IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: July 2, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

I’m a bit behind on this show but that’s interesting in a way. If nothing else, it shows just how fast the main shows come and go, because I can barely remember a single thing about what has happened in recent weeks. They just come and go with almost nothing sticking for any kind of time, and that’s not good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tom and MVP welcome us to the show and talk about how much we have learned from the Undertaker due to the Last Ride.

Long Undertaker tribute.

From Raw.

We open with Bayley and Sasha Banks brawling with Asuka in the ring as Samoa Joe is standing next to the contract table. Referees come out and break it up so Joe can do the introduction. The brawl is on again with Joe begging referees to get them apart. With the women separated, Joe introduces Dolph Ziggler as we’re doing both signings at the same time. Ziggler handles Drew McIntyre’s introduction and we’re finally settled down and ready to go. We’ll start with the men, with Ziggler talking about ending McIntyre’s nineteen year journey as McIntyre looks rather serious. Both of them sign with Drew saying it’s official.

McIntyre calls those serious words from Ziggler and talks about how they used to be family. As family, McIntyre is going to let him pick the stipulation for the title match. Asuka cuts him off by shouting in Japanese and signs her own contract. Banks promises to become Two Belts Banks and stamps her own signature on the contract. The brawl is on with Ziggler trying a superkick but McIntyre pulls it out of the air. The threat of a Claymore sends Ziggler bailing, along with Bayley and Sasha. Book the mixed tag for later.

From Raw again.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for the message. We see a recap of the issues with Rollins vs. Mysterio/Dominick, including Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black nearly taking out Rollins’ eye last week. Back in the arena, Rollins talks about the duty that Mysterio has to his son. The problem is that Rey hasn’t been, ahem, seeing things clearly. Rollins talks about how he gave Rey a chance to get out with honor but Mysterio refuses to leave. They are bound by fate and as fate would have it, Mysterio is meant to be a sacrifice for the greater good of Raw.

Rollins is going to tear him down piece by piece, but here are Mysterio and Dominick on the screen. Rey says that there will be no forgiveness for Rollins no matter what. Mysterio loves Dominick, but now he has to do something even worse to Rollins. It’s an eye for an eye and it won’t be fate, because it’s going to be by design. Dominick can forgive Rey, but he’ll never forgive Rey, which will be ordained by fate. Rollins: “Oh bravo.” Cue Carrillo and Black and it seems that we have another match being booked on the fly.

Post break, Rollins and Murphy are still on the floor to yell at Carrillo and Black. Carrillo says Rollins will never be the man Mysterio is. Black knows evil when he sees it and promises to make Rollins atone for it. Rollins says this ends now and we’re ready to go.

Humberto Carrillo/Aleister Black vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Black kicks away at Murphy to start and scares Rollins off the apron. The distraction lets Murphy kick Black to the floor and Rollins stomps away next to the barricade. Back in and Rollins whips Black hard into the corner, setting up Murphy’s reverse chinlock. Black fights up with a shot to the head and it’s a hot tag to Carrillo, who has to chase Rollins to the floor. That lets Murphy get in a cheap shot but Carrillo enziguris him without much trouble.

A middle rope crossbody connects and Rollins comes back in, only to be sent outside. Another enziguri sets up the missile dropkick to Murphy and Rollins has to save Murphy from the 619. Carrillo hits the big springboard dive to the floor and we take a break. Back with Carrillo getting in a shot to Rollins for a breather. The diving tag brings in Black to beat up Murphy and moonsault onto both of them. Murphy counters Black Mass into a rollup so Black knees him in the face.

Carrillo comes back in for a 619 to Murphy for two with Rollins diving in for the save. Rollins dives onto Black and Murphy hits a running knee for two on Carrillo with Black making a save of his own. The Cheeky Nandos kick hits Carrillo and it’s a powerbomb/jumping knee to the face combination….for two. If you’re going to debut a big spot like that, don’t have it be for a near fall. Black and Murphy head to the floor, leaving Rollins to Stomp Carrillo for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match and it’s nice to see Rollins win something for a change. That’s been part of the problem with this rather lacking story: Rollins hasn’t really done anything other than taking out Mysterio. He loses most of his big matches and the promos feel like something that has been done in every indy promotion in the world at one time or another. It’s not horrible, but I can’t find any interest in the whole thing.

Post match the brawl stays on with Carrillo taking the steps to the face, with Rollins putting Mysterio’s mask on him. Black has to save Carrillo’s eye from the steps so Rollins gives Carrillo the Stomp onto the steps instead.

Bianca Belair vs. Billie Kay

Peyton Royce is here with Billie. They lock up to start and Kay completely fails at driving her into the corner. Belair powers her up onto the top without much trouble and then pulls Billie back to the middle. A standing moonsault gives Belair two but Billie is back with Eat Defeat for two as we take a break.

Back with Billie working on the arm and putting on a seated armbar. A rollup gives Billie two and she goes right back to the arm. Belair powers her up with a slam into a dropkick as the confidence starts rolling again. A Peyton distraction fails and it’s the KOD to finish Billie at 9:49.

Rating: C. Better than I was expecting here as they had something with the arm injury and Belair having to fight through adversity and survive to win in the end. Not a bad match at all as the IIconics are getting a lot stronger chance to showcase themselves. Belair on the other hand is lucky to make Main Event these days and I really don’t get the logic.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Braun Strowman to talk about Bray Wyatt making him afraid. One night they were sitting in the swamp when Bray saw a snake coming out of the water. Strowman wanted to stomp it but Bray said that was his friend. Bray got face to face with the snake and it bit him, so Bray laughed. It was then that Braun knew he was facing something evil, so he started doing the devil’s work. And he loved every second of it.

We get one of the old Wyatt feed interruptions before Strowman talks about how he still has some of that evil inside him. Braun can’t keep living like this so let’s go back to the swamp. He’s either coming out of this a broken man or knowing that he beat evil. Then he can feed Bray to the alligators in the swamp. Bray’s laughter is heard and Strowman laughs with him.

There’s your cinematic match and there is also your latest Strowman segment that doesn’t make me want to watch him defend the title. I don’t want to see them in the swamp, I don’t want to see them fighting each other and I don’t really want to see Strowman. What is the big appeal here? “Hey, now look where we’re having a match!” Maybe find someone interesting enough that you don’t need to do all these bonuses?

From Raw again.

Drew McIntyre/Asuka vs. Sasha Banks/Dolph Ziggler

Bayley sits in on commentary as the guys start. McIntyre powers him around early on and chops away in the corner as Asuka is very pleased. A quick Fameasser doesn’t even give Ziggler one and it’s off to the women (Bayley: “MAIN EVENT TIME!”). Asuka shoves her around to start but Sasha avoids a charge. That means the threat of the Asuka Lock but the guys come in, allowing Banks to slip out. A spinning elbow to the face drops Banks to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler rolling him up for two and hitting the delayed DDT. For some reason Ziggler tags Banks in and Asuka gets to come in as McIntyre is still banged up. Asuka hits a running knee to the face for two on Banks but Bayley offers a distraction. That lets Banks hit a Meteora off the apron (though she seemed to overshoot it) to knock Asuka silly. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Banks hits the double knees in the corner for two more.

Asuka gets in some knees of her own and it’s a double tag to bring the men back in. McIntyre hits the top rope shot to Ziggler’s head but Banks tags herself in. Banks yells at McIntyre, who punches Ziggler off the apron as the yelling ensues. Asuka comes in to kick Banks in the head for two but Banks reverses into a rollup for two. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock but Banks flips back onto her for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C. Just a main event tag match here and they did a good job of making Sasha feel like more of a threat. It’s better to go there than having McIntyre take a fall as they’ve done a great job of making him seem like the most important person on the show. This was one where you could probably guess how the match was going to go and that’s not a bad thing.

Overall Rating: D+. Just a show here and it doesn’t exactly make me want to see Extreme Rules any more than I did before. It’s just a dead pay per view and there isn’t much that makes me want to see anything they have to offer. That’s a really bad sign and while some of the wrestling will be fine, the build has hardly gone all that well. Not a very good show here, but that’s usually the case for July.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

It’s that time of year again.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-tale-two-vacations/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 6, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Extreme Rules, or whatever they’re calling it this week. Tonight we might get a pretty big deal: finding out what stipulation Dolph Ziggler has for Drew McIntyre. Unfortunately that means more Ziggler time, which is about as much of a death blow as this show can get in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Drew McIntyre to open things up. McIntyre talks about how he’s ready for whatever Dolph Ziggler has planned for him. Maybe it’s a cage match, a street fight, or a match on the edge of a cliff over a volcano with sharks with frigging laser beams on their heads. So get out here and make your announcement. Cue Ziggler, who says he isn’t going to tell anyone about the choice until they get to Extreme Rules. Ziggler talks about how great he is and says Drew’s resume is a big black hole from 2014-2017.

McIntyre brings up Wrestlemania so Ziggler says that McIntyre got there by stepping on a lot of people. Like this man, so here’s Heath Slater. Heath talks about their history together and everything that has happened between them over the years. Back in April, Slater watched McIntyre become WWE Champion, but then he was released two weeks later. When McIntyre was released, Slater called him every day, but where was McIntyre for him?

Slater and McIntyre only talked on the Bump, because it was the only show they would let him on. McIntyre knows Slater’s kids, and not the 22 the world thinks he has. When Slater was there for him, McIntyre wasn’t there for Slater. Remember when McIntyre said he would petition for a match with Slater? Well now he’s on the unemployment line so now he wants McIntyre to give him what he deserved. Slater slaps him in the face and McIntyre gets serious and says it’s on.

Heath Slater vs. Drew McIntyre

Non-title and they’re both in street clothes. Claymore finishes Slater in 22 seconds. Thank goodness they didn’t try to make Slater a serious thing in this mess.

Post match Ziggler yells at Slater so the fight is on with McIntyre saving Slater. McIntyre and Slater hug.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are going to talk to the fans instead of the interviewer. Asuka pops in after they leave and says she’s not here alone.

Here are Bayley and Banks for a chat in the ring. They brag about how awesome they are and promise to leave Extreme Rules with all of the gold. Cue Asuka to say that Banks isn’t ready. Bayley issues the challenge on Banks’ behalf, but Asuka has something else in mind.

Sasha Banks vs. Kairi Sane

Bayley and Asuka are at ringside. Banks takes her down to start and gets in a big chop. Some dancing takes a little too long though and Sane gets two off a dropkick. They trade cross arm chokes until Sane gets her in an Octopus. Bayley starts yelling so Asuka drops her, setting up a baseball slide into Bayley and Banks as we take a break. Back with Banks choking on the ropes and then hitting the double knees in the corner.

We hit the modified bow and arrow, with Banks pulling the hair for a bonus. More knees in the corner miss though and Sane scores with a big chop of her own. A top rope forearm to the chest gives Sane two and some running Blockbusters have Banks in more trouble. The Interceptor cuts Banks in half and the Sliding D gives Sane two. Banks gets in a shot to the neck but the Meteora is countered into something like a mixture between a Boston crab and a Sharpshooter. Whatever it is, it brings Bayley in for the DQ at 13:21.

Rating: C+. Good stuff while it lasted but the DQ ending was a fine way to go. Banks and Bayley absolutely do not need to be taking a loss here so that’s the best thing they could have done in the circumstances. I know Sane is probably leaving soon, but it’s good to see her getting in a good match while she can.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Sane hits a big dive from the top.

We look back at Seth Rollins and company going for Humberto Carrillo’s eye last week, with Aleister Black making the save. Rollins managed a Stomp onto the steps though.

Rollins and Murphy have jumped Aleister Black and put a Mysterio mask on his head.

The Viking Raiders admire their bowling ball when Big Show comes up to tell them to be serious. They were devastated by what happened to Edge and Christian, but they do have their own five second pose. Show slaps both of them so Erik says the raid is on tonight.

Here’s Kevin Owens for the KO Show. Since his guest is Seth Rollins, he doesn’t waste time in getting rid of the chairs. Rollins comes out and asks how Owens’ broken ankle is doing. Owens: “It’s feeling a lot better than your ego.” Owens talks about the bond the two have from facing each other at Wrestlemania so he has a gift for Rollins. It’s a KO Mania III shirt, just like the one he was wearing when he beat Rollins at Wrestlemania.

Rollins throws it away and says he doesn’t care about any of this. The only reason he is out here is to use the show as a platform to address Rey Mysterio. Rollins officially challenges Mysterio for Extreme Rules, but at the same time, he has been thinking about Owens. Maybe Owens would get more out of fighting with Rollins instead of against him. Owens is all about fighting so maybe he should fight for the greater good.

Cue Mysterio and Dominick to interrupt, with Rey accepting the challenge. As for tonight though, Rey needs a partner for the scheduled tag match. Owens cuts them off and offers to be Mysterio’s partner, with an extra bonus: the winning team picks the stipulation for Rollins vs. Mysterio. The fight is on in a hurry.

Kevin Owens/Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Dominick is here too. Joined in progress with Mysterio hammering on Murphy and sending him to the floor for a hurricanrana from the apron. Back in and Rey hits an enziguri to hand it off to Owens. An elbow to the head allows the tag to Rollins, who hammers away on Owens against the ropes. Owens clotheslines him down and drops the backsplash to pick up the pace a bit.

They head outside to keep up the brawl before handing it off to their partners. Murphy has to avoid the 619 and then gets in a cheap shot, allowing Rollins to rake Dominick’s eye. We take a break and come back with Rollins working on Owens’ leg. Murphy’s cheap shot prevents the hot tag attempt and it’s Rollins sending Owens into the corner.

A backdrop sends Rollins to the apron so Owens can get in a superkick, which hurts his still healing ankle all over again. Everything breaks down and Rollins grabs Dominick, but here’s Black to make the save. Black doesn’t touch him though to avoid the DQ, allowing Dominick to go after Murphy’s eye. Rey hits the 619 into the frog splash for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C. I’m still not feeling the eye for an eye thing but Owens is a lot more interesting to watch that Humberto Carrillo. Black and Mysterio are both easy enough but Carrillo manages to suck the life out of the show whenever he’s out there. The problem is that Dominick does something similar and he isn’t likely to be leaving anytime soon.

Post match, Rey picks an Eye For An Eye match, where the first person to pull out an eye wins.

We look back at Bobby Lashley and MVP taking out Apollo Crews last week.

MVP and Lashley aren’t worried about Crews.

Here are MVP and Lashley for a chat. MVP talks about everything that he did as the United States Champion over the years and promises that he’ll be champion again when he challenges Apollo Crews at Extreme Rules. As for tonight though, there is a new United States Title to unveil, and since MVP beat Crews last week, he’s pretty much the new champion.

The belt is unveiled and features bigger letters saying UNITED STATES CHAMPION near the middle with an eagle on the bottom half and flags under its wings. I’ve seen worse. Cue Ricochet and Cedric Alexander to say you win titles around here, and it’s time to make the Hurt Business declare Chapter 11. The fight is on with Lashley and MVP being cleared out.

MVP/Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander

MVP is in street clothes so he brings Lashley in before trying anything physical. Alexander gets powered into the corner but manages to roll over for the tag to Ricochet. A springboard is broken up and Ricochet is knocked to the floor, with MVP sending him into the barricade. Back in and MVP pounds away, including a knee to the ribs for two.

Lashley comes in again for the crossface shots to the head and a delayed suplex for two. A lifting Downward Spiral from Lashley gives MVP two but Ricochet slips out of a suplex (where he staggers over to about a foot from Alexander) and hits an enziguri (with Ricochet going back into the middle because it wasn’t the planned spot) to set up the hot tag to Alexander. The tornado DDT drops MVP but it’s the spear to finish Alexander at 6:53.

Rating: C. I know he’s been losing but I’m rather glad to see Ricochet back on the show. There is no reason to have someone as good as he is wasting away on Main Event so it’s great to see him back on the big show. I know he isn’t likely to get a big push in the near future, but it’s almost impossible to not get a push without being on the show in the first place.

Post match Lashley puts Alexander in the full nelson with Ricochet missile dropkicking in for the save.

We look at Big Show beating Angel Garza and Andrade in a handicap match last week.

Zelina Vega makes Angel Garza apologize to Andrade. Ric Flair comes up and says it’s a must win tonight. Randy Orton comes in and says he can respect both of them for being third generation wrestlers, but if they lose, they’re meeting the Legend Killer.

The Kabuki Warriors are ready for Asuka to beat Bayley tonight so they can challenge for the Tag Team Titles next week. Kairi plays her flute as Asuka dances, with Charly Caruso looking fascinated.

Andrade/Angel Garza/Randy Orton vs. Big Show/Viking Raiders

Ric Flair and Zelina Vega are here with the villains. Big Show and Garza start things off with the big forearm to the back having Garza in early trouble. There’s the big chop in the corner and it’s off to Erik, who brings Ivar in for the back to back knees. It’s back to Show, who doesn’t seem to mind the tag to Andrade. Show drops him as well and slams both Vikings onto him for two.

Garza stops to yell at Andrade so Orton demands Garza come out to the floor. Orton grabs him by the throat and yells a lot as we take a break. Back with Garza knocking Ivar into the corner, only to have Ivar roll over for the hot tag to Erik. Andrade is knocked to the floor but Orton gets in a cheap shot to take over on Erik in the corner. Orton taunts Show a bit as Garza knees Erik in the corner.

Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and stomps away before handing it back to Andrade for a wishbone. Erik fights up though and the hot tag brings in Show to clean house. The threat of an RKO doesn’t work but it lets Andrade choke Show. Everything breaks down and Garza saves Andrade from the Viking Experience. Orton tags himself in and hits the RKO to finish Erik at 13:43.

Rating: C-. WWE has done a remarkable job of making Orton seem like the biggest and most intimidating star in the company in just a few weeks. That’s really hard to do and a lot of it has to do with just how good Orton is at pretty much everything at the moment. The wrestling may not have been the best in the worst, but Orton felt like a star here and that is a great thing.

The IIconics are ready to beat up Ruby Riott again, but here’s Ruby to say the sound of their voices makes her neck twitch. They all leave and MVP is shown standing next to Cedric Alexander. MVP likes Cedric’s heart and doesn’t get why Cedric is happy being Ricochet’s sidekick. Cedric doesn’t want to hear it so MVP asks why Cedric doesn’t have a WWE Network special like Ricochet does. Lashley and MVP are in the Hurt Business, but Cedric is in the catering business, because that’s where he’s going to be staying from now on.

Ric Flair is praising Randy Orton when R-Truth runs in. He thinks Flair is Akira Tozawa in disguise but runs off when he hears the Ninjas coming. Tozawa freezes when he sees Orton, who sends him away from Truth for some reason. That’s interesting.

Ruby Riott vs. Billie Kay

Peyton Royce is here with Billie. Riott gets taken into the corner for some boot choking to start and it’s a suplex for two. The bow and arrow is broken up as Riott breaks the grip and headscissors Kay into the middle buckle. A Peyton distraction lets Kay hit a middle rope Eat Defeat though and something like a Rock Bottom into a sitout spinebuster (or maybe a reverse half nelson Bubba Bomb) finishes Riott at 2:40.

Bayley isn’t worried about Asuka but Banks accepts the Tag Team Title challenge for next week should Asuka somehow win.

Asuka vs. Bayley

Non-title with Sasha Banks and Kairi Sane at ringside and Nikki Cross on commentary. Security tells her to stay calm but she freaks out again after Bayley and Banks taunt her. Bayley runs the ropes to start and the threat of the Asuka Lock sends her straight to the floor. A knee to the face on the apron rocks Asuka, but Bayley knocks Cross’ headset off, sending her into insanity again. Cross is taken out and Asuka knees Bayley in the face (Sasha’s UH OH face is great) as we take a break.

Back with Bayley tripping her down and forearming at the spine to take over. A sliding lariat gives Bayley two and we hit the chinlock. Bayley sends her outside, where the four women get in a staredown. The distraction lets Asuka score with a kick for two, followed by a kick to the chest for the same. A Banks distraction slows Asuka down though and Bayley catapults her into the ropes twice in a row for two. Bayley sends her outside and onto the announcers’ table, allowing her to sit in on commentary for a bit. Bayley says this tastes so good and we take a break.

Back again with Bayley chinlocking away and then running her over for two. Asuka fights up with a backfist and an elbow to the face, followed by some knees for a bonus. The hip attack gives Asuka two more and one heck of a backfist puts Bayley on the apron. Back in and a middle rope dropkick gives Asuka two more but Bayley sends her outside. The running knee sends Asuka’s head into the barricade and a cheap shot takes Sane down as well.

The distraction lets Banks get in a cheap shot to set up a Saito suplex to give Bayley two. Bayley is frustrated but gets freaked out as Cross is now behind the Plexiglas. The distraction lets Asuka grab the Asuka Lock. Bayley can’t flip out of I so Banks comes in, only to get speared down by Sane. Asuka switches to a rollup for the pin at 23:25.

Rating: B. This was one of the few times where Bayley actually felt like she was standing toe to toe with one of the top stars of either women’s division. You don’t see her do that very often and it was nice to see for a change. I wasn’t sure who was going to win here and that’s a very nice feeling to have every now and then. Good match, with the interference and shenanigans tying into a few stories and keeping Bayley protected in the loss.

Overall Rating: C. They were doing the moving day stuff around here as things were set up both for Extreme Rules and next week’s show. That’s a good use of three hours and the show didn’t feel as long this week, but it still wasn’t all that great. The matches were nothing worth seeing outside of the main event and some of the stories didn’t quite click, but they had enough good stuff to make it passable. This whole period is hardly important on the way to Summerslam though, and you can feel that with a lot of what is going on.

Results

Drew McIntyre b. Heath Slater – Claymore

Kairi Sane b. Sasha Banks via DQ when Bayley interfered

Rey Mysterio/Kevin Owens b. Seth Rollins/Murphy – Frog splash to Murphy

Bobby Lashley/MVP b. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander – Spear to Alexander

Angel Garza/Andrade/Randy Orton b. Big Show/Viking Raiders – RKO to Erik

Billie Kay b. Ruby Riott – Rock Bottom sitout spinebuster

Asuka b. Bayley – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 25, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

It’s back to the full schedule of both Raw and Smackdown this week, which may or may not be an improvement. The show has been featuring some slightly bigger names in recent weeks so the original wrestling has been a little easier to watch. Then again you never know what is going to happen around here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Ruby Riott

They start slowly with Belair catching Riott’s kick to the ribs. That means a snapmare into a standoff so Riott pulls her into a rollup. Belair grabs a cravate and hits a running clothesline into a hiptoss. Riott is right back with some rams into the buckle into a Downward Spiral. A front facelock has Belair in more trouble but she snaps off a suplex. Belair grabs a spinebuster and after shrugging off a knee to the ribs, finishes Riott with the KOD at 5:55.

Rating: C-. Belair has grown on me a lot in recent months and I’d love to see her get some more time on Raw. Why she can’t at least be involved with the Street Profits a little more than she has been in recent weeks is beyond me, but at least we’ve been getting the Viking Profits, whatever that’s worth.

From Smackdown.

There are wrestlers around the ring for Styles’ Intercontinental Title presentation. AJ is glad that everyone got their cheering right and he’s just here to say he told you so. Life’s rewards are for the people who go and claim the brass ring instead of waiting for a handout. He’s ready for the title presentation but Renee Young isn’t the right person to do it. Instead, AJ wants Daniel Bryan to do it himself.

Bryan gets in the ring and AJ says put it around his waist, but make sure not to do anything stupid. AJ says Bryan doesn’t have to do it if he’s a coward. Bryan finally puts the title on and says that last week, AJ was the better man. Bryan gets all fired up and says AJ is going to be a great champion. Imagine AJ vs. Gran Metalik or against Big E. (they both seem game), but AJ sees it a little different.

That’s fine with Bryan, who thinks Drew Gulak should get a shot because he beat AJ two weeks ago. AJ thinks Bryan is trying to get himself a title shot so he has to become #1 contender. The next person to challenge for the title is going to have to suffer the consequences. Cue the debuting Matt Riddle, much to AJ’s annoyance. AJ sees another human being looking for a handout. The fight is on with Riddle cleaning house so AJ says get a referee out here.

AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle

The wrestlers are still around the ring. Hold on though as AJ says no shoes, no shirt, no title shot. The bell rings and Riddle hits a German suplex into the rolling gutwrench suplexes for two. Riddle hammers away on the mat and kicks him in the head for two more. More shots have AJ in the corner so he snaps off a dropkick to get a breather.

Back up and Riddle kicks him down in the corner but this time AJ hits a running clothesline to the apron. Riddle gets knocked into King Corbin and gets in an argument as we take a break. Back with AJ in control but the YES Kicks just fire Riddle up. A right hand to the head puts him down though and a snap suplex gives Styles two. AJ takes him down again and a dragon screw legwhip sends Riddle into the corner.

Riddle’s comeback is cut off with a shot to the leg but a jumping knee to the face rocks AJ. A quick suplex drops AJ again and the Broton gets two. Riddle grabs a rear naked choke but has to let go when Styles bridges back for two more. The Calf Crusher goes on so Riddle goes to the ropes, meaning AJ heads outside to get in Bryan’s face. AJ yells at Bryan before loading up the Phenomenal Forearm, only to get caught in the Bro Derek to give Riddle the pin at 12:53.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to have a debut and the lack of a clean finish helped a bit. AJ has no one to blame but himself here and that makes for a good way to set up some potential matches in the future. You could go with Styles vs. Riddle or Bryan or maybe even all three (hopefully not), or perhaps Riddle vs. Bryan for the #1 contendership. It’s nice to have the options like that though and that’s what they did here.

Post match the lumberjacks get in the ring to celebrate with Riddle, who strikes his still awesome pose.

From Raw.

Here’s Drew McIntyre to open things up. He explains last week’s title defense….but here’s Dolph Ziggler to interrupt. Ziggler explains that he and Robert Roode have been traded to Raw in exchange for AJ Styles. We hear about McIntyre’s redemption story, with Ziggler bringing him up from nothing and now McIntyre is WWE Champion.

That sounds like a reason for Ziggler to get a title shot at Extreme Rules, but McIntyre doesn’t remember Ziggler winning many matches without Big Daddy Claymore there to help him out. Ziggler has become exactly what the two of them used to despise: an entitled jackass. It was Ziggler who named him the Scottish Psychopath so imagine what McIntyre will do with the title on the line. Ziggler wants the match, so it’s set for Extreme Rules for the title.

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet vs. Austin Theory/Murphy

Again, did these people come to the wrong show? Murphy works on Ricochet’s arm to start until the reversal lets Ricochet do the opposite. They flip up to a standoff and that means a double tag. Alexander snaps off a rollup into a basement dropkick as everything breaks down. Ricochet and Alexander snap off stereo headscissors to the floor and the teased dives take us to a break.

Back with Murphy hitting a DDT for two on Ricochet and kicking him in the back for the same. A front facelock is driven into the corner but Murphy sends him face first into the corner. Ricochet rolls out with a dropkick and a kick to the face is enough for the hot tag to Alexander. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a tornado DDT to Theory. Everything breaks down and Theory escapes the Lumbar Check. Murphy hits a running knee to finish Alexander at 10:44.

Rating: C. This is another good example of a match that could be on any given Raw but for some reason they’re stuck on Main Event. At least Austin and Murphy are able to get on the show for the sake of the Seth Rollins stuff. Ricochet and Alexander….I really don’t get it and I can’t imagine I’m alone in my confusion.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House. Bray has been gone for a long time so he has joined a book club, learned the new Tik Tok moves, learned how to raise the dead, learned how to knit, and taken over a reptile society. Ramblin Rabbit pops in to say Bray has just been sitting in the corner muttering about losing to Braun Strowman. After a clip, a distressed Bray thanks him for the reminder. It’s true that he lost, but in defeat, he learned that he went about this the wrong way.

We cut to the arena where Braun Strowman comes out (now with what sounds like a train at the start of his music), causing Bray to give him thumbs down. Bray wasn’t lying about raising the dead and he morphs into the Wyatt Family version, saying that in order to move forward, they have to take a step back to where it all began. Bray created him so now Braun needs to come see him. Follow the buzzards and run. The lantern is blown out to end the show. Does WWE really think that Strowman’s time with the Wyatt Family was that important? And they’re going to fight at the Wyatt Compound aren’t they?

From Raw.

Here are Rey Mysterio and Dominick for a chat. Rey talks about how scary it can be to not be able to get in touch with your child. That was the case last week when Rey didn’t know Dominick was coming here to go after Rollins. Mysterio isn’t happy with what Dominick did and no matter how big or strong he may be, he’s still Rey’s son. Last week, Dominick fought for him, so tonight, Rey is going to fight for him. He needs to get revenge on Rollins, but he needs to do it on his own.

Dominick isn’t going anywhere though, so Rollins can come fight a family. Cue Rollins to say Mysterio has put him in a difficult situation. Should he come to the ring to destroy a father in front of his son, or should he sacrifice Dominick in front of Rey? Actually never mind, because this is fate, prophecy and destiny, so he’ll take both of them at once. Austin Theory and Murphy join Rollins….but Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo jump them from behind.

The brawl is on with Theory and Murphy being taken down, leaving Rollins surrounded. Mysterio gets in a 619 and the good guys try to take out Rollins’ eye like he did to Mysterio, only to have Murphy and Theory make the save. Rollins goes for Dominick’s eye but Black and Carrillo make the save to end the show. Dominick still isn’t all that interesting but this was a hot brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t a bad show or anything close to it but having people this talented on Main Event is rather mind boggling. Raw isn’t exactly overflowing with interesting stuff at the moment and for some reason we’re getting people like Ricochet and Murphy in action here. It’s not the most logical thing, but then again, nothing about Main Event ever has been.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 29, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

We’re in uncharted territory here with so many names possibly missing due to the Coronavirus outbreak. So far we have two contract signings for Extreme Rules planned, which certainly sounds like something that could manage to be as uninteresting as Raw can actually be. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Bayley and Sasha Banks brawling with Asuka in the ring as Samoa Joe is standing next to the contract table. Referees come out and break it up so Joe can do the introduction. The brawl is on again with Joe begging referees to get them apart. With the women separated, Joe introduces Dolph Ziggler as we’re doing both signings at the same time. Ziggler handles Drew McIntyre’s introduction and we’re finally settled down and ready to go. We’ll start with the men, with Ziggler talking about ending McIntyre’s nineteen year journey as McIntyre looks rather serious. Both of them sign with Drew saying it’s official.

McIntyre calls those serious words from Ziggler and talks about how they used to be family. As family, McIntyre is going to let him pick the stipulation for the title match. Asuka cuts him off by shouting in Japanese and signs her own contract. Banks promises to become Two Belts Banks and stamps her own signature on the contract. The brawl is on with Ziggler trying a superkick but McIntyre pulls it out of the air. The threat of a Claymore sends Ziggler bailing, along with Bayley and Sasha. Book the mixed tag for later.

We look at Angel Garza and Andrade jumping the Street Profits after last week’s Tag Team Title match.

Garza is talking to Jessika Carr when Charly Caruso comes up and doesn’t seem pleased. Zelina Vega makes fun of her and promises that the team is getting some gold. Big Show comes in and says he’s going to the ring next to deal with Randy Orton.

Here’s Big Show in the ring to call out Orton. Instead he gets Andrade, Garza and Vega, who Show calls Smurfette. Show says he isn’t in the mood for this tonight so don’t try him. Garza laughs off the idea that Show is a legend so Show says he has boots older than him. More talking ensues but Show cuts him off and says come fight if he wants to. Vega says Show’s days on Raw are numbered and he can say hi to Edge and Christian in the retirement home.

Cue Ric Flair to say he respects Vega but needs to have a word with his old friend. Flair has been hanging out with Orton while Big Show is making cartoons on Netflix. That’s cool because everyone wants that spot in Hollywood and Show will be in the Hall of Fame, but don’t try Orton. For now though, Garza and Andrade can deal with Show. Cue the Viking Raiders though and the brawl is on to take us to a break.

Viking Raiders vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Joined in progress with Zelina on commentary and Erik throwing Garza down. Ivar drives Garza into the corner for two and we hit the armbar. Erik slams Ivar onto Garza for two but Andrade uses a distraction to come in with a superkick. It’s Erik in trouble with Garza hitting a hard kick to the head for one as Vega explains the power of fiery Latinos. Erik punches Garza into the corner but Andrade comes in to kick Erick in the face. Andrade stops to yell at Garza….and walks out. Vega tries to calk things down and we take a break.

Back with Andrade on the apron as Garza unloads on Erik in the corner. Erik fights up and runs Andrade over though and the hot tag brings in Ivar to clean house. The handspring elbow is cut off with a dropkick to the back and everything breaks down. The powerbomb/release World’s Strongest Slam combination plants Andrade and Garza but Garza and Ivar fight to the floor. Andrade hits the running knees in the corner on Erik and the Wing Clipper gives Garza the pin at 11:36.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and it’s nice to see some fresh challengers being set up for the Street Profits. They have done the Vikings vs. Profits for so long now that it’s time for someone else. The problem is that there are only so many teams to be able to do anything at the moment. Andrade and Garza are as good as we can get at the moment.

We look back at Natalya beating Liv Morgan last week, followed by Ruby Riott trying to make up with Morgan later on.

The IIconics come up to make fun of Riott, who mentions them losing their Tag Team Title match. A challenge is made for later.

Flair wants to talk to Andrade, Garza and Vega.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa vs. R-Truth

Tozawa, with Ninjas, is defending and grabs a quick rollup for two. Hold on though as Tozawa needs to poke finger guns at Truth, who avoids a charge with ease. Back up and Truth leapfrogs him but hurts his knee, only to catch Tozawa in a rollup for the pin and the title at 1:07.

Post match another Ninja rolls Truth up for two, allowing Truth to run off with the title.

We look at Bobby Lashley taking Apollo Crews down with the full nelson last week.

Lashley doesn’t think much of MVP going after Crews, but MVP calms him down by saying Crews’ offer to join us is gone. Now the kid needs to learn something before we get to the complete destruction. The two of them walk past Murphy and Seth Rollins (no Theory) with Rollins holding a Rey Mysterio mask. He needs to deliver his most important message now.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for the message. We see a recap of the issues with Rollins vs. Mysterio/Dominick, including Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black nearly taking out Rollins’ eye last week. Back in the arena, Rollins talks about the duty that Mysterio has to his son. The problem is that Rey hasn’t been, ahem, seeing things clearly. Rollins talks about how he gave Rey a chance to get out with honor but Mysterio refuses to leave. They are bound by fate and as fate would have it, Mysterio is meant to be a sacrifice for the greater good of Raw.

Rollins is going to tear him down piece by piece, but here are Mysterio and Dominick on the screen. Rey says that there will be no forgiveness for Rollins no matter what. Mysterio loves Dominick, but now he has to do something even worse to Rollins. It’s an eye for an eye and it won’t be fate, because it’s going to be by design. Dominick can forgive Rey, but he’ll never forgive Rey, which will be ordained by fate. Rollins: “Oh bravo.” Cue Carrillo and Black and it seems that we have another match being booked on the fly.

Post break, Rollins and Murphy are still on the floor to yell at Carrillo and Black. Carrillo says Rollins will never be the man Mysterio is. Black knows evil when he sees it and promises to make Rollins atone for it. Rollins says this ends now and we’re ready to go.

Humberto Carrillo/Aleister Black vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Black kicks away at Murphy to start and scares Rollins off the apron. The distraction lets Murphy kick Black to the floor and Rollins stomps away next to the barricade. Back in and Rollins whips Black hard into the corner, setting up Murphy’s reverse chinlock. Black fights up with a shot to the head and it’s a hot tag to Carrillo, who has to chase Rollins to the floor. That lets Murphy get in a cheap shot but Carrillo enziguris him without much trouble.

A middle rope crossbody connects and Rollins comes back in, only to be sent outside. Another enziguri sets up the missile dropkick to Murphy and Rollins has to save Murphy from the 619. Carrillo hits the big springboard dive to the floor and we take a break. Back with Carrillo getting in a shot to Rollins for a breather. The diving tag brings in Black to beat up Murphy and moonsault onto both of them. Murphy counters Black Mass into a rollup so Black knees him in the face.

Carrillo comes back in for a 619 to Murphy for two with Rollins diving in for the save. Rollins dives onto Black and Murphy hits a running knee for two on Carrillo with Black making a save of his own. The Cheeky Nandos kick hits Carrillo and it’s a powerbomb/jumping knee to the face combination….for two. If you’re going to debut a big spot like that, don’t have it be for a near fall. Black and Murphy head to the floor, leaving Rollins to Stomp Carrillo for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match and it’s nice to see Rollins win something for a change. That’s been part of the problem with this rather lacking story: Rollins hasn’t really done anything other than taking out Mysterio. He loses most of his big matches and the promos feel like something that has been done in every indy promotion in the world at one time or another. It’s not horrible, but I can’t find any interest in the whole thing.

Post match the brawl stays on with Carrillo taking the steps to the face, with Rollins putting Mysterio’s mask on him. Black has to save Carrillo’s eye from the steps so Rollins gives Carrillo the Stomp onto the steps instead.

Asuka and Drew McIntyre are ready for their mixed tag tonight. McIntyre dubs her the Empress of Claymore Country and Asuka says Ziggler isn’t ready for Drew.

We look at the tribute to Undertaker from Smackdown, including the legends talking about how great he is. A highlight video is included.

Lana tries to recruit Ruby Riott, who tells her to go ruin another promising career. Lana talks about how great Natalya is and says that’s the kind of leader the women’s division needs. Ruby doesn’t seem convinced.

Peyton Royce vs. Ruby Riott

Billie Kay is here with Peyton and a quick distraction lets Peyton take Riott down by the arm to start. Another Billie distraction sets up the hammerlock on Riott, but she’s back up with some forearms. An STO gets two on Peyton but the third distraction lets Royce grab a rollup for two. Riott gets her own rollup but walks into a fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D+. There isn’t much you can get out of this but the IIconics are a rather solid midcard act. I’m not sure why Riott needs to lose so much, but if there is one thing WWE likes to do, it is have people lose a lot and then expect us to care about them. If they can do it with Riott and Morgan at the same time, that’s even better.

Big Show talks about growing up in South Carolina where Ric Flair was the most important man in the world. Now Flair is mentoring Randy Orton, so Orton has to be the most dangerous man in wrestling. Show is ready to take care of Andrade and Garza tonight.

We look back at the opening segment.

Big Show vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Andrade and Garza bail to the floor and agree to get back inside together. It’s Andrade who stays on the floor, leaving Garza to chop the heck out of Garza. That’s enough to send Garza outside, where Andrade tells him to get back in there. Garza tags Andrade in so he can fail at a waistlock attempt on Show. A slam puts Andrade down and Show steps on his ribs.

It’s back to Garza, who gets chopped in the corner again before kicking away at the knee. The low superkick doesn’t quite keep Show down so Garza stomps away even more. Andrade comes in and argues with Garza, who decides to walk out this time. Vega can’t keep the peace and it’s a chokeslam to finish Andrade at 5:35.

Rating: D+. This was pretty much every Big Show handicap match you would care to see as he threw the two of them around, they got in a little something, and then he hit a chokeslam for the win. I know Show is an old, dependable star, but he isn’t exactly doing anything new when he’s out there, and it can get a little repetitive at times. Like it was here for example.

Post match gives Andrade the KO Punch.

R-Truth has escaped the Ninjas and runs into Cedric Alexander, Apollo Crews and Ricochet. Truth thinks Alexander may be a Ninja, but his favorite superhero, Richard O Shea will take care of things. For now though, Truth has an idea.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley for MVP’s match, but first MVP talks about how no one can be him. However, he’s a legend and wants to give back. That’s what he was trying to do with Crews, who just disrespected him. That isn’t going to stand, but here’s Crews to interrupt. Crews doesn’t want to hear about disrespect because MVP wouldn’t listen to Crews say no in the first place. Ring the bell.

MVP vs. Apollo Crews

Non-title with Crews starting fast by snapping off a hurricanrana. MVP is sent to the floor for the big flip dive onto Lashley, allowing MVP to send Crews into the steps. Back from a break with MVP hitting a big boot and putting on a dragon sleeper. There’s a knee drop for two but Crews fights up and hits a Stinger Splash in the corner. A spinebuster gets two on MVP but Lashley offers a distraction so MVP can crotch Crews on top. MVP hits a running big boot and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C-. MVP has shown to be very valuable as a talker for Lashley though I’m not entirely sold on him as a wrestler at this point. It’s ok to have him win over Crews thanks to the interference, and it’s not like this is setting up anything more than Lashley getting a title shot at Extreme Rules anyway.

Post match Lashley puts on the full nelson until Ricochet and Cedric Alexander come in for the save.

Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley

Joined in progress again as we now have four out of seven matches being made during the show. Lashley throws him around to start and drops Ricochet with a release suplex. Ricochet tries to fight up but gets caught in the spinning Big Ending for two. Lashley throws him outside and then tosses him around even more, followed by a ram into the post. The count is broken up at nine even though Ricochet is mostly dead. Lashley sets for the spear but Ricochet collapses.

Ricochet slips out of the full nelson and sends Lashley to the floor. Lashley gets him in a fireman’s carry, only to have Ricochet slip out and post him. MVP sends Lashley back inside where Ricochet hits a Lionsault for two. Cedric Alexander takes out MVP and Ricochet hits some kicks to the head. A big kick is countered into a powerbomb though and the full nelson finishes Ricochet at 6:35.

Rating: C. This started off as a squash and turned into a nice David vs. Goliath match by the end. Lashley wasn’t going to lose to anyone here, let alone Ricochet, so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. At least they got Ricochet and Alexander on the card though and that’s a good thing after so many weeks away.

Post match, Lashley full nelsons Alexander as well.

Bayley and Sasha Banks tell Ziggler not to screw this up for them.

We look at the contract signings again.

Drew McIntyre/Asuka vs. Sasha Banks/Dolph Ziggler

Bayley sits in on commentary as the guys start. McIntyre powers him around early on and chops away in the corner as Asuka is very pleased. A quick Fameasser doesn’t even give Ziggler one and it’s off to the women (Bayley: “MAIN EVENT TIME!”). Asuka shoves her around to start but Sasha avoids a charge. That means the threat of the Asuka Lock but the guys come in, allowing Banks to slip out. A spinning elbow to the face drops Banks to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler rolling him up for two and hitting the delayed DDT. For some reason Ziggler tags Banks in and Asuka gets to come in as McIntyre is still banged up. Asuka hits a running knee to the face for two on Banks but Bayley offers a distraction. That lets Banks hit a Meteora off the apron (though she seemed to overshoot it) to knock Asuka silly. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Banks hits the double knees in the corner for two more.

Asuka gets in some knees of her own and it’s a double tag to bring the men back in. McIntyre hits the top rope shot to Ziggler’s head but Banks tags herself in. Banks yells at McIntyre, who punches Ziggler off the apron as the yelling ensues. Asuka comes in to kick Banks in the head for two but Banks reverses into a rollup for two. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock but Banks flips back onto her for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C. Just a main event tag match here and they did a good job of making Sasha feel like more of a threat. It’s better to go there than having McIntyre take a fall as they’ve done a great job of making him seem like the most important person on the show. This was one where you could probably guess how the match was going to go and that’s not a bad thing.

Overall Rating: C-. This show started fast and then just died starting with the Rollins segment. It wasn’t the worst show but it went from a hot show to a show focusing on people like Big Show, Andrade, Garza and Ziggler. There was a lot of stuff on here that really didn’t work, and with more than half of the matches being made throughout the night, it felt like they were scrambling to fill three hours. I can get the issues they were dealing with here, but this felt every second of the three hours and that’s not a good thing.

Results

Andrade/Angel Garza b. Viking Raiders – Wing Clipper to Garza

R-Truth b. Akira Tozawa – Rollup

Seth Rollins/Murphy b. Aleister Black/Humberto Carrillo – Stomp to Carrillo

Peyton Royce b. Ruby Riott – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Big Show b. Andrade/Angel Garza – Chokeslam to Andrade

MVP b. Apollo Crews – Fisherman’s suplex

Bobby Lashley b. Ricochet – Full nelson

Sasha Banks/Dolph Ziggler b. Asuka/Drew McIntyre – Rollup to Asuka

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 12, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s title night around here as we have Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles for the vacant Intercontinental Title. Given that Backlash is this Sunday, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the new champion crowned on Sunday instead of here. Either way, it should be an interesting match given the people involved. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus situation, including the whole drunk driving deal.

Renee Young is in the ring for a contract signing between Sheamus and Hardy. Sheamus comes out with a guy in a lab coat and security and sets up a curtain. Hardy isn’t sure what’s going on but doesn’t care after what Sheamus has put him through. Sheamus wants some assurances that Hardy will be there on Sunday so he has to take a urine test. Hardy says he’s an alcoholic and he goes to meetings every week to talk about what he has done to his fans. Jeff takes the test and Sheamus gloats so Hardy throws the contents of the cup in his face. You can hear McMahon laughing from here.

Post break Sheamus is washing his face when the doctor comes in to say the test was negative.

New Day vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title and New Day kneels during their entrance. Kofi takes Cesaro down for a splash and near fall to start, only to have Cesaro come back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Nakamura comes in for Good Vibrations but everything breaks down in a hurry. Big E. launches Kofi over the top onto both of them for the big crash on the floor. Cesaro grabs Big E.’s boot and Nakamura knees Big E. in the face as we take a break.

Back with Nakamura working Kofi over until a charge into an elbow cuts things off. Kofi goes up for a high crossbody but lands on Nakamura’s knees, setting up a small package for the very fast pin on Kofi at 6:26. Not enough shown to rate but this feels like the setup for a Backlash title match.

Tucker is back and has Otis blindfolded for some reason. He tries to teach him to use his sense of smell on some meat but Mandy Rose pops in to surprise him instead. She hands him the briefcase and Tucker reminds him ti be ready if the opportunity presents himself with Braun Strowman tonight. Hold on though as Sheamus and Hardy brawl nearby.

Video on the history of the Intercontinental Title, plus a recap of the tournament.

Intercontinental Title: Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles

For the vacant title. They fight over wrist control to start until Bryan dropkicks him into the corner. AJ misses a charge and gets sent to the floor for the suicide dive. Back from a break with Bryan working on the arm and then working on the other arm at the same time for a bonus. Styles fights up and hits his own dropkick before hammering away at Bryan’s head. Bryan fights out and goes after the leg as he keeps finding ways to pick AJ apart.

They go to the pinfall reversal sequence before stereo crossbodies give us a double knockdown. Back from another break with Bryan working on the arm some more and taking it to the floor. AJ sends him into the barricade but misses a slingshot dive. That lets Bryan post the arm and stomp it on the apron before taking things inside again. The arm is twisted again and Bryan stomps on it for a bonus.

The keylock keeps the pain up but Bryan misses a charge in the corner. Styles starts kicking at the leg and snaps it down over the apron. The knee is tied in the ropes so AJ can kick away but Bryan uses the good leg for an enziguri. The Phenomenal Forearm is broken up with a shove off the top and Bryan kicks away in the corner. AJ is sat on top for a super hurricanrana and there are the YES Kicks.

The big one misses though and AJ hits a hard clothesline. We take a third break and come back with the slugout in the middle of the ring until Bryan backdrops him to the floor. The suicide dive is countered with a kick to Bryan’s arm but Bryan is fine enough to suplex him into a cross armbreaker. That’s countered into the Calf Crusher for the break and then the cross armbreaker goes on again.

AJ gets out again so Bryan kicks him in the head for two and takes AJ up. An elbow knocks Bryan down and a series of them does it again. Bryan gets up top again for a belly to back superplex and we actually take a fourth break. Back again with Bryan flipping over AJ in the corner but banging up the knee again. AJ’s Pele sets up a brainbuster for two but the Styles Clash is countered into a jackknife cover (ala Drew Gulak pinning AJ last week) for two.

Bryan hits a German suplex for two before AJ hits one of his own for the same. Now it’s Bryan getting his own German suplex for another two of his own, followed by the downward elbows to the head. The YES Lock goes on but AJ gets a foot on the rope. Bryan stomps away at the head but the running knee is countered into the Styles Clash. AJ can’t cover though and they’re both down again. The Phenomena Forearm connects to give AJ the pin and the title at 38:10.

Rating: B+. Yeah what else were you expecting here? The knee vs. the arm here was a good structure for the match and they beat the heck out of each other. All of the commercial breaks got annoying though and took something away from the match. What we got was pretty great though, and doesn’t exactly bode well for what Edge and Randy Orton have to do on Sunday.

Post match AJ confirms his phenomenalness.

We recap Miz/Morrison pranking/destroying Braun Strowman’s car last week. Strowman turned their van over instead of, you know, pulling the door open and destroying them.

Strowman promises to destroy Miz and Morrison. He doesn’t mind doing the same thing to Heavy Machinery tonight if he has to.

There are balloons everywhere and here are Bayley and Sasha Banks to brag about their title win. They brag about how great they are and how much better they are going to get, with Bayley having a poem for Banks. Cue Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss to say this is going a bit far, but the IIconics popup on screen to say they’re winning the titles on Sunday. They don’t think the champs should turn their backs on Cross and Bliss, and the two of them jump Bayley and Banks.

Miz and Morrison have a new music video….but Braun Strowman’s entrance cuts things off.

Matt Riddle debuts next week.

Heavy Machinery/Braun Strowman vs. Miz/John Morrison/Dolph Ziggler

Otis scares Ziggler to the floor to start so Otis pulls Miz in instead. Tucker comes in for a double headbutt and then grabs Morrison by the arm. Morrison’s springboard is countered with a powerslam for two so it’s Ziggler coming in. That’s fine with Strowman, who forearms him in the chest. Otis comes in for a suplex but King Corbin pops up on screen and goes up to Mandy Rose.

That sends Otis charging into the back as Corbin talks about Rose fantasizing about being with a man with stature. Otis charges in and beats Corbin down as we take a break. Back with Ziggler kicking Tucker down for two as there is no Otis in sight. Ziggler front facelocks Tucker into the corner but Tucker fights to his feet. Miz and Morrison take care of Strowman though, meaning there is no one for Tucker to tag.

Cue Otis though, with Mandy following, allowing Tucker to get in a kick to the face. The hot tag brings in Otis to clean house, including tossing Ziggler over the top for a crash to the floor. Strowman is back up for the running shoulders around the ring, including a big one to Ziggler. With Ziggler mostly out of it, Strowman throws him back inside so Otis can hit the Caterpillar for the pin at 11:06.

Rating: D+. So Miz and Morrison, the unlikely challengers to the Universal Title, are left laying by Strowman to end the go home show before a pay per view match they have next to no chance of winning? All while Otis and Corbin are gearing up for a feud that will likely result in Corbin getting the briefcase? Someone get the new creative over here in a hurry, I beg of you.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah it’s a one match show, but that one match was about a third of the show and that’s all you need. They went with a different structure here and it was nice to see for a change. Obviously it isn’t something that can be done every single week, but for a one off, this was a good treat. Now just get through Backlash so we can move on to….whatever is next on the calendar.

Results

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura b. New Day – Small package to Kingston

AJ Styles b. Daniel Bryan – Phenomena Forearm

Braun Strowman/Heavy Machinery b. John Morrison/The Miz/Dolph Ziggler – Caterpillar to Ziggler

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Smackdown
Date: May 22, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re on the road to Backlash and that means the Intercontinental Title tournament is still ongoing. We have two more first round matches tonight and that means we could be in for some interesting showdowns. Other than that, we need to build towards the pay per view and see what we have coming up. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Memorial Day video, which is starting early this year.

Opening sequence.

We open with the Dirt Sheet, where John Morrison’s abs are now certified social media influencers. Miz can’t believe that Otis is Mr. Money in the Bank and goes on a rant about how Braun Strowman teamed together. Miz: “It just makes no sense.” Morrison: “Like Becky Lynch choosing to have a child with Seth Rollins.” Morrison can’t believe that the Universal Champion is the one that Bray Wyatt replaced with puppet animals. Miz: “Bray Wyatt had the choice between Braun Strowman and stuffed animals. HE PICKED STUFFED ANIMALS!”

We have a special feature tonight: rejected Firefly Fun House puppets, all of whom don’t think much of Strowman. One of which is Mandyquin Rose, whose power is to whisper plans into Otis’ ears. Mandyquin: “Not everything about Braun is a monster.” Morrison: “TOO FAR!”

Cue Strowman to say the show isn’t half bad. Now ask him about Bray’s puppets at Money in the Bank. Miz can’t believe that Strowman thinks Bray is done with him. Miz fought Bray Wyatt and it spiraled into the lowest point of his life (and it only took him about a week to bounce back) but Morrison was there to help him. Morrison doesn’t think much of Strowman and manages to get him a match against Miz next.

Miz vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title. Miz slugs away to start and is knocked down with a single forearm to the chest. The running shoulder puts Miz down again and the dominance is on. A low bridge puts Strowman on the floor and Morrison adds a Flying Chuck. Strowman posts himself by mistake and Miz kicks him in the head. The short DDT is blocked though and Miz is driven into the corner. There’s the big toss and the running powerslam finishes Miz at 3:45.

Rating: C-. Miz got some stuff in here but he and Morrison, even combined, shouldn’t be any real threat to Strowman at this point. It’s not a very good match but that wasn’t the point of something like this. Odds are we get Morrison vs. Strowman next week and that’s the end of it as Bray comes back for the PPV title match.

Post match, Morrison challenges Strowman to a handicap match for the title at Backlash. Strowman says it’s on.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Styles has officially been traded to Smackdown for wrestlers to be named later. AJ’s headlock is reversed into the same thing from Nakamura, followed by a shot to Styles’ throat. That just earns Nakamura the dropkick, setting up the forearm off. Nakamura kicks him down and we take a break.

Back with AJ hitting the Pele to give us a double knockdown, with AJ up first for the fireman’s carry backbreaker. The Calf Crusher sends Nakamura to the ropes so he can snap off a Landslide for two. The sliding knee gives Nakamura two and he grabs a triangle choke. That’s broken up in an awesome counter into a one armed Styles Clash for two. AJ is sent to the apron and cuts Nakamura off with a kick to the head, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B-. These two always work well together, though AJ’s sudden face turn was a little jarring. I can go with that though as the trading wrestlers is something that would be fine for a logical storyline explanation of various moves. It’s certainly better than the Brand To Brand thing and a four guest star punch card.

We recap Charlotte stirring the pot between Bayley and Sasha Banks last week.

Bayley doesn’t want Sasha in her corner tonight so she can prove what she can do on her own. Banks doesn’t seem thrilled.

Charlotte vs. Bayley

Non-title and the announcers talk about this like it belongs at Wrestlemania. They also make it clear that this is another part of the Brand To Brand Invitational for Charlotte so that’s two in a row. Bayley tries an early rollup with feet on the ropes but the referee isn’t having it. Charlotte tries the same but only gets one without getting caught. After dropping Charlotte onto the apron, Bayley misses a baseball slide so Charlotte can drop her with a clothesline. Charlotte tosses her over the barricade and calls Sasha out here so she can beat both of them up at once.

Back from a break with Bayley fighting out of a chinlock but being knocked down in a hurry. Charlotte misses the moonsault though and seems to tweak her knee so they go outside. Bayley rams her into the apron and barricade to put her in real trouble, meaning it’s time to hammer away back inside. The chinlock goes on as we hear about Charlotte defending the title against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley at Takeover. This is noteworthy as it was first reported by TV Guide, who always has someone on the NXT beat.

Charlotte fights up with a fall away slam and sends Bayley face first into the middle buckle. The moonsault misses again (the knee seems fine) so Charlotte hits the big boot for two instead. Bayley kicks her into the corner but the top rope elbow hits knees. That doesn’t hurt Charlotte’s knee either so it’s off to a Liontamer.

That’s reversed into a rollup for two and Bayley sends her head first into the middle buckle for a receipt. The kickout makes Bayley shout at commentary before chopping away at a kneeling Charlotte. Bayley’s Figure Four attempt is blocked with a right hand and Charlotte chops her down in the corner. They fight over a rollup and Bayley grabs the ropes and trunks for the pin at 14:58.

Rating: C+. This worked well enough but it wasn’t exactly the epic that they were going for. Part of that comes from the fact that Bayley does not feel like she’s on Charlotte’s level, despite having practically held the title for a year straight. She’s a distant third to Charlotte and Becky Lynch and a single win over Charlotte, after commentary reminded you how great Charlotte was every chance they could, isn’t some game changer.

Post break Bayley and Sasha are all good.

Otis/Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler

Otis slams Ziggler down to start so it’s quickly off to the women. Sonya sends Mandy into the corner and shouts a lot as Ziggler whips Otis into the steps. Back from a break with Sonya chinlocking and then kicking Mandy as Otis is up on the apron to shout a lot. Mandy fights up and makes the hot tag to Otis to clean house, including the running splash in the corner. The Caterpillar is loaded up but Ziggler gets over for the tag to Sonya. Mandy’s running knee sends Sonya into the corner and a running dropkick gets two. Sonya knees her in the face though and a running knee finishes Mandy at 9:35.

Rating: D+. Mandy really isn’t very good in the ring and it doesn’t help that Sonya is outclassing her every step of the way. Sonya has been bringing it on the microphone and completely outshined her in the ring here. Sonya just feels way more complete and polished at this point and it is becoming more and more clear every week.

Post match Ziggler hits a superkick to Otis for a bonus.

Jeff Hardy is ready for one more run and it starts with the Intercontinental Title. What better way to kick things off than by beating up a bully like Sheamus?

In Memory of Shad Gaspard. Just a graphic, an hour and a half into the show.

The Forgotten Sons say their blood is on the fans’ hands. Therefore, the fans’ blood should be on their hands.

Long recap of Miz/Morrison vs. Strowman. It was barely an hour ago and we need a long recap? The match is officially set.

Miz isn’t thrilled with Morrison making the challenge but Morrison talks about Strowman’s record in handicap matches. They even quote Sun Tzu about how to get ready, sending them into a Renee Young assisted HEY HEY HO HO dance.

We recap Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus

Sheamus powers him into the corner to start so Hardy grabs a headlock to take things to the mat. Back up and Jeff hits a running forearm, only to get blasted with a running elbow to the face. The ten forearms to the chest are blocked and Jeff hits a dropkick through the ropes. The dive off the apron is blocked though and Sheamus drives him into the post. That’s not all though as Hardy gets bounced hard onto the announcers’ table. Sheamus shouts at Cole for spending four weeks putting Hardy over as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus dropping a knee and leaving it on Hardy’s face for a bonus. A hard clothesline lets Sheamus talk trash, only to have Jeff fight back with a dropkick. Whisper in the Wind drops Sheamus but Hardy’s delayed cover only gets one. Sheamus grabs the Irish Curse and hits it two more times for a bonus.

Hardy is so out of it that Sheamus can even dance a bit (Graves: “I GOT YOU SHAME-O!”) but Sheamus misses a charge into the post. The basement dropkick gives Hardy two and they head outside, with Hardy hitting the clothesline off the barricade. Back in and the Swanton hits knees to give Sheamus two more. The Brogue Kick misses and Hardy grabs a rollup for the pin at 14:09.

Rating: B. I don’t have anything major to complain about here as they told a good story of Hardy being physically outmatched but surviving long enough to win in the end. It’s a well told story both in the short and long term while also giving us a good match here. Sheamus doesn’t lose much by getting pinned by a legend and can complain about something that cost him the win. I liked this a good bit and it was well put together and executed.

Here are the updated brackets, with the semifinals next week:

Daniel Bryan

Jeff Hardy

AJ Styles

Elias

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the better shows in a long time and the tournament has a lot to do with that. By having something to build the show around, it keeps things from going too nuts and you can see where a lot of the things are going. It’s not perfect as the Charlotte overkill is on full blast and Strowman vs. Miz/Morrison at the pay per view sounds horrible. I liked the show a lot more than I didn’t though and it was one of the better pandemic episodes.

Results

Braun Strowman b. The Miz – Running powerslam

AJ Styles b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Phenomenal Forearm

Bayley b. Charlotte – Rollup while grabbing the ropes

Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler b. Mandy Rose/Otis – Running knee to Rose

Jeff Hardy b. Sheamus – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: May 7, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

It’s the go home show for Money in the Bank and that means the recaps will be weak with this one. There is almost nothing going on of note over the last week’s worth of shows and while I’m sure they are going to showcase things, that doesn’t mean they are all that interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

R-Truth vs. Cal Bloom

Truth does WHAT’S UP and only MVP responds. Bloom powers him into the corner to start but gets forearmed in the face a few times. An armdrag into a hiptoss puts Bloom down and a legdrop gives Truth two. Bloom is right back with a butterfly suplex and it’s time to hit Truth in the face a few times. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Truth busts out John Cena’s finishing sequence. The AA is countered into a powerslam for two though and Truth is in trouble again. Bloom loads up a powerbomb but Truth reverses into the AA for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: D+. Bloom is someone they clearly see something in and it’s smart to put him in there with a veteran like Truth. He’s been around forever and has worked with a lot of people with a lot of experience, making him a treasure trove of wrestling knowledge. You don’t get to see him win that often and he still has all this charisma no matter what is going on around him. No wonder he’s been here forever and is showing no signs of slowing down.

From Smackdown.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Carmella vs. Mandy Rose

Feeling out profess to start And they dive over each other a bit, setting up a low superkick for two on Mandy. A shot to the face sets up a chinlock on Carmella but here’s Sonya Deville for the distraction. She praises Mandy as the match continues, including Mandy getting two off a side slam.

Last year, Sonya almost handed Mandy the briefcase but Mandy managed to screw it up anyway. Sonya: “How embarrassing! Not nearly as embarrassing as losing to Carmella, which is probably about to happen!” Sonya says she’ll stop talking but then says she’s sick of standing up there and challenges Mandy to a fight right now. The distraction lets Carmella spin Mandy around so she can stand there and get superkicked for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: D+. If ever there was a place for the distraction rollup finish, this was it.. Instead we had Mandy get distracted, get spun around, and then stand there while Carmella superkicked her. That looked terribly fake and while the bigger story is fine, come up with a better way to do it. I do however like Sonya cutting a promo instead of just popping up for the distraction. At least it was a little different.

Post match Sonya sends her into the steps and talks a lot of trash. Sonya’s intensity has been really good, but is a showdown between Fire & Desire that big of a deal?

From Smackdown.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Otis runs him over to start and hits an early delayed vertical suplex for two. Ziggler gets sent into the corner and slammed down for two, followed by a catapult into the corner again. A trip tot he floor slows Otis down and Ziggler sends him into the barricade. Back from a break with Ziggler still in control, including hitting a dropkick for two. Graves mentions something that might be kind of important: the two ladder matches, with the wrestlers going up through the headquarters, will be taking place AT THE SAME TIME. They’ve hinted at that a few times but I didn’t think they would actually do it.

As I try to get my head around that brilliant idea, Otis fights back but the Caterpillar is broken up with a neck snap across the top. The Zig Zag gets two but Otis throws him down with a suplex. The Caterpillar finishes Ziggler clean at 9:53. Cole: “That is probably the biggest win of Otis’ career.” I know WWE wants you to forget about Wrestlemania but give me a break.

Rating: D+. I think we’ve pretty much hit the peak of Otis’ worth at this point and that’s fine. He got the big win at Wrestlemania and now he can do some spots in Money in the Bank without having a chance of winning. The match wasn’t very good but again, points for trying someone new and having Ziggler lose.

We look at the end of the gauntlet match from Raw with AJ Styles earning the last Money in the Bank qualifying match, plus AJ promising to win.

Ruby Riott vs. Kairi Sane

This could be interesting. Sane laughs a lot to start and takes Riott up to the ropes for a clean break. A headscissors into a running Blockbuster drops Riott and a top rope forearm gives Sane two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Riott sends her into the post. Back from a break with Sane fighting out of a seated full nelson.

Riott misses a running kick in the corner though and Sane hits a running forearm. The Sliding D gets two and Sane goes up top, only to have the Insane Elbow broken up. Riott gets two off a top rope backsplash but Sana Alabama Slams her out of the corner. The Insane Elbow is good for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C. As has been the case on a few shows prior to this one, it was nice to see something fresh like this one. This match might have taken place before, but it isn’t something that has been beaten into the ground. In other words, it felt like something I might want to see and that is the kind of thing WWE could do a little more often.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Braun Strowman for a chat but the Firefly Fun House cuts him off in a hurry. Bray has a story for us about the Black Sheep, who smelled a little funny. The Black Sheep was ready to do everything but the shepherd came to get him. Then the government placed a lien on the Sheep’s house and reptilians took over, because that’s what reptilians do. Bray wants to write a happier ending, but Strowman cuts him off and says come say it to his face. Strowman: “BYE!”

And from Raw to wrap it up.

Drew McIntyre vs. Murphy

Non-title and Seth Rollins is watching from the stage. Murphy gets knocked outside early on and McIntyre throws him over the barricade for a bonus. McIntyre stares at Rollins a bit too much though and gets sent into the barricade. Back in and the Meteora gets two on McIntyre, who comes back with one heck of a chop.

Murphy strikes away again, only to get caught with a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre knocks him hard off the apron though and it’s a top rope clothesline for two back inside. A super White Noise is countered though and Murphy hits a powerbomb for two. Murphy loads up his own Claymore but walks into the real thing for the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C. So yeah, the unstoppable champion pinned the lackey after a fairly competitive match. This was less a contest and more counting down until one of two possible conclusions. That’s what we got here and it wasn’t all that interesting. Rollins could be an interesting threat to McIntyre but sending Murphy out there isn’t the way to go about it.

Post match McIntyre begs Rollins to fight him but Rollins walks off instead. Rollins runs back to the ring and hits McIntyre with a knee to the face. He shouts about how this is bigger than either of them and looks at the title. The title is dropped though and McIntyre avoids a Stomp, setting up the Glasgow Kiss. Seth bails from the threat of the Claymore to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I know it wasn’t much but I rather liked that Sane vs. Riott match. It’s nice to see a match where you immediately wonder what might be going on in a match because it sounds good. You don’t get that kind of a feeling very often in WWE, but it doesn’t happen very often. Use the talent that you have and see how much more fun it might be.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 1, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re almost to Money in the Bank and this time around that means we get to find out who will be filling out the ladder matches. There are two qualifying matches left to go and that means it’s time for at least Wrestlemania rematch. I’m not sure where this is going to go but it could be an interesting show. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Daniel Bryan to open things up. He loves new challenges and he can’t wait to compete in the most unique Money in the Bank match of all time. Now granted he’s a little worried about getting fined for breaking something expensive at Titan Towers. Nine years ago, he couldn’t even get booked on Smackdown and then he won Money in the Bank. Now he knows how important this is and he’s looking forward to the challenge.

Bryan wanted his friend and coach Drew Gulak to be in the match with him but that isn’t happening due to King Corbin. Cue Corbin for their match, but first we need to see a video of him taking out Gulak last week. Bryan brings up Corbin being one of the four people who managed to lose a Money in the Bank cash in so not Corbin is going to teach Bryan a lesson.

Daniel Bryan vs. King Corbin

Bryan takes him down by the leg to start and kicks away before grabbing a leglock. Corbin fights up and starts slugging away, including a cheap shot when the referee tries to break things up. A right hand knocks Bryan off the top and there’s a whip into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Corbin throwing him down and hitting a knee to the face.

Corbin’s slide under the ropes clothesline is cut off by a suicide dive, because it’s not like isn’t that hard of a move to scout. Bryan starts kicking away at the leg and grabs an ankle lock. That’s broken up so Bryan charges into the corner, only to run into Deep Six for two. Bryan is back up and stomps away while shouting about revenge, setting up the suicide dive. That’s caught by the throat so Bryan kicks him in the knee and the head. Corbin is sick of this and throws a ladder at him for the DQ at 14:55.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match here with Bryan being out for revenge and losing his cool, though I’m still not sure how smart it is to fight bad ratings with a nearly fifteen minute King Corbin match to start the show. I do like the fact that this had a personal issue and wasn’t all about the fabled “building momentum”, so at least they have something new. Just get to the moment where everyone is sitting on a ladder though so we can be done with it.

Post match Bryan isn’t done and grabs the YES Lock on a ladder, only to have Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro come in for the save. Bryan gets thrown off the stage and through a bunch of ladders. Graves: “Could that happen off the roof of WWE Headquarters?” No.

Here’s Braun Strowman for a chat but the Firefly Fun House cuts him off in a hurry. Bray has a story for us about the Black Sheep, who smelled a little funny. The Black Sheep was ready to do everything but the shepard came to get him. Then the government placed a lien on the Sheep’s house and reptilians took over, because that’s what reptilians do. Bray wants to write a happier ending, but Strowman cuts him off and says come say it to his face. Strowman: “BYE!”

Make-A-Wish video.

Sheamus vs. Leon Ruff

Three Irish Curses, ten forearms to the chest, Brogue Kick for the pin at 1:53.

Post match Sheamus yells about Jeff Hardy, leading to the fourth part of the Hardy video series. This focuses on the knee injury from April but doesn’t quite bring up the legal issues while he was gone (to be fair though, those have been covered). Now he’s back and ready for the future. Hardy is back next week. This would be a bit better had he not had that one off match a few months ago.

Back in the arena, Sheamus says he’ll be here next week too.

Otis promises to beat Dolph Ziggler again, for his beautiful peach Mandy Rose. Mandy says she’s had a hard time for the last few weeks and tonight she’s focused on Carmella.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Carmella vs. Mandy Rose

Feeling out profess to start And they dive over each other a bit, setting up a low superkick for two on Mandy. A shot to the face sets up a chinlock on Carmella but here’s Sonya Deville for the distraction. She praises Mandy as the match continues, including Mandy getting two off a side slam.

Last year, Sonya almost handed Mandy the briefcase but Mandy managed to screw it up anyway. Sonya: “How embarrassing! Not nearly as embarrassing as losing to Carmella, which is probably about to happen!” Sonya says she’ll stop talking but then says she’s sick of standing up there and challenges Mandy to a fight right now. The distraction lets Carmella spin Mandy around so she can stand there and get superkicked for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: D+. If ever there was a place for the distraction rollup finish, this was it.. Instead we had Mandy get distracted, get spun around, and then stand there while Carmella superkicked her. That looked terribly fake and while the bigger story is fine, come up with a better way to do it. I do however like Sonya cutting a promo instead of just popping up for the distraction. At least it was a little different.

Post match Sonya sends her into the steps and talks a lot of trash. Sonya’s intensity has been really good, but is a showdown between Fire & Desire that big of a deal?

Post break Mandy has a bruised leg that she is getting checked out. Otis comes in to check on her but the doctor asks him to leave. That’s fine with Otis, who runs into Dolph Ziggler, who asks if Mandy is ok before leaving.

New Day vs. Forgotten Sons

Non-title, Jaxson Ryker is here with the Sons and here are Miz and Morrison to join commentary as the ten person limit is thrown out the window. Big E. throws Cutler down to start so it’s off to Kofi as Miz and Morrison make Tiger King jokes. Are those even still a thing? Kofi hits a running basement dropkick to Blake in the corner as everything breaks down.

Big E. splashes Cutler on the floor and we take a break. Back with a knee dropping Big E. as the Sons take over. A double Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two as Miz and Morrison complain about Cole saying Miz lost while Morrison retained the titles at Wrestlemania. Big E. finally shoves Blake away and the hot tag brings in Kofi to clean house.

A butterfly backbreaker gives Cutler two and everything breaks down. Cutler hits a Backstabber to set up Blake’s top rope elbow for two on Kofi as things settle a bit. Big E. gets sent outside for a posting from Ryker, leaving Kofi to take the reverse DDT/top rope stomp pin at 12:58.

Rating: C-. Yeah they’re still the Forgotten Sons, meaning that they are still as good as they have been before. It’s not a good match but I’ll give them credit for putting someone new in the division. I’ve been asking for it for so long now and saying “yes but not THEM” isn’t the best reaction to have. They’re not awful, but they’re also not that interesting in the slightest.

We look back at Bayley and Sasha Banks having issues last week, plus Tamina superkicking Bayley after the match.

Tamina doesn’t like fake girls pretending around here but here’s Sasha to say Tamina has helped her. It’s a ruse for a Bayley sneak attack though and the beating is on. Lacey Evans makes the save and everything is broken up. Yeah still not caring about Tamina.

Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville talk about how he isn’t the bad guy. Fans cheer for Otis because they see themselves in him but guys like Otis don’t win in the end. Eventually, talent is what matters and Ziggler will be Mr. Money in the Bank. Then he’ll be champion and get Mandy back. Sonya: “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Otis runs him over to start and hits an early delayed vertical suplex for two. Ziggler gets sent into the corner and slammed down for two, followed by a catapult into the corner again. A trip tot he floor slows Otis down and Ziggler sends him into the barricade. Back from a break with Ziggler still in control, including hitting a dropkick for two. Graves mentions something that might be kind of important: the two ladder matches, with the wrestlers going up through the headquarters, will be taking place AT THE SAME TIME. They’ve hinted at that a few times but I didn’t think they would actually do it.

As I try to get my head around that brilliant idea, Otis fights back but the Caterpillar is broken up with a neck snap across the top. The Zig Zag gets two but Otis throws him down with a suplex. The Caterpillar finishes Ziggler clean at 9:53. Cole: “That is probably the biggest win of Otis’ career.” I know WWE wants you to forget about Wrestlemania but give me a break.

Rating: D+. I think we’ve pretty much hit the peak of Otis’ worth at this point and that’s fine. He got the big win at Wrestlemania and now he can do some spots in Money in the Bank without having a chance of winning. The match wasn’t very good but again, points for trying someone new and having Ziggler lose.

Overall Rating: C-. Recently, I saw someone say that there is almost nothing in the WWE midcard that had any real energy or pop. That was in my head during this show and it’s absolutely right. So many people feel like they’re in a firm bubble and nothing is going to change for them anytime soon. They’re going to do their thing, which comes and goes every week, and nothing feels important. You might get some good matches or stories, but nothing feels like it’s a big deal. That becomes a major issue year after year and it brings shows like this, without much from the main event scene, grinding to a halt.

This show had a focus and a purpose, but it never really felt important. Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy could be good and they’re adding in some new people, but there is nothing on this show that really made me want to watch. It feels like so many people are firmly in their spots and aren’t going anywhere because they have found their places in WWE. That gets old fast and it has been old for a very long time. Spice it up a little and it can go a long way.

Results

Daniel Bryan b. King Corbin via DQ when Corbin used a ladder

Sheamus b. Leon Ruff – Brogue Kick

Carmella b. Mandy Rose – Superkick

Forgotten Sons b. New Day – Reverse DDT/top rope stomp combination to Kingston

Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Caterpillar

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 17, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time to move forwards towards Money in the Bank and this time around we are finding out who else is going to be involved in the women’s match, plus the first man involved. I’m not sure how much steam these empty arena shows have left but they’re all we’re getting at the moment. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Cole runs down the card.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss to start things off. After bragging about being two time Women’s Tag Team Champions (I completely forgot their first reign, which isn’t a good sign for titles that are fourteen months old), Nikki Cross brings out Braun Strowman. They congratulate Braun on being the new Universal Champion but bring up the fact that he is officially defending against Bray Wyatt (not the Fiend) at Money in the Bank.

Strowman knows Bray and the games he plays so Bray is going to get these hands. There’s a present on the mat though and it seems to be for Braun. Inside is….the old mask he wore as part of the Wyatt Family. Braun looks upset and we hear Bray’s laughter as a picture of Braun in the mask comes on the screen.

Post break, Cole and Graves explain what we just saw.

Sasha Banks vs. Tamina

If Tamina wins, she gets a Women’s Title match at Money in the Bank and Bayley is on commentary. Sasha throws her a shirt to start but Tamina says it’s not the right size. The shirt is thrown at Bayley and Banks’ rollup completely fails. A headbutt sends Banks to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Sasha hammering away and bending the back of Tamina’s neck around the rope. The chinlock goes on but Tamina fights up with something like a Rock Bottom to send Sasha outside. Bayley offers a distraction so Sasha can get in a posting, a 619 on the apron and a ram into the steps. Bayley loads up a cheap shot but here’s Lacey Evans to cut her off. Tamina hits a superkick and hits a second inside for the pin and the title shot at 8:34.

Rating: D+. So yeah we have the next Jinder Mahal here, as Tamina has never done anything of note (until she won a triple threat match a few weeks ago, she hadn’t won a match in over a year) but now she wins a match or two and we’re supposed to forget about how unimportant and nothing she has been for years. It’s bad storytelling, it’s illogical, it’s annoying to the fans who watch every week and WWE is going to keep doing it over and over because they don’t know how long term storytelling and character building works anymore.

Jey Usos is ready for the triple threat and shouts a lot.

Post break Lacey says wherever Sasha goes, she goes. She’s a Marine, and isn’t stopping until the mission is accomplished. That would be no more Sasha, which is written on the back of her hand.

Sheamus vs. Denzel DeJournette

Sheamus shrugs off a takedown attempt and elbows/knees away at the head. The Brogue kick finishes at 1:03.

Post match Cole starts introducing a video on Jeff Hardy but Sheamus interrupts and asks what is Cole’s malfunction. That’s too much disrespect to Sheamus, fella.

We get the second part of the Jeff Hardy video, which features a bunch of dives that banged Hardy up. It resulted in his addiction issues and caused his career to start spiraling down. Then he left in 2009 (the World Title reigns aren’t mentioned) and we see some videos of him high and drunk, which are still hard to watch. This led to a lot of his legal problems and Jeff knows that he has a lot to make up for. Part three next week.

Carmella comes up to Dana Brooke and isn’t happy that Dana isn’t focused on their Tag Team Title match next week. Dana explains the Money in the Bank idea and says she can do both. Carmella isn’t convinced, just like I’m not convinced that any WWE writer has ever had a conversation with a human if this is supposed to sound authentic.

Commentary talks about the Money in the Bank ladder matches….which will take place at WWE Corporate headquarters with the briefcases ON THE ROOF OF TITAN TOWERS! Well that’s a new one!

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Naomi vs. Dana Brooke

Naomi’s helmet is back and at least it covers up that ridiculous looking hair. Naomi kicks her down for two to start but gets thrown outside. Back in and Dana grabs a bodyscissors, allowing her to talk a lot of extra audible trash. That’s broken up so Naomi kicks her in the head a few times, followed by a springboard kick to the face for two. A powerbomb gives Dana the same but the Rear View connects for two more. Naomi is SHOCKED that it didn’t work, making me roll my eyes a good bit. The split legged moonsault misses though and Brooke gets a rollup pin at 4:10.

Rating: D+. I still like Brooke more than most but it’s in the same vein as Tamina: she has barely won anything and yet we’re supposed to take her as a threat. Even if there’s a huge upset and she wins the ladder match and title, it’s still way too much to buy her as a top star. Wins and losses matter if you watch regularly and while this isn’t as bad as Tamina getting a title shot, I’m still not buying it.

During the post match replays, Corey says Dana is the first person to kick out of the Rear View. Normally I’d have to look it up but I’m just refusing to believe that’s true.

Long recap of Otis/Mandy Rose and the Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler plan to stop them.

Here’s a very upset Sonya Deville to beg Mandy’s forgiveness. They’ve been friends forever and for the first time in forever, Mandy isn’t here. Sonya has wanted to tell her something but here’s Mandy in person to cut her off. Fighting back tears, Sonya says….that Mandy is the most selfish human being she has ever met. As soon as Mandy became interested in Otis, she was ready to kick Sonya to the curb.

Mandy doesn’t get it but Sonya says that Fire & Desire was always about Mandy instead of them. They came out to her music and talked about Mandy’s magazine covers. If Mandy could have focused on the team, everything would be fine. Dolph actually cares about Mandy but she ignored him too. Sonya accepted Dolph’s help because he helped the team but then Mandy had to ruin everything.

Now all Sonya wants to do is see Mandy hurt. Mandy might be pretty but she’s a dime a dozen blonde who was built in a lab. Sonya worked forever to be second to a talentless piece of eye candy. Now Sonya is going to ruin her life because she isn’t going to deal with some centerfold Barbie b****. Cue Ziggler to say he’s made a mistake but they had a great Valentines Day. Mandy slaps his hand away and Sonya jumps her, freaking Dolph out. Otis runs in for the save and house is cleaned, likely setting up a mixed tag. Well done on throwing in a bit of a surprise instead of Sonya declaring her love for Mandy.

We get the tribute video to Howard Finkel. That voice is never going to be topped and it’s very rare to see someone who clearly loved wrestling like he did. We get a lot NEEEEWWWW’s and a look at his comedy stuff, which really did work for him.

Miz thinks it is an injustice that he has to defend the Tag Team Titles in another three person triple threat match after John Morrison already did it at Wrestlemania. I’d call it more of a bad idea than an injustice.

Video on the Forgotten Sons.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan

Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew Gulak are the seconds. Cesaro shows off a bit by jumping up to touch the briefcase above the ring. Bryan wastes no time in knocking Cesaro to the floor for a suicide dive….and here’s the masked guy on the screen to show us more hidden video. He says some keep their friends close and others keep their enemies closer. There is no video shown though and we take a break.

Back with Bryan working on an armbar and then grabbing a cross armbreaker. Cesaro muscles him up with a powerbomb to escape and a slam gets two on Bryan. He heads to the apron but manages to snap Cesaro’s arm across the top rope. A dive off the top is countered into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker though and Cesaro grabs the Sharpshooter. Bryan gets to the rope and goes outside, setting up the running uppercut against the barricade.

Back from another break with Bryan hitting the YES Kicks for two but Cesaro hits a gorilla press knee to the face. The Crossface goes on, only to be reversed into most of the YES Lock. Cesaro clotheslines the heck out of him and unloads with uppercuts in the corner. Bryan’s moonsault out of the corner is caught but Bryan pulls him down into the YES Lock. Nakamura’s interference is cut off by Gulak and Cesaro taps at 14:24.

Rating: B. This is a lot closer to the match that you would have wanted to see from these two as they were given time and allowed to work to their strengths. It helps when you spend a good chunk of your careers wrestling in front of very few people. They know how to do something else and that makes for a better performance like this. Well that and the two of them being Cesaro and Bryan.

Big E. is ready to win the Tag Team Titles on his own. This morning, he slid out of the triple bunk bed and told Kofi and Woods to eat popcorn in the La-Z-Boys because it’s time to become eight time champions.

King Corbin jumps Elias in the back and crushes his hand between two anvil cases. Corbin drags him away. Post break, Corbin steps on Elias’ hand and tells him to sing before hitting him in the throat with a baton. That looks to be it but Corbin breaks the guitar over his back for a bonus. Now this is more like it for Corbin, FAR away from the main event scene and beating up midcarders. I can go for this far more.

Tag Team Titles: Big E. vs. Jey Uso vs. The Miz

Miz is defending the titles on his own. The challengers waste no time in sending Miz outside before Big E. runs Jey over. Big E. talks about having a plan but the other two are back up to suplex him through the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Jey hitting back to back suicide dives.

The running Umaga Attacks in the corner make it worse but Big E. catches Jey with the Rock Bottom out of the corner. Miz even goes aerial with a springboard ax handle, allowing him to start the HEY HEY HO HO. Miz can’t Figure Four Jey, who kicks him into Big E. for two instead. The Skull Crushing Final gets two on Jey and now the Figure Four goes on. Big E. breaks that up with the Big Ending to Miz for the pin and the titles at 9:45.

Rating: C-. Kind of a surprising ending as we continue to have New Day as placeholder champions, though they’ve been placeholder champions for what feels like years now. Normally I would say that I hope this doesn’t lead to the Forgotten Sons winning the titles because that would almost guarantee that it does, so yeah I’ve just screwed it up all over again.

We cut to Kofi at his house for an AND NEEEEEEWWWWW for a nice smile inducing moments.

Xavier Woods throws in a bunch of plugs.

Big E. rolls around on the floor shouting EIGHT TIMES to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was ok enough as they’ve managed to make these shows feel like any regular Smackdown. That sounds good in theory, but then you remember that a regular Smackdown isn’t much of a show, much like this one wasn’t. It was a decent enough watch with angle advancement and some good wrestling, but it’s nothing overly memorable. I actually liked that mixed tag angle in the middle as much as anything else, as it was well delivered and the motivations make sense. The match will probably be junk, but points for the setup. Not a great show by any means, but watchable enough for Smackdown.

Results

Tamina b. Sasha Banks – Superkick

Sheamus b. Denzel DeJournette – Brogue Kick

Dana Brooke b. Naomi – Sunset flip

Daniel Bryan b. Cesaro – YES Lock

Big E. b. Jey Uso and Miz – Big Ending to Miz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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