McGregor. Nothing wrong with a mini cross promotion like that.

Chad Gable is ready for Ivar.

Ivar is ready for Chad Gable.

R-Truth/Miz/DIY vs. Judgment Day

It’s a huge brawl to start and Judgment Day is sent outside, leaving the other four to do the DX chop as we take a break. Back with Gargano caught in the wrong corner, with a slingshot stomp to the chest getting two. Gargano suplexes his way to freedom though and it’s off to R-Truth, who initiates the John Cena finishing sequence. That’s broken up by Priest, who sends R-Truth into the post as we take another break.

Back again with Ciampa coming back in to pick up the pace with the running corner clotheslines. Willow’s Bell plants McDonagh and Ciampa follows with a dive to the floor. Back in and a reverse DDT gets two on Dominik with McDonagh making the save. Balor and Ciampa collide though and they’re both down for a breather. R-Truth hits the ax kick on Priest and the Lie Detector gets two. Everything breaks down again and Priest escapes an AA, setting up South Of Heaven to pin R-Truth at 15:40.

Rating: B-. The fans were WAY into this one but you can’t have R-Truth pin someone who very well may be a World Champion by the middle of the summer. There is a good chance that this story is going to wrap up soon, assuming R-Truth doesn’t cost Judgment Day the Tag Team Titles at Elimination Chamber. For now though, Judgment Day gets a win to build their momentum back up, which they need at the moment.

We look back at the Rock officially joining the Bloodline.

Sami Zayn says he is hitting the pause button on Drew McIntyre because there is a path for him to Wrestlemania and he will be a champion.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. After asking if the fans like her hat (they do so it stays), she talks about how she is going to win the Elimination Chamber to earn the right to face Rhea Ripley (McAfee: “Or Nia Jax.”) at Wrestlemania. Ripley has been on the roll of a lifetime but now there is Lynch, who is the biggest threat to her title. Lynch says she is the best she has ever been but first there is Elimination Chamber. She talks about beating almost everyone in the Chamber but here is Liv Morgan to interrupt, saying she doesn’t like Lynch acting like no one is a threat in the Chamber.

Morgan talks about her history with Ripley, who put her on the shelf for a few months with a bad shoulder. Cue Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton and Bianca Belair to say they’ll win. Belair says she’ll keep up her undefeated streak in the Chamber but Tiffany doesn’t want to hear it. Cue Nia Jax to wreck everyone because that’s what she does.

Shinsuke Nakamura is ready to make Sami Zayn famous.

Chad Gable vs. Ivar

They start fast with Gable kicking him to the floor, only to get dropped onto the barricade as we take an early break. Back with Gable reversing a super World’s Strongest Slam into a middle rope small package for two. Gable goes after the leg but the ankle lock is broken up with a whip to the floor. Ivar sends him into the apron and takes it back inside for a top rope seated senton and a near fall. Gable gets in a suplex into the moonsault for two, followed by the ankle lock for the win at 8:25.

Rating: B-. This was more of the Gable that has seemed ready to break out for a long time now. He’s basically a slightly smaller Kurt Angle (in the ring at least) and having him go nuts to beat someone is a good way to go. It wasn’t quite a great match, but it made Gable look more like a star than he has in a long time.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Drew McIntyre is ready to win the Elimination Chamber because he can beat everyone in it.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

Gunther is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. They start fast with Gunther chopping away and taking it to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Gunther twisting Jey’s neck and hitting a backbreaker before taking it outside. Jey ducks a clothesline and Samoan drops him onto the announcers’ table for a breather. Back in and Gunther drops him again but the powerbomb attempt is countered into a backdrop to the floor. The dive drops Gunther again and we take another break.

We come back with an exchange of chops until Jey has to escape another powerbomb attempt. The spear gives Jey two but Gunther knocks him down again, setting up the top rope splash for two. Jey hits another spear and Gunther is knocked outside, setting up another spear. The Superfly Splash connects….but Jimmy Uso rings the bell. Jey dives onto Jimmy and superkicks Gunther but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees, allowing Gunther to small package him and retain at 16:52.

Rating: B. They may have telegraphed the ending by having Jimmy show up earlier in the night but it was still a good moment with Jey seemingly having the title win. Gunther is so good at making you believe that he could lose the title every time he defends it, which makes his title defenses so much more interesting. Good main event here, and they nailed the big fight feeling of the whole thing.

Post match Jimmy comes in and drops Jey, setting up a pair of Superfly Splashes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Multiple good matches, almost everything at Elimination Chamber getting a boost and some solid talking. Those things should add up to a strong show, but the energy and presentation (different camera angles, fresh ways of talking about things etc) made this feel so much better. It felt more modernized and like a sport than a wrestling show while still having what makes a wrestling show work. I had a really good time with this and it’s one of the better Raw’s I’ve seen in a long time. Nice job, but Saturday needs to be just as good.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Cody Rhodes – Claymore
Raquel Rodriguez won a battle royal last eliminating Chelsea Green
Judgment Day b. R-Truth/Miz/DIY – South Of Heaven to R-Truth
Chad Gable b. Ivar – Ankle lock
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Small package

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: February 12, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Pa McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re less than two months away from Wrestlemania and now we seem to have a main event. Cody Rhodes is going to be challenging Roman Reigns, presumably on night two, but that leaves a lot to cover on the first night. Other than that, this week is going to be about Elimination Chamber qualifying matches so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the Titantron to my upper left.

Jey Uso/New Day vs. Imperium

Jey gets a crazy strong reaction to his entrance, with the fans going coconuts over the hand wave dance. Kofi and Kaiser start things off with Kofi slugging away, including a dropkick and clothesline. Woods comes in to stomp away in the corner, followed by Kofi and Jey getting to do the same. It’s off to Gunther to face Uso, but instead he walks around for a bit before handing it back to Vinci.

A cheap shot takes Uso down and now Gunther is willing to come in and chop away. Uso gets knocked to the floor and we take a break. Back with Jey fighting out of a chinlock and handing it back to Kofi to clean house. A top rope splash to the back of a standing Kaiser puts him down and Kofi hits the New Day Drop on Vinci. Kaiser is back up to ram Kofi into the steps though and Kaiser adds a boot to the face for two.

Gunther comes back in for a Boston crab so Jey comes in and slaps him square in the face. You do NOT do that to Gunther, who is rather annoyed as we take another break. Back again with Kofi backdropping his way to freedom and handing it back to Jey to clean house. Jey superkicks a springboarding Vinci out of the air and now we get the showdown with Gunther.

An enziguri staggers Gunther and a high crossbody gets two. The spear is cut off though and Gunther cleans house, setting up a hard clothesline for two more. Back up and Jey spears Gunther for two but Kaiser makes the save. Vinci walks into a three man 1D, leaving Kofi to dive onto Kaiser. The Superfly Splash finishes Vinci at 19:50.

Rating: B. This match managed to serve two purposes at once, as Uso looked like an absolute star who could be the one to take out Gunther. The fans lit up when he came to the ring and then the slap made things even better. In addition, you had a heck of a tag match with everyone working hard and nearly twenty minutes flying by. Heck of an opener.

Long recap of the Wrestlemania press event with Rock turning heel and joining Roman Reigns, at least for the time being.

Andrade talks about how much he loves wrestling and goes through his title history. He left in 2021 to remember who he was, but now he’s back.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed

Reed powers him into the corner but has to cut off a Hurt Lock attempt. An early spear attempt sends Lashley shoulder first into the post though and Reed knocks him into the timekeeper’s area. We take a break and come back with Reed hitting some hard clotheslines. A Downward Spiral gives Lashley two and a suplex is good for the same. Reed hits a superkick into a Death Valley Driver for two but Lashley is back up with a spinebuster. Reed comes back with a release Rock Bottom and a backsplash before going up. That takes way too long though and Lashley slams him down, setting up the spear for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C+. This was a fun hoss fight with Lashley being able to throw around a monster like Reed. That suplex and the slam off the top both looked good and the match worked well. I’m also a bit surprised there was no screwiness from someone like Karrion Kross to cost Lashley the match and send Reed to the Chamber in his home country but they went with the logical move instead.

We look at the end of last week’s show, with Sami Zayn saving Cody Rhodes from an attack at the hands of Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew McIntyre.

Earlier today, Zayn sat in an empty arena, who said that he has been through a lot of problems and setbacks, but he will be a champion. Nakamura popped up on screen to say that Zayn sounded like Rhodes so Nakamura needs to stop him. A match was set up for later tonight.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and he gets right to the point: he’s challenging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He can do that because of the fans, who made their voices heard online after….well he doesn’t say what caused it (him giving away his shot against Reigns in the first place). Rhodes doesn’t want to get too emotional though, because it might make him a crybaby.

We see the Rock on the Pat McAfee Show, dubbing the term Cody Crybabies. Rock also lists some things that those crybabies can do with chicken nuggets, which has Rhodes so confused that he asks McAfee what Rock said. Rhodes didn’t like Rock putting his hands on him and slapping him across the face so Rhodes is going to hit back. Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt so the fans get to sing a bit.

Rhodes thanks him for the help against the Rock, with Rollins wondering what else can he say except you’re welcome. Rollins says Rhodes needs to finish his story at Wrestlemania because if he doesn’t, everything changes after the match. Reigns shows up and defends the title even less so this is their last chance to take the title and give it to the people. While Rhodes might be the man, he needs a plan.

Last year he got cheated out of the title and now the pressure is even high but it’s even more complicated because of the Rock. Rollins says Rhodes can’t do that on his own because he is tired for Reigns and Rock getting away with this stuff. We hear about Rollins helping Reigns become who he is today but there is one man suited to be Rhodes’ Shield. That man is an architect and a visionary, which seems to leave Rhodes a lot to think about. Rollins was bringing the emotion here but it feels like he’s being set up to cost Rhodes the title at Wrestlemania.

New Day and Jey Uso are happy with their win, but to make it even better, Jey is getting an Intercontinental Title shot next week.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Liv Morgan vs. Zoey Stark

Before the match, we get quick vignettes from both women about how much it would mean to go on to Wrestlemania. Stark misses a shot in the corner, allowing Morgan to stomp away. Back up and Stark hits a running clothesline, only for Morgan to snap off a hurricanrana. A springboard kick to the face puts Stark down and they fight to the apron. Stark Death Valley Drives her onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting a middle rope Codebreaker for two but Starks’ powerbomb out of the corner gets the same. Another Codebreaker is countered into a catapult into the corner and a superkick drops Morgan for two. Stark takes a good bit too long going up top though and misses a flip dive, allowing Morgan to hit a quick Codebreaker. Oblivion finishes Stark at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were trading some nice stuff here and while the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt, it was nice to see Morgan putting in the extra effort to win here. She’s being treated as a fairly big deal and that could make a difference for her in the Chamber. Stark is someone with a good bit of skill in her own right, but at some point she needs to win something on her own and that hasn’t happened yet.

R-Truth talks about how JD McDonagh needs to come to reality, but Damian Priest cuts him off. He’s tired of all this because it was never an initiation or anything like that. Tonight, when McDonagh faces R-Truth, it’s an execution.

Post break, R-Truth is trying to find out if Miz can get here from Los Angeles in time for his match.

R-Truth vs. JD McDonagh

So there is no Miz, but there is the rest of Judgment Day minus Rhea Ripley (and McDonagh as he’s kind of busy). R-Truth sends him into the corner to start and hits a splash in the corner. An AA sends McDonagh outside and we take a break. Back with R-Truth hitting John Cena’s finishing sequence but the ax kick misses, allowing McDonagh to hit the Devil Inside (a Saito suplex) for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C. They barely had any time (at least that we saw) and in the end, having McDonagh beat R-Truth clean is a weird way to go. While R-Truth is pretty much bullet proof and isn’t likely to lose anything serious by being pinned here, I’m not sure why we didn’t get some kind of interference. The match itself was barely anything, but it also didn’t show that R-Truth needs help, because he lost a match straight up without any interference.

Post match the beatdown is on but DIY runs in with chairs for the save.

Cody Rhodes thanks Sami Zayn for his help last week.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. After accepting a prom invitation for 2034, Lynch talks about how crazy the Road to Wrestlemania has already been. She loves this, starting with the time she first set foot in the ring when she was 15. Wrestling is what let her meet her husband, have her daughter and cause her to miss her father’s funeral. It’s also left her having some weird conversations with her daughter like why her mom’s face is busted open, why her shoulder is banged up and she can’t pick her up….and why Daddy wants to fight Maui (Rock’s character in Moana).

Lynch knows a lot of people love Rhea Ripley and people believe no one can beat her, but Lynch isn’t anyone. She gets a drink from ringside and drinks a toast to Ripley’s last few days as champion. Cue Nia Jax, who talks about how she wishes her mother was half the woman Lynch is. She sounds rather emotional as she talks about how Lynch is going to win at Elimination Chamber. Just like she’s going to beat Ripley….who interrupts for the fight. Lynch gets crushed in the corner though and dropkicks Jax out to the floor. They almost have to go with Lynch vs. Ripley at Wrestlemania and that’s not a bad way to go.

Drew McIntyre talks about how he’s the only unselfish person around here. Cody Rhodes needs to take himself out of their match next week because the only things you don’t want to be are in his prayers or in a fight with him. Now Cody won’t be going to Wrestlemania, just like CM Punk.

R-Truth thanks DIY for their help….but thinks they’re DX. R-Truth: “How is Road Dogg?”

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: LA Knight vs. Ivar

Valhalla is here too and yes Cole does the antlers joke again. Knight starts fast and knocks Ivar outside for a bunch of rams into the announcers’ table. Ivar sends him into the barricade for a crossbody against said barricade and we take a break. Back with Knight running the corner to superplex him down, only to fail in a powerslam attempt. Ivar’s Tour of the Islands connects and a tiger bomb gets two. Ivar misses a knee though and now the powerslam can connect for two of his own. The BFT is blocked though and Ivar kicks him down, only to miss the Doomsault. Now the BFT can send Knight to Elimination Chamber at 8:26.

Rating: C. This was a different way to go than the Lashley vs. Ivar match and it went well enough. Knight wasn’t about to lose to Ivar, though the good thing is Ivar was built enough for the last few weeks that he was someone who could be a problem for Knight without being a threat. That makes for a slightly more interesting match, though the match not running incredibly long helped.

Sami Zayn runs into Drew McIntyre, who wants Zayn to keep his name out of his mouth. Zayn says McIntyre is in his way, so McIntyre steps aside.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including a Last Chance battle royal for the last spot in the women’s Elimination Chamber.

Chelsea Green is NOT happy with being in the battle royal with people like Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae, who are there. She also yells about Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, who pop in behind her. Green yells at Adam Pearce for seeing Baszler and Stark coming but not saying anything. Management WILL be notified.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn

Nakamura kicks him in the ribs to start but Zayn sends him to the floor and bounces back to the middle. We take an early break and come back with Zayn hitting a middle rope elbow to the head but Nakamura chokes him in the corner. Nakamura kicks him in the head though and we hit the chinlock.

Zayn fights up and hits a quick Michinoku Driver for two so they can both have a breather. A clothesline puts Nakamura on the floor and there’s a big flip dive, with Nakamura not exactly catching him so Zayn hits the floor HARD. We take another break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Nakamura kicks him in the head. Zayn is right back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and Nakamura rolls outside.

We go old school with Zayn trying a diving DDT over the bottom rope, only to get hit in the face. Back in and Nakamura hits a middle rope knee to the back of the head, followed by another one for another two. Zayn is back up with a heck of a clothesline and then the exploder into the corner. The Helluva Kick is loaded up but cue Drew McIntyre for a distraction. Nakamura kicks Zayn’s knee out and hits a running knee to the back of the head for the pin at 17:07.

Rating: B-. While it wasn’t quite their masterpiece in Dallas eight years ago, it was still good stuff with both of them hitting each other rather hard. The ending was part of Zayn’s issues as he continues his downward spiral. I’m not sure where that’s going to go, but hopefully it isn’t a heel turn as Zayn getting into the title hunt as the big underdog could be incredible.

Post match the double beatdown is on, with Cody Rhodes running in for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was rather good but the rest of the matches were little more than ok, which can often be the case with WWE qualifying matches. They didn’t really do anything big here, but next week’s show with Uso getting his Intercontinental Title shot and Rhodes vs. Nakamura should be more than enough. This wasn’t a show with the big stuff going on and it’s ok to lighten things a bit every so often. That was the case here and while it wasn’t a great show, it covered some things before we can get to the bigger stuff in the future.

Results
New Day/Jey Uso b. Imperium – Superfly Splash to Vinci
Bobby Lashley b. Bronson Reed – Spear
Liv Morgan b. Zoey Stark – Oblivion
JD McDonagh b. R-Truth – Devil Inside
LA Knight b. Ivar – BFT
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Sami Zayn – Running knee to the back of the head

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: February 9, 2024
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

As has been the case multiple times this year, and then everything changed. This time it was at the Wrestlemania media event, as Cody Rhodes changed his mind and decided that he would he challenging Roman Reigns instead. This sounds simple enough, but there was a huge X factor in the Rock, who got into it with Rhodes and has joined forces with Reigns in a “my family is better than your family” feud. I think we might have some fallout tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the press event.

Here is HHH for a chat, with Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce waiting in the ring. HHH talks about how we are on the Road To Wrestlemania but things took a hard turn yesterday. For now though, he needs to set the record straight. There are some people who don’t know their role but tried to assert their authority when they don’t have any. HHH doesn’t care where you sit because one thing is abundantly clear: the answers come one place and one place only and you are looking at him.

The main event of Wrestlemania XL will be Roman Reigns defending against Cody Rhodes. If there are some people who don’t like that, it doesn’t matter what you think. Aldis says it’s time to shift focus to Seth Rollins and the World Heavyweight Championship. The new #1 contender will be determined in the Elimination Chamber and qualifying matches begin tonight.

We see the twelve wrestlers who will be fighting for those shows: Randy Orton, Bronson Reed, Kevin Owens, Logan Paul, AJ Styles, Miz, Bobby Lashley, Ivar, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Dominik Mysterio and LA Knight (seemingly in no particular order). We’ll start right now with this qualifying match.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles

Before the match, McIntyre comes to the ring and mocks CM Punk’s injury (complete with the shirt) and no, Punk isn’t making a dime off of it! Hold on though as LA Knight joins commentary as McIntyre strikes away at Styles to start. A backbreaker sets up a rather harsh armbar to keep Styles down. They go outside with McIntyre sending him hard into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break.

Back with Styles fighting back and getting in his half of a double knockdown. McIntyre takes him up in the corner but Styles pulls him out with a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. A quick Futureshock plants Styles but he cuts the Claymore off. McIntyre cuts off the Phenomenal Forearm just as quickly though and they head outside. Styles almost gets into it with Knight, allowing McIntyre to shove Styles into Knight, who isn’t pleased. Knight gets on the apron to go after Styles, whose rollup to McIntyre is missed. The angry Styles decks Knight but walks into the Claymore for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: B-. One thing I like about qualifying matches is a situation where it seems that one person is the obvious winner but the other one isn’t a total non-factor. Styles getting into the Chamber wouldn’t have been an insane thought and that helps a lot. Odds are we’ll be seeing Styles again when Knight is trying to qualify and that makes things more interesting.

Sami Zayn is facing Randy Orton in his qualifying match and if that is his path to the title, so be it.

A NASCAR champion was here earlier.

Pretty Deadly is not happy with Wilson’s hand being hurt by Pete “Do-nay” and swear revenge.

We look back at Bayley leaving Damage CTRL and setting up her Wrestlemania title match.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Bianca Belair vs. Michin

Belair powers her around to start but Michin is back with some kicks to the head. A running kick to the chest gets two on Belair, who bails out to the floor for a breather. We take an early break and come back with Belair slugging away. Michin kicks her in the face to put Belair back down, only to miss a Cannonball. The handspring moonsault is almost countered with raised knees but Belair sticks the landing. A spinebuster gives Belair two but Michin is able to catch her on top with a superplex. Eat Defeat connects to send Belair outside but a Styles clash takes too long. Belair hits a KOD for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C+. This gets some bonus points for Michin getting in a good bit of offense. Belair winning isn’t exactly a surprise but I would much rather they have a competitive match instead of letting Belair run her over. Michin is someone who doesn’t seem likely to become a major star, but she can be a good middle of the road hand for matches like this one.

Bron Breakker comes in to see HHH and isn’t sure if he should sign with Raw or Smackdown. Before HHH can say anything, Paul Heyman comes in to interrupt. Breakker leaves and Heyman says that is a heck of a talent from a wacky family. A serious HHH asks what Heyman wants so Heyman says he’ll be back next week….with Roman Reigns. And the Rock. HHH says he’s looking forward to it.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She seems relieved that the fans are happy to see her and talks about how much Damage CTRL meant to her. Bayley put everything into Damage CTRL and then they kept mocking her behind her back. That hurt her…and here is Dakota Kai to interrupt. Kai says she didn’t know anything about what the rest of the team was doing but Bayley doesn’t buy it.

Bayley says Kai was always there with the rest of them but Kai says she always believed in the team. Kai misses the original trio because she wouldn’t be here if not for Bayley. It looked like Bayley’s plan was working and she thought it was going well but then everything fell apart.

Bayley asks where she stands but here are Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors to interrupt. The still injured Kai bails….and then comes back in with a chair. Bayley sees her coming but Kai swings at Sky and the Warriors instead. With the three of them gone, Kai drops the chair and Bayley is confused. Bayley and Kai stare at each other but nothing happens. Points for adding some intrigue here, because Bayley facing Damage CTRL 4-1 wasn’t exactly a realistic fight.

Randy Orton talks about how he was on the shelf for over a year and has learned to be patient. Inside the Chamber, the only constant is the RKO.

Bobby Lashley and company are ready for Wrestlemania season, including his Elimination Chamber qualifying match on Raw against Bronson Reed.

Pete Dunne/Tyler Bate vs. DIY

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot at Elimination Chamber. Gargano and Bate start things off with a pinfall reversal sequence, giving us a standoff. Dunne and Ciampa come in and go to the floor, where Dunne misses a moonsault. Ciampa knocks him onto the announcers’ table with the other two coming outside as well. Gargano knocks Bate down and we get some DIY clapping to send us to a break.

Back with everything breaking down and all four knocking each other down. Bate is up with a giant swing/airplane spin at the same time but Gargano breaks up the double Tyler Driver 97. Ciampa knees Bate in the face and hits Project Ciampa for two. Bate is back up to slug away at Ciampa, who kicks him in the face. The solo Tyler Driver 97 is blocked and Gargano superkicks Bate into the corner. That lets Dunne come back in for the Bitter End and the pin at 8:25.

Rating: B-. Dunne and Bate getting the shot is interesting as it sets up a completely fresh match. It’s also a nice sign for the future of the tag division as it shows what happens when you take two talented people with nothing going on and give them something to do. DIY will be fine, but at some point they need to win something that matters on the main roster.

Dominik Mysterio is ready to win the Elimination Chamber so he and Rhea Ripley can have matching titles. He doesn’t care who he faces, but here is Kevin Owens to promise Dominik a beating next week. Owens will even dedicate it to Rey Mysterio. Cue R-Truth, who thinks Owens is the Miz. Truth: “Don’t let Nick catch you!” Owens: “Nick Mysterio?” Truth: “Nick Aldis!” Fans: “WE WANT TRUTH!”

Logan Paul comes in to see the General Managers and has no idea why he’s in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Those matches are for unqualified people and that’s not true for him. Next week he’s fighting in UTAH? IN UTAH??? He’ll do it, just because he’s going to Wrestlemania and leaving as a double champion. Nick Aldis makes Paul vs. Miz in a qualifying match next week. Paul is not pleased. No mention of Paul’s next US Title challenger being announced as was advertised.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn starts fast by sending him outside and teases the dive, only to flip back into the middle when Orton moves. Back in and Orton hammers away before heading outside again. This time Zayn drops him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Orton hitting the top rope superplex, setting up the snap powerslam to put Zayn down again.

The hanging DDT is cut off with a backdrop though and Zayn hits the big suicide dive. Orton is fine enough to drop Zayn onto the announcers’ table, meaning the second hanging DDT attempt can connect. Zayn grabs a quick Blue Thunder Bomb for two but Orton is right back with the RKO for the pin at 10:47.

Rating: B-. I don’t think there’s any surprise that these two had a good match but again, it was nice to have a feeling that either could win. Zayn has seemingly been pushed as needing to win the World Title so giving him a chance to get into a big #1 contenders match wasn’t out of the question. Orton is the right choice to go forward though, as he’s still feeling like one of the biggest stars around at the moment.

Post match Drew McIntyre comes out for a staredown with Orton to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was pretty run of the mill but what mattered here was the atmosphere. This show had a bunch of stuff that felt big as they have turned on Wrestlemania Mode. That is a feeling you can’t shake and it was in full force this week. The matches had consequences and it was a show where things were happening. In a word, it felt focused and that is a great thing to see at the right time.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. AJ Styles – Claymore
Bianca Belair b. Michin – KOD
Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne b. DIY – Bitter End to Gargano
Randy Orton b. Sami Zayn – RKO

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: February 5, 2024
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

Say it with me: and then everything changed, as Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes said that he would not be challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania. Instead, it appears the The Rock of all people will be getting the shot. While that’s a huge deal, the fans are not exactly thrilled with the change and it has to be addressed this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Rhodes/Rock/Reigns segment from Smackdown.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. He does his catchphrases and makes a Rock reference, which gets the fans booing again. Seth: “I sense that you guys want Cody.” Well Rollins does too, so he invites Cody out to the ring. Cody asks what the fans want to talk about and we get a ROCKY SUCKS chant. Cole: “Is it 1996 all over again?” Seth: “I didn’t expect to hear that tonight.”

Rollins talks about how he needs this match with Rhodes as well because he needs to know if he’s better than he was when they did this the first time. He gets right to the point: are they going to fight at Wrestlemania? Before Cody can answer, cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre: “I think I speak for everybody when I say what the h***?” He and Rollins both hate Punk and it was time for the two of them to be talking about going to Wrestlemania.

The fans seem to like that and McIntyre even has a shirt commissioned…..which he reveals as himself laughing at a tombstone for Punk’s Wrestlemania main event (that’s freaking brilliant). McIntyre tells Cody to finish the story and even says don’t let your dad down. Rollins says McIntyre doesn’t have to go that far, but why does McIntyre think he’s getting the title shot if Cody isn’t the challenger?

They’ve done that twice and McIntyre lost. Rollins: “Didn’t you lose to him three times?” McIntyre talks about how it should be the best man winning but does stop to cut off Rhodes. McIntyre headbutts Rollins down and Cody decks McIntyre without much trouble. So they didn’t officially announce anything for Cody, which feels like a way to stretch this out what very well may be false hope to avoid some of the booing (which is already here).

Imperium vs. Creed Brothers vs. DIY vs. New Day

The winners move on to face Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne on Smackdown for the title shot at Elimination Chamber. Ciampa takes over on Woods to start but it’s Kingston coming in with a springboard high crossbody. Woods’ fist drop gets two and it’s back to Kingston to work on Ciampa’s arm. Kaiser comes in for the double dropkick to Kingston and we take a break. Back with Kingston dropping Kaiser and the tag brings in Woods as the pace picks up.

The Honor Roll connects and Woods superkicks Vinci. Gargano tags himself in for the slingshot spar and an assisted Sliced Bread takes down Brutus. DIY hit slingshot dives onto the Creeds and we get the applaud. Kingston dropkicks both of them to the floor but gets beaten down by Imperium, with Gargano making the save. Julius flip dives onto all of them Ciampa White Noises Woods onto the pile to leave everyone down as we take another break.

Back with Ciampa getting the worst of a Tower of Doom, followed by Brutus moonsaulting Kaiser for two. We hit the parade of strikes until Brutus ankle locks Vinci. Julius cuts off some people with belly to belly suplexes, including one to Woods and Ciampa at the same time. A bunch of people make the save and everyone is down again. The Brutus Ball takes out a bunch of people on the floor but Ciampa tags himself back in. Meet In The Middle hits Vinci for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. Sometimes the best thing to do is let a bunch of people go out there and do a bunch of wild stuff until someone gets the pin. DIY vs. Bate/Dunne should make for a good match and it could go either way for the title match. Heck of a way to fill in part of the show here though, even if asking us to believe that the referee remembered who was legal for the tag after the melee is a bit much.

Shayna Baszler is ready for Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch is ready for Shayna Baszler.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

They fight over arm control to start until Lynch has to escape the Kirifuda Clutch. They go outside where Baszler kicks her in the head and kicks the hand against the steps. We take a break and come back with Lynch striking away despite having a banged up arm. A running knee gives Baszler two but Lynch is back with a missile dropkick.

Baszler goes after the arm again, this time tying it in the ropes and then into Lynch’s gear. That astonishingly doesn’t work and Lynch pulls her off the top so they can strike it out again. Lynch can’t get the Disarm-Her but she can get the Manhandle Slam to put Baszler away at 12:38.

Rating: C. This really needed to be five minutes shorter and the extra length hurt it a good bit. The biggest problem here was there was no reason to believe that Baszler had a real chance straight up against Lynch, which makes the match feel that much longer. The match wasn’t particularly good, but at least it got Lynch into the Chamber for the first time ever (it helps when you’ve been champion so many times).

Liv Morgan says no one is about her business but next week, her qualifying match is about revenge.

Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Cody Rhodes at a live event. Tonight, it’s a bullrope match.

Drew McIntyre has been fined for attacking Seth Rollins and Adam Pearce will double it if he keeps wearing that Punk shirt.

Rhea Ripley calls out Nia Jax but Adam Pearce comes to the ring to say the match has been made for Elimination Chamber. Cue Jax to beat Ripley down.

We look at Bayley challenging Iyo Sky for the Smackdown Women’s Title at Wrestlemania.

Akira Tozawa/Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivar/Valhalla

Valhalla sends Maxxine into the corner to start and Maxxine can’t quite get a sunset flip. She also can’t quite time a handspring elbow either but a double high crossbody puts Iva down. Maxxine flirts with Ivar to no effect so commentary talks about Medieval Times. A super World’s Strongest Slam finishes Tozawa at 2:00. This was really bad.

We look back at R-Truth being kicked out of Judgment Day.

Judgment Day is talking about Rhea Ripley when R-Truth comes in. JD McDonagh wants to jump him but has a match and leaves with Dominik Mysterio. R-Truth thinks last week was a pre-initiation and Finn Balor walks away. Priest does as well, but R-Truth finds a box of shirts that gives him an idea.

JD McDonagh vs. The Miz

Before the match, Miz talks about R-Truth being on the line between genius and crazy. Judgment Day attacking R-Truth was a declaration of war though and it’s time to fight. McDonagh (with Dominik Mysterio in his corner) stomps away in the corner to start and hits a knee to the face.

Back up and Miz knocks him to the floor, setting up a suplex from the timekeeper’s area to the floor. We take a break and come back with McDonagh hitting a standing moonsault for two….and here is R-Truth to throw the shirts to the crowd. The distraction lets Miz get his boots up to block a top rope moonsault and Miz kicks away in the corner. A crossbody gives Miz two and he takes out Mysterio for a bonus.

R-Truth puts a shirt around Mysterio’s arms to tie him up, allowing Miz to get in a big boot. The distraction lets McDonagh hit a headbutt into a moonsault for two so R-Truth whips out McDonagh’s cut of the merch money. Works for McDonagh, who gets hit with the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C. There was a lot to this but it wasn’t exactly great action. What matters here is the fact that R-Truth continues to be one of the most over people in all of WWE today. He gets a reaction no matter what he is doing and it’s great to see him getting this kind of a reaction. I could go for seeing more of Miz/R-Truth vs. Judgment Day, perhaps for the titles in a Wrestlemania match.

Imperium makes sure that everything is prepared for Gunther’s celebration for being Intercontinental Champion for 600 days. Adam Pearce says it’s cool, and here is Bron Breakker for a meeting. Imperium does not look pleased.

We look back at CM Punk having tricep surgery last week.

Here is Imperium for Gunther’s celebration. Gunther says no one should be surprised that we are here for this celebration. He doesn’t know why he’s here though, because every milestone is a formality anyway. The fact of the matter is he is running out of competition so who is left to challenge for this title?

Cue Jey Uso with the full dancing entrance, which Gunther calls a simple gesture for a simple audience. He doesn’t like this disrespect though, even if Jey is one half of the best teams ever. It makes sense too as you get all the glory for only 50% of the work. Uso lists off his resume (incorrectly saying he was in the first tag team to main event Wrestlemania) and says he wants the title shot.

Gunther likes his moxie and threatens to beat Jey back to the days when people couldn’t tell the Usos apart. Gunther: “UCE!” The fight is on with New Day making the save to chase Imperium off. This is a perfectly logical next challenger for Gunther and Jey winning the title does not feel out of the question. That being said, Gunther is adding some great quips on the mic, just in case he didn’t have enough tools so far.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants to hurt Cody Rhodes.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

The Warriors are defending and Chance goes after Asuka’s bad ribs to start. The champs are knocked to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Carter fighting her way out of trouble and handing it back to Chance. Asuka gets draped over the middle rope in the corner for some knees to the ribs, setting up the After Party for two. Sane breaks up the Keg Stand though and an Insane Elbow/reverse DDT combination finishes Chance at 9:48.

Rating: C. The problem here was outside of Bayley interfering to cost the Warriors the titles, there was little reason to believe they were losing the titles. Chance and Carter don’t feel like they’re on the same level and it was showing here. They can do some high flying stuff, but the Warriors feel like far more well rounded stars, both on their own and as a team.

We get a sitdown interview with Sami Zayn in an empty arena. Zayn talks about getting close but not quite making it. HHH pulled him aside and said he was like Rocky Balboa, which makes him believe that he’ll be a champion one day. It’s about proving to himself and the people that they should have believed in him.

Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Bullrope match and you win by pinfall or submission. The rope is apparently the same one Dusty and Dustin used in their bullrope matches over the years. Nakamura jumps him to start but Cody takes over on the floor as we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Rhodes pulling him into the post but Nakamura uses the rope to break up a springboard.

Nakamura chokes with his boot and hits a running knee to the ribs for two. Cody is back with a dropkick to the knee and the Figure Four goes on, only to have Nakamura use the bell for the escape. We take another break and come back again with Rhodes hitting the snap powerslam.

The Cody Cutter gets two and they slug it out until Nakamura kicks him in the head. There’s the reverse exploder suplex but the Kinshasa is countered into a Pedigree for two. Back up and Nakamura uses the mist but the blind Cody hits Cross Rhodes for two more. Kinshasa is blocked and Rhodes hits him low with the rope, setting up Cross Rhodes for the pin at 16:43.

Rating: B-. This felt like a house show main event and that is likely because they’ve headlined house shows with it for the last few weeks. The good idea here was to have Rhodes get a nice win to give the fans something to cheer about. The fans want to cheer Rhodes right now and it would go a long way to calm them down if he gets to beat up a rival like he did here.

Drew McIntyre runs in to jump Rhodes to end the show. Those two could have a heck of a fight at Elimination Chamber.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a good show in here somewhere but it got bogged down by a lot of the stuff in the middle. That mixed tag was awful and some of the segments really didn’t work. The main event was good though and the Gunther/Uso segment did well too. With that being said, the opening segment and the anti-Rock reaction are what matter the most here, as that press conference could be quite the mess if they go in the expected directions. I’m curious to see what they do though, because plowing straight ahead seems more than a bit risky. For now though, pretty good show that had some rough stretches.

Results
DIY b. Imperium, Creed Brothers and New Day – Meet In The Middle to Vinci
Becky Lynch b. Shayna Baszler – Manhandle Slam
Valhalla/Ivar b. Maxxine Dupri/Akira Tozawa – Super World’s Strongest Slam to Tozawa
Miz b. JD McDonagh – Skull Crushing Finale
Kabuki Warriors b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Reverse DDT/Insane Elbow combination to Chance
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Cross Rhodes

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: January 29, 2024
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and officially on the Road To Wrestlemania. That means it is time to start getting ready for the big time of the year. Almost everything is going to matter now, but that is going to be more complicated because CM Punk has reportedly torn his tricep. Odds are we’ll hear something about that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

We open with wrestlers coming to work.

Pat McAfee is here, and apparently will be every Monday night going forward. No word on what that means for Wade Barrett.

We get a long recap of the Royal Rumble.

Here is CM Punk, with his arm in a sling, for a chat. He talks about how close he got to winning the Royal Rumble and had it in the palm of his hand. Punk doesn’t feel mad at Cody Rhodes, who earned the win. On Saturday, he tore his tricep and is going to be out for a long time. That means that main eventing Wrestlemania just isn’t happening this year, and the fans are not pleased.

Punk talks about a friend of his who is battling cancer and he never says a bad word and he’s the kind of person that Punk wants to be. We hear about other people Punk know who work day to day jobs and they keep going, which is what he wants to do. He’s a Chicago Cubs fan and guarantees us that there is always a next year…but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt (Punk: “Not what I was expecting.”).

McIntyre seems to feel sorry for Punk and talks about how he’s going to headline Wrestlemania. He got his hands on Punk and still doesn’t like him, which has Punk promising to be back next year and then getting his hands on McIntyre. The fight is on with Punk using the bad arm, which is quickly taken down. Sami Zayn makes the save. Punk was emotional here but there is nothing he can do with that kind of an injury. Hopefully he’s back later this year, which should be a heck of a moment, but how many times can he keep making these comebacks?

Judgment Day is happy with how things are going and ready to take out DIY.

DIY is ready for Judgment Day and have been waiting for years for this chance.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is defending. Priest takes Ciampa into the corner and hits him in the face to take over. Everything breaks down in a hurry with DIY hitting stereo dives to the floor, meaning stereo pats on the back. We settle back down to Priest dropping Ciampa face first onto the apron.

Back in and Balor’s ax kick gets two so Ciampa goes over for the tag…which the referee doesn’t see. Ciampa finally gets in a reverse DDT for the breather and the tag brings in Gargano to clean house. The slingshot spear gives Gargano two and everything breaks down. Ciampa assists Gargano for an assisted Sliced Bread to Priest for two but can’t hit the Fairy Tale Ending.

A heck of a clothesline gives Priest two and he throws Gargano outside for making a save. South Of Heaven is broken up though and Ciampa hits a super White Noise for two. Meet In The Middle connects but Priest makes the save. That makes Ciampa send Priest over the announcers’ table as Balor knocks Gargano into the corner but misses the Coup de Grace.

The Gargano Escape and Sicilian Stretch go on at the same time until Priest drops Ciampa onto the other two for the save. We settle back down to Gargano escaping the Razor’s Edge and handing it back to Gargano. A superkick drops Balor so Priest loads up the Razor’s Edge to Ciampa, only to be cut off by Gargano. Back in and Ciampa rolls Priest up for two but it’s a Razor’s Edge into the Coup de Grace to retain the titles at 12:49.

Rating: B+. Man this was rolling by the middle and if they had gone at somewhere in there, the roof might have come off. Instead though, it was an awesome match in front of a hot crowd and I was buying that DIY had a chance of pulling this off. Really hot match here and hopefully DIY gets another shot at some point.

Post match Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in to celebrate, with Damian Priest saying we have seen a different side to the team in recent weeks and it’s time to thank someone for making it happen. That would be R-Truth, so here he is for a chat, albeit after Priest assures him that he’ll be safe. Truth comes in and talks about doing Priest’s taxes, with Priest saying Truth doesn’t know what any of that means.

They’re a family, with Balor as the weird uncle. Then you have Tom and Nick, but there is nothing else to say about them. McDonagh is like that step brother you don’t want to admit is in the family. Priest says they’re family, but Truth isn’t part of the team. He likes Truth though, which is why Dominik and McDonagh are doing this. The beatdown is on but Miz runs in for the save, only to get beaten down as well. Truth and Miz getting the Tag Team Titles could be a nice moment.

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

Niven runs Stark over to start but it’s quickly off to Baszler to work on the arm. Green comes in to takeover on Stark, who hits a Z360 for a VERY quick win at 2:01. Baszler looked a bit confused there, even though her team won so I’m wondering if that wasn’t as planned.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and yeah the fans really like him. The fans say he deserves it, so Cody asks Samantha Irvin to introduce him as the back to back Royal Rumble winner one more time. Cody talks about how this place is supposed to be an escape for people but the last few days have been challenging. He needed the fans since then but let’s make Wrestlemania official.

Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt, saying he agrees with the fans: Cody deserves it. They might not see eye to eye, but Rollins is getting serious now: if Cody chooses to face Roan Reigns at Wrestlemania, he’s making a mistake. Cody should face Rollins instead and wants the fans to hear him out. At the Royal Rumble press conference, Cody said he was the guy, but neither he nor Roman Reigns is the guy anymore. Rollins is the guy, because of the World Heavyweight Championship.

It made sense to go after Reigns when there was only one champion, but Rhodes and Rollins have been on this ride together. They have made town after town and Rollins was defending the title every night. Why did the World Heavyweight Championship come to be? It’s because people were tired of Reigns barely being around to defend the title, but that’s not what Rollins does.

We don’t need to pretend that Reigns is something special anymore because we don’t need him at all. Does Cody want the Hulk Hogan Title, or does he want the Dusty Rhodes workhorse title? It doesn’t matter what Dusty would do because this is about Cody and his decision. Rollins can wait on an answer, but what kind of a man does Cody want to be? An emotional Cody says he respects Rollins and did not expect to be talking about this tonight. He’ll think about it. While I still think Cody picks Reigns, they did a really good job here of sewing some doubt, which is a god thing if you want the announcement to be a big moment.

New Day is ready to win another title when Kofi Kingston beats Gunther for the Intercontinental Title.

Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed

Reed runs him over to start and hits a hard clothesline. Back up and Jey manages to knock him outside for the suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Uso punching away and getting two off a high crossbody. The enziguri is knocked away though and Reed’s backsplash gets two. Reed goes up but gets knocked down, only to avoid the Superfly Splash. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets two but he misses the Tsunami. Uso spears him down and hits the Superfly Splash for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that can do some good for Uso. He wasn’t in there against a top star but he had to come from behind and gets a nice clean win. Uso is likely going to be getting to do something soon (a run at the Intercontinental Title wouldn’t shock me) and this should move him forward in more than one way.

Andrade officially signs with Raw but Nick Aldis interrupts. Adam Pearce introduces the two of them and runs down Andrade’s resume, though Aldis said Smackdown had its own contract offer. Andrade says say hi to Zelina Vega for him and leaves. Aldis says Bayley has been loaded to Raw for tonight, but before they can talk about the Elimination Chamber, Aldis takes a phone call from Bron Breakker.

Gunther talks about being glad Kofi Kingston challenged him because Kingston will remember this night for the rest of his life. After tonight though, Gunther will forget about Kofi and remember Gunther’s record setting title reign.

Becky Lynch is disappointed in losing but she’s not done fighting until she takes the title back to the main event where it deserves.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Kofi Kingston

Kingston is challenging and charges right at him to start. Some early shots to the face stagger Gunther but a backbreaker puts Kingston down. Gunther grabs the Boston crab and we’re off to an early break. Back with Gunther pounding away and telling Kingston to bring it. Gunther shrugs off a comeback attempt and grabs another Boston crab as we take another break.

Back again with Kingston hitting a jumping knee but getting caught in the sleeper. The powerbomb is broken up and they head outside, with Kingston countering another powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana into the post. Back in and Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise but Gunther rolls outside before the cover.

Kingston drapes him over the steps for a jumping shot to the back, followed by the top rope Boom Drop for two back inside. Another Trouble In Paradise is countered in a failed Boston crab attempt so Gunther hits the big clothesline. Another clothesline is countered into the SOS for two and Gunther has had enough. The dropkick and powerbomb retain the title at 16:18.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but once they got rolling, this got a lot better in a hurry. Kingston is in that sweet spot where he’s just good enough to feel like a threat while making Gunther look good. We’re coming up on Wrestlemania season and the shot against Gunther is going to be a big spot for someone. Jey Uso still feels like a real option, but it’s going to be someone big.

Post match Xavier Woods comes in to check on Kingston but Imperium comes in for the beatdown.

We look back at Drew McIntyre injuring Sami Zayn last month.

Sami talks about how he keeps getting things taken away by McIntyre, who is now targeting other people. Tonight, Sami is giving him a reality check.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Natalya/Tegan Nox

Non-title. Natalya runs Sane over to start so it’s off Now for some running shots to Asuka in the corner. A Cannonball keeps Asuka in trouble and it’s Natalya coming back in for the double running kicks to the face. We take a break and come back with Natalya fighting back on Asuka. A German suplex and discus clothesline look to set up the Sharpshooter so Asuka screams for Sane to save her. Natalya reaches for the tag to Nox but instead she goes to the floor to brawl with Sane. That goes badly, leaving Natalya to roll Asuka up for two. Asuka kicks Natalya down and the Insane Elbow finishes for Sane at 9:50.

Rating: C. Good grief. Natalya and Nox have teamed together SIX TIMES. Can we please stop acting like them having an issue and probably splitting up is in any way a big deal? Natalya isn’t interesting in the first place and pretending that this is some kind of a big deal isn’t making things better. This was a fine enough match but I rolled my eyes hard at the idea of some kind of a breakup angle between a team that was barely around in the first place.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are ready for their rematch for the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week.

Here is Bayley, with the rest of Damage CTRL, for a chat. Bayley talks about how everyone was saying she wasn’t as good once she came back from her injury but now she is back as the Royal Rumble winner. She beat the best women’s division ever and even broke Rhea Ripley’s Iron Woman record.

Cue Ripley to interrupt but Nia Jax jumps her from behind. The fight is on and they get in the ring, with Jax running her over and dropping the big leg. Jax drops two more plus the Annihilator before staring Bayley down in the corner. Ripley isn’t making it to Wrestlemania, but Bayley says she’s making her announcement on Smackdown. This was more about setting up Ripley for her Hogan vs. Andre style match in Australia.

Drew McIntyre says Sami Zayn has never beaten him and that isn’t changing tonight.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre jumps him to start and they go to the floor for an early break. Back with Sami hitting a sunset bomb for a much needed breather. Zayn fights back again but gets run over with a hard shot. McIntyre goes up top, only to get superplexed back down in quite the big crash.

The Helluva Kick is cut off with an elbow to the face, followed by the overhead belly to belly. White Noise plants Sami for two but he knocks McIntyre into the corner again. Another Helluva Kick is blocked with what appears to be a low blow. The Claymore finishes for McIntyre at 12:56.

Rating: C+. This got better near the end but it was kind of a flat main event. I’m not sure what WWE has in mind for McIntyre at Wrestlemania (though a match with Seth Rollins isn’t out of the cards) but this was just him beating Sami again. It was a good enough match, though nothing you need to really see.

Overall Rating: B-. The show started off on a down note but was picked up by some rather good action. They could only set up so much for Wrestlemania this week due to the Punk injury and probably a bunch of fallout from the lawsuit changing everything, but it could have been worse. They have more than enough time to get ready, but the build to Elimination Chamber can start next week.

Results
Judgment Day b. DIY – Coup de Grace to Ciampa
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Z360 to Green
Jey Uso b. Bronson Reed – Superfly Splash
Gunther b. Kofi Kingston – Powerbomb
Kabuki Warriors b. Tegan Nox/Natalya – Insane Elbow to Natalya
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – 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: January 15, 2024
Location: Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

The slow build towards the Royal Rumble continues and that means we’re likely to get some more names added to the show’s namesake matches. In addition, we have Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Jinder Mahal in a match that might just be crazy enough for WWE to do something off the wall. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day video. That’s a nice thing to bring back from the Vince days.

Seth Rollins, with daughter, arrived earlier, as did Jinder Mahal.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. Rhodes brings up a song about Little Rock but isn’t sure if that’s what the fans want to talk about. Instead, let’s talk about why he’s back in WWE. The Royal Rumble is just around the corner, but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre asks Rhodes what he wants to talk about and brings up their time as Tag Team Champions (Rhodes: “The Dashing Ones.”). He brings up their time on the indies, which was good enough that got WWE to call them back.

McIntyre’s last match on the indies was with Rhodes, who told him he would be a World Champion one day. Rhodes needs to keep doing what he has been doing and he’ll be the first member of his family to hold up that title. Rhodes will finish his story…but McIntyre is finishing his first. We hear about some people who could win the Royal Rumble but McIntyre wants him to step up.

Rhodes talks about how thankful and grateful he is while McIntyre is complaining about his second chance. McIntyre brings up the people Rhodes has brought to Raw or endorsed when he could have just left it alone. Rhodes calls him out for his complaints and says the way to do this is look at yourself and to the fans. Yes McIntyre’s last match on the indies was against McIntyre, but who won? It’s great to see all these personal feuds being built up on the way to the Rumble, as they could well indeed go beyond and into Wrestlemania.

Damian Priest yells at R-Truth for selling bootleg Judgment Day merchandise….until Truth hands him his cut, which is a pile of hundreds. Priest says ok but just don’t talk about selling the merch. Oh and in the tag match tonight: Truth doesn’t tag in.

JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio vs. DIY

Gargano and McDonagh get things going and head to the mat for some front facelocks. A hurricanrana sends McDonagh outside but Mysterio knocks Gargano outside as well. Ciampa drops Mysterio and DIY is happy as we take a break. Back with Ciampa blasting McDonagh with a clothesline but another Mysterio cheap shot cuts Gargano off.

The chinlock goes on to keep Gargano down but he’s back up with the slingshot spear. McDonagh pulls Ciampa off the apron before the tag though and we take another break. Back with Ciampa coming back in to clean house again. The Fairy Tale Ending is escaped but a powerbomb/belly to back suplex combination gets two on Mysterio.

We get the big exchange of strikes to the face and everyone is down. Mysterio is back up to dropkick Gargano into a 619 position but Ciampa makes the save as everything stays broken down. A slightly different kind of DDT sets up Meet In The Middle to finish McDonagh at 18:12.

Rating: B-. This match got some time and it’s nice to see DIY getting a win. They could very easily be slotted into the title picture as they are building up some quick momentum. Then again, it has felt like they were ready to move up the ladder more than once so I’ll believe it when I see it. On the other hand, it’s nice to see Mysterio and McDonagh fitting in well as the Judgment Day jobbers.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven met with Adam Pearce, along with Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae. A tag match is made for later tonight.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Green goes after LeRae to start and it’s quickly of to Niven to hammer away. An early Vader Bomb misses though and it’s LeRae coming in for some step up backsplashes. Everything breaks down and Niven misses the basement crossbody. That leaves Green to get hung in the ropes for a Lionsault from LeRae for the pin at 3:30.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a match as they were flying through everything to get to the pin. Hartwell and LeRae are the next team up it seems, which is pretty typical for the division. There’s only so much to get excited about when the division has such a revolving door of teams, but maybe they can do something given their history together.

Video on Nia Jax.

Judgment Day isn’t happy with R-Truth being around, but Damian Priest whips out the stack of cash to change their mind. Oh and JD McDonagh doesn’t get any because his name isn’t on the shirt.

Ludwig Kaiser introduces the returning Gunther. The fans seem happy to have him back, which almost has Gunther a bit confused. Gunther says he can smell the desperation around here, but that might just be Arkansas. Last year, Gunther entered the Royal Rumble at #1 and was one elimination away from winning. This year, he’s entering again and he’s going to win.

For now though, he wants to focus on Kaiser. We look at Kaiser injuring Kofi Kingston last week, which Gunther loved. Cue the returning Xavier Woods, who says that was too far last week. Woods is here to get revenge on Kaiser, but maybe Kaiser has to ask daddy for permission. Gunther approves so let’s do this, with Woods winning the pre-match fight.

Xavier Woods vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Joined in progress with Woods hammering away but getting kicked in the face. Kaiser stomps away until Woods gets in a shot to the face of his own. Woods goes up top, only to get pulled back down in a nasty crash. Kaiser is right back on him with more shots to the head, plus a kick to the chest for two.

Back up and Woods manages a kick to the head, only to get dropped again with a hard clothesline. A whip sends Woods shoulder first into the post and a running dropkick puts him on the floor as we take a break. Back with Woods hitting another kick to the head, setting up a chop off. Woods unloads with stomps in the corner and hits a dropkick through the ropes for a bonus. The beating is on outside, with Woods eventually hitting him with a chair for the DQ at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was a different side of Woods and it wound up working well. Right now it seems that we’re waiting to see the partners return for what should be a big showdown tag match. If that means we have to wait and see a more intense Woods, which made him stand out for the first time in awhile, so be it.

With the match over, Woods grabs the chair again, only to have Kaiser kick it into his face. Kaiser loads up the dropkick into the steps but Woods gets up and throws the stairs at his head. Kaiser ducks away and it’s time to run through the crowd as Woods is still looking angry.

Bronson Reed promises to win some unspecified title.

Ludwig Kaiser jumps Xavier Woods in the back but Jey Uso makes the save.

We look at how Jinder Mahal got a World Title shot against Seth Rollins tonight.

Akira Tozawa vs. Ivar

Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla are here too. Ivar runs him over to start but Tozawa is back up with a spinning kick to the head. Tozawa drops him again and rips the shirt off, only to get caught with a spinning slam. Dupri offers a distraction though and Tozawa grabs a sunset bomb for the pin at 1:58.

Post match Valhalla and Ivar jump Maxxine and Tozawa to leave them laying.

Here is Rhea Ripley for a chat and she gets right to the point: she is going to be waiting on whomever wins the Royal Rumble because Mami always comes out on top. Cue Becky Lynch to interrupt, Becky talks about their similarities, which include going from nothing to the top and making a big splash at Wrestlemania.

The difference is Becky has actually won the Royal Rumble. Here they stand though, with Lynch wondering if this entire thing has been worth it. Lynch thinks Ripley is better than her, but she needs to beat Ripley to prove herself wrong. She needs to win the Rumble and point at the sign, which sounds good to Ripley. She’ll see Lynch at Wrestlemania. There’s your big tease and yeah I’m in.

Seth Rollins knows he’s up against Jinder Mahal tonight and we’ve been here before. This is a different Mahal though, and Seth is ready.

Miz/R-Truth vs. Judgment Day

Non-title and most of Judgment Day is here with Damian Priest and Finn Balor. To make it more complicated, Truth comes out with Judgment Day and hands Balor his cut of the merch money. Ruth starts for the team and takes Balor into the corner, which has Balor annoyed. Balor stomps away and we take an early break.

We come back with Truth fighting out of a chinlock and kicking Balor in the head. The diving tag brings Miz in and Priest is thrown over the announcers’ table. Back in and the corner clothesline hits Balor but Truth tags himself in for the ax kick. Priest yells at Truth, who kicks Balor in the face, earning himself the South Of Heaven. Balor gets the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. WWE has something with Truth and Judgment Day and they seem to know it. I could certainly go for more from them and it wouldn’t shock me to see a rematch for the titles at the Royal Rumble. Whatever keeps Truth on TV, as he has struck gold yet again, which is hardly even a surprise at this point.

Jinder Mahal is ready to get his title back because this is twelve years in the making in one night.

Shinsuke Nakamura is mad at his loss to Cody Rhodes but he’s entering the Royal Rumble.

Tegan Nox/Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Stark takes Nox into the corner to start and it’s off to Baszler for a stomp to the chest. Nox fights out of said corner but Baszler sends her right back into the corner. The comeback doesn’t take much longer as Nox gets over to Natalya for the necessary tag. Everything breaks down and Stark comes in but Baszler makes a blind tag. That’s fine with Natalya, who hits a discus lariat but Stark breaks up the Hart Attack. Baszler chokes Natalya for the tap at 5:23.

Rating: C. This is the lower level of the least interesting division in WWE and another match like this doesn’t make things much more interesting. It feels like these four have been feuding for a few weeks now without getting anywhere. Odds are that’s all we’ll be seeing from them until one of them gets a Women’s Tag Team Title shot and loses. Then a new team will take their place and it starts all over again.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Raw World Title: Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins

Mahal is challenging and has Indus Sher with him. Sher offers an early distraction and the beating is on to start. It’s too early for the Khallas, Stomp and Pedigree as Rollins is backdropped out to the floor. Rollins fights up….and here is Damian Priest to watch. We take a break and come back with Mahal dropping some knees and grabbing an abdominal stretch. Rollins fights out and hits some forearms of his own.

A crossbody gives Rollins two and it’s a springboard Swanton into a Lionsault for two more. Rollins comes up favoring his knee but he’s fine enough to grab a Falcon Arrow. The Pedigree is loaded up but his knee gives out, meaning Mahal is up at two. Rollins misses another high crossbody….and Priest stands up. Cue Drew McIntyre to brawl with Priest to the back, leaving Mahal to hit a fireman’s carry gutbuster for two. Veer gets in a briefcase shot into the Khallas for two, only to have Rollins come back with the Stomp to retain at 13:03.

Rating: B-. That’s about all I was expecting it to be and it was not bad at all. Mahal was just enough of a minor threat to believe a long shot title change was possible, as WWE did a nice job of setting him up. Indus Sher and Priest made things even better and it was a perfectly good, one off match. Mahal as the former champion who wants to prove he wasn’t a fluke is a way to go and he’s done rather well in the last few weeks, including here.

Overall Rating: B-. I had fun with the show, as they built things up towards the Rumble while also covering some things this week. Rollins gets a win under his belt on the way to the Rumble and we have the hilarity of R-Truth and Judgment Day. These shows have the task of not making a major mistake before we get a better picture of WrestleMania at the Rumble and they had a pretty good one this week.

Results
DIY b. Dominik Mysterio/JD McDonagh – Meet In The Middle to McDonagh
Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae b. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green – Assisted Lionsault to Green
Ludwig Kaiser b. Xavier Woods via DQ when Woods used a chair
Akira Tozawa b. Ivar – Sunset bomb
Judgment Day b. Miz/R-Truth – South Of Heaven to R-Truth
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Natalya/Tegan Nox – Kirifuda Clutch to Natalya
Seth Rollins b. Jinder Mahal – Stomp

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: December 18, 2023
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We have about five weeks to go before the Royal Rumble and the show’s namesake match is starting to come together. That would be due to CM Punk and Cody Rhodes both declaring for the match, which serves as quite the great start. Other than that, it is time to add some things to the card, which might start tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Judgment Day to get things going. The team is ready to defend the Tag Team Titles against the Creed Brothers, who are in for the biggest night of their lives. For the team, it’s just another night at the office. Rhea Ripley threatens violence against Ivy Nile but here is R-Truth to cut off Dominik Mysterio. He didn’t know the team was opening the show off, even though he’s the newest member of the team.

Truth was hurt by the team both physically and emotionally, with JD McDonagh threatening more pain. Truth is ready to fight, like say in a Miracle On 34th Street Fight! McDonagh points out that the match was already announced, so Truth says we need to get started because 34th Street is a long way off. We’ll even make it a Loser Leaves Judgment Day match! Priest approves so let’s go.

R-Truth vs. JD McDonagh

Street fight so McDonagh grabs the candy cane kendo stick. That’s cut off so they fight to the floor, where Truth hits him with a Christmas tree. They head inside and we take an early break. Back with Truth fighting out of a chinlock and grabbing a table. That takes too long so McDonagh gets in a cheap shot, only to be sprayed with a fire extinguisher. The table is set up inside and Truth kicks him down to set up a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Truth puts him on the table and goes up, only to get caught by McDonagh. That’s broken up as well as Truth…kind of hugs him into something like a spinebuster through the table for the pin at 9:52.

Rating: C. This was the goofy match that you would have expected and there is nothing wrong with that. I could even have gone for more of the shenanigans with a bunch of silly weapons and Christmas decorations. It’s a Christmas tradition but it’s nice to have something important come out of the ending. Good opener here, even if it was the most basic of a street fight.

Dominik Mysterio knows that was bad, with a great “oh dang” face.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Woop wooping ensues.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat but Becky Lynch interrupts before she can say anything. Jax bails to the floor but Lynch thought she had something to say. Jax says she has more important things to do, though Lynch thinks the fans don’t care. The challenge is laid out, but Jax says no because she would break Lynch, who is the company’s money maker. Lynch calls out Jax being scared because she is always famous for being on someone’s back.

Jax is only famous for hurting Lynch and if they fight, she’s famous for being the one who lost to the best ever. The referee comes out but nah we’ll do this later, with Jax saying Lynch isn’t getting it now. We’ll do it in Jax’s hometown in two weeks at Day One. Lynch’s daughter is going to ask why her mom is uglier than usual so Lynch charges at her to start the quickly broken up fight.

Earlier tonight, Kofi Claus appeared to give fans presents.

Kofi Claus is in the back and asks DIY what they want. That would be the Tag Team Titles, but they’ll settle for a Jey Uso shirt instead. Miz comes in and they’re cool after last week, while Miz is ready to get the Intercontinental Title back.

Intercontinental Title: Miz vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and this is Miz’s last shot at him. Miz gets powered down to start but comes up looking rather serious. Gunther gets a bit too cocky and gets pulled into a leglock, with Miz mocking the Imperium pose and cranking back. The rope is grabbed so Gunther heads outside, where he hits a hard chop and apron powerbomb as we take a break.

Back with Gunther hitting a big boot, sending Miz out to the apron. Miz’s comeback is cut off by a hard chop, meaning Gunther can call him a nobody. For some reason Miz tries to chop with Gunther and finds that to be a very bad idea in a hurry. The running corner clothesline works a bit better but Gunther pulls him out of the air. Miz gets dropped onto the top rope and Gunther chokes with a boot to send him outside again. This time the big chop hits post and we take another break.

Back again with Miz working on the hand and arm before grabbing a DDT. A tornado DDT gives Miz two and it’s time to stomp away at the hand. Gunther’s legs are fine enough to hit the shotgun dropkick and it’s the powerbomb into the Boston crab. The bad hand gives out though and Miz is able to make the rope for the save.

A quick Skull Crushing Finale gives Miz two of his own and the fans want one more. Gunther isn’t having that though and kicks him down, only to get caught on top. A middle rope Skull Crushing Finale connects but Gunther rolls out to the floor in a smart/soul crushing escape. Back in and Gunther hits a powerbomb into the hard clothesline into another powerbomb to retain at 21:12.

Rating: B+. We’re firmly at a point where it’s hard to imagine Gunther losing, but at the same time, people are getting closer and closer to taking the title. The good thing is that the matches are still awesome and that means it is going to be a heck of a moment when someone finally slays the beast. Gunther is primed for a main event run and the title has grown so much during his reign. At the same time, Miz is a great choice to put in this spot, as he is a successful enough to be a threat but isn’t going to be hurt by the loss. Awesome match.

Video on the Creed Brothers.

Post break Imperium applauds Gunther on his win but he’s tired of the two of them skating by. He’s going to take a few weeks off and he expects them to step up while he’s gone. With Gunther gone, Kofi Claus comes in with presents for both of them: coal! And it’s not even Michael!

Shinsuke Nakamura is sitting in front of a Christmas tree and reads us a special story: the American Nightmare Before Christmas. He doesn’t seem too fond of Cody Rhodes, calling him (in rhyme): a bastard, a cancer, a prancer a nitwit, vomit, stupid and the son of an inbred father. Merry Christmas to Cody, because Nakamura is his last fight. Then Cody jumps him and they fight into the arena. Cody beats him to ringside and takes out security but they break up a Cross Rhodes through the announcers’ table. Good fight, better rhyming.

Akira Tozawa tells Adam Pearce that he wants an unspecified match. With Tozawa down, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven aren’t happy that they have to defend their titles tonight. They leave, so Bronson Reed comes in to talk about an Intercontinental Title shot.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven

Green and Niven are defending. Carter headscissors Green on the mat to start so it’s off to Chance for a slingshot hilo. Niven comes in to run her over but a dropkick to the knee gives Chance a chance. The After Party is broken up by Green though and Niven runs both of them over as we take a break.

Back with Niven splashing Green by mistake, allowing Carter to hit a springboard spinning legdrop for two. Green’s Rough Ryder gets two and frustration is setting in. Niven crushes Carter but she’s back up with a heck of a superkick. The Keg Stand splash gets two with Green making the save this time. I’m Prettier is countered into a Codebreaker and the After Party gives us new champions at 9:37.

Rating: C+. It’s not the worst idea to change the titles as Chance and Carter are at least a regular team for a change. The titles have been a bit of a mess throughout their history and a lot of that is due to having teams thrown together. Odds are the title reign doesn’t last long, but at least it’s something fresh.

The Alpha Academy is warming up when Akira Tozawa comes in to say he’s facing Ivar. Chad Gable isn’t sure about this but we’re on anyway.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are happy with their win so here is Kofi Claus to celebrate with them. Various other women think they should be the challengers as I still want to know what kind of cards Shayna Baszler has every week.

Akira Tozawa vs. Ivar

Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla are here too. Tozawa slugs away to start but his middle rope hurricanrana is pulled out of the air. A spike DDT plants Ivar, who crushes Tozawa to cut him off again. Ivar misses the top rope splash though and Tozawa does the Hulk Hogan shirt rip. The women get into it on the floor and Tozawa’s top rope backsplash gets two. Ivar kicks him in the head but the moonsault is broken up. Instead it’s a middle rope World’s Strongest Slam to finish Tozawa at 4:06.

Rating: C. This was better than I was expecting and I’ll take that most of the time. Tozawa can still go in the ring and when he isn’t making it clear that he is the designated comedy guy of the Alpha Academy, he can still be quite sold. Ivar winning is the right way to go, but at least he had to break a sweat for once.

Long video on CM Punk/Seth Rollins’ showdown last week.

Here is Iowa’s own Seth Rollins for a chat. Things have been heating up around here for him lately and now he is motivated to be the best World Champion in this industry. He’s ready to defend the title against Drew McIntyre in two weeks at Day One…so here is McIntyre to interrupt.

McIntyre says he isn’t here to fight because he likes what Rollins said to Punk last week. He got to go home a few weeks ago and it had him questioning if this was all worth it. Rollins, as well as his wife, know what it’s like to have to sacrifice all kinds of things to chase their dreams. McIntyre needs the title to know that the sacrifices, such as not being there when his mom passed away, were all worth it.

Rollins says no one knows how to feel about McIntyre because his words and actions haven’t lined up. He likes McIntyre wanting to do everything to be champion…except take responsibility. Rollins doesn’t hate McIntyre, because he pities him. The fight is on and it’s an Alabama Slam to put Rollins onto the steps. Rollins is holding his elbow as McIntyre leaves. There’s your story for the title match and that should be a good one.

Cody Rhodes gives the Creed Brothers a pep talk and they’re downright giddy.

Kofi Claus is here to give out more presents but Imperium jump him for a beatdown. Barrett: “IT’S NOT SANTA! IT’S KOFI KINGSTON!” Jey Uso runs in for the save and it seems to be a match.

Jey Uso vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Actually not a tag match for once. Joined in progress with Uso working on a headlock until Kaiser takes him down and hammers away. A reverse chinlock keeps Uso down and Giovanni Vinci’s cheap shot gets two. Kaiser knocks him outside and hits a running elbow as we take a break. Back with Uso enziguring his way out of trouble and firing off the dancing right hands. The running Umaga Attack gets two but a Samoan drop is broken up. Kaiser’s wind up DDT is broken up so Vinci gets in a cheap shot, only to have Kofi Kingston cut him off. A spear into the Superfly Splash finishes for Uso at 10:28.

Rating: C. A good chunk of that was cut off by the break but it was a fine middle of the road match with Uso getting a win. The bigger deal here is likely going to be Gunther wanting to deal with Imperium when he gets back and that is going to be a problem. Uso needs something to do though and it might be a bit before that gets to take place if he’s likely to be just another entry in the Royal Rumble.

JD McDonagh is….still in Judgment Day, at least for now, as Damian Priest isn’t allowed to make that kind of a decision. Rhea Ripley is going to deal with Ivy Nile at Day One so the rest of the team better handle their business tonight.

Here’s what’s coming in two weeks.

Tag Team Titles: Creed Brothers vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day (Damian Priest/Finn Balor, with Rhea Ripley) are defending and Ivy Nile is here with the Creeds. Julius wrestles Balor down to start but the Creeds clear the ring to start. We take a break and come back with Brutus fireman’s carrying Balor down as Ripley isn’t pleased with any of this.

Priest tags himself in though and Julius is low bridged to the floor. There’s a ram into the steps (Ripley approves) but Julius kicks his way out of trouble back inside. Brutus comes back in to clean house, including a torture rack slam for two on Balor. Priest comes in off a blind tag though and kicks Brutus outside, setting up a heck of a Pounce over the announcers’ table.

We take another break and come back again with Brutus pulling Priest out of the air and eventually suplexing him down. Julius and Balor come in with the former snapping off the suplexes into the nip ups. A running shooting star press hits Balor but Priest breaks up the Brutus Ball. Balor and Julius hit a clothesline each, leaving Ripley and Nile to get in a fight.

The Brutus Ball gets two as Priest makes a last second save. Julius hits a running up the corner flip dive outside onto Priest before taking Balor to the top, only to have Priest make a blind tag. Instead it’s a Brutus Ball to Priest, with Balor making the save off a Coup de Grace. South Of Heaven finishes Julius to retain the titles at 16:13.

Rating: B. I’m fine with the Creeds not winning here as they’re not ready for their big moment just yet. They clearly have the skills to go a long way but putting them over two stars at this level might be a stretch too far. Judgment Day gets a nice win as they go into the new year, though I’m not quite sure who is going to be next for the titles at this point. DIY maybe?

Overall Rating: B. This show was carried by two matches and that is not a bad way to go. The main event and Intercontinental Title match were both very good and there was enough good stuff to get through the rest of the night. What matters the most here is setting things up for Day 1, as next week is a week off (all but announced at this point). That should set the stage for the Royal Rumble later in January and the table has been well set to set the table.

Results
R-Truth b. JD McDonagh – Middle rope slam through a table
Gunther b. The Miz – Powerbomb
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – After Party to Green
Ivar b. Akira Tozawa – Super World’s Strongest Slam
Jey Uso b. Ludwig Kaiser – Superfly Splash
Judgment Day b. Creed Brothers – South Of Heaven to Julius

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: December 4, 2023
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re into the final month of the year and the big story coming out of last week is the return of both Randy Orton and CM Punk. You might be able to guess what is up first for the two of them and there is a chance we’ll find out some of that this week. In addition, Seth Rollins is defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Jey Uso. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going. McIntyre calls Raw the land where you can do whatever you want, say whatever you want, leave and come back completely forgiven! Fans: “CM PUNK!” McIntyre: “Oh come on I could be talking about anybody!” McIntyre talks about how Jey Uso apologized to Randy Orton last week before moving on to Sami Zayn, his opponent for tonight.

Cue Zayn to interrupt, because McIntyre apparently has something to say to him. McIntyre says Zayn is the only one who deserved to be screwed over by the Bloodline. Zayn was part of the team and then screwed him over, so what was he expecting to happen? Zayn says he and McIntyre are nothing alike because Zayn turned a loss in front of his family into winning in the main event of Wrestlemania. Is McIntyre making his family proud? McIntyre wants a referee out here right now so here we go.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre powers him into the corner to start and fires him off with a belly to belly. Zayn sends him to the floor though and we take a break. Back with McIntyre whipping him towards the barricade, only to have Zayn moonsault off of said barricade for a knockdown. They go back inside where McIntyre runs him over, followed by a hard chop to put Zayn down again.

Zayn fights up and avoids a charge to send McIntyre into the post. Despite favoring something in his leg, Zayn manages a suplex and a tornado DDT gets two. McIntyre gets in a neckbreaker but gets sent outside. That means a slingshot dive from Zayn but McIntyre catches him in the air and sends him over the announcers’ table.

We take another break and come back again with Zayn getting two off a victory roll. McIntyre’s sitout powerbomb gets the same before taking Zayn up top. What looks like a super White Noise is countered into a super sunset bomb to give Zayn two and they’re both down. Stereo kicks to the face let Zayn get two off the Blue Thunder Bomb. The leg is too hurt to follow up though and McIntyre chop blocks him. The Claymore finishes Zayn at 20:06.

Rating: B. These two have had some good matches in recent weeks and that was the case again here. McIntyre didn’t so much cheat here as much as he capitalized on Zayn’s injury and that made for a good story throughout the match. McIntyre gets some momentum back after Survivor Series and you can almost guarantee he’ll be around for the title match tonight.

Shayna Baszler is ready to hurt Nia Jax. Again.

Video on Jey Uso, who wants his first singles title tonight. We look at his entire career, but before all that, it was just him, and now it’s time for him to get his own title.

Sami Zayn is getting his bad ankle looked at but here is Drew McIntyre to jump him again. McIntyre says Zayn brought this on himself and crushes the ankle under an anvil case.

Post break, Adam Pearce, a trainer and Jey Uso check on Zayn.

Nia Jax interrupts a Becky Lynch interview to ask about Becky wanting some fights. That would include Nia, who says she’s all Becky’s after Nia squashes Shayna Baszler.

Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler kicks away but gets crushed in the corner. A running knee rocks Jax but she powerbombs her way out of an armbar in the corner. They go outside where Nia is sent into the post, only to come back with the legdrop over the ropes. We take a break and come back with Baszler fighting out of a neck crank but getting sent into the post.

A running hip attack sends Baszler into the post but she strikes away for the next comeback. Jax plants her with a Samoan drop, only to have Baszler come back with a running knee for two. A backsplash gives Jax the same but Baszler grabs a German suplex to break up the Annihilator. The Kirifuda Clutch goes on until Jax drops back onto her for the break. Now the Annihilator can finish Baszler off at 12:13.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would have expected, with Jax doing her power offense and Baszler striking away. It didn’t help that Baszler kept getting cut off every chance she had but at least she didn’t get squashed. The result is pretty much expected with Jax seemingly lined up for Becky Lynch, but this was a competitive match on the way there.

Post match Becky Lynch comes out and Jax bails in short order.

We look back at CM Punk’s return on Survivor Series and follow up on Raw.

Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae fire up DIY when Imperium (facing DIY in a 2/3 falls match tonight) interrupt. Some trash talk ensues and we’re ready to go.

DIY vs. Imperium

2/3 falls. Ciampa and Kaiser start things off and don’t do much of anything before it’s off to Vinci. A very fast running crossbody hits Ciampa and the rather cocky Kaiser can come back in for the armbar. Ciampa hits an enziguri and rolls underneath a clothesline for the tag off to Gargano. The pace picks way up and a slingshot spear to Kaiser looks to set up Meet In The Middle but Vinci makes a save. That’s enough for Kaiser to roll Ciampa up with tights for the pin and the first fall at 4:37.

DIY takes both of them down though and it’s a double clap as we take a break. Back with Kaiser flipping Gargano over for a faceplant, setting up the double running dropkick in the corner. The Imperium Bomb is loaded up but this time it’s Ciampa making a save, allowing Gargano to roll Vinci up at 10:12 overall to even things up.

Gargano rolls over to Ciampa for the tag as everything breaks down. A powerbomb/belly to back suplex combination (that’s a new one) gives Gargano two but Vinci is back in with a backbreaker. Another Imperium Bomb attempt is broken up with a hurricanrana so Vinci goes with a moonsault for two instead. The exchange of strikes to the face and a DDT to Vinci leaves all four down. A super White Noise hits Kaiser and, after taking out Vinci, Meet In The Middle finishes Kaiser for good at 15:09 overall.

Rating: B-. DIY needed this win and it feels like this should be the big blowoff to their feud. There is no reason for it to keep going and hopefully DIY can get somewhere off of the win. If nothing else, we should get Imperium having to explain themselves to Gunther and there is no way that is going to go well.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven interrupt Tegan Nox and Natalya to mock their loss. Natalya says they’re still coming for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

We look at the Creed Brothers becoming the new #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles.

New Day praises the Creed Brothers when the Alpha Academy come in to offer the Creeds some training help. They seem impressed, which becomes even more impressed when Maxxine Dupri squats Akira Tozawa.

Judgment Day throws R-Truth Out and Damian Priest says he’s in charge since Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor aren’t here.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Tegan Nox/Natalya

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are on commentary. Nox spins out of Carter’s wristlock to start before Natalya comes in to run Chance over. It’s too early for the Sharpshooter so Carter suplexes Chance onto Natalya for two. That’s broken up and it’s Nox coming back in to pick up the pace. A Molly Go Round hits the illegal Carter so Chance takes her down. It’s back to Natalya, who powerbombs both of them out of the corner for two. Carter hits a basement suplex to Natalya, setting up an assisted spinning splash to give Chance the pin at 4:43.

Rating: C-. This was a rough sit as they didn’t have the best chemistry and the crowd was almost eerily silent. Chance and Carter tend to be mainly based around whatever fast paced and high lying moves they can do, but those spots have to work. This was more on the sloppy side and while I do like a more established team moving towards the titles, Chance and Carter really didn’t impress here.

Post match an annoyed Green gets on the apron, where a dropkick puts her back down.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes doesn’t even hit the catchphrase before moving into a story of the first time he ever saw the poison mist. That was from the Great Muta, and now he has experienced it first hand from Shinsuke Nakamura. Now Nakamura has his attention so he can either explain himself, or they can fight right now.

A spotlight hits Cody and Nakamura pops up on screen to say they are part of the same story. They have both won the Royal Rumble but lost at Wrestlemania, sending them off a cliff. Now Cody is trying to get back there so Nakamura wants to take the story out of his hands. Cody says they aren’t the same and welcomes Nakamura to prove it.

We recap Sami Zayn’s ankle injury and Drew McIntyre attacking it further.

Jey Uso comes in to see Adam Pearce, who has no updates on Zayn. Uso is fired up for his title shot and leaves, with Gunther coming in to chat with Pearce.

Judgment Day vs. Creed Brothers

JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio for the team here and Ivy Nile is with the Creeds. Brutus takes Dominik down without much effort to start before grabbing a suplex. Rather than dropping Dominik, Brutus hands him to Julius or the suplex….as R-Truth is here, thinking he’s in Judgment Day. McDonagh comes in and gets taken down by the arm for his efforts. The Creeds take turns kneeing McDonagh in the ribs for two but the heels manage to send the Creeds outside.

McDonagh hits an Asai moonsault and we take a break. Back with Dominik stomping Brutus down in the corner but having his third Amigo blocked. Julius comes in for the suplexes into the nip ups, which always looks awesome. Cole: “I’ve never seen that before. Like, ever!” Last week man, last week. McDonagh’s attempt at a poisonrana is cut off but Dominik breaks up the Brutus Ball. Julius suplexes both of them down and Brutus Pounces Dominik onto the announcers’ table. Now the Brutus Ball can finish McDonagh at 10:49.

Rating: B-. The Creeds are on an absolute roll right now and giving them a win over some of Judgment Day before going after the champs is as logical as it gets. There is always a place for some amateur stars in WWE and having the Creeds out there mixing up their amateur skills with crazy athleticism is making things awesome. Not a great match here, but the Creeds continue to look good.

We look at Randy Orton signing with Smackdown.

Adam Pearce tells Seth Rollins that CM Punk is invited to Raw next week so Pearce can sign him to an exclusive contract. Rollins is fine with that but for now, he’s ready for Jey Uso. Cue Uso, who says he’s winning the title. Uso and Rollins threaten each other but seem to have respect.

Damian Priest yells at Judgment Day, with JD McDonagh blaming R-Truth but Dominik Mysterio saying the Creeds are the real deal.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Jey Uso

Rollins is defending. Feeling out process to start with an exchange of grappling not going to either of them. An early Stomp attempt misses for Rollins and Uso rolls him up for two as we take an early break. Back with Rollins hammering away and hitting a moonsault for two. The fans chant for CM Punk as Rollins gets two off a belly to back suplex. Uso is right back with a pop up neckbreaker for two of his own and they fight to the apron.

Rollins loads up the Buckle Bomb but gets DDTed to send us to a second break. Back again with Rollins hitting a dive, only to have Uso fight back and hit his own dive. They get back inside where stereo crossbodies leave both of them down. Uso wins a slugout but Rollins knocks him into the corner as the Punk chants start up again.

Uso fights back and hits the running Umaga Attack but Rollins hits a Sling Blade. The top rope splash gives Rollins two but Uso’s superkick into the Superfly Splash gets the same. Uso goes up again and takes too long, allowing Rollins to superplex him into the Falcon Arrow for two more. Rollins misses the Stomp though and gets speared down for two. The Buckle Bomb connects for Rollins but Uso is back with another spear into another Superfly Splash for two more. A third spear is countered into the Pedigree though and now Rollins can hit Stomp for the pin to retain at 23:00.

Rating: B. This felt like a big time title match and the two of them beat the heck out of each other. Uso was in over his head against Rollins but he put up a great fight. What mattered was making Uso feel like a major star and give Rollins a good win. Drew McIntyre won’t be happy with any of this and that should this all the way to the new year.

Respect is shown post match but here is Drew McIntyre to Claymore Uso. Rollins tries to make the save but gets dropped as well, allowing McIntyre to put Uso through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Other than a tag match that didn’t even last five minutes, there was nothing bad on this show, which was heavily focused on the in-ring aspect. I had a good time with this show, as they had a wrestling week with so much time to go before the Royal Rumble. Enough stories were moved forward this week and now I want to see where some of them go. The Rumble is still a long way off, but WWE didn’t screw anything up here and CM Punk being back next week should make it better.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Nia Jax b. Shayna Baszler – Annihilator
DIY b. Imperium 2-1
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Assisted spinning splash to Natalya
Creed Brothers b. Judgment Day – Brutus Ball to McDonagh
Seth Rollins b. Jey Uso – Stomp

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: November 27, 2023
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re done with Survivor Series and the big story is the return of CM Punk in a heck of a shocker. Punk returned at the end of Survivor Series and, while he didn’t actually do anything, the ans certainly remember who he is. Now the question is where things go from here, but we’ve got almost two months before the Royal Rumble. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, with a new theme song.

Here is Randy Orton to get things going and yeah the fans still like him. Orton acknowledges that the fans seemed to miss him before talking about how he got into WarGames because of Cody Rhodes. Cody’s dad invented WarGames and he wanted to bring the three most dangerous letters in WWE into that match.

Cue Rhea Ripley to interrupt, with Ripley talking about how Orton doesn’t get that things have changed around here. The Judgment Day has replaced the Bloodline and are on top of the WWE. Orton is the reason Damian Priest didn’t get to cash in Money In The Bank and Orton needs to move away from the Judgment Day.

Orton says he’s been hearing about Mami for a long time now, but Ripley needs to understand that Daddy is back. Ripley says she gave him a chance so here are Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh (in a neck brace) to jump Orton. That goes as well as expected, with Orton saying he’s getting a match with Mysterio tonight.

Some teams in the Tag Team Turmoil are ready when Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile brings in country singer Jelly Roll. R-Truth comes in to not be sure who he is, leaving Akira Tozawa to dance a bit.

Tag Team Turmoil

For a future Tag Team Title match. Alpha Academy (Otis/Akira Tozawa) is in at #1 and DIY is in at #2, with Ciampa running Tozawa over to start. Gargano comes in and mocks Tozawa’s dancing, only to have a splash hit raised knees. It’s off to Otis to drop them both with running shoulders. A spinning elbow hits Ciampa and the Academy hit stereo Caterpillars. Otis is sent to the floor though and Meet In The Middle hits Tozawa for the pin at 3:08.

Indus Sher is in at #3 and they take Gargano down without much trouble. A missed charge into the corner lets Gargano grab a rollup for the fluke pin at 5:33 total. The Creed Brothers, with Ivy Nile, are in at #4 with Brutus grabbing a fireman’s carry on Ciampa. Julius comes in and gets caught with a quick shot, allowing the tag off to Gargano. The Creeds are sent outside in a heap before Julius comes back in to get kicked in the face.

Brutus breaks up Meet In The middle though, allowing Julius to lift Gargano into a powerbomb (from his knees, because of course he can do that). The Brutus Ball finishes Gargano at 10:09 total and it’s New Day in at #5. Woods takes Julius into the corner but has to grab a leg to keep him from getting away. That lets Kofi hit a top rope splash to the back but Julius is fine enough to power up with a suplex from the mat.

Brutus hits a standing moonsault into Julius’ standing shooting star press for two. Woods gets over to Kofi for the top rope double stomp/backbreaker combination but Kofi misses Trouble In Paradise. Instead Kofi hits a high crossbody on Julius, only to have him roll through for a fall away slam. Brutus moonsaults off the apron to take Woods down, setting up the Brutus Ball to pin Kofi at 17:23 total.

Imperium is in at #6 (last team) and Julius gets beaten down in a hurry. Kaiser is back up with a springboard spinning crossbody as Brutus is whipped into the announcers’ table. A spinebuster into a PK sets up the Imperium Bomb for two, with Brutus having to make the save. The tag brings Brutus in to clean house but Kaiser gets in a chop block. The nerve hold keeps Brutus in trouble but he fights up for stereo running boots.

That’s enough for the tag to Julius, meaning it’s the suplexes into the nipups to fire the fans up. A rollup with trunks gets two on Julius but he’s right back up. Another Brutus Ball is broken up by Vinci so the Imperial Bomb is loaded up. Julius runs up and steps on Vinci’s back (slipping off in the process) before jumping up top to superplex Kaiser down. Now the Brutus Ball can give the Creeds the pin and the title shot at 25:48.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time and in this case that might have hurt it a bit. There were times when I was waiting on this to wrap up already and then it just kept going. The good thing is the Creeds won, as they should have, as they are already one of the best teams in WWE. With that kind of athleticism and teamwork, it’s hard to ignore how good they really are. Go with what works here, and give them the shot they deserve. They won over some good teams here and that just makes them feel all the better.

Finn Balor is worried about the Creed Brothers but Damian Priest doesn’t want to hear it right now. He knows they’re thinking about how he cost them WarGames but Balor tells him to relax. Priest and Balor are off to check on the banged up JD McDonagh.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. First up, he thanks every member of his team at WarGames for the win, including Randy Orton, who helped them win in his dad’s match. The other story was the return of CM Punk, which took everyone by surprise. People want to hear what he has to say but Cody wants to say welcome back.

With all of these stories taking place, Cody wants to make his own story….by declaring for the Royal Rumble. The lights go dim though and here is Shinsuke Nakamura, who says he has been patient with Rhodes for far too long. Cue Nakamura to mist Cody down as the target is revealed. That’s an interesting way to go and I could go for seeing where it heads next.

Bronson Reed vs. Ivar

Valhalla is here with Ivar. They trade the big clotheslines to start until Reed uses a running stomach shot to put him down. A seated senton out of the corner drops Reed but he’s right back with a suplex. Valhalla offers a distraction though and it’s a spinning kick to drop Reed as we take a break.

Back with Reed hitting a splash in the corner, setting up the rapid ire chops. They trade kicks to the face until Reed gets two off a backsplash. Ivar grabs a Tour of the Islands for two of his own but misses a moonsault. Valhalla’s distraction breaks up the Tsunami though and that’s good for an ejection. Ivar knocks him to the floor but Reed catches him coming off the apron…and drops him almost immediately. They fight into the timekeeper’s area and it’s a double countout at 8:35.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t wild on the finish but these guys had a big old hoss fight and that is all it was supposed to be. It’s kind of nice to not have one of them take a all here, even if the countout elt somewhat lame at the same time. There’s a good chance they’ll have a rematch where Reed wins, but Ivar did look solid here, as has been the case with him lately.

Post match Reed gives him a Death Valley Driver into the barricade, but Ivar is up in a few seconds for a chair shot to Reed. They keep fighting through security until they’re finally split up.

Shayna Baszler gives Zoey Stark a pep talk after her loss but here is Nia Jax to say she’s getting the Women’s Title. Baszler doesn’t want to hear it but Stark gets the match with Jax for later.

We look at CM Punk’s return, including some fan reaction videos.

R-Truth is in Judgment Day’s club house, eating some jelly rolls. He wants in on the WarGames match but is told it already happened. Truth: “Did you win? How did I do?” The one thing he does remember is that Randy Orton is back so they throw him out. JD McDonagh offers to take care of Truth.

Nia Jax vs. Zoey Stark

Stark strikes away but gets knocked out of the air on a springboard. She manages to knock Jax to the floor though and there’s a springboard dive to the floor. We take a break and come back with Stark fighting out of a torture rack but getting cut off with an elbow to the face. Stark goes after the knee, including crushing it with a Swanton. The Annihilator is broken up and Stark goes up top, only to get caught with a Samoan drop. The backsplash sets up the Annihilator to finish Stark at 9:02.

Rating: C+. That’s about what you would expect, with Stark fighting valiantly but coming up short against the monster that is Jax. You can only do so much against her as Jax is likely coming up on a title shot so for now it’s just racking up wins until they get somewhere with her. In Jax’s defense, she is moving a bit better than she was in her previous run so things could be a lot worse.

We look at Gunther retaining the Intercontinental Title over the Miz at Survivor Series.

Gunther isn’t happy with Imperium and wants them to deal with DIY. With the two of them off to deal with that, Miz pops in to say he heard Gunther say his next opponent needed to challenge him to his face. Well here is that challenger, which has Gunther laughing. Gunther praises Miz for bringing it on Saturday because he proved he belongs in the ring. Just not with Gunther.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. After saying that he is a visionary, Rollins wants to hear the CM Punk chants. Rollins isn’t impressed, but that’s all the time he wants to spend on Punk. Instead, we should talk about the title that he has built up for the last six months. Rollins isn’t feeling too good two days out from WarGames but he’s starting to get the itch to be a fighting champion again.

Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt, saying he wants to shake Rollins’ hand after the match at WarGames. McIntyre bought into Judgment Day’s plan and now he has to put everything else behind him. All that matters is the World Heavyweight Title, but Rollins says beating McIntyre was the best thing that ever happened to McIntyre. That seems to work for McIntyre, who says he deserved the slap that Rollins gave him.

Rollins thinks McIntyre should get a rematch, but there are some people who deserve one more. The title will be on the line next week….against Jey Uso. And that isn’t cool with McIntyre, who drops him with a headbutt (possibly hitting the belt in the process and cutting himself open). McIntyre yells at him a lot but here is Jey for the save.

Post break, Sami Zayn comes up to Drew McIntyre and asks what is going on. Zayn has had his own issues but he keeps getting up instead of whining like McIntyre. Zayn knows the end of his road is winning the World Heavyweight Championship. McIntyre is already a two time champion and a monster. McIntyre doesn’t like the implication and a match is set up for next week.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Natalya/Tegan Nox vs. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven

Green and Niven are defending. Natalya easily takes Green down to start so it’s off to Niven. A missed charge sends Niven shoulder first into the post, allowing Nox to hit a PL. Natalya comes back in with a high crossbody and we take a break. Back with Natalya hitting a sitout powerbomb for two on Green and handing it back to Nox.

A Molly Go Round gets two on Green but Niven tags herself in. Nox doesn’t realize it and Codebreakers Green, allowing Niven to hit her with a backsplash. Everything breaks down and Green’s dive off the apron is cut off. Niven’s flip dive off the apron takes Nox and Natalay down at the same time. Back in and the basement crossbody gives Niven the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. They were trying and the match could have been a lot worse, but these belts have never felt valuable and that is still the case here. Would it have made that big of a difference if the titles changed hands here? Not particularly, as Natalya and Nox wouldn’t have had a bunch of challengers anyway. The action worked, but these titles really haven’t meant much in years.

Here’s what’s coming on next week’s show.

Randy Orton gives Jey Uso a pep talk and they seem to bury the hatchet.

Becky Lynch talks about going to war at Survivor Series but it’s time to move forward.

Randy Orton vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title and JD McDonagh is here with Mysterio. Orton starts fast and knocks him to the floor, setting up a heck of a backdrop as we take an early break. Back with Orton shrugging off Mysterio’s offense and snapping off a powerslam. The hanging DDT looks to set up the RKO but McDonagh pulls Mysterio outside. Hold on though as Jelly Roll stands up and shoves McDonagh down, allowing Orton to drop Mysterio onto the announcers’ table. Orton does it again before DDTing McDonagh. The distraction lets Mysterio hit a 619 but he takes too long, allowing Orton to come back with the RKO for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C. Mysterio wasn’t so much a threat to Orton here as the first victim after his return at Survivor Series. Orton looked good in his singles return here, with all of the old signature stuff plus the bulked up frame. I’m not sure what is next for him, but there were worse ways to get his feet wet again.

Here is CM Punk for the big return speech. Punk says it looks like h*** froze over, because a Blackhawks an is being cheered in Nashville. That’s just him being himself but after Saturday, two words have been coming to him and he’s a little scared of how true they are. The truth is that he’s changed and now he’s home. He hasn’t been here in about ten years and the fact that the people who haven’t forgotten him is touching.

The voiceless found their voice and that is why he is back. He missed all of this and he wishes he could say he never should have left, but at one time a wise man told him he would have to leave to get everything he needed out of this place. Everyone has welcomed him back with open arms….well almost everybody. Some people are afraid that the brass ring is in his back pocket and they can’t grab it.

Some people are afraid that their best efforts at being the best in the ring, on the microphone or on commentary isn’t enough. The Best In The World is in this ring on Raw in Nashville and his nae is CM Punk. After the music starts playing, he says he’s here to make money instead of friends…and that’s it to end the show.

This wasn’t a promo with a lot of meat included, but it was more along the lines of “hey, I’m here again and still somewhat the same person”. They didn’t drop anything big here as it’s clear that Seth Rollins already has problems with Punk. They can develop something later, but they took a slower start here and that was kind of nice for a change.

Overall Rating: B. This show was all about having Orton and Punk back, which worked out well. Since they have so much time to go before the Royal Rumble, they were able to set things up slowly and get us ready for what is coming in the next few weeks. At the same time, Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura should be good and the Drew McIntyre issues are going to continue with Jey Uso getting the title shot next week. This wasn’t a great show, but it did what it needed to do at a slower pace.

Results
Creed Brothers won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating Imperium
Bronson Reed vs. Ivar went to a double countout
Nia Jax b. Zoey Stark – Annihilator
Chelsea Green/Piper Niven b. Tegan Nox/Natalya – Basement crossbody to Nox
Randy Orton b. Dominik Mysterio – RKO

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